Another blow to BP’s coffers—and reputation: The oil company has been fined $25 million for two Alaska pipeline spills in 2006 . The civil fines will settle charges arising from both the spills and BP’s non-compliance with court orders to properly maintain the pipelines, the New York Times reports. It’s…
Continue reading …Osama bin Laden was carrying cash and telephone numbers, indicating that he was prepared to escape his compound at any moment. Top US intelligence officials told Congress yesterday that bin Laden had 500 euros (about $740) as well as two phone numbers sewn into his clothing. Three sources who attended…
Continue reading …The 18-foot-high walls were topped with barbed wire and bright security lights. Two Pakistani men came out every day to do the shopping, often buying bulk orders of Pepsi, Coke, Nestle, and other major brands. The residents burned their garbage in order to avoid having it collected. These and other…
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• Hit the auto-update button for the latest posts • Send your thoughts to barry.glendenning@guardian.co.uk • Tweet Barry if that’s your bag More emails: “There seems to be a lot of former Middlesbrough coaches out of work,” writes Brett LeQuesne. “Who gets a job first? Southgate, McClaren or Strachan?” “You’ve stumbled on Fergie’s tactical blackspot- he has a weakness for central midfielders called Darren (or variant),” writes Nick McLoughlin. “Fletcher was poor for his first 3 years, Gibson unproven, Ferguson blatant nepotism. Obviously the sort of genius that will secure you a podcast punditry award!” Speaking of podcast punditry awards … Not long now: Click-clack, click-clack, click-clack. The teams emerge from the tunnel down by the Stretford End at Old Trafford and ITV cut to an advert break. Their programme is sponsored by Ford, don’t you know? In the ITV studio: “There’s no way Sir Alex Ferguson is ever complacent but he’s obviously got one-eyed firmly on Chelsea,” says Gareth Southgate. “Berbatov’s got to take the challenge on tonight,” adds Gordon Strachan, shortly after talking about players who get the hump when they feel their manager doesn’t trust them. Another email: “I thought the bride looked lovely. Didn’t you?” asks Tim Smith. If you’re alluding to the Royal Wedding, Tim, I’m afraid I missed it. Like Gordon Brown (no, the other one), I wasn’t invited. I did, however, see photos and thought Kate looked very glam, if worryingly thin. An email: “Good to see Darren back in contention,” writes Gordon Brown, who feels compelled to write “real name, honest!” in brackets next to his sign-off. “He could be very useful over the next 5 games.” Please note: he wrote Darr e n, not Darr o n. Distinctions don’t get more important. Man Utd: Van der Sar, Rafael Da Silva, Smalling, Evans, O’Shea, Gibson, Scholes, Anderson, Valencia, Berbatov, Nani. Subs: Kuszczak, Evra, Owen, Giggs, Hernandez, Vidic, Fletcher. Schalke 04: Neuer, Uchida, Howedes, Metzelder, Escudero, Papadopoulos, Jurado, Farfan, Baumjohann, Draxler, Raul. Subs: Schober, Sarpei, Edu, Schmitz, Karimi, Huntelaar, Matip. Referee: Pedro Proenca (Portugal) Good evening everybody and welcome to tonight’s minute-by-minute coverage of Manchester United v Schalke in the Champions League semi-final second leg. Sir Alex Ferguson’s side won the first leg doing handstands , with only the heroics of Schalke’s highly coveted goalkeeper Manuel Neuer helping a surprisingly over-awed German side avoid total humiliation. Manchester United’s manager has said that complacency won’t be a problem in a second leg many are considering a formality for the Premier League leaders, but Wayne Rooney’s tight hamstring, last Sunday’s league defeat at the hands of Arsenal and what looks suspiciously like complacency have forced Ferguson to make nine changes and draft in the second string in order to rest several players ahead of United’s potential title-decider against Chelsea this Sunday. Should his plan backfire and United lose, he’ll have a lot of difficult questions to answer. With a berth in the final against Barcelona at stake, Ralf Rangnick’s Schalke squad have been making all the right noises ahead of tonight’s encounter, even though they almost didn’t make it to Manchester – their departure from Dusseldorf airport was delayed by 90 minutes yesterday as a result of visa problems encountered by their five non-EU squad members. Having put five past reigning Champions League holders Inter at the San Siro, they’ve every right to feel confident about pulling this tie out of the fire. After all, it is surely inconceivable that they can play any worse tonight than they did last Tuesday, isn’t it? Interestingly, only two of Schalke’s players have played at Old Trafford before: Raúl and Angelos Charisteas, with both finding their way on to the score-sheet for Real Madrid and Greece respectively. A portent for the night’s entertainment ahead? Probably not, but it’s something for neutrals to cling to. History, however, is very much on Manchester Un ited’s side: they’ve never lost by two goals at home in Europe and never surrendered their advantage after winning the first leg away from home. Champions League Manchester United Schalke Barry Glendenning guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …When President Obama visits Ground Zero tomorrow to mark the death of Osama bin Laden, George W. Bush won’t be with him. Obama invited the former president to join him on his visit to the World Trade Center site, but a spokesperson tells Politico that Bush turned him down. “President…
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We tug at some of those annoyingly slack plot lines that have left moviegoers tied up in knots and lost down plot holes Nothing nags like a film that leaves its plot or characters dangling. Some unanswered questions (did Cobb’s spinning top fall after Inception finished?) seem placed to give the audience something to mull over or argue about after the film has finished. Others (Beauty and the Beast’s Chip is clearly under 10, and the curse has been on the castle for 10 years, so did Mrs Potts give birth to him whilst she was a teapot? And who is his father?) look more like goofs than deliberate head scratchers. Yet they raise interesting, and sometimes disturbing, questions. Some loose threads are so neglectful they leave a lingering sense of injustice. Such is the case with Source Code, whose treatment of one of its central characters was so heinous it demanded this plot-hole-peppered Clip joint of protest. Schoolteacher Sean (we find out little else about him) is replaced by Jake Gyllenhaal’s Colter Stevens at the start of the film, and is never heard from again. Even the object of Sean’s affections, Christina, does not seem too bothered that the personality of the man she’s spent the last few years falling for has inexplicably changed before her very eyes. Who will weep for Sean? Poor old Sean, this one’s for you. 1) Colter’s fine: he’s got the girl, he’s saved the world. But what happened to Sean? Won’t his family and friends miss him? 2) In Chinatown, what happens to the fake Mrs Mulwray? 3) Who killed The Big Sleep’s Owen Taylor? Allegedly not even the film-makers know. (At least it’s fairly obvious who killed Canino .) 4) Back to the Future sees Marty return to a much happier, albeit alternate 1985 at the end of the film, having helped his parents fall in love with each other. But what happened to the Marty that lived in that alternate reality up until “other” Marty arrived? Was he replaced Sean-style? (“Where we’re going we don’t need roads … or to tie up any loose ends.”) 5) And one instructive clip : the end of Burn After Reading; numerous loose ends all tied up in a mere two-and-a-half minutes. Last week Oliver Pfeiffer waved his codpiece at the best of 80s cult fantasy. Here he sorts the Gelflings from the Skeksis in the clips that you suggested: 1) BrigadierBarking reminded us why Tim Curry is such a horny devil in Legend. 2) Neglected gem The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension was an ingenious suggestion by steenbeck . 3) rowingrob made us realise why the original, bleak ending does true justice to Terry Gilliam’s masterpiece Brazil. 4) goonergeof suggested Watson having his cake and eating it in Young Sherlock Holmes. 5) And greatpoochini went all dizzy on us with the reverse carousel clip in Something Wicked This Way Comes. guardian.co.uk
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Switch of WikiLeaks whistleblower suspect from maximum security jail means more rights and liberties in runup to trial The conditions under which the WikiLeaks suspect Bradley Manning is being detained in military prison have vastly improved in the wake of a sustained campaign against his earlier treatment, which some said amounted to torture. Since Manning was transferred from the Quantico marine base in Virginia to Fort Leavenworth on 20 April his detention regime has changed dramatically. He has been switched from maximum security to medium custody, which affords him many more rights and liberties, and he is no longer being held under a prevention of injury watch that imposed harsh conditions. The new regime has been revealed in a blog post from Manning’s lawyer, David Coombs, who is handling the US soldier’s forthcoming court martial. The prisoner, who worked as an army intelligence specialist in Iraq, has been charged with multiple counts relating to the leaking of a huge trove of state secrets to the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks. Under the old prevention order, Manning was forced to strip naked and wear just a smock at night, he had no bedding and was not permitted any personal items in his cell. He was kept locked up in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day in a windowless cell, and allowed only to walk in a yard on his own for that final hour. In Fort Leavenworth, by contrast, he has a large window that lets in natural light. He has a normal mattress and bedding and his clothes are not removed at night. Manning can have personal objects in his cell, including books and letters from family and friends, as well as legal documents relating to his case. He can write whenever he wants. His new life of detention is also considerably less lonely. There are five other pretrial prisoners and Manning spends much of the day in their company. His cell is connected to a common area used by four of the detainees with a television and exercise machine, table and shower area. The improvement in Manning’s prison life is testament to the power of a sustained campaign by his supporters and politicians to end what was deemed virtual torture against him. The Pentagon had been flooded with emails and lobbied by representatives such as Dennis Kucinich, a Democratic congressman from Ohio who took up Manning’s cause. The UK embassy in Washington has also been involved after the Guardian revealed that Manning is a British citizen by dint of his mother being Welsh. Kucinich said the lawyer’s account of Manning’s new conditions revealed a dramatic change “that can only be attributed to the public campaign that brought great pressure on the department of defence”. But Manning’s more relaxed treatment also raises serious questions about why he was treated so brutally for the nine months in which he was held at Quantico. When Barack Obama was asked about the case in March, he said he had been assured by the Pentagon that Manning’s treatment was appropriate. Kucinich said he would continue to press through Congress for answers to a number of questions: “Why was Manning treated the way he was in Quantico that was similar to torture? Who was responsible for that treatment, and what’s going to be done to ensure those individuals are held to account?” Bradley Manning WikiLeaks Human rights United States US national security Protest US military Torture Ed Pilkington guardian.co.uk
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Tory town hall in U-turn over radical scheme to outsource all services as staff morale sinks and public fight cuts A flagship Tory local authority has halted controversial “virtual council” plans to outsource all its services, after public opposition to spending cuts and a collapse in staff morale triggered a political revolt by backbenchers. Suffolk county council’s radical proposals, revealed by the Guardian last autumn , aimed to float off such services as waste disposal and child protection to private firms, social enterprises and charities. Potentially this move would have brought about hundreds of millions of pounds in savings but put thousands of jobs at risk. The council’s Tory leadership has now arranged a “period of reflection” to assess the plans, which are regarded by the government as a role model for municipal reform. The council has also promised to assess again the unpopular proposals to cut school crossing patrols, close libraries , and raise student travel-pass charges . The newly elected Conservative group leader, Mark Bee, said the pause gave “an opportunity to review everything”. He said that though the council could not avoid the tens of millions of pounds of imposed spending cuts, it would adopt a pragmatic, measured, approach to town hall reform and listen more closely to staff and local people. “We are not going to change things by revolution [but] by taking communities with us.” Bee added: “It’s not going to be about ‘no more cuts’ and keeping things as they are; things have got to change, but it is finding the right kind of change rather than just steaming into it.” Suffolk’s U-turn over its “virtual council” is the first big Tory rank-and-file mutiny over unpopular spending cuts in local government, and emerges as, nationally, the party braces itself for a disappointing performance in Thursday’s local elections. It comes amid signs that ministers are increasingly nervous about the potential unpopularity of outsourcing public services to the private sector . Events in Suffolk will be watched closely by Tory-led councils considering similar reform plans, including Bury in Greater Manchester. Labour’s shadow communities and local government secretary, Caroline Flint, said: “I’m all in favour of innovation and efficiency in local government, but the Conservatives running Suffolk county council have decided to put party political ideology ahead of running effective local services – and it’s backfired. “There is also a lesson for David Cameron and [the communities secretary] Eric Pickles here. Pushing through half-baked Tory experiments and ignoring the wishes of local people is more likely to put frontline services at risk than improve them.” Kathy Pollard, leader of Suffolk’s Liberal Democrat opposition, welcomed the “slowing down” of the council’s plans for cuts, but said it was important to read the small print of the proposed U-turn. The previous council leader, Jeremy Pembroke, who helped oversee the plans, known officially as the new strategic direction, stepped down in April amid concern about the deeply unpopular changes . An inquiry was begun into morale at the council’s legal department after an anonymous whistleblowing letter, sent to councillors, and believed to be from an employee, alleged staff there had been put under “unbearable pressure”. The letter refers to “the poisonous atmosphere that exists at present” in the council. Two council executives have resigned suddenly in recent weeks. Bee, who formally becomes leader of Suffolk council on 26 May, said that addressing staff morale would be a priority for the new administration. He paid tribute to council employees but added: “We need to spend more time listening to practitioners.” The changes have raised questions over the future of the council’s high-profile chief executive, Andrea Hill, who has been pilloried by media over her £218,000-a-year salary and dogged by concerns over her management style. Hill, , who said the new strategic direction was regarded by some ministers as a role model for local government, vociferously defended the “leading edge” proposals in an article for the council’s magazine. “It’s not an easy or comfortable place to be because we are challenging the old ways of doing things. We are developing a new model that will unsettle the status quo and, as we all know, any change makes ordinary people uncertain. Changing the system challenges vested interests and will therefore be attacked,” she wrote. Local government Privatisation Conservative and Liberal Democrat cabinet Local politics Economic policy Elections 2011 Patrick Butler guardian.co.uk
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Decision by IPCC to hold PC Simon Harwood’s disciplinary proceedings in open due to ‘exceptional public interest’ PC Simon Harwood, the police officer who inadvertently killed Ian Tomlinson at the G20 protests, will be forced to explain his actions for the second time in public after a rare move to hold his disciplinary proceedings in the open. The Metropolitan police has been instructed by the national police watchdog to hold its gross misconduct hearing in public due to the “exceptional public interest” in the case. The jury in the inquest into Tomlinson’s death concluded on Tuesday that Harwood “unlawfully killed” the newspaper vendor, when he struck him with a baton and pushed him heavily to the ground in April 2009. Harwood spent three days answering questions at the inquest, in which he maintained his actions were proportionate and justified. The director of public prosecutions, Keir Starmer, is currently reviewing his decision last July not to bring criminal proceedings against Harwood, 43, a member of the Met’s Territorial Support Group. Harwood could now face prosecution for manslaughter, an imprisonable offence. The Independent Police Complaints Commission said the Met had not objected to its decision to hold the hearing in public. However the IPCC ruling went against the desires of Harwood and eleven other police witnesses, some of whom expressed concern over the impact that giving evidence in an open forum would have on their private lives. “Over the past weeks the evidence from our investigation has been heard, tested and challenged at the inquest,” said the IPCC commissioner for London, Deborah Glass. “The verdict speaks for itself. The conclusion of the inquest is an important stage in the process but it is not the final one, particularly as the inquest does not – indeed cannot – determine accountability, which is a matter of exceptional public concern in this case. I have therefore decided that due to the gravity and exceptional circumstances of this case, the misconduct proceedings should be heard in public.” The only other police officers disciplined at a public hearing were censured over their failure to respond to 999 calls for help from Colette Lynch, a 24-year-old woman who days later was killed by her ex-partner Percy Wright. Two Warwickshire police officers were disciplined for their failure to follow procedure when it emerged Lynch, her mother and her brother had called officers dozens of times to say Wright had been threatening her. In a statement, the Met said Harwood’s disciplinary hearing would take place “as soon as possible” but did not give a date or any other details. “The timing of the hearing is decided by the chair of the panel who must first consider the findings of the inquest and consult with all parties before setting a date.” The disciplinary panel, which will have the power to sack Harwood, will be chaired by Met Assistant Commissioner Lynne Owens. The other members of the panel will be a senior police officer and a layperson. The disciplinary charges against Harwood include that he struck Tomlinson with a baton and pushed him to the ground, and that “such dangerous actions inadvertently caused or contributed” to his death. He is also accused of using force that was “not necessary, proportionate or reasonable in the circumstances”. Harwood is expected to contest the charges. He said after Tuesday’s verdict that video evidence presented a “very different picture” to the impression he had when he struck Tomlinson near the Bank of England. His lawyer Colin Reynolds said of his client: “In particular, he wishes that he had known then all that he now knows about Mr Tomlinson’s movements and fragile state of health. PC Harwood did not intend, or foresee at the time, that his push would cause Mr Tomlinson to fall over, let alone that it would result in any injury.” Ian Tomlinson Police Metropolitan police Independent Police Complaints Commission Paul Lewis guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Any terror plans that al-Qaeda and its affiliates may have had in the pipeline are likely to be sped up in the wake of Osama bin Laden’s death, counter-terrorism officials warn. Ayman al-Zawahiri, bin Laden’s second-in-command, is expected to launch a strike to prove that al-Qaeda is still a force…
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