After a week-long assault on Hama, the Syrian town has been left full of blackened, burned-out vehicles and uncollected garbage, with spent shell casings from all sizes of weapons strewn everywhere, reports the Telegraph in a rare first-hand look at what it calls “evidence of a ferocious, one-sided assault.” Although…
Continue reading …Unicef use the force of Ewan McGregor to bolster east Africa drought appeal
August 12, 2011 No Comment
Star Wars actor to spearhead fundraising push as efforts to help Somalia and other affected areas gather momentum Unicef , the UN agency for children, has enlisted Ewan McGregor – the actor best known for his roles in Trainspotting and the Star Wars prequels – in a campaign to raise money for the drought and famine that has affected 12 million people in east Africa. McGregor, an ambassador for Unicef UK, will appear on cinema screens urging audiences to contribute £5 via text message donations before turning their phones off. Cinema chains Odeon, Vue and Picturehouse are partnering Unicef in the appeal. The clip will also be broadcast online and on television. The clip shows McGregor saying: “Before the film starts, I’d really like your help. Before you switch it off, it would be great if you could take out your phone. Right now, 250 children are dying in Somalia every day. That’s one little girl or boy dead every six minutes. This is a famine. And children are dying. They desperately need life-saving food and water. And they need it now. It’s simple: they’re hungry, we can help. It’s time to share.” McGregor is joining efforts to raise money for east Africa, which has been hit by the worst drought in 60 years. The situation in Somalia is particularly precarious. It has suffered from conflict for decades and Islamist insurgents al-Shabaab have refused access to most western aid agencies, including the UN’s World Food Programme. Several musicians from across Africa have appeared on a YouTube video calling on governments and Africans to “act for Africa” in response to the crisis that has affected Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya as well as parts of South Sudan, Eritrea and Uganda. Some of Kenya’s leading singers and TV stars, including Nameless, The Villagers, Sara Mitaru and Juliani appear on the video. Even a spoof Liz Jones in Somalia Twitter page , poking fun at the Daily Mail columnist, has managed to raise £27,000. Some businesses, including British Airways, National Bank of Kuwait and Eli Lilly, have donated money. Dahabshiil, headquartered in Whitechapel, east London, has given $100,000 (£61,477) to victims of the drought and has urged other international businesses to follow suit. The company’s chief executive, Abdirashid Duale, says Dahabshiil, which handles remittances, has seen a 10% rise in money sent to east Africa since a crisis was declared last month, although he declines to give detailed figures. For the Somali diaspora alone, Dahabshiil remits a large proportion of an estimated $1.6bn sent every year. Duale says the Somali community in the UK has been mobilising to raise money. “They come to our office wanting to donate in any way they can, they are organising in cafes, mosques and in the community,” said Duale. “The events in London have affected everybody and maybe overshadowed the crisis in east Africa but every Friday people come together for prayers and I’m sure today they will gather in mosques and donate what they can.” Duale says there has been a good response from aid agencies, religious leaders, the general public and all Somalis, but it is the business community that can make a real difference now. “We, as kith and kin Somalis, with the same culture and the same religion, urge the international business community to dig deep and provide the final push the people of east Africa need, especially during this holy month of Ramadan,” he said. So far the British public has given nearly £50m towards the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) appeal , which groups several British charities. “At a time when the UK’s reputation is in the global spotlight for the wrong reasons, the British people can be rightly proud that they are world leaders in responding to acute need,” said Brendan Gormley, the DEC’s chief executive. “‘But the scale of want is enormous – more than 12 million people across the region need support. Public acts of generosity must be matched by government action, and that unfortunately has been in short supply. The UN appeals are still woefully under funded.” A UN consolidated appeal, trying to raise $2.4bn for east Africa , has so far received $1.2bn, a 52% shortfall. UN appeals are rarely – if ever – fully funded, however. Of current appeals, only Afghanistan, which is 63% funded , is anywhere near target. Famine Malnutrition Somalia Africa Ewan McGregor Mark Tran guardian.co.uk
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Guardian/ICM poll: Only 30% think David Cameron responded well while 54% think police are under resourced Voters back the police rather than David Cameron over the handling of riots, according to a Guardian/ICM poll. It shows that under a third of voters think the prime minister has done a good job – while overall trust in the police’s fairness remains strong. The poll, carried out online this week as politicians and the police became increasingly critical of each other’s performance , suggests neither Cameron nor the mayor of London, Boris Johnson, have impressed the public with their response. Only 30% say Cameron has done a good job, against 44% who say the opposite, a net negative score of -14. For Johnson, the figures are 28% good job and 38% bad, a negative of -10 points. By contrast, 45% think that the acting commissioner of the Metropolitan police, Tim Godwin, has done well against 27% who say the opposite – a positive score of 18. Another online poll, conducted this week by YouGov, found similar levels of support for the police response over that of politicians. There is some evidence – on a smaller and therefore less precise sub-sample – that Londoners judge Johnson less harshly than the rest of the country. In the capital, his net negative score is only -3. Despite the scale of the rioting, and accusations that the police mishandled the initial disorder in Tottenham, public trust in the police seems uniformly strong. Overall 61% of those polled say they are confident that the police enforce the law fairly, uniformly and without prejudice. By contrast a total of 36% say they are either not at all (10%) or not very (26%) confident. There is some evidence that younger or poorer people are less likely to trust the police than older or better-off ones, but in all categories a majority are satisfied. However, the public are far less confident about the police’s ability to keep order. A majority say they think the police lack sufficient resources. The finding could add to opposition to cuts in police numbers and funding. In the Commons on Thursday, Cameron came under fire from the Labour leader, Ed Miliband, and some backbenchers over plans for cuts and the head of the Association of Chief Police offciers (Acpo), Sir Hugh Orde, has warned they will restrict the police’s ability to respond to disorder. While 41% say they are either very (6%) or quite (35%) confident the police have been given adequate resources, 56% say the opposite. People on lower incomes are the most likely to think the police are under-resourced. There is also widespread agreement about the main causes of the riots and looting. Asked to pick from a list of possible reasons, 45% blame criminality on the part of the rioters. Older voters and richer ones are most likely to lay the blame on this. Of other possible reasons, 28% cite lack of respect within families and communities. Only 8% think a lack of jobs for young people is the main reason. A further 5% say the shooting by the police of Mark Duggan, which led to the initial disorder in Tottenham, was the main cause, while 4% blame the coalition government, 2% the police and 2% the state of the economy. At the bottom of the list only 1% blame racial tension – a finding that suggests these riots are being seen differently by the public to those of the 1980s. • ICM Research interviewed a sample of 2,008 adults aged 18+ online on 10-11th August 2011. Interviews were conducted around the country and the results have been weighted to the profile of all adults. ICM is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules. Police UK riots David Cameron Metropolitan police London Boris Johnson Julian Glover guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Scientists have blurred the line between man and machine with a revolutionary new device. The “electronic tattoo” sticks to the skin like a temporary tattoo, moving and wrinkling like skin does. The device, created by researchers seeking to create less obtrusive medical monitors for premature babies, monitors vital signs, but…
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Number of incidents in waters of Nigeria and Benin fuel fears region’s pirates could pose similar risk to shipping as Somalia’s Pirate attacks off the coast of west Africa have increased sharply, figures show, raising fears that the region could emulate Somalia as a menace to shipping. Nigeria and Benin have reported 22 piracy incidents so far this year, including two in recent days, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said. Benin did not suffer any such attacks last year. “I believe we are nearly at a crisis here, and if it’s a crisis there has to be action,” Rear Admiral Kenneth Norton, of the US Naval Forces Europe-Africa, told the Associated Press. Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, which stretches along the coasts of a dozen countries from Guinea to Angola, has escalated from low-level armed robberies to hijackings, cargo thefts and large-scale robberies over the past eight months, according to the Denmark-based security firm Risk Intelligence. Nigeria, Benin and nearby waters were this month listed in the same risk category as Somalia by the London-based insurers Lloyd’s Market Association. Neil Smith, its head of underwriting, said: “It’s always been a concern for the shipping industry. The model that’s taken root in Somalia might spread to other areas.” Pirates pose a threat to commercial shipping coming into Lagos’s busy Apapa Port and the thriving used car market based in Benin’s commerical capital, Cotonou. Benin collects 40% of government receipts from port activities each year. Maxime Ahoyo, its navy chief of staff, said: “Dozens of ships are already fleeing our shores due to fears of these pirates.” While lower than the 163 attacks attributed to Somali pirates in the first half of 2011, analysts say the number of attacks off Nigerian waters is under-reported because some ships carry illegal oil cargo and others fear their insurance rates will rise. Cyrus Moody, a manager at the IMB, said: “It’s definitely more than we are showing in ours stats. We are calling for vessels to report more when incidents happen. This is the only way for a realistic picture of the crisis.” West African pirates may have been encouraged by the impact of their Somali counterparts but there also important differences, analysts say. Their focus tends to be on robbery rather than seizing vessels. Those from Nigeria have also been more willing to use violence, beating crew members with rifle butts and electric cables and shooting and stabbing those who get in the way. At least two fatalities are known to have occurred. In some cases, crew members are taken ashore and held for ransom. Pirates from Benin have tended to steal oil cargo and then release the ship. Moody said: “The recent incidents off Benin have been very different from Somalia. They do not hijack the entire vessel as the Somalis do. The incidents are more hit and run and robberies. “We don’t believe the Somali model is being copied. Lawlessness and lack of government in Somalia allows pirates to keep vessels on the coast for months on end. We hope that won’t be possible in west African countries or anywhere else.” Officials from Nigeria’s navy, its maritime industry and other groups met US officials aboard the HSV 2 Swift off Nigeria’s coast this week to discuss issues including anti-piracy strategies. The US and other western nations have an anti-piracy armada patrolling the waters off east Africa, but there is no west African counterpart, leaving Nigeria and its neighbours to stop the growing attacks on their own. Experts believe many of the pirates come from Nigeria, where corrupt law enforcement allows criminality to thrive. Antony Goldman, a west Africa analyst at London-based PM Consulting, said the illegal sale of oil had created “a culture of lawlessness” in the coastal zone. He added: “In Somalia, you’ve got no government. In Nigeria there is a maritime capacity, but there’s an issue of the extent to which the security forces are working with armed groups.” Piracy at sea Africa Benin Nigeria David Smith guardian.co.uk
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Surrey police officer alleged to have given information to tabloid about investigation into teenager’s murder The police watchdog is investigating an allegation that a Surrey police officer gave information about the Milly Dowler murder investigation to the News of the World. On Friday the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said it was investigating the claim following a voluntary referral from the force about an allegation that an officer gave information to the newspaper in relation to the investigation into Dowler’s murder in 2002. “An IPCC deputy senior investigator has been over at Surrey police this morning to get more information about the case and will be writing to the Dowler family, via their solicitors at their request, this afternoon and offering to meet to give them more detail,” the commission said. “Until then, it would not be appropriate for us to make any further detail public.” The Guardian understands that the allegations relate to the early stages of the investigation into Dowler’s disappearance. It is thought a Surrey police officer met a female journalist from the News of the World at a social event in London and told her details about the leads officers who were working on the case were following. It is not thought he was paid for that information. Sources claimed the officer in question was publicly admonished in front of colleagues when the paper subsequently published the information in a story, taken off the case and then disciplined. The Dowler family’s solicitor, Mark Lewis, said he had not been told how long the IPCC investigation will take. “They need to look at their own information about who the officer was, what he said and what he gave out,” he told the BBC News channel, referring to the information passed voluntarily to the commission by Surrey police. • 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 . News of the World Newspapers & magazines National newspapers Newspapers Milly Dowler Crime Police James Robinson guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Being forced to follow national education standards would be so heinous it could bring about another Auschwitz, proclaims a bizarre video make by Michele Bachmann and an activist colleague. A scene in the 2002 film, Guinea Pigs II , shows an Auschwitz scene superimposed with the words “Work Makes Free,” in…
Continue reading …Thursday night’s GOP debate in Iowa was a testy affair, but Mitt Romney managed to stay above the fray and his front-runner status still isn’t in doubt—at least until Rick Perry enters the race, pundits say. “Neither the candidates nor the moderators did much to draw blood” from Romney,…
Continue reading …Rejections are a fact of life for aspiring screenwriters. Rejections involving explosives, not so much. Beverly Hills cops blew up a briefcase containing a writer’s script after a talent agent refuse to read it, AP reports. The writer, who had been pestering the agency to read his script, left the…
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Train speeds reduced and new rail projects blocked as critics fear high-speed service is rife with problems A Chinese bullet train manufacturer has recalled 54 trains, in the latest sign that the government has launched an overhaul of the beleaguered high-speed rail network in the wake of last month’s fatal crash. The hugely ambitious project was a matter of national prestige – evidence that China could build not only faster but, said officials, better than anyone else. But the disaster at Wenzhou in Zhejiang province killed 40 people and sparked an outpouring of public fury which focused not just on the safety of the line but also on the authorities’ handling of events, with accusations that they were seeking to cover up problems. Many saw it as emblematic of the dangers of China’s accelerated development. The recall is not directly linked to the collision, which involved trains made by a rival firm. The recalled trains are from the Beijing-Shanghai line, which launched on 1 July to mark the 90th anniversary of the Communist party – but has suffered repeated delays. But the announcement comes days after officials imposed a moratorium on new rail projects and the rail minister announced a reduction in train speeds. Experts believe it is part of a wider overhaul of the powerful railways ministry, which began when the minister – who championed the aggressive roll-out of high-speed rail – was ousted in February. He is expected to face corruption charges. State-owned China North Locomotive and Rolling Stock Ltd said the recall applied to model CRH380BL trains used on the Beijing-Shanghai line. Spokesman Tan Xiaofeng said experts will examine whether sensors are halting trains unnecessarily because they are faulty or too sensitive – for example being set off when a door is ajar or a passenger smokes in a toilet. “When problems occur, we don’t wish to hide them,” he said. “We put life before everything else.” He said the line had suffered “frequent quality problems” due to components from American, European and domestic suppliers. Earlier this week, the company announced a temporary halt to production of the trains. Zhao Jian of Beijing Jiaotong University, a prominent critic of the expansion programme, said the recall and the cutting of train speeds would help rebuild confidence. “I think the public will be less worried, at least less worried than if the speed was not slowed down,” he said. “In my eyes, this is the state council correcting the “great leap” by the last leadership of the ministry of railways … This is definitely a major step”. But he said there were a series of problems to be exposed, such as “debt, technical safety and the fact that high-speed rail will not ease China’s transportation difficulties and isn’t suitable for China’s economy”. Zhao said he believed the concerns about high-speed rail would ensure drastic reforms, with authorities likely to merge the ministry of railways into a transport super-ministry – as they tried to do several years ago, only to be thwarted by the rail ministry. Ren Xianfang, senior China economist for IHS Global Insight, said the Wenzhou disaster had convinced officials to “rectify the excesses” of its system. Ren likened the impact of the crash to the way that Fukushima had turned the Japanese public against nuclear power, adding: “It is quite clear now that stepping on the brake is the only viable policy option.” The days after the crash saw an extraordinary spate of bold reporting from Chinese media, who challenged the official response before they were reined in. China has the world’s largest high-speed train network, rolled out at a frenetic pace. But critics argued even before the crash that the focus should be on expanding freight and lower-cost services that ordinary citizens could afford, rather than on prestigious high-tech projects. Safety concerns were also raised. Sun Zhang, a professor at the railway and urban mass transit research institute of Tongji University, told China Daily that he supported the idea of cutting train speeds, saying China should take time to test the system and gain experience. He said it took Japan almost half a century to increase the speed of its Shinkansen bullet train from 210 kilometres an hour [130mph] to 300kph. “So it’s impressive, and at the same time a bit worrisome, that China managed to achieve speeds of 350 kilometres an hour in just seven years,” he added. Officials initially blamed the July crash on faulty signals equipment, but a senior investigator told the Beijing Times on Friday that the crash also exposed management failings and could have been avoided. “There were serious flaws in the system design that led to an equipment failure,” said Luo Lin, the minister of China’s state administration of work safety. “At the same time, this exposed problems in emergency response and safety management after the failure occurred. “This was a major accident involving culpability that could have been totally avoided,” he said. Additional research by Han Cheng China Rail transport Tania Branigan guardian.co.uk
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