Click here to view this media From the genius who helped bring us the snow-billy from Wasilla, Bloody Bill Kristol thinks that Gov. Good-Hair-Secessionist Rick Perry of Texas might be a “formidable” candidate if he decides to run for president in 2012. WALLACE: All right. Let me turn, Bill, to two people whose names were prominently mentioned this week, that they might jump into the race. One is Governor Rick Perry of Texas. The other is Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City. What do you think, one, is the likelihood either will get in? And two, what kind of a factor do you think either of them will be? KRISTOL: I think it’s unlikely Rudy Giuliani will get in. And if he does, I think it’s unlikely he’ll be the nominee. That’s a reason he didn’t win — I mean, presumably, he would have been a stronger candidate in 2008, when the memory of his mayoralty was fresher than now. WALLACE: Then why is he up in New Hampshire? KRISTOL: Because all these guys look at the field and they think, really? I mean, I have as good a career as these other people who are running. Why don’t I get a shot? And it is a wide open race. I think Governor Perry could well get in, and I have thought for months that if you came down from Mars and sort of looked at the possible Republican candidates, and you saw the governor of the second largest state in the nation with an extremely good record — Texas has created jobs over the last 10 years while he’s been governor, while the rest of the country has not — over the last two years, I think Texas is the only state in the country perhaps that has net job creation I the private sector, and he’s a Tea Party favorite. I mean, what do you need to be the Republican nominee? You need to have a proven record, I think, and you need to be accepted to and even exciting for Tea Party activist types. Perry checks both those boxes at once. I think Perry could be formidable if he got in.
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Click here to view this media From the genius who helped bring us the snow-billy from Wasilla, Bloody Bill Kristol thinks that Gov. Good-Hair-Secessionist Rick Perry of Texas might be a “formidable” candidate if he decides to run for president in 2012. WALLACE: All right. Let me turn, Bill, to two people whose names were prominently mentioned this week, that they might jump into the race. One is Governor Rick Perry of Texas. The other is Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City. What do you think, one, is the likelihood either will get in? And two, what kind of a factor do you think either of them will be? KRISTOL: I think it’s unlikely Rudy Giuliani will get in. And if he does, I think it’s unlikely he’ll be the nominee. That’s a reason he didn’t win — I mean, presumably, he would have been a stronger candidate in 2008, when the memory of his mayoralty was fresher than now. WALLACE: Then why is he up in New Hampshire? KRISTOL: Because all these guys look at the field and they think, really? I mean, I have as good a career as these other people who are running. Why don’t I get a shot? And it is a wide open race. I think Governor Perry could well get in, and I have thought for months that if you came down from Mars and sort of looked at the possible Republican candidates, and you saw the governor of the second largest state in the nation with an extremely good record — Texas has created jobs over the last 10 years while he’s been governor, while the rest of the country has not — over the last two years, I think Texas is the only state in the country perhaps that has net job creation I the private sector, and he’s a Tea Party favorite. I mean, what do you need to be the Republican nominee? You need to have a proven record, I think, and you need to be accepted to and even exciting for Tea Party activist types. Perry checks both those boxes at once. I think Perry could be formidable if he got in.
Continue reading …Rep. Weiner Consulting With Lawyers After Racy Picture Credited To Him By Andrew Breitbart’s Site
May 31, 2011 No CommentIt’s about time that someone fought back against the fabricated political scandals that are so often aimed at liberal Democrats, and the right-wing sites like Big Hollywood that so eagerly report them. Good for Rep. Weiner! I hope his attorneys find grounds to sue. Via Raw Story: Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner is consulting with his lawyers after it was reported that the New York congressman sent a racy photo to a female college student from Seattle via Twitter. “We’ve retained counsel to explore the proper next steps and to advise us on what civil or criminal actions should be taken,” Weiner spokesman Dave Arnold told The Daily Caller in an email. “This was a prank. We are loath to treat it as more, but we are relying on professional advice.” Weiner has claimed that his Facebook account was hacked and that, while the photo did appear on his Twitter feed, he did not send it. The photo shows a man’s erect penis outlined in a pair of tight boxer briefs. The photo was first published by Andrew Breitbart’s BigGovernment .The photo was quickly deleted along with all the other photos on the congressman’s yFrog account. An analysis of a screenshot of the congressman’s yFrog account, which was published by BigGovernment, shows the image was manipulated, according to the progressive blog DailyKos . The screenshot was allegedly altered to make it appear that the racy photo was associated with Rep. Weiner’s account.
Continue reading …Rep. Weiner Consulting With Lawyers After Racy Picture Credited To Him By Andrew Breitbart’s Site
May 31, 2011 No CommentIt’s about time that someone fought back against the fabricated political scandals that are so often aimed at liberal Democrats, and the right-wing sites like Big Hollywood that so eagerly report them. Good for Rep. Weiner! I hope his attorneys find grounds to sue. Via Raw Story: Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner is consulting with his lawyers after it was reported that the New York congressman sent a racy photo to a female college student from Seattle via Twitter. “We’ve retained counsel to explore the proper next steps and to advise us on what civil or criminal actions should be taken,” Weiner spokesman Dave Arnold told The Daily Caller in an email. “This was a prank. We are loath to treat it as more, but we are relying on professional advice.” Weiner has claimed that his Facebook account was hacked and that, while the photo did appear on his Twitter feed, he did not send it. The photo shows a man’s erect penis outlined in a pair of tight boxer briefs. The photo was first published by Andrew Breitbart’s BigGovernment .The photo was quickly deleted along with all the other photos on the congressman’s yFrog account. An analysis of a screenshot of the congressman’s yFrog account, which was published by BigGovernment, shows the image was manipulated, according to the progressive blog DailyKos . The screenshot was allegedly altered to make it appear that the racy photo was associated with Rep. Weiner’s account.
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• Turn on the auto refresh button below for the latest updates • Email katy.murrells@guardian.co.uk with your thoughts • Check out all the latest from Roland Garros here Murray wins 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-5 A war of attrition on the first point ends in Troicki going for broke on a backhand and firing just wide. 15-0. Troicki then aims a forehand in the tramlines – his 20th unforced error of the final set now – and it’s 30-0. Murray thumps a winner down the line to bring up three match points . But all three go begging. Deuce. Troicki aims long to bring up another match point, and this time Murray finishes with a flourish as he comes up with a backhand cross-court pass – one of his best shots of the final set. Murray looks pretty pleased with himself, Troicki trudges off pretty quickly. *Murray 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-5 Troicki Troicki seems to have completely lost his way now. From 0-30, Troicki overcooks a forehand to hand Murray three break points . Murray can’t take the first as his return flops into the net, he can’t take the second either as he nets again, but it’s a case of third time lucky as it’s Troicki’s time to net. That’s four games in a row now for Murray and he’ll serve for the match. Cue a fist pump. Troicki meanwhile looks to the skies for inspiration. Murray 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 5-5 Troicki* Murray is really taking the ball on now. From 15-all, Murray thumps a cross-court winner and fires down an ace to get to 40-15. A little bit of fortune for Murray on game point, he seemed to mishit that ball slightly, Troicki can’t the ball back in play. And from 5-2 down it’s now 5-all. *Murray 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 4-5 Troicki Murray backhand into the net. 15-0. Murray backhand long. 30-0. It’s then Troicki’s turn to come up with the unforced error. 30-15. A gutsy return winner from Murray. 30-all. Tight backhand from Troicki. 30-40. Break point . Troicki then dumps a drop shot into the net and we’re back on serve. Phew. Murray 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 3-5 Troicki* A gutsy hold from Murray to love, cue a scream of “COME ON.” So it’s up to Troicki to serve for a place in the quarter-finals … *Murray 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 2-5 Troicki Murray responds immediately to get to 0-30, Troicki then wins the next two points, but a tight backhand from the Serb goes into the tramlines and it’s break point at 30-40. Murray scrambles into the net to pick up a drop shot but doesn’t get there in time. Deuce. Advantage Troicki. Murray looks to have the better of Troicki in the next exchange but Troicki soaks up the pressure and then digs out a backhand to take the game. Murray will now have to serve to stay in the tournament . Troicki got tight on occasions yesterday, can he see this through now? Murray 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 2-4 Troicki* Bit of drama on the opening point. The ball boy thinks the point is over and comes on to court, Troicki still manages to put the smash away but the umpire calls a let. He’s got no choice really but the Serb is none too happy and pleads his case to no avail. Murray ends up winning the replayed point to go 15-0 up, but the game ends up going to deuce. And Troicki then brings up his first break point in the deciding set . Troicki hammers a backhand down the line and Murray can only net. First blood to Troicki. *Murray 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 2-3 Troicki Now it’s Troicki’s turn to get a quick game on the board as he holds to love. “WHAT’S THAT?” shouts Murray. In answer to Gary Naylor, yes Murray doesn’t quite have the flair or flamboyance of Monfils, but luckily he doesn’t have Monfils’s injury record either. Monfils has always threatened to make a major breakthrough at a slam, but so far the semis is as far as he’s got. It would be wonderful to see Monfils make a major final, he’s a great character to have in the game, but don’t be too down on Murray – I still think he’s got a slam in him, provided he makes a few adjustments. Murray 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 2-2 Troicki* Murray rattles off four quick points to take the game to love. Not that I saw too much of it as I was busy digesting Gary Naylor’s email. “I saw Gael Monfils at Wimbledon last year – he was every bit as wonderful a sight on court as on the telly. He doesn’t have Murray’s ranking nor his Slam history, but I think he’s more likely to sustain a surge in form and win a one-off Slam like a Del Potro or a Krajicek. Murray just seems to find too many new ways of losing.” Answer to follow … *Murray 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 1-2 Troicki Thwack. Troicki goes 40-15 ahead with a thunderous forehand down the line, but Murray gives back as good as he gets and unleashes a backhand winner to get to deuce. Troicki brings up advantage with some clever play, but then dumps a forehand into the net. It’s then Murray’s turn at advantage , but Troicki snuffs out the danger with a forehand winner. Deuce. Troicki then reels off the next two points to again deny Murray the break. After what I said about Troicki’s temperament, he’s looking pretty strong at the moment. Murray 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 1-1 Troicki* A bit of danger for Murray at 15-30 down, but he reels off the next three points – the third with a crunching forehand – to level up. And a plea from Qasa Alom. “In between your coverage and 5live extra, I’ve just about got this covered – would appreciate a “shout count” though of how many times – and how soon – Murray begins to hurl abuse at his mother, gf, friends, the ball boys, his primary school teacher etc etc.” There has been one rant so far Qasa, but the only one in the firing line was Murray himself. *Murray 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 0-1 Troicki (* denotes next server) What a first point. A gruelling exchange finally ends with Troicki darting a backhand down the line, which Murray can only prod long. The second point is just as good, as Murray comes up with a backhand pass down the line. 15-all. Troicki delivers a delicate drop shot to nudge 30-15 ahead, but Murray puts away a backhand volley to level up at 30-all. There certainly doesn’t seem to be any problem with his ankle at the moment. Troicki then slaps a sloppy overhead into the net to give Murray a break point at 30-40 , but Troicki holds his nerve to get it to deuce. The Serb then takes the game on his second advantage. A high-quality start from both players. “I’m hoping Troicki has some Sri Lankan heritage,” declares Dan Hare. “It’ll be over in a flash.” Oh and please don’t hold back on the emails. This could be over very quickly. But it’ll probably go 19-17 now I say that … And the players are out and warming up, again both wearing their near-identical Adidas clobber, though Troicki has opted for green shorts today just to help the commentators out a bit. Murray apparently was out hitting on another court around half an hour ago. An unusual move so close to the match, but probably a good idea to warm his dodgy ankle up. Talking of Djokovic, his walkover against Fabio Fognini means there’s just one quarter-final in the men’s draw today, with Roger Federer up second on Phillipe Chatrier against the home favourite Gael Monfils. First on Chatrier it’s the defending women’s champion Francesca Schiavone against Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, while another former champion Svetlana Kuznetsova will take on France’s Marion Bartoli after the conclusion of Murray v Troicki. My googling for random Troicki facts wasn’t much of a success to be honest, apart from discovering he engages in a spot of part-time modelling. So if there are any Serbs reading, any bits of trivia you can offer up would be gratefully received. On court, Troicki has had a pretty good time of it lately. Like Novak Djokovic, Serbia’s Davis Cup victory has inspired him to produce the best tennis of his career and while he hasn’t reached Djokovic’s lofty heights, he’s up to a personal high of 15 in the world rankings and he’s playing for a place in his first grand slam quarter-final. Omen time Murray came back from two sets to love down on the same court last year, when he beat Richard Gasquet in the first round. I was on game-by-game duty then, if that’s any kind of sign. Plus when Troicki goes the distance he’s prone to get the jitters. This is the fifth time he’s been caught when two sets to the good, and he’s gone on to lose twice. Troicki talked a good game before the match, but I’m not sure he’s got the bottle to finish Murray off. Good afternoon and welcome to the conclusion of Andy Murray v Viktor Troicki . Team Murray were probably booking their Eurostar tickets back to London when he was two sets and a break down last night, but the world No4 somehow picked himself up off the canvas and had levelled up at two sets all – 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 – when they were hauled off for bad light at around 9.30pm local time. So today’s finale is essentially a one-set shoot-out for a quarter-final against the unseeded Argentinian, Juan Ignacio Chela. If Murray carries on where he left off, surely there’s only going to be one winner (famous last words), as long as there’s been no overnight reaction to his ankle injury. After starting rather gingerly yesterday, it seemed to hold up, but whether that was the adrenaline kicking in remains to be seen. The players are due on Suzanne Lenglen at 1pm by the way, so I’m off to get a quick sandwich … Andy Murray French Open 2011 French Open Tennis Katy Murrells guardian.co.uk
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In response to mass unemployment and the prospect of having to emigrate, an unemployed Irish graduate has spent €2,000 (£1,745) on a massive billboard advertisement asking employers not to let him leave the republic. Féilim Mac An Iomaire, who erected an advertising hoarding on the busy Merrion Road in south Dublin in an attempt to find a job, has said he has been overwhelmed by the response. The ad contains a picture of the 26-year-old marketing graduate facing a number of famous landmarks from Sydney, London and New York with the message: “Save me from emigration.” His ad has struck a chord across Ireland at a time when about 50,000 citizens, many of them young graduates, are expected to leave this year for work abroad. There are still up to 400,000 jobless workers in Ireland due to the property crash and the country’s fiscal crisis. Mac An Iomaire said he came up with the idea after being unemployed for eight months after a year in Australia. “I had a good bit of money saved when I came home from Australia but I was managing to live on jobseeker’s allowance. I gave it a week of hard thinking to come up with the concept and nothing was going to stop me then,” he said. “The great thing is that everyone’s been so positive about it. No one has really had a bad word to say. “Everybody who is close to me knows I’ve been pretty miffed about being unemployed and feeling like I’ve been on the sidelines.” Mac An Iomaire also set up a Facebook page and Twitter account, @Joblesspaddy , and has been inundated with emails and messages. “I’ve had some really nice replies. Some CV experts are willing to spruce up my CV so I’m pretty overwhelmed with that,” he said. “It looks good for something to come out of it, anyway. “I am not exactly looking for a concrete job offer. I would sooner go through the whole process of doing an interview,” he added. Ireland bailout Ireland European debt crisis Unemployment and employment statistics Advertising Henry McDonald guardian.co.uk
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Retail giant claims to be challenging fat cat pay excess with scrapping of controversial incentive scheme Tesco has overhauled its pay policy for top executives in an attempt to head off a repeat of last year’s shareholder revolt , when almost half its shareholders failed to back the supermarket group’s remuneration report. The new approach, revealed in the group’s annual report published on Tuesday, will see the scrapping of an incentive scheme previously enjoyed by US boss Tim Mason. His pay was the subject of criticism at last year’s AGM, especially from US institutional investors who complained it was excessive, given the big losses being racked up by Tesco’s US start-up, Fresh & Easy. Tesco said it was making changes this year after a review and consultation with shareholders. The retailer’s annual report stated: “In light of the renewed focus on a collegiate approach to remuneration, together with Mr Mason’s appointment to the roles of deputy CEO and chief marketing officer, it has been agreed that Mr Mason will no longer be eligible for awards under the US annual or long-term incentive programmes. Mr Mason will therefore no longer participate in the US LTIP [long-term incentive plan] and the two million shares granted to him in 2007 will lapse.” Despite the changes, which will also see Tesco’s current four long-term incentive plans merged into one single plan, chief executive Philip Clarke, who started his job in March, can earn an annual long-term bonus of up to 275% of his £1.1m salary, and a further 250% through a short-term bonus. Meanwhile, Tesco is seeking to award the chief executive with an even higher payout in “exceptional circumstances”. The report added: “To ensure that we have sufficient headroom to grant awards in exceptional circumstances, in line with usual practice, we are seeking shareholder approval to increase the maximum award opportunity under the PSP [performance share plan] to 350% of base salary.” The debate over boardroom pay has been reignited this week with a survey showing that chief executives of blue-chip companies enjoyed a median pay rise of 32% last year , compared with a 7% rise in the FTSE 100, and a 2% increase in workers’ pay, according to pay consultancy MM&K and corporate governance group Manifest. Tesco’s annual report also revealed that former chief executive Sir Terry Leahy received £4.2m in the year to February, down from £5.2m the previous year. Executive pay and bonuses Tesco Supermarkets Retail industry Corporate governance Simon Goodley guardian.co.uk
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Rustam Makhmudov reported to have been detained in Chechnya on suspicion of killing Russian journalist in 2006 Russian authorities have detained the main suspect in the killing of the investigative journalist and Kremlin critic Anna Politkovskaya, according to Russian media reports on Tuesday. Rustam Makhmudov, the man accused of shooting Politkovskaya in 2006, was detained in the province of Chechnya, according to a lawyer, Murad Musayev, whose comments were reported by Ekho Moskvy radio. Politkovskaya, who investigated rights abuses in Chechnya and high-level corruption across Russia, was gunned down in her apartment building in a killing that sparked outrage worldwide. According to the Interfax news agency, an unidentified law enforcement official said Makhmudov would be brought to Moscow for questioning. Two of Makhmudov’s brothers, Dzhabrail and Ibragim, were acquitted in 2009 along with a third man tried for Politkovskaya’s murder. Rustam Makhmudov avoided capture and had remained at large. Anna Politkovskaya Chechnya Russia Europe guardian.co.uk
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River levels may cause nuclear reactors to go offline, while dry weather in northern and eastern Europe will raise food prices One of the driest springs ever recorded in northern Europe could lead to power blackouts this summer, with nuclear reactors going offline because of low river levels. The exceptionally dry weather will also raise food prices and has already forced water restrictions on millions of people, say governments, farm groups and meteorological organisations across the continent. Large parts of southern Britain, northern France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and other northern and eastern European countries have had their driest three-month spells in more than 50 years, receiving just 25-60% of their long-term average rainfall since February. This has led to parched soils and difficult growing conditions for farmers, as well as to river levels that are dangerously low for wildlife. Patchy rain has moistened soils in parts of northern Britain, France and Germany over the past few weeks, but with summer approaching and temperatures soaring to over 30C in France, it is not expected that any rains will compensate for months of exceptionally dry weather. Last week the European Union warned that soils were now “critically dry” in six countries. The French wheat harvest is now expected to be 11.5%-13% down on average despite an increase in the area planted this year and German output is expected to fall 7-9%. In south-east England, many farmers expect crops to fail dramatically unless steady rains come soon. Dry weather may cut grain and oilseed yields by as much as 20%, said Allan Wilkinson, head of agriculture for HSBC Bank. “The cost of commodities is going to generally be higher, and this weather issue is going to exaggerate that,” he said. Last week wheat prices rose in Chicago for two days running on the expectation that dry weather has hurt crops in France, Germany and the UK, and the UN warned that rising food prices risked riots in developing countries . On Monday, Oxfam said the average price of staple foods would more than double in the next 20 years . France, the EU’s biggest wheat producer, has made £90m available to drought-hit farmers and applied for advance financial help from the EU. More than half the country’s regional departments have imposed restrictions on extracting water which has led to roads being blockaded by farmers. Christiane Lambert, president of the largest French farm union, the Fédération Nationale des Syndicats d’Exploitants Agricoles (FNSEA), said: “The situation is deteriorating. Temperatures are rising and we are still only getting sporadic rain. The biggest problem is with cattle. There is no grass for them and the price of hay has risen dramatically. Farmers are beginning to sell their cattle to avoid paying for their food. Now the vegetable and fruit crops have come a month early which means that they coincide with harvests from Spain and north Africa so the price is very low. This is a major crisis. People are very worried. If there is no decent rain now the situation will be dramatic by the end of the summer”. “We are already in a crisis situation. It is like what we would expect in July for groundwater levels, river flows and snow melting,” said French environment minister Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, who set up a high-level group this month to assess the damage from the driest spring on record. In Britain, where some reservoirs are now down to 40% of their capacity and rivers in south-east England have been at historically low levels, water companies are preparing to impose hosepipe bans and other restrictions if heavy rains do not occur in the next few weeks. Across the UK, April had just 52% of the average rainfall for the month , while many areas experienced their driest springs for over 50 years. The drought has led to some of Europe’s lowest river levels recorded in more than 100 years. According to the German Federal Hydrological Agency, ships on Europe’s two biggest rivers, the Rhine and Danube, are being forced to sail 50-80% empty because they are having problems navigating such low rivers. The Danube’s water levels sunk to a 100- year low for the month of May in Austria. Similar problems have been reported in Germany. Car maker Ford said last week that it would cut down on using ships to transport its products, if the river levels continue to fall. Concern is now mounting that some of Europe’s nuclear reactors may be forced to temporarily close within months if there is not substantially increased rainfall. Most of France’s nuclear stations rely on river water to cool them and falling rivers could force closure. EDF, which operates 58 reactors, has said it will delay maintenance work on its reactors near the Channel and Atlantic Ocean this summer to ensure electricity in case its riverside plants have to shut as they did in 2003 during a heatwave . “EDF remains vigilant. France is undergoing an exceptional drought which has led us to reinforce surveillance in particular of its nuclear, thermal and hydropower plants”, said an EDF spokesman. The situation could be made worse if Switzerland tries to maintain the water level of Lake Geneva by adjusting flows into the Rhone River, as this would reduce flows in France and affect reactors. So far the dry conditions have not caused blackouts, but EDF has said that it lost 2.1 terawat (trillion) -hours of hydro electric power in the past three months because of low water levels. Water reservoirs for electricity production are now 54% full, 10 percentage points below the same week last year and nine points lower than in 2009. France gets about 20% of its power capacity from running water through turbines. The dry conditions mean some regions are also prone to fires. For example, dune fires broke out in the coastal parts of the Netherlands at the start of May . In some north-eastern parts of Germany, the Forest Fire Danger Index has reached its highest possible level. Observers said that a trend towards drier springs appeared to be gathering. This years’s drought in April follows exceptionally dry years in 2007, 2009 and 2010. “2011 was up to now one of the driest 10 years in nearly whole Switzerland since 1864. April 2011 was one of the 10 driest April months in Germany since 1881, in continuation of similarly dry April months in 2007, 2009 and 2010. Last winter was very dry in western Europe”, said a spokesman for the World Meteorological Organisation. Farmers’ stories George Combeau, Angoulême, France: “I have 100ha of maize, wheat and barley. The ground is like iron and the drought is biting hard. We have had our second-hottest April since 1900 and the driest spring since 1953 with just 15mm of rain in the past two months. Usually we would get four times that amount in just a month. Now the temperatures are increasing fast and it is very serious. The local authority imposed water restrictions on us one month ago. The maize has germinated but it is very thirsty. It can be saved if it rains for a long while, but I think the wheat crop is very badly damaged and we will be lucky to get half what we would expect. The farmers who have cattle are in a desperate situation. They cannot afford hay and they have started to sell their cattle. We are told we can expect only irregular rain. I fear it will be catastrophic”. George Dunn, Winchester, England: “I am a tenant farmer of 600 acres near Winchester, growing wheat, barley and oats and have some cattle and sheep. There’s been a bit of rain recently but not nearly enough. It’s too late now for many crops. Some farmers have destroyed their spring barley crop and replanted. We can expect the wheat harvest to be 10-20% down and the barley to be 30% down. It will get very serious soon for livestock farmers. They have nothing to fall back on. We’re starting to see farmers selling their cattle so they don’t have to feed them. The numbers of animals going to abattoirs is increasing. The price of wheat is going up but most farmers have already sold a lot of their harvest [on the future markets] in advance for a low price”. Energy Drought Water Nuclear power Spring Europe Rivers Farming Food Weather John Vidal guardian.co.uk
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Former Conservative peer falsely filed for travel and overnight subsistence to claim more than £11,000 from taxpayer, court told The disgraced former Conservative peer Lord Taylor of Warwick has been jailed for 12 months over false parliamentary expense claims. Taylor falsely filed for travel and overnight subsistence to claim more than £11,000 from the taxpayer, Southwark crown court, in London, heard. The 58-year-old told the House of Lords members’ expenses office that his main residence was a house in Oxford, when in fact he lived in west London. The peer never stayed at, and only twice visited, the Oxford property, which was owned by his half-nephew’s partner. He was therefore not entitled to claim money for travelling from Oxford to London and staying overnight in the capital. Passing sentence, Mr Justice Saunders said Taylor had lied to journalists investigating his expenses and lied while giving evidence to the jury on oath during his trial. He said: “The expenses scheme in the House of Lords was based on trust. Peers certified that their claims were accurate. They were not required to provide proof. It was considered that people who achieved a peerage could be relied on to be honest. “Making false claims involved a breach of a high degree of trust. The expenses scandal has affected the standing not just of the House of Commons but also the House of Lords.” MPs’ expenses House of Lords Crime guardian.co.uk
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