Advances in mind-reading technology have made it possible for people with disabilities to control a computer cursor using only their thoughts, say Washington University researchers. The team has demonstrated that people can move a cursor around a computer screen and “click” by thinking of a particular vowel sound—in this…
Continue reading …Cathie Black is out as chancellor of New York City’s school system, and in her first post-firing/quitting interview, she wonders if sexism was part of the reason why: “If I were a guy, would I have had the pounding that I did?” the former Hearst honcho asks Fortune . Of her…
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Shane Chowen – favourite in race to be new NUS president – would be the first non-graduate After months in which the battle over tuition fees has left Britain’s student movement battered and divided, the challenge of steering the NUS in a time of austerity could go to a candidate who has never been to university. Shane Chowen, 22, who has four science A-levels from City College Plymouth, is the frontrunner in the race to be the next NUS president, a contest which will be decided when student delegates gather for a national conference in Gateshead this week. The new president will take over from Aaron Porter, who decided against seeking re-election after facing fierce criticism that he had not done enough to stop the tripling of university tuition fees. If elected, Chowen would be the first NUS president without a degree. He argues that university students made common cause with further education colleges over fees. “I’m coming from the background of the majority of NUS members – two-thirds of NUS members are in FE,” said Chowen, who is currently vice-president for further education. His close relationship with Porter – the outgoing NUS president has endorsed him – may tarnish him in some eyes. The split in the student movement was laid bare after the NUS leadership took several days to show public support for direct action protest. Porter was also criticised for failing to attend the national day of action at which students were kettled for hours. Chowen said he was not “romantic” about university occupations. “I see them as a valid form of protest, a way of creating change, but only in certain circumstances.” He agrees that it is vital the NUS reaches out to the left of the student movement. At present, he says, there’s an “us and them culture”. If elected, he will campaign for the creation of an education system that “no longer has an academic, vocational divide”. He said: “It’s actually a class divide that starts at school, is reinforced at college and reinforced again at university. I want middle-class families to be OK with their young people coming home and saying, I want to do an apprenticeship.” His closest rival is Liam Burns, 26, a physics graduate from Heriot-Watt university and the current president of NUS Scotland. Both candidates oppose tuition fees, and argue that the rush by universities to charge the maximum fee will help to expose how a market in higher education is untenable. Burns said: “I don’t think they’re a done deal for very long. I don’t think I’ve ever seen legislation be so shaky in terms of implementation as fees.” He is critical of the NUS’s current leadership for allowing a rift to grow in the opposition to fees. “The NUS has retrenched back into the old narrative that there is a hard left and moderates, and that we have to do everything we can to marginalise them,” he said. “When we said we condemned everything that happened at Millbank, that was 30 or 40 people who were smashing windows. But there are far more people who have an affinity with direct action and we have to reach out to them.” Also standing in the election is Mark Bergfeld, a member of the Socialist Workers Party, and Thomas Byrne, a Conservative supporter who backs the tuition fees rise. The battle over fees is unlikely to be revisited in the lifetime of this parliament. A bigger challenge for the next NUS president will be the threat of diminished teaching hours at universities as government cuts bite. Student places could also be cut at institutions that ministers regard as over-priced. Wes Streeting, a former NUS president and now chief executive of the Helena Kennedy Foundation, said: “I think they’re going to be confronted with an immediate change which will shift the debate. There will be a university places crisis if [business secretary] Vince Cable follows through on the threat to cut places. “Much as they may want to challenge the fees model, the threat of cutting places is a serious threat to the widening participation agenda, and something I’m sure the NUS will have something to say about.” Students Tuition fees University funding Student politics Higher education Aaron Porter Jeevan Vasagar guardian.co.uk
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Police say bomb found in van on main Belfast to Dublin road could have resulted in huge devastation and loss of life Dissident republicans who prepared a 500lb (227kg) van bomb risked causing an Omagh-style massacre, politicians in Northern Ireland have said. Detectives believe the bomb, found at an underpass near the border on the main Belfast to Dublin road, may have been destined for a town centre attack. 29 people were killed and 220 were injured in a bomb attack in the centre of Omagh in August 1998. While it is believed the presence of a police checkpoint forced the latest bombers to abandon the vehicle, hundreds of motorists drove past the device unaware of the danger after traffic cones and warning signs had been removed, and even driven over, by others on the road. The blue Ford transit van, stolen in Maynooth outside Dublin in January and carrying false Donegal registration plates, was found near Newry and contained a wheelie bin packed with 500lbs of homemade explosives. The foiled attack is being blamed on dissident republicans opposed to the peace process, who last Saturday killed constable Ronan Kerr in a booby-trap bomb in Omagh. The device that killed the officer detonated not long after a fun run had passed the scene.Politicians have condemned the latest attempted bombing. Policing Board member and DUP representative Jonathan Bell said: “500lbs of explosives were planted to kill and we could have had another example of mass murder on our hands today. “Just as last week we had many children and families running past the explosive device that robbed our society of the life of a talented young officer, so today we could have had serious fatalities. “As our police raise their activities commensurate with the threat they face, so we must give them our full support.” The van was found on Thursday night and was made safe during a lengthy overnight security operation. Chief Superintendent Alasdair Robinson, commander for the area where the attack was uncovered, said poor warnings from the gang responsible had meant police only located the device after the van was spotted by a member of the public. He said the exact target was unclear, but added: “What we do know is that we had a police operation in place that evening, so it is our belief that the van was being moved to another location, but it was thwarted by the police operation at the time.” He added that the bomb may have been destined for a landmark building or a town centre, and could have caused “huge devastation and loss of life”. “This was a sophisticated device and I am disappointed, particularly in a week where we buried one of our colleagues, that there are still people who feel that there is legitimate cause to take forward the use of violence,” said the senior officer. “The device itself was viable and it was a sophisticated device and it would have been devastating had it reached its destination.” He also issued a warning to people to observe police cordons after motorists removed or drove over traffic cones, causing hundreds of other unsuspecting vehicles to drive right through the bomb scene. Northern Ireland UK security and terrorism guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Once the defenders of Egypt’s revolution, the army is now squarely in the crosshairs of tens of thousands of protesters who again crowded Cairo’s Tahrir Square yesterday. Bloggers have been jailed for “insulting the military,” thousands have been arrested, and women in military custody have been subjected to bogus virginity…
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• Click refresh to update or click the auto-update button • Email your thoughts to scott.murray@guardian.co.uk • Read Lawrence Donegan’s day two report • Official Masters leaderboard • And in case you’re desirous of more golf reading… 6.55pm: Matsuyama is still the day’s main mover, having picked up three to move to -2, but perhaps not the most significant. The heroic Ryo Ishikawa, and Adam Scott with his stupid bloody broomhandle putter, are both two under through 4, and -4 for the tournament. And the defending champion Phil Mickelson is doing his usual Keystone Kops skittering up and down the leaderboard: he came out of the blocks flying, with birdies at 2 and 3, but has just dropped one at the short 4th; still, he’s in credit for the day at -3 for the tournament. 6.40pm: You’re all out in the hazy orange evening sun, getting slowly gaddered on crisp rosé, aren’t you. Hoy! Masters golf on over here! 6.35pm: Seven years ago, Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson played out one of the greatest duels in Masters history. Els’ final-day 67 looked to have won it, but Mickelson, a few groups behind, came back with a late flurry of birdies to snatch the green jacket. Els has never won at Augusta – he was also second in 2000 – and now he’s reduced to going round on his own, the first out today, the odd man in the draw after the cut. It’s sad to see. He’s just this minute nearly drained a 40-footer on 15 for birdie, but it didn’t quite drop, and you get the sense neither the crowd, nor the man himself, gave much of a toss either way. Els is two over for the day, +3 for the championship. The 7 he carded on this 15th hole on the first day really took the puff out of him. 6.25pm: Unfortunate Juxtaposition alert! Kim’s playing partner Matsuyama has just sunk a birdie putt on 10 to move to -2. His is the best showing of the day so far: three birdies, no blemishes on the card yet. 6.20pm: Horror showing of the day so far comes courtesy of Kim Kyung-Tae. The young Korean bogeyed the 1st, steadied himself awhile, then dropped four more strokes between 5 and 9 to go out in an ugly 41. He was three under for the tournament after 14 holes of his first round, at which point a double-bogey 7 at 15 took the wind out of his sails. He recovered that day with a birdie 2 at 16, to card a very acceptable opening day 70, but yesterday took 75 strokes, and this sad trend appears to be continuing today. He’s now +6, after starting the day +1. 6.10pm: Bothering the lower echelons with mini-moves are Adam Scott and Ryo Ishikawa, both one under for the day and -3 overall. Martin Laird of Scotland, but America really, is one under for the day and -2 for the tournament, alongside the aforementioned Mr Palmer, who after his eagle at 2 has dropped one at 5. Tum te tum. Six O’Clock News with Sue Lawley, Nicholas Witchell and some troublemaking militant lesbians : Also two under for the day is Hideki Matsuyama, with birdies on 3 and now 8: he’s -1 for the tournament. I warn you, this is unlikely to hot up for a while. News at 5.45 with Leonard Parkin : Not a whole lot of early movement today. Only two men have picked up two shots on their travels so far: Ryan Palmer, now -3, and his compatriot Bubba Watson, at -2. The Ian Poulter rollercoaster continues apace: he bogeyed the 1st, but picked the shot back up again on 3, to return to -1 for the tournament. 5.40pm. Selected top tee times, worked out in the British money: Phil Mickelson is out at 5.55pm. Paul Casey at 6.05pm. SERGIO at 6.25pm. Ross Fisher at 6.35pm. Luke Donald at 6.45pm. Lee Westwood at 6.55pm. Freddie Couples and Rickie Fowler at 7.05pm. YE Yang and Ricky Barnes at 7.15pm. Geoff Ogilvy and Alvaro Quiros at 7.25pm. KJ and Tiger at 7.35pm. And Rory wanders round with his good mate Jason Day – an Augusta virgin this year, remember – at 7.45pm. As for the others – and let’s face it, everyone wants Tiger and Rory in the final pairing tomorrow, landing haymakers on each other as they both go on birdie blitzes down the back nine – there’s plenty of talent hovering. Lee Westwood. KJ Choi. Geoff Ogilvy. Luke Donald. YE Yang. Jason Day. Rickie Fowler. FREDDIE COUPLES. Alvaro Quiros. SERGIO. Someone’s likely to come bursting out of the pack to make a determined tilt at the top of the leaderboard; well, it is Moving Day, after all. Awww-gusta, it’s you that I love… Rory McIlroy will have plenty to say about that, however. He’s leading after 36 holes, having followed up his stunning 65 on Thursday with a staunch 69. After a lucky escape at 11 yesterday followed by his first dropped shot of the tournament so far at 12, he showed minor signs of nerves, putting very averagely indeed, but he got round without any more drama to hold onto his advantage. Hopefully he’ll have regrouped, ready to attack (sensibly) today. Now then, it’s Moving Day today, when the serious contenders traditionally elbow their way into position, ready for the big push on Sunday. Tiger Woods, however, couldn’t be bothered to wait for it. Yesterday, languishing at level par after seven holes, he decided 18 months of being a laughing stock was more than enough for the greatest sports star on the planet, and got relentless. Eleven holes and seven birdies later, he’d carded a 66, and from a nondescript position in the pack, suddenly found himself three off the lead. Now, if any other golfer struggling with their game had done this, you’d put yesterday down as a blip, and expect the vagaries of form to send them crashing back into the pack today. But this is Tiger. And this is Augusta. He’s got to be the favourite to win this, hasn’t he? It’s Masters weekend! All together now: “Awww-gusta, it’s you that I love…” Masters 2011 The Masters Golf Scott Murray guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …• Click refresh to update or click the auto-update button • Email your thoughts to scott.murray@guardian.co.uk • Read Lawrence Donegan’s day two report • Official Masters leaderboard • And in case you’re desirous of more golf reading… 6.55pm: Matsuyama is still the day’s main mover, having picked up three to move to -2, but perhaps not the most significant. The heroic Ryo Ishikawa, and Adam Scott with his stupid bloody broomhandle putter, are both two under through 4, and -4 for the tournament. And the defending champion Phil Mickelson is doing his usual Keystone Kops skittering up and down the leaderboard: he came out of the blocks flying, with birdies at 2 and 3, but has just dropped one at the short 4th; still, he’s in credit for the day at -3 for the tournament. 6.40pm: You’re all out in the hazy orange evening sun, getting slowly gaddered on crisp rosé, aren’t you. Hoy! Masters golf on over here! 6.35pm: Seven years ago, Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson played out one of the greatest duels in Masters history. Els’ final-day 67 looked to have won it, but Mickelson, a few groups behind, came back with a late flurry of birdies to snatch the green jacket. Els has never won at Augusta – he was also second in 2000 – and now he’s reduced to going round on his own, the first out today, the odd man in the draw after the cut. It’s sad to see. He’s just this minute nearly drained a 40-footer on 15 for birdie, but it didn’t quite drop, and you get the sense neither the crowd, nor the man himself, gave much of a toss either way. Els is two over for the day, +3 for the championship. The 7 he carded on this 15th hole on the first day really took the puff out of him. 6.25pm: Unfortunate Juxtaposition alert! Kim’s playing partner Matsuyama has just sunk a birdie putt on 10 to move to -2. His is the best showing of the day so far: three birdies, no blemishes on the card yet. 6.20pm: Horror showing of the day so far comes courtesy of Kim Kyung-Tae. The young Korean bogeyed the 1st, steadied himself awhile, then dropped four more strokes between 5 and 9 to go out in an ugly 41. He was three under for the tournament after 14 holes of his first round, at which point a double-bogey 7 at 15 took the wind out of his sails. He recovered that day with a birdie 2 at 16, to card a very acceptable opening day 70, but yesterday took 75 strokes, and this sad trend appears to be continuing today. He’s now +6, after starting the day +1. 6.10pm: Bothering the lower echelons with mini-moves are Adam Scott and Ryo Ishikawa, both one under for the day and -3 overall. Martin Laird of Scotland, but America really, is one under for the day and -2 for the tournament, alongside the aforementioned Mr Palmer, who after his eagle at 2 has dropped one at 5. Tum te tum. Six O’Clock News with Sue Lawley, Nicholas Witchell and some troublemaking militant lesbians : Also two under for the day is Hideki Matsuyama, with birdies on 3 and now 8: he’s -1 for the tournament. I warn you, this is unlikely to hot up for a while. News at 5.45 with Leonard Parkin : Not a whole lot of early movement today. Only two men have picked up two shots on their travels so far: Ryan Palmer, now -3, and his compatriot Bubba Watson, at -2. The Ian Poulter rollercoaster continues apace: he bogeyed the 1st, but picked the shot back up again on 3, to return to -1 for the tournament. 5.40pm. Selected top tee times, worked out in the British money: Phil Mickelson is out at 5.55pm. Paul Casey at 6.05pm. SERGIO at 6.25pm. Ross Fisher at 6.35pm. Luke Donald at 6.45pm. Lee Westwood at 6.55pm. Freddie Couples and Rickie Fowler at 7.05pm. YE Yang and Ricky Barnes at 7.15pm. Geoff Ogilvy and Alvaro Quiros at 7.25pm. KJ and Tiger at 7.35pm. And Rory wanders round with his good mate Jason Day – an Augusta virgin this year, remember – at 7.45pm. As for the others – and let’s face it, everyone wants Tiger and Rory in the final pairing tomorrow, landing haymakers on each other as they both go on birdie blitzes down the back nine – there’s plenty of talent hovering. Lee Westwood. KJ Choi. Geoff Ogilvy. Luke Donald. YE Yang. Jason Day. Rickie Fowler. FREDDIE COUPLES. Alvaro Quiros. SERGIO. Someone’s likely to come bursting out of the pack to make a determined tilt at the top of the leaderboard; well, it is Moving Day, after all. Awww-gusta, it’s you that I love… Rory McIlroy will have plenty to say about that, however. He’s leading after 36 holes, having followed up his stunning 65 on Thursday with a staunch 69. After a lucky escape at 11 yesterday followed by his first dropped shot of the tournament so far at 12, he showed minor signs of nerves, putting very averagely indeed, but he got round without any more drama to hold onto his advantage. Hopefully he’ll have regrouped, ready to attack (sensibly) today. Now then, it’s Moving Day today, when the serious contenders traditionally elbow their way into position, ready for the big push on Sunday. Tiger Woods, however, couldn’t be bothered to wait for it. Yesterday, languishing at level par after seven holes, he decided 18 months of being a laughing stock was more than enough for the greatest sports star on the planet, and got relentless. Eleven holes and seven birdies later, he’d carded a 66, and from a nondescript position in the pack, suddenly found himself three off the lead. Now, if any other golfer struggling with their game had done this, you’d put yesterday down as a blip, and expect the vagaries of form to send them crashing back into the pack today. But this is Tiger. And this is Augusta. He’s got to be the favourite to win this, hasn’t he? It’s Masters weekend! All together now: “Awww-gusta, it’s you that I love…” Masters 2011 The Masters Golf Scott Murray guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …John Boehner put a happy face on the grinding budget deal reached last night, but reactions varied among the GOP rank-and-file—specifically those with their eye on the Oval Office. Some reactions from around the Beltway, courtesy of Politico: Michele Bachman: “The deal is a disappointment for me and for…
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• Oscar Time runner-up for Gold Cup winner Waley-Cohen • Race marred by two fatalities as fences are missed out Ballabriggs at 16-1 gave the new generation of the McCain family victory in a race which will always be associated with their name when grinding out success in a bruising renewal of the John Smith’s Grand National. Donald McCain, whose father trained Red Rum to win the race three times, successes which helped elevate the contest into a national institution, enjoyed his first victory in the world’s most famous jumps race since taking over the licence from his father in 2006. But the race came not without its share of unwanted controversy, with two horses killed and the winning horse heading straight back to the racecourse stables after the race after showing signs of dehydration after the winning post. Instead it was left to jockey Jason Maguire to take the cheers of the sell-out crowd as he walked back to the winner’s enclosure with Ballabriggs left to enjoy being splashed in buckets of cold water, which were thankfully in ready supply given the unseasonal high temperatures at the track. Having taken up the lead at halfway, Maguire’s mount relished the challenge of the fences and produced some impressive jumps in front after one memorable bad blunder at Valentine’s Brook. Going to the second-last fence, there were still five runners in with a clear chance, Niche Market doing his best to get past the leader but under maximum pressure. It was only after the final fence that Irish National runner-up Oscar Time (14-1) emerged as the greatest danger to the winner and the pair set down to battle it out up the run-in. For one brief moment at the Elbow when Sam Waley-Cohen switched Oscar Time out to challenge, it looked as if he might reel in the leader, but Ballabriggs found more and scored by 2¼ lengths. Don’t Push It (9-1) tried gallantly to become the first horse since Red Rum himself to win the race twice and kept on bravely under Tony McCoy for third place, while State of Play (28-1) came from a long way back to finish fourth and make the frame in the race for the fourth consecutive years. A total of 19 horses completed the course. Favourite The Midnight Club finished sixth. Maguire rode the race with his right hand heavily bandaged after a heavy fall on the opening day of the meeting. “This is crazy,” said the jockey. “I’ve got to thank Donald, Mr Hemmings, my mother and father, everybody. It’s a dream come true. I tried to get in the first 10 early on so that if he did make a mistake we hadn’t as much ground to make up. He loved it and was jumping from fence to fence. He was attacking every one. “I got him to the front to get him relaxed and put breathers into him and that helped him get the trip. There was a question mark about him getting the trip, but Donald has done a great job. I don’t know what I feel. I’m just overwhelmed.” McCain, for whom Maguire rides as stable jockey, added: “We’ve always thought this might be an Aintree horse and you only need to see the way he’s taken to this place today. Good horses are easy to train. Everything has gone smoothly all year and he had a nice prep at Kelso last time. “He’s just an absolute pleasure to deal with, I know he’s won a Grand National, but he is. I’ve been involved in Grand Nationals all my life and you come here and you realise what this place is all about. It’s hot out there and he had been up there all the way. He gives his everything, he doesn’t hold anything back. He is coming round fine now thankfully, he was just tired.” Grand National 2011 Horse racing Grand National Aintree Will Hayler guardian.co.uk
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From a bunker in the war torn city of Abidjan, the canny strategist has masterminded stiff resistance to rebel troops Forces loyal to Ivory Coast strongman Laurent Gbagbo have made advances in the main city of Abidjan even though their leader is holed up in a bunker within his luxury residence. The gains are another sign of Gbagbo’s defiance – and his legendary cunning – after he had appeared on the verge of surrender earlier last week. On Tuesday, three of his generals requested talks, a plea taken as a sign that the 65-year-old was ready to stand down. In response, fighters supporting Alassane Ouattara, who won the November election but has been prevented from taking power by Gbagbo, halted their attacks in the city after sweeping down from the north. However, just when the ultimately futile discussions were taking place, Gbagbo’s forces were reinforcing their positions and retaking territory. “We understand that since that time [Tuesday], the forces of Mr Gbagbo… have regained terrain and they have full control of the Plateau and Cocody area,” said the UN’s peacekeeping chief, Alain Le Roy, referring to the plush districts of Abidjan where Gbagbo is holed up and where most diplomats live. Staff at the British Embassy there had to be evacuated as fighting intensified. A Foreign Office spokesman said the area had played host to some of the fiercest skirmishes, but staff were safe and continuing to work in a more secure part of the town. Other embassies, official residences and private houses were also being evacuated. Le Roy said heavy weapons had been transferred to Cocody on Friday, reinforcing Gbagbo’s arsenal, which includes tanks, rocket launchers and armoured personnel carriers. The statement cast doubt on the claim by Ouattara that his forces had blockaded Gbagbo’s residence. The UN said Gbagbo’s fighters were moving towards the Golf Hotel, where Ouattara has been based since the November poll, under guard from UN peacekeepers. France, the former colonial ruler, also accused Gbagbo’s troops of firing on the French ambassador’s residence. Separately, a French helicopter mission to rescue foreign diplomats in Cocody on Saturday morning drew fire, causing the operation to be cancelled. Commander Frederic Dagillon, a French military spokesman, said an armoured vehicle that had fired on French helicopters had been destroyed. In a further sign of the resilience of Gbagbo, who has ruled since 2000 after repeatedly postponing elections, his RTI television station came back on air for the first time since the fighting started in Abidjan last week, broadcasting an appeal for support. “The regime of Gbagbo is still in place; a strong mobilisation is required by the population,” it said. The fear and uncertainty gripping Abidjan amid the political chaos has caused an exodus. Immigrants – many of them French or Lebanese – are scrambling to escape as the country implodes. Few Ivorians are so lucky: about 1,000 are gathered outside the French military base for so-called “passive protection”. Inside the French base, an Ivorian girl attacked with a machete and an Ivorian woman who was forced to lie down while a gang stamped on her face and hands were receiving treatment. Otherwise, the base has been turned into a refugee camp for largely middle-class expatriates. Many had been enjoying an enviable lifestyle in wealthy suburbs of the one-time “Paris of Africa” before terror came to their doorsteps. The French military says around 3,500 people have passed through the camp so far, with an estimated 1,500 currently sleeping in rudimentary military barracks there. Several hundred a day are evacuated on small planes from the nearby international airport, also under French military control. On Friday, 800 Lebanese people left on a series of jets. Air France became the first commercial airline to resume flying in and out of Abidjan yesterday, accelerating the process. A 26-year-old German, who did not wish to be named, told how she and her daughter were rescued from a furious crowd by the French army. “We spent two days locked in our home,” she said. “We were on the internet all the time
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