Good news, Texans: Soon you might not need to restrain yourselves to a mere 80mph. The Texas House has passed a bill that would raise the speed limit for certain stretches of highway from 80mph to 85mph, Fox News reports. If the bill passes the Senate and becomes law, it’ll…
Continue reading …As the clock ticks down, House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer says budget negotiators are “very close” to a deal. “I think we’ve come 70% of the way in terms of dollars,” Hoyer tells Today . “That’s a long way to go in trying to reach compromise.” Though he’s “embarrassed” at how…
Continue reading …A NATO airstrike hit a rebel tank convoy yesterday, killing at least four people and, according to one driver in the convoy, damaging or destroying eight tanks. Gen. Abdul Fattah Younes demanded an apology, telling the New York Times that his forces gave NATO plenty of advance warning that their…
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As top Tories draw up list of undermined ministers, allies say health secretary has been ‘abandoned’ over reforms Kenneth Clarke has complained in private about the treatment of the health secretary, Andrew Lansley, amid mounting concerns across Whitehall that Downing Street abandons ministers when opposition grows to agreed policies. The justice secretary, who made his name as a radical health secretary under Margaret Thatcher, has told colleagues that the treatment of Lansley is unfair. Allies argue that Lansley has been humiliated in the past 10 days in an operation orchestrated by No 10 and George Osborne, amid alarm among Tory leaders at the backlash against the health reforms. Downing Street also felt it had to act after the Liberal Democrats voted against the reforms at their spring conference. The chancellor’s circle were first to let it be known that the health secretary’s controversial proposals to hand 60% of the NHS budget to new GP-led consortiums would be delayed. On Wednesday Lansley had to appear alongside Cameron and Nick Clegg to announce that the passage of the health and social care bill would be paused for two months while a “listening exercise” is held to take on board the concerns of health professionals. One figure familiar with the thinking in Downing Street explained the approach, saying: “We have to get the bill through the House of Lords which means we have to make changes. It is as simple as that. It was a case of summoning a cabinet minister to No 10, giving him a pen and notepad and telling him what will happen. That is what you have to do. David Cameron does not want to go into the election 20 points behind Labour on health.” Senior Tories believe a pattern of behaviour is emerging in which Downing Street agrees a policy then abandons the minister when opposition grows. Lansley’s central reform – to hand commissioning powers to GPs – was at the heart of the Tory plans for the NHS in the party’s general election manifesto. The coalition agreement was less clear cut, though Lansley was not directly involved in the negotiations with the Lib Dems. One Whitehall source said: “One whiff of gunpowder and Downing Street runs away. People also think there is the whiff of cowardice in No 10 when it comes to arguing the merits of policies that have been agreed. Andrew Lansley was appointed by Cameron who knew two key things about him. He has a deep knowledge of the NHS and is not a good communicator. Now he is being hung out to dry.” Senior Tories are drawing up lists of ministers who have been undermined by No 10 despite agreement on policies: • Kenneth Clarke and knife crime. A consultation paper, Breaking the Cycle, which was agreed with No 10, ditched Cameron’s election campaign pledge to jail anyone convicted of carrying a knife. Downing Street sources briefed against Clarke after tabloids reacted against his plans. • Caroline Spelman and forests. The environment secretary agreed her proposals to change the ownership of 258,000 hectares of state-owned woodland. But a backlash, led by the Sunday Telegraph, prompted a U-turn and an apology from Spelman ordered by No 10. • Lady Warsi and her speech in January in which she said that Islamophobia had “passed the dinner-table test”. Downing Street sources said that Warsi’s office did not clear the speech properly. But even her critics believe she was treated harshly. One source said: “Cabinet ministers are, one by one, drawing up the dots and realising there is no collegiality. They are being left on their own and isolated.” One veteran Tory, who has known Cameron for nearly 20 years, said: “David is very short termist. Everything he does is about getting good daily headlines. He also has a habit of leaving some colleagues high and dry. It is interesting that these never seem to include members of the prime minister’s Etonian circle.” Downing Street sources admit that they have struggled to take a grip over Whitehall. They blame a decision, which has recently been reversed, not to establish a traditional No 10 policy unit that shadows the work of individual departments. Lansley insists he is happy with the “listening exercise”, which is expected to lead to two major changes to the health and social care bill. The membership of the GP-led consortiums is likely to be widened to include clinicians and, in a nod to Liberal Democrats, they are likely to include more locally elected officials. Clarke has let it be known that he backs Lansley’s plans. “Ken is extremely supportive of the reforms but questions whether people have grasped the full magnitude,” one source said. Conservatives David Cameron Andrew Lansley Health policy George Osborne Kenneth Clarke Nicholas Watt guardian.co.uk
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Protests move closer to the centre of Damascus as Bashar al-Assad’s concessions fail to quell calls for reform Anti-government demonstrations have spread across Syria with the highest turnout yet in a month of unrest, despite a heavy crackdown by security forces in which at least 20 people died. The most violent clashes took place in the city of Deraa, where the unrest began. At least 17 people are said to have been killed, with witnesses saying ambulances were prevented from reaching the scene. A man who helped carry the dead and wounded to hospital said he had seen security forces shooting live ammunition. “My clothes are soaked with blood,” he told the Associated Press, asking to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals. By Friday night the death toll around the country was rising, with activists reporting that more and more citizens were taking to the streets. Demonstrators are calling for President Bashar al-Assad, whose family has ruled Syria for nearly 40 years, to step down. Assad has made a series of concessions to quell the violence, including sacking his cabinet and firing two governors, but protesters say he has not gone far enough. The unrest moved closer to the centre of the capital, Damascus, on Friday, where force was used against demonstrators in the Kafer Souseh and Harasta areas. A witness told the Guardian by phone that 4,000 people had gathered in Harasta, which has not seen demonstrations on previous Fridays. They carried olive branches and chanted “freedom”. “It was peaceful until security forces attacked and some shots were fired,” said the man, who asked for anonymity. “I saw six people shot, three of them with two bullets each.” A witness in Kafer Souseh said protesters leaving al-Refai mosque after prayers were immediately beaten by security forces using batons and stun guns. He said he saw several “badly beaten” bodies which looked “lifeless”. “There were protests everywhere and from what we have seen the numbers were larger than last week,” said Razan Zeitouneh, a lawyer and human rights activist in Damascus who is monitoring the movement. Protests were also held in Douma – which was largely peaceful after a brutal crackdown last week – Homs, Hama, Jableh, Banias, Deir Ezzor, Qamischli and small villages and towns around Damascus and Douma. Phones and internet services were not working in Douma. State media again disputed that security forces were responsible for violence in Deraa, saying gunmen had fired on protesters and police. “This expresses clearly and openly that there are some people who wish evil on Syria,” a TV anchor said. Thousands gathered in the Kurdish towns of Qamischli, Amouda and Derbasiyyeh hours after Assad announced he would grant nationality to 200,000 stateless Kurds. Kurdish activists said the reforms were inadequate. “We are part of the Syrian people and we also want the regime to lift the state of emergency and demand the enactment of new laws allowing for political parties,” said Massoud Akko, a Kurdish journalist and activist. “We need cultural and political rights, not just nationality.” Other moves that failed to stamp out protests included sacking the governor of Homs, where people again took to the streets. Assad has reached out to niche groups, including conservative Muslims, by reversing a ban on niqab-clad teachers in schools and closing Syria’s only casino. But protesters complain that he has still not lifted a 48-year-old emergency law, released political prisoners or allowed political parties to form. Anger is also rising at the continued use of force which local human rights organisations say has killed at least 173 people. “I don’t see how this ends,” said Zeitouneh. “The authorities keep lying and giving promises that won’t satisfy people whilst the bloodshed continues to anger more people and encourage them on to the streets.” Katherine Marsh is a pseudonym for a journalist living in Damascus Syria Arab and Middle East unrest Middle East Bashar Al-Assad Protest guardian.co.uk
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Royal Navy serviceman held after an officer died of gunshot wounds on board the nuclear-powered submarine HMS Astute A Royal Navy serviceman is being held on suspicion of murder after an officer died of gunshot wounds and a second was seriously injured on board a nuclear-powered submarine. HMS Astute was docked in Southampton on a goodwill visit. Dignitaries including the city’s mayor were having lunch on board and a group of children was on the quayside at the time. There were calls for a full and open inquiry to establish if the public was in danger and campaigners said it should prompt a rethink about the wisdom of using nuclear submarines. The police and navy emphasised that submarine security was not breached and were convinced it was not a terrorist incident. A navy spokesman said: “There is no nuclear incident .” It is understood that the two victims were male officers and the weapon was an SA80 rifle. The alleged shooter is understood to have been on sentry duty and the shooting happened during a changeover between shifts. It is understood he was grabbed by other navy personnel who handed him over to Ministry of Defence police there as part of the civic visit. Sources said the motive was unclear. The ambulance service said the man who was killed was certified dead on board.Police said the second man suffered “significant injuries” but described his condition as stable. Among the visitors were the leader of Southampton city council, Royston Smith, the mayor, Carol Cunio, and the chief executive, Alistair Meill. They remained on board for several hours while police took statements. A council spokesman said: “As when any ship comes in, they went on board for a lunch and a look around.” Forensic experts were working on board and Hampshire police’s major crime department were interviewing everyone aboard, around 30 people. All crew will eventually be questioned. John Denham, the Labour MP for Southampton Itchen and a former cabinet member, expressed concern about security. He said: “I will be asking ministers to ensure this incident is fully explained with complete openness about any potential risk to the public.” Di McDonald, chair of the Nuclear Information Service, which promotes awareness of nuclear disarmament, said the incident ought to prompt a rethink on the value of confining men in such an unnatural and pressurised environment. Adele Stevens, 24, who was sunbathing in a park opposite the docks, said: “I’d be worried to hear about any shooting but to hear it has happened on a nuclear sub is even more worrying – the bullet could have bounced off anything.” The government said it was important not to pre-judge the police investigation. Liam Fox, the defence secretary, said: “It is right and proper that a full police investigation is carried out. My thoughts and sympathies are with those affected.” Astute, which has a crew of 98, was the first of a new class of nuclear-powered attack submarine. The five-day visit to Southampton was billed as the first time members of the public outside of Scotland and the north-west of England, where she was built, would get to see her. The submarine was due to leave Southampton tomorrow ) but her departure is likely to be delayed. She was launched in 2007 and commissioned last year only to hit the headlines when she grounded off Skye in October. Military Steven Morris guardian.co.uk
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Confession that practice was rife is likely to cost News International millions of pounds in compensation Rupert Murdoch’s News International has issued a public apology to eight victims of phone hacking, including Sienna Miller and Tessa Jowell, and admitted for the first time that the practice was rife at the News of the World. In a move likely to cost the company many millions of pounds, it said it would offer compensation to some of the 24 high-profile figures who have started legal proceedings against the paper in the high court for breach of privacy. It also admitted its previous investigations into hacking had not been “sufficiently robust”. The unprecedented statement of contrition is a remarkable volte face for the country’s most powerful news organisation, which was claiming until the start of this year, in the face of growing evidence to the contrary, that hacking was the work of a single reporter. It comes as a Scotland Yard investigation into phone hacking gathers pace. The News of the World’s chief reporter, Neville Thurlbeck, was questioned by police on Tuesday along with Ian Edmondson, who was sacked as associate editor (news) in January. The company said it had decided to offer an “unreserved apology” in certain cases but it would continue to fight others, including claims brought by Steve Coogan and the jockey Kieren Fallon. “Past behaviour at the News of the World in relation to voicemail interception is a matter of genuine regret,” it said. “It is now apparent that our previous inquiries failed to uncover important evidence and we acknowledge our actions then were not sufficiently robust.” At least one of the victims indicated privately that she was unlikely to accept News International’s offer, although others – including Miller – are believed to be considering the proposal. Lord Prescott, who is suing the Metropolitan police over its handling of the original 2006 phone-hacking inquiry, said: “The NoW has now admitted mass criminality.” He repeated his call for Murdoch’s bid for BSkyB to be blocked until the hacking allegations have been investigated fully. The eight people to be offered compensation, likely to be an estimated £100,000 each, include Joan Hammell, one of Prescott’s former advisers, and Jowell’s ex-husband, David Mills. The others are football agent Sky Andrew, Andy Gray, who was sacked as a Sky Sports presenter this year, publicist Nicola Phillips and Kelly Hoppen, the interior designer who is Sienna Miller’s mother-in-law. News International insiders said more offers are certain to follow as further evidence emerges in court cases. The action is an attempt to prevent further damaging revelations about hacking at the paper emerging in the course of court hearings, the first of which will take place in the autumn. Over the next few weeks, NI will be forced to hand over hundreds of internal emails sent by reporters and executives relating to Miller and Andrew in order to comply with a high court order. They could reveal how much senior executives at the paper knew about the activities of Glenn Mulcaire, the private investigator who worked for the NoW. Asked at a New York media conference about the damage hacking has inflicted on the company, Rupert Murdoch’s son James, who was promoted last week to become the third most powerful executive in his father’s media empire, said it had isolated the issue. He said: “What we were able to do is really put this problem into a box. If you get everybody sucked into something like that, then the whole business will sputter which you don’t want.” But Rod Dadak, a partner at the law firm Lewis Slikin, said dozens of potential victims would now scramble to launch legal claims in the expectation of receiving generous payouts. That could leave NI facing a bill of up to £40m. “The admission of liability is just the beginning,” he said. “The list of people who will now claim their phone may have been hacked will grow immeasurably.” Evidence seized from Mulcaire by the Met suggests that he targeted more than 3,000 people on the instructions of executives at the paper. Andrew Neil, an ex-Murdoch executive who edited the Sunday Times for a decade, said: “This is one of the most embarrassing apologies I’ve ever seen from a major British corporation. I don’t think NI had anywhere else to go. The evidence was piling up against them. It may cost them a lot more than they think. There are plenty of other people involved. They are trying to close it down with their chequebook but I don’t think they’re going to succeed.” Charlotte Harris, a media lawyer at Mischon de Reya, who represents Andrew, said: “An admission from the News of the World is something we’ve been working towards for years now. They persisted with their ‘one rogue’ defence for far too long. It was clear for a very long time that the practice of phone hacking was rife and that the News of the World should take responsibility. I hope these apologies do not come at the cost of finding out precisely what happened and who was responsible for covering it up.” James Robinson guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Glenn Beck’s Fox show will soon be no more, and Jon Stewart seized the moment last night, offering a glasses-wearing, chalkboard-scrawling send-up of Beck’s program. By analyzing facts and figures—ranging from Charles Manson to the Bible—Stewart was able to determine that Beck’s departure can only mean one thing:…
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Two suspects in custody and police say killers wanted to extort money from victim’s children in UK The decapitated remains of a British woman have been recovered by Indian police who claim she was murdered after a bungled attempt to extort money from her children in the UK. The head and body of Surjit Kaur, who is believed to have been in her 60s, were found separately this week. Two local men, one a relative of the victim, have been arrested and police said they had confessed to the killing. Kaur, who is said by police to have been a widow with three children, arrived in Punjab from Britain in early February. She disappeared 10 days ago and was reported missing by the caretaker at her home in the village of Shekhwali, in Kapurthala district, 220 miles north-west of the capital, Delhi. A neighbour told police she had seen Kaur in the vehicle of the two detained men, who were traced using mobile phone records. Sandip Sharma, the deputy superintendent of Phagwara police, who is investigating the murder, told the Guardian the attack took place after the two suspects lured her away under false pretences. “They drove her to Saharanpur, Uttar Pradhesh. At first they wanted money from her children, but changed their minds,” Sharma said. He said they strangled Kaur, cut off her head and threw it into a river. Her body was dismembered and scattered in nearby fields, he added. Police sub-inspector Harmel Singh said Kaur had previously lent money to her alleged killers. He could not confirm local press reports that the sum amounted to more than £2,500. “She wanted it back. They took her in their car with the intention of frightening her but instead they ended up killing her,” said Singh. The two suspects were remanded in custody by a local judge on Friday. A substantial proportion of the Indian community in the UK has links to Punjab. Tens of thousands of students travel from the state to the UK every year. There are many weddings between British citizens and local men and women. The village where Kaur lived is part of the so-called NRI belt of the state’s Doaba region, where many Britons of Indian origin – or non-residential Indians – have either retired or maintain holiday homes. The Foreign Office confirmed it was aware of the death of a British national in India. “Staff have been in touch with next of kin and are providing consular assistance,” a spokeswoman said. “We will not speculate on the circumstances surrounding the British national’s death.” India Crime Rajeev Syal Jason Burke guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Four more journalists have been taken into custody in Libya, including a GlobalPost contributor and an Atlantic freelancer. Forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi took James Foley, Clare Morgana Gillis, and photographers Manu Brabo of Spain and Anton Hammerl of South Africa prisoner Tuesday afternoon on the outskirts of Brega, according…
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