Tatsuya Ichihashi, who has also admitted raping the British teacher, says at his trial he did not mean to kill her A man has admitted raping and strangling British teacher Lindsay Ann Hawker – but said he did not intend to kill her. Tatsuya Ichihashi, 32, made the admissions during the opening of his murder trial in Chiba, Japan on Monday. He stands charged with murdering the 22-year-old English teacher who worked at a private language school. Hawker was found dead in a sand-filled bathtub on the balcony of the defendant’s apartment in Chiba, east of Tokyo, in March 2007. Ichihashi, who was one of her students, was arrested in Osaka, in western Japan, in November 2009 and has since been held in custody. Hawker’s parents Bill and Julia are attending the trial at Chiba district court. “I’m here to get justice for my daughter,” Mr Hawker said yesterday. “It’s been a long time coming.” Under Japanese law the Hawkers will be classed as “victim participants” and will be able, at the discretion of the court, to question the defendant and give their opinion on sentencing. They will also be able, for example, to ask to examine the prosecution evidence. In January Ichihashi promised to donate the proceeds of a book in which he confessed to the killing to Lindsay’s family. It detailed how he spent two and a half years on the run following the murder and how he underwent plastic surgery to change his appearance. Ichihashi also apologised to the family, claiming he wrote the book as “a gesture of contrition for the crime I committed”. While at large, Ichihashi said he travelled through 23 prefectures across Japan and, fearing arrest, became obsessed with cosmetic surgery – even attempting procedures on himself with scissors. He also claimed to have embarked on a pilgrimage tour of temples on the south-western island of Shikoku, wishing he could make Lindsay “come back to life”. Ichihashi was finally arrested in Osaka while waiting for a ferry to Okinawa. Japan guardian.co.uk
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• French-devised €110bn plan under threat • S&P says investors will receive less than promised • Greece’s rating will be cut to D if plan proceeds Efforts to resolve the Greek debt crisis were dealt a blow on Monday morning when rating agency Standard & Poor’s ruled that Europe’s favoured rescue plan is in effect a default. S&P warned that it would cut Greece’s credit rating to D, the lowest possible, if the debt rollover plan proposed by France’s banking sector is implemented. The decision, which echoes the views of other rating agencies in recent days, casts a cloud over the eurozone as policymakers struggle to devise a second bailout for Greece worth around €110bn (£100bn). The euro fell against the dollar, losing around half a cent to $1.4513, after S&P released its analysis. Under the Fédération Bancaire Française (FBF) plan, banks would invest some of the proceeds of maturing Greek debt in new bonds issued by Athens, which would not mature for up to 30 years. These securities would have an interest rate linked to Greece’s GDP, and their sale would be restricted. The proposal won support last week from Germany , which is keen for private creditors to share the cost of a new rescue package. S&P, though, has concluded that this plan must be treated as a debt restructuring because investors would receive less value than was promised when they bought their original securities, and because without the deal Greece would almost certainly be unable to service its debts. “In our view, Greece’s near-term reliance on European Union and International Monetary Fund official financing, the government’s difficulty in reducing its sizable fiscal deficit, and the current pricing of Greek government debt in the secondary market all underscore the Hellenic Republic’s weak creditworthiness and, consequently, point to a ‘realistic possibility’ that [the] financing option would fit the ‘distressed’ category,” said S&P. Chaos could ripple through financial markets if the rating agencies rule that Greece has defaulted. Banks would have to slash the value of the Greek bonds they hold, and would probably not be able to use them as collateral with the European Central Bank (ECB). There are also fears that Portugal and Ireland might also see their credit rating cut. Gary Jenkins of Evolution Securities predicted that S&P’s statement might scupper the FBF plan. “As the proposal not triggering a default was set as a precondition by the FBF it looks like it might be back to the drawing board. Or the ECB could back down and state that it will continue to accept defaulted bonds as collateral, and the FBF then ignores its own terms and conditions. We are in such strange and dangerous times that anything is possible,” said Jenkins. “It might be that a completely different form of bailout has to take place, such as guaranteeing Greek debt or buying it back. Anyhow, this is certainly a brave decision by S&P and it will be interesting to see how the other agencies follow and how senior officials at the EU react. Bet they wish they had gone ahead and set up their own rating agency now,” he added. Greece’s immediate financial crisis was eased over the weekend when finance ministers agreed to hand over the next slice of its original bailout, worth €12bn. This followed the Greek parliament’s approval of a tough five-year austerity plan designed to drive down Greece’s budget deficit, giving international investors the confidence to lend to the country again. However, the meeting of eurozone ministers did not make significant progress on the pressing issue of the second bailout . “It is likely that this could well be delayed until September, given European leaders’ predilection for delay,” commented Michael Hewson of CMC Markets. European debt crisis European banks Greece Europe Ratings agencies Graeme Wearden guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Thaddeus McCotter is officially in the GOP race for president, but you’ll be forgiven if you missed today’s campaign launch. The conservative Michigan congressman announced at a small music festival, and the news got little coverage. Or bemused coverage: “Perhaps announcing a presidential candidacy at a music festival in a…
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Priority given to feeding children on brink of starvation, mothers, hospital patients and elderly The European commission is to give €10m (£9m) in urgent food aid to North Koreans on the brink of starvation, after negotiating for “unprecedented access” to ensure that the food goes straight to those most in need. The money will be used to buy food, through the World Food Programme and Save the Children, which will be directed to 650,000 children in hospitals and care homes, breastfeeding women, hospital patients and the elderly. “It is of course outrageous that year after year the North Korean government has been starving its own people while funding programmes that are not to the benefit of the people and certainly not for the benefit of mankind – but that is no excuse for closing our eyes and closing our hearts when people are in desperate need,” Kristalina Georgieva, EU commissioner for international co-operation, humanitarian aid and crisis response, said. “My own team came back and told me that the need is very real and acute. If we are to act, we must act now.” North Korean government rations, believed to be keeping two-thirds of the population alive, have been steadily reducing, down from 400g per person per day in April to 150g in June – the equivalent of a small bowl of rice. Georgieva sent observers who were given unusual permission to visit hospitals and clinics, kindergartens and nurseries, markets and farms, and the state food distribution centres. They reported widespread hunger, near-empty markets and warehouses, and many people being treated in hospital after eating grass. “Among the most saddening stories were of starving children begging in the market place to people who had absolutely nothing to give them. We cannot allow that to happen if we are in a position to help,” she said. Georgieva has been in discussion with the World Food Programme, which is using the offer of European money as a lever to increase the number of international staff in the country monitoring food distribution, and to permit up to 400 visits a month, including members of her own team. “This is a targeted, one-off response. We will be monitoring from port to hospital. I have asked that all the food from Europe be not bought at the same time: any sign of food not getting through, or being diverted away from the people we want to help, and it stops there, we give no more,” Georgieva said. Between 1995 and 2008 the commission spent around €124m on humanitarian aid to North Korea, but in 2008 closed its office in Pyongyang and pulled out all staff. The present food crisis has been caused by the combination of floods last year, the coldest winter in 50 years, and then an outbreak of foot and mouth disease. The next main cereal harvest is not due until October. A defector from North Korea recently gave the Guardian searing accounts of life in a detention camp where she was imprisoned for a previous escape from the country. “There were about 1,000 women in our cabin and we were so squashed together we had to sleep with our legs interlocking,” she said. “We had rice husks to eat and had to work cutting down trees and dragging the timber back with chains. When it got really cold in winter, five or six women would die every day and the other prisoners would have to carry the bodies out. I still dream about that.” North Korea European commission European Union Maev Kennedy guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Tucked within six underground vaults at a Hindu temple in southern India sits a treasure estimated to be worth more than $11.2 billion. Among the findings: precious stones, human figurines made of gold, thousands of necklaces (one 18 feet long), and many gold coins—and two of the chambers…
Continue reading …A two-year-old Chinese girl left unattended fell 10 stories from her family’s apartment window yesterday—and survived after being caught by a woman passing by, state media reported today. The girl, named Zhang Fangyu but known by the nickname Niu Niu, was in the care of her grandmother yesterday afternoon…
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• Concern over hormonal medication for over-35s • Study suggests increased risk of Down’s syndrome High doses of drugs used to stimulate the ovaries of older women undergoing fertility treatment may be causing chromosomal abnormalities in their eggs, leading to failed pregnancies and even, potentially, babies with conditions such as Down’s syndrome. Hormonal drugs are used in IVF to encourage the ovaries to produce extra eggs, increasing the chances that some will be successfully fertilised and implanted in the womb. One of the biggest hazards of IVF is overstimulation, which can make a woman very ill. Under the age of 35, mild stimulation is used. But over 35, when the ovaries are naturally producing fewer eggs, larger doses of hormones have conventionally been used. Research led by a UK team, presented at the annual European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) conference in Stockholm, has now shown that the resultant eggs have a higher proportion of chromosomal abnormalities than would be expected in untreated women of the same age group. Embryos created from eggs with chromosomal abnormalities do not usually proceed to a successful pregnancy and live birth. They may not implant in the womb or the woman may miscarry very early on. But it has usually been thought in the past that the lack of success in IVF among older women was the result of their less viable eggs, which were assumed more likely to have chromosomal abnormalities than those of younger women. “What this paper shows is that a lot of the chromosomal abnormalities are not those that are conventionally age-related,” said Stuart Lavery, consultant gynaecologist and director of the IVF clinic at Hammersmith hospital in London. It raised concerns, he said, that the treatment might be responsible for the abnormalities – possibly by allowing eggs to develop “that nature would have excluded”. These could include – if a pregnancy went to term – the birth of a baby with Down’s syndrome, which is the result of a chromosomal abnormality. The research, carried out by Professor Alan Handyside, director of the London Bridge Fertility, Gynaecology and Genetics Centre, and colleagues from eight countries, establishes that the excessive abnormalities exist but other work will be needed to find out the causes. The discovery came out of research they were conducting on a novel way of screening small cells that are the by-product of egg development, called polar bodies, to see whether it was a reliable method of screening for chromosomal abnormalities. Tony Rutherford, chair of the British Fertility Society and honorary senior lecturer at the University of Leeds, said the discovery “put meat on the bones” of what they had known for some time – that driving the ovaries hard with high drug doses produced more eggs but not more embryos. “The bottom line is that the number of normal embryos is the same whether you stimulate in the conventional manner as we have for 25 years [with higher doses of hormones] or whether you do it in a much milder manner.” Lavery said that, where stimulation was not producing many eggs, “the common answer is to give more [hormonal medication]. But the work coming out suggests that isn’t necessarily a good thing.” Handyside said scientists needed to look further at the pattern of abnormalities in different stimulation regimes including mild stimulation and natural cycle IVF, where one egg per cycle is removed, fertilised and returned to the woman. “The results of such research should enable us to identify better clinical strategies to reduce the incidence of chromosome errors in older women undergoing IVF,” he said. “We also believe that our research will help identify women who want to have their own offspring but have practically no chance of doing so that we can advise them to use donor [eggs],” said Professor Joep Geraedts, co-ordinator of the ESHRE task force on preimplantation genetic screening. “This in itself is already a big step forward that will aid couples hoping for a healthy pregnancy and birth to be able to achieve one.” Medical research Fertility problems Down’s syndrome Health & wellbeing Drugs Sarah Boseley guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …As one of America’s most liberal cities considers banning the sale of all pets , the Atlantic Wire decided to take a look at stops along San Francisco’s “unending quest to be a place of populist values”—a journey in which “the city sometimes legislates itself into ridiculousness.” After all, San…
Continue reading …Turkey’s foreign minister recognized Libya’s rebel leaders as the country’s legitimate representatives today, joining countries like France, Qatar, and Italy in doing so. Ahmet Davutoglu also promised the rebels an additional $200 million in aid during the visit. The meeting is the most powerful signal to-date that Turkey, which has…
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New online conversations allege the suspected WikiLeaks source was mocked and physically attacked New online conversations between a gay activist and Bradley Manning, the US soldier suspected of passing secret diplomatic cables to WikiLeaks, allege Manning was being bullied in the military over his sexuality. The 2009 weblogs, sent from Fort Drum, the upstate New York barracks where Manning was preparing to be sent to Iraq as an intelligence analyst, give new insight into his state of mind around the time he is alleged to have contacted WikiLeaks. Using the online pseudonym Bradass87, Manning used AOL’s instant messager for several exchanges with a 19-year-old man called Zachary Antolak, who lived near Chicago. Antolak adopted a female persona on the internet, ZJ Antolak. In the weblogs, never before made public, Manning tells ZJ of bullying he endured as a gay man serving in the army under “don’t ask, don’t tell”, the discriminatory policy towards gay soldiers. Though he tried to hide his sexuality, it was soon discovered by others in his platoon. “It took them a while, but they started figuring me out, making fun of me, mocking me, harassing me, heating up with one or two physical attacks,” Manning wrote to ZJ. The logs were uncovered by Steve Fishman, a journalist at New York magazine who wrote a profile of Manning for the latest issue. The new material adds to the understanding of Manning, who has spent more than a year in military prison awaiting a court martial on charges that he sent hundreds of thousands of confidential documents and videos to WikiLeaks. Manning has become a cause celebre in the US, where protests are regularly held outside Fort Leavenworth in Kansas, where he is in custody. In the cyber conversations with ZJ Manning also says he was shocked by life in the army when first recruited. “The army took me, a web dev, threw me into a rigid schedule, removed me from my digital self,” posted Manning. “The army … threw me in the forests of Missouri for 10 weeks with an old M-16, Reagan-era load-bearing equipment and 50 twanging people hailing from places like Texas, Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi … joy. What the hell did I put myself through?” In October 2009 Manning was deployed to Forward Operating Base Hammer, 40 miles from Baghdad. There his feeling of isolation grew more intense. “It’s awfully stressful, lonely,” he wrote. As part of the profile piece, Fishman interviews a counsellor who saw Manning in November 2009. At the sessions they discussed a previously unknown incident in which Manning appears to have felt responsible for a US military operation in Iraq that led to the death of a civilian. Manning told the counsellor he was trying to find out why two groups of Iraqis were in a particular area. A US army unit was dispatched and Manning later learned that a man connected to them was killed. Manning, the counsellor said, “was very, very distressed”. He also claimed Manning discussed wanting to have a sex change. In previously disclosed weblogs he expressed anger at the apparent lack of concern shown by his superior officers in Iraq about the treatment of civilians. Bradley Manning WikiLeaks United States Ed Pilkington guardian.co.uk
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