Combine a moody chef angrily defying every health rule on the books, a cholesterol fest of cheese and fatty meats, and a disgusting eat-a-thon of greasy concoctions. What do you have? A YouTube hit series, of course. Bad boy chef Harley Morenstein hurls packages of bacon and ham into his…
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At least 35 killed and hundreds wounded in capital of Sana’a after government troops and loyalists open fire on marchers At least 35 people have been shot dead and hundreds wounded in Sana’a after soldiers and plain-clothed government loyalists opened fired on protesters trying to march through the Yemeni capital. The death toll, which is expected to rise, is the highest seen in more than a month of violence in Yemen, with protesters demanding that President Ali Abdullah Saleh step down. The protest on Friday had started peacefully. Tens of thousands filled a mile-long stretch of road by Sana’a University for a prayer ceremony mourning the loss of seven protesters killed in similar violence last weekend. As the prayers came to an end, however, the sight of black smoke from a burning car caught the attention of protesters, who began surging towards it. Witnesses say the first shots were fired by security forces trying to disperse the protesters and they were joined by plain-clothed men who fired on the demonstrators with Kalashnikovs from the roofs of nearby houses. A nearby mosque was transformed into a chaotic makeshift hospital for injured protesters. The wounded, most of them men in their early 20s, were suffering from the effects of teargas and bullet wounds, many having been shot in the chest. The dead were carried into the mosque’s main prayer room and laid out in a line with miniature Qur’ans on their chests. “They shot people in the back of the head as they were running away,” said Mohammed al-Jamil, an Indian doctor treating the wounded. “Whoever did this wanted these people to die.” Children were also caught up in the violence. “My brother is twelve years old, they shot him twice, once in the arm and once in the leg,” shouted a young man through a crackling microphone to a roaring crowd of thousands outside the mosque. “Saleh would rather shoot us all before stepping down.” Until now government forces have largely used water cannons, rubber bullets and teargas to disperse anti-regime rallies, but live rounds were fired on Friday in what appears be the beginning of an increasingly violent crackdown on protesters. Anti-government demonstrations were held in other cities, including Taiz, Ibb, Hodeidah, Aden and Amran, following Friday prayers at midday. Yemen, the youngest and poorest country in the Arab world, has been hit by weeks of protests set in motion by uprisings in north Africa that toppled long-serving leaders in Tunisia and Egypt and spread to the Gulf states of Bahrain, Oman and Saudi Arabia. Saleh has maintained a firm grip on power for more than three decades and has rejected calls for him to step down, saying he will only do so when his current term of office expires in 2013. Yemen Arab and Middle East protests Middle East guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is launching a comprehensive review of all 104 reactors in America. Other countries, including China, are taking similar steps as the Japan nuclear crisis unfolds. President Obama called for the review yesterday as he assured Americans that they are unlikely to face harmful radiation from the…
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Education secretary Michael Gove considers fast-track plan Michael Gove is considering plans to allow the brightest pupils to skip GCSEs and start studying for A-levels at 14. The education secretary wants to encourage schools to fast-track their cleverest students on to the most taxing courses as soon as they are ready. At the moment a school would fall down the league tables if some of its brightest pupils did not take GCSEs. Gove is in discussions about introducing a new qualification – an advanced baccalaureate – for pupils who are bright enough to bypass GCSEs and start their A-level courses early. League tables would measure the number of pupils taking this qualification, which would require the equivalent of at least a grade C in English literature, biology, chemistry and physics. A Department for Education source is reported in the Times Educational Supplement as stating that England should look to copy Singapore, where about a fifth of pupils take A-levels without having sat GCSEs or their equivalents. “We are considering much greater freedom for schools to accelerate bright kids past GCSEs to do either A-levels or pre-Us [an alternative to A-levels] and introducing league table measures that capture that and reward schools for it, not penalise them,” the source said. “We want a league table system that doesn’t disincentivise schools from doing what they think is in the best interests of the kid. If, for example, you said a group of pupils in the top set in maths were going to skip GCSE and go straight to AS-level [the first year of A-levels], then we want to make it clear that they have done a great job. At the moment, they would all score zero.” The Department for Education confirmed that ministers were considering the idea. Schools could be measured on the advanced baccalaureate as early as next year. Stephen Gorard, professor of education at Birmingham University, said ministers should be careful not to create friendship problems for the cleverest pupils. “There is nothing more tedious than being held back when you can easily do the work you are set, but we have to think about the effect this might have on pupils. How many children are going to be bypassing GCSEs in any one school and are they going to be able to mix with their age group or with older children?” Chris Howard, headteacher of Lewis School, Pengam, south Wales, and immediate past president of the National Association of Head Teachers, said GCSEs were an “unnecessary staging post” and that students should just be tested at 18. “Teaching unions have argued for many years that GCSEs have become an ineffective benchmark and a barrier to progress. The general gist of these plans are correct.” He said there may be problems implementing them in schools. “Some schools will wonder how they can get around the fact that some courses are going to be regarded with higher esteem than others, but I think that many will say they can get over that.” Teachers have criticised Gove for assessing pupils’ performance according to the proportion who obtain GCSEs in English, maths, a science, a foreign language and a humanity, such as history or geography, at grade C or above. Gove retrospectively introduced what is now known as the English baccalaureate into this year’s league tables. Education policy GCSEs Schools A-levels Jessica Shepherd guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Education secretary Michael Gove considers fast-track plan Michael Gove is considering plans to allow the brightest pupils to skip GCSEs and start studying for A-levels at 14. The education secretary wants to encourage schools to fast-track their cleverest students on to the most taxing courses as soon as they are ready. At the moment a school would fall down the league tables if some of its brightest pupils did not take GCSEs. Gove is in discussions about introducing a new qualification – an advanced baccalaureate – for pupils who are bright enough to bypass GCSEs and start their A-level courses early. League tables would measure the number of pupils taking this qualification, which would require the equivalent of at least a grade C in English literature, biology, chemistry and physics. A Department for Education source is reported in the Times Educational Supplement as stating that England should look to copy Singapore, where about a fifth of pupils take A-levels without having sat GCSEs or their equivalents. “We are considering much greater freedom for schools to accelerate bright kids past GCSEs to do either A-levels or pre-Us [an alternative to A-levels] and introducing league table measures that capture that and reward schools for it, not penalise them,” the source said. “We want a league table system that doesn’t disincentivise schools from doing what they think is in the best interests of the kid. If, for example, you said a group of pupils in the top set in maths were going to skip GCSE and go straight to AS-level [the first year of A-levels], then we want to make it clear that they have done a great job. At the moment, they would all score zero.” The Department for Education confirmed that ministers were considering the idea. Schools could be measured on the advanced baccalaureate as early as next year. Stephen Gorard, professor of education at Birmingham University, said ministers should be careful not to create friendship problems for the cleverest pupils. “There is nothing more tedious than being held back when you can easily do the work you are set, but we have to think about the effect this might have on pupils. How many children are going to be bypassing GCSEs in any one school and are they going to be able to mix with their age group or with older children?” Chris Howard, headteacher of Lewis School, Pengam, south Wales, and immediate past president of the National Association of Head Teachers, said GCSEs were an “unnecessary staging post” and that students should just be tested at 18. “Teaching unions have argued for many years that GCSEs have become an ineffective benchmark and a barrier to progress. The general gist of these plans are correct.” He said there may be problems implementing them in schools. “Some schools will wonder how they can get around the fact that some courses are going to be regarded with higher esteem than others, but I think that many will say they can get over that.” Teachers have criticised Gove for assessing pupils’ performance according to the proportion who obtain GCSEs in English, maths, a science, a foreign language and a humanity, such as history or geography, at grade C or above. Gove retrospectively introduced what is now known as the English baccalaureate into this year’s league tables. Education policy GCSEs Schools A-levels Jessica Shepherd guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …As Libyan rebels cheered the United Nations’ last-minute approval of a no-fly zone , Moammar Gadhafi’s forces decided the promised offensive against Benghazi was off. “We will chase the traitors from Benghazi,” the dictator had told his troops earlier. “Destroy their fortifications. Show them no mercy.” Gadhafi’s son Saadi, commander of…
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What are your favourite funny bits from Red Nose day? We start you off with our most memorable 10 Tonight Comic Relief will take over BBC1 for another night of sketches, boybands, special one-off episodes, hastily written scripts, “Davina McCall holding the hand of an African boy while crouching down and saying a phone number ” and over-sized cheques. Last time around the charitython raised £82m for initiatives and projects to help vulnerable people in the UK and around the world – enough to gladden even the hearts of those currently being bullied into “doing something funny for money” in the office when they’d rather be “avoiding eye contact with their colleagues for money”. So over 23 years Red Nose day has brought us plenty of memorable moments and helped a great many people. Here are our favourite 10. Which have we missed? Add your funniest moments in the comments (and while you’re laughing, don’t forget to donate ). Wayne and Waynetta Slob (1997) Funniest bit: Waynetta’s revelation that Jonathan Ross has made her “quite wet”. Ricky Gervais’s fake trip to Kenya (2007) Funniest bit: Stephen Merchant asking if he could join in too. Smithy meets the England team (2009) Funniest bit: Advice to Crouchy to “let the Robot fear you”. Lying to Michael Jackson (2003) Funniest bit: Jacko’s spending spree in the “exquisite shop”. Tony Ferrino and Björk (1997) Funniest bit: The line “the memory still lingers/you cooking the kids’ fish fingers”. The Prime Minister meets Catherine Tate (2007) Funniest bit: “Lauren? Am I bothered?” Ali G meets Posh and Becks (2001) Funniest bit: “Is your little boy starting to put sentences together?” Alan Partridge and Peter Kay at the boxing gym (2001) Funniest bit: Those tight red shorts. French and Saunders talk sex (1988) Funniest bit: “Have you ever seen a man’s toilet parts?” Ted and Ralph meet Robbie Williams (2001) Funniest bit: Ralph’s awkward introduction: “I’m Ralph the loner, er, the owner.” Comic Relief Comedy Entertainment Television BBC Johnny Dee guardian.co.uk
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Suspicious package forces terminal to close for an hour while bomb disposal experts investigate Edinburgh airport was evacuated and its access roads closed after a suspicious package was found in the main terminal building, although no flights were disrupted. A tweet sent by the airport’s operator, BAA, at 11.30am on Friday said: “We’re closed until 3pm due to an ongoing incident. Please do not travel to the airport as the roads are closed. We’ll update when we can.” Passengers and staff were evacuated from the terminal building while police and bomb disposal experts investigated. The package was declared safe and the airport reopened fully at about 12.30pm. A spokeswoman for Lothian and Borders police said: “The package has been examined and deemed safe and everybody has been stood down.” Edinburgh Transport Scotland Severin Carrell guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Relax, folks: Radiation is actually good for you. That’s the word from right-wing rocket scientist Ann Coulter, who insists to Bill O’Reiily that a “growing body of evidence” reveals that radiation in excess of safe maximum exposure levels set by the federal government “is actually good for you and reduce…
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Missing chef’s murderer may already have spoken to police, says head of inquiry team as father appeals to killer’s conscience Police and relatives have made a new attempt to increase pressure on the presumed killer of Claudia Lawrence, the university chef who disappeared two years ago. The murder inquiry has been scaled down after repeated frustrations over the fate of the 37-year-old, but detectives believe their quarry may retain links with York, where she vanished on her usual walk to work, and could be among hundreds of people already interviewed. The head of the investigation, Detective Superintendent Ray Galloway, said on Friday that there was “a real potential” that he and his team might have spoken to the killer. The North Yorkshire force believes that Lawrence’s “complex and mysterious” connections to a number of male friends hold the answer to the riddle. “I have a knowledge and understanding and context of Claudia’s life and her relationships,” said Galloway. “I just need somebody to make sense of elements of that information. There are certain people in particular that I need further information about.” Suggestions that some of these may be married men unwilling to give information about any friendship with Lawrence have been part of the inquiry’s frustrations. But Galloway said he was encouraged by unflagging public interest in the case. “I think about the investigation day in, day out. I think people expect me to continue working on it, on behalf of Claudia’s family and the wider community,” he said. “Until Claudia’s killer is brought to justice there is a danger and we need to resolve it.” The original inquiry team is no longer working full-time on the case but Galloway said officers could be recalled at short notice to deal with fresh developments. Meanwhile, Lawrence’s father appealed to the conscience of both the presumed killer and anyone who might be shielding them. Speaking at the University of York, where Lawrence failed to arrive at her college kitchen on 19 March 2009, after being seen the previous evening close to her home in the suburb of Heworth, Peter Lawrence said the family was “distraught” at the continuing failure to resolve the case. “I have said continuously throughout the past two years there is someone out there who does know what happened to Claudia,” he said. “There’s someone who knows a member of their family or a neighbour or a workmate or a friend who they know has some information about Claudia’s disappearance. “If they have any conscience at all, they must come forward. They must know what we are going through and we really do need to be put out of this anguish which has plagued the family for the past two years.” Lawrence’s mother, Joan, who is divorced from Peter Lawrence, said this week that she believed her daughter was alive, and dismissed talk of multiple boyfriends as “not the Claudia I know”. Galloway said that if Claudia walked through the door it would be “the best birthday present ever” but admitted that finding her alive was unlikely. Crime Martin Wainwright guardian.co.uk
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