Bristol businessman accused of ordering the murder of his wife, Anni, on their honeymoon, can be extradited to stand trial Shrien Dewani can be extradited to South Africa to face trial for organising the murder of his wife Anni on their honeymoon last year, a district court judge has ruled. District judge Howard Riddle, sitting at Belmarsh magistrates court in Woolwich, south-east London, who heard the case against him over two weeks last month , rejected arguments that the Bristol businessman was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and was too unwell to be extradited, and that South African prison conditions would violate his human rights. Dewani, who has been held in a psychiatric hospital in Bristol, was considered too ill to sit in the dock to hear the case against him by the South African authorities, who claimed that he ordered the carjacking and shooting that left his new wife, Anni, dead in the back of a taxi. His legal team argued he was too sick to return and that his human rights would be infringed if he was ordered to go to South Africa because of the terrible conditions he would face in prison. At the start of the proceedings, Hugo Keith QC, for the South African authorities, detailed the facts as the prosecutors there see them. Keith alleged Dewani had “hatched” a conspiracy to have his wife killed. He told how the Dewanis arrived in Cape Town on Friday 12 November last year. They were taken from the airport to their five-star hotel by a taxi driver, Zola Tongo, who agreed to act as their tour guide during their stay. When they arrived at the hotel, Dewani allegedly spoke to Tongo alone and asked him if knew anyone who could take a “client” of his “off the scene”. Tongo, who later admitted his part in the alleged plot, claimed Dewani said he would pay 15,000 rand (£1,370) for the murder. Dewani then allegedly revealed it was Anni he wanted dead and Tongo said he set up a fake carjacking with two other men. Tongo was to drive the Dewanis to the township of Gugulethu. They would be held up by two gunmen, who would seize the car, free Tongo and Dewani, and kill Anni. Keith said the idea was to make it look like a random murder rather than a contract killing. The alleged fake carjacking took place on the night of Saturday 13 November, the court was told. Anni’s body was found the next day with a single gunshot wound to the neck. There were bruises on her ankles, which indicated that she may have been manhandled, but there were no signs of a sexual assault. Keith said that from the start the South African police were puzzled and suspicious. They thought it strange that the couple had not taken the hotel’s shuttle car from the airport when they arrived in Cape Town and odd that the taxi driver had taken them to a township that he must have known was dangerous. They quickly found and arrested the two gunmen and, on 20 November, Tongo handed himself in, telling the police as part of a plea bargain that the killing had allegedly been set up by Dewani. By that time Dewani had left South Africa. Keith said Tongo’s story was backed by evidence including CCTV footage of the taxi driver talking to Dewani alone after they arrived at the hotel and of him receiving a plastic package from the businessman on 16 November. The South Africans say it contained payment for his part in the plot. There was one dramatic new line in the South Africans’ case at the start of the extradition hearing – an alleged motive. It was claimed that Shrien Dewani had told a witness that he would be disowned by his family if he broke off the engagement with Anni. Keith said the witness claimed Dewani had told him in April 2010 – seven months before Anni was shot dead – that he was engaged to Anni. “He said although she was a nice, lovely girl whom he liked, he could not break out of the engagement because he would be disowned by his family,” said Keith. “He went on to say to the witness he needed to find a way out of it.” The witness did not give evidence at the extradition hearing but would be prepared to testify if Dewani was put on trial in South Africa. Dewani insists that he had nothing to do with his wife’s murder and his family maintains the marriage was a happy one. The thrust of his case during the extradition hearing was twofold – that he was not well enough to be sent back to South Africa and that his human rights would be infringed if he were returned because of conditions in prison as he awaited trial and if he were convicted. It is accepted by both sides that he has severe post-traumatic stress disorder and severe depression . Psychiatrists who treated Dewani said there was a “high risk” he would commit suicide if he were returned to South Africa. Paul Cantrell, who treats Dewani at a medium secure psychiatric hospital in Bristol, said his patient was seeing the world through a “very, very dark lens and in my view a risky lens”. Travelling prompted him to “re-experience” whatever happened in South Africa. He also had “psychomotor retardation”, which meant “everything is slowed down as if he is moving through jelly or mud”. In addition he was “hypersensitive”, jumping at every small sound, said Cantrell. The South Africans suggested that Dewani might be manipulating his mental health to avoid extradition. One claim is that he has been exercising strenuously to exacerbate a physical condition that means he has not been given anti-depressant drugs. Dewani’s team denies he has deliberately made his condition worse and Cantrell said he believed he had been exercising to seek relief from his torment. The South African authorities have attempted to give assurances over where and how Dewani would be held. But experts in the South African penal system called by Dewani’s lawyers said some prisons were overcrowded, understaffed and rife with diseases, including TB and HIV/Aids. There was a shortage of medical staff and sick prisoners sometimes struggled to get access to the care and medicine they needed. Gangs in prison used sexual violence to establish hierarchies and as punishments. The hearing was told that one campaign group had said it was 99.9% certain a prisoner would be abused even before arriving at jail in vans, holding cells or police stations. The hearing was told that around 450 prisoners had died in South African jails so far this year. Witnesses claimed Dewani would be particularly vulnerable to gang violence because he was accused of a “sissy” crime and because he was an outsider. His good looks and claims – denied by his family – that he is gay would also make him the target of sexual attacks. The South Africans want Dewani back and Anni’s family has called for him to return to tell his story to a court. It was up to Riddle to decide if those demands took precedence over Dewani’s illness and the terrible conditions he might face in a South African prison. A court in South Africa heard earlier this month that one of the men accused of carrying out the murder, Xolile Mngeni, may never face trial because he has a malignant brain tumour. Dewani murder case Crime Extradition Steven Morris Maev Kennedy guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Bristol businessman accused of ordering the murder of his wife, Anni, on their honeymoon, can be extradited to stand trial Shrien Dewani can be extradited to South Africa to face trial for organising the murder of his wife Anni on their honeymoon last year, a district court judge has ruled. District judge Howard Riddle, sitting at Belmarsh magistrates court in Woolwich, south-east London, who heard the case against him over two weeks last month , rejected arguments that the Bristol businessman was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and was too unwell to be extradited, and that South African prison conditions would violate his human rights. Dewani, who has been held in a psychiatric hospital in Bristol, was considered too ill to sit in the dock to hear the case against him by the South African authorities, who claimed that he ordered the carjacking and shooting that left his new wife, Anni, dead in the back of a taxi. His legal team argued he was too sick to return and that his human rights would be infringed if he was ordered to go to South Africa because of the terrible conditions he would face in prison. At the start of the proceedings, Hugo Keith QC, for the South African authorities, detailed the facts as the prosecutors there see them. Keith alleged Dewani had “hatched” a conspiracy to have his wife killed. He told how the Dewanis arrived in Cape Town on Friday 12 November last year. They were taken from the airport to their five-star hotel by a taxi driver, Zola Tongo, who agreed to act as their tour guide during their stay. When they arrived at the hotel, Dewani allegedly spoke to Tongo alone and asked him if knew anyone who could take a “client” of his “off the scene”. Tongo, who later admitted his part in the alleged plot, claimed Dewani said he would pay 15,000 rand (£1,370) for the murder. Dewani then allegedly revealed it was Anni he wanted dead and Tongo said he set up a fake carjacking with two other men. Tongo was to drive the Dewanis to the township of Gugulethu. They would be held up by two gunmen, who would seize the car, free Tongo and Dewani, and kill Anni. Keith said the idea was to make it look like a random murder rather than a contract killing. The alleged fake carjacking took place on the night of Saturday 13 November, the court was told. Anni’s body was found the next day with a single gunshot wound to the neck. There were bruises on her ankles, which indicated that she may have been manhandled, but there were no signs of a sexual assault. Keith said that from the start the South African police were puzzled and suspicious. They thought it strange that the couple had not taken the hotel’s shuttle car from the airport when they arrived in Cape Town and odd that the taxi driver had taken them to a township that he must have known was dangerous. They quickly found and arrested the two gunmen and, on 20 November, Tongo handed himself in, telling the police as part of a plea bargain that the killing had allegedly been set up by Dewani. By that time Dewani had left South Africa. Keith said Tongo’s story was backed by evidence including CCTV footage of the taxi driver talking to Dewani alone after they arrived at the hotel and of him receiving a plastic package from the businessman on 16 November. The South Africans say it contained payment for his part in the plot. There was one dramatic new line in the South Africans’ case at the start of the extradition hearing – an alleged motive. It was claimed that Shrien Dewani had told a witness that he would be disowned by his family if he broke off the engagement with Anni. Keith said the witness claimed Dewani had told him in April 2010 – seven months before Anni was shot dead – that he was engaged to Anni. “He said although she was a nice, lovely girl whom he liked, he could not break out of the engagement because he would be disowned by his family,” said Keith. “He went on to say to the witness he needed to find a way out of it.” The witness did not give evidence at the extradition hearing but would be prepared to testify if Dewani was put on trial in South Africa. Dewani insists that he had nothing to do with his wife’s murder and his family maintains the marriage was a happy one. The thrust of his case during the extradition hearing was twofold – that he was not well enough to be sent back to South Africa and that his human rights would be infringed if he were returned because of conditions in prison as he awaited trial and if he were convicted. It is accepted by both sides that he has severe post-traumatic stress disorder and severe depression . Psychiatrists who treated Dewani said there was a “high risk” he would commit suicide if he were returned to South Africa. Paul Cantrell, who treats Dewani at a medium secure psychiatric hospital in Bristol, said his patient was seeing the world through a “very, very dark lens and in my view a risky lens”. Travelling prompted him to “re-experience” whatever happened in South Africa. He also had “psychomotor retardation”, which meant “everything is slowed down as if he is moving through jelly or mud”. In addition he was “hypersensitive”, jumping at every small sound, said Cantrell. The South Africans suggested that Dewani might be manipulating his mental health to avoid extradition. One claim is that he has been exercising strenuously to exacerbate a physical condition that means he has not been given anti-depressant drugs. Dewani’s team denies he has deliberately made his condition worse and Cantrell said he believed he had been exercising to seek relief from his torment. The South African authorities have attempted to give assurances over where and how Dewani would be held. But experts in the South African penal system called by Dewani’s lawyers said some prisons were overcrowded, understaffed and rife with diseases, including TB and HIV/Aids. There was a shortage of medical staff and sick prisoners sometimes struggled to get access to the care and medicine they needed. Gangs in prison used sexual violence to establish hierarchies and as punishments. The hearing was told that one campaign group had said it was 99.9% certain a prisoner would be abused even before arriving at jail in vans, holding cells or police stations. The hearing was told that around 450 prisoners had died in South African jails so far this year. Witnesses claimed Dewani would be particularly vulnerable to gang violence because he was accused of a “sissy” crime and because he was an outsider. His good looks and claims – denied by his family – that he is gay would also make him the target of sexual attacks. The South Africans want Dewani back and Anni’s family has called for him to return to tell his story to a court. It was up to Riddle to decide if those demands took precedence over Dewani’s illness and the terrible conditions he might face in a South African prison. A court in South Africa heard earlier this month that one of the men accused of carrying out the murder, Xolile Mngeni, may never face trial because he has a malignant brain tumour. Dewani murder case Crime Extradition Steven Morris Maev Kennedy guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Bristol businessman accused of ordering the murder of his wife, Anni, on their honeymoon, can be extradited to stand trial Shrien Dewani can be extradited to South Africa to face trial for organising the murder of his wife Anni on their honeymoon last year, a district court judge has ruled. District judge Howard Riddle, sitting at Belmarsh magistrates court in Woolwich, south-east London, who heard the case against him over two weeks last month , rejected arguments that the Bristol businessman was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and was too unwell to be extradited, and that South African prison conditions would violate his human rights. Dewani, who has been held in a psychiatric hospital in Bristol, was considered too ill to sit in the dock to hear the case against him by the South African authorities, who claimed that he ordered the carjacking and shooting that left his new wife, Anni, dead in the back of a taxi. His legal team argued he was too sick to return and that his human rights would be infringed if he was ordered to go to South Africa because of the terrible conditions he would face in prison. At the start of the proceedings, Hugo Keith QC, for the South African authorities, detailed the facts as the prosecutors there see them. Keith alleged Dewani had “hatched” a conspiracy to have his wife killed. He told how the Dewanis arrived in Cape Town on Friday 12 November last year. They were taken from the airport to their five-star hotel by a taxi driver, Zola Tongo, who agreed to act as their tour guide during their stay. When they arrived at the hotel, Dewani allegedly spoke to Tongo alone and asked him if knew anyone who could take a “client” of his “off the scene”. Tongo, who later admitted his part in the alleged plot, claimed Dewani said he would pay 15,000 rand (£1,370) for the murder. Dewani then allegedly revealed it was Anni he wanted dead and Tongo said he set up a fake carjacking with two other men. Tongo was to drive the Dewanis to the township of Gugulethu. They would be held up by two gunmen, who would seize the car, free Tongo and Dewani, and kill Anni. Keith said the idea was to make it look like a random murder rather than a contract killing. The alleged fake carjacking took place on the night of Saturday 13 November, the court was told. Anni’s body was found the next day with a single gunshot wound to the neck. There were bruises on her ankles, which indicated that she may have been manhandled, but there were no signs of a sexual assault. Keith said that from the start the South African police were puzzled and suspicious. They thought it strange that the couple had not taken the hotel’s shuttle car from the airport when they arrived in Cape Town and odd that the taxi driver had taken them to a township that he must have known was dangerous. They quickly found and arrested the two gunmen and, on 20 November, Tongo handed himself in, telling the police as part of a plea bargain that the killing had allegedly been set up by Dewani. By that time Dewani had left South Africa. Keith said Tongo’s story was backed by evidence including CCTV footage of the taxi driver talking to Dewani alone after they arrived at the hotel and of him receiving a plastic package from the businessman on 16 November. The South Africans say it contained payment for his part in the plot. There was one dramatic new line in the South Africans’ case at the start of the extradition hearing – an alleged motive. It was claimed that Shrien Dewani had told a witness that he would be disowned by his family if he broke off the engagement with Anni. Keith said the witness claimed Dewani had told him in April 2010 – seven months before Anni was shot dead – that he was engaged to Anni. “He said although she was a nice, lovely girl whom he liked, he could not break out of the engagement because he would be disowned by his family,” said Keith. “He went on to say to the witness he needed to find a way out of it.” The witness did not give evidence at the extradition hearing but would be prepared to testify if Dewani was put on trial in South Africa. Dewani insists that he had nothing to do with his wife’s murder and his family maintains the marriage was a happy one. The thrust of his case during the extradition hearing was twofold – that he was not well enough to be sent back to South Africa and that his human rights would be infringed if he were returned because of conditions in prison as he awaited trial and if he were convicted. It is accepted by both sides that he has severe post-traumatic stress disorder and severe depression . Psychiatrists who treated Dewani said there was a “high risk” he would commit suicide if he were returned to South Africa. Paul Cantrell, who treats Dewani at a medium secure psychiatric hospital in Bristol, said his patient was seeing the world through a “very, very dark lens and in my view a risky lens”. Travelling prompted him to “re-experience” whatever happened in South Africa. He also had “psychomotor retardation”, which meant “everything is slowed down as if he is moving through jelly or mud”. In addition he was “hypersensitive”, jumping at every small sound, said Cantrell. The South Africans suggested that Dewani might be manipulating his mental health to avoid extradition. One claim is that he has been exercising strenuously to exacerbate a physical condition that means he has not been given anti-depressant drugs. Dewani’s team denies he has deliberately made his condition worse and Cantrell said he believed he had been exercising to seek relief from his torment. The South African authorities have attempted to give assurances over where and how Dewani would be held. But experts in the South African penal system called by Dewani’s lawyers said some prisons were overcrowded, understaffed and rife with diseases, including TB and HIV/Aids. There was a shortage of medical staff and sick prisoners sometimes struggled to get access to the care and medicine they needed. Gangs in prison used sexual violence to establish hierarchies and as punishments. The hearing was told that one campaign group had said it was 99.9% certain a prisoner would be abused even before arriving at jail in vans, holding cells or police stations. The hearing was told that around 450 prisoners had died in South African jails so far this year. Witnesses claimed Dewani would be particularly vulnerable to gang violence because he was accused of a “sissy” crime and because he was an outsider. His good looks and claims – denied by his family – that he is gay would also make him the target of sexual attacks. The South Africans want Dewani back and Anni’s family has called for him to return to tell his story to a court. It was up to Riddle to decide if those demands took precedence over Dewani’s illness and the terrible conditions he might face in a South African prison. A court in South Africa heard earlier this month that one of the men accused of carrying out the murder, Xolile Mngeni, may never face trial because he has a malignant brain tumour. Dewani murder case Crime Extradition Steven Morris Maev Kennedy guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Bristol businessman accused of ordering the murder of his wife, Anni, on their honeymoon, can be extradited to stand trial Shrien Dewani can be extradited to South Africa to face trial for organising the murder of his wife Anni on their honeymoon last year, a district court judge has ruled. District judge Howard Riddle, sitting at Belmarsh magistrates court in Woolwich, south-east London, who heard the case against him over two weeks last month , rejected arguments that the Bristol businessman was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and was too unwell to be extradited, and that South African prison conditions would violate his human rights. Dewani, who has been held in a psychiatric hospital in Bristol, was considered too ill to sit in the dock to hear the case against him by the South African authorities, who claimed that he ordered the carjacking and shooting that left his new wife, Anni, dead in the back of a taxi. His legal team argued he was too sick to return and that his human rights would be infringed if he was ordered to go to South Africa because of the terrible conditions he would face in prison. At the start of the proceedings, Hugo Keith QC, for the South African authorities, detailed the facts as the prosecutors there see them. Keith alleged Dewani had “hatched” a conspiracy to have his wife killed. He told how the Dewanis arrived in Cape Town on Friday 12 November last year. They were taken from the airport to their five-star hotel by a taxi driver, Zola Tongo, who agreed to act as their tour guide during their stay. When they arrived at the hotel, Dewani allegedly spoke to Tongo alone and asked him if knew anyone who could take a “client” of his “off the scene”. Tongo, who later admitted his part in the alleged plot, claimed Dewani said he would pay 15,000 rand (£1,370) for the murder. Dewani then allegedly revealed it was Anni he wanted dead and Tongo said he set up a fake carjacking with two other men. Tongo was to drive the Dewanis to the township of Gugulethu. They would be held up by two gunmen, who would seize the car, free Tongo and Dewani, and kill Anni. Keith said the idea was to make it look like a random murder rather than a contract killing. The alleged fake carjacking took place on the night of Saturday 13 November, the court was told. Anni’s body was found the next day with a single gunshot wound to the neck. There were bruises on her ankles, which indicated that she may have been manhandled, but there were no signs of a sexual assault. Keith said that from the start the South African police were puzzled and suspicious. They thought it strange that the couple had not taken the hotel’s shuttle car from the airport when they arrived in Cape Town and odd that the taxi driver had taken them to a township that he must have known was dangerous. They quickly found and arrested the two gunmen and, on 20 November, Tongo handed himself in, telling the police as part of a plea bargain that the killing had allegedly been set up by Dewani. By that time Dewani had left South Africa. Keith said Tongo’s story was backed by evidence including CCTV footage of the taxi driver talking to Dewani alone after they arrived at the hotel and of him receiving a plastic package from the businessman on 16 November. The South Africans say it contained payment for his part in the plot. There was one dramatic new line in the South Africans’ case at the start of the extradition hearing – an alleged motive. It was claimed that Shrien Dewani had told a witness that he would be disowned by his family if he broke off the engagement with Anni. Keith said the witness claimed Dewani had told him in April 2010 – seven months before Anni was shot dead – that he was engaged to Anni. “He said although she was a nice, lovely girl whom he liked, he could not break out of the engagement because he would be disowned by his family,” said Keith. “He went on to say to the witness he needed to find a way out of it.” The witness did not give evidence at the extradition hearing but would be prepared to testify if Dewani was put on trial in South Africa. Dewani insists that he had nothing to do with his wife’s murder and his family maintains the marriage was a happy one. The thrust of his case during the extradition hearing was twofold – that he was not well enough to be sent back to South Africa and that his human rights would be infringed if he were returned because of conditions in prison as he awaited trial and if he were convicted. It is accepted by both sides that he has severe post-traumatic stress disorder and severe depression . Psychiatrists who treated Dewani said there was a “high risk” he would commit suicide if he were returned to South Africa. Paul Cantrell, who treats Dewani at a medium secure psychiatric hospital in Bristol, said his patient was seeing the world through a “very, very dark lens and in my view a risky lens”. Travelling prompted him to “re-experience” whatever happened in South Africa. He also had “psychomotor retardation”, which meant “everything is slowed down as if he is moving through jelly or mud”. In addition he was “hypersensitive”, jumping at every small sound, said Cantrell. The South Africans suggested that Dewani might be manipulating his mental health to avoid extradition. One claim is that he has been exercising strenuously to exacerbate a physical condition that means he has not been given anti-depressant drugs. Dewani’s team denies he has deliberately made his condition worse and Cantrell said he believed he had been exercising to seek relief from his torment. The South African authorities have attempted to give assurances over where and how Dewani would be held. But experts in the South African penal system called by Dewani’s lawyers said some prisons were overcrowded, understaffed and rife with diseases, including TB and HIV/Aids. There was a shortage of medical staff and sick prisoners sometimes struggled to get access to the care and medicine they needed. Gangs in prison used sexual violence to establish hierarchies and as punishments. The hearing was told that one campaign group had said it was 99.9% certain a prisoner would be abused even before arriving at jail in vans, holding cells or police stations. The hearing was told that around 450 prisoners had died in South African jails so far this year. Witnesses claimed Dewani would be particularly vulnerable to gang violence because he was accused of a “sissy” crime and because he was an outsider. His good looks and claims – denied by his family – that he is gay would also make him the target of sexual attacks. The South Africans want Dewani back and Anni’s family has called for him to return to tell his story to a court. It was up to Riddle to decide if those demands took precedence over Dewani’s illness and the terrible conditions he might face in a South African prison. A court in South Africa heard earlier this month that one of the men accused of carrying out the murder, Xolile Mngeni, may never face trial because he has a malignant brain tumour. Dewani murder case Crime Extradition Steven Morris Maev Kennedy guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Looting and arson spread to several cities in central and northern England today but calm prevailed in London, where thousands of extra police officers patrolled the streets. The most serious unrest was in Manchester, which had sent 100 officers to assist in London, the Guardian reports. Hundreds of youths went…
Continue reading …
Bank lowers growth estimate, blaming weak global economy, and signals that interest rates to stay at record low The Bank of England gave no indication that it would provide more economic stimulus on Wednesday as it cut its growth forecasts for the UK economy, blaming the weaker global economy. It signalled that interest rates will stay at a record low of 0.5% for a long time to come. In its latest quarterly forecasts, the Bank lowered its growth estimate for 2011 as a whole to around 1.4%, from a previous forecast of around 1.8%. The Bank expects that the UK growth rate will reach 2% on an annual rate by the fourth quarter of this year – down from 2.5% in May. In two years’ time, annual growth is seen at 2.7%, a fraction lower than in May. “August’s UK inflation report echoes Tuesday’s message from the US Federal Reserve that interest rates are likely to stay very low for a long time yet,” said Vicky Redwood, senior UK economist at Capital Economics. Speaking at a press conference, the Bank’s governor Mervyn King said the greatest risks to Britain’s economic recovery come from the eurozone. He said the UK must work with other countries to reduce public and private debt mountains. “Were [the risks] to crystallise, the risks emanating from the euro area have the potential to have a significant impact on the UK economy,” the Bank said. On Tuesday, the US Federal Reserve took the unusual step of freezing interest rates close to zero for at least two more years, and said it would consider further steps to boost growth. The Bank predicts that inflation will peak about around 5% later this year due to rising utility bills – the same as the May forecast – before falling steadily to 1.8% in two years’ time, a degree lower than expected three months ago and below the Bank’s 2% inflation target. King reiterated comments he made in January about household incomes suffering the worst squeeze in decades. “This is a long and deep squeeze in real living standards,” he said, adding that the good news is that oil prices have come down in recent days. Bank of England Economic growth (GDP) Inflation Interest rates Economics Banking Global recession Global economy Financial crisis Julia Kollewe guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
Fossil remains of a bird from the Late Cretaceous suggest it was up to three metres tall and weighed more than 50kg Two slender shafts of bone unearthed in the remote desert of southern Kazakhstan belong to one of the largest birds ever to stalk the Earth. The fossilised remains form two sides of the lower jaw of a bird – at least as big as an ostrich – that lived alongside dinosaurs in central Asia 100m years ago. The size of the bones, more than 27cm-long each, point to a bird that stood two to three metres tall, making it the largest bird known from the Late Cretaceous. Many primitive birds alive at the time were closer in size to chickens. The lack of other remains from the creature has left palaeontologists unable to confirm whether the bird was capable of flight. If it did fly, its wingspan probably topped 4m – wider than that of a large albatross. Details of the bird, named Samrukia nessovi , are reported in the latest issue of the Royal Society journal, Biology Letters . The two lengths of bone were uncovered at a site called Shakh-Shakh about 372 miles (600km) east of the Aral Sea during a Soviet-East German expedition in the 1970s. The fossil was reconstructed using plaster, glue and paint, to make it look like a complete jaw, passed through the hands of a German collector, and later went on display in a Belgian museum. Gareth Dyke, a palaeontologist at University College Dublin , dissolved the plaster and other materials used to reconstruct the fossil with solvents before analysing the bone fragments. Measurements of the remains suggest they belonged to a bird whose skull was 30cm from front to back. The creature, if flightless, almost certainly weighed more than 50kg. “This is one of the largest birds that’s ever been described of any age. We don’t have much of it, but we know the lower jaw is at least as big if not bigger than the ostrich lower jaw. At the age it is, it’s pretty exciting,” Dyke told the Guardian. “We have always assumed that giant size in birds was something that evolved relatively late in the history of the group, so to find a specimen so early is remarkable. This is a giant of a bird with no teeth from the Late Cretaceous.” The bird earned its forename from Samruk, the mythological Kazakh phoenix. The latter part of its name honours Lev Nessov, an eccentric Russian palaeontologist who used to take the bus or train from St Petersburg into Central Asia to embark on long hikes into the desert to hunt for fossils. He killed himself in 1995 at the age of 48 after the breakup of the Soviet Union restricted his travels. Another large bird, named Gargantuavis , that lived in southern France 70m years ago was discovered in the late 1990s. ” Samrukia adds another giant bird to the Cretaceous roster. Arguably, in fact, it increases the significance of Gargantuavis , since it shows that it wasn’t a one-off,” said co-author Darren Naish at Portsmouth University . Fossils Evolution Biology Ian Sample guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
Ran Yunfei, who was charged with inciting subversion of state power, put under ‘residential surveillance’ A Chinese blogger and writer detained by police and charged with inciting subversion earlier this year has been released after nearly six months, according to his wife. Ran Yunfei was among the first detained amid the government’s recent expansive crackdown on dissent. He returned to his home in Chengdu, the capital of south-western Sichuan province, on Tuesday night, said Wang Wei. She declined to elaborate, indicating that Ran is probably restricted from speaking to the media. “Yes, he has returned, but it’s not convenient right now to accept interviews,” Wang said. Ran was an uncompromising voice for free speech before he was taken away in late February as anonymous online calls circulated for Chinese to imitate the uprisings sweeping through north Africa and the Middle East. Dozens of activists, lawyers and bloggers were questioned, detained or disappeared in the crackdown, including the activist artist Ai Weiwei and rights lawyer Teng Biao, who were later released without criminal charges. In Ran’s case, a court in Chengdu charged him in late March with inciting subversion of state power, but prosecutors recently sent the case back to police, said Ran’s friend Pu Zhiqiang, a prominent rights lawyer who spoke briefly to the blogger on Wednesday. Pu said Ran was released into “residential surveillance” for a six-month period, under which he is not allowed to leave home or meet people without permission, and he may not speak publicly. Still, Pu welcomed Ran’s release as a sign the crackdown could be easing. “Exercising control over these people showed the authorities’ fear of the democratic revolutions in the northern Africa,” Pu said. “Now that they have been released, it could mean that this wave of social control is slowly loosening or gradually receding.” Ran was a presence online for more than a decade. A self-described bookworm, he frequently criticised government policies and called for tolerance for dissenting views. When domestic websites would no longer carry his outspoken views, he moved his blogs and Twitter posts to sites outside China, and many of his readers followed him, circumventing government blocks to read his material. The writer’s release comes at a time when other previously detained high-profile dissidents and activists have taken small steps to emerge from silence. Ai Weiwei has resumed posting on his Twitter page, calling this week for the release of internet activist Wang Lihong, who is set to stand trial on Friday. China Human rights guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
Peaceful march turns violent as masked demonstrators burn cars and loot shops in Santiago Violence erupted on the streets of Chile’s capital and other cities as tens of thousands of students staged another protest demanding changes in public education. Masked demonstrators burned cars and barricades, looted shops and threw furniture at police in Santiago on Tuesday. Some attacked an apartment building, throwing rocks and breaking windows. Riot police used tear gas and tanks with water cannons to push them back. By nightfall, at least 273 protesters were detained, including 73 in Santiago, and 23 police officers were injured, said Rodrigo Ubilla, a deputy interior minister. Five days after a banned march ended in nearly 900 arrests, students and teachers marched peacefully in Santiago and elsewhere in Chile on Tuesday, calling for the government to increase spending on schooling and provide “free and equal” public education. As in previous demonstrations, protesters danced, sang, wore costumes and waved signs. But then groups of masked protesters split off and tried to break through police barricades blocking the way to the presidential palace. University of Chile student president Camila Vallejos said 150,000 marched on sidestreets in the capital because the government denied them permission to march on the main avenue. Ubilla estimated that between 70,000 and 80,000 marched in Santiago. Vallejos said the huge showing so soon after last Thursday’s confrontations “reaffirms the level of approval we have and that the people keep supporting us. It’s the government that isn’t capable of conceding”. The interior minister, Rodrigo Hinzpeter, said the violence shows student leaders can’t control their demonstrators. As the day wore on, the violence spread, with hooded and masked activists throwing rocks, paint, furniture and street signs at police backed by armoured vehicles. The unrest has gripped Chile for more than two months. High school and university students have refused to attend class, taken over schools and staged demonstrations to press their demand for fundamental changes in how Chile finances public education. Of particular concern, they say, is that private universities enjoying nonprofit tax status aren’t reinvesting their revenues in educational improvements as required by law. The system also leaves underfunded municipalities in charge of high school education nationwide. This has starved most schools of resources, while leaving some wealthy neighbourhood schools well off. Chile’s small upper class sends its children to private schools or even overseas for their education. Teachers’ union president Jaime Gajardo reiterated the students’ call for a national referendum on their demands, an idea that leaders of the governing center-right coalition have dismissed as unconstitutional and dangerous. Student leaders spread word on social networks for their supporters to engage in more pot-banging displays known as “cacerolazos”, and the clamour of crashing metal rang into the night. Pot-banging during the dark of night was a frequent method of protest during the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet in 1973-90. Chile Protest guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …