Poll: We asked for your suggestions for the best goal scored in Europe this season, now it’s your chance to vote
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Man under guard in hospital after incident police are treating as double murder in Braintree A woman and a child have been found shot dead in Essex and a man is under guard in hospital. A police spokeswoman said the shootings had taken place at an address in Braintree, and the incident was being treated as a double murder. Police were not searching for anyone else in connection with the deaths. Officers were called to the address shortly before 3am. Essex police said in a statement: “Officers were called to an address at Bartram Avenue, Braintree, in the early hours of today, where they found the bodies of a woman and a child. “A man is currently in hospital under police guard and police are not seeking anyone else in connection with this incident at this time. “Officers from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate are at the scene and inquiries are continuing into the circumstances leading up to this incident.” Police request that anyone with information about the incident should call 0300 333 4444. Crime guardian.co.uk
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Outgoing speaker arrested by anti-corruption agency on suspicion of fraud after four-hour standoff at his home in Abuja Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency has arrested one of the country’s leading politicians on suspicion of defrauding the country, an official said. Officers arrested outgoing speaker of the house of representatives, Dimeji Bankole, at his home in Abuja on Sunday, after he resisted arrest for more than four hours, said Femi Babafemi, a spokesman for the economic and financial crimes commission. Babafemi gave no additional details about the allegations facing Bankole, other than to say that he would be held “in custody to enable him to have sufficient time to answer questions on the numerous fraud allegations against him”. Bankole apparently refused several requests by officials to be interviewed. “An intelligence report … showed that the former speaker was planning to leave Abuja for Lagos on Sunday evening and thereafter flee the country through an illegal route,” a statement from Babafemi read. It was not immediately clear if Bankole had a lawyer. His spokesman, Idowu Bakare, previously issued a statement saying Bankole “never benefited” from his position, including taking a more than $66m (£40m) loan from United Bank for Africa PLC for his office. That was on top of his annual salary and money already budgeted for his office, which runs into the millions of dollars. Positions in Nigeria’s national assembly are highly lucrative, where even low-ranking members earn more than $1m in salaries and benefits, plus the ability to direct a swollen budget in a nation where billions in oil revenues routinely go missing. Bankole conceded defeat to an opposition party candidate in Nigeria’s April elections, one of a number of prominent politicians who lost their seats in the national assembly. Many pointed to Bankole’s defeat as a sign that Nigeria’s elections, typically marred by fraud and thuggery, had improved over the country’s 12 years as a democracy. However, ballot-box stuffing and violence dominated later polls, with more than 800 people dying in religious rioting after the presidential election. Nigeria, one of the top crude oil suppliers to the US, has a long history of corruption, with one officials once estimating the country has lost more than $380bn to corruption since gaining its independence from Britain in 1960. Corruption trickles down from corrupt politicians in Abuja to the lowest police officer shaking down bribes from motorists at one of the country’s many traffic checkpoints. Bankole’s detention is the highest profile case in many months for the economic and financial crimes commission, founded by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2003. While critics say Obasanjo used the agency to go after his opponents, officers did make major arrests under then-chief Nuhu Ribadu. After late President Umaru Yar’Adua’s administration forced Ribadu out of office in 2008, the agency largely fell quiet. A US diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks shows diplomats have questioned new agency leader Farida Waziri’s preparedness and willingness to take on the country’s powerful political elite. Waziri has been slow to prosecute many of the high-ranking politicians once under heavy scrutiny – even after Yar’Adua’s death last year. Nigeria Africa guardian.co.uk
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Tales of the City, Armistead Maupin’s love letter to gay San Francisco, is now a musical – with songs by Scissor Sister Jake Shears. Hadley Freeman watches it come together at rehearsals One day in 1991, when Jake Shears was 13 years old and so far from being “Jake Shears of the Scissor Sisters ” that he was Jason Sellards and as yet unaware he was gay, he was hanging out with a gay couple, who had taken the youngster under their wing. “I think they knew I was gay before I did,” he recalls. “So, you know, they would turn me on to cool music.” One of them handed him a book, saying: “I think you’ll like this.” It was Tales of the City , Armistead Maupin ‘s much-loved saga set in 1970s San Francisco , involving a hugely diverse group of characters who are all (often unknowingly) linked, and many of whom live in a large guesthouse run by the mysterious Mrs Madrigal . The book is full of stories of bath houses and break-ups, all told in Maupin’s genial tone. “It was the first thing I’d ever read that had a positive gay perspective,” says Shears, “and two years later, I came out. Make of that what you will.” Twenty years later, Shears is repaying his debt to Tales. As he relates this story, backstage at American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco , rehearsals are going on across the hall for the musical version of Tales of the City, for which he and fellow Scissor Sister John Garden have written the music and lyrics. The libretto is by Jeff Whitty , who won a Tony for Avenue Q , and it’s directed by Jason Moore, who also worked on the coming-of-age puppet parable. “Yes, your name has to begin with J to work here,” the press officer dryly confirms. The four Js make a charmingly symmetrical double double act, with the bright-eyed and loquacious Shears and the quieter Garden in one corner; and the adorably excited Whitty and the calmer Moore in the other. “It’s been extraordinary to see the books come to life on stage,” says Maupin, “but the really moving thing has been to see how well they all get along – they are 28 Barbary Lane.” This was the address of Madrigal’s house, where the characters meet, fall in love and form lifelong friendships. In fact, the genesis of the musical could have come from the pages of Tales itself. Whitty came up with the idea five years ago on a flight to London. He called Moore who instantly said yes. “Jeff was passionate about it, and that’s all I needed.” Whitty then made a mixtape of songs that sounded like the kind of music he and Moore wanted; the only contemporary piece was by the Scissor Sisters, so he called up Shears. How did he get his number so quickly? “Oh, we met about 11 years ago when we were both go-go dancers,” Shears recalls airily. “He enjoyed pulling his clothes off and dancing on bar tops. The first time we met in New York, I was probably off my face and we both had half our clothes off.” “That,” Whitty says, “pretty much describes it. And we’ve turned it into art! No regrets ever!” The other person Whitty had to convince was his literary idol, Maupin. “I read Tales when I was 21, when I first moved to New York ,” he smiles. “I was so lonely. Those characters were my company.” So, nervously, he flew to San Francisco, where the writer lives. But instead of the “big box of crazy” he was worried about finding, “Armistead was so welcoming. We just got stoned within the first five minutes and that was it.” Maupin puts it somewhat more euphemistically: “Oh, we instantly clicked and spent about five hours gabbing.” Maupin took to Shears right away, “although it took a while to get past the eyes”. Had he been a Scissors fan? “Well, I’d heard Filthy/Gorgeous before, which I thought was grabby and fun.” On the day we meet, Shears happens to be wearing a loose vest top featuring a design by Tom of Finland , inventor of the macho gay image; he looks more like a Tales characters than the currently dressed-down actors do. “It’s always been my ambition to make a musical,” he says. “When Jeff said Tales, my heart started racing, and I thought, ‘I
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Chancellor defends his polices despite stuttering economy, saying he is providing ‘credibility, flexibility and stability’ George Osborne strongly defended his austerity measures on Monday, saying they would provide much-needed credibility and stability for the UK economy, amid growing criticism of his drastic spending cuts . The chancellor’s comments came ahead of an eagerly awaited verdict from the International Monetary Fund on the government finances at 1.30pm. The Confederation of British Industry will also deliver its verdict. In November, the IMF said the economy was “on the mend” and backed the deficit reduction programme, a mix of spending cuts and tax rises. But since then official figures have shown the economy flatlining over the fourth quarter of 2010 and first quarter of this year. Osborne defended his plans on BBC Radio 4′s Today programme, expressing confidence in the future of the British economy. “We have flexibility built into our plan. But what our plan provides is credibility where there was no credibility, stability where there was no stability, confidence that actually the British economy is getting its act together.” Some of Britain’s leading economists, including two former Whitehall advisers and two experts who had previously publicly backed the coalition’s cuts, have warned that the economy is too fragile to withstand the government’s deficit-cutting plans. But Osborne shrugged off the letter from more than 50 left-leaning academics to the Observer, which demands that the government pursue a plan B to boost jobs and growth. You can always assemble “leftwing academics” to criticise the government, he said, but they don’t necessarily represent “the consensus of opinion”. The OECD’s chief economist too has suggested that the chancellor should slow the pace of deficit reduction, having previously broadly backed the measures. Osborne claimed the remarks had been “overinterpreted” and insisted the head of the OECD had said Britain should not change course. The letter to the Observer was signed by experts including Jonathan Portes, the director of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, who until February was chief economist at the Cabinet Office and Vicky Pryce, who was head of the government’s economic service before becoming a director at FTI Consulting. The signatories also include Professor John Muellbauer of Oxford University, an expert on the housing market who signed a letter to the Sunday Times last year supporting the Conservatives’ approach, and Tim Besley, a former Bank of England monetary policy committee member who orchestrated the letter. Budget deficit Economic growth (GDP) Economics George Osborne Economic policy IMF Julia Kollewe guardian.co.uk
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• IATA expects global profits to fall $4bn • BA boss predicts more airlines will go under • High oil price ‘poses real challenge to industry’ Airlines have slashed their global profit forecast in half after warning that high oil prices, the Japanese tsunami and the Arab spring will remove $4bn (£2.43bn) from the industry’s bottom line this year. Willie Walsh, chief executive of British Airways and Iberia parent International Airlines Group, warned that that European carriers will bear the brunt of the impact from high fuel costs, with some operators going out of business. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said carriers will make a worldwide profit of $4bn this year, down from a previous estimate of $8.6bn. After recording a net profit of $18bn last year, the industry is slipping perilously close to its loss-making years of 2008 and 2009, with a profit margin of just 0.7% expected in 2011. Asked if some carriers will go under, as happened to dozens of airlines in the wake of the 2008 oil spike when prices hit $147 a barrel, Walsh said: “I fully expect that to happen.” Referring to the current price for Brent crude of $115 a barrel, he added: “I think the high oil price is something that poses a real challenge to the industry. There are lots of airlines that will struggle in a high oil price environment.” Fuel will account for nearly a third of industry costs this year. Walsh said the world economy was in better shape than during the previous oil spike, but Europe is in a weaker state than the Americas and the Asia-Pacific regions. “Some will suffer more than others, such as those airlines operating in economies that are weaker. The strength of the global economy is driven by Asia and Latin America to a large degree so airlines operating in those areas will be less affected than airlines operating in a European context. It is likely to have more of an impact in Europe than in other parts of the world.” Giovanni Bisignani, IATA chief executive, again called on governments to cut aviation levies which are expected to cost carriers in the UK, Germany and Austria a combined $6bn this year. “Don’t kill the goose that lays golden eggs,” he said. “Aviation facilitates the global trade that is stimulating economies and restoring government budgets. Tax the bankers who created the mess. Their billions of dollars in bonuses should help clean it up,” Bisignani said. The IATA forecast predicts a slowdown in leisure air travellers as higher oil prices push up fares, but business class travel is expected to grow by up to 6% due to “growing world trade and business investment.” However, the mismatch between capacity growth and demand, an historic bane of the industry, is set to continue with passenger growth of 4.7% to be outstripped by a 5.8% increase in the amount of seats flown. This puts pressure on fares, as more flights compete for the same amount of passengers, which in turn hits bottom lines already struggling with the impact of higher fuel costs. Airline industry Oil Commodities Global economy Willie Walsh British Airways International Consolidated Airlines Group Dan Milmo guardian.co.uk
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Soldier from 1st Battalion The Rifles killed by bomb while on patrol on Helmand is third UK soldier to die in three days A British soldier has been killed in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence has announced. The soldier, from the 1st Battalion The Rifles, was killed by an improvised explosive device on Sunday while on patrol in the Haji Kareen area of the Nahr-e Saraj (South) District of Helmand province. The death is the third announced in three days by the MoD. A Royal Marine, from 42 Commando Royal Marines, was shot dead on Sunday morning on patrol in the Nahr-e Saraj area, while Corporal Michael Pike, 26, from Huntly, Scotland, was fatally wounded by insurgents who attacked his patrol with guns and rocket-propelled grenades in the Lashkar Gah district of Helmand on Friday. Spokesman for Taskforce Helmand, Lieutenant Colonel Tim Purbrick, said: “It is with great sadness that I have to inform you of the death of a soldier from 1st Battalion The Rifles in the Haji Kareen area of the Nahr-e Saraj district in Helmand province. “The soldier was part of a foot patrol, supporting an Afghan National Security Forces operation to clear one of the last remaining insurgent safe havens in Central Helmand, when he was fatally wounded by an improvised explosive device. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends. “The family have been informed and have requested a 24-hour period before further details are released.” The latest incident brings the total number of UK military personnel who have died since operations in Afghanistan began in 2001 to 371. Cpl Pike died saving the lives of his comrades as he took on the enemy in a firefight, his men said. His friends and colleagues, from 4th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland, said he was killed “putting up a fight” and “saving the lives of the men he was devoted to”. They said the father-of-two was the epitome of a Highland soldier and would not have wanted his fellow soldiers to dwell on his loss. Cpl Pike, described as a “loving and caring family man”, leaves behind a wife, Ida, and two children, Joshua and Evelynn. His wife said: “My husband would want everybody to know that he died doing a job he loved and that he loved our children with all his heart and soul.” Cpl Pike, second in command of 2 Platoon, A Company, based at Check Point Pegasus, was on his second tour of Afghanistan. He was leading the patrol in the area of Pupalzay along Highway 601 when it came under attack. He fired back on the enemy and his colleagues praised his quick reactions which allowed them time to move out of danger. His platoon said in a joint statement: “He passed away doing the job he loved but he didn’t go down without putting up a fight. “He was suppressing the enemy in order to cover the lead wagon, the ground call sign and to allow other call signs to manoeuvre out of immediate danger.” And Lieutenant Robert Grant, 2 Platoon Commander, A Company, said: “The loss of Corporal Pike, one of the funniest, most life-affirming and professionally diligent men I have ever had the privilege to meet, strikes deep in to the heart and soul of all those who knew him. “An exceptional soldier and inspirational leader, Corporal Pike will be forever missed. “His death, saving the lives of the men he was devoted to, marks the tragic end of a life that has touched so many, so deeply that it seems almost unreal.” Afghanistan Military guardian.co.uk
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Germans still being warned off cucumber and tomato but farm south of Hamburg is under the microscope The E coli outbreak that has killed more than 20 people was likely caused by bean sprouts grown in Germany, where the cases are centred. The revelation is causing further outrage in Spain, which was initially blamed for being the source. The aggressive strain of the E coli bacterium has so far killed 22 people, made more than 2,200 ill and led Russia to bar EU fruit and vegetable imports. The Spanish prime minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, has already said he will demand compensation for economic losses after many Spanish farms were forced to stop selling their products. Pressure is likely to increase on German officials after they said they believe the outbreak started at home. The Lower Saxony state agriculture minister, Gert Lindemann, told a news conference that investigators had traced the rare strain to a farm in the Uelzen district. Media reports said the farm was near the town of Bienenbuettel, 40 miles south of Hamburg. German authorities had initially blamed the outbreak on Spanish cucumbers . Lindemann, speaking after three weeks of mysterious deaths and widespread consumer fears, said there appeared to be clear links between vegetables from the farm and food eaten by some victims. “We’ve got a really hot lead,” he said. The health scare has strained ties between Germany and Spain and led the Russian prime minister, Vladimir Putin, to say he would not “poison” Russians by lifting an embargo on EU fruit and vegetable imports. Lindemann said the Uelzen farm had been shut down and its produce recalled. Further test results were expected on Monday. Officials said they were not sure if the farm was the only source. Lindemann said it was possible the contaminated produce had found its way into a variety of foods, but said there was a “clear trail” to the farm. “It is the most convincing … source for the E coli illnesses. This is for us the most plausible cause of the illness.” Many of the restaurants in the outbreak had the sprouts delivered from Uelzen, and Lindemann said that not only beansprouts but also alfalfa, mung bean, radish and arugula sprouts from the farm might be connected to the outbreak. He added that consumers should continue to avoid raw cucumbers, tomatoes and salad leaves, as advised by Germany’s main health body, the Robert Koch Institute. The bacterium has so far infected people in 12 countries. All of them had been travelling in northern Germany. It has killed 21 Germans and one Swede. Many of those infected have developed haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS), a potentially deadly complication attacking the kidneys. Spanish farmers say they have lost €200m in sales a week. The crisis threatens to put 70,000 people out of work in Spain, which already has the highest unemployment in the EU. Germany’s health minister, Daniel Bahr, said health facilities in Hamburg were struggling to cope with the flood of victims . Germany’s second city is the centre of the outbreak. Hospital authorities said blood supplies were running low and staff were exhausted and working round the clock, with the northern cities of Hamburg and Bremen the worst affected. “They [the doctors] voluntarily come in on weekends and even sleep here,” Oliver Grieve, a spokesman for the Kiel University hospital in northern Germany, told Spiegel Online. Hamburg’s health minister, Cornelia Prüfer-Storcks, told a news conference the city was considering bringing doctors out of retirement. “We want to discuss with doctors about whether those who recently retired can be reactivated,” she said. Patients with less serious illnesses are being moved to nearby hospitals and operations for non-threatening diseases are being postponed. E coli Germany Europe Food Spain Adam Gabbatt guardian.co.uk
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Rolling coverage of all the day’s political developments as they happen 9.02am: George Osborne didn’t have anything particularly new to say in his interview, but he did put on an audacious display of messenger shooting that should cheer government loyalists. I can’t remember the last time I heard a Tory minister clobber the BBC in an interview so robustly. Osborne defended his economic strategy but, in a rhetorical concession to the “plan B” merchants, he did insist that “flexibility” was already built into his plans. He also gave the impression that he’s expecting a thumbs up from the IMF when it publishes its verdict on the British e economy at 1.30pm. Here’s a full summary. • Osborne attacked the BBC for its negative coverage of the economy. It was refusing to report good news, he said: I’ve listened to news bulletins on your programme for the last year. Every time there is an unfortunate loss of jobs somewhere, a few hundred jobs, it’s on the news bulletin. I’ve not yet heard a single news bulletin that says 400,000 new jobs have been created over the last year. That just doesn’t appear on the news. Last week there was a disappointing manufacturing survey – it was on the news. Today, there is a more encouraging manufacturing survey – it’s not on the news. So I think what’s I’m asking for is a it bit of balance in the way we look at the British economy at the moment. He rejected the suggestion made before the interview started that he was “under pressure”. He said “many, many economists”, “many, many business organisations” and “all the international bodies” supported the government’s strategy. He said the comment from the OECD’s chief economist about the possible need for the government to slow the pace of defict reduction had been “over-interpreted” by the BBC. (This was unfair, because it was actually the Times that first carried the quote from Pier Carlo Padoan, the accuracy of which has not been challenged.) • Osborne defended his economic strategy. “The rock upon which the stability of the British economy rests at the moment is our credible fiscal plan,” he said. He also insisted that, although “leftwing academics” were criticising the government, that did not mean “that that is where the consensus of opinion is”. • He rejected claims that the economy was not growing. “It is not the case that all the data has shown there’s no growth in the British economy,” he said. “Actually we have seen employment rising, we have seen unemployment falling in recent months.” But he said he would like the economy to grow “even further”. • But he insisted that “flexibility” was already built into his economic strategy. Flexibility isn’t the same as having a “plan B” of the kind demanded by the experts who wrote to the Observer yesterday, but that fact that Osborne mentioned it suggests he does not want to be seen as too rigid. There is flexibility built into the plan that I announced a year ago… We’re talking about the structural deficit, so in other words we allow the automatic stabilisers to operate, which means that the economy can move up and down with the cycle, the government spending can move up and down with the cycle. We of course have an independent monetary policy committee and tighter fiscal policy gives the monetary policy committee greater freedom to operate monetary policy. We’re also planning to meet at the moment our mandate a year earlier – so we have flexibility built into our plan … This debate is quite binary … There’s an assumption that either you don’t do any cutting at all, or there’s my plan. My plan actually, I think, provides flexibility, but also stability and confidence. It’s flexible because it was very specifically designed to be cyclical. • He refused to say what the IMF would say about the British economy when it publishes a report on the subject at 1.30pm – although he sounded as if he was was expecting good news. The IMF was “the most independent of independent bodies,” he said. 8.17am: Montague asks whether Osborne will adapt his plan. Osborne says “flexibility” is built into his plan already. “Economic stablisers” will apply if growth is slower than expected, he says, adding: My plan provides flexibility, but also stability and confidence. His plan is flexible because it reflects the fact that the economy is cyclical, he says. Q: What’s your message to people? Should they be going out spending? Osborne says people need make their own decisions. And he returns to BBC-bashing. Whenever jobs are lost, that is on the news, he says. But he claims the BBC has not reported the fact that 400,000 jobs have been created. Q: Could it be worse ahead? That is not what the forecast says, Osborne replies. Q: But the spending cuts haven’t taken effect yet? Osborne says all the forecasts say the economy will grow. “That is good news.” The interview is over. I’ll post a summary soon. 8.14am: Sarah Montague, who is interviewing, says the OECD’s chief economist has suggested Osborne should slow the pace of deficit reduction. Osborne says the head of the OECD said Britain should not change course. He says the remarks from its chief economist were “over-interpreted” by the BBC. You can always assemble “leftwing academics” to criticise the government, he says, but that does not mean that they represent “the consensus of opinion”. He says businesses and families are enjoying lower business rates than they otherwise would be having because of the deficit reduction plan. That’s a “monetary stimulus”, he says. 8.12am: George Osborne is being interviewed now. He says the economy is growing. He would like it to grow faster, but it is growing. Q: Will the IMF endorse your plan? Osborne says he will not speak for the IMF. But it will be the first time the IMF has conducted an in-depth study into one of the five “systemic” economies in the world. Q: What are they going to say? Osborne say he will not speak for them, but they are one of the most independent bodies. 8.07am: It’s a busy start. George Osborne, the chancellor, is just about to give an interview to the Today programme. He will be responding to the economists and academics who wrote to the Observer yesterday saying he needs an economic “plan B”. And, after that, there’s plenty more to keep me busy. Here’s what’s coming up: 9.30am : Sarah Teather, the children’s minister, publishes the report from Reg Bailey on the sexualisation and commercialisation of childhood. As Patrick Wintour has reported, it will propose plans designed to stop retailers selling inappropriate clothes for pre-teens and to shield children from sexualised imagery across all media. Morning : Vince Cable, the business secretary, speaks at the GMB conference. As Polly Curtis reports, he will say that the government may tighten employment laws if the unions organise a wave of strikes this summer. 10am : Liam Fox, the defence secretary, speaks at the ConservativeHome conference. 11am : Andrew Mitchell, the international development secretary, speaks at the ConservativeHome conference. 1.30pm : The International Monetary Fund publishes a report on the British economy. 1.30pm : David Cameron has talks in Downing Street with the president of Romania. Afternoon : Ed Balls, the shadow chancellor, speaks at the GMB conference. 7pm : John Bercow, the Commons Speaker, gives a public interview to the Independent columnist Steve Richards. This will be out of my time, but I’m mentioning it because it sounds good and you may be interested. There are more details here . As usual, I’ll be covering all the breaking political news as well as looking at the papers and bringing you the best politics from the web. I’ll post a lunchtime summary at around 1pm, and an afternoon one at about 4pm. 8.07am: It’s a busy start. George Osborne, the chancellor, is just about to give an interview to the today programme. He will be responding to the economists and academics who wrote to the Observer yesterday saying he needs an economic “plan B”. And, after that, there’s plenty more to keep my busy. Here’s what’s coming up. 9.30am: Sarah Teather, the children’s minister, publishes the report from Reg Bailey on the sexualisation and commercialisation of childhood. As Patrick Wintour has reported, it will propose plans designed to stop retailers selling inappropriate clothes for pre-teens and to shield children from sexualised imagery across all media. Morning: Vince Cable, the business secretary, speaks at the GMB conference. As Polly Curtis reports, he will say that the government may tighten employment laws if the unions organise a wave of strikes this summer. 10am: Liam Fox, the defence secretary, speaks at a ConservativeHome conference. 11am: Andrew Mitchell, the international development secretary, speaks at the ConservativeHome conference. 1.30pm: The International Monetary Fund publishes a report on the British economy. 1.30pm: David Cameron has talks in Downing Street with the president of Romania. Afternoon: Ed Balls, the shadow chancellor, speaks at the GMB conference. 7pm: John Bercow, the Commons Speaker, gives a public interview to the Independent columnist Steve Richards. This will be out of my time, but I’m mentioning it because it sounds good and you may be interested. There are more details here. As usual, I’ll be covering all the breaking political news, as well as looking at the papers and bringing you the best politics from the web. I’ll post a lunchtime summary at around 1pm, and an afternoon one at about 4pm. George Osborne David Cameron Ed Balls John Bercow Andrew Sparrow guardian.co.uk
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Home secretary pre-empts revised Prevent strategy aimed at thwarting homegrown terrorism and radicalisation of students The home secretary has criticised universities for their “complacency” in tackling radicalisation and Islamic extremism on campus. The remarks pre-empt publication of the government’s revised Prevent strategy, which was originally launched in 2007 to stop the growth of homegrown terrorism. In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, Theresa May said: “I think for too long there’s been complacency around universities. I don’t think they have been sufficiently willing to recognise what can be happening on their campuses and the radicalisation that can take place. I think there is more that universities can do.” The government has identified 40 English universities where there could be a “particular risk” of radicalisation or recruitment on campus, according to the Daily Mail, which said it had seen the updated strategy. “More than 30% of people convicted for al-Qaida-associated terrorist offences in the UK … are known to have attended university or a higher education institution,” the Mail quoted the report as saying. It is understood the document also raises concerns over the Federation of Student Islamic Societies and what is seen as an insufficient willingness to tackle extremism. May told the Telegraph: “They need to be prepared to stand up and say that organisations that are extreme or support extremism or have extremist speakers should not be part of their grouping.” The newspaper said the strategy would contain details of partnerships with YouTube and AOL aimed at combating extremism online, as well as moves to limit access to extremist websites from schools and public libraries. The report will also name the 25 boroughs most at risk from Islamist extremism, including areas of London, Birmingham, Leeds, Bradford and Manchester, it was reported. It is understood about 20 of the organisations which have received funding over the last three years will have their funding cut. May said: “It’s a result of a close look at the values of the organisations themselves.” In November, the home secretary launched the Prevent strategy review – which was overseen by the independent counter-terrorism reviewer Lord Carlile of Berriew – saying it was not working as well as it could be. The £60m government programme was adopted after the 7 July bombings, and aims to counter militant Islamism by supporting mainstream Muslim groups which offer an alternative to extremism. But Prevent was criticised by some Muslims who said they feared it was being used to spy on their communities, and by other ethnic groups who believed they were missing out on financial support by comparison. A Home Office spokesman said: “The government is currently reviewing the Prevent programme, which isn’t working as well as it could. We need a strategy that is effective and properly focused. The findings will be published shortly.” Among those arrested for terrorism offences who have been linked to British universities is Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the so-called “underwear bomber”. He was detained on Christmas Day 2009 accused of trying to blow up a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit. A year and a half earlier he had graduated from University College London, where he was also president of the Islamic Society. UK security and terrorism Terrorism policy Global terrorism Higher education Islam Religion Student politics Theresa May guardian.co.uk
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