First ever literary festival in the contested Indian region called off after fears of trouble Kashmir’s first ever literary festival has been cancelled following concerns from organisers that it could erupt into violence. The Harud (meaning autumn in Kashmiri) literary festival was set to be held from 24-26 September in Srinagar, focusing on local writings from Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh and hosting “significant writers from across India”. But organisers said yesterday in a statement that “with great sadness” the festival was being postponed. “With many authors voicing their concerns about possible violence during the festival due to the heightened nature of the debate, and a call for protest at the venues, we neither have the desire to be responsible for yet more unrest in the valley nor to propagate mindless violence in the name of free speech. We are therefore left with little alternative but to cancel the festival for now,” they said. Rumours had been circulating that Salman Rushdie, whose controversial novel The Satanic Verses was banned in India, was being invited to speak at the festival, provoking calls to boycott the event. But the festival said it had “neither invited nor was planning to invite” the Booker prize-winning author. Around 20 authors from Jammu and Kashmir, and 20 from other parts of India, were on the programme, it said, with sessions planned on “The Silenced Voice: Creativity and Dissent”, “Jail Diaries”, “Gulistan: The Forgotten Environment” and “Chronicles of Exile”. As well as the unrest over Rushdie, over 200 people including the acclaimed writers Mirza Waheed and Basharat Peer put their names to an open letter stating their fears that “holding such a festival would, willy-nilly, dovetail with the state’s concerted attempt to portray that all is normal in Kashmir. Even as the reality on the ground is one of utter abnormality and a state of acute militarisation and suppression of dissent, rights and freedoms”. “A literary festival, by definition, is an event that celebrates the free flow of ideas and opinions. It not only assumes a freedom from fear,” the petition says, “it demands a certain independence of mind and spirit. To hold it in a context where some basic fundamental rights are markedly absent, indeed, denied to the population, is to commit a travesty.” But Harud’s organisers said yesterday that “if those opposing the festival truly believed in free speech, they would have allowed this forum to go ahead and would come and express their dissent at the festival”. They added that they hoped to “re-energise” the festival at a future date, “when calmer sense prevails, and we are confidently able to provide a sense of security to our speakers and guests”. “Till then it is a sad day for us, and a victory for a vocal minority who feel that they alone are the doorkeepers to people’s minds and hearts,” they added. Kashmir has been the subject of dispute between India and Pakistan since it was divided between the two countries in 1947. Up to 70,000 people have died in the conflict, with a recent inquiry finding the remains of 2,156 people along the Indian side of the disputed border. Accusations of systematic human rights violations in the region have been consistently denied by Indian authorities. India Salman Rushdie Kashmir Alison Flood guardian.co.uk
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Anywhere but Westminster: Chester FC was formed by fans from the ashes of liquidated club Chester City last year. John Harris watches their clash against fellow co-op club FC United of Manchester and talks to those involved John Harris John Domokos
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Decision not to award £72m comes after Edinburgh council voted not to build tram line as far as city centre Scottish ministers are trying to force Edinburgh councillors to reverse a dramatic decision to stop building a new tram line before it reaches the city centre. In a blunt ultimatum, the city has been warned that Transport Scotland will withhold an outstanding grant of £72m towards the crisis-hit scheme unless it resurrects its plans to build the new line through the city centre at a total cost of up to £1bn. The Scottish cabinet decided on Tuesday that it could not support last Thursday’s decision, forced through in a revolt by Labour and Tory councillors, to stop the line at Haymarket , two miles short of the planned terminus in the city centre. The move is a deliberate act of brinksmanship by ministers in advance of an emergency council meeting this Friday, called by the city’s lord provost, George Grubb, in a last attempt to rescue the project. The tram line was originally due to cost less than £545m and run from the airport to Newhaven, on the city’s coast. That included £500m of government funding through Transport Scotland, of which £72m is yet to be paid. John Swinney, the Scottish finance secretary, said the decision to stop the line at Haymarket “takes the project far, far away from the original concept that ministers committed funding towards, that we’re not prepared to make that money available”. “It’s time for the council to think long and hard about where it’s going with this project,” he added. “What’s clear is the government will not be funding a project that just goes to Haymarket. It is now down to the council to come forward with new proposals which will be considered on their merits.” Thursday’s vote caused furious recriminations in the city. It split the council’s ruling Liberal Democrat and Scottish National party coalition after the SNP abstained, leading to a defeat for the Lib Dems by Labour and the Tories. The opposition parties said the additional £230m needed to build the line to the centre would saddle the city with an unacceptable level of extra debt for another 30 years and push the overall cost of the nine-mile line to £1bn. It has since emerged that stopping the line at Haymarket would cost a further £30m to build a new terminus and turning circle, and would lose money on running costs. There have been calls for the project to be scrapped altogether. Swinney’s ultimatum was welcomed by the Scottish Liberal Democrat leader, Willie Rennie, because it gave his beleaguered colleagues on Edinburgh council a much stronger case to build the longer line to St Andrew’s Square in the city centre. The warning from Swinney may also force SNP councillors to vote in favour of the scheme. The SNP has opposed the project from the start and believes a city-wide referendum should be held on its future. Rennie said: “The Scottish government decision to reject the Haymarket option is the right call. Sense seems to be breaking out all round. I hope all parties on the council will now back the profitable St Andrew’s Square scheme.” But Andrew Burns, the leader of the council’s Labour group, said: “This situation is lurching between chaos and farce, and [this] announcement risks making matter even worse. At the very time the Scottish government needs to be constructive, they have decided to try and sabotage the whole project. “John Swinney could have averted the present crisis by ordering his SNP councillors to do what he is now demanding. Instead we have the ludicrous situation of an SNP government doing one thing and an SNP council doing another, but both doing it incompetently.” Scotland Scottish politics Edinburgh Severin Carrell guardian.co.uk
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Lee Platt, 28, pleads guilty to blackmail and handling stolen goods after phone containing family photos went missing A man has pleaded guilty to blackmailing Coleen Rooney, the wife of the Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney. Lee Platt, 28, admitted blackmail during an appearance at Manchester crown court on Tuesday. Platt, from Manchester, also pleaded guilty to a charge of handling stolen goods. He was arrested after Coleen Rooney lost her mobile phone during a concert at the MEN Arena in May. The phone apparently contained family snaps of the couple’s son, who cannot be identified as a section 39 order was made by a judge preventing his identification. She was later contacted with a demand for money to have the phone returned. Instead of paying up, she contacted police. Two other co-defendants, Jennifer Green, 25, and Steven Malcolm, 42, also from Manchester, deny the same charges. Platt will be sentenced at Manchester crown court at a later date. Crime Wayne Rooney Manchester Helen Carter guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …The engineers at Cornell University’s Creative Machines Lab wanted to know what a conversation between two “chatbots” would be like. So they hooked up “Cleverbot” to itself and the following, somewhat testy, exchange took place: (Via Business Insider)
Continue reading …The father of Leiby Kletzky has filed a $100 million lawsuit against the man who has admitted kidnapping, murdering, and butchering his 8-year-old son. “The acts are horrific and horrendous and the level of damages should reflect what those acts were,” Kletzky’s lawyer tells the New York Daily News . “This…
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• Alstom, maker of Virgin’s Pendolino, withdraws from process • Hopes raised that UK-based manufacturer will win contract • Tendering process tweaked after Derby job losses The French manufacturer of the Virgin Trains Pendolino fleet has pulled out of the bidding to make carriages for the £16bn Crossrail project. Alstom announced its withdrawal after Crossrail raised hopes that a UK-based manufacturer will secure the next major British trains contract by confirming that the outcome of a government procurement review will be included in the tender. The review was set up after Siemens of Germany was selected as preferred bidder for the £1.4bn Thameslink contract , knocking Bombardier’s Derby-based factory into second place and precipitating the loss of more than 1,400 jobs. An Alstom spokesperson said: “After analysis of the requirements for the new rolling stock for the Crossrail project, Alstom has decided to withdraw from the competition.” The withdrawal leaves a four-strong shortlist for the contract, comprised of Canadian engineering giant Bombardier, Spanish firm CAF, Hitachi and Siemens. However, the winner of the Thameslink contract for 1,200 carriages is considered by industry insiders to be the favourite for Crossrail because of the expected similarities between the trains. Alstom bolstered that view in its statement, in which it said Crossrail was seeking lower spending on developing a new train for the route, which will run from west London via Heathrow airport to the east of the capital via Canary Wharf. “We consider that the necessary adaptation of our existing products in service in other countries is incompatible with both Alstom’s strategy for profitable growth and Crossrail’s requirement for minimal development costs,” said Alstom. Under changes to the Crossrail contract announced on Tuesday morning, the government-backed project said the award of the contract would be pushed back from late 2013 to 2014 in order to save costs, while also allowing the procurement review to be factored in. David Cameron and the Department for Transport are adamant that they will not install Bombardier as preferred bidder for Thameslink, arguing that it would trigger a legal dispute and cause delays to the delivery of the trains. Maria Eagle, the shadow transport secretary, said: “The truth is that the delay to the project has nothing to do with improving procurement at all. If ministers are now saying it’s possible to review the Crossrail contract, they must explain why they have cost British jobs by refusing to do the same for the new Thameslink trains as Labour has repeatedly demanded.” Bob Crow, general secretary of the RMT trade union, said the Crossrail contract must follow France and Germany’s example and protect UK jobs. “We want the government to send out a clear message to bidders for the Crossrail fleet that this contract will be played under the same rules that apply in France and Germany where protection of domestic jobs and industries is a core factor in the procurement process. If that forces companies like Alstom out of the game then so be it.” Travel & leisure Manufacturing sector Rail transport Transport Crossrail Bombardier Transport policy Dan Milmo guardian.co.uk
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Communities may lose ability to influence decision-making as planning is streamlined in favour of developers, green groups say A planning free-for-all leading to blighted landscapes, urban sprawl, more congestion and an undermining of local democracy is inevitable if the government insists on pushing ahead with proposals for new rules, say the UK’s leading green groups. The National Trust, Campaign to Protect Rural England, Friends of the Earth, RSPB, Greenpeace and other countryside and environment organisations with a combined membership of more than 6 million people, have told the Guardian that they fear communities will lose the ability to influence decision-making as planning is streamlined in favour of developers and as economic growth is prioritised over social and environmental concerns. In addition, one prominent Conservative council has said the proposed changes contained in the contained in the draft National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) will be “undemocratic” and “against the principle of localism”. The fight against the proposed planning rules comes from groups at the heart of middle England and is shaping up to become a major political battleground for David Cameron. Many of the groups were part of the coalition who forced the government into a U-turn on selling off English forests this year. According to the groups, who are working individually and not as a coalition, the most radical reforms of the planning system in 50 years will allow developers to build what they like where they like in the 66% of England that is not formally protected by national park, or other conservation status. The groups say the changes in the planning law may lead to: • Previously refused plans for major developments being re-submitted and automatically passed; • Plans for giant incinerators and factory farms becoming impossible to refuse; • Overcrowding as the space between communities is filled with housing; • Green belt protection around more than 20 English cities becoming weakened; • Airport expansions, new roads and giant business parks on motorways; • Polluting developments imposed on poorest communities. Existing conservation areas will retain protection measures, but nearly two-thirds of England is not protected. In addition, planning approval will be assumed in the nearly 50% of local authorities that have no published local plans. A crucial clause in the draft bill provides a presumption in favour of “sustainable development” over all other considerations. The way it is worded is said by the groups to be so weak to be legally meaningless. Fiona Reynolds, director of the 3.5-million strong National Trust called for a fundamental rethink of the reforms. “We firmly believe that the government has got its proposals for planning reform wrong. We are hearing the same from our supporters and local communities the length and breadth of the country. The government is disregarding the impact that these proposals will have on open space in and around our cities, towns and villages. There is a default ‘yes’ to development which means that local voices will not be heard”. “The risk is that there will be a development free-for-all in all unprotected areas in the mistaken belief that it will generate economic growth. The message for local authorities is build, build, build,” said Shaun Spiers, director of the CPRE. Martin Harper, RSPB conservation director, said: “The planning system is there to represent the interests of the public in the face of complex decisions, and it will fail us all if one factor – economic growth – is set higher than any other.” Joan Walley MP, who chairs parliament’s environmental audit committee , which will question ministers over the changes next month, said: “Stripping the planning system of safeguards that protect the green spaces around our cities, towns and villages is not the answer. The government must be careful that in the rush for growth it doesn’t end up vandalising the countryside.” Greg Clark, planning minister, vigorously defended the proposed reforms, saying communities could draw up their own plans about where development should take place and would be strengthened rather than weakened by the changes. “The reaction of these groups has been unfocused and misconceived. Decisions on development will be made by local communities. Their plans will be sovereign. This puts more power into the hands of local people, not less,” he said. “I believe we will see a different type of development. Rather than huge, banal [ones] imposed from above, you will have more sensitive location of homes designed to higher standards. We will move from types of mediocre development that have been resisted by communities to developments that are more accountable.” But in a signal that Tory councils may react in a hostile way to the removal of many of their planning powers, Hammersmith and Fulham council said the planning proposals would damage local democracy. “To change planning law so that important decisions are not made at local level is anti-democratic, against the principles of localism”, said deputy leader Nick Botterill. Fulham and other London councils say that they will have no power under the new laws to stop a major London sewer being built. “These proposals risk riding roughshod over local democracy. It could take decision-making away from councils. There is a real risk of developers being able to manipulate the [planning] system in their favour. It opens a barn door for them,” said Kate Henderson, director of the Town and Country Planning Association. Not all groups oppose the new planning rules though. Harry Cotterell, deputy president of the Country Land and Business Association said that sustainable development was necessary for economic growth. “The planning system is currently failing to provide either the jobs or housing the countryside desperately needs for its survival. The draft NPPF provides a streamlined and less bureaucratic way of achieving economic and social success, while at the same time protecting the needs of the environment.” Liz Peace, head of the British Property Federation said: “The NPPF simply streamlines the old system, and gives democratically elected councils, rather than unelected regional quangos, the responsibility of deciding how much development is needed in their communities. What is needed is a sensible debate.” Planning policy Rural affairs RSPB Greenpeace Activism Local government John Vidal guardian.co.uk
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Scotland Yard wants to obtain footage filmed during the riots that ‘could show crime in action’ Newspapers and broadcasters, including Sky News and the Guardian, have come under pressure from the Metropolitan police to hand over all videos and pictures related to the London riots earlier this month. ITN, which produces ITV News and Channel 4 News, the Times and also the BBC are among the media organisations resisting efforts by Scotland Yard to obtain footage filmed during the riots that “could show crime in action”. The demands follow David Cameron’s call for the media to take ” responsibility ” and immediately release all material to help police track down and punish suspected rioters and looters. Police forces, including West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester police, began to informally approach media groups a fortnight ago, urging them to voluntarily disclose all footage – used or unused – of civil unrest during the England riots. The Met police has sent follow-up requests to several newspapers and broadcasters. Scotland Yard said it would obtain a court order to force the disclosure if the media did not volunteer material. Each of the media groups said they would fiercely resist the demands to avoid being seen as an evidence-gathering arm of the police. However, the media will be forced to hand over unused material if issued with a production order under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. Under Pace, the judge is supposed to weigh the interest of the police in obtaining evidence with the public interest in a free press. Hundreds of police officers are working through about 40,000 hours of CCTV footage in stations across the country. In London, Met officers are believed to be studying more than 20,000 hours of video at 30 viewing facilities. A spokesman for the Met said: “The police are identifying people through pictures, CCTV and through the media to ensure that people are brought to justice. We would ask the media to work with the police to ensure that happens.” Fran Unsworth, the BBC’s head of newsgathering, said a fortnight ago that the corporation would face down requests to hand over footage without a court order. “It’s a matter of principle for us, we don’t just hand over our rushes [raw footage] to the police without them going through a proper process which is via the courts,” she said in an interview on BBC Radio 4′s Media Show . “It doesn’t really matter what the nature of the offences are – if we went down that road of making judgments of the nature of the offences, that would compromise our editorial standards.” A spokesman for the BBC said on Tuesday: “We have standard processes in place to deal with requests from the police through our litigation department, regardless of the subject matter. Any request would need to be dealt with by the courts.” • To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email editor@mediaguardian.co.uk or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly “for publication”. • To get the latest media news to your desktop or mobile, follow MediaGuardian on Twitter and Facebook . TV news UK riots Television industry ITN BBC Newspapers Newspapers & magazines Media law Josh Halliday guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Dominique Strauss-Kahn received a warm welcome on a farewell visit to International Monetary Fund headquarters in Washington DC yesterday. Hundreds of staffers packed into an auditorium to hear the former IMF chief speak, Reuters reports. ” He is very much appreciated in the institution,” Brazil’s representative on the IMF’s 24-member executive…
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