More bad news out of Fukushima: A worker at the plant died today, the first casualty since the stabilization effort began. A TEPCO rep says the man’s body did not show any signs of radiation overexposure and no radioactive material was found on his body, but the cause of death…
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Chris Huhne will announce a long-term programme that will put Britain at the forefront of the battle against climate change Cabinet ministers have agreed a far-reaching, legally binding “green deal” that will commit the UK to two decades of drastic cuts in carbon emissions. The package will require sweeping changes to domestic life, transport and business and will place Britain at the forefront of the global battle against climate change. The deal was hammered out after tense arguments between ministers who had disagreed over whether the ambitious plans to switch to more green energy were affordable. The row had pitted the energy secretary, Chris Huhne, who strongly backed the plans, against the chancellor, George Osborne, and the business secretary, Vince Cable, who were concerned about the cost and potential impact on the economy. However, after the intervention of David Cameron, Huhne is now expected to tell parliament that agreement has been struck to back the plans in full up to 2027. He will tell MPs that the government will accept the recommendations of the independent committee on climate change for a new carbon budget. The deal puts the UK ahead of any other state in terms of the legal commitments it is making in the battle to curb greenhouse gases. With the Treasury and Cable’s business department sceptical, green groups had feared that ministers would refuse to back the committee and were accusing them of reneging on Cameron’s promise to lead the “greenest government ever”. But with Clegg and the Liberal Democrats desperate to boast a success on one of their key policies, supporters of a deal won the day. A government source told the Observer : “This is a victory for the cause of enlightenment over the dark forces at the Treasury.” Another senior government figure said: “This country is now the world leader in cutting carbon emissions. We are the only nation with legally binding commitments past 2020.” This point was also stressed by David Kennedy, chief executive of the committee. “We have moved into uncharted territory and are going to be watched carefully by other countries. No one else has a target like this.” The new budget puts the government on target to meet a reduction by 2050 of 80% of carbon emissions compared with 1990 levels. The committee has said that to reach this carbon emissions should be cut by 60% by 2030. Ministers believe that major companies involved in developing offshore wind technology – such as Siemens, Vestas and General Electric – will now be keener to invest in Britain, knowing it is committed to a huge expansion in renewable energy. It is also hoped that the commitment to renewable energy – the committee says 40% of the UK’s power should come from wind, wave and tide sources by 2030 – will stimulate new industries. These would include the development of tidal power plants, wave generators and carbon capture and storage technology – which would extract carbon dioxide from coal and oil plants and pump it into underground chambers. All three technologies, if developed in Britain, could be major currency earners. The committee’s report says the new carbon deal will require that heat pumps will have had to be installed in 2.6m homes by 2025. It also says that by the same date 31% of new cars, and 14% of those on the road overall, will be electric. Experts say a total of £16bn of investment will be needed every year to meet the commitment. Some of this money will be raised through increases in electricity prices. However, failure to act now and decarbonise electricity generation would mean the UK would have to pay even more to replace power plants in future. “If we have to pay more in future that will slow economic growth, so we need to act now,” said Kennedy. The decision to back the carbon budget comes a year after Cameron announced that his government would be the greenest on record, a claim that last week led the heads of 15 green campaign groups to write to the prime minister to tell him he was in danger of losing his way on environmental policy. The letter said the coalition should promote a green economy with “urgency and resolve” if it was to honour its promise. The groups include Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and the RSPB. Tuesday’s expected announcement is certain to be welcomed by green groups though they will fear further backtracking in years to come. Huhne recently announced plans to invite green lobby groups in to scrutinise policy in order to hold ministers to their promises. They have been impressed with parts of the government’s programme, including progress on establishment of a green investment bank. Climate change Green politics Green economy Chris Huhne Carbon emissions Toby Helm Robin McKie guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …With both gas prises and anger on the rise, President Obama has decided to allow new drilling in Alaska’s national petroleum reserve. Lease sales in the 23.5 million-acre reserve—which serves as home to millions of migratory birds, two caribou herds, gray wolves, and other wildlife—have been held…
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UK Drug Policy Commission’s report Taking Drugs Seriously says current laws ‘not fit for purpose’ The UK’s “outdated” drug laws could be doing more harm than good and are failing to recognise that banning some “legal highs” may have negative consequences for public health, according to the leading independent panel set up to analyse drugs policy. On the eve of the 40th anniversary of the Misuse of Drugs Act, the UK Drug Policy Commission warns that the exponential rise in “legal highs” and the availability of substances over the internet is making current laws redundant. A damning report carried out for the commission by thinktank Demos suggests that drug control legislation is no longer “fit for purpose” in the 21st century and should be replaced using consumer protection legislation. In the longer term, the report suggests, the government should introduce a harmful substances control act that would change how all psychoactive substances, including alcohol and tobacco, are controlled. “Forty years ago, the Misuse of Drugs Act was passed in a world where new drugs came along every few years, not every few weeks,” said Roger Howard, the chief executive of the commission. “The argument about whether to be tough or soft about drugs is increasingly redundant in the era of the internet and global trade; we have to think differently.” The 149-page report, which has been welcomed by senior police officers, will be seen as a stern corrective to successive governments’ thinking on drug control, which has heavily favoured prohibition. The coalition government has been reluctant to contemplate a radical shift in drugs policy, preferring a plan to subject new substances to temporary bans as and when they come to market. The report, Taking Drugs Seriously , suggests that the government and its advisers assess the potential benefits, as well as harmful effects, associated with some legal highs and recognises that their use could prevent people experimenting with more dangerous drugs. It points to research into drug tests on soldiers in the British army that showed that cocaine use fell by more than half between 2008 and 2009, when mephedrone or “meow meow” – a new legal high outlawed in 2010 – was becoming increasingly available. Significantly, official data reveals that between 2008 and the first six months of 2009, cocaine-related deaths among the population as a whole fell 28%. “The Misuse of Drugs Act has passed its sell-by date,” said Jonathan Birdwell, the report’s co-author. “So-called ‘legal highs’ present an entirely new challenge that needs a more intelligent response. With the aim of being hardline towards all psychoactive substances, the government risks making it more, not less, dangerous for young people who want to experiment.” There are now more than 600 substances controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act in the UK and the number looks set to increase. According to data presented to the Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs, an unprecedented 40 new substances were produced in the far east and sold in the UK in 2010. To combat the trend, the report suggests that the government consider controlling the supply of new psychoactive drugs through existing consumer protection legislation, rather than relying on regulations that appear to have little credibility in the eyes of young people. Legislation would limit the number of vendors who can supply controlled substances and compel them to demonstrate that their products meet certain standards or sell them with information on dosage levels and side effects. Civil and criminal sanctions could be brought against those who break the law. “It might be time to say that those who seek to sell new substances should have to prove their safety, rather than that the government should have to prove otherwise,” Howard said. “Controlling new substances through trading standards legislation offers a new vehicle to achieve this.” The report has been cautiously welcomed by police at a time when their budget is under strain. “Police forces and health professionals across England and Wales are only too aware of the problems that a wave of new drugs can bring,” said Tim Hollis, the chief constable of Humberside police and the national lead on drugs for the Association of Chief Police Officers. “The idea of trading standards officers having a stronger role in controlling substances is one that is worthy of consideration.” Drugs policy Drugs Drugs trade Mephedrone Liberal-Conservative coalition Jamie Doward guardian.co.uk
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Decision to opt for costliest technology ends delay on upgrade to subs and is likely to fuel coalition tensions Ministers will announce plans to buy the most advanced and expensive nuclear reactors for new Trident submarines this week in a move set to create tensions within the coalition government. The decision has been delayed by months due to the sensitivities within the cabinet and concerns over costs, with Liberal Democrats keen to avoid progress on the issue. The party’s manifesto had stated it was against a like-for-like replacement for the country’s nuclear deterrent. However, a source said a decision had now been made among the coalition partners in favour of the more expensive reactors and an announcement would not be delayed any further. The decision is likely to add several billion pounds to the £20bn cost of replacing the UK’s four Trident submarines, but the new reactors are understood to be safer. The source said: “It has all been agreed and the announcement will be made this week. Nothing pleases the Liberal Democrats on this subject but they have signed up on it, so it will
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David Cameron’s promise to tackle trafficking said to be in disarray after an exodus of expert Home Office staff David Cameron’s promise to tackle human trafficking is said to be in disarray after an exodus of expert Home Office staff and the sidelining of the official in charge of the policy. A former police officer – one of the most senior figures to have been involved in investigating trafficking, who requested anonymity for fear of repercussions – said: “One of the concerns is the lack of continuity of staff at the Home Office. The entire original team has gone.” Cameron has repeatedly stated that trafficking is a priority for the coalition; only last week immigration minister Damian Green told parliament: “The UK is a world leader in its anti-trafficking work, but that does not mean we should stand still.” But the inter-ministerial group on human trafficking has met only once, while specific targets for tackling the issue no longer feature on the Home Office website. The voluntary sector, meanwhile, claims that officials are refusing to set agendas on trafficking or provide detailed timescales for action. The government was due to unveil its four-part strategy to disrupt trafficking in March, but sources say it will appear in June at the earliest. Even the government’s recent decision to endorse the EU directive on human trafficking has led to concerns among MPs, who fear that ministers will be unwilling to appoint an independent rapporteur who would investigate government policies on trafficking and tell parliament whether the UK is fulfilling its obligations. There are also concerns over the treatment of victims after they have escaped from their abusers. Evidence suggests that such women are being classified as illegal immigrants rather than victims of a crime. The Poppy Project, widely acknowledged as the UK’s leading organisation for trafficking victims, and which last week had its Home Office funding removed after eight years, said there had been four attempts at forced deportations of victims in the past three weeks, compared with two in the previous three years. A Home Office spokesman said: “There has been no delay. The strategy will be published shortly. The government remains committed to working with our international partners and seeking the views of expert groups in the UK to tackle this awful crime.” Opting into the EU trafficking directive and a new border police command would help target organised criminals. A Home Office source said the changes to personnel were a routine staff redeployment and rejected claims of a lack of expertise among officials. Anti-trafficking plans, he said, would appear on the Home Office website when the strategy was published. Human trafficking Prostitution Mark Townsend guardian.co.uk
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Senior politicians vow to review ties to America after discord over drone attacks and assassination of al-Qaida leader The security of Nato’s main supply line into Afghanistan came under threat on Saturday as Pakistani parliamentarians voted to review all aspects of their relationship with the US amid worsening political fallout from the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. The unanimous motion was passed in the early hours of Saturday morning at the conclusion of an extraordinary 10-hour parliamentary session when the military’s top brass offered apologies and admissions of failure, and the country’s spy chief offered to resign. Condemning the 2 May raid on bin Laden’s house in Abbottabad, 35 miles northeast of Islamabad, as a “violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty”, parliament voted unanimously to review the country’s terms of engagement with Washington. In feisty speeches lawmakers warned against further “unilateral action”, including CIA drone strikes, and urged the government to consider cutting the Nato supply line that runs from Karachi to Afghanistan through the Khyber Pass and Balochistan. Suspicious of Pakistan’s failure to capture bin Laden but recognising the importance of the supply line and pursuing other al-Qaida fugitives, the Obama administration is dispatching Senator John Kerry – the “good cop” of US diplomacy with Pakistan – to Islamabad on Sunday. “We’re not trying to find a way to break the relationship apart, we’re trying to find a way to build it,” he told reporters in Kabul on Saturday. Kerry arrives in Pakistan at a time of unprecedented criticism of the powerful military. On Friday night top generals were submitted to harsh questioning from parliamentarians during a marathon session that stretched late into the night. The inter-services intelligence (ISI) chief General Shuja Pasha, one of the most powerful figures in the country, admitted to an “intelligence failure” on Bin Laden, insisting that the ISI had been kept in the “complete dark” by the US over the raid, and tendered his resignation to prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani. It was not accepted – a sign that the government, led by Asif Ali Zardari, has decided to support the weakened military. The fragile civilian government is gambling that its pro-army stance will guarantee it a full term in office. “It was politically a very astute move,” said Talat Masood, a retired general and political analyst. Another striking revelation came from the deputy air force chief, who admitted that CIA drones take off from Shamsi airbase in Balochistan province. But he insisted that the drones were unarmed – those carrying missiles came from Afghanistan, he said – and that Shamsi was actually under the authority of the United Arab Emirates, which built the remote airstrip in the 1990s for rich sheikhs on bird-hunting expeditions. Despite having been technically held in camera, details of the parliamentary session leaked out to the media. One MP told the news website Dawn that the air force chief claimed to have ordered his jet fighters to shoot down US helicopters with Bin Laden’s body on board when they were leaving Pakistan, but they were too slow. Although generally apologetic, in some instances the generals struck back at their critics. When an MP from a religious party attacked Pasha, the spy chief told the mullah that was in no position to talk because he had received funds from Libya and Saudi Arabia. The parliamentary motion appeared intended to deflect attention from uncomfortable questions about Bin Laden’s Pakistan sanctuary onto complaints about US breaches of sovereignty. But the opposition leader, Nawaz Sharif, who was ousted from power in a 1999 military coup, said he was determined to seek greater accountability of army power. “The elected government should formulate foreign policy. A parallel policy or parallel government should not be allowed to work,” he told a news conference yesterday. Deteriorating relations with the US are further complicated by a bitter row between spies on both sides. The fact that the CIA could run such a massive operation to capture Bin Laden had deeply embarrassed the ISI, said Vali Nasr, a former Obama administration advisor. “It’s not just a diplomatic embarrassment, it’s a counter-espionage failure,” he said. “Suddenly the ISI is scared of what the CIA is capable of doing.” In a further sign of cooling relations General Khalid Wynne, chairman of Pakistan’s joint chiefs of staff committee, has cancelled a five-day visit to the United States due to start on 22 May. The US has begun to look to central Asian countries to reduce its reliance on Pakistan for military supplies to Afghanistan. The cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan has already threatened to have his supporters block military trucks passing through Peshawar. But outside parliament, the gap between political rhetoric and ground realities is as stark as ever in Pakistan. On Friday a CIA drone fired missiles that killed five people in the tribal belt, the fourth such attack since 2 May. Yesterday the death toll from Friday’s Taliban suicide attack on a paramilitary training centre climbed to 89; a Taliban spokesman said the vicious bombing was to avenge the al-Qaida leader’s death and warned of more to come. Pakistan Nato Osama bin Laden Afghanistan Global terrorism US military United States al-Qaida Declan Walsh guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …A truly horrifying story out of the Canary Islands: A man emerged from a supermarket there yesterday morning holding a human head. The suspect, a homeless Bulgarian man with a police record identified as Deyan Valentinov, apparently beheaded a British woman in a random attack on the Spanish resort island…
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Will Blue triumph? Can Jedward win? Enjoy every ridiculous minute of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest live from 8pm with your glamorous hosts, Heidi and Stuart The finalists: semi-final one and The finalists: semi final two 8.16pm: It’s the first act! His name is Axel, but goes by the name of Paradise Oscar, and he is from FINLAND . Ooh, Jeff Brazier! Right, so basically it’s about someone called Peter who knows each European country by heart. He is off to save the planet, apparently, and we’re all welcome to join him as long as we sing da da dum da da dum. I’m only going if Paradise Oscar doesn’t wear that bloody awful shirt. 8.13pm: The phonelines are open, and you can start voting! Except you haven’t seen any of the acts yet, but since when did that matter? VOTE JEDWARD. You know you want to. 8.07pm: They have no been joined by 43 Lena lookalikes waving the flags of Europe. And now the actual Lena, doing the final chorus. And a full swing band. And many, many, fireworks. My head hurts. 8.00pm: IT’S STARTING! Live from the Espirit arena in Dusseldorf, which is apparently packed with 35,000 fans. Or so Graham Norton tells us, for he is in charge of UK proceedings. Our hosts for the evening are Anka, who is wearing a red dress like a 70s shagpile rug and a over-tight ponytail; Judith, who is wearing Bacofoil and doing the French bits, and a man called Stefan who is the actual Swedish Chef off the Muppets. He is talking about TV vankings. I hope these are rankings. Ah, there’s nothing like a bit of set-piece intro comedy, is there? Lena can’t perform last year’s winning song, Satellite, because she is also competing this evening, so Stefan and Anke are performing a rockabilly version. Imagine how bad that could possibly be, and then multiply it by about 7 MILLION. 7.58pm: It’s nearly time! It’s Heidi here now right through until 9.30pm, when Stuart will take over. 7.47pm: Oh, apparently the warm-up guy is cracking xenophobic gags. The Irish are drunks, the Italians are short and the British have no sense of humour. Oh, bravo. 7.44pm: Heidi Stephens: A message from James in Dusseldorf – loads of Union flags on display, apparently, and the warm-up guy is getting the crowd going. Who the hell do you book to do the warm-up for Eurovision? 7.24pm: Stuart Heritage : Right, you know how these Eurovision drinking games work by now. Whenever any of the following happens, you have to drink something. Or eat something. Or just generally despair at the world a little bit. I will be doing the last of these suggestions, whereas Heidi will be wittering incoherently in no time: 1 – The UK’s entry is described as ‘our strongest in years’ 2 – The hosts misguidedly attempt to flirt with each other 3 – A song rhymes ‘fire’ with ‘desire’ 4 – A song rhymes ‘high’ with ‘sky’ 5 – While announcing their country’s voting scores, a presenter unsuccessfully tries to chat up the host 6 – Someone wears enough fake tan to make you question the reliability of your television’s contrast settings 7 – A performer finishes their song by bellowing into a wind machine 8 – A song makes a cackhanded nation-specific political statement that’s lost on 99% of the audience 9 – The UK doesn’t do as well as people thought it would 10 – Someone mumbles bitterly about political voting 7.16pm: Heidi Stephens: Guten abend meine freunde! It’s nearly time! I’m going to take you through the first 90 minutes of this evening’s show, which should cover most of the 25 glorious musical contributions from Europe’s finest musical talent. At 9.30pm, my lovely co-host Stuart Heritage will be taking over for all the amazing interval entertainment and the scoring, right through to the bitter end when Blue are crowned champions and the UK faces the prospect of hosting the 2012 show on a budget of £8.50 and a pocketful of fluff and buttons. OK, maybe not, but I think the UK might do alright. The good news is, we can’t do any worse than last place in 2010, so hurrah. I haven’t seen much by way of the performances this year, so most of what’s going to occur this evening will be new to my unpolluted eyes and ears. I’ve also heard bits of the UK entry, but not the entire song, so if there’s bit in the middle where they all make a human pyramid with Duncan on top playing the spoons, my horror will be unfeigned. I have, however, made a note of the all the artists’ names and song titles, so I don’t waste valuable viewing time looking up how to spell something in Slovenian that sounds like it’s just been coughed up by a horse. Alas Stuart and I didn’t make it to Dusseldorf this year, but we are receiving dispatches from JAMES HODGE, who is sending all the news and gossip from inside the arena so we can post it here. Apparently it is currently packed to the rafters with lots of very excited people, some of whom are waving the flags of more than one nation. And this, my friends, is the spirit of Eurovision. Also, Jagermeister. 7.10pm: Heidi: Hello and welcome to the annual Guardian Eurovision Song Contest liveblog, coming to you live from the UK! Stuart: Bonjour et bienvenue à la réunion annuelle Guardian Eurovision de la chanson liveblog concours, à venir avec vous en direct du Royaume-Uni! Heidi: You’re doing this on Google Translate, aren’t you? Stuart: Yes. Heidi: Oh. Hello! I’m Heidi! Stuart: And I’m Stuart! Heidi: And we’re your Eurovision liveblog hosts! Stuart: Bonsoir! It’s going to be a crazy crazy Euro liveblog party! Heidi, you are looking very beautiful this evening. Heidi: Thank you Stuart, and you are also looking very handsome. Right, that’s the obligatory clunky flirting over. Welcome to the 2011 Eurovision Liveblog! It’s a night of bad outfits, demented dancing and impenetrable lyrics, and that’s just from Blue and Jedward. We are very excited. Clearly the whole of Eurovision is too much drama for one liveblogger to cope with, so tonight’s liveblog will be a two person affair – Heidi Stephens will be kicking things off at 8pm, with Stuart Heritage picking up the sequinned baton at 9.30pm. Do feel free to join the fun by leaving your comments below, and don’t forget to let us know where you are, who you’re with and who you’re cheering for this evening. We do not discriminate. If Moldova float your boat, so be it. Yay, Eurovision! Enjoy! Eurovision 2011 Eurovision Television Heidi Stephens Stuart Heritage guardian.co.uk
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Unnamed worker taken along with an Italian after gunmen raid building in north-west part of the country A British contract worker has been kidnapped by gunmen in Nigeria. The raiders stormed into the man’s apartment on Thursday night and fled with him and an Italian worker, police said. The pair have not been named. A police chief said a “horde of gunmen” burst into the building in Birnin Kebbi, in the north west of the country. A German colleague managed to escape by scaling a wall but a Nigerian engineer was shot and wounded, Kebbi state police chief Adamu Hassan said. He told Nigerian media the missing pair had been working for a construction company in the state capitaland that there had not been a ransom demand. The men worked for the firm B. Stabilini and were building a bank. The firm was unavailable for comment. The policeman said a large amount of cash in the apartment was not taken, according to the website This Day Live . A Foreign Office spokesman said: “We are aware of reports of a missing British national. We are urgently looking into these reports.” Kidnappings in Nigeria’s north-west are unusual, unlike in the country’s southern delta where oil workers have routinely been kidnapped. In September 2008 two Britons were held by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, while in April 2009 a Scottish oil worker was abducted and his guard killed in Port Harcourt. In January 2010 three Britons and a Colombian were kidnapped, and in November of the same year, four men from the US, Canada and France were taken while 7.5 miles offshore on the Okoro field. Nigeria Africa guardian.co.uk
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