The 50cm tall puppet, which has a head full of electronics that enable the mouth to move, is expected to fetch up to £10,000 She was an aristocrat, a secret agent and, frankly, the subject of many a schoolboy crush in the late sixties and seventies. Now an original Lady Penelope puppet from the Thunderbirds television programmes is to be sold at auction and is expected to fetch up to £10,000. The marionette was one of the stand-out characters in Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s beloved adventure series. Always perfectly turned out, Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward was wont to travel in a pink six-wheeled Rolls Royce, usually driven by her chauffeur Parker. She lived in a splendid stately home in the British countryside and communicated with International Rescue, the secretive do-gooders based on the tropical hideaway of Tracy Island, via a device hidden in her teapot. Since the mid-60s the 50cm (20ins) high puppet, which has a head full of electronics allowing the mouth to move, has been in the care of her maker, Christine Glanville. Stephanie Connell of auctioneer Bonhams said: “This puppet came from the collection of Christine Glanville, who died in 1999. “She was the puppet maker for the series and this is super-rare and important. It was an important piece of TV history and although it was first shown in 1965 it has been repeated ever since and all generations are aware of it. “This is an original Lady Penelope and there can be few, if any, left. She is wearing a 60s-style A-line dress and a cardigan. She has pink lipstick on and blue eyes and her hair is in a bob style. “There are lots of genuine Thunderbirds fans and there will be lots of people who would love to have her.” The characters Lady Penelope and Parker were designed to play up to an American audience’s perception of the British upper class. Her face was based on the character from a shampoo advert of the day. As well as the puppet, Bonhams is selling Lady Penelope’s miniature writing desk, chair and bookcase from the original set. They are expected to fetch more than £5,000. The sale is on 29 June, appropriately in upmarket Knightsbridge, London. Lady Penelope would have approved. Television Television industry Television Art markets Steven Morris guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Natalie Portman and fiance Benjamin Millepied have welcomed a son into the world, People reports. Portman, 30, met her choreographer beau on the set of Black Swan , for which she won the best actress Oscar earlier this year. During her acceptance speech, she thanked the Frenchmen, “who has now given…
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MPs and peers say more tightly-drawn anti-terrorism measures introduced in March need controls to prevent human rights breaches Peers and MPs have warned the home secretary, Theresa May, that extra safeguards for new random counter-terror stop-and-search powers are needed in order to prevent further human rights breaches. The more tightly-drawn powers were introduced in March after the European court of human rights ruled that the original measures – known as section 44 – were illegal because they were too broad and lacked adequate safeguards against being abused. Those powers, under section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000, allowed police to stop and search anyone in a designated area without having to show reasonable suspicion. Their use peaked in 2009 when they were deployed on more than 148,000 occasions, and they were regarded as key element of the counter-terrorism campaign. The new powers – introduced through an urgent remedial order in parliament to replace section 44 – are far tighter. They also allow police to stop and search people without suspicion, but can only be declared where a senior officer suspects an act of terrorism will take place. Authorisations have to be confirmed by the home secretary within 48 hours, and cannot last longer than 14 days. A report published by the parliamentary joint human rights committee on Wednesday welcomed the tighter definition, but said the remedial order, in its current form, did not go far enough. The peers and MPs said the authorising police officer must be required to explain why he or she believes there is an immediate threat of a terrorist incident. They also recommended that use of the powers should not be extended beyond 14 days without new information or a fresh assessment of the original intelligence that the threat was immediate and credible. And they said they would also prefer it if police got a judge to authorise the use of the power before they mount a counter-terror stop-and-search operation. The MP Hywel Francis, the chairman of the joint human rights committee, said: “We must ensure that the power to stop and search without reasonable suspicion does not breach the right to privacy in the same way as its predecessor. “We welcome the restrictions placed on the power by the government, but we believe it needs to be more tightly circumscribed, and it needs tougher legal safeguards if further breaches of human rights are to be avoided. “We also think the government should provide more information about why this power needs to be introduced so urgently, so that the issue can be given proper parliamentary scrutiny.” Terrorism policy House of Commons House of Lords Theresa May UK security and terrorism Human rights Alan Travis guardian.co.uk
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Group helped run CIA hideout in Abbottabad and watched comings and goings at fugitive’s compound, officials say Pakistani intelligence has detained five alleged CIA informants who spied on Osama bin Laden in the months before the al-Qaida chief was killed in a special forces raid, US and Pakistani officials have said. The Pakistani informants noted the details of vehicles visiting Bin Laden’s house in Abbottabad, 35 miles north of Islamabad, and helped run a nearby house from which CIA spies watched the al-Qaida leader. A Pakistani official said the owner of the CIA hideout had been arrested along with several other people. A military spokesman denied a New York Times report that a serving army major had also been detained . The arrests highlight continuing tensions between the US and Pakistan in the wake of Bin Laden’s death. They are likely to intensify pressure from senior Washington politicians to cut Pakistan’s $2bn annual aid package. Last week the CIA chief, Leon Panetta, visited Islamabad to meet the Pakistani army chief, General Ashfaq Kayani, and the head of the Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI), General Shuja Pasha. Pakistani officials said Panetta was issued with stern warnings about CIA activities in Pakistan. US media said Panetta had confronted the Pakistanis with video footage that showed militants fleeing a bomb factory in Waziristan shortly after the CIA had informed the Pakistani military of its location. The CIA hideout in Abbottabad was set up some time after last August, when the CIA began to suspect Bin Laden could be hiding in the area, less than a mile from a major Pakistani military facility. Watching from behind mirrored glass, CIA officials used telephoto lenses and infra-red imaging equipment to establish a “pattern of life” inside the compound and eavesdropped on voices inside. But they never conclusively identified Bin Laden. A Pakistani official said the Americans hired locals because “the presence of white caucasians in Abbottabad would obviously have drawn attention”. Since being arrested men have claimed they did not know they were working for the CIA. “Some are saying they didn’t know they were working for a foreign organisation. They said they were approached by a Pakistani, reported to a Pakistani and they weren’t spying on Pakistan – they were spying on terrorists,” he said. One of those detained was believed to be a medic with the army medical corps, the official said. But the army spokesman said that was not true. The arrests may bring fresh attention to a house 200 feet behind Bin Laden’s back wall, on the far side of a field. Neighbours say it is owned by a serving army major. The nameplate, which read Major Amir Aziz, was removed within days of the raid . The occupants of the house refused to answer the door. A US official said only one of the arrested men was “related” to the US government and he was not a military official. Pakistani officials insist they are within their rights to crack down on soldiers or civilians involved in foreign espionage. “No country would allow its officials or people to spy for another country,” said one. But American anger is fuelled by Pakistan’s failure to locate any of the people who helped protect Bin Laden in Abbottabad for up to six years. In a closed briefing last week senior congressmen asked the CIA deputy director, Michael Morell, to rate Pakistan’s counter-terrorism cooperation on a scale of one to 10. “Three,” replied Morell according to the New York Times. Positions are hardening in Pakistan too. The military has shut down a US military training programme for the Frontier Corps paramilitary force, which leads the fight against the Pakistani Taliban in the tribal belt. Last week the army leadership disputed US claims of $15bn in aid over the past decade. The true figure was $1.4bn with another $6.2bn going to the civilian government, a statement said. The ISI is trying to expose undeclared CIA agents by scrutinising visas issued to suspicious foreigners. A US citizen living in Islamabad and married to a Pakistani has been arrested and charged with “anti-state activities”. Senior US officials have warned their Pakistani counterparts that if US personnel are barred from Pakistan, the CIA will find other ways of conducting espionage including drawing on the large Pakistani-American Muslim diaspora. The CIA’s biggest worry, though, is that Pakistan will restrict drone strikes against militant targets in the tribal belt. These attacks have continued unhindered since Bin Laden’s death. Some drones take off from an airstrip in western Balochistan province but are being moved to Afghanistan as a contingency measure. A senior Pakistani official said the dispute represented a clash between “Pakistani hyper-nationalism and American arrogance”. “The lesson we should have learned from the OBL raid is that America has the power to circumvent us. Instead we’ve gone into chest-thumping nationalist mode, and that’s not helping,” he said. Osama bin Laden Pakistan al-Qaida Global terrorism US foreign policy Declan Walsh guardian.co.uk
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Libyan says Zlitan residents face annihilation and asks why Nato has not made good on threat to attack Gaddafi forces The leader of the besieged Libyan rebel city of Misrata has appealed to Nato to save the inhabitants of a neighbouring town facing annihilation from government forces. Sheikh Khalifa Zuwawi, chairman of Misrata council, made the appeal through the Guardian on Wednesday after reports that Muammar Gaddafi had demanded that rebel-held areas of Zlitan, 30 miles west of Misrata, surrender or face destruction. Zlitan’s uprising began on Friday with battles around the town’s hospital, but sources in Misrata say the rebels are now pinned into one district under heavy artillery fire. Photographers who got to within four miles of Zlitan on Tuesday took pictures of government rockets exploding in the town. Misrata’s rebel forces say that without heavy weapons or Nato support they are powerless to break through a fortified ring around the town and save residents. “As you know our forces could not get into Zlitan,” said Zuwawi. “We need Nato help. We are very surprised because Nato has delayed to bomb the grad [rocket artillery] forces.” Zlitan lies along the coastal highway from Misrata, about 100 miles east of Tripoli, and rebel commanders say its capture would open the road to the capital. But they face formidable foes in the shape of the elite 32nd brigade, controlled by Gaddafi’s son Khamis, which has made Zlitan its headquarters. On Tuesday rebel forces in Misrata pushed their frontline forwards five miles to try and relieve Zlitan, coming under fire from machine guns and rockets. But they pulled back after Nato, unaware of the advance, dropped leaflets on the area threatening pro-Gaddafi forces with destruction from Apache helicopters if they continued attacks on civilians. The Nato attacks have yet to materialise despite pro-Gaddafi forces bombarding Zlitan and Misrata late on Tuesday. Nato insists it is taking an active role, but Misrata’s rebels say the alliance’s current level of engagement will not be enough to save Zlitan’s population. Zuwawi, a judge, said that the National Transitional Council (the rebel government) was surprised at the delay, adding that Nato needs to apply UN resolution 1973, authorising the use of force to protect Libyan civilians, he added. In the village of Dafniya, the western-most point of Misrata’s frontline, rebels and civilians on Wednesday said they were baffled that Nato had not followed up on its threats, given the overnight shelling by Gaddafi’s forces. “No Nato,” said Mohammed, the 14-year-old son of a Dafniya rebel fighter drinking tea behind one of the giant sand berms that shield rebel positions from sniper fire. “Where is Nato?” Libya Middle East Africa Arab and Middle East unrest Nato Chris Stephen guardian.co.uk
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Labour leader tells prime minister measures in welfare bill could adversely affect as many as 7,000 cancer patients David Cameron has refused to back down over plans to cut up to £94 a week from some sickness benefits – a move that could affect as many as 7,000 cancer patients. He was challenged over the change at prime minister’s questions by the Labour leader, Ed Miliband. Cameron claimed Miliband had been shown to be a weak leader of a divided party, and claimed his attack was simply a smokescreen. Miliband – sounding more animated than normal – hit back at the prime minister, saying: “What an absolute disgrace to describe talking about cancer patients in this country as a smokescreen.” Cameron’s spokeswoman said afterwards that “the benefit changes will affect cancer patients that have been in remission for over a year”, but disputed claims that as many as 7,000 patients would be affected, saying the true number was not known. Miliband raised the issue in the wake of cancer charities complaining that the welfare bill going through the Commons on Wednesday night would time-limit contributory employment support allowance to a year. Some will be compensated by income- related employment and support allowance (ESA), but others, including those with a working partner or with income or capital, would lose entitlement to benefit completely. The broad changes to ESA, announced in the spending review, are designed to save £1.2bn net. Cameron accused Labour of raising the issue solely due to embarrassment that it was going to vote against the welfare bill in the Commons at its third despite saying it was in favour of tough welfare measures. An attempt by Labour to stage a Commons vote on the issue on Monday night was blocked by Conservative whips. During the opening exchanges between the two leaders, it appeared as if Cameron was not aware of the specific controversy about ESA. Miliband asked: “When the prime minister signed off his welfare bill, did he know that it would make 7,000 cancer patients worse off by as much as £94 a week?” Cameron said that was “simply not the case”, telling him: “We are using exactly the same definition of people who are suffering and are terminally ill as the last government. We want to make sure those people are helped and protected. “If you are in favour of welfare reform, you want to encourage people to do the right thing, it’s no good talking about it, you’ve got to vote for it.” Miliband said Macmillan Cancer Support had raised concerns about the bill’s measures for a year, and that Cameron should know what was in his own legislation. “These are people who have worked hard all their lives, who have done the right thing, who have paid their taxes and, when they are in need, the prime minister is taking money away from them,” he said. “How can it be right that people with cancer, 7,000 people with cancer, are losing £94 a week?” Cameron said: “All we see here is a Labour party desperate not to support welfare reform and trying to find an excuse to get off supporting welfare reform. “Anyone who is terminally ill gets immediate access to the higher level of support, and we will provide that to all people who are unable to work. “That is the guarantee we make, but you have got to stop wriggling off your responsibilities and back the welfare reform you talk about.” The shadow employment minister, Stephen Timms, wrote to the work and pensions minister, Chris Grayling, expressing dismay that no time had been allocated to debate and vote on the cancer issue in the Commons during the first day of two days of debate on the bill. He sought an undertaking from Grayling that the issue would be debated on Wednesday – but there is little likelihood of ministers changing a policy that saves so much money for the Treasury. On Monday, the welfare minister, Lord Freud, supplied a written answer defending the proposal, saying: “A time limit of one year strikes a balance between allowing people with longer-term conditions to adjust to their health condition and provides a level of access to contributory benefits that is appropriate for contributory benefits.” The Department of Work and Pensions defended its plans by saying that if a cancer patient is receiving treatment or is between treatments, they will be on the employment support allowance support group, and will not be in danger of losing benefit. But if following a medical assessment the cancer patient is deemed to be fit to work, they will go into the ESA work related activity group and after 12 months, they will be put onto income-related ESA, with the result that if they have savings, they will then lose benefit. Macmillan claims the means testing threshold is set so low that a cancer patient could lose all their ESA benefit if their partner earns more than just £7,500 a year. The DWP pointed out that Professor Malcolm Harrington — responsible for overseeing work capability assessment (WCA) on behalf of the DWP — is in discussion with cancer groups over any changes to WCA. The Macmillan cancer charity later said: “Under the government’s proposals, people eligible for employment and support allowance (ESA) who have paid national insurance but are not considered severely ill, will only receive this support for one year. “After this time, the support will be dependent on your financial circumstances, and people with cancer will lose their benefit if their partner earns as little as £149 per week. As a result, some will be pushed into poverty as it often takes longer than a year to return to work following a cancer diagnosis.” Ciarán Devane, the Macmillan chief executive, said: “Many cancer patients will lose this crucial benefit simply because they have not recovered quickly enough. “The majority want to return to work, as it can represent a milestone in their recovery and a return to normality in addition to the obvious financial benefits. “This proposal in the welfare reform bill will have a devastating impact on many cancer patients. We are urging the government to change their plans to reform key disability benefits to ensure cancer patients and their families are not pushed into poverty.” Professor Jane Maher, the chief medical officer of Macmillan, added: “In my experience, one year is simply not long enough for many people to recover from cancer. “The serious physical and psychological side-effects of cancer can last for many months, even years, after treatment has finished. It is crucial that patients are not forced to return to work before they are ready.” Welfare David Cameron Ed Miliband PMQs House of Commons Patrick Wintour guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …The reward for at least five Pakistanis for helping the CIA find terror boss Osama bin Laden has been arrest by their nation’s military spy agency. Those busted include a man who owned a safe house in Abbottabad from which CIA agents observed the bin Laden compound, and a Pakistani…
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Skywatchers anticipate spectacular lunar elipse tonight as the moon will rise in the Earth’s shadow The moon will rise in Earth’s shadow this evening in a rare lunar eclipse that could turn our natural satellite a deep shade of red. With clear skies, the celestial spectacle will be visible across the UK, with the exception of northern Scotland, as soon as the moon rises after sunset. Moonrise time varies with location, but for observers in London, the show will begin at 9.13pm. Further north, in Glasgow, moonrise begins at 9.58pm. A total lunar eclipse happens when the moon, Earth and sun line up, and our home planet casts a vast shadow that engulfs the moon. When the moon moves into the darkest part of the Earth’s shadow, the umbra, it will turn a slate grey or brick red colour. The moon changes colour because blue light – and other short wavelengths – scatter more in the Earth’s atmosphere, with more red light getting through. The Royal Astronomical Society said the eclipse, if visible, could be a spectacular opportunity for photographers. The moon will remain low in the night sky, so observers will need a clear horizon and cloudless skies to see it well. Unlike solar eclipses, a lunar eclipse is safe to watch with the naked eye. The event will be visible in Australasia, southern Japan, a large area of Asia, India, Africa, Europe and the eastern part of South America. The total eclipse ends at 22.03pm, when the Moon starts to leave the darkest part of the umbra. At this time, the moon will be only five degrees above the south-eastern horizon from London, whilst in Glasgow the whole of the lunar disk will not yet have appeared and from northern Scotland it will not be visible at all. In the final stage of the eclipse, the moon moves into the lighter part of Earth’s shadow, the penumbra, and will likely take on a yellowish hue. The eclipse will be over just after midnight, at 00.02am Thursday morning. Lunar eclipses Astronomy Space Ian Sample guardian.co.uk
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Fifth of native ladybird species in decline across the British Isles, first comprehensive census shows • In pictures: The great harlequin ladybird invasion More than one-fifth of native ladybird species are in decline across the British Isles as environmental changes and competition from voracious alien invaders take their toll on the insects’ numbers. The grim outlook for 10 of the 47 ladybird species found in the UK and Ireland is revealed in the first comprehensive census compiled with help from tens of thousands of volunteer spotters. Distribution maps drawn up from sightings over the last 20 years show worrying declines in the common 10- and 14-spot ladybirds, and numbers of rarer species, including the unusual water and hieroglyphic ladybirds, have also suffered substantial falls. The environmental factors behind the declines are not affecting all species equally, however. The survey shows substantial increases in the populations of five ladybird species, including the 24-spot and pine varieties. Some native ladybirds are struggling to survive alongside species that have recently become established in Britain. A decline in the two-spot ladybird has been blamed on the arrival and spectacular rise of the Asian harlequin ladybird, which was introduced into Europe to control pests. The harlequin arrived from the continent in 2003. It is larger, breeds faster, competes with others for food and even preys on the larvae of smaller insects, such as the two-spot ladybird. The species is now common in England and Wales and has recently been sighted in Scotland. Helen Roy, of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) in Oxfordshire, and one of the authors of the Ladybird Atlas of Britain and Ireland, said: “What’s quite striking is that in the same way as butterflies and moths have seen very common species going into decline, we’re seeing the same happen with ladybirds. “What is particularly worrying about the declines is that many of these are common species, the ones people will be most familiar with in their gardens. We have not unravelled all the causes behind the declines, but a warming climate and changes in land use are expected to have an impact. “They are telling us there are changes going up through the food chain. Ladybirds can be used as indicators of wider changes in our environment,” Roy said. Contrary to popular perception, ladybirds are top predators in their ecological niches. Their voracious appetites for plant-destroying aphids and small, parasitic-scale insects have made them a favourite among gardeners. They thrive in warmer conditions and are most diverse in southern England, but many species are now extending their ranges in Scotland as temperatures become more inviting. The kidney spot ladybird, which resembles a miniature bowler hat daubed with two red spots, has been recorded in Scotland for the first time in recent years, “almost certainly as a consequence of climate change”, Roy said. An explosion in orange ladybirds, which feed on mildew, is thought to be linked to warmer, damper conditions in parts of Britain in the past two decades. One of the greatest surprises recorded by the survey is the recolonisation of Britain by the 13-spot ladybird, which was once considered extinct here. Sightings of the ladybird in Cornwall, Devon and the New Forest suggest the insects are becoming re-established after arriving from the Channel islands or France. Ladybirds can be carried on cars and ferries, but have also been known to travel long distances over water on air currents. Further analysis of the survey data will give researchers unique insights into the ecological roles of different species of ladybird and how they respond to changes in their habitat and the environment. A project was begun in the 1960s to compile records of ladybird sightings across the British Isles. Originally filled with sightings from experts, it has since been opened up to include amateur enthusiasts. Sightings are usually backed up with specimens or photographic evidence before a record is made official. The earliest record included in the publication is that of a rare 13-spot ladybird seen near Oxford in 1819. The most commonly recorded species, with 27,000 records, is the seven-spot ladybird, closely followed by the harlequin, with over 25,000 records. The atlas is a collaborative project between researchers at the CEH, Anglia Ruskin University, Clifton College and the wildlife enthusiast Robert Frost. Peter Brown, at Anglia Ruskin, said the response from volunteer ladybird spotters was “staggering”, and crucial to assess changes in the insects’ distributions over time. The survey is an ongoing project that will continue to monitor ladybird populations in the years ahead. Insects Wildlife Biodiversity Ian Sample guardian.co.uk
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Report reveals threat of civil unrest from energy shortages, which has been played down as ‘alarmist’ by ministers The government was warned by its own civil servants two years ago that there could be “significant negative economic consequences” to the UK posed by near-term “peak oil” energy shortages. Ministers were told it was impossible to know exactly when production might fail to meet supply but when it did there could be global consequences, including “civil unrest.” Yet ministers consistently played down the threat with the contemporaneous Wicks Review into energy security (pdf) effectively dismissing peak oil as alarmist and irrelevant. The report on the risks and impacts of a potential future decline in oil production has just been published – but only after the Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) was repeatedly threatened under the Freedom of Information Act with forced disclosure . The information is revealed at a critical time when oil prices have soared to historic highs of around $115 (£71) a barrel hitting motorists through higher petrol costs and helping to drive up household gas bills. The price of oil and gas tend to be linked due under the terms of many wholesale gas contracts. This report admits it is not possible to predict with any accuracy when crude production will peak and go into steady but final decline. But it goes on to say that “if peak oil happened before 2015, this would have significant negative economic consequences for some of the main importers of UK goods and services resulting in a negative impact on the UK economy in the longer term.” Civil servants from the department of energy and climate change argued that while global oil reserves were still plentiful, it is “clear” that existing fields are maturing and new production is being slowed by bottlenecks. Yet it concludes that “alternative technologies to oil will take a long time to develop and deploy at scale.” And it says that the risk of high and volatile oil prices “provides a further rationale for pressing forward with policies that reduce our CO2 emissions in the transport sector.” The Decc report has been finally been published alongside other documents on peak oil as the government finally goes through a major rethink on the subject. The department’s chief scientist, David MacKay, recently called for information and views on peak oil amid rising pressure from industrialists to take it more seriously. High-profile names such as Sir Richard Branson have joined an increasingly strident campaign group, the UK Industry Task Force on Peak Oil and Energy Security , pressing for change. It warned last year in its own report The Oil Crunch that there could be serious shortages of oil by 2015. Meanwhile the US Military Joint Forces Command issued its own review in 2010 predicting surplus oil production could disappear as early as next year. And the University of Uppsala in Sweden argued in The Peak of the Oil Age report that oil production may already have passed its maximum. Energy academics there have repeatedly claimed that many governments and their watchdog, the International Energy Agency, have been playing down their fears for many years. There has long been speculation that the UK government had its own worrying peak oil report from 2007 that it was refusing to publish. Lionel Badal , who has been pursuing the subject while at Exeter University and then King’s College, London, acquired the report, marked “sensitive”, through an FoI request. He was refused by Decc but won a ruling under the FoI appeals procedure that the information must be handed over. The department insists it was going to make public some of the findings and denies the report’s publication was triggered by the FoI demand. The report was slipped out last Wednesday in the middle of one of the most important meetings in the history of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries. That summit broke up in disarray after Saudi Arabia, the biggest oil producer, failed to win agreement from hardline states such as Iran to turn the taps on to help oil consuming countries in the west. Oil Energy Fossil fuels Terry Macalister guardian.co.uk
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