Do you dream of opening your own restaurant one day? Well, Nina and Tim Zagat have some advice for you: “Don’t do it!” And they should know, considering they co-founded and publish Zagat Restaurant Surveys. Opening a restaurant is about a lot more than just being “a great host or…
Continue reading …Urayasu lies 200 miles south of the Japan earthquake epicenter, far from the danger zone—so why are residents relieving themselves in plastic bags while waiting for their sewage, water, and gas services to be restored? Though no buildings fell and no tsunami hit in this seaside town on March…
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David Cameron wants Parliament Square cleared for big day, but police say protesters are not breaking any laws The prime minister, the home secretary and the mayor of London have all vowed that the ramshackle tented peace encampment yards from Westminster Abbey in Parliament Square will not become a backdrop to the perfect royal wedding tableau in on 29 April. But the sound and fury emanating from the politicians belies an embarrassing powerlessness, the Guardian can reveal. Despite numerous legal attempts, no one – from No 10 down – has been able to come up with any legal power to move the ragtag band of peaceniks, campaigners and eccentrics from the pavement between the Houses of Parliament and the abbey, where Prince William and Kate Middleton will marry on 29 April. As the countdown to the wedding begins, Tory politicians are venting their fury at Scotland Yard, piling the pressure on senior officers to do something. The mayor of London, Boris Johnson, is understood to have made it clear in private to the Metropolitan police that he does not want anything – not a tin of paint, a placard or a tent flap – to spoil the wedding day. David Cameron told the Commons that he could not understand why demonstrators were being allowed to sleep in the square, and stressed at prime minister’s question time that he wanted the peace camp removed before the wedding. The home secretary, Theresa May, even created an amendment to the police reform and social responsibility bill, which outlaws the erection in Parliament Square of “any tent, or any other structure that is designed, or adapted… for the purpose of facilitating sleeping or staying in”. The legislation is about to enter its second reading in the House of Lords and will not be law in time for the big day. At Scotland Yard, there have been high-level meetings to scour legislation and identify a clause that would give police the power to act. Given the level of political pressure, there have been conversations about the possibility of using emergency powers but, after a meeting at the Yard this week, it was concluded that there was nothing the Met could do. A senior police source said: “They are putting us under huge pressure, but … They made the laws and to date there doesn’t seem to be one we can act on. If there was we would have done it by now.” Hopes had been resting on attempts by the Greater London Authority and Westminster council to remove the inhabitants of the camp, their 14 tents, placards, montage pictures of war victims and two home-made police boxes, by taking action through the courts. But most protesters have permission to stay on the Parliament Square pavement under a clause in the Serious and Organised Crime Act 2005. There is a small chance that the GLA – which is responsible for the grass on Parliament Square – might be able to move two tents pitched on a patch of lawn at the edge of the square next week if an appeal by peace campaigners Brian Haw and Barbara Tucker fails in the high court. However, all Haw and Tucker need do is move their tents three feet on to the pavement. Westminster council – which is responsible for the pavement – has more chance of success by arguing in the high court that the peace encampment is an obstruction under the Highways Act. But the case has is not due in court until 9 May. “Unfortunately, we have no grounds to clear the camp away for the royal wedding, and, yes, it looks like they are going to be there on the day,” said a spokeswoman for Westminster council. Meanwhile, some inhabitants of the camp – which was first settled 10 years ago when veteran peacenik Haw pitched his tent on the grass of Parliament Square – are making what they see as a generous gesture in a spirit of compromise. One protester, Maria Gallastegui, has written to Buckingham Palace offering to cover up her placards for the day. She received a noncommital reply – delivered to her police box. The Prince of Wales, the letter said, “appreciated” her offer and “careful note has been taken on the points you make”. For their part, Cameron, May and Johnson seem unlikely to accept the olive branch. A Home Office spokesman told the Guardian: “We are still working with the police and other agencies to address this issue and find a solution to ensure that Parliament Square is in a fit and proper state for the royal wedding.” Party like it’s 1981 Councils are to be given legal advice from the health and safety watchdog that they have no reason to ban royal wedding street parties. Iain Duncan Smith, the work and pensions secretary, has ordered the Health and Safety Executive to give an immediate ruling that street parties are not a health and safety threat, and will not be liable to legal action. Duncan Smith took action after the cabinet heard from the communities secretary, Eric Pickles, that some councils may be deterring street parties. Figures from the Local Government Association reveal there have been 4,000 applications for street parties in England and Wales. A government source said: “We are furious that councils may be making it difficult. Often it emerges that the Health and Safety Executive have done nothing wrong, but we end up with these myths.” Grant Shapps, the local government minister, said: “There is a tendency among some councils to gold-plate everything they do. We want it to be very clear that street parties are easy to set up.” A deadline of 8 April has been set for applications and at present Richmond borough council the London borough of Richmond leads with 64 applications. London’s boroughs have dealt with 500 applications, and outside the English capital, Bristol 53 and Cardiff 35. Patrick Wintour Royal wedding Protest Monarchy Weddings House of Commons Sandra Laville guardian.co.uk
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Powerful 7.1 magnitude quake shook north-east part of country, but fears that it would trigger a tsunami have subsided Workers at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant were forced to evacuate on Thursday night after a powerful earthquake shook northeast Japan, almost a month to the day since the region was hit by a quake and tsunami that killed an estimated 28,000 people. Fears that the magnitude 7.1 quake, the strongest since the tsunami, would set off another series of huge waves subsided with the lifting of a tsunami warning about 90 minutes later. The nuclear plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power, said Thursday’s earthquake had not caused further damage to the facility, adding that workers battling to cool down overheating reactors had temporarily retreated to an on-site quake-resistant shelter. The latest earthquake caused power outages across a wide area of northern Japan and knocked out several power lines at Onagawa nuclear power station north of Sendai city. One remaining power line continued to supply electricity as normal, and there have been no reports of abnormal radiation levels in the area. The plant’s spent fuel pools briefly lost cooling capacity but an emergency diesel generator quickly kicked in. The earthquake struck 30 miles beneath the water off the coast of Sendai, about the same depth and location as the magnitude 9.0 quake on 11 March. The earthquake hit shortly after 11.30pm local time. The violent shaking lasted about 30 seconds, hurling items on to the floor in the neighbourhood near the city’s main railway station. In Miyagi prefecture motorways were closed and bullet train services were partially suspended. In Sendai hotel guests and diners filed on to streets, some clutching torches as they began walking home in near-darkness. Sirens from emergency vehicles filled the air, but more than three hours later there were no reports of major damage. Police and the fire service officials said they had received numerous calls about fires and gas leaks. NHK, Japan’s public broadcaster, said seven people had been injured, two of them seriously. The earthquake sent the dollar sliding against the yen and wiped out early gains in European stock markets. The International Atomic Energy Agency said progress was being made to stabilise the Fukushima Daiichi plant, where workers have been injecting nitrogen into a reactor to prevent a potentially explosive build-up of hydrogen gas. “The situation at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant remains very serious,” Denis Flory, head of the IAEA’s nuclear safety department, told reporters. But he added: “There are early signs of recovery in some functions such as electrical power and instrumentation.” Japan Japan disaster Natural disasters and extreme weather Justin McCurry guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …With Republicans and Democrats still leagues apart on the 2011 budget , House Republicans will vote today on yet another extension. This one would only be for a week, but would include a full-year Pentagon budget. It would also include a lot of domestic cuts, as the price to keep the…
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Annual report of Low Pay Commission calls for action where an intern is doing the work of a paid employee The Low Pay Commission has criticised HM Revenue & Customs for lax enforcement of minimum wage laws and the payment of interns. The LPC’s annual report, which this year focused on the position of young people in the labour market, recommended that HMRC needed to take stronger action on unpaid internships. The LPC wanted to see “effective [legal] enforcement” from HMRC, who are responsible for ensuring that interns are paid the minimum wage if their placements can be considered to be work. The report also called for better understanding of the law. “We recommend that the government takes steps to raise awareness of the rules applying to payment of the national minimum wage for those undertaking internships, all other forms of work experience and volunteering opportunities. In addition we recommend that these rules are effectively enforced by HMRC,” it said. The report comes two days after Nick Clegg highlighted the growing problem of internships in a report on social mobility. The deputy prime minister admitted that his father had helped him into an internship at a Finnish bank and get a first leg-up into politics. Senior Tories were also embarrassed when it was reported that they had auctioned off internships for thousands of pounds to raise money for the party at their annual gala ball in January. In the report the LPC rebuffed calls from the British Chamber of Commerce and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development that internships be given a legal exception from the minimum wage or be paid at a lower apprentice rate of £2.50 an hour. However, the expansion of internships has not been welcomed by all in the business community. Submissions to the report reveal that representative bodies from the hospitality, pubs, and sport and leisure sectors expressed concern that internships amounted to unpaid work and were “undermining the minimum wage and placing employers in invidious positions”. A submission from the Trades Union Congress criticised current guidance on the issue as weak while internship campaign groups called for job postings for internships to be banned. The report reveals a growing gap between the wages of under-21s and the rest of the adult working population. The report’s authors admit that this generational wage inequality is being caused in part by employers taking increasing advantage of lower minimum wage rates for those aged under 21. In effect, lower minimum wage levels for the young were dragging general wage levels, an effect which has been exacerbated by the recession and massive youth unemployment. According to the report, the percentage of younger workers being paid below the adult minimum wage rate has almost doubled in the last six years to 30%. A survey from the campaigning group Interns Anonymous revealed that 50% of internships lasted one to three months and 82% did not lead on to further employment. Tax and spending Nick Clegg Conservatives Employment law Shiv Malik guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Annual report of Low Pay Commission calls for action where an intern is doing the work of a paid employee The Low Pay Commission has criticised HM Revenue & Customs for lax enforcement of minimum wage laws and the payment of interns. The LPC’s annual report, which this year focused on the position of young people in the labour market, recommended that HMRC needed to take stronger action on unpaid internships. The LPC wanted to see “effective [legal] enforcement” from HMRC, who are responsible for ensuring that interns are paid the minimum wage if their placements can be considered to be work. The report also called for better understanding of the law. “We recommend that the government takes steps to raise awareness of the rules applying to payment of the national minimum wage for those undertaking internships, all other forms of work experience and volunteering opportunities. In addition we recommend that these rules are effectively enforced by HMRC,” it said. The report comes two days after Nick Clegg highlighted the growing problem of internships in a report on social mobility. The deputy prime minister admitted that his father had helped him into an internship at a Finnish bank and get a first leg-up into politics. Senior Tories were also embarrassed when it was reported that they had auctioned off internships for thousands of pounds to raise money for the party at their annual gala ball in January. In the report the LPC rebuffed calls from the British Chamber of Commerce and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development that internships be given a legal exception from the minimum wage or be paid at a lower apprentice rate of £2.50 an hour. However, the expansion of internships has not been welcomed by all in the business community. Submissions to the report reveal that representative bodies from the hospitality, pubs, and sport and leisure sectors expressed concern that internships amounted to unpaid work and were “undermining the minimum wage and placing employers in invidious positions”. A submission from the Trades Union Congress criticised current guidance on the issue as weak while internship campaign groups called for job postings for internships to be banned. The report reveals a growing gap between the wages of under-21s and the rest of the adult working population. The report’s authors admit that this generational wage inequality is being caused in part by employers taking increasing advantage of lower minimum wage rates for those aged under 21. In effect, lower minimum wage levels for the young were dragging general wage levels, an effect which has been exacerbated by the recession and massive youth unemployment. According to the report, the percentage of younger workers being paid below the adult minimum wage rate has almost doubled in the last six years to 30%. A survey from the campaigning group Interns Anonymous revealed that 50% of internships lasted one to three months and 82% did not lead on to further employment. Tax and spending Nick Clegg Conservatives Employment law Shiv Malik guardian.co.uk
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Brazilian media describes killing by former pupil as the worst school massacre in the country’s history A gunman opened fire at a school in Rio de Janeiro, killing at least 12 children, mostly girls aged between 11 and 13, in what Brazilian media described as the worst school massacre in the country’s history. Ten of the victims were shot in the head or chest by the 23-year-old gunman, who was named as Wellington Menezes de Oliveira. Another 18 people were reported to have been injured, several seriously, before Oliveira killed himself. Witnesses said Oliveira, a former student of the Tasso da Silveira school in Realengo, in western Rio, approached the school with two handguns just before 8.30am and opened fire on two boys on a nearby street. He shot one in the head and one in the arm. Oliveira is then said to have continued through the school’s metal gates and through its front door where a yellow sign reads: “Smile: you are being filmed.” Dorival Porto Rafael, a rubbish collector who was at the school, told Globo online that the gunman had walked into a class where students were studying Portuguese. “He came into the class saying he was going to give a talk. He went to an eighth-grade class, on the [ground floor], and without saying anything took out a pistol from his bag and started firing,” Rafael said. “The police arrived and he tried to go up to the next floor, but when he saw he was surrounded he shot himself in the head.” Authorities said Oliveira’s killing spree ended only because of the intervention of a military policeman who managed to shoot him in the leg before he took his own life. Crowds jeered as the killer’s body was carried out of the school and bundled into a yellow morgue van, wrapped in a black plastic bag. Brazil’s president, Dilma Rousseff, has declared three days of national mourning. Speaking at a hastily arranged press conference on the school’s tatty basketball court, the mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes, said the tragedy might have been much worse without the policeman’s intervention. “God willing, those who are still in danger will not die,” he added. Rio’s governor, Sergio Cabral, said Oliveira had been “heavily armed with two guns and a belt filled with professional ammunition”. “I believe it is our duty to … support the families of the young boys and girls killed by this psychopath, this animal,” he added. President Rousseff said: “We must unite in rejecting this act of violence … against defenceless children — children who have lost their lives and their futures.” One witness told the Guardian he had seen between 15 and 20 children dead or seriously wounded. “It is a massacre, a true massacre,” said Roni de Macedo, a firefighter who arrived on the scene shortly after the shooting began and dragged eight seriously injured children from the school. “There is blood on the walls, blood on the chairs. There are 15 to 20 dead I think,” he said, covered in blood from head to toe. “I’ve never seen anything like this. It’s like something in the United States.” Hercilei Antunes, 44, a postman who lives opposite the school and has a daughter there, said: “I saw a load of injured kids, bleeding kids. I saw a dead guy inside. I heard more than 30 shots. “I heard shots, shots, shots and more shots. I tried to go in, but he shot more and I am not made of steel,” he added. Antunes’s porch was blood-stained where he had given first aid to injured children as they fled the school. With police helicopters hovering overhead, Yvonette Fernandes wept as she looked for her 12-year-old niece, along with scores of other desperate family members. “Where is she? I want to know where she is.” Some students recounted lucky escapes. Sidcley Lopes Garcia, 13, said he had arrived late for class and was outside when he heard the first shots. “I jumped over the wall,” he said. “Lots of my friends were injured.” Another 12-year-old student stood outside the school weeping. “I thought I was going to die,” she cried. “He shot my friend. My friend is dead.” Twins Brenda and Bianca Rocha Tavares, 13, were inside the school at the time of the shooting and were both hit. Brenda died after being shot in the head, while her sister was shot in the arms and taken to hospital for surgery. “I was working when I heard about the shooting and came here,” Perla Maria dos Reis Paes, their aunt, told O Globo.”Unfortunately my niece is dead.” Brazil Tom Phillips guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Brazilian media describes killing by former pupil as the worst school massacre in the country’s history A gunman opened fire at a school in Rio de Janeiro, killing at least 12 children, mostly girls aged between 11 and 13, in what Brazilian media described as the worst school massacre in the country’s history. Ten of the victims were shot in the head or chest by the 23-year-old gunman, who was named as Wellington Menezes de Oliveira. Another 18 people were reported to have been injured, several seriously, before Oliveira killed himself. Witnesses said Oliveira, a former student of the Tasso da Silveira school in Realengo, in western Rio, approached the school with two handguns just before 8.30am and opened fire on two boys on a nearby street. He shot one in the head and one in the arm. Oliveira is then said to have continued through the school’s metal gates and through its front door where a yellow sign reads: “Smile: you are being filmed.” Dorival Porto Rafael, a rubbish collector who was at the school, told Globo online that the gunman had walked into a class where students were studying Portuguese. “He came into the class saying he was going to give a talk. He went to an eighth-grade class, on the [ground floor], and without saying anything took out a pistol from his bag and started firing,” Rafael said. “The police arrived and he tried to go up to the next floor, but when he saw he was surrounded he shot himself in the head.” Authorities said Oliveira’s killing spree ended only because of the intervention of a military policeman who managed to shoot him in the leg before he took his own life. Crowds jeered as the killer’s body was carried out of the school and bundled into a yellow morgue van, wrapped in a black plastic bag. Brazil’s president, Dilma Rousseff, has declared three days of national mourning. Speaking at a hastily arranged press conference on the school’s tatty basketball court, the mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes, said the tragedy might have been much worse without the policeman’s intervention. “God willing, those who are still in danger will not die,” he added. Rio’s governor, Sergio Cabral, said Oliveira had been “heavily armed with two guns and a belt filled with professional ammunition”. “I believe it is our duty to … support the families of the young boys and girls killed by this psychopath, this animal,” he added. President Rousseff said: “We must unite in rejecting this act of violence … against defenceless children — children who have lost their lives and their futures.” One witness told the Guardian he had seen between 15 and 20 children dead or seriously wounded. “It is a massacre, a true massacre,” said Roni de Macedo, a firefighter who arrived on the scene shortly after the shooting began and dragged eight seriously injured children from the school. “There is blood on the walls, blood on the chairs. There are 15 to 20 dead I think,” he said, covered in blood from head to toe. “I’ve never seen anything like this. It’s like something in the United States.” Hercilei Antunes, 44, a postman who lives opposite the school and has a daughter there, said: “I saw a load of injured kids, bleeding kids. I saw a dead guy inside. I heard more than 30 shots. “I heard shots, shots, shots and more shots. I tried to go in, but he shot more and I am not made of steel,” he added. Antunes’s porch was blood-stained where he had given first aid to injured children as they fled the school. With police helicopters hovering overhead, Yvonette Fernandes wept as she looked for her 12-year-old niece, along with scores of other desperate family members. “Where is she? I want to know where she is.” Some students recounted lucky escapes. Sidcley Lopes Garcia, 13, said he had arrived late for class and was outside when he heard the first shots. “I jumped over the wall,” he said. “Lots of my friends were injured.” Another 12-year-old student stood outside the school weeping. “I thought I was going to die,” she cried. “He shot my friend. My friend is dead.” Twins Brenda and Bianca Rocha Tavares, 13, were inside the school at the time of the shooting and were both hit. Brenda died after being shot in the head, while her sister was shot in the arms and taken to hospital for surgery. “I was working when I heard about the shooting and came here,” Perla Maria dos Reis Paes, their aunt, told O Globo.”Unfortunately my niece is dead.” Brazil Tom Phillips guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Libyan rebels have been complaining in recent days about the decline in air support from NATO, but there’s a good reason for it, American and European diplomats tell the Washington Post : Moammar Gadhafi’s forces have positioned themselves in densely populated areas, and NATO doesn’t want to risk hitting civilians. “We…
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