Councillors consider erecting tower for ‘nightmare’ gulls to move 150 nests from Tyne Bridge The only urban colony of kittiwake gulls in the UK faces a potential siege at Tyne Bridge. More than 150 nests have been wedged into granite carvings on the four towers that support Newcastle upon Tyne’s river crossing since the first two pairs arrived in 1997. Initially hailed as a tourist attraction, with visitor signs and temporary telescopes to watch their antics, the seabirds have now been condemned as an obstacle to the riverside’s award-winning regeneration. Newcastle, which has won Forum for the Future’s greenest city award two years running, is sensitive to any move that could forfeit its chances of a hat-trick. So councillors are considering a possible new landmark in an area already famous for Antony Gormley’s Angel of the North – a kittiwake tower to ensure the birds stay locally but not directly above bars, restaurants and shops. Traders in the warren of streets below the bridge, which forms a 15-storey artificial alternative to famous natural nesting sites such as Bempton cliffs on the North Sea coast, describe the level of noise and mess as a “nightmare” and “horrendous”. Debris from the colony includes mummified birds, and shopkeepers such as florist Vivienne Brown say tourists take refuge in shops to avoid being divebombed. The mass keening of the kittiwakes, whose name is inspired by their raucous cry, can also be heard in the tall, narrow streets huddled beside the Tyne. The birds spend winter at sea but return inland to breed between April and August, building larger nests than other gulls. “It’s a cause for concern because the quaysides are such an attraction now,” said a spokesman for Newcastle city council, which has joined Gateshead in two decades of investment along the waterfront. Projects such as the Millennium bridge, Sage concert hall and Baltic gallery have encouraged the opening of dozens of thriving small businesses, restaurants and bars. The kittiwakes were identified as a problem in a report last winter from the two cities’ joint development agency, 1NG. The report has also roused defenders of the colony, led by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. “They are one of the great features of this city and much loved by many people,” said Martin Kerby, the RSPB’s regional conservation officer. “Tyneside is the only really urban location in the world that you can find them and it is a great shame that this report seems to think they are not an asset but a problem to be removed. “TV crews have often been here to film them, the council itself put up signs to promote them and lots of visitors come to see them on the coast to coast tours. It’s a real shame that biodiversity such as this should be looked on as a problem.” Kittiwakes are causing concern internationally after several poor breeding years in their North Atlantic strongholds. A shortage of their staple prey, sand eels, has coincided with an increase in their main predator, the great skua. Breeding pairs in northern Scotland, home to the main UK population, fell by more than half to 23,000 in the past two decades and recovery has been patchy. The Newcastle council spokesman said there were no plans for immediate action, but the concept of a kittiwake tower had obvious appeal. He said: “They don’t seem to have found the Angel yet, but there could be a lot of interest in designing something appropriate for them just a bit further away.” The strategy has had some success in Gateshead, where a slender metal structure rehoused kittiwakes expelled when the Baltic flour mills were converted into a gallery in 1997. But 30 pairs of the resourceful birds have found their way back, and CCTV footage of their nests and fledglings is being used as a gallery attraction. Newcastle Birds Wildlife RSPB Conservation Martin Wainwright guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Councillors consider erecting tower for ‘nightmare’ gulls to move 150 nests from Tyne Bridge The only urban colony of kittiwake gulls in the UK faces a potential siege at Tyne Bridge. More than 150 nests have been wedged into granite carvings on the four towers that support Newcastle upon Tyne’s river crossing since the first two pairs arrived in 1997. Initially hailed as a tourist attraction, with visitor signs and temporary telescopes to watch their antics, the seabirds have now been condemned as an obstacle to the riverside’s award-winning regeneration. Newcastle, which has won Forum for the Future’s greenest city award two years running, is sensitive to any move that could forfeit its chances of a hat-trick. So councillors are considering a possible new landmark in an area already famous for Antony Gormley’s Angel of the North – a kittiwake tower to ensure the birds stay locally but not directly above bars, restaurants and shops. Traders in the warren of streets below the bridge, which forms a 15-storey artificial alternative to famous natural nesting sites such as Bempton cliffs on the North Sea coast, describe the level of noise and mess as a “nightmare” and “horrendous”. Debris from the colony includes mummified birds, and shopkeepers such as florist Vivienne Brown say tourists take refuge in shops to avoid being divebombed. The mass keening of the kittiwakes, whose name is inspired by their raucous cry, can also be heard in the tall, narrow streets huddled beside the Tyne. The birds spend winter at sea but return inland to breed between April and August, building larger nests than other gulls. “It’s a cause for concern because the quaysides are such an attraction now,” said a spokesman for Newcastle city council, which has joined Gateshead in two decades of investment along the waterfront. Projects such as the Millennium bridge, Sage concert hall and Baltic gallery have encouraged the opening of dozens of thriving small businesses, restaurants and bars. The kittiwakes were identified as a problem in a report last winter from the two cities’ joint development agency, 1NG. The report has also roused defenders of the colony, led by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. “They are one of the great features of this city and much loved by many people,” said Martin Kerby, the RSPB’s regional conservation officer. “Tyneside is the only really urban location in the world that you can find them and it is a great shame that this report seems to think they are not an asset but a problem to be removed. “TV crews have often been here to film them, the council itself put up signs to promote them and lots of visitors come to see them on the coast to coast tours. It’s a real shame that biodiversity such as this should be looked on as a problem.” Kittiwakes are causing concern internationally after several poor breeding years in their North Atlantic strongholds. A shortage of their staple prey, sand eels, has coincided with an increase in their main predator, the great skua. Breeding pairs in northern Scotland, home to the main UK population, fell by more than half to 23,000 in the past two decades and recovery has been patchy. The Newcastle council spokesman said there were no plans for immediate action, but the concept of a kittiwake tower had obvious appeal. He said: “They don’t seem to have found the Angel yet, but there could be a lot of interest in designing something appropriate for them just a bit further away.” The strategy has had some success in Gateshead, where a slender metal structure rehoused kittiwakes expelled when the Baltic flour mills were converted into a gallery in 1997. But 30 pairs of the resourceful birds have found their way back, and CCTV footage of their nests and fledglings is being used as a gallery attraction. Newcastle Birds Wildlife RSPB Conservation Martin Wainwright guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Councillors consider erecting tower for ‘nightmare’ gulls to move 150 nests from Tyne Bridge The only urban colony of kittiwake gulls in the UK faces a potential siege at Tyne Bridge. More than 150 nests have been wedged into granite carvings on the four towers that support Newcastle upon Tyne’s river crossing since the first two pairs arrived in 1997. Initially hailed as a tourist attraction, with visitor signs and temporary telescopes to watch their antics, the seabirds have now been condemned as an obstacle to the riverside’s award-winning regeneration. Newcastle, which has won Forum for the Future’s greenest city award two years running, is sensitive to any move that could forfeit its chances of a hat-trick. So councillors are considering a possible new landmark in an area already famous for Antony Gormley’s Angel of the North – a kittiwake tower to ensure the birds stay locally but not directly above bars, restaurants and shops. Traders in the warren of streets below the bridge, which forms a 15-storey artificial alternative to famous natural nesting sites such as Bempton cliffs on the North Sea coast, describe the level of noise and mess as a “nightmare” and “horrendous”. Debris from the colony includes mummified birds, and shopkeepers such as florist Vivienne Brown say tourists take refuge in shops to avoid being divebombed. The mass keening of the kittiwakes, whose name is inspired by their raucous cry, can also be heard in the tall, narrow streets huddled beside the Tyne. The birds spend winter at sea but return inland to breed between April and August, building larger nests than other gulls. “It’s a cause for concern because the quaysides are such an attraction now,” said a spokesman for Newcastle city council, which has joined Gateshead in two decades of investment along the waterfront. Projects such as the Millennium bridge, Sage concert hall and Baltic gallery have encouraged the opening of dozens of thriving small businesses, restaurants and bars. The kittiwakes were identified as a problem in a report last winter from the two cities’ joint development agency, 1NG. The report has also roused defenders of the colony, led by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. “They are one of the great features of this city and much loved by many people,” said Martin Kerby, the RSPB’s regional conservation officer. “Tyneside is the only really urban location in the world that you can find them and it is a great shame that this report seems to think they are not an asset but a problem to be removed. “TV crews have often been here to film them, the council itself put up signs to promote them and lots of visitors come to see them on the coast to coast tours. It’s a real shame that biodiversity such as this should be looked on as a problem.” Kittiwakes are causing concern internationally after several poor breeding years in their North Atlantic strongholds. A shortage of their staple prey, sand eels, has coincided with an increase in their main predator, the great skua. Breeding pairs in northern Scotland, home to the main UK population, fell by more than half to 23,000 in the past two decades and recovery has been patchy. The Newcastle council spokesman said there were no plans for immediate action, but the concept of a kittiwake tower had obvious appeal. He said: “They don’t seem to have found the Angel yet, but there could be a lot of interest in designing something appropriate for them just a bit further away.” The strategy has had some success in Gateshead, where a slender metal structure rehoused kittiwakes expelled when the Baltic flour mills were converted into a gallery in 1997. But 30 pairs of the resourceful birds have found their way back, and CCTV footage of their nests and fledglings is being used as a gallery attraction. Newcastle Birds Wildlife RSPB Conservation Martin Wainwright guardian.co.uk
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RMT union would says it would consider a deal with Transport for London similar to that struck with Network Rail, which is offering up to £500 for staff working extra shifts A strike-free Olympics on the London Underground would cost around £500 per tube employee, the RMT trade union indicated on Tuesday, as hopes rose that a settlement could be reached to prevent disruption at next year’s games. Britain’s largest rail union has already secured an Olympics deal with Network Rail including payments of up to £500 for staff performing extra shifts. It includes an agreement , described by industry sources as a no-strike deal in all but name, that disputes during the games period will go to the ACAS conciliation service with no industrial action while discussions take place. Bob Crow, RMT general secretary, said on Tuesday that the union would seriously consider a similar offer to its thousands of LU members. “We will be looking for the same if not better on London Underground,” he said. Peter Hendy, head of the mayor’s Transport for London authority, which runs the tube, told the Evening Standard that the Network Rail deal was “sensible”. The Network Rail deal also includes a no-sacking clause during the Olympics and Paralympics next summer. A spokesperson for Transport for London said: “We are continuing our negotiations with all our trade unions towards a multi-year pay and conditions deal that would cover the period of the Olympics.” Speaking at a London Assembly hearing on Tuesday, Crow said LU had agreed to set up an independent panel that would garner suggestions on improving industrial relations on the tube. “It is … some kind of panel where selected people on behalf of London Underground and trade unions can give recommendations on how best industrial relations can improve.” Any deal over the Olympics is likely to be wrapped up in an over-arching pay agreement with the RMT. The union has rejected a five-year pay deal including a 4% pay rise this year followed by increases of inflation + 0.25% for each of the following years. Last week LU raised its offer to a 4.5% pay rise this year. The RMT also wants the re-introduction of a consultative trade union committee at LU and the re-establishment of a transport wages board. Crow added that the RMT and other unions wanted a “dialogue” with the London mayor, Boris Johnson, while acknowledging that the mayor would not engage in negotiations. Crow said the RMT wanted to “have his ear every now and again”. Travel & leisure Trade unions Transport Bob Crow London Dan Milmo guardian.co.uk
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Libyan’s secret police compounds among sites hit in Nato strikes hours after ICC prosecutor calls for arrest, says UK military Hours after the international criminal court chief prosecutor called for the arrest of Muammar Gaddafi and his closet advisers for mass murder, Britain stepped up its strikes on what military officials described as secret police compounds in Tripoli. The submarine HMS Triumph fired Tomahawk cruise missiles and Tornado jets dropped bombs on a number of targets in Libya’s capital. Tomahawks’ electronic systems can distinguish between different buildings and are therefore suitable against urban targets, according to defence officials. Danish planes also attacked targets in Tripoli in a series of attacks British defence officials made clear were also designed to signal that Nato was determined to extend its range of targets in a military campaign which, after nearly two months, shows little sign of leading to the collapse of the Libyan regime. Major General John Lorimer, chief military spokesman at the Ministry of Defence, said the bombed targets “lay at the heart of the apparatus used by the regime to brutalise the civilian population”. He added: “One of the intelligence facilities which was hit is known to play a significant role in the collection of information by Colonel Gaddafi’s secret police, while the other was a headquarters for the external security organisation, commanded by Abdullah Senussi.” Senussi, the intelligence chief, along with the Libyan leader and his son, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, was accused on Monday of crimes against humanity by the ICC chief prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, who called for their arrest for orchestrating a campaign of mass murder. British targets on Monday night included the executive protection force, which Lorimer described as “the bodyguard for the inner circle of the colonel’s regime … entrusted with other sensitive tasks”. He said vehicles at the training base have been identified as having been involved in the violent suppression of public demonstrations in Tripoli on 4 March. The latest Nato strikes came days after General Sir David Richards, Britain’s chief of defence staff, called on member countries to increase their range of targets to include the regime’s infrastructure, command and control centres, and communications networks. The defence secretary, Liam Fox, told the Commons on Monday that Nato bombing strikes would not end until Gaddafi stopped “slaughtering” his own people. There are 23 RAF aircraft and two Royal Navy warships committed to Operation Ellamy, the MoD’s codename for operations in Libya. Muammar Gaddafi Arab and Middle East unrest Libya Middle East Africa Nato Military International criminal court Human rights Richard Norton-Taylor guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …A California mom who admitted giving her 8-year-old daughter botox injections to keep her young looking has lost custody of the girl. San Francisco authorities launched an investigation last week after mom Kerry Campbell discussed the injections in preparation for little girl beauty pageants on Good Morning America. “I just,…
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Coalition expected to adopt plans to cut UK emissions by 50% on 1990 levels by 2025 following row over carbon budget • Damian Carrington: Victory gained and disaster averted The government is expected to announce today that it has agreed the world’s most ambitious targets for emissions cuts into the 2020s, following a cabinet rift on the issue. The climate and energy secretary, Chris Huhne – currently at the centre of claims he persuaded someone else to take speeding penalty points on his behalf – will announce in parliament at 4.30pm that the UK is to adopt plans to cut emissions by 50% on 1990 levels by 2025. Fears that ministers would reject the Committee on Climate Change’s proposals for pollution limits in the fourth “carbon budget” have prompted an outcry from environmentalist groups . The carbon budget runs from 2023 to 2027, part of efforts to meet legally binding emissions cuts of 80% by 2050, and will put the UK on target for 60% cuts by 2030. A letter leaked last week appeared to expose a row between ministers. Business secretary, Vince Cable, apparently argued for less ambitious reductions in the 2020s because the targets could limit economic growth. After the letter emerged, a coalition of environmental bodies issued a warning to the prime minister David Cameron that he risked seriously undermining his pledge to lead the “greenest government ever” if he did not back the targets. The Labour leader, Ed Miliband, had also seized on the evidence of internal disagreement, writing to Cameron to warn that failing to agree the budget would send “a terrible signal” to business and the rest of the world. But over the weekend Cameron was reported to have stepped in to resolve the fraught battle within the cabinet , with a decision to support the targets. Before today’s expected announcement, Keith Allott, WWF-UK’s head of climate change, said: “No other country has set legally binding emission-reduction targets going into the 2020s, and so with this decision the UK is demonstrating genuine leadership on climate change. “The Climate Change Act remains a groundbreaking piece of legislation that, with support, will underpin the UK’s transition to a low-carbon economy.” But he said the Committee on Climate Change had made clear that the proposed fourth carbon budget was the “absolute minimum” necessary. He added: “The unwillingness of government to accept this recommendation suggests that some Whitehall departments are more committed to action than others.” Carbon emissions Climate change Liberal-Conservative coalition Green politics Chris Huhne guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Jon Stewart accepted Bill O’Reilly’s challenge and the pair debated rapper Common’s White House appearance on last night’s O’Reilly Factor. O’Reilly insisted that it was a mistake to have invited a rapper who “celebrates” a cop killer to a White House poetry night, while the Daily Show host maintained that…
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New food scandal as fields of watermelons are destroyed after farmers mistakenly apply growth accelerator The flying pips, shattered shells and fleshy shrapnel still haunt farmer Liu Mingsuo after an effort to chemically boost his fruit crop went spectacularly wrong. Field after field of watermelons exploded when he and other agricultural workers in eastern China mistakenly applied forchlorfenuron, a growth accelerator. The incident has become a focus of a domestic media drive to expose the lax farm practices, shortcuts and excessive use of fertiliser behind a rash of food safety scandals in China. It follows discoveries of the heavy metal cadmium in rice, toxic melamine in milk, arsenic in soy sauce, bleach in mushrooms and the detergent borax in pork (to make it look like beef). Compared to such cases of dangerous contamination, Liu’s transgression was minor, but it has gained notoriety after being picked up by the state broadcaster CCTV. The broadcaster blamed the bursting of the fruit on the legal chemical forchlorfenuron, which stimulates cell separation but often leaves the melons misshapen and turns the seeds white. The report said the farmers sprayed the fruit too late in the season and during wet conditions, which caused the melons to explode like “landmines”. After losing three hectares (eight acres), Liu told reporters he was unable to sleep because he could not shake the image of the fruit bursting. “On 7 May, I came out and counted 80 (bursting watermelons) but by the afternoon it was 100,” he said. “Two days later I didn’t bother to count any more.” About 20 farmers and 45 hectares around Danyang were affected. The fruit could not be sold but was instead fed to fish and pigs. Agricultural experts say forchlorfenuron has been widely used in China since the 1980s. Farmers say it can bring the harvest forward by two weeks and increase the size and price of the fruit by more than 20%. Environment groups said the overuse of agricultural chemicals was a growing problem that went beyond growth stimulants. Pan Jing of Greenpeace said farmers depended on fertiliser because many double as migrant workers, which means they have less time for their crops. This dependency is promoted by state subsidies that keep fertilisers cheap. “The government is aware of the environmental problems caused by chemical fertiliser, but they are also concerned about food output.” Many farmers now grow their own food separately from the chemically-raised crops they sell at the market. “I feel there is nothing safe I can eat now because people are in too much of a hurry to make money,” said Huang Zhanliang, a farmer in Hebei. Concerns about food safety have lingered despite government promises to deal with the problem after six babies died and thousands of others became ill as a result of melamine-tainted milk in 2008 . The authorities appear to have mixed feelings about the role of the media and public opinion in naming and shaming culprits. In the wake of the melamine scandal, police jailed one of the parents, Zhao Lianhai , who had set up a website to expose the problem and appeal for justice. Recently, however, officials have encouraged coverage of food safety issues. Zhang Yong, the head of a new cabinet-level food safety commission, praised the media’s “important watchdog role”. In the past week, the People’s Daily website has run stories of human birth control chemicals being used on cucumber plants in Xian, China Daily has reported Sichuan peppers releasing red dye when soaked in water and the Sina news portal revealed that barite powder had been injected into chickens in Guizhou to increase their weight. China Food Farming Jonathan Watts guardian.co.uk
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No 10 says Liam Fox’s attack on government plans to enshrine funding for developing countries will not derail its plans Downing Street has insisted the government is committed to enshrining its overseas aid spending targets in law, despite objections by the defence secretary, Liam Fox . No 10 condemned the leak of a private letter from Fox to David Cameron warning that he could not support the plans in their current form. “Clearly we condemn leaks in all forms,” the prime minister’s official spokesman said, adding that it would be for senior officials to decide whether to mount a leak inquiry. The spokesman stressed that Fox’s concerns would not affect the government’s plan to create a statutory requirement for 0.7% of gross national income (GNI) to be spent on overseas aid. “It is coalition policy, it is government policy, it will be made law,” the spokesman said. “There is no question that it is the government’s policy to have the 0.7% of GNI target for international aid. We will introduce a bill in due course to make that law.” In his letter, obtained by the Times, Fox – who made clear he had discussed the issue with the international development secretary, Andrew Mitchell, and the foreign secretary, William Hague – argued that establishing a specific statutory target would open up the government to future legal challenges. Instead, he suggested that the target should simply be recognised in legislation, along with a commitment to produce an annual report on whether it was being met. “I have considered the issue carefully, and discussed it with Andrew and William Hague, but I cannot support the proposal in its current form,” he wrote. A source close to Fox insisted that he was not opposed to the government’s plan to increase spending on aid, saying: “The defence secretary fully supports the principle of a 0.7% target on international aid. “The issue is simply how best to reflect this in law.” However, the leak once again highlighted the uneasy relationship between Cameron and Fox, who were rivals for the Tory leadership in 2005. Last year another private letter from Fox to the prime minister – this time warning of the impact of planned defence cuts – was leaked to the press. Fox strongly denied any responsibility and ordered an inquiry by the Ministry of Defence police. The latest leak, however, again chimes with the concerns of many Tory backbenchers who believe that the government is spending too much on overseas aid at a time of economic austerity. In contrast, Cameron is strongly committed to the statutory target, which he regards as emblematic of the way the Conservative party has changed under his leadership. The shadow international development secretary, Harriet Harman, said: “The commitment to increase overseas aid spending to 0.7% of GNI by 2013 was a manifesto commitment by the Tories and the Lib Dems and was repeated in the coalition agreement. It must not be the next broken promise. “Britain’s overseas aid saves lives in the developing world, but it is also in our national interest to tackle the underdevelopment which can cause conflict. “This Tory manifesto promise has been reiterated by the prime minister at international forums. He must show that Britain keeps its word. “The way to show they are not going to break this manifesto commitment is to bring in the promised legislation now. The government must keep the promise.” Aid Liam Fox Liberal-Conservative coalition Conservatives David Cameron guardian.co.uk
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