Sprint and T-Mobile users rejoice! Now you, too, can have an iPhone without switching to AT&T or Verizon—cough, for the low-low price of $649. Apple has quietly begun selling unlocked iPhone 4s for that price online, Apple Insider reports. Pop in an active micro-SIM card and the phone should…
Continue reading …Given the chance to come clean on its robo-signing scandal, Bank of America instead dug in its heels and “significantly hindered” the federal investigation of its foreclosure practices, according to a HUD official. According to the official’s sworn statement filed in Arizona court, BofA lawyers refused “on a number of…
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More than 70,000 trained forces sent out to streets as part of effort to combat ‘western cultural invasion’ Iranian men have been banned from wearing necklaces in the latest crackdown by the Islamic regime on “un-Islamic” clothing and haircuts. Thousands of special forces have been deployed in Tehran’s streets, participating in the regime’s “moral security plan” in which loose-fitting headscarves, tight overcoats and shortened trousers that expose skin will not be tolerated for women, while men are warned against glamorous hairstyles and wearing a necklace. The new plan comes shortly after the Iranian parliament proposed a bill to criminalise dog ownership, on the grounds that it “poses a cultural problem, a blind imitation of the vulgar culture of the west”. The Irna state news agency said the trend was aimed at combating “the western cultural invasion” with help from more than 70,000 trained forces, known as “moral police”, who are sent out to the streets in the capital and other cities. With the summer heat sweeping across the country, many people, especially the young, push the boundaries and run the risk of being fined, or even arrested, for wearing “bad hijab” clothing. Women in particular are under more pressure because of the restriction on them to cover themselves from head to toe. Men are allowed to wear short-sleeved shirts, but not shorts. “The enforcement of the moral security plan was requested by the nation and it will be continued until people’s concerns are properly addressed,” said Ahmadreza Radan, the deputy commander of the Iranian police. Iran’s moral police usually function under a body whose head is appointed directly by the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In a live television programme last year, president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that he did not approve of the crackdown. Speaking by phone, a Tehran resident, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “It’s not only about clamping down on clothing, but they are spreading panic and fear by sending out this much of police into the streets under the name of this plan, to control the society. It’s unbelievable to see a regime that is not only concerned about its own survival but it goes into your personal life and interferes in that.” Under Islamic customs, dogs are deemed to be “unclean”. Iranians, in general, avoid keeping them at home, but still a minority, especially in north Tehran’s upper-class districts, enjoy keeping pets. Last year Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi, a prominent hardline cleric, issued a fatwa against keeping dogs and said the trend must stop. Last summer authorities in Tehran also released a list of approved hairstyles in an attempt to offer Islamic substitutes to “decadent” western cuts, such as the ponytail and the mullet. Iran Middle East Saeed Kamali Dehghan guardian.co.uk
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Paediatrician Kim Holt, who warned about shortfalls at the clinic where Baby P was treated, now works for another NHS trust Great Ormond Street hospital has formally apologised to a senior doctor suspended after she blew the whistle on failings at the clinic where Baby Peter was treated just days before his death. Consultant paediatrician Kim Holt and three colleagues wrote to managers in 2006, warning that understaffing and poor record keeping posed a serious risk to patients’ safety at St Anne’s clinic in Haringey, north London. Holt says bosses ignored her warnings and removed her from the clinic. Last year she said in an interview : “I believe that if our concerns had been taken seriously at the time we raised them, then we could have prevented the death of Baby Peter. Several of the failings found by the inquiries into his death were 100% the same as the failings we complained about the year before he died.” Peter Connelly was seen by an inexperienced locum doctor Sabah Al-Zayyat at St Anne’s in the summer of 2007, three days before he was killed and some time after Holt and her fellow whistleblowers had left. Zayyat failed to spot signs that the 17-month-old boy, who was on Haringey’s child protection register, had been physically abused. Holt says the hospital offered her £120,000 to withdraw her complaints in the wake of Peter’s death – a claim the hospital denied. The apology, which was issued jointly by the hospital and Haringey primary care trust, says: “Both Trusts accept and are sorry that you have been through a difficult time. You are a respected and valued member of staff and we look forward to you resuming your role in community paediatrics very soon”. Holt, who has been on paid leave for much of the past three years, is now understood to have returned to work with a new NHS employer, Whittington hospital, also in north London. Last week, the home office minister Lynne Featherstone called on the chief executive of Great Ormond Street hospital, Dr Jane Collins, to resign for allegedly “covering up” an NHS report which found serious health service failings in the Baby Peter case. Commissioned by the hospital in the wake of Peter’s death, the report found arrangements at St Anne’s to be “clinically risky”, apparently echoing Holt’s earlier warnings. It was edited drastically by Great Ormond Street so that many of the key criticisms and findings were erased before it was submitted to the official serious case review inquiry into Peter’s death. Featherstone also called for a government inquiry into the alleged cover-up. The trust dismissed the calls and said it had “complete confidence” in Collins. Peter Connelly died violently at the hands of his mother, Tracey Connelly, her lover Steven Barker and Barker’s brother Jason Owen in August 2007. Baby P Child protection NHS Health Patrick Butler guardian.co.uk
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Comments ‘unbalanced and politically motivated’, says Syrian representative, as army’s onslaught continues The Arab League has publicly criticised the violence in Syria for the first time, saying Arab states are “angry and actively monitoring” the crisis. The comments from the outgoing secretary general, Amr Moussa, drew a bitter response from Damascus. Syria’s representative at the league described them as “unbalanced and politically motivated”. Mounting international condemnation, however, has done little to slow the onslaught of the Syrian army as it pushes through northern border villages on an operation it claims is cleansing the area of criminal gangs. Residents of the town of Deir Azzor were reportedly bracing themselves on Tuesday night for the arrival of armour and troops from the Syrian military’s feared 4th division, commanded by Maher al-Assad, brother of Syrian leader, Bashar al-Assad. The same division has been in control of the town of Jisr al-Shughour since Friday, forcing most remaining people in the besieged enclave to flee to the nearby mountains bordering Turkey. Syrian refugees continue to arrive at crossing points into Turkey and some are reported to have told authorities that the army arrested at least 15 people along the way. More than 7,000 refugees are now in southern Turkey and at least 5,000 have fled into Lebanon. Moussa said: “Though their views differ, Arab states are all worried, angry and actively monitoring the current crisis in Syria. What we are hearing and monitoring, about many victims falling, indicates great tumult in Syria … The situation in Syria should not be left in this state. Continuation of the status quo could lead to what may not be desired … for Syria.” Syria’s envoy, Youssef Ahmad, claimed Moussa was recommending the same sort of military intervention that the Arab League endorsed in Libya three months ago. “Days before leaving his post, Moussa calls for a kind of foreign intervention in the Syrian affairs, when the Libyan blood, shed by Nato air strikes as a result for a [UN] security council resolution, based, regrettably on an Arab demand in which Moussa’s efforts immensely contributed, isn’t dry yet,” he said. On the Lebanon-Syria border, few refugees crossed on Tuesday. “The Syrians are keeping people away from the border,” said a man in the town of Wadi Khaled, who identified himself as Omar. “It has been like this for many days.” Wadi Khaled is teeming with refugees from towns and cities, especially Hama and Homs, scenes of fierce violence over the last fortnight. “There are at least 5,000 Syrians here,” said Omar. “But it is very difficult for any more to come because the army is stopping them or shooting them.” Syrian troops were clearly visible patrolling a river that acts as an unofficial border. Several Syrian tanks had their turrets pointed towards Lebanon. At an official crossing point further up the road, there was no sign of anyone arriving. Syria Arab and Middle East unrest Refugees Middle East Martin Chulov guardian.co.uk
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Action for Kids says Lloyd Scott was given his notice due to losses incurred during latest marathon A charity director who spent 26 days crawling the London marathon dressed as a giant snail has been sacked from his job after failing to raise enough money. Lloyd Scott, a well-known fundraiser who worked as director of fundraising at Action for Kids , was given his notice 11 days after he completed the 26.2miles – when he “hadn’t physically recovered from the event”. The charity confirmed Scott had been dismissed “due to losses incurred in his latest marathon”. After the news was widely reported, however, a spokesman said on Tuesday that Action for Kids would now be “having discussions” with the fundraiser this week. Scott endured vomiting and cramps as he dragged his gastropod costume – he was specifically portraying Brian the Snail from the Magic Roundabout – around the course. He had hoped to raise at least £100,000, but managed only £20,000. The former footballer, who has raised over £5m for charity over the past 20 years, said the decision to sack him was “incredibly disappointing”. “We didn’t get enough funds whilst we were doing the event, however there was a number of opportunities that had arisen as a result of being on the course for that length of time … and other events we could have put on on the back of that,” Scott said. “It would have been really good to have had the opportunities to maximise on those openings for the benefit of the charity.” Scott said he had worked in “an orthodox role within the charity” as its director of fundraising. He said Action for Kids distancing themselves from his bid to crawl the London Marathon was particularly disappointing. Sally Bishop, the founder of Action for Kids, said in a statement that the board of trustees had asked Scott to leave. “He was given notice according to his contract with us, due to losses incurred in his latest marathon,” Bishop said. “Due to limited resources, like all charities, Action for Kids must make sure that we make the best possible use of our limited funds. “Our priority is always to our donors, and the children and families we support. So it is with regret we had to take this decision.” Scott said the event had been “approved and endorsed by the trustees of the charity” before he launched his bid. “It’s a bit amiss for them to say ‘It’s his event’,” he said. Scott, who played for Blackpool, Watford and Leyton Orient, began fundraising after he was diagnosed with leukaemia in 1987. He has previously completed the London marathon dressed as St George and dragging a dragon, and as Indiana Jones, dragging a large stone. Action for Kids informed Scott that he would be dismissed two weeks after he had completed the marathon, at the end of May. However a spokesman for the charity told the Guardian on Tuesday that the two parties would be “having discussions” this week – with Scott also confirming his attendance. “The thing I want more than anything else is to raise the money we said we were going to,” Scott said, adding that people can still donate to Action for Kids on his fundraising page . The snail sacking saga may well have generated more income for the charity. Since the news of Scott’s dismissal broke there have been a flurry of donations to his Magic Marathon fundraising page. One anonymous donor pledged £5, adding: “Can they really sack a snail?!”. Steve Harvey gave £10, : and wrote: “I hope the disappointing news story of the sacked snail generates some positive interest and further donations from the British public. “Respect for all your hard work and massive charity achievements. I’m sure with some ‘air time’ money would roll in!” Charities London Marathon Adam Gabbatt guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Action for Kids says Lloyd Scott was given his notice due to losses incurred during latest marathon A charity director who spent 26 days crawling the London marathon dressed as a giant snail has been sacked from his job after failing to raise enough money. Lloyd Scott, a well-known fundraiser who worked as director of fundraising at Action for Kids , was given his notice 11 days after he completed the 26.2miles – when he “hadn’t physically recovered from the event”. The charity confirmed Scott had been dismissed “due to losses incurred in his latest marathon”. After the news was widely reported, however, a spokesman said on Tuesday that Action for Kids would now be “having discussions” with the fundraiser this week. Scott endured vomiting and cramps as he dragged his gastropod costume – he was specifically portraying Brian the Snail from the Magic Roundabout – around the course. He had hoped to raise at least £100,000, but managed only £20,000. The former footballer, who has raised over £5m for charity over the past 20 years, said the decision to sack him was “incredibly disappointing”. “We didn’t get enough funds whilst we were doing the event, however there was a number of opportunities that had arisen as a result of being on the course for that length of time … and other events we could have put on on the back of that,” Scott said. “It would have been really good to have had the opportunities to maximise on those openings for the benefit of the charity.” Scott said he had worked in “an orthodox role within the charity” as its director of fundraising. He said Action for Kids distancing themselves from his bid to crawl the London Marathon was particularly disappointing. Sally Bishop, the founder of Action for Kids, said in a statement that the board of trustees had asked Scott to leave. “He was given notice according to his contract with us, due to losses incurred in his latest marathon,” Bishop said. “Due to limited resources, like all charities, Action for Kids must make sure that we make the best possible use of our limited funds. “Our priority is always to our donors, and the children and families we support. So it is with regret we had to take this decision.” Scott said the event had been “approved and endorsed by the trustees of the charity” before he launched his bid. “It’s a bit amiss for them to say ‘It’s his event’,” he said. Scott, who played for Blackpool, Watford and Leyton Orient, began fundraising after he was diagnosed with leukaemia in 1987. He has previously completed the London marathon dressed as St George and dragging a dragon, and as Indiana Jones, dragging a large stone. Action for Kids informed Scott that he would be dismissed two weeks after he had completed the marathon, at the end of May. However a spokesman for the charity told the Guardian on Tuesday that the two parties would be “having discussions” this week – with Scott also confirming his attendance. “The thing I want more than anything else is to raise the money we said we were going to,” Scott said, adding that people can still donate to Action for Kids on his fundraising page . The snail sacking saga may well have generated more income for the charity. Since the news of Scott’s dismissal broke there have been a flurry of donations to his Magic Marathon fundraising page. One anonymous donor pledged £5, adding: “Can they really sack a snail?!”. Steve Harvey gave £10, : and wrote: “I hope the disappointing news story of the sacked snail generates some positive interest and further donations from the British public. “Respect for all your hard work and massive charity achievements. I’m sure with some ‘air time’ money would roll in!” Charities London Marathon Adam Gabbatt guardian.co.uk
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Finnish phone-maker could pursue makers of Google Android phones after victory in long-running legal battle The Finnish phone-maker Nokia could receive a one-off payment of more than €800m (£700m) from Apple and receive further royalties of €8 per iPhone sold in future, after winning a long-running patents case. The company subsequently hinted that it may pursue makers of smartphones using Google’s Android mobile operating system, of which 36m were sold in the first quarter of 2011. The settlement signed on Tuesday related to patents for mobile technology that helped Apple to revolutionise the phone industry in 2007 when it launched the first iPhone. Although terms of the settlement were not disclosed, previous patent licensing deals in the phone industry have been worth up to 5% of the price of the device involved. At €8, or $11.50 (£7), they would represent about 4.5% of the estimated average $264 cost price of an iPhone, which Apple sells to retailers and phone networks for an average of $660. Apple has sold 108m iPhones since their launch. Nokia’s shares rose by 3% as it said that the one-off payment, whose size was not revealed, will have “a positive financial impact” on its upcoming quarterly results. At the end of May it forecast that its mobile phone division, which for years has been the biggest in the world, would see reduced revenues and might not make a profit for the first time in a decade. The one-off payment should push it back to its usual quarterly profit levels. Ongoing royalties from Apple of about 1% of the average sale price of a handset would be worth about $430m to Nokia this year, analysts estimated. Nokia may now also choose to sue makers of handsets running Google’s free Android mobile operating system if it decides that they have also infringed its patents. Nokia’s chief executive, Stephen Elop, said : “This settlement … enables us to focus on further licensing opportunities in the mobile communications market.” A spokesman for Apple said: “Apple and Nokia have agreed to drop all of our current lawsuits and enter into a licence covering some of each other’s patents, but not the majority of the innovations that make the iPhone unique. We’re glad to put this behind us and get back to focusing on our respective businesses.” Florian Mueller, an independent specialist and blogger on patent battles, said that “the deal structure – a one-time payment as well as running royalties – suggests a fairly good outcome for Nokia”. He added: “Maybe Nokia could have continued to play hardball and got an even better deal if it didn’t face the challenges it undoubtedly has. But this looks like a fairly important victory.” He suggested that Apple would benefit if Nokia pursues Android handset-makers, because they have smaller margins and would be less easily able to afford royalties. Android dominates the smartphone market with a 36% share, ahead of Nokia’s Symbian with 27% and Apple’s 17%, according to the research company Gartner . Financial analysts had mixed views on the outcome. Mikael Rautanen, at Inderes in Helsinki, said: “This is the first positive news from Nokia for a long time. They can both focus on their businesses now, and the dispute was settled to Nokia’s advantage.” But others remained bearish on the group’s longer-term prospects. “This [the Apple deal] could cause the stock to have a bit of a relief rally, but does very little to address the stark reality that the company is facing,” Richard Windsor, analyst at Nomura, said. On Monday, Nomura forecast that Nokia will be passed by both Samsung and Apple in the smartphone market worldwide over the next four months, and that its phone business will shrink by about 20% over the next two years as it tries to shift from Symbian to Microsoft’s Windows Phone on smartphones . “We see no reason to remain anything other than negative on the stock,” said Windsor. Nokia’s shares are still down about 25% since 30 May, representing a €5.5bn fall in market capitalisation for one of Europe’s biggest technology companies. The case settled on Tuesday was filed in 2009 by Nokia, which said it had filed a patent 10 years ago that covered the use of touchscreen technology in phones. Ironically, announcing the iPhone in 2007, Steve Jobs, Apple’s chief executive, said of the multi-touch screen interface: “Boy, have we patented it!”, in a warning to would-be rivals. Elop said: “We are very pleased to have Apple join the growing number of Nokia licensees. This settlement demonstrates Nokia’s industry-leading patent portfolio and enables us to focus on further licensing opportunities in the mobile communications market.” Nokia Apple Mobile phones Computing Telecoms Telecommunications industry Charles Arthur guardian.co.uk
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