The Australian Outback is home to millions of kangaroos—and some very tough old ladies. Phyllis Johnson, 94, is recovering in a local hospital after being attacked by a fully grown red kangaroo as she was hanging up her washing. The animal rained down kicks before she managed to fight…
Continue reading …A terrified teenager crouched behind rocks listening to the crack of bullets pick off bodies in the Norway massacre as she frantically texted her mom to send help fast, and declared what could have been a last message of love. “Mummy, tell the police that they must hurry,” Julie Bremnes…
Continue reading …A mountain lion walked an incredible 1,800 miles across America from South Dakota before being hit by an SUV just 50 miles northeast of New York Cit. DNA from the big cat killed on a Connecticut highway last month matches that of the Black Hills cougar population, and matches…
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Taliban suspected, though Karzai ally may have been victim of grudge over destruction of illegally built homes Afghan insurgents appeared to continue their assassination campaign against key public figures on Wednesday with the killing of the mayor of Kandahar. Ghulam Haider Hamidi was targeted by a suicide bomber who got into the municipality compound in Kandahar City with explosives concealed under his turban. The technique was first used earlier this month in a mosque in the city during a memorial service for Ahmed Wali Karzai, a regional strongman and half-brother of the president. Abdul Manan, a municipality employee, said the mayor had emerged from his office into the garden, where he made a call on his mobile phone. The assassin grabbed him and detonated the bomb. “I rushed outside and saw the mayor was lying still on the ground,” said Manan. “Another headless body was next to him and the mayor had deep wounds on his face and chest.” The death of Hamidi will raise further concerns about whether military gains by the US military in the Kandahar region, particularly in districts adjoining the city, will be undermined by the remorseless killing of top public figures. The death comes weeks after the killing in their homes of two powerful politicians in the south: Ahmed Wali Karzai and Jan Mohammad Khan, an ally of the Karzai family and a key figure in neighbouring Uruzgan province. In April, Kandahar’s police chief was killed by a suicide bomber who entered police headquarters. A recent UN report said “targeted killings” had increased in the first half of 2011 from an already high level. Assassination attempts had caused 43 injuries and 190 deaths – a 5% increase on the same period in 2010. “Every death piles on top of the other and leads to a sense of demoralisation, that nobody is safe,” said Martine van Bijlert, co-director of the Afghanistan Analysts Network. “Previously these attacks were carried out when the targets were on the move, either in their cars or on the way to the mosque or somewhere else where they were vulnerable. But now we have this recent development where assassins are able to enter secure areas and target people there.” Hamidi, an Afghan-American who worked as an accountant in the US for 20 years, was nowhere near as politically important as Ahmed Wali Karzai. Although Karzai held an elected position as the head of the provincial council, he was a powerbroker who wielded enormous power through his control of the war economy. US strategy in the south has been to try to build the influence of formal institutions and government officials against such informal “malign actors”. Hamidi held an official position but was also very much part of the Karzai family network in the south, to which he owed his job. It had been rumoured that he might take the lead role in the province after the killing of Ahmed Wali. As well as being a target of insurgents attempting to weaken the government in any way possible, Hamidi had made plenty of enemies among businessmen and power brokers who felt excluded from war economy contracts, projects and other get-rich schemes that have largely benefited the extended Karzai family and its tribal allies. The fact that the Taliban’s spokesmen were relatively slow to claim credit for the assassination prompted speculation that his killing could be the result of a personal grudge. Hamidi was attacked in some quarters over the Aino Minna development, a somewhat surreal US-style suburb on the edge of Kandahar City. In part developed by Mahmoud Karzai, one of the Afghan president’s controversial brothers, the scheme has been criticised for being built on land once owned by the ministry of defence that was sold cheaply after intense lobbying, some from Hamidi. At the time of his assassination Hamidi’s office was surrounded by around 100 protesters, furious at the municipality’s destruction of houses built illegally on government land in recent days in the Loy Wala area of Kandahar. One protester, Hajji Lal Mohammad, said the mayor had sparked outrage in the community where the houses were destroyed, apparently killing two children. “They destroyed 200 houses and two children were killed,” he said. “When I saw the bulldozers I also wanted to kill the mayor.” The governor of Kandahar, Toryalai Wesa, warned the “land mafia” who illegally occupy land that “you might be happy that the mayor is gone but we will stand and we will destroy illegal houses”. Although a statement by the governor’s office seemed to suggest that the land issue was the reason the mayor had been killed, the governor said it was too early to say who was responsible and that the killing was being investigated. Afghanistan Taliban Ahmed Wali Karzai Hamid Karzai United Nations Jon Boone guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …President Obama is just trying to scare the American people with his talk of serious consequences if no agreement can be reached on the debt ceiling, according to Sarah Palin. The Alaskan, appearing on Greta Van Susteren’s Fox News show, dismissed the situation as “more Obama drama,” ABC News reports….
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Tom Condliff’s claim that his human rights were breached was dismissed by appeal court judges A 22-stone, “morbidly obese” ex-policeman has lost his latest attempt to force the NHS to pay for stomach surgery, despite his lawyers saying he might have less than a year to live. Tom Condliff, who is 62 and 1.8m (6ft 2in) tall, had claimed that North Staffordshire primary care trust (PCT) was denying him his human rights by refusing to fund the operation. But while judges at the appeal court in London on Wednesday expressed sympathy for Condliff’s “desperate” situation, they dismissed his attempt to overturn an April high court decision in the trust’s favour. Condliff, from Talke, Staffordshire, who has diabetes and other associated illnesses, had argued he needed a laparoscopic gastric bypass operation. Condliff’s lawyers had argued that the PCT had applied a funding policy that was legally flawed and breached his human rights. The appeal judges – Lord Justice Maurice Kay, Lady Justice Hallett and Lord Justice Toulson – ruled that the funding policy did not breach human rights laws, although Toulson added: “Anyone in his situation would feel desperate.” Richard Clayton QC, for Condliff, had said his health was deteriorating and doctors feared he could have less than a year to live. He had a “severe needle phobia” and, over a number of years, insulin had not been delivered as effectively as it might have been. Condliff had developed a “gross appetite” and had started to “gorge himself” following a course of insulin. His weight had increased and his health problems multiplied. Clayton told a previous hearing: “He tried all other relevant, non-surgical interventions, including dietary and lifestyle and drug interventions, for his gain in weight, but was not successful.” The funding policy of the trust breached Condliff’s right to respect for his private and family life under article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, Clayton argued. But David Lock QC, for the trust, said the case involved difficult decisions about healthcare funding priorities, and that the trust was entitled to make such decisions without taking into account non-clinical and social factors. Toulson said there was no doubt that Condliff’s state of health “is having a seriously adverse effect on his private and family life in the most basic ways, which without bariatric surgery will continue and is likely to become worse”. But there was no violation of the European Convention of Human Rights, however harsh that might seem to Condliff, said the judge. Clayton had in effect argued that there should be “positive discrimination”, and that “private life” matters should be taken into account, which were “not clinically significant when making decisions on the allocation of funds for medical treatment”, the judges said. Toulson said: “Mr Condliff’s witness statement shows that his condition has seriously compromised his independence and dignity of life in ways which have an inevitable impact on his relationship with his wife. It is unnecessary to go into more intimate details. His life expectancy has been severely reduced. Anyone in his situation would feel desperate. “The sad fact remains that the [trust], on proper medical advice, does not consider his condition to be exceptional for someone with his diabetes, obesity and co-morbidities. As a medical judgment that is not challenged. “In my judgment the [high court] judge was right in his reasoning and his conclusion that the adoption of the policy did not contravene the [human rights] convention. I would therefore dismiss the appeal.” The other judges agreed. Condliff was refused permission to take his case to the supreme court. NHS Human rights Health James Meikle guardian.co.uk
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Foreign secretary William Hague declares Libya’s national transitional council the country’s ‘sole governmental authority’ Britain is expelling the Libyan chargé d’affaires and all eight remaining Libyan embassy staff in London after David Cameron and William Hague ruled that Libya’s national transitional council (NTC) was now the “sole governmental authority” in the country. The chargé was summoned to a meeting at the Foreign Office, where he was given three days to leave Britain. Other diplomats at the Libyan People’s Bureau, in Knightsbridge – which has been under heavy police guard since the launch of the military campaign in March – have been told to leave over the course of the summer. Hague announced the expulsions at a Foreign Office press conference on Wednesday as he invited the NTC to nominate an ambassador and other diplomats to take over the Libyan mission. The foreign secretary said: “The prime minister and I have decided that the United Kingdom recognises and will deal with the national transitional council as the sole governmental authority in Libya. “This decision reflects the national transitional council’s increasing legitimacy, competence and success in reaching out to Libyans across the country. “Through its actions, the national transitional council has shown its commitment to a more open and democratic Libya, something that it is working to achieve in an inclusive political process. This is in stark contrast to Gaddafi, whose brutality against the Libyan people has stripped him of all legitimacy.” Hague said Britain – which has temporarily closed its embassy in Tripoli – now runs its largest diplomatic mission in north Africa after Cairo in the Libyan rebel stronghold of Benghazi. This will be designated as an embassy if the NTC requests an upgrade. The decision to recognise the NTC as sole governmental authority led to the unfreezing of £91m in UK assets belonging to the Arabian Gulf Oil Company, a Libyan oil firm under the NTC’s control. Foreign Office sources said the assets were unfrozen after the NTC gave assurances that the funds would be used to purchase fuel and not arms, which would be illegal under UN security council resolutions. Hague also announced at his press conference that: • The appearance on Libyan television of the Lockerbie bomber, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, showed it had been a mistake by the Scottish justice minister to release him in 2009. • Britain only decided to recognise the NTC after it was certain that Libyan students in Britain, who are funded by their embassy, would continue to be supported. • No deadline has been set for the military campaign against the Gaddafi regime. British military chiefs have advised ministers they can continue with the bombing indefinitely. The decision to recognise an opposition group is a rare step for Britain, which declined to follow the example of the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, who recognised the NTC at the start of the conflict. Britain said at the time it could not recognise the NTC because it recognises states rather than governments. It decided to relax its position after the international Libya contact group decided at a recent meeting in Istanbul “to deal with the national transitional council … as the legitimate governing authority in Libya”. A Foreign Office source said Britain would continue to abide by the convention by which it recognises states rather than governments, saying: “These are exceptional circumstances. It was an anomaly that we had these people here still representing Gaddafi. “We dragged in the chargé d’affaires. He and his colleagues are now packing their bags.” Hague, who appeared to indicate earlier this week that Britain was more relaxed about Gaddafi’s personal future, made it clear that it would be better if he left Libya. The foreign secretary said, however, that Britain could not dictate the outcome of a political settlement to the Libyan people. “Let’s point out though, at the same time, that the view of the chairman of the NTC is that any successful political settlement does involve Gaddafi leaving Libya and that is what we continue to say is the best solution,” he said. “So don’t make any mistake about that, but we’re saying we can’t impose that or guarantee that.” Hague also said Britain was committed to ensuring that Gaddafi faces justice before the international criminal court. The foreign secretary denied that discussions about Gaddafi were part of a back channel communication with the regime, but did not deny that such a channel existed. The renewed diplomatic offensive comes as British aircraft stepped up the bombing against Gaddafi’s security and intelligence apparatus before the start of Ramadan on 1 August. Libya Muammar Gaddafi Middle East Africa Arab and Middle East unrest Foreign policy Nicholas Watt guardian.co.uk
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Catherine Shoard takes a cycle tour round original locations of The Lavender Hill Mob, the classic Ealing heist comedy starring Alec Guinness Catherine Shoard Noah Birksted-Breen
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Detectives investigating the terror attacks carried out controlled explosion at Anders Behring Breivik’s rented property Police investigating the Norwegian terror attacks that left 76 people dead have detonated a stash of explosives at a farm rented by Anders Behring Breivik. Detectives believe the 32-year-old made the bomb that killed eight people in Oslo on Friday using fertiliser he purchased under the guise of being a farmer. The controlled explosion on Tuesday night came after police named four of the victims , including three caught up in the city centre bombing and a 23-year-old shot dead in the Utøya Island gun rampage. Police would not reveal the quantity of explosives found at the leased farmstead in Rena, about 100 miles north of the capital, but said the detonation was carried out safely. As the investigation continues, security officials have cast doubt on claims made by the gunman that he had accomplices who were still at large. At his first court appearance in Oslo on Monday, Breivik told a closed courtroom that he had links to “two other terror cells” . But Norway’s domestic intelligence chief Janne Kristiansen said no proof has yet been found to link Breivik to right-wing extremists in the UK or elsewhere. She told the BBC: “I can tell you, at this moment in time, we don’t have evidence or we don’t have indications that he has been part of a broader movement or that he has been in connection with other cells or that there are other cells.” The intelligence chief added that she did not believe the killer was insane, but calculating and evil, and someone who sought the limelight. At a press conference in Oslo on Tuesday, Johan Fredrikson, the chief of Oslo police, said that he still had no evidence that there was an accomplice or network behind the attacks despite an international investigation, including involvement by British police. Five days after the massacre, authorities and ordinary Norweigans are still jumpy. On Wednesday morning, Oslo’s main station was closed after a suspicious suitcase was discovered on a bus. All train and bus services out of the centre were halted while police investigated the suspect case, which turned out to be harmless. Also on Wednesday morning, Oslo police caused panic by putting out an alert saying they were looking for a “dangerous” and unstable man who claimed a connection with Breivik. But shortly after releasing the alert, police said they had wrongly connected the mentally ill man with Friday’s massacre. “This has nothing to do with Friday’s case,” a police official said after recalling the memo. “The news release was sent out in error. This is a routine mission by the police. The police have been criticised for their failure to reach Utøya island sooner on Friday after Breivik’s lawyer revealed the killer was surprised he had reached the island youth camp without being stopped by police – who took 90 minutes to arrive. It has emerged the nearest police helicopter available was not able to intervene because its pilots were on holiday. On Wednesday, the leader of Norway’s emergency police unit, Delta Force, defended its response to the atrocities, claiming the breakdown of the team’s boat didn’t cause any significant delay in its efforts to reach Utøya. Anders Snortheimsmoen told reporters that even though the assigned boat quickly broke down, the team immediately jumped into another, better boat. He says his team arrived at the harbour at the same time as local police and that the boat mishap caused “no delay”. Meanwhile, Norwegian investigators have assigned a whole unit to pore over the 1500-page manifesto Breivik emailed to more than 1,000 contacts less than 90 minutes before he launched his attack. One paragraph in the diatribe describes a detailed “survivor’s kit” which he claimed to be preparing in advance to help him break out of prison, including weapons, ammunition, nutrition, and cash. The Norwegian tabloid VG reports how Breivik describes plans for another terrorist attack, should he manage to escape from jail, including a “hit-list” of targets. Norway Anders Behring Breivik Europe Global terrorism Helen Pidd guardian.co.uk
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