Israel’s tanks fire across border in ‘deadly’ retaliation after teenager and driver injured in bus attack An anti-tank missile fired from the Gaza Strip has struck a school bus in southern Israel, wounding two people, including one child critically, according to Israeli officials. Israeli tanks retaliated by opening fire across the border. Palestinians said a 50-year-old man was killed and seven other people were wounded. Israel’s defence minister, Ehud Barak, ordered the army to respond quickly and said he held Hamas, which controls Gaza, responsible for the violence. There was no claim of responsibility for the attack. Israeli medical services said the bus was nearly empty after dropping off schoolchildren and was carrying only the driver and one passenger when it was hit. Paramedics tried to resuscitate a 16-year-old boy with a serious head wound at the scene. The driver was moderately wounded. TV footage showed a yellow bus with windows blown out and the rear charred. Israel usually responds with tough reprisals to Palestinian attacks. It also launched an air strike on a Hamas training facility in northern Gaza. The missile attack came hours after Israel carried out a series of air strikes against border tunnels it says are used by militants to smuggle weapons into Gaza from Egypt and carry out attacks. Israel Gaza Palestinian territories Middle East guardian.co.uk
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Israel’s tanks fire across border in ‘deadly’ retaliation after teenager and driver injured in bus attack An anti-tank missile fired from the Gaza Strip has struck a school bus in southern Israel, wounding two people, including one child critically, according to Israeli officials. Israeli tanks retaliated by opening fire across the border. Palestinians said a 50-year-old man was killed and seven other people were wounded. Israel’s defence minister, Ehud Barak, ordered the army to respond quickly and said he held Hamas, which controls Gaza, responsible for the violence. There was no claim of responsibility for the attack. Israeli medical services said the bus was nearly empty after dropping off schoolchildren and was carrying only the driver and one passenger when it was hit. Paramedics tried to resuscitate a 16-year-old boy with a serious head wound at the scene. The driver was moderately wounded. TV footage showed a yellow bus with windows blown out and the rear charred. Israel usually responds with tough reprisals to Palestinian attacks. It also launched an air strike on a Hamas training facility in northern Gaza. The missile attack came hours after Israel carried out a series of air strikes against border tunnels it says are used by militants to smuggle weapons into Gaza from Egypt and carry out attacks. Israel Gaza Palestinian territories Middle East guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Donald Trump has operatives working on an important political mission. He has people in Hawaii probing President Obama’s birth, “and they cannot believe what they’re finding,” The Donald notes ominously. Obama’s family “doesn’t know which hospital he was born in,” and “in the hospital itself, there’s no records of his…
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Former Labour environment minister pleads guilty to fraudulently claiming more than £30,000 in expenses The former Labour minister Elliot Morley faces a prison sentence after pleading guilty to dishonestly claiming more than £30,000 in parliamentary expenses relating to false mortgage claims. The former MP for Scunthorpe County admitted two charges, one of claiming interest payments on a mortgage he had already paid off, and another of claiming more in mortgage interest than he was actually paying. He was charged with two counts of false accounting under the 1968 Theft Act totalling £30,428 in relation to claims he made against his home in Winterton, near Scunthorpe. The first related to filling out 19 claims forms stating he was paying £800 a month in mortgage interest between April 2004 and February 2006, “when in fact he was paying a lesser amount”. The second related to filling out 21 claims forms for £800 per month in mortgage interest between March 2006 and November 2007, “when in fact the mortgage had been redeemed”. The former environment minister, from 2003 to 2006, and one of Labour’s most eminent voices on green issues, had publicly apologised and repaid the money, blaming “sloppy accounting”. In March 2010, a hearing at Westminster magistrates court was told he would deny the charges. Morley was sacked as Gordon Brown’s climate change adviser and suspended from the parliamentary Labour party after allegations over his expenses emerged. He announced he would step down from his seat, saying he did not want to undermine the strong position Labour had in his constituency in the runup to the general election. He had referred his claims to the parliamentary standards commissioner, John Lyon, to demonstrate there was “no intent” to overclaim. He said in his resignation statement: “I have never tried to duck responsibility for my mistake and have repaid the amount in full. I understand people’s anger over the whole issue of MPs’ expenses and their frustration. For those who condemn me I would simply ask to be allowed the opportunity to present my case.” Morley, a former teacher, was sent for trial after the supreme court in December dismissed the legal argument that the case was covered by parliamentary privilege. Together with David Chaytor, 61, the former Labour MP for Bury North, and Jim Devine, 56, former Labour MP for Livingston, he had claimed any investigation into expenses should be heard by parliament and not the criminal courts. In a statement at Westminster magistrates court in 2010, the three said they “unequivocally and steadfastly maintain their innocence of the charges against them”. Chaytor was jailed for 18 months in January after admitting to claiming £18,350 in bogus rent and IT payments. Devine, the only MP to stand trial, was convicted by a jury in February of false claims for cleaning and printing work totalling £8,385 and sentenced to 16 months in jail last week. Eric Illsley, 55, the former Labour MP for Barnsley Central, who pleaded guilty to dishonestly claiming £14,000 relating to insurance, repairs, utility bills and council tax at his second home, was jailed for a year in February Morley’s guilty plea marks an inauspicious end to a political career that saw the avid birdwatcher elevated to a ministerial post at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when Labour came to power in 1997. In this role he handled the controversies over foxhunting and EU fishing quotas, as well as the government’s response to the devastating 2001 foot-and-mouth outbreak. He was promoted to minister for the environment in 2003 and helped launch the government’s anti-coastal erosion programme. In 2005, Morley was named climate change minister and described by one newspaper as having “the most impressive green credentials of any Labour minister”, before leaving the government in a 2006 reshuffle. His case was adjourned for sentencing. MPs’ expenses House of Commons Labour Caroline Davies guardian.co.uk
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Alert for wave of up to two metres issued for area devastated by last month’s quake A 7.4 magnitude earthquake has stuck off the north-eastern coast of Japan, triggering a tsunami alert. The warning has been issued in the same area where thousands of lives were lost last month after a magnitude 9 quake and tsunami which damaged reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The Japan meteorological agency issued a warning for a wave of up to two metres in a coastal area devastated by last month’s tsunami. Officials say Thursday’s quake, which happened late at night local time, hit 25 miles under water off the coast of Miyagi prefecture. People in the area were told to “evacuate immediately” to a safe place away from the shore. Announcers on Japan’s public broadcaster NHK told coastal residents to go to higher ground away from the shore. A wave of up to half a metre was expected in neighbouring provinces. Buildings in Tokyo, more than 200 miles away, shook for about a minute. The US Geological Survey gave the preliminary magnitude as 7.4 and said the quake was off the eastern coast 60 miles from Sendai and 90 miles from Fukushima. Hundred of aftershocks have followed the 11 March quake but few have been stronger than magnitude 7. Officials at the Fukushima plant said there was no immediate sign of new problems. Japan Japan disaster Natural disasters and extreme weather guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …The first known “gay caveman” has been unearthed in a dig outside Prague, researchers believe. Archeological team members based their conclusion on the fact that the male body was interred in a ritualistic way reserved for females. “We know people from this period took funeral rites very seriously so it…
Continue reading …Two service members were killed yesterday when a fighter jet crashed in a field in central California during a training exercise. The F/A-18F Super Hornet went down a half mile from the Naval Air Station outside of Fresno. Witnesses said the $50 million aircraft disintegrated into “smoldering debris,” reports AP…
Continue reading …Spring is here, and so is a warning about favorite warm-weather footwear of the young and young-at-heart. Flip-flops can cause “serious injuries to feet, ankles, knees, hips and even our back,” warns Discovery Channel medical expert Dr. John Whyte. “Over time these injuries can lead to serious bone, tendon, and…
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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 Masters preview • Official Masters leaderboard 4.20pm: Paul Kay had to jinx Na; he’s bogeyed 11 to drop back to even par. No drama to speak of at the moment, but good to note that the aforementioned 2007 Open champion, Padraig Harrington, has birdied 5 after a steady run of pars: he’s -1. 4.15pm: Fisher nearly picks up his seventh birdie of the day on 13, a huge left to right breaker that’s this close to dropping into the hole, but dies right just in front of the cup. That was a fine stroke, though. “I see Kevin Na has moved up to fifth place at -1,” writes Paul Kay. “If he had 10 sons who were all excellent golfers the leaderboard could read like the opening of the chorus to Hey Jude.” Wasn’t that the coda? Hey Jude doesn’t really have a chorus, does it? And Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In called; they want their joke back. 4.10pm: Tiger is out and about; he’s parred the 1st. Behind him is Sergio Garcia, who manages to avoid running up a quadruple bogey on the hole, also parring the first. The only way is down. I have absolutely no expectations for Sergio these days. That way, he can’t hurt me any more. I still haven’t quite got over the 2007 Open, much as I like Harrington. Oh Sergio! 4.05pm: The much-fancied Lee Westwood is out, and his latest bid for second place has started unevenly: a bogey five on 1, followed by a birdie 4 on 2. He’s level par, but then you could have worked that out yourself. Unless you were reading the official Masters scoreboard, which is trying to be too clever for its own good with a fancy new interface offering multiple views: one that looks like the on-course scoreboards, and is therefore slightly confusing if you want facts fast, another more traditionally rendered list that crashes your PC. “What is the story with that Masters website?” splutters Evan Fanning, of this parish. “I was trying to see how Dustin Johnson was getting on before I threw my money on him but it kept crashing my computer. Stuck my money on him anyway and now found out he’s four over after seven holes and has gone from 33/1 (which I took) to 45/1. Balls.” Never mind, he’ll have only found an extravagent way to melt down around Amen Corner on Sunday anyway. If it was possible to find a route through 11, 12 and 13 like this – - he’d manage to find it. 3.50pm: Two putts for Lyle, who stays at +1. Fisher and Goosen lead on -4, after 12 and 4 holes respectively. Here’s Ian Burch on Stewie Griffin drinking soda (see preamble): “I’d be even more excited if Glenn Quagmire was caddying for Tiger this week. Giggity, giggity.” Not an hour in, and you’ve started riffing on his pain already. Can a man not get divorced after crashing into a water hydrant then apologising profusely on live television in order to keep his multi-million pound endorsements in peace? Leave him alone! 3.45pm. Brilliant from Ross Fisher, who is the boss of Amen Corner so far. After that ludicrous birdie on 11, he finds the bunker at the front of 12, just over Rae’s Creek. He’s got a hell of a chip facing him, but with not much green to work with, splashes out wonderfully, the ball rolling to three feet. He saves par. Goosen, meanwhile, has joined him in the lead on -4, having only played four holes! And here’s Sandy Lyle, now one over coming down 11. He’s in the trees, but no matter: he Mickelsons one out of the woods and down the hill, the ball working its way onto the front of the green before breaking left and rolling to 20 feet of the hole. That shot’s been met with warm appreciation by the locals, who probably know a thing or two about hacking around these woods. Imagine having to play this course! I could die happy, even if I carded 150 while doing it. 3.35pm: OK, sorry for the slow updates: technical issues a-go-go. Here’s some vital news, though, relayed by carrier pigeon: Rory McIlroy has birdied three in a row to move to three under after 4, while Fisher has raked in a 60-footer on 11 to move to -4. This is a very promising start for the Europeans already. We’ll be up and running smoothly soon, unless I smash this computer into pieces so small you could sieve them through the airholes in the fingers of a golf glove. 3.15pm: In other news, two-time US Open champions Retief Goosen has come out of the traps flying, holing his second at 1 for eagle. He’s on his own in second place behind Fisher, not that any of this really matters at the moment, a shot ahead of Brandt Snedeker, Aaron Baddeley, Hiroyuki Fujita… and, hello, Martin Laird of Scotland and Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland. Let’s hope everyone keeps this up all weekend. Anyway, it’s 3pm, the tournament is well underway – and who’s this on the leaderboard? Sandy Lyle, that’s who! He started with a bogey on the 1st,then another on the par-three 4th, but has bounced back with birdies on 6 and 8. Admittedly this only puts him at even par, with few players so far out, but whatever: he’s only three off the lead – held by Ross Fisher, who’s only parred two of his first nine holes, going out in 33 strokes – and there’s nothing you can say that makes it not so. The Masters!!! Current levels of excitement = (Open + Ryder Cup) x ( Noddy Holder announcing what season it is + Stewie Griffin drinking soda ). [DISCLAIMER: We have the right to perform a complete u-turn on this when the first players are about to tee off at Sandwich in July, or/and when Mickelson holds a 16-shot lead as he ambles round Amen Corner on Sunday whistling] Sandy Lyle’s bunker shot at 18 in 1988. Phil Mickelson’s six-iron at 13 in 2010. Tiger’s chip at 16 in 2005. Seve’s procession in 1980. Gene Sarazen’s albatross at 15 in 1935. Gary Player’s 64 to come from seven back in 1978. Sandy Lyle’s putt at 18 in 1988. Greg Norman’s collapse in 1996. Jack Nicklaus’s back-nine charge in 1986. Sandy Lyle’s little dance on the green at 18 in 1988. And we’ve only just scratched the surface. It’s the Masters, folks! 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 Masters preview • Official Masters leaderboard 4.20pm: Paul Kay had to jinx Na; he’s bogeyed 11 to drop back to even par. No drama to speak of at the moment, but good to note that the aforementioned 2007 Open champion, Padraig Harrington, has birdied 5 after a steady run of pars: he’s -1. 4.15pm: Fisher nearly picks up his seventh birdie of the day on 13, a huge left to right breaker that’s this close to dropping into the hole, but dies right just in front of the cup. That was a fine stroke, though. “I see Kevin Na has moved up to fifth place at -1,” writes Paul Kay. “If he had 10 sons who were all excellent golfers the leaderboard could read like the opening of the chorus to Hey Jude.” Wasn’t that the coda? Hey Jude doesn’t really have a chorus, does it? And Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In called; they want their joke back. 4.10pm: Tiger is out and about; he’s parred the 1st. Behind him is Sergio Garcia, who manages to avoid running up a quadruple bogey on the hole, also parring the first. The only way is down. I have absolutely no expectations for Sergio these days. That way, he can’t hurt me any more. I still haven’t quite got over the 2007 Open, much as I like Harrington. Oh Sergio! 4.05pm: The much-fancied Lee Westwood is out, and his latest bid for second place has started unevenly: a bogey five on 1, followed by a birdie 4 on 2. He’s level par, but then you could have worked that out yourself. Unless you were reading the official Masters scoreboard, which is trying to be too clever for its own good with a fancy new interface offering multiple views: one that looks like the on-course scoreboards, and is therefore slightly confusing if you want facts fast, another more traditionally rendered list that crashes your PC. “What is the story with that Masters website?” splutters Evan Fanning, of this parish. “I was trying to see how Dustin Johnson was getting on before I threw my money on him but it kept crashing my computer. Stuck my money on him anyway and now found out he’s four over after seven holes and has gone from 33/1 (which I took) to 45/1. Balls.” Never mind, he’ll have only found an extravagent way to melt down around Amen Corner on Sunday anyway. If it was possible to find a route through 11, 12 and 13 like this – - he’d manage to find it. 3.50pm: Two putts for Lyle, who stays at +1. Fisher and Goosen lead on -4, after 12 and 4 holes respectively. Here’s Ian Burch on Stewie Griffin drinking soda (see preamble): “I’d be even more excited if Glenn Quagmire was caddying for Tiger this week. Giggity, giggity.” Not an hour in, and you’ve started riffing on his pain already. Can a man not get divorced after crashing into a water hydrant then apologising profusely on live television in order to keep his multi-million pound endorsements in peace? Leave him alone! 3.45pm. Brilliant from Ross Fisher, who is the boss of Amen Corner so far. After that ludicrous birdie on 11, he finds the bunker at the front of 12, just over Rae’s Creek. He’s got a hell of a chip facing him, but with not much green to work with, splashes out wonderfully, the ball rolling to three feet. He saves par. Goosen, meanwhile, has joined him in the lead on -4, having only played four holes! And here’s Sandy Lyle, now one over coming down 11. He’s in the trees, but no matter: he Mickelsons one out of the woods and down the hill, the ball working its way onto the front of the green before breaking left and rolling to 20 feet of the hole. That shot’s been met with warm appreciation by the locals, who probably know a thing or two about hacking around these woods. Imagine having to play this course! I could die happy, even if I carded 150 while doing it. 3.35pm: OK, sorry for the slow updates: technical issues a-go-go. Here’s some vital news, though, relayed by carrier pigeon: Rory McIlroy has birdied three in a row to move to three under after 4, while Fisher has raked in a 60-footer on 11 to move to -4. This is a very promising start for the Europeans already. We’ll be up and running smoothly soon, unless I smash this computer into pieces so small you could sieve them through the airholes in the fingers of a golf glove. 3.15pm: In other news, two-time US Open champions Retief Goosen has come out of the traps flying, holing his second at 1 for eagle. He’s on his own in second place behind Fisher, not that any of this really matters at the moment, a shot ahead of Brandt Snedeker, Aaron Baddeley, Hiroyuki Fujita… and, hello, Martin Laird of Scotland and Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland. Let’s hope everyone keeps this up all weekend. Anyway, it’s 3pm, the tournament is well underway – and who’s this on the leaderboard? Sandy Lyle, that’s who! He started with a bogey on the 1st,then another on the par-three 4th, but has bounced back with birdies on 6 and 8. Admittedly this only puts him at even par, with few players so far out, but whatever: he’s only three off the lead – held by Ross Fisher, who’s only parred two of his first nine holes, going out in 33 strokes – and there’s nothing you can say that makes it not so. The Masters!!! Current levels of excitement = (Open + Ryder Cup) x ( Noddy Holder announcing what season it is + Stewie Griffin drinking soda ). [DISCLAIMER: We have the right to perform a complete u-turn on this when the first players are about to tee off at Sandwich in July, or/and when Mickelson holds a 16-shot lead as he ambles round Amen Corner on Sunday whistling] Sandy Lyle’s bunker shot at 18 in 1988. Phil Mickelson’s six-iron at 13 in 2010. Tiger’s chip at 16 in 2005. Seve’s procession in 1980. Gene Sarazen’s albatross at 15 in 1935. Gary Player’s 64 to come from seven back in 1978. Sandy Lyle’s putt at 18 in 1988. Greg Norman’s collapse in 1996. Jack Nicklaus’s back-nine charge in 1986. Sandy Lyle’s little dance on the green at 18 in 1988. And we’ve only just scratched the surface. It’s the Masters, folks! Masters 2011 The Masters Golf Scott Murray guardian.co.uk
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