Officers are under attack from ministers who used the media to plant ‘twisted’ stories about them, says police body The Conservative-led coalition is undermining the police with an unprecedented “campaign of denigration”, the leader of rank and file officers has told the Guardian. Paul McKeever, chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, launched a blistering attack on ministers ahead of its annual conference this week. Relations between the government and federation, which represents 140,000 officers in England and Wales, are at an all-time low following government cuts to police budgets and proposed cuts to police pay, he said. McKeever claimed the government reforms and cuts to policing were driven by “ideology” and would endanger public safety. He said ministers were claiming to support the police while actually attacking them, and using their allies in the media to plant “twisted” stories portraying officers terms and conditions as gilt-edged. McKeever said: “I’m sure there is a campaign of denigration going on, both directly and indirectly from the government and their chosen thinktanks and through the press. “Nobody [in the police service] has experienced this before. The government seems to have a real antipathy to police officers.” As evidence he cited “adverse stories about police overtime and payments which they know are twisting the truth and painting an untrue picture of what happens in the police service”. With the home secretary, Theresa May, due to address the conference on Wednesday, McKeever said he and his members were furious at the coalition: “The government seems to think it’s OK to denigrate and kick cops on every occasion and it has gone too far. “There is a thin veneer of pretence that the government is supportive of the police, but their actions speak much more loudly than their words.” McKeever added: “Past Conservative governments have treated the police service pragmatically. This government treats the police service as an ideological adventure playground for intellectuals.” The police leader warned of cuts leading to rising crime: “The cutbacks will affect the most vulnerable in society and those least able to defend themselves.” The federation says the pain that its members are feeling is revealed in its own survey, released to chime with its conference week in Bournemouth. The survey claims that the 20% budget cuts have led 98% of officers to claim that morale has fallen in the ranks; 86% believe the fight against crime will be damaged; and 78% of federation members say their workload has increased. Nine out of 10 officers who responded to the survey said that they fear colleagues will quit because of being unable to make ends meet. The federation says officers could be left £4,000 worse off, without taking account of the effects of high inflation while the public sector is subjected to a two-year pay freeze. The government has cut its funding of policing by 20%, and a review of terms and conditions recommended reforms that while seeing some officers gaining, will see more losing out. Ministers deny that falls in police numbers will lead to a rise in crime and say officers can be moved from back office roles to those fighting crime. The Home Office said: “The government’s priority is to deal with the budget deficit and as a service spending £14bn a year of public money, the police can and must make their fair share of savings. Changes to police pay and conditions have been made by an independent review and are being discussed in the Police Negotiating Board.” Part of the Conservative-led coalition’s array of plans for the police have hit a stumbling block. The Police Federation and government are negotiating pay and conditions, but it is expected the talks will stall and ministers will impose the cuts by autumn, in order to be able to see some savings in time for the next financial year. Police officers cannot strike but protests including rallies and marches are expected. However, some figures in the federation want to put the issue of the right to strike back on the table. McKeever said the home secretary would receive a cordial welcome from delegates when she addresses the conference on Wednesday. Last week government plans for elected police commissioners were defeated in the House of Lords, although ministers are still vowing to drive it through parliament. May told the BBC on Sunday that Labour opportunism was to blame for the defeat: “The Labour party has supported an element of direct election in terms of the oversight of the police. It was sheer opportunism from Labour peers in the House of Lords that went against Labour party policy.” Police Liberal-Conservative coalition Public sector cuts Public finance Public sector pay Vikram Dodd guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Life may soon get a lot tougher for mosquitos and other bugs that like to dine on human blood. Researchers have discovered a compound that completely jams an insect’s sense of smell, making it much harder for mosquitos to find their prey, Discover reports. Early tests suggest that the compound…
Continue reading …Naked Playboy bunnies, sexy ’60s stewardesses, redos of titillating ’70s camp like Charlie’s Angels —the coming fall TV season promises heaping servings of sex-filled nostalgia. “Hollywood is a world ruled by men, and this season, amid economic anxieties, those men want to indulge in some retro fantasies about hot, subservient…
Continue reading …After a long hiatus, Saturday Night Live’s “Ambiguously Gay Duo” is back, and the first three minutes of the animated sketch feature plenty of the kinds of lines you’d expect (sample: “Commissioner, we make a great team: You finger the perps, and we give them our fist.”). And then…
Continue reading …
Sony begins restoring service in the United States and Europe after shutting it down last month after a security breach Sony began restoring its PlayStation Network service in the United States and Europe after shutting it down last month after a security breach affecting more than 100m online accounts. Restored operations are mainly limited to online gaming, chat and music streaming. Sony said it aimed to fully restore the network by the end of May. The company also began a phased restoration of its Qriocity movie and music services which share the PlayStation Network’s server, said a Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. spokesman Satoshi Fukuoka. Limited services will also resume in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the Middle East, and Sony said it will start restoring the service for users in Asia soon. Sony’s PlayStation Network is a system that links gamers worldwide in live play. Sony shut it down on April 20 after discovering a hacker attack and said personal data, including credit card numbers, may have been stolen. But the company said it had not received any reports of the stolen information being used illegally. Kazuo Hirai, chief of Sony Corp’s PlayStation video game unit, said in a statement that the company has beefed up security measures to protect customers’ personal data. He offered “sincere regret” for any inconvenience caused by the network intrusion. While the partial service allows users to enjoy video games and online chat, Sony said consumers still cannot buy video games or other content by using credit cards. “While we understand the importance of getting our services back online, we did not rush to do so at the expense of extensively and aggressively testing our enhanced security measures,” Hirai said. Among the 100 million user accounts, Sony said about 92 million can access the limited PlayStation Network service. The network serves both the PlayStation video game machines and Sony’s Qriocity movie and music services. It is a system that also allows users to upgrade and download games and other content. Sony spokesman Sosuke Kamei said the company’s probe into the hacker attack was ongoing. He declined to give details on the investigation. Sony came under heavy criticism over its handling of the network intrusion. The company did not notify consumers of the breach until April 26 even though it began investigating unusual activity on the network from April 19. Last month, US lawyers filed a lawsuit against Sony on behalf of lead plaintiff Kristopher Johns for negligent protection of personal data and failure to inform players in a timely fashion that their credit card information may have been stolen. The lawsuit seeks class-action status. Since the shutdown of the PlayStation Network on 20 April, Sony’s share price has dropped nearly 9% to close at 2,241 yen ($28) on Friday. PlayStation Hacking Games Sony guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
Head of Afghan army wants officers to be trained at replica of college he hopes to build with support from Britain The school is a cornerstone of the British military establishment – revered by those who survive it, feared by those who don’t. But Sandhurst may soon have a rival in a rather unlikely place. The head of the Afghan national army, General Sher Mohammad Karimi, wants to build a replica of the Royal Military Academy, which has been churning out officers for the British army since 1741. General Karimi attended Sandhurst in Camberley, Surrey, in the 1960s and has never forgotten the experiences he had there. They would have included basic training on military tactics and leadership, as well as being bawled at by sergeant majors, boot polishing and square bashing. So-called “beasting” which involves pushing cadets to their physical limits with a tough regime of cross-country runs, boxing and route marches, would also have been in operation. And this is exactly the sort of thing Karimi wants his own high-flyers to go through in an effort to bring Afghanistan’s army up to scratch. In Kabul the idea – dubbed “Sandhurst in the sand” – has already won the approval of American and British commanders with Isaf, the international security and assistance force. President Hamid Karzai now has to sign off the idea. General William Caldwell, head of Isaf’s army and police training, told the Guardian: “General Karimi would very much love to build Sandhurst in Afghanistan. I’m supporting him. He thinks so highly of Sandhurst, he would love to model it and build it here. I know the UK government is looking at it in terms of providing trainers to help if we were to do this.” Caldwell added that Karimi had returned to Sandhurst last month as a guest of honour and found the trip very moving. Three Afghans have been training at Sandhurst over the past year, while another three are due to arrive soon. “When he was there in 1967 you did a two-year course, not a one-year course,” said Caldwell. “He thinks today’s cadets have got it easy. When he was there he knew very little English, and had to study and study. He was the only trainee not from the UK.” During his recent visit to the UK Karimi praised the level of training at Sandhurst. He said: “[It] provides the ideal preparation for candidates to return to the Afghan national army as really good quality officers.” The school at Sandhurst was established in 1947, but the army has had a military academy since 1741. Afghanistan Military Nick Hopkins guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
American director promises ‘a good romp and a cracking yarn’ in film version of The Crooked House Neil LaBute has carved a career from seriously disturbing plays and films – In the Company of Men, The Shape of Things – that plunge deep into the American male psyche and find it to be damaged, selfish and brutal. But now the writer and director is turning to a gentler, politer and certainly more English material: Agatha Christie. And, he says, he promises “a good romp and a cracking yarn”. LaBute is to direct a film of Christie’s novel The Crooked House, with a screenplay adapted by Julian Fellowes, of Gosford Park and Downton Abbey fame. Though LaBute has ventured into period drama once before – Possession, the AS Byatt novel whose adaptation he directed, flips between the 19th and 20th centuries – he is certainly more associated with dystopian urban fables than the tinkling tea-cups and well-appointed drawing rooms of Christie’s classic murder mysteries. “I have always liked whodunnits,” LaBute said. “And I mean real whodunnits, not mystery-slash-thriller-slash-horror whodunits. I thought, ‘When did I last see one of those? And in fact it was probably Gosford Park: at least a nominal portion of Gosford Park had a whodunnit running through it.” As LaBute points out, The Crooked House is “atypical for Christie: often there is a small Belgian or an elderly lady solving the crimes”. This novel, by contrast, features neither Hercule Poirot nor Miss Marple, but is a standalone story with a young man called Charles Hayward attempting to solve the mystery of the murder of the wealthy Aristide Leonides, with whose daughter, Sophie, he is in love. The entire extended family – the inhabitants of the “crooked house” – falls under suspicion. Matthew Goode, who played Charles Ryder in the 2008 film of Brideshead Revisited, is to play Charles Hayward, with Gemma Arterton – who last year charmed Cannes with her performance in the title role of Tamara Drewe – as Sophia. Julie Andrews will play Aristide’s bitter, repressed sister-in-law Edith de Haviland, and Gabriel Byrne, Sophia’s elder brother Roger. The film is set to start shooting in September. LaBute said of the character of Hayward: “To have someone so hellbent on finding out the truth and is asked huge moral questions – I don’t often ask these questions of my boy-men characters, who are generally cowardly, duplicitous and selfish.” LaBute, whose work usually feels more akin to noir thriller writer Patricia Highsmith than Agatha Christie, said the novel was “twisted enough for me”. He added: “Christie may be even more twisted than I am. I think I may have met my match.” In this book, he said, she was “in the vanguard of bad seeds”. But the writer and director – whom the New York Times has described as a specialist in “two-legged wolves and pigs who wear the camouflage of business suits and golf sweaters” – also declared himself an unlikely fan of the classic film adaptations of Christie novels of the 1970s. “I love what Sidney Lumet did with Murder on the Orient Express,” he said. “And I love the almost kabuki-like performance of Albert Finney as Poirot.” He also expressed his admiration for David Suchet’s bustling interpretation of the role for television, and Peter Ustinov’s “bumbling” Poirot in Death on the Nile (1978). LaBute declared himself enthusiastic about the period setting, and said that he wanted to introduce a feel of his favourite 1940s and 50s films. He namechecked Douglas Sirk, Powell and Pressburger, and said he was fan of “domestic noirs such as Mildred Pierce and especially Leave Her To Heaven”. He wanted to create a feel, he said, of “deep Technicolor and dark shadows”. LaBute’s cinematic and theatrical career has had its ups and downs. After a startling film debut with In the Company of Men, he hit a low point with a critically disastrous remake of The Wicker Man (2006). Known for his depiction of human, particularly male, cruelty, his latest play, In a Forest Dark and Deep is playing at the Vaudeville Theatre in London, with Matthew Fox, who starred in the television series Lost, and Olivia Williams. The Mercy Seat (2002), told the story of a man who uses his proximity to the September 11 attacks to disappear from his suburban life. Cannes 2011 Agatha Christie Neil LaBute Gemma Arterton Gabriel Byrne Olivia Williams Sidney Lumet Charlotte Higgins guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
Lib Dems on defensive following reports of phone transcript in which energy secretary pressed witness to keep quiet The Liberal Democrat hierarchy has defended Chris Huhne after a tape recording emerged in which the energy secretary allegedly pressed a witness not to discuss claims he had tried to avoid a driving ban. Aides to the deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, said they believed nothing new had surfaced to change the energy secretary’s status since Vicky Pryce, from whom Huhne separated last year, made the initial claims 10 days ago. However, the local police force said it was deciding whether or not to investigate. Pryce claims Huhne “pressurised people” to take on his penalty points for speeding to avoid a driving ban in 2003 when he was an MEP and before he became the Lib Dem MP for Eastleigh. Huhne strenuously denies the claims. The Sunday Times reported that it had seen a transcript of a phone call in which Huhne urged the person with whom he was in conversation not to speak to reporters and to stay silent about the allegations. The call was said to have taken place before the allegations became public. Huhne was reported as having said: “If I were you … do not talk. I would have thought you would not want to talk.” He is also reported to have given advice on how to avoid journalists: “Just say, ‘Terribly bad line, terribly sorry, bad reception, I’ll talk to you later,’ and hang up.” Labour MP Simon Danczuk lodged a formal complaint with Essex police force. A spokesman for Essex police said: “We are aware of allegations regarding a speeding offence in 2003. This information will be passed to officers who will decide on whether an investigation will be launched. We take allegations such as this extremely seriously and will take action where necessary.” In recognition of the escalating severity of the claims, Huhne has instructed Charlotte Harris, a partner at London law firm Mishcon de Reya. Huhne and Clegg met last week to discuss the situation and in that meeting Huhne denied all allegations. A Lib Dem source said: “We are in a similar place to where we were last weekend. Has there been produced something devastating? Not really.” The party view is that at no point during the quotes attributed to Huhne did he admit the charge, the source added, pointing to a section where he insisted there was no truth in the allegation. Huhne is alleged by the Mail on Sunday and Sunday Times to have said towards the end of the 13-minute conversation: “There’s no question of it coming out, because it’s simply not true, that’s it.” The other person in the phone call then said, “I’m sorry, what? Why are you suddenly saying that?” Huhne is reported to then say it is not “sensible to have these sorts of conversations on the phone”. The coalition is uncertain how it would accommodate the loss of another Lib Dem cabinet minister, with David Laws likely to be out of action for at least a year. The Commons will vote on Monday to suspend Laws from the house for seven days – one of the most severe penalties an MP can face – after the report last week by the parliamentary commissioner found evidence of “serious” offences. The coalition deal requires five cabinet ministers from the junior partner in the coalition but Huhne and Laws are two of the party’s highest flyers and not easily replaced. Huhne’s estranged wife is writing a book variously described as a “tell all” tome about the minister or a guide to surviving a high-profile divorce. As Huhne’s profile has increased in the last six weeks, she has increasingly spoken out. Last weekend, asked whether he had asked someone to take his driving points, Pryce said: “Yes, he did. But, look, there is such huge pressure on politicians to be everywhere at once, especially early in their career, so that they are visible – huge pressure – and he does drive a bit like a maniac.” This weekend the Mail on Sunday and the Sunday Times reported the phone call between Huhne and a witness. This call is supposed to show Huhne dissuading the witness from letting “the genie” out of the bottle. The other person on the line at one point allegedly expresses concerns that they might have to lie to reporters. “It is one of the things that worried me when you made me take the points.” According to reports, Huhne said: “There is no evidence for this story unless you give it some legs by saying something. The last thing you want is a half-baked story saying you’ve taken points for me.” Huhne is said to have added: “The story they are trying to stand up is that ‘Cabinet minister persuaded XXX to take points’. The only way they can stand that up is by getting you to talk to them. There is simply no other person who could possibly tell them whether it is true or not.” The Sunday Times published the allegation that Huhne allegedly “entered another person’s name on the form, without consulting them”. Its report included the suggestion that that person would be able to provide proof that they were elsewhere that day: “The person Huhne allegedly identified as the driver was at work in central London on the day in question and attended a high-profile conference.” Chris Huhne Liberal Democrats Liberal-Conservative coalition Allegra Stratton guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
Gaddafi ex-loyalist is black box of regime, say Libyan officials as UK military calls for more air strikes despite deadly hostel hit A network of Libyan defectors, including the former regime stalwart Moussa
Continue reading …
At least 13 people killed as troops clash with demonstrators in Gaza and on the borders with Syria and Lebanon Thousands of Palestinians and their supporters were embroiled in deadly confrontations with the Israeli army as protests erupting across the Palestinian territories, Israel and its borders with Syria, Lebanon and Jordan were met with live fire, rubber bullets, stun grenades and teargas. At least 13 people were reported killed in a day of bloody confrontations, including 10 at the Lebanese border, at least two at the Syrian border and one in Gaza. However some sources said 10 people had been killed on the Syrian border. Police also fired teargas to disperse hundreds of protesters on the Jordanian border. Although Israel had been braced for violent protests, the clashes on its borders were largely unexpected. Israeli politicians, already deeply alarmed about uprisings in its neighbouring Arab countries, now face heightened tensions with Syria and Lebanon. Thousands of Palestinian refugees from Syria marched towards the village of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in 1967. According to the Israeli military “hundreds of Syrian rioters infiltrated the Israeli-Syrian border … and violently rioted against [Israeli] forces”. It said its troops “fired selectively towards rioters”. “The Israeli army warned [the protesters] not to cross but they didn’t listen,” Shefa Abu Jabal, 25, a resident of Majdal Shams, said. “When the crowd started to come over … soldiers started shooting. “Around 200 have managed to get across. I’ve heard there are four people dead on this side and there are many more injured. People in the village are really scared. The Israel soldiers looked shocked. No one thought there would be trouble at this border.” Another resident, Hamad Awidat, said: “There are thousands and thousands of people on the Syrian border who are trying to cross. There has been a lot of fighting, and of course people are scared.” At Maroun ar Ras in southern Lebanon, Israeli troops opened fire after hundreds of protesters broke through Lebanese army barricades to throw rocks across the border. At least two people were killed. One man, apparently shot in the chest, was doused with water as protesters tried to revive him but shouts of “Allah Akhbar” broke out as his dead body was lifted over the crowd. One protester, his clothes soaked in blood, screamed: “Murderers, cowards, is a rock any match for a bullet?” Hezbollah, which controls Lebanon’s southern villages had given tacit support for the protest but the crowd was dispersed by Lebanese troops firing into the air. Yassir Ali, one of the protest organisers said the deaths were not unexpected. “Palestinian people are used to paying with their lives. It’s a big price, but one we are prepared to pay to prove our right to return to the motherland.” Brigadier General Yoav Mordechai, an Israeli military spokesman, said soldiers fired when demonstrators began vandalising the border fence. The army was “aware” of casualties, he said. UN peacekeepers on the Lebanese side of the border appealed for “maximum restraint” to prevent casualties. The Israeli security forces had deployed about 10,000 troops and police along the country’s borders and in the Palestinian territories. The West Bank was subject to a 24-hour closure, with only emergency access permitted. Confrontations were reported after about 600 people marched from the West Bank’s principal city, Ramallah, towards the Qalandia checkpoint into Jerusalem. There were also clashes in other areas of the West Bank. In Gaza, at least 80 people were injured after Israeli troops opened fire on demonstrators approaching the Erez border crossing, Palestinian medical sources said. The Israeli military said it shot dead a man trying to plant a bomb near the border. In Tel Aviv, an Israeli man was killed and 17 people were injured when a truck ran into vehicles and pedestrians. It was not clear whether it was an accident or a deliberate attack. The truck’s 22-year-old Israeli-Arab driver said he lost control of the vehicle due to faulty brakes. • Additional reporting: Phoebe Greenwood Israel Arab and Middle East unrest Middle East Palestinian territories Syria Lebanon Harriet Sherwood guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …