Lloyd Scott raises £20,000 for Action for Kids by completing course face-down on a sled, dressed as a Magic Roundabout character He has crawled for 26 days across broken glass, nails and dog faeces, enduring cramps, vomiting, and least one trip to A&E for a severe nosebleed along the way. But extreme fundraiser Lloyd Scott, dressed in a 9ft-long Brian the Snail from the Magic Roundabout costume, has finally crossed the finish line of the London Marathon. Scott, 49, from Rainham in Essex, who inched his way along the 26.2-mile course face-down on a sled using his knees and toes to scrape along, said finishing it was an “enormous relief”. Unsurprisingly, he said he was reluctant to repeat the experience. Scott, who started the race on 17 April, has raised £20,000 for Action for Kids. Charities London Marathon London Karen McVeigh guardian.co.uk
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Draft laws that would have punished homosexuality with death are wiped from the agenda as current sittings wind down Uganda’s reviled anti-gay bill, which mandates the death penalty in some cases, remains in limbo after parliament adjourned without a debate. Edward Ssekandi Kiwanuk, the parliamentary speaker, ruled there was no time to take up the bill this session. He has adjourned the parliament and set no date for its return. A source close to proceedings said parliament could technically come back between now and 17 May but most MPs were leaving for their constituencies. Bills not completed in the old parliament are wiped and must be resubmitted. Helen Kawesa, spokeswoman for parliament, told Associated Press that the anti-gay bill could come back up for debate in the next parliament but would probably take time to get back to the floor. David Bahati, the MP who authored the bill, had said he would try to move it forward in the next session if it was not voted on this time. Opponents of the legislation welcomed the setback. Alice Jay, campaign director of the online group Avaaz, said: “The news that the brutal anti-gay law won’t be discussed in parliament today is a victory for all Ugandans and people across the world who value human rights. “This vile bill is a matter of life and death for gay Ugandans, and would have seen the execution, imprisonment and persecution of friends of Avaaz, and thousands of others who have committed no crime at all. We must now ensure this heinous bill can never return to parliament again.” Christopher Senyonjo, a retired Ugandan Anglican bishop, said: “This was a dangerous bill and there is a lot of tension and riots in the country. We feared that they may use this opportunity to do anything to anybody. “This bill must never see the light of day as the mob could use this to inflict terrible crimes against people. The pressure from people around the world has had a big impact and the resulting influence from the international community has played a very important role in stopping this going forward today.” Kakoba Onyango, a member of parliament, told Associated Press the anti-gay bill had taken so long because President Yoweri Museveni did not back it and human rights groups had criticised it. The US state department this week described it as “odious” and said it should never be passed in any form. Human Rights Watch said in recent days a parliamentary committee had recommended passage of the bill and retained the death penalty “aggravated homosexuality”. It added criminal penalties for “conduct[ing] a marriage ceremony between persons of the same sex”. Graeme Reid, director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) programme at Human Rights Watch, said: “It should be scrapped. The committee’s recommendations fall wholly short of making this a bill worth parliament’s time. “Even if these suggestions are taken on board the bill will remain discriminatory, a profound threat to Uganda’s LGBT community and put Uganda at odds with its fundamental human rights obligations.” Uganda Gay rights Africa Civil liberties – international David Smith guardian.co.uk
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MPs criticise PM’s ordering of lengthy and costly Scotland Yard review of police investigation into child’s disappearance The Metropolitan police review into the abduction of Madeleine McCann could take months or even years to complete and cost millions of pounds. Detectives from Scotland Yard’s homicide command face huge difficulties in examining all the paperwork that details the inquiry into the three-year-old’s disappearance in Portugal in 2007. First they will have to wait for all the documentation to be provided by the Portuguese police, and then all the material must be translated before a team of detectives begins the arduous task of reviewing the whole inquiry. They will also review all the files from police in Leicestershire, the McCann’s home force which provided some support to the Portuguese, and those of private investigators who have been working on behalf of the family for the past four years. Scotland Yard have begun an exercise to work out what size team should be involved in the Madeleine review. It is likely to include detectives from the child homicide unit at the Yard. The prime minister’s decision to order the Met to review the case was criticised by some politicians. Labour peer Lord Harris of Haringey told the PoliticsHome website that he had worries about the way Cameron and the Home Office had behaved. “It raises very big questions about political direction of the police,” said Harris. “Of course it goes without saying that this is a very heart-breaking case, but what we are looking at is a case where the Met has no direct responsibility. “There is clearly an issue about the resources being used and are they in effect saying that the Met is the default investigator for every case in the world involving a British citizen? “It’s not just a question of direct costs, it’s a question of opportunity costs too. Our detective capacity is limited as it is.” The prime minister’s official spokesman said that Cameron and Theresa May had asked the Met to review the evidence in response to a request by the McCann family because of the “exceptional” nature of the case. “There has been a huge amount of public interest in this case since it began, Madeleine McCann has been missing for a long time, there is the international dimension,” the spokesman said. “The prime minister has been clear that he wants to do everything he can to support the family.” The spokesman denied that Cameron and May had been directing police on an operational matter. “It was done at the request of the home secretary. It was agreed by Sir Paul Stephenson. That is not a direction,” he said. Scotland Yard has had some high-profile success in solving cases which at first sight seemed intractable. After 16 years a new investigation of the Rachel Nickell murder led in 2008 to her killer Robert Napper being brought to justice following a DNA breakthrough. It was a review by a senior homicide detective of all the evidence gathered in an investigation into a serial rapist in south London that led to the conviction of Kirk Reid in 2009 . After eight years in which no one had been arrested for scores of rapes it took the detective just a few hours with the paperwork to identify Reid as the main suspect. Five days later he had matched his DNA to two of the assaults and Reid was finally brought to justice. The approach in the Madeleine review will be the same as in any re-examination of cases in the UK, a police source said. “What we do is painstakingly look at all the evidence, the paperwork, the CCTV, any suspects who came to light and were investigated. Sometimes it takes fresh eyes to see what was always there.” Madeleine of Rothley, Leicestershire, vanished from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz on the Algarve in May 2007. Her parents were dining in a restaurant about 100 metres away and were checking on Madeleine and her siblings every half an hour. The Portuguese inquiry was halted formally in July 2008. Madeleine McCann Police Metropolitan police Crime Portugal DNA database Theresa May David Cameron Rachel Nickell Robert Napper Sandra Laville guardian.co.uk
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Man ran into supermarket on Spanish island, grabbed knife, killed woman then ran out carrying head, reports say A man has beheaded a woman in a supermarket on the Spanish resort island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands, according to local authorities. The suspect, believed to be a homeless Bulgarian man with a police record, was detained by security guards after he ran out of the supermarket with the head in his hands. A witness told broadcaster Cadena Ser he saw the man drop the head on the pavement after coming out of the store. “I parked my car and saw a man running out with something bloody in his hands and a security guard chasing him. He threw it to the ground, it almost hit me and what he had been carrying was a woman’s head.” Regional interior ninistry delegate Dominica Fernandez said the suspect was believed to have entered the shop and stolen a knife, which he then used to kill and behead the woman, whose identity has not been released. Fernandez told journalists the attack appeared to be random and that the man was well known in the area. The events took place shortly after 10am in the southern town of Arona, about 10 miles north of the beach resort of Los Cristianos. Spain Europe guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …New security precautions are being implemented as US Navy SEALs involved in Osama bin Laden’s killing are expressing fears for their safety and the safety of their loved ones. The team communicated their worries to Defense Secretary Robert Gates at a meeting last week, he revealed. Al-Qaeda has vowed to…
Continue reading …An Alaska high school choir was up in arms after the principal banned a song for graduation because it was written by a gay rocker. Wasilla principal Dwight Probasco banned the 1975 Queen hit Bohemian Rhapsody from a graduation ceremony after complaints from parents about the band’s lead singer legend…
Continue reading …At least 80 people were killed in twin blasts at a paramilitary training center in northwestern Pakistan. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying they were carried out to avenge the death of Osama Bin Laden, reports the BBC . Suicide bombers struck as recruits were climbing aboard buses…
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Actor is first celebrity to settle claim since tabloid admitted hacking several public figures’ voicemail messages Actor Sienna Miller accepted £100,000 compensation from News of the World on Friday after the paper accepted unconditional liability for all her phone-hacking claims. The unexpected agreement came mid-way through a high court battle with the paper. Miller is the first celebrity to settle their claim since the tabloid, part of Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers (NGN), admitted hacking the phones of several public figures. Miller had originally demanded £400,000 in damages over the hacking. Michael Silverleaf QC, NGN’s barrister, previously told the court that this was “ludicrous” sum. The actor has always insisted that she was not concerned with the financial aspect of the settlement. “The crucial point in our view is to know the extent of the wrongdoing,” said Hugh Tomlinson QC, Miller’s barrister. He added that she had made the last-minute agreement “precisely because all her claims have been admitted [comprising] misuse of private information, breach of confidence, publication of articles derived from voicemail hacking and a course of conduct of harassment over a period of 12 months as resulting from all that. “Her primary concern is not how much money is rewarded by way of compensation but what the extent was of the hacking that took place,” he said. “What she wants is to have is disclosure and proper answers from the News of the World as to what took place so she can have effective non-monetary relief and can be properly compensated,” Tomlinson said. Silverleaf told the high court that the story about her troubled relationship with fellow actor Jude Law that had been published after her voicemail was hacked was merely “hurtful” to the 29-year-old celebrity. He said £100,000 was fair because it was more than what she would receive if she had suffered a “life-changing experience” such as the loss of an eye or facial scarring. “What she wants is a public inquiry that goes beyond what the remedy in civil law provides,” Silverleaf added. “The complainant’s career, reputation or life has not been affected in the long term. She said she was upset at the time. She does not suggest she suffered any long-term harm, there is no suggestion in the pleading.” At least 24 breach of privacy claims have now been lodged against the News of the World by celebrities. They all believe their mobile phone voicemails were eavesdropped using stolen information such as pin codes obtained by Glenn Mulcaire, a private investigator working for the paper. The newspaper has admitted hacking at least eight public figures’ voicemails. Rupert Murdoch’s News International announced last month it was setting up a £20m compensation fund. A News International spokeswoman said: “We are pleased that we have managed to bring this case to a satisfactory conclusion. Several weeks ago we admitted liability in certain cases and offered a genuine and unreserved apology. We hope to resolve other cases swiftly. “For the record, reports that we have been ordered to disclose 8,000 emails to Ms Miller are inaccurate. The error stems from a reference in court to the fact that a total of 8,000 emails were being searched to ascertain whether any Sienna Miller related material was amongst them.” A statement from both Miller and NGN will be read to the court at a hearing next Friday. •
Continue reading …Heart-throb actor Matthew Perry has announced plans to “go away” for a month to focus on sobriety and his ongoing battle with substance abuse. Perry hasn’t suffered a relapse, but is taking the step as a proactive measure, sources tell TMZ . Perry said in a statement that his time away…
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Crown prince and princess try to comfort relatives of Lorca earthquake victims, and PM pledges to help city rebuild Spain’s prime minister and the crown prince and princess have attended a crowded funeral mass for victims of Spain’s deadliest earthquakes in more than 50 years . Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia hugged and shook hands with relatives of the nine people killed in Wednesday’s twin tremors in Lorca. At one point the prince stooped down to speak to a boy and affectionately ruffled his hair. The prime minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, earlier toured the city to see the widespread damage that forced an estimated 3,000 people to spend another night sleeping in tents in makeshift camps. He said the government would help the city rebuild and return to normal as soon as possible. “It is my conviction that we are going to meet this test. The earthquake was hard and strong. But this country is stronger. Its desire for solidarity and reconstruction are stronger.” The Spanish cabinet approved an emergency aid programme for people who lost their homes or businesses. The plan includes money for people to rent elsewhere while their homes are repaired or rebuilt, and €25m (£30m) in credit lines for people to repair their places of business, farms, factories or vehicles. There were four coffins at the funeral mass, in part because some of the families of the deceased wanted private funerals, officials said. Lorca’s mayor said on Thursday that more than half of the 550 buildings inspected so far by engineers and architects were uninhabitable. Spain José Luis Zapatero Natural disasters and extreme weather Europe guardian.co.uk
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