Kinda cool: You can now use Indian words like “aloo” and “gobi” in Scrabble. Not so cool: You can also use slang words like “thang,” “innit,” and (cringe) “grrl.” All of the above have been added to Collins Official Scrabble Words , a book one world champion says is “like the…
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• Hugh Robertson says clean-up will be ‘key priority’ for EU • Sports minister wants action over World Cup bid process The European Union is to make reforming Fifa a “key priority” as pressure from governments around the world for a fundamental overhaul of world football’s governing body grew in the wake of fresh allegations of bribery and corruption during the World Cup bidding process. As Fifa promised to investigate claims from the former Football Association chairman Lord Triesman that four Fifa executive committee members asked for money or honours in return for their vote, and further claims made in the Sunday Times that two more accepted bribes of $1.5m (£900,000) from Qatar, the Conservative sports minister insisted pressure on the organisation would increase significantly. Hugh Robertson said an international consensus was forming that Fifa should be made to reform in the way the International Olympic Committee was forced to change after the Salt Lake City scandal in 1999. Then, 10 IOC members were expelled or forced to resign over allegations of vote-buying during Salt Lake City’s winning bid for the 2002 Winter Olympics. “I would like to see really concerted pressure from international bodies to get them to reform,” said Robertson. “We’re pretty wound up about it, the Dutch [and] the Australians are pretty wound up and there are a number of others.” He said finding a way to force Fifa to reform would be one of the “key objectives” for Poland, which takes over the running of the EU Council from July. “Cleaning up and reforming international sports institutions is a key objective of the Polish presidency for next year,” he said. “If the commission take an interest, if whatever country is holding the presidency takes an interest, if we can sustain that for more than one cycle, then we have a chance. No organisation likes being held up to international ridicule and constantly being told they are corrupt. It’s got to be much more transparent. They have got to be much more open and much more transparent.” Sepp Blatter, who is increasingly likely to win a fourth term as Fifa president on 1 June, and his challenger Mohamed Bin Hammam have promised reforms to Fifa’s structure and procedures, including the World Cup bidding process. But there remains widespread cynicism about whether they will deliver. Blatter said the allegations would be dealt with before the body’s congress in Zurich in three weeks’ time, when the 73-year-old hopes to win another four years as president. “We have to do it very fast,” he told al-Jazeera. “We have a Congress to come and have to deal with this matter before the Congress and not just kick it out of the minds of Fifa and [say] we will deal with it afterwards.” “We have to do it now, immediately, and we have three weeks.We must accelerate the movement, whether it is for the good or for the bad.” All four of the executive committee members accused by Triesman have denied wrongdoing. Brazil’s long-standing federation chief, Ricardo Teixeira, described as “absurd” the allegation that he asked Triesman to “come and tell me what you have got for me”. Teixeira said he would pursue all possible “legal action against Triesman”, although it is unclear how he would do so under English law. As Fifa demanded evidence relating to the claims made by Triesman under parliamentary privilege, the FA said its general secretary, Alex Horne, had written to the world governing body offering its full assistance. Fifa said in a statement that its general secretary, Jérôme Valcke, had written to the FA and expressed “extreme concern” at the allegations “questioning the integrity of some Fifa ExCo members in connection with the bidding procedure for the 2018 and 2022 Fifa World Cups”. Bin Hammam, the Qatari president of the Asian Football Confederation who played a key role in securing the 2022 World Cup for his country, denied bribes were paid to Issa Hayatou and Jacques Anouma. “I can assure you nothing like this has happened from our side. If someone wants to damage reputations like this then they have to provide the proof. You can’t just accuse people just like that. It didn’t happen. It is fine to say something, to try to damage the reputation of somebody but where is the proof?” In addition to the allegation involving Teixeira, Triesman claimed the Fifa vice-president Jack Warner asked for cash to build an education centre and buy World Cup TV rights for the people of Haiti; that Thailand’s Worawi Makudi wanted to be given the TV rights to a friendly between England and Thailand; and that Paraguay’s Nicolás Leoz asked for a knighthood. Warner said he “laughed like hell” at Triesman’s claims: “First of all, I laugh like hell because it took those guys from December to now [to say] that I have £2.5m, I believe. I never asked anybody for anything. When these guys came here, we promised to help. I showed them a place where they can put a playground. They promised to come back but they never did. That’s all.” Leoz’s spokesman called the accusations “pure fantasy and morbid”, and a statement issued on behalf of Hayatou, the head of African football, said “he has categorically denied allegations of corruption brought against him before parliament in Britain. “This kind of reporting to create and propagate false information to destroy his reputation, leadership and integrity will not succeed. The president of CAF said all these accusations brought against him are pure invention and an attempt to discredit him.” Fifa Football politics Lord Triesman Owen Gibson guardian.co.uk
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Kizza Besigye said an official at Nairobi airport told him his plane would not be allowed to land in Uganda with him on board Riots have erupted again in Uganda after an opposition leader claimed he had been barred from returning to the country. Kizza Besigye said he had been waiting to board a flight in Nairobi when a Kenya Airways official told him that the plane would not be allowed to land in Uganda with him on board. The news triggered renewed protests in Kampala which police quelled with teargas, a day after hundreds of people who tried to hold a banned rally were sprayed with pink liquid. Another police clampdown is expected on Thursday for the inauguration of President Yoweri Museveni , who first came to power in Uganda in 1986. Guests at the ceremony will reportedly include the Zimbabwean president, Robert Mugabe, the Nigerian leader, Goodluck Jonathan, and Kenya’s Mwai Kibaki. The inauguration’s $1.3m (£781,000) cost has added to public anger at a time when living costs are rising fast. Besigye had been receiving treatment in Kenya after he was targeted at close range with pepper spray and dragged from a vehicle following his most recent “walk to work” protest. He was booked on a flight Wednesday morning and was in the departure lounge when a member of ground staff told him that he could not fly. Besigye’s luggage was retrieved from the hold and his boarding pass revoked. The Ugandan government denied it had interfered. “The government of Uganda has nothing to do with Dr Besigye’s travel plans from Kenya or any sovereign state,” said a spokesman, Fred Opolot. A spokesman for Kenya Airways said Besigye had not been allowed to board for “safety reasons”. Sam Mugumya, an aide to the opposition leader, suggested the government might have been anxious to prevent Besigye disrupting the inauguration. “It was very frustrating to find you are not allowed to walk, you are not allowed to drive, if you fly out for medical treatment you have to ask the president’s permission to come back,” he said. “This is the kind of dictatorship we are dealing with – it can do anything. It’s a panicking regime that has lost its legitimacy to govern.” Besigye’s lawyer, Daudi Mpanga, said the order against him flying had now been rescinded and that he was likely to return on Friday. Given that Thursday is a public holiday, Uganda’s opposition plan to walk to a stadium and pray in what they are dubbing a “walk to pray” demonstration. Museveni’s government has been accused of trying to divert attention from the unrest by reviving a controversial anti-homosexuality bill that would strengthen laws to imprison gay people for life. First proposed in 2009 , the legislation was due to be debated in parliament, but a walkout by female MPs over an unrelated bill prevented the debate. MPs now appear set to hold an extraordinary session on Friday to debate the bill, which in its original form would impose the death penalty. If they run out of time, it could be reintroduced in the next parliamentary session. The bill’s author, David Bahati, has claimed a new version would not legislate for capital punishment, but no amended version has been released publicly. Campaigners welcomed yesterday’s temporary reprieve and called for the bill to be scrapped. Frank Mugisha, the director of Sexual Minorities Uganda, a gay rights group, told the Associated Press: “The way I saw, if the bill was debated today, it would have been passed because most MPs were in its favour. We were saved by the lack of quorum.” Christopher Senyonjo, a retired Anglican bishop from Uganda, said: “We wouldn’t like this bill even to be debated. That will be dangerous because there is a lot of misinformation and excitement. Just with the bill being debated, anything can happen to LGBT people.” Gay activists say homophobia in Uganda has increased since the bill’s introduction. Last year a tabloid newspaper published the names and photos of men it alleged were gay. One cover carried the words: “Hang Them.” The bill carries harsh provisions, extending colonial-era laws that condemn anyone convicted of a homosexual act to life imprisonment. Anyone who “aids, abets, counsels or procures another to engage of acts of homosexuality” would face seven years in prison. Landlords renting rooms or homes to homosexual people could get seven years. Online petitions from the groups Avaaz and Allout said they had gathered more than 1.4m signatures decrying the proposals. Uganda Kenya Africa Gay rights David Smith guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …International sanctions have managed to slow down Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, but that’s about it, according to a new UN report obtained by the AP . “Iran’s circumvention of sanctions across all areas … is willful and continuing,” the report concludes. The regime has successfully used front companies, complicated…
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Republicans Sarah Palin and Karl Rove are among those critical of the inclusion of the lyricist in a music and literature event It should have been a controversy-free event, a night of poetry at the White House. But instead a literary celebration turned into a mini-row over the lyrics of a rapper invited to perform. Michelle Obama invited a selection of poets and other writers, part of a series highlighting American music and literature. Rightwingers are upset that the list of performers on Wednesday night included the rapper Common, whose lyrics they claim glorify violence, in particular A Son for Assata. It is sympathetic to a former Black Panther convicted of killing a policeman almost 40 years ago. Although Common, real name Lonnie Rashid Lynn Jr, has been widely praised for his positive messages, rightwingers have homed in on the song about Assata Shakur, who was found guilty of the New Jersey shooting in 1973. She escaped from jail in 1979 and has since been in exile in Cuba. Common wrote: “Your power and pride is beautiful. May God bless your soul.” Among those complaining are Sarah Palin, a possible Republican presidential candidate, and Karl Rove, a former adviser to George Bush. Rove described Common as a thug while Palin wrote sarcastically “Oh lovely, White House”. New Jersey police members also added their voice. “The young people who read this stuff, hear this stuff, are getting a very dangerous and deadly message,” David Jones, president of the State Troopers Fraternal Association union, told NBC. The White House spokesman, Jay Carney, was forced to defend the invitation to Common, saying the media was presenting a distorted picture of him and that his work should be looked at as a whole. “While the president doesn’t support the kind of lyrics raised here, we do think some of the reports distort what Mr Lynn stands for more broadly in order to stoke controversy,” Carney said. He described Common as “within the genre of hip hop and rap, in what’s known as a conscious rapper”. He added that it was possible to oppose some of what Common has done while appreciating the rest. “One of the things the president appreciates is the work Mr Lynn has done with children, especially trying to get them to focus on poetry as opposed to some of the negative influences of life on the streets,” Carney said. US politics Michelle Obama Sarah Palin Karl Rove Rap United States Urban music Ewen MacAskill guardian.co.uk
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Former House speaker joins a thin field of Republican candidates while Obama’s poll surge sets up first $1bn campaign A surge in support for Barack Obama after the killing of Osama bin Laden has failed to scare off former House speaker Newt Gingrich, who on Wednesday added his name to a small, lacklustre band of Republicans seeking to take on the president in next year’s White House race. A poll shows Obama with the highest approval ratings in two years, up to 60%. More than half say he deserves to be re-elected. Gingrich tweeted on Monday that he would formally announce his intention to seek the presidency. He is well-known as a generator of ideas and the architect of the Republican victory in 1994, which saw the party take Congress for the first time in 40 years. But he has been out of politics for a decade and, at 67, will be regarded by some voters as too old. Gingrich joins a thin field of Republican candidates that includes the former governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney, the former governor of Minnesota, Tim Pawlenty, and a former chief executive officer of Godfather’s Pizza, Herman Cain, a rare appearance by an African-American in a Republican race. Professor Ross Baker, a political scientist at Rutgers University, agreed that Obama’s strong poll figures, which suggest he will win re-election, may dissuade senior Republicans from standing. “Republican decision-making is being driven by Obama poll numbers … One of the things we will never know is how many people who had been thinking about it have had second thoughts after the killing of Bin Laden,” Baker said. “Do you want to make the sacrifice of devoting your life to getting the nomination which may be no more than a ticket to political oblivion?” Obama is heavily engaged in fundraising, including an event in Austin, Texas, on Tuesday in which he based his appeal on the death of Bin Laden. His campaign team predicts he will be the first candidate to fight with $1bn in funds behind him. Figures such as Sarah Palin have not said whether they will run, but the Daily Caller website reports that Michele Bachmann, a Palin-lite congresswoman, is expected to announce on 26 May in Iowa that she is to stand. Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas and an evangelical Christian, ran a strong campaign in 2008 but has not indicated he plans to run. Others who earlier this year signalled they were considering a run, such as Haley Barbour, governor of Mississippi, have declared they are no longer standing. Strong potential candidates such as General David Petraeus, who is to become head of the CIA, Jeb Bush, the former governor of Florida, and Marco Rubio, the Florida senator, are not standing and may see 2016 as a better bet. In a mishandled press event, Gingrich half-announced his candidacy earlier this year but had to back off until now. He plans a series of campaign events, including spending most of next week in Iowa, and has been recruiting senior campaign staff. Baker is sceptical about Gingrich’s chances. “I think you have to look at Newt Gingrich as a nostalgic figure for Republicans. He hankers back to the golden age of 94 when Republicans gained control of Congress for the first time in 40 years. The question is what has he done lately, and you have this tumultuous private life he has to live down,” he said. The former speaker could have problems with social conservatives who have not forgiven him for leaving his first wife, who had cancer, and ditching his second wife for a political aide, who became his third wife. Romney, too, has problems and will on Thursday deliver a speech attempting to neutralise one of his biggest negatives among Republicans, his introduction while governor of Massachusetts of a healthcare programme similar to Obama’s. The AP poll gives Obama more of a bounce from the Bin Laden killing than other polls over the past week. Analysts predict the rise could prove to be short-lived, and his re-election chances are dependent primarily on whether the US climbs out of recession. Newt Gingrich US elections 2012 Republicans United States US politics Barack Obama Ewen MacAskill guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Google will reportedly announce plans today to lease laptops sporting its Chrome OS to college students for just $20 a month. This “student package” will include both the laptop and a suite of online software services, a senior executive tells Forbes —and he indicates that the program is really just…
Continue reading …Well, that didn’t last long: Just one day after announcing that its chaplains would soon be allowed to perform same-sex marriages , the Navy is backpedaling. More than five dozen House lawmakers challenged the decision, which would have permitted chaplains to officiate gay unions after Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is officially…
Continue reading …Donald Trump will have you know that his much-discussed hairstyle is no comb-over. But “yes, I do use a comb,” he explains to Rolling Stone in an interview obtained by the New York Daily News . “Do I comb it forward? No, I don’t comb it forward,” he says. “It’s sort…
Continue reading …People once connected to Moammar Gadhafi’s oppressive regime have been turning up dead in Benghazi, giving a jittery city a new case of nerves at the thought of death squads out for revenge, the New York Times reports. Three weeks ago, for example, a man was found lying in a…
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