Passenger groups, environmental lobbyists and unions predict average fares will rise four times faster than wages in 2012 Hitting rail commuters with a swath of double digit rail fare increases will carry “economic and political consequences” for the government, campaigners have warned on the eve of inflation figures that will mean some tickets rise by 13%. Millions of rail passengers will get an indication of the fare increases due in January when the inflation rate that sets annual price rises is published on Tuesday. Under the government’s austerity drive, from next year season tickets will rise by the rate of retail price index inflation plus 3% until 2014, with room for a further 5% increase on some services. With the RPI due to hit 5% next week, commuters face a 13% increase on certain routes – to the dismay of passenger groups, environmental lobbyists and trade unions. “It will be a straw that breaks the camel’s back,” said Stephen Joseph, chief executive of the Campaign for Better Transport (CBT), which has warned that average fares will rise four times faster than wages in January. “There are both economic and political consequences for this. For some people in the London labour market and some cities outside of London, this will be a big chunk of money. “If you look at places where there is a large number of rail commuters, there is a significant number of marginal seats. Those are precisely the places that will be affected by eye-watering rail fare rises.” The Department for Transport has confirmed that it will retain the so-called flex system, which allows rail companies to average out fare increases across a basket of tickets instead of applying uniform price increases. Under this framework, a further 5% can be added to the RPI + 3% hike on certain fares, provided that the total increase within that batch of fares is in line with the official limit. This means that an annual season ticket from Bournemouth to London, currently £5,424, could rise by £705 to £6,129. Increases could be even higher on fares that are not capped, such as advanced purchase fares. Train operators, who levy the fare increases and are often a lightning rod for passenger ire over ticket prices, will pass on the increased revenue to the government and are keen to emphasise that they are only following DfT policy. “Increasing the money raised from fares will mean that taxpayers contribute less to the running of the railways, whilst ensuring that vital investment can continue,” said David Mapp, commercial director at the Association of Train Operating Companies. The government spends around £4.6bn a year on the railways with the farepayer contributing £6.2bn, a gap the DfT wants to widen after setting a target to reduce industry costs by a further £1bn by the end of the decade. Theresa Villiers, the rail minister, ruled out scrapping the flex system, which had been dropped in the final year of the Labour government. “The scale of the deficit means that the government has had to take some very difficult decisions on future rail fares but the long term solution is to get the cost of running the railways down. That way we can get a better deal for passengers and taxpayers. We are determined to do this and if we succeed, we hope to see the end of above inflation rises in regulated fares,” she said. Nonetheless, a concerted campaign against the rises has already begun. The environmental group Climate Rush will join CBT, unions and the shadow spokeswoman for transport, Maria Eagle, at Waterloo station, in London, tomorrow to protest against the increases. According to CBT, fares will rise by an average of 8% – four times more than the average wage rise. Eagle said: “For many, the cost of getting to work is now the biggest single item in the monthly budget, bigger even than rent or mortgage payments. These fare rises are the direct consequence of the decision to cut too far and too fast, meaning commuters are having to pay more to plug the hole in the transport budget.” Despite warnings that inflation-busting hikes will dent demand for rail travel, journeys on the network rose by 6.9% last year to 1.32bn. Inflation fell modestly in June, to 5% on the RPI measure, as hard-pressed retailers slashed the price of electronics goods such as televisions. City analysts expect a similar reading for July, with average earnings growing at less than half that pace, many households are already enduring a painful squeeze on their living standards. High oil prices, January’s increase in VAT and the weakness of the pound, which pushes up the cost of imports, have all boosted prices. CPI inflation, the measure targeted by the Bank of England, is expected to be above 4%, for most of this year. Sir Mervyn King will be forced to write to George Osborne this week to explain why inflation remains more than half a percentage point above the government’s 2% target. Rail transport Transport Transport policy George Osborne Inflation Mervyn King Bank of England Dan Milmo Heather Stewart guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Less than a year after Fidel Castro apologized for Cuba’s history of gay persecution, Cuba has had its first gay marriage … kind of. Gay marriage remains illegal in Cuba, but yesterday saw the wedding of a gay man and transsexual woman, reports the AP —the bride, Wendy Iriepa, is now…
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Save the Children says it has placed record numbers of Somali children with foster families in recent months Some parents fleeing conflict and famine in Somalia are abandoning their babies after arriving at the vast refugee complex at Dadaab, Kenya, a charity has said . Save the Children said it had placed record numbers of unaccompanied children with foster families in recent months, including a small number of babies abandoned by their families after arriving at the camps. Staff say it is unclear why the babies were left, but they believe it is probably a result of the desperation felt by parents who have often walked for weeks without food, water or shelter. Nasib, a two-month old infant, was found on a roadside by a woman who took him to a police station. The woman was asked by police to care for the child while they investigated the case. Another baby, Naifin, was left in the home of a registered refugee by his mother who had just arrived from Somalia. She had asked to stay overnight after arriving at the camp, but fled before dawn, leaving her child behind. Both families are being supported by Save the Children’s child protection team in Dadaab. “We can only imagine the levels of desperation driving parents to abandon tiny babies in this way,” said Prasant Naik, the charity’s Kenya country director. “After walking from Somalia without food and water, it is clear that some parents feel that they cannot care for their children any more, despite having reached help.” Child protection staff also report a sharp increase in the number of children coming from Somalia without their families. In July, Save the Children helped 80 unaccompanied children who arrived at the camp, up from a monthly average of 22 in 2010. Children separated from their parents face the risk of sexual abuse, forced labour and being caught up in violence, the charity said. They are also more vulnerable to malnutrition and disease. About 1,400 Somalis arrive every day at Dadaab, the world’s biggest refugee complex , pushing the number of recorded refugees beyond 400,000. The flow of Somalis across the border is expected to continue in the coming months. Famine has been declared in five regions of Somalia, and aid is arriving only slowly because of logistical challenges and restrictions imposed by the al-Shabab insurgents who control some of the worst-hit areas. Many of the refugees are arriving in poor shape, with many children suffering from malnutrition. The three Dabaab camps – Dagahaley, Ifo and Hagadera – were originally set up 20 years ago when Somalis first started fleeing drought and war. They were designed for 90,000 people, but the population quickly grew as Somalia descended into a failed state. The UN office for humanitarian affairs (OCHA) has warned that the famine is likely to get worse in the coming weeks. The number of acutely malnourished children in Somalia, currently standing at 390,000, could double within the next year. Somalia Kenya Africa Famine Refugees Mark Tran guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Tomorrow at 5pm in San Francisco’s Civic Center Station. Wear red. That’s the protest plan announced yesterday by hacker group Anonymous, in retaliation for the transit authority turning off cell phone service last Thursday to stop another protest, reports the San Francisco Chronicle . “In the Bay Area, we’ve seen people…
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Star of more than 100 films passes away from kidney failure aged 79 The Indian actor Shammi Kapoor has died aged 79. His doctor, Bhupendra Gandhi, said Kapoor was admitted to Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital two days ago in critical condition. He was on dialysis and died on Sunday of kidney failure. Kapoor, one of Bollywood’s Kapoor acting dynasty – his brothers Raj and Shashi were also successful actors, and his father, Prithviraj , was a theatre personality of the 1950s – was best known for his light-hearted roles. Shammi Kapoor made his debut in Bollywood in 1953 and appeared in over 100 films including Junglee and Professor. He also appeared in “Brahmchari” and “Janwar.” He is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter. Bollywood India guardian.co.uk
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Defence chiefs look to raise cash, selling SAS watches and armoured cars, aircraft carriers and kilts Good news for aspiring 007s: a whole raft of spy gear, including luxury watches, desert warfare camouflage jackets and the odd armoured vehicle is now available at knockdown prices as the Ministry of Defence tries to offload non-vital equipment and plug a hole in its budget. A range of expensive watches – some originally costing up to £5,000 – as well as an array of other items, from ships to Scottish military kilts, have been put on sale as the Mod tries to recoup a little money. Items for sale on the Defence Equipment & Sales website include a ladies Crystal Dior watch “set with 48 diamonds 0.24 carat, black lacquered dial, black rubber strap set with black sapphire crystal”, worth £4,000, a Raymond Weil Tango men’s watch with “Stainless steel case, black dial with red accented hands, luminous Arabic numbers, sapphire crystal glass”, that would normally retail at £1,000, and a men’s Maurice Lacroix three-dial chronograph watch with “Sapphire crystal scratch resistant glass, white square dial with luminous hands”, worth around £5,000. The watches are likely to have been bought for SAS and defence intelligence operatives working in overseas embassies to help them blend in at events attended by dignitaries and diplomats. But there are other less expensive, and more offbeat, items on offer at the unusual jumble sale. A mobile hydration system is a snip at £22.50, while new combat jackets ordered for the SAS can be had for £30, despite originally costing £350. Other items include ships’ mattresses, a portable dentist’s chair and impervious membrane for foot-and-mouth protection – originally costing £550, but on sale at £17.99. For those with a penchant for fancy dress, Scottish regimental parade socks (£15), can be teamed with military kilts (£30). Would-be soldiers can purchase army-issue grey braces for £7 or a jaunty bush hat for £10. There are some rather larger items on offer. The HMS Ark Royal is expected to be auctioned for around £3m, despite costing £200m, while Saxon armoured vehicles – the model used in Baghdad, which originally cost £85,000 – are going for £3,000. Some question the wisdom of the firesale. Conservative MP Patrick Mercer, a former infantry commander, called the move short-sighted: “The one thing of which you can be certain is that once precious defence equipment is sold, it will be needed again within the week.” He told the Mail on Sunday: “It is like selling the family silver. These goods have cost us millions and now they are being sold for peanuts. That cannot be right.” The MoD: “We are committed to delivering the best possible return for the taxpayer when disposing of surplus equipment. Last year alone the Disposal Services Authority (part of Defence Equipment and Support) secured £84m from sales.” Defence policy Ministry of Defence James Bond Alexandra Topping guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Afghan governor shoots at attacker in Taliban raid on government compound
August 14, 2011 No Comment
Provincial governor takes gun from bodyguard and fires as last surviving attacker approached after 18 people killed in raid A machine gun-wielding provincial governor took part in tackling a team of Taliban suicide bombers on Sunday when insurgents launched another brazen attack on a government facility in Afghanistan. Officials said 18 people were killed, including three policemen and 10 local government workers, and 35 were wounded, some badly enough that they had to be transported to Kabul for treatment. A Taliban spokesman claimed credit for the violence in Charikar, a city where they had made barely any inroads in the last 10 years. Abdul Basir Salangi, governor of Parwan, had been in his office holding a meeting with the province’s police chief and Nato foreign advisers when the six-man insurgent squad drove up to the compound in a Toyota Corolla. Various witnesses said one insurgent detonated a suicide device at a secured gate, allowing the rest of the group to enter the compound firing guns. Other members of the squad were killed inside the compound, but a final survivor got close to the governor. Salangi, a former guerrilla commander who fought as an insurgent himself back in the 1980s, took a weapon from his bodyguard and fired at the attacker. “The second attacker was shot in the corridor of the office by a policeman, and then three more were also killed inside the building,” said Sher Ahmad Malatbani, the police chief. He said the final attacker was 15 metres away when he was shot before he could detonate his explosives. Salangi, a close ally of Hamid Karzai, survived another assassination attempt earlier this month. The Afghan president condemned the latest attack and scolded “the enemies of Afghanistan” for killing civilians “even in the holy month of Ramadan”. There has been little support for the insurgency in the agricultural plains north of Kabul but the Taliban and allied groups have much to gain from sowing fear there. Charikar straddles a vital road that links Afghanistan to its Central Asian neighbours. Engineer Zalmai, a local elder whose hand was damaged by bomb shrapnel, said the authorities must find out quickly whether the insurgents had received any local support and, if so, why. “There are two problems that anger people: the joblessness and the fact that officials here are all appointed because whoever is appointed to the local administration only hires people who are their friends or relatives,” he said. The Taliban is waging a concerted effort to kill many leading Afghan officials, including some of Karzai’s most important allies. In recent months suicide gunmen and suicide attackers have killed Ahmed Wali Karzai, a brother of the president, and other powerbrokers who have a vital for controlling the south of the country. In May General Daud Daud, one of the more effective regional police bosses, was killed by a suicide bomber in northern Afghanistan. Afghanistan Jon Boone guardian.co.uk
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• Hit F5 for all of the latest updates from the match • Stats centre: league tables, top scorers and much more • And you can email jacob.steinberg.casual@guardian.co.uk GOAL! West Brom 1-1 Manchester United (Long, 37 min): 35 min: De Gea makes a fantastic save to deny Paul Scharner. The Austrian managed to sneak away from Anderson and burst into the area. Ferdinand came across, but wasn’t quick enough, allowing Scharner to hit a shot which De Gea pushed past the left post with both hands. The corner comes to nothing. 34 min: Rooney tees up Young, who runs around the ball and whips a shot towards the far corner from 25 yards out. Tamas gets his knee in the way. Meanwhile Tom Cleverley is playing very well indeed. He’s neat and tidy in possession, and is showing a great deal of strength too. 33 min: To those of you asking for us to turn the auto-refresh tool on, we can’t. Sorry. F5. 31 min: West Brom need to get Shorey in the game. I’ve got money on this. Oh God. I’ve caught Ingle. 30 min: “Man U are looking very fluent and strong in attack, but on the other hand I think West Brom aren’t looking that bad either, think they could well grab an equalizer if Man U aren’t careful, though Man U certainly have more goals in them,” says Oliver Lewis. “Their defence needs fixing though.” 29 min: From a Young corner from the left, the grotesquely overrated Foster pats the ball straight down to Nani, who hooks his volley over the bar from 12 yards out. United could be 3-0 up but for Nani’s profligacy. 27 min: Shane Long, who’s barely had a touch, evades Anderson snatches a shot wide of the left post from 30 yards out. Meanwhile Phil Neville is in with the United fans. “So, with De Gea continuing his flapping, the question must be asked if Maarten Stekelenburg would have been a better option?” asks Rob Hisnay. “And in 5 years, Sir Alex will need to replace De Gea anyways, when he has to sell him to Real Madrid as Casillas’ replacement. 25 min: United deal with another Brunt corner. “Woah, yet another MBM officiated by Jacob Steinberg!” observes Ryan Dunne. “In addition to the Reader Competition , maybe there should be a league of MBM officiating guardian hacks, with a cup going to the winner? It might help develop empathetic relationships with Lord Ferg et al if you guys were all aspiring to silverware too.” 24 min: A Chris Brunt free-kick falls at the feet of Reid on the edge of the area and his shot is deflected wide by Fabio. Brunt’s corner is cleared however. 22 min: What a miss from Nani. United are so slick and are attacking at such pace. West Brom can’t live with one-touch football at the moment. With a first-time pass, Rooney turned the ball through for Welbeck, who just had to check back, meaning he couldn’t shoot. Although the chance was gone for him, he managed to touch it back to Rooney and with West Brom utterly exposed, he shuffled the ball to the left for Nani, who leant back and wafted the ball over with his right foot from 10 yards out. It should be game over. 21 min: Young is enjoying plenty of joy on the left flank and Reid is in for a long afternoon. He’s not getting close enough to stop the cross, which isn’t a good idea. 20 min: Vidic is struggling with a knock – I’m not sure what – but has given himself five more minutes to try to run it off. Jonny Evans is getting ready though. 19 min: United look very fluent in attack. 17 min: Morrison, who scored a sumptuous volley in this fixture last season after Rooney had put United ahead, tries to make history repeat itself, but his scuffed shot from 25 yards is well wide. 14 min: Rooney’s rampaging through again, and West Brom back off and back off and back off, until it would have been positively rude for the forward not to shoot. He does but this time with his right foot, his powerful drive flashes at least five yards wide of the left post. Foster is furious. At this rate, Rooney could rack up the golden boot this afternoon. GOAL! West Brom 0-1 Manchester United (Rooney, 13 min): This is a lovely goal. On the halfway line, Fabio drove a pass towards Rooney who had his back to goal. Instead of laying it off, he produced a glorious backheeled flick to the left for Young, who was away. He cut inside and passed it to Rooney, who’d made it up to the edge of the area. The pass was slightly behind him but with West Brom affording him too much time and space, he was able to turn, get it on to his left foot and slam a shot through Tamas’s legs, which left Foster unsighted as the ball fizzed into the bottom-right corner. That’s an excellent finish. 11 min: Much better already from West Brom after their nervy start. Now they’re on top and Ferdinand has to come across to halt Tchoyi’s run, but at the cost of a corner. Brunt takes it again but the whistle blows for a foul on Vidic. 10 min: Vidic holds his hands out in disbelief, claiming he was fouled as he tried to clear a West Brom free-kick. No dice. Corner to West Brom. Brunt sends it in and again De Gea is all over the place. He comes and gets nowhere near it as Olsson stands his ground. The ball falls to Tchoyi on the left, just outside the six-yard box but after feinting to shoot, his drive is blocked. 8 min: West Brom are looking to see what De Gea is made of after his display against Manchester City last week. From 45 yards out, Scharner has a pop, the ball flying harmlessly wide. That’s a tad disrespectful really. 7 min: From the left, Morrison curls the free-kick into the area. De Gea looks uncertain but the ball passes all the way through the area and United survive. By the way, my colleague Simon Burnton informs me that Rafael is out for ten weeks with a shoulder injury. 6 min: At last West Brom mount an attack and Tchoyi bundles and tricks his way past Anderson on the left. He’s wrestled to the ground just outside the area. 5 min: Young seems to have settled very quickly at United. He’s a great winger and will not give his full-back any rest all afternoon. 3 min: What a start by United, who are all over West Brom like a wag wannabe and a Premier League footballer. Now Young isolates Reid on the left, and draws the foul. He dusts himself off and flashes the free-kick into the six-yard box. It’s a brilliant delivery and has Foster all at sea. Another corner to United, on the right. Anderson takes it and Foster punches clear. West Brom haven’t been out of their half. 2 min: United are on the front foot immediately. Anyone would think they’re the champions. On the left, Young and Fabio combine well, the young Brazilian getting round the back and firing a cross into the near post for Rooney. The ball gets stuck under his feet and is cleared, but only as far as Young, whose curler from 25 yards is deflected wide. The corner is whipped in from the right and under pressure in the six-yard box, Foster spills it, leading to an almighty scramble. Tchoyi desperately hacks it away. 1 min: Apologies if I get very excited whenever Nicky Shorey gets the ball. I’ve got him to score last in the office sweepstake. This will be openly biased towards him. Anyway, we’re off, United taking the kick-off and attacking from right to left. Their fans are in fine voice, but the West Brom fans are in a hugely positive mood. The teams are in the tunnel. And now they’re on the pitch, walking out to a nightclub beat. This is football in the 21st century. Consider this fair warning. I’ve done two minute-by-minutes already this weekend and both games have finished 0-0. Number 19 is in the bag. The quest for No 12 begins in earnest at The Hawthorns, one of five grounds where Manchester United won on their travels last season. Five wins away from home and they still won the league. Improve on that this time and the rest might as well forget about challenging them this time. Still, although West Brom lost, they did force Gary Neville into retirement and on to the Sky Sports sofa. United got the points, West Brom ended a man’s career. Neville’s been followed by Edwin van der Sar and Paul Scholes. Only Ryan Giggs remains. And Sir Alex Ferguson of course. He’s never leaving. In fact, it’s 10 years since he went what into was meant to be his final season at Old Trafford and look how that turned out. No, there’s a strong chance he’s going to be the first ever ghost manager. A younger look to United this season then. David de Gea, Phil Jones and Ashley Young have all come in, while there are high hopes for Tom Cleverley, Danny Welbeck and potentially Paul Pogba. But this isn’t a case of packing the team with kids. Indeed Alan Hansen wasn’t necessarily wrong after United’s 3-1 defeat to Aston Villa on the opening day of the 1995-96 season. Sure, there were youngsters in the team – if the Neville brothers can ever really be called young – but they were also surrounded by Peter Schmeichel, Steve Bruce, Gary Pallister, Dennis Irwin, Roy Keane and Eric Cantona. Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra, Giggs and Wayne Rooney provide the guidance now. United have a good record at West Brom, who were in danger of becoming the definitive yo-yo club until they stayed up last season. Aside from a mid-season slump under Roberto Di Matteo, which led to his sacking and Roy Hodgson’s appointment, they enjoyed a largely stress-free campaign and there’s no reason why they can’t finish in mid-table again. I’m not the biggest fan of Ben Foster, but he’s better than Scott Carson, and they’ve held on to their key players. That said, speculation still remains about Peter Odemwingie’s future. It’s just as well they’ve signed Shane Long. West Brom (4-4-1-1): Foster; Reid, Ollson, Tamas, Shorey; Morrison, Scharner, Mulumbu, Brunt; Tchoyi; Long Subs: Fulop, Cox, Jara Reyes, Fortune, Dawson, Dorrans, Thorne. Manchester United (4-4-2): De Gea; Smalling, Rio, Vidic, Fabio; Nani, Anderson, Cleverley, Young; Welbeck, Rooney. Subs: Lindegaard, Jones, Evans, Berbatov, Giggs, Park, Carrick. Premier League 2011-12 West Brom Manchester United Premier League Jacob Steinberg guardian.co.uk
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Rebels opposed to the Gaddafi regime claim they are advancing on the capital on three fronts and meeting little resistance Libyan rebels claim to be advancing on Tripoli on three fronts and meeting only sporadic resistance. Thirty-five miles west of the city, television pictures appeared to confirm reports that they are in control of much of the town of Zawiya, including the coastal highway to the Tunisian border. Fifty miles to the south, opposition fighters say they have pushed out of the Nafusa mountains to capture Ghariyan, cutting one of only two main highways linking Tripoli to the rest of Libya. To the east, rebel forces in Misrata have this weekend completed their capture of Tawarga. The attacks have been accompanied by heavy Nato air strikes with the alliance website reporting 51 military targets destroyed in three days of bombing. An al-Jazeera report from inside Zawiya showed rebels apparently in control of streets and the coastal highway, countering claims from Tripoli that government units had retaken the town. There was no independent confirmation of the capture of Ghariyan, but in Misrata, rebels said resistance by government forces to the east collapsed after a brief battle, allowing fighters to gain control of the neighbouring town of Tawarga. Pro-Gaddafi forces fled the town along with many civilians, abandoning vehicles and equipment including heavy artillery, with rebels further claiming that there were no enemy formations ahead. “We left one road open, we watched them drive away down it,” said rebel fighter Abdullah Maiteeg. He said the advance east from Misrata, which has claimed five rebel lives, had stopped because of concern that units might be mistaken for government forces by Nato jets. In Tripoli, a spokesman insisted Zawiya was under government control but gave no further details. Libya Arab and Middle East unrest Muammar Gaddafi Chris Stephen guardian.co.uk
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Norwegian police arranged eight-hour trip to island amid security operation to prevent escape attempts or revenge attacks Anders Behring Breivik, the Norwegian man who confessed to killing 69 people at an island youth camp has reconstructed his actions for police at the crime scene. Police said they took Breivik, 32, back to Utøya on Saturday for a hearing about the 22 July attacks, when he shot dozens of people dead on the island after killing eight people in Oslo with a bomb. He described the killings in detail during an eight-hour trip to the island, prosecutor Paal-Fredrik Hjort Kraby said. “The suspect showed he wasn’t emotionally unaffected by being back at Utøya … but didn’t show any remorse,” he added. Images of the reconstruction published in the Norwegian daily VG show Breivik pretending to fire shots into the water where panicked teenagers had tried to escape on 22 July. The hearing took place amid a security operation that aimed to avoid escape attempts by Breivik and protect him against potential avengers. Breivik’s lawyer said he has admitted to the attacks, but denies criminal guilt because he believes the massacre was necessary to save Norway and Europe from Muslims, and to punish politicians who have embraced multiculturalism. Initial speculation suggested others were involved in the attacks, but prosecutors and police said they are certain Breivik planned and committed them alone. Breivik faces up to 21 years in prison if convicted on terrorism charges. If he is still considered a danger to the public after serving his sentence, an alternative custody arrangement may be found. could keep him behind bars indefinitely. Norway Anders Behring Breivik Europe Gun crime Global terrorism guardian.co.uk
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