Human activity has degraded the world’s oceans with dizzying speed and a mass extinction of marine life only seen five times before in the planet’s history is likely if urgent action is not taken, a panel of marine experts warns. The International Program on the State of the Oceans panel,…
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Inquest hears of traumatic treatment meted out to killed Britons employed to protect computer programmer in Baghdad Three security guards kidnapped in Iraq were subject to mock executions, regularly beaten and kept chained and blindfolded for lengthy periods before being shot dead by their captors, an inquest heard on Tuesday. Jason Creswell, 39, Jason Swindlehurst, 38, and Alec MacLachlan, 30, were protecting computer programmer Peter Moore when they were seized in May 2007. The men, who were employed as security guards by the global firm GardaWorld , were kidnapped when a gang of armed men posing as police officers stormed the Iraqi finance ministry in Baghdad. All three were eventually executed while Moore was released in December 2009 after two years and seven months in captivity, the inquest at Trowbridge, Wiltshire, was told. A fourth security guard who was snatched with them, Alan McMenemy, 34, has never been found and is presumed dead. Chief inspector Mark Moles, of the SO15 counter-terrorism unit at Scotland Yard, went through a statement given by Moore detailing the mistreatment they suffered. He said: “They were all subjected to mock executions. This saw them placed on their knees, blindfolded, a gun pointed to their heads and a different gun firing off elsewhere in the room. This caused immense trauma. “They were always chained by their feet to a rail or bar and blindfolded for long periods.” The five Britons were seized by “between 50 and 100 men”, the inquest was told. Moore, 36, of Lincoln, was working in the building for American firm BearingPoint, teaching Iraqi officials how to use a new IT system when the armed men entered the building. Moles said the security guards would not have been aware of the ambush as officials in police uniform entered constantly. He said: “All were patrolling different parts of the building. They would have had no cause to have suspicion as police and military entered the building all the time. It wouldn’t have been until the very last moments they would have pulled their weapons in defence. “The attack gave them no chance to act, no chance to challenge, no chance to take any action to prevent their kidnap.” The five men were bundled into two vehicles. Once driven away, they were stripped to their underwear and all personal effects were thrown out of the vehicles. The kidnappers returned to the ministry in search of a second man the bodyguards had been protecting, Peter Donkin, but staff had hidden him in a compartment under the floor. It is thought the men were moved to Basra or a major city south of Baghdad because tests revealed their bodies contained high levels of lead, in line with the dust and air they would have inhaled. When Moore was debriefed following his release , he said the hostages had been moved to different locations every few months. He said the prisoners were beaten regularly, especially before they were to be moved to a new location in order to make them “compliant”. Moore said they were made to sleep on the floor or with a thin blanket. They were given food and water and allowed to shower regularly. He said they were occasionally allowed to watch television, enabling them to keep a track of the date. The bodies of Swindlehurst, from Skelmersdale, Lancashire, and Creswell, from Glasgow, were handed over to authorities at a Baghdad police station in June 2009. Swindlehurst had suffered two gunshot wounds to the head and one to the chest. It is thought Creswell, from Glasgow, died from three shots to his chest and abdomen while he knelt with his hands on his head. The body of MacLachlan, 30, of Llanelli, south Wales, was recovered in September 2009. He had been shot twice in the head. The Iraqi Shia group Asaib Ahl al-Haq has been blamed for holding the men hostage but has denied claims of torture and abuse. The Wiltshire and Swindon coroner, David Ridley, ruled the men had been unlawfully killed. British hostages in Iraq Iraq Middle East Steven Morris guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …President Obama will outline his plans for starting to get American troops out of Afghanistan in a speech to the nation tomorrow night, administration officials say. The president is weighing a range of options for the next step of the war, all of which include the withdrawal of some or…
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Amr Moussa, who played central role in securing Arab support for Nato strikes, calls for ceasefire and ‘political solution’ The outgoing head of the Arab League and a frontrunner to become president of a democratic Egypt has voiced reservations about Nato’s bombing campaign in Libya, calling for a ceasefire and talks on a political settlement while Muammar Gaddafi remains in power. Amr Moussa, the veteran Egyptian diplomat who played a central role in securing Arab support for the Nato air campaign against Gaddafi, told the Guardian he now had second thoughts about a bombing mission that may not be working. “When I see children being killed, I must have misgivings. That’s why I warned about the risk of civilian casualties,” he said. Arab support, in the form of an endorsement from the Arab League, was essential to the Anglo-French-led bombing campaign launched in March following a UN security council resolution mandating the use of force to protect Libyan civilians. But senior European officials say that the Arab world is again turning against the west because of the Libya campaign. “The Arab League is telling us that we’re losing the support of the Arab world,” said one senior source involved in negotiations over Libya. In an interview with the Guardian in Brussels, Moussa made clear he thought the military campaign would not produce a breakthrough. “You can’t have a decisive ending. Now is the time to do whatever we can to reach a political solution,” he said. “That has to start with a genuine ceasefire under international supervision, a ceasefire that is implemented rigorously. Until the ceasefire Gaddafi would remain in office and the ceasefire would be accepted by both sides. Then there would be a move to a transitional period … to reach an understanding about the future of Libya.” Asked whether that meant a halt to the Nato air strikes, he said: “A ceasefire is a ceasefire.” According to senior diplomats and officials in Brussels dealing with the Libyan crisis, there are absolutely no signs of Gaddafi giving up. They also say that the opposition leadership in Benghazi will have no truck with Gaddafi and is making his removal a precondition for a negotiated settlement of the war. Repeated offers of a ceasefire from Gaddafi have been dismissed as meaningless by the Nato leadership and western governments. “There are different political channels going on to persuade the Gaddafi regime it has to go,” said the senior EU official. UN envoys, the Russian government, and the South Africans had been talking quietly either directly with Gaddafi or with his entourage. All reported no progress. “The Russians have just tried mediating and came back from Tripoli saying Gaddafi is not moving one bit,” said the official. Moussa headed the Arab League for a decade until three weeks ago and remains its caretaker chief until his successor takes over in September. He indicated that inquiries were being made to see if any countries, possibly in Africa or the Middle East, would be willing to offer Gaddafi a safe haven and even raised the possibility that Gaddafi could stand down but remain in Libya. While voicing misgivings about the course of the air campaign, Moussa said the Arab League supported it initially because of Gaddafi’s attacks on Libyan civilians. The League’s response, however, to the Syrian regime’s killing of an estimated 1,400 civilians was different. “There was unanimity on Libya, but [on Syria] there are some hesitations because of strategic, political considerations,” he said. Arab leaders were worried about the impact of the Syrian crisis in Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, and on the Kurdish issue. Nonetheless, he added, “we are outraged by all that has happened in Tunisia, in Syria, in Libya, in Yemen … We are really worried about the situation. The vast majority [in the Arab League] is not comfortable with what is going on in Syria.” The Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, faced a dilemma and could be losing the initiative, Moussa said. “[His] chance is eroding. It is a race. You have to change as fast as you can. It is a race between reform or revolution.” The dramatic upheavals of the past six months across north Africa and the Middle East meant that no Arab society would remain untouched. “I don’t think there will be exceptions.” At the age of 74, Moussa is an unlikely figurehead for an Egyptian revolution that was driven by the country’s youth camping out on Tahrir Square. But he appears to be popular and trusted by the younger leaders who helped topple the Mubarak regime in February, despite the fact that he served that regime for a long time as a senior diplomat, ambassador, and foreign minister. He is running for president in an election that he says should not be held until the end of the year at the earliest. If he won, he would only want to serve one term because of his age, Moussa maintained. “Egypt is going to be a democratic republic with a constitution, a president, a council of ministers, a parliament,” he declared. While the Egyptian army remains in charge in the post-Mubarak turmoil, it is not entirely clear, however, how the declared passage to democracy is to be structured, sequenced, and organised. Moussa argued passionately for presidential elections to be held before a parliamentary ballot despite the momentum towards a parliamentary vote within a few months. “I disapprove of parliamentary elections in September because the landscape is not ready.” If priority was to be given to drafting a new constitution, then parliamentary elections should be shelved and instead a constituent assembly should be elected to write the new charter. Moussa appeared worried that the attempt to entrench a new democratic system could backfire, resulting in an ascendancy of the Muslim Brotherhood plunging Egypt into chaos. “I can’t blame the Muslim Brotherhood for being disciplined and organised. The others are not organised,” he said. Moussa predicted that the Brotherhood could take up to 35% of the vote in a September parliamentary poll and that this would suffice for it to construct a coalition, dominate the new assembly, and take over the running of the country. “Then there would be chaos,” he warned. “There would be no new constitution. I prefer to work for a presidential system because the political landscape in Egypt is not yet mature. Not because of the Muslim Brotherhood per se, but because the situation is not fully ready.” Libya Arab and Middle East unrest Egypt Nato Middle East Africa Ian Traynor guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …If Britain’s Serious Organized Crime Agency wasn’t already taking an interest in Lulz Security, it is now. The group of hackers has knocked the agency’s website offline. The agency took its website offline after a denial of service attack, reports the BBC . Sensitive information was never at risk of falling…
Continue reading …In one of the most aggressive such actions to date, the feds are suing two financial institutions for talking credit unions into bad-risk bonds that ended up destroying the companies. JP Morgan Chase and the Royal Bank of Scotland talked five credit unions into investing in $3 billion in mortgage…
Continue reading …“I’ve had all I can stand, Fox TV, and I can’t stand no more,” former White House “green jobs” czar Van Jones said in recent tirade against the Glenn Beck and his soon-to-be-ex-employer. Jones, who resigned in 2009 after being targeted by Beck, has challenged the host to debate him…
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High inflation and weak wage growth means family spending power fell by £14 a week in May, according to Asda Households are about £60 a month worse off than they were a year ago as rising inflation puts the squeeze on household budgets, latest figures show. Family spending power fell by £14 a week in May, according to the Asda income tracker, a record low since the supermarket started publishing the data in January 2007. The figures show that the average family had just £165 a week to spend in May, 8% lower than this time last year due to higher food bills and soaring transport costs. Staple foods have risen in price by 40% over the past 12 months, while the cost of getting around by car and public transport is 8% higher than a year ago. The report indicates that while the UK economy continues to gradually recover, consumers remain under significant financial pressure as wage growth fails to keep pace with the rising cost of living. Consumer price inflation was at 4.5% in May, unchanged from the 32-month high seen in April and more than double the current average earnings growth. Whilst the latest labour market data shows a slight fall in unemployment, it also highlights earnings growth remaining at 2%. Asda calculates family spending power as the amount remaining after the average UK household has been taxed and has paid for necessities such as mortgage or rent, gas and electricity, food, drink and transport. Transport costs were again a big contributor to the headline rate of inflation in May. The cost of getting around is now 8% higher than a year ago – driven mainly by fuel and oil rising 13.7% over the year, and air fares increasing by 13.8%. Recent AA data showed that unleaded petrol prices are 12.7% higher in May 2011 than in the same month a year ago. Drinkers and smokers have also been penalised as alcohol and tobacco prices went up by 9.8% over the year to May 2011 – the highest inflation rate of all product categories and the fastest year-on-year increase since March 1992. The analysis has been produced for Asda by the Centre for Economics and Business Research , an independent economics and business research consultancy. Managing economist Charles Davis said: “Pressure continued to mount on household finances in May as the rapidly increasing price of transport and food pushed the cost of living even higher, and the price of alcohol and tobacco rose at the fastest rate since 1992. “The Asda income tracker shows discretionary income is under further pressure as annual earnings growth remains historically weak – under half the rate of inflation. The current picture of low wage increases and rapid inflation is likely to persist for the rest of the year, pointing to an extended squeeze on real disposable income.” Family finances Consumer affairs Rebecca Smithers guardian.co.uk
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Printing errors in GCSE maths papers force apology from AQA while further mistakes are under investigation by exams watchdog One of England’s biggest exam boards has been forced to apologise after GCSE students were set a paper containing questions from an old exam, the latest in a series of mistakes to affect pupils this summer. Due to a printing error the maths paper, set by the AQA exam board, included questions originally answered by pupils taking the same exam in March. Over 31,000 pupils at 567 schools and colleges took the paper on Tuesday morning. Two other new errors in exam papers have also been discovered, in a GCSE Latin paper and a physics A-level exam, both set by the OCR exam board. The Latin GCSE paper, taken by up to 8,000 students at 540 schools and colleges, contained incorrect names of writers and characters. The physics A-level paper contained a measurement given in both centimetres and metres, when it should have been in metres only. Almost 8,000 students at 661 schools and colleges sat the exam. An OCR spokesman said: “We deeply regret these errors. We are extremely angry, because this is not fair on students, parents and teachers.” He added: “It is not acceptable, and if we find that someone has not done their job, they will lose their job.” AQA, which sets 49% of GCSE exams, said some schools received the correct maths paper, while others received the “problem” paper, which had new questions at the beginning and end, but old ones in the middle. Some schools were sent a combination of correct and flawed exam papers. The exams regulator, Ofqual, has confirmed it is already investigating six errors – five in AS-level papers and one in a GCSE. AQA said it was very sorry that its maths paper “caused some students distress” . “We have told schools that students should attempt the paper as it is and we will consider the most appropriate action to protect students’ interests, when we have a full understanding of the extent of the problem,” an AQA spokeswoman said. “The batches of papers that we checked as part of our quality assurance process are all fine and we are in the process of investigating with our printers how this problem has arisen.” In one of the previous exam board blunders, all the answers to a multiple-choice question in a biology AS-level paper set by Edexcel were wrong. The question was worth one mark out of a possible 425. The board has promised that markers will adjust scores to ensure no candidate is disadvantaged. A business studies AS-level paper set by AQA left out crucial information, meaning one question, worth three marks, could not be answered. It asked students to calculate the profits a fictional chocolate company was making, but failed to include all the information required. The OCR board included an “impossible” question in a maths AS exam. Students were asked to solve an equation but were not given the information needed to do so. In a statement issued last week, Ofqual’s chief executive, Glenys Stacey, said exam boards had carried out additional checks on their papers. She said: “Students who have sat one of the question papers that included a mistake can be assured that the awarding organisations have procedures in place to make sure that so far as possible, no candidate is disadvantaged. “The measures taken will depend on the exact circumstances. Ofqual has asked the awarding organisations for detailed information on the actions they have taken already and will be taking during the awarding process.” Ofqual warns against comparisons with previous years, as it says changes in reporting arrangements may mean mistakes made in the past were not recorded by the regulator. But there appears to be a spike in exam-related problems this year. No incidents of errors in setting exams were reported last year, or in the 2009 season. In 2008 there were three incidents – two in GCSE papers and one in A-levels – according to figures kept by Ofqual. One flawed A-level paper was reported in 2007 and one GCSE paper with a mistake in 2006. The NUS has called for an inquiry into this year’s exam season and said affected students should be given the option of resits. There are around 5,000 exam papers scheduled this summer for GCSE, AS and A-level candidates in England. GCSEs AS-levels A-levels Schools Mathematics Physics Jeevan Vasagar guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Woody Allen has announced the cast for his new movie—and it includes Woody Allen. The 75-year-old director, whose new release Midnight In Paris has charmed critics and looks set to attract his biggest audience in years, will have a role in The Bop Decameron , reports the Los Angeles Times…
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