An e-mail, carrying enough reasons to cheer me up, is writtern to me by Richard Parsons, a veteran journalist/editor and one of the most respectable newspaper journalists I have ever met in the UK.
Yixiang,
Great news – I’m so pleased for you. It’s a result of hard work and sheer determination on your part.
I know Mr Ward is taking a chance, bearing in mind your acknowledged developing language skills, and now it is down to you to throw yourself into your studies.
I’ve copied this to Andy and Angela, who will be interested to know how you are getting on.
I hope you will stay in touch.
Best wishes
Richard
Thursday 20 August 2009
David Cameron “Tories Are the Party of the NHS”
The Conservative are the “party of the NHS”, Tory leader David Cameron says, while Labour is “out-of-touch and bureaucratic”, BBC News Online reports.
The Tory leader has pledged to increase spending on health during a speech in Bolton, Greater Manchester.
Cameron said this is in a bid to recover from the fallout of Tory MEP Daniel Hannan’s appearance on US TV, where he claimed the NHS had been a “60-year mistake”.
Cameron said only the Tories are offering the NHS a funding guarantee.
“Spending on the NHS cannot stand still, because standing still would be taking a step backwards,” He said during his NHS hospital visit in north-west of England. “That is why we have pledged real-terms increases in NHS spending,” as reported by the Guardian.
On the other hand, “Labour”, said Mr. Cameron “could not be trusted to keep their promises” on the health service.
During the speech Mr. Cameron made in Manchester, he said Labour is mistakenly praising “political point-scoring” instead of addressing the serious issues. He further said its health service reforms had “come to the end of the line”.
He said he is concerned that spending can not stand still in the face of an ageing population and medical advances, according to the BBC News Online.
“The debt crisis means we need a new approach to public spending, to make sure we get more for less. But in the NHS, even that won’t do,” said Mr. Cameron.
Cameron has pledged that spending will, at the very least, rise in line with inflation from 2011- 14 if the Tories win the next election.
He also argued that spending alone cannot protect the NHS. It will need an intensification of reforms to cope with an ageing population.
“Our health service is crying out for the next stage of change. I believe we have shown that we are the ones to bring about that change, and that we have earned the right to call ourselves the party of the NHS today. We believe in the NHS. We understand the pressures it faces.”
He then continued to say that Tory reforms would be focusing on making the supply of healthcare more efficient and reducing demand for the NHS through more preventive care.
“The power of competition – an opening up of the NHS to news providers – will bring innovation and investment. And the power of choice – the ability for people to control what service they get – will lead to better quality care.”
These reforms will create a more user-friendly and efficient NHS that both meets patient expectations and restores professional responsibility, says the Guardian.
20/08/09
The Tory leader has pledged to increase spending on health during a speech in Bolton, Greater Manchester.
Cameron said this is in a bid to recover from the fallout of Tory MEP Daniel Hannan’s appearance on US TV, where he claimed the NHS had been a “60-year mistake”.
Cameron said only the Tories are offering the NHS a funding guarantee.
“Spending on the NHS cannot stand still, because standing still would be taking a step backwards,” He said during his NHS hospital visit in north-west of England. “That is why we have pledged real-terms increases in NHS spending,” as reported by the Guardian.
On the other hand, “Labour”, said Mr. Cameron “could not be trusted to keep their promises” on the health service.
During the speech Mr. Cameron made in Manchester, he said Labour is mistakenly praising “political point-scoring” instead of addressing the serious issues. He further said its health service reforms had “come to the end of the line”.
He said he is concerned that spending can not stand still in the face of an ageing population and medical advances, according to the BBC News Online.
“The debt crisis means we need a new approach to public spending, to make sure we get more for less. But in the NHS, even that won’t do,” said Mr. Cameron.
Cameron has pledged that spending will, at the very least, rise in line with inflation from 2011- 14 if the Tories win the next election.
He also argued that spending alone cannot protect the NHS. It will need an intensification of reforms to cope with an ageing population.
“Our health service is crying out for the next stage of change. I believe we have shown that we are the ones to bring about that change, and that we have earned the right to call ourselves the party of the NHS today. We believe in the NHS. We understand the pressures it faces.”
He then continued to say that Tory reforms would be focusing on making the supply of healthcare more efficient and reducing demand for the NHS through more preventive care.
“The power of competition – an opening up of the NHS to news providers – will bring innovation and investment. And the power of choice – the ability for people to control what service they get – will lead to better quality care.”
These reforms will create a more user-friendly and efficient NHS that both meets patient expectations and restores professional responsibility, says the Guardian.
20/08/09
Tuesday 18 August 2009
Muslims urged not to miss medical appointments during Ramadan
Barts and The London NHS Trust is encouraging Muslims to look after their health and attend scheduled medical appointments during the month of Ramadan, says Medical News Today, UK.
Ramadan is the name of the ninth lunar month on the Islamic Calendar. It is about worship and the ritual of fasting, and practised by people who are Muslims, according to TimeOut.
Nuala Close, Lead Cancer Nurse has expressed concern that some Muslim patients may inadvertently miss their cancer screening or other urgent medical appointment during their Ramadan period.
The Trust’s Muslim chaplain Jusna Begum said: “Islamic law exempts the elderly, the ill, young children, pregnant women and nursing mothers from Ramadan’s requirements.
“Patients undergoing treatment for many different diseases maybe required to eat or drink prior to talking their medication or undergo investigations.
It is essential that our Muslim patients follow the strict medication guidance in the knowledge that they are not breaking their religious beliefs.
I ask all Muslims to make their health a priority and attend any scheduled appointments,” The Medical News Today, UK reports.
According to Nuala Close, she said they noticed a spike in missed appointments during Ramadan over the past couple of years.
They would like to address to ensure their patients are seen urgently when they are being referred by their GP’s.
Though she admits that this is an issue not unique to their Trust but to other areas in the UK with a high Muslim population.
She said: “Some of our Muslim patients may not realise the importance of attending their appointment, particularly those who have been referred to us from their GP with a suspected cancer diagnosis. It is important that these patients are seen within two weeks of their referral to the Trust.
“Patients need to understand they are taking an unnecessary risk with their health if they miss they appointment, as to wait the end of Ramadan could have serious consequences on their health.
“Screening tests help save lives by detecting cancers early when treatment can be more effective. Putting off clinic appointment for several weeks can really make the difference to the outcome for patients who are subsequently diagnosed with cancer.”
A representative from The Muslim Council of Britain said: “We urge all fellow Muslim brothers and sisters not to make their own decisions to alter doses or timings of medications without the guidance from their doctors or pharmacists through out the holy month of Ramadan and beyond,
“We also urge local health practitioners to liaise with mosques and Islamic centres to educate the public on this important information during Ramadan fasting.”
Ramadan is the name of the ninth lunar month on the Islamic Calendar. It is about worship and the ritual of fasting, and practised by people who are Muslims, according to TimeOut.
Nuala Close, Lead Cancer Nurse has expressed concern that some Muslim patients may inadvertently miss their cancer screening or other urgent medical appointment during their Ramadan period.
The Trust’s Muslim chaplain Jusna Begum said: “Islamic law exempts the elderly, the ill, young children, pregnant women and nursing mothers from Ramadan’s requirements.
“Patients undergoing treatment for many different diseases maybe required to eat or drink prior to talking their medication or undergo investigations.
It is essential that our Muslim patients follow the strict medication guidance in the knowledge that they are not breaking their religious beliefs.
I ask all Muslims to make their health a priority and attend any scheduled appointments,” The Medical News Today, UK reports.
According to Nuala Close, she said they noticed a spike in missed appointments during Ramadan over the past couple of years.
They would like to address to ensure their patients are seen urgently when they are being referred by their GP’s.
Though she admits that this is an issue not unique to their Trust but to other areas in the UK with a high Muslim population.
She said: “Some of our Muslim patients may not realise the importance of attending their appointment, particularly those who have been referred to us from their GP with a suspected cancer diagnosis. It is important that these patients are seen within two weeks of their referral to the Trust.
“Patients need to understand they are taking an unnecessary risk with their health if they miss they appointment, as to wait the end of Ramadan could have serious consequences on their health.
“Screening tests help save lives by detecting cancers early when treatment can be more effective. Putting off clinic appointment for several weeks can really make the difference to the outcome for patients who are subsequently diagnosed with cancer.”
A representative from The Muslim Council of Britain said: “We urge all fellow Muslim brothers and sisters not to make their own decisions to alter doses or timings of medications without the guidance from their doctors or pharmacists through out the holy month of Ramadan and beyond,
“We also urge local health practitioners to liaise with mosques and Islamic centres to educate the public on this important information during Ramadan fasting.”
Police learn about Ramadan report says
The meaning of Ramadan and how Muslims celebrate the holy month of fasting was explained to Salford police and community officers, according to Asian News.
Shaikh Esam, who sits on the Shari’a advisory board of a number of banks and financial institutions in Bahrain, explained what Ramadan means for Muslims, according to TimesOut.
Ramadan is the name of the ninth lunar month on the Islamic Calendar. It is about worship and the ritual of fasting. And to understand fasting, Shaikh Esam suggests first of all, people should understand what Islam means, Islam is an Arabic word that means to submit willingly to the commandments of God.
Islam is based on five important pillars of which the fourth pillar is about fasting. Muslims surrender to God by surrendering to his laws and people measure the acceptance or rejection of this submission with these five pillars.
These five pillars are: Shahadah, Salah, Zakah, Sawm, Hajj.
Asian News continues by saying that Eccles and Salford Islamic Society hosted the awareness day at Eccles Mosque on Liverpool Road for officers from the Saford South Neighbourhood Policing Team.
The event welcomes members from all communities and it gave them the opportunity to meet a member of the mosque, and their local policing officers, and informally discuss Ramadan, the meaning for Muslims living in this country, in Salford, and how the period will policed.
Back to TimeOut, the first pillar “Shahadah” means to declare with conviction and acceptance that there is no one worthy of worship other than Alla. The second part of this pillar is to declare that Mohammed is his messenger.
The second pillar “Salah” establishes the five daily prayers in their set forms and their special times which correlate to the position of the sun – sunrise, sunset. Muslims pray five times a day.
Zakah means anyone who owns a minimum threshold amounts and retains this minimum threshold for one lunar year is obliged to pay out 2.5 per cent (the rule thumb) of this threshold, for charitable purposes.
Sawm is the fourth pillar of the whole process, it is to fast for the complete days of Ramadan, to abstain absolutely from any intake of food and drink between the break of dawn and sunset.
Fasting has two dimensions, the abstinence from natural acts and the uplifting, cleansing and purifying spiritually.
Last pillar “Hajj” to perform the pilgrimage to Mecca during the season of the pilgrimage, once in someone’s lifetime, if the person is physically and financially able.
The Asian News concludes that the officers were also on hand to talk to residents about the issues that affect them on a daily basis and discuss ways that can help improve their quality of life.
“It was a fantastic opportunity to learn about anther culture as well as meeting a member of the Salford South Neighbourhood Policing Team,” said a member of the public.
Shaikh Esam, who sits on the Shari’a advisory board of a number of banks and financial institutions in Bahrain, explained what Ramadan means for Muslims, according to TimesOut.
Ramadan is the name of the ninth lunar month on the Islamic Calendar. It is about worship and the ritual of fasting. And to understand fasting, Shaikh Esam suggests first of all, people should understand what Islam means, Islam is an Arabic word that means to submit willingly to the commandments of God.
Islam is based on five important pillars of which the fourth pillar is about fasting. Muslims surrender to God by surrendering to his laws and people measure the acceptance or rejection of this submission with these five pillars.
These five pillars are: Shahadah, Salah, Zakah, Sawm, Hajj.
Asian News continues by saying that Eccles and Salford Islamic Society hosted the awareness day at Eccles Mosque on Liverpool Road for officers from the Saford South Neighbourhood Policing Team.
The event welcomes members from all communities and it gave them the opportunity to meet a member of the mosque, and their local policing officers, and informally discuss Ramadan, the meaning for Muslims living in this country, in Salford, and how the period will policed.
Back to TimeOut, the first pillar “Shahadah” means to declare with conviction and acceptance that there is no one worthy of worship other than Alla. The second part of this pillar is to declare that Mohammed is his messenger.
The second pillar “Salah” establishes the five daily prayers in their set forms and their special times which correlate to the position of the sun – sunrise, sunset. Muslims pray five times a day.
Zakah means anyone who owns a minimum threshold amounts and retains this minimum threshold for one lunar year is obliged to pay out 2.5 per cent (the rule thumb) of this threshold, for charitable purposes.
Sawm is the fourth pillar of the whole process, it is to fast for the complete days of Ramadan, to abstain absolutely from any intake of food and drink between the break of dawn and sunset.
Fasting has two dimensions, the abstinence from natural acts and the uplifting, cleansing and purifying spiritually.
Last pillar “Hajj” to perform the pilgrimage to Mecca during the season of the pilgrimage, once in someone’s lifetime, if the person is physically and financially able.
The Asian News concludes that the officers were also on hand to talk to residents about the issues that affect them on a daily basis and discuss ways that can help improve their quality of life.
“It was a fantastic opportunity to learn about anther culture as well as meeting a member of the Salford South Neighbourhood Policing Team,” said a member of the public.
Michael Jackson burial held on his 51th birthday
Michael Jackson’s body will be buried in Los Angeles on 29 August, the day the King of Pop would have turned 51, his father said, The Daily Telegraph reports.
Joe Jackson, 80, told AFP that the birthday burial at Forest Lawn Cemetery would be a private event, and it is two months after his 25 June death from his heart failure.
The reasons behind the cardiac arrest which killed the singer remain a mystery, according to ITN news, and authorities are continuing the investigation whether prescription drugs played a role in Jackson’s death, and have focused on the role played by his personal physician Conrad Murray in the wake of the singer’s death, says The Daily Telegraph.
Dr Murray was present at the time Jackson died, and reportedly has admitted prescribing powerful anaesthetics to the singer.
In LA, a judge has postponed a decision on whether or not to approve a traveling exhibition dedicated to Michael Jackson.
The singer’s mother Katherine is said to be concerned the planned show might not bring enough money to his estate.
However, ITN news reports that a deal for the sale of Michael Jackson memorabilia has been approved and it is believed the king of Pop could earn more posthumously than his former father-in-law Elvis Presley.
The event – Las Vegas celebrates the music of Michael Jackson – will showcase Las Vegas Strip entertainers singing the star’s greatest hits, says The Daily Telegraph.
Joe Jackson, the singer’s father said he plans to return to Las Vegas immediately after the burial service to attend a charity fundraiser at the Palms Casino Resort.
According to Joe, later that day, the Jackson family patriarch is to receive a celebrity star in his late son’s honour from Brenden Theatres, a cinema at the Palms frequented by Jackson and his three children, Prince Michael, 12, Paris, 11, and Prince Michael II, 7.
The theater has also planned a charity screening of the 1988 film “Moonwalker”, a feature film of Jackson concert footage and music video clips, with proceeds going to public school music education programs in Las Vegas.
Joe Jackson, 80, told AFP that the birthday burial at Forest Lawn Cemetery would be a private event, and it is two months after his 25 June death from his heart failure.
The reasons behind the cardiac arrest which killed the singer remain a mystery, according to ITN news, and authorities are continuing the investigation whether prescription drugs played a role in Jackson’s death, and have focused on the role played by his personal physician Conrad Murray in the wake of the singer’s death, says The Daily Telegraph.
Dr Murray was present at the time Jackson died, and reportedly has admitted prescribing powerful anaesthetics to the singer.
In LA, a judge has postponed a decision on whether or not to approve a traveling exhibition dedicated to Michael Jackson.
The singer’s mother Katherine is said to be concerned the planned show might not bring enough money to his estate.
However, ITN news reports that a deal for the sale of Michael Jackson memorabilia has been approved and it is believed the king of Pop could earn more posthumously than his former father-in-law Elvis Presley.
The event – Las Vegas celebrates the music of Michael Jackson – will showcase Las Vegas Strip entertainers singing the star’s greatest hits, says The Daily Telegraph.
Joe Jackson, the singer’s father said he plans to return to Las Vegas immediately after the burial service to attend a charity fundraiser at the Palms Casino Resort.
According to Joe, later that day, the Jackson family patriarch is to receive a celebrity star in his late son’s honour from Brenden Theatres, a cinema at the Palms frequented by Jackson and his three children, Prince Michael, 12, Paris, 11, and Prince Michael II, 7.
The theater has also planned a charity screening of the 1988 film “Moonwalker”, a feature film of Jackson concert footage and music video clips, with proceeds going to public school music education programs in Las Vegas.
Monday 17 August 2009
Demonstrators arrested at BNP annual gathering
19 people have been arrested after around more than 1,000 anti-fascist demonstrators joined a protest march near the site of a BNP festival, The Daily Telegraph reports.
Vast of the protesters involved in the march near the village of Codnor had been peaceful and co-operative.
However, police did come under brief attack from a small number of protesters, who threw plastic bottles and bags of flour, The Daily Telegraph reports.
Police says at least four men led away in handcuffs in Codnor Denby Lane after the scuffles, which lasted for around five minutes.
A police spokesman said: “Unfortunately, some people have ignored police advice and failed to abide by the agreements reached during the planning of the protest.
Despite what police describes the demonstration was peaceful, local residents behaved differently towards these protestors, The Guardian reports.
At one end of the Codnor Denby Lane the church of St James held hourly prayers for “peace and tolerance” and allowed the protestors to use their toilets, while other residents brought cups of tea to police and reporters.
However, shopkeepers were furious at the invasion, not for the BNP but of the protesters – a mix of anti-racist groups, union and Socialist Worker party members, or the “Trots, anarchists and troublemakers”, as one woman put it.
Eric Madeley closed his watch and clock repairers, though it was supposed to be his busiest day.
He said in a selfish way the BNP are not bothering me but these protesters are. They are just so intimidating, especially those with scarves round their faces. It’s very worrying.
According to The Daily Telegraph, the main body of demonstrators, monitored by a camera mounted on a drone, gathered in Codnor’s Market Place, chanting “Nazi scum, off our streets” and waving placards from campaign group United Against Fascism and various trade union groups.
Local Labour MP Judy Mallaber said a polical gathering should not be held in the village.
She told The Guardian: “For three years, we have argued this site is completely unsuitable and it causes extreme stress for the people who live the farm right next to it and it means people who wish to exercise their right to protest have to do so in narrow streets, which causes more upset to residents and shopkeepers. The BNP are seeking support, but they just show their contempt by going ahead without consideration for the effect on our community.”
Simon Darby, the deputy leader of the BNP, estimated that about 100 of those visiting the festival had been delayed by the protest march, The Daily Telegraph says.
He said: “We are just ordinary people having a bit of a laugh in the sun.”
The festival organised a political marquee to hear speeches, also invited journalists, and a Ford Ka was up o grabs in a raffle alongside stalls selling badges and pork scratchings.
Vast of the protesters involved in the march near the village of Codnor had been peaceful and co-operative.
However, police did come under brief attack from a small number of protesters, who threw plastic bottles and bags of flour, The Daily Telegraph reports.
Police says at least four men led away in handcuffs in Codnor Denby Lane after the scuffles, which lasted for around five minutes.
A police spokesman said: “Unfortunately, some people have ignored police advice and failed to abide by the agreements reached during the planning of the protest.
Despite what police describes the demonstration was peaceful, local residents behaved differently towards these protestors, The Guardian reports.
At one end of the Codnor Denby Lane the church of St James held hourly prayers for “peace and tolerance” and allowed the protestors to use their toilets, while other residents brought cups of tea to police and reporters.
However, shopkeepers were furious at the invasion, not for the BNP but of the protesters – a mix of anti-racist groups, union and Socialist Worker party members, or the “Trots, anarchists and troublemakers”, as one woman put it.
Eric Madeley closed his watch and clock repairers, though it was supposed to be his busiest day.
He said in a selfish way the BNP are not bothering me but these protesters are. They are just so intimidating, especially those with scarves round their faces. It’s very worrying.
According to The Daily Telegraph, the main body of demonstrators, monitored by a camera mounted on a drone, gathered in Codnor’s Market Place, chanting “Nazi scum, off our streets” and waving placards from campaign group United Against Fascism and various trade union groups.
Local Labour MP Judy Mallaber said a polical gathering should not be held in the village.
She told The Guardian: “For three years, we have argued this site is completely unsuitable and it causes extreme stress for the people who live the farm right next to it and it means people who wish to exercise their right to protest have to do so in narrow streets, which causes more upset to residents and shopkeepers. The BNP are seeking support, but they just show their contempt by going ahead without consideration for the effect on our community.”
Simon Darby, the deputy leader of the BNP, estimated that about 100 of those visiting the festival had been delayed by the protest march, The Daily Telegraph says.
He said: “We are just ordinary people having a bit of a laugh in the sun.”
The festival organised a political marquee to hear speeches, also invited journalists, and a Ford Ka was up o grabs in a raffle alongside stalls selling badges and pork scratchings.
Councils not prepared for next wave of recession The Guardian says
Councils are not prepared enough for the fallout from the recession and face a surge in social problems, such as addiction, alcoholism and domestic violence, the leading public sector watchdog says, according to The Guardian.
The Audit Commission said that local authorities in England were now facing the “second wave” of the downturn, as the effects of rising business failures, bankruptcies and unemployment bite.
The Audit Commission said in an interview with The Guardian: “Many councils should be doing more to prepare for the expected social, financial and economic development challenges ahead, this includes councils that have escaped the worst effects to date, some of which are complacent.”
According to another report which coincided with the Audit Commission’s view, found out that despite the recession would lead to an exodus of non-UK national, one in 12 employers in the UK plan to recruit migrant workers in the next few months.
Another study, by the Chartered Institute of Personal and Development and the consultants KPMG, found that the number of migrant workers rose between the first quarters of 2008 and 2009 while employment of UK national fell.
Gerwyn Davies, public policy adviser at the CIPD, told The Guardian that many employers found it hard to fill vacancies with UK workers.
He said: “Most of the migrants are recruited and retained by employers because they provide skills or attitudes to work in short supply amongst the home-grown workforce.”
Official figures due to be published this morning will be closely scrutinized for evidence that the economy is bottoming out.
The broad measure of joblessness has been rising at a record rate, and the measurement covers those looking for work rather than simply those eligible for state benefit.
A third report found low earners are being disproportionately hit by the recession. Amid growing political concern about the alienation of UK-born workers, the Resolution Foundation, a charity, told The Guardian people with household incomes of between £11,600 and £27,150 were facing severe financial pain, were being overlooked by the government, and missed out on help from employers.
Sue Regan, the chief executive of the Resolution Foundation, said despite of economic recovery it was likely that job losses among low earners would continue to rise.
She said: “If you look at the sectors where they are likely to work, they are areas which are likely to have been depressed for a long time.”
A charity estimates 400,000 low earners were receiving jobseeker’s allowance in April 2008 and more 180,000 have joined them since the recession began.
It says the government tends to focus on people with no skills, but the charity would like to see the skills strategy extended specifically to help low earners.
The Audit Commission said that local authorities in England were now facing the “second wave” of the downturn, as the effects of rising business failures, bankruptcies and unemployment bite.
The Audit Commission said in an interview with The Guardian: “Many councils should be doing more to prepare for the expected social, financial and economic development challenges ahead, this includes councils that have escaped the worst effects to date, some of which are complacent.”
According to another report which coincided with the Audit Commission’s view, found out that despite the recession would lead to an exodus of non-UK national, one in 12 employers in the UK plan to recruit migrant workers in the next few months.
Another study, by the Chartered Institute of Personal and Development and the consultants KPMG, found that the number of migrant workers rose between the first quarters of 2008 and 2009 while employment of UK national fell.
Gerwyn Davies, public policy adviser at the CIPD, told The Guardian that many employers found it hard to fill vacancies with UK workers.
He said: “Most of the migrants are recruited and retained by employers because they provide skills or attitudes to work in short supply amongst the home-grown workforce.”
Official figures due to be published this morning will be closely scrutinized for evidence that the economy is bottoming out.
The broad measure of joblessness has been rising at a record rate, and the measurement covers those looking for work rather than simply those eligible for state benefit.
A third report found low earners are being disproportionately hit by the recession. Amid growing political concern about the alienation of UK-born workers, the Resolution Foundation, a charity, told The Guardian people with household incomes of between £11,600 and £27,150 were facing severe financial pain, were being overlooked by the government, and missed out on help from employers.
Sue Regan, the chief executive of the Resolution Foundation, said despite of economic recovery it was likely that job losses among low earners would continue to rise.
She said: “If you look at the sectors where they are likely to work, they are areas which are likely to have been depressed for a long time.”
A charity estimates 400,000 low earners were receiving jobseeker’s allowance in April 2008 and more 180,000 have joined them since the recession began.
It says the government tends to focus on people with no skills, but the charity would like to see the skills strategy extended specifically to help low earners.
Friday 14 August 2009
Language, culture, and being British
An article entitled “Who’s blame for the rise of the BNP?” suggests the government need to require all the immigrants to learn the language and culture of this country if they wish to stay in the UK, Rod Bulcock wrote in The Guardian.
Here are some of the quotes from the article, “People need to learn the language and culture of whatever country they choose to live in…”, and then more quotes to come “government needs to act now to restore some prosperity to these areas. The problems will only grow if they don’t engage with them.”
Rod Bulcock then continued to comment “If the presence of the BNP gets that conversation under way, they will have done us all a service.
Rod Bulcock thinks that BNP’s anti-immigrants perspective formed from those immigrants’ lack of English language skills and understanding of British culture.
Rukiya Dadhiwala, of Batley, from West Yorkshire, writes a comment on The Guardian, 11 June responding how their opinion regarding “being a British” issue.
Rukiya says to an extent she agrees that of course, it is essential that the language of the country is leant in order to be part of the society, but people must be kidding themselves if them believe the majority of the immigrants do not speak the English language or have no interest in getting to know the British culture whatsoever.
She then tells a story about herself. She is from Batley, just a stone’s throw from Bingley and lives in a majority Indian community, and 99% of their residents speak English – though not all have the confidence to speak in a professional manner.
She says she spoke English with her gran at home, but she her gran still prefers Rukiya to be her spokesperson at the hospital.
As for the culture, she then continues that there are four generations of her family in the UK, and across the four generations they have qualified teachers, accountants, lawyers, doctors, lab technicians, architects, statisticians and herself work in medical research area.
She stressed that her family case is not rare across the whole area where she lives, she admits her and her family like any other UK groups and share probably similar problems. But they are all proud of being British, and in the meantime, her and her families are also proud of their south Asian heritage and their culture in the UK reflects both of these two heritages.
She concludes her article by saying, and finally questioning: “We work in the UK, we socialise in the UK, we marry in the UK, we have our families in the UK, we pay our taxes in the UK, we use the education and healthcare systems in the UK, and national problems affect us too – so are we not part of the culture? What more do we need to be doing?
Here are some of the quotes from the article, “People need to learn the language and culture of whatever country they choose to live in…”, and then more quotes to come “government needs to act now to restore some prosperity to these areas. The problems will only grow if they don’t engage with them.”
Rod Bulcock then continued to comment “If the presence of the BNP gets that conversation under way, they will have done us all a service.
Rod Bulcock thinks that BNP’s anti-immigrants perspective formed from those immigrants’ lack of English language skills and understanding of British culture.
Rukiya Dadhiwala, of Batley, from West Yorkshire, writes a comment on The Guardian, 11 June responding how their opinion regarding “being a British” issue.
Rukiya says to an extent she agrees that of course, it is essential that the language of the country is leant in order to be part of the society, but people must be kidding themselves if them believe the majority of the immigrants do not speak the English language or have no interest in getting to know the British culture whatsoever.
She then tells a story about herself. She is from Batley, just a stone’s throw from Bingley and lives in a majority Indian community, and 99% of their residents speak English – though not all have the confidence to speak in a professional manner.
She says she spoke English with her gran at home, but she her gran still prefers Rukiya to be her spokesperson at the hospital.
As for the culture, she then continues that there are four generations of her family in the UK, and across the four generations they have qualified teachers, accountants, lawyers, doctors, lab technicians, architects, statisticians and herself work in medical research area.
She stressed that her family case is not rare across the whole area where she lives, she admits her and her family like any other UK groups and share probably similar problems. But they are all proud of being British, and in the meantime, her and her families are also proud of their south Asian heritage and their culture in the UK reflects both of these two heritages.
She concludes her article by saying, and finally questioning: “We work in the UK, we socialise in the UK, we marry in the UK, we have our families in the UK, we pay our taxes in the UK, we use the education and healthcare systems in the UK, and national problems affect us too – so are we not part of the culture? What more do we need to be doing?
When sensationalism utilised by extremists
Brawls at recent protests shows how all of people in Britain, and especially the media, have a responsibility to fight extremism, Sunny Hundal writes on The Guardian.
The riot on Saturday 8 August in Birmingham city centre involved more than 100 people and pitched battles in the high street.
On one side, a loose alliance of two groups – the English Defence League and Casual United had organised an anti-Islamic fundamentalism demonstration, on the other, a counter demonstration organised by United Against Fascism.
According to Sunny Hundal, the background to the Saturday riot in Birmingham was the protest against British soldiers by some Muslim extremists on 10 March, and it was used by various far-right groups to be against the majority of Muslims in this country.
Prior to the Birmingham riot, the National Front turned out a big demonstration in Luton on 13 April, which needed police reinforcements from London to control, and some time later, the Luton mosque was fire-bombed, Sunny Hundal writes.
On 24 May an even bigger protest was organised by the English and Welsh Defence League, went to destroy property in Muslim-heavy areas of Luton.
Sunny says that evidence show the English Defence League was in particular infiltrated by neo-Nazis and BNP supporters. Stormfront, a popular website for fascists, urged members to join the demonstration on Saturday.
He agrees the need for minorities to defend themselves in the streets or fight against fascists if necessary, especially if the police do not do their job properly that people have to step in to protect themselves.
He also so says extremist Muslims should not be let off the hook. In 2004 the extremist group al-Muhajiroun had planned a rally in London where Hindus and Sikhs would be openly converted to Islam. They nearly caused a mini-riot then because Sikh gangs and BNP members had also planned to show up.
Anjem Choudhary carried out a similar stunt recently by apparently converting an 11-year-old to Islam. Al-Muhajiroun has always been a small but highly vocal group, which seeks publicity for its stunts to polarise people, it is shunned by mosques across the country, but its stunts nevertheless inflame Hindu, Sikh and white groups thanks to incessant media coverage.
Sunny then summarises that several choices offered here: the group could be banned for activities on a par with the National Front. The Police could also become more proactive against extremist groups, and stop local councils giving them any space.
Lastly, he says Muslim groups themselves need to step up campaigning against these extremists or these extremists will continue making life more difficult for them.
Then Sunny writes Britons also need to get re-acquainted with British tradition of free speech and express, even if it involves people of different skin colour and religion saying outrageous things.
The police and intelligence services also need to start taking far-right extremism in UK more seriously.
At the end of his article, entitled “Sensationalism is a gift to extremists”, the author writes the real people to blame for these riots are the journalists willing to run inflammatory headlines, playing straight into the hands of extremists on both sides.
The riot on Saturday 8 August in Birmingham city centre involved more than 100 people and pitched battles in the high street.
On one side, a loose alliance of two groups – the English Defence League and Casual United had organised an anti-Islamic fundamentalism demonstration, on the other, a counter demonstration organised by United Against Fascism.
According to Sunny Hundal, the background to the Saturday riot in Birmingham was the protest against British soldiers by some Muslim extremists on 10 March, and it was used by various far-right groups to be against the majority of Muslims in this country.
Prior to the Birmingham riot, the National Front turned out a big demonstration in Luton on 13 April, which needed police reinforcements from London to control, and some time later, the Luton mosque was fire-bombed, Sunny Hundal writes.
On 24 May an even bigger protest was organised by the English and Welsh Defence League, went to destroy property in Muslim-heavy areas of Luton.
Sunny says that evidence show the English Defence League was in particular infiltrated by neo-Nazis and BNP supporters. Stormfront, a popular website for fascists, urged members to join the demonstration on Saturday.
He agrees the need for minorities to defend themselves in the streets or fight against fascists if necessary, especially if the police do not do their job properly that people have to step in to protect themselves.
He also so says extremist Muslims should not be let off the hook. In 2004 the extremist group al-Muhajiroun had planned a rally in London where Hindus and Sikhs would be openly converted to Islam. They nearly caused a mini-riot then because Sikh gangs and BNP members had also planned to show up.
Anjem Choudhary carried out a similar stunt recently by apparently converting an 11-year-old to Islam. Al-Muhajiroun has always been a small but highly vocal group, which seeks publicity for its stunts to polarise people, it is shunned by mosques across the country, but its stunts nevertheless inflame Hindu, Sikh and white groups thanks to incessant media coverage.
Sunny then summarises that several choices offered here: the group could be banned for activities on a par with the National Front. The Police could also become more proactive against extremist groups, and stop local councils giving them any space.
Lastly, he says Muslim groups themselves need to step up campaigning against these extremists or these extremists will continue making life more difficult for them.
Then Sunny writes Britons also need to get re-acquainted with British tradition of free speech and express, even if it involves people of different skin colour and religion saying outrageous things.
The police and intelligence services also need to start taking far-right extremism in UK more seriously.
At the end of his article, entitled “Sensationalism is a gift to extremists”, the author writes the real people to blame for these riots are the journalists willing to run inflammatory headlines, playing straight into the hands of extremists on both sides.
Daily Mirror anti-racism campaign kicked off
The Daily Mirror kicked off its annual nationwide anti-racism campaign - Hope not Hate from middle of May in the run-up to June’s local council and European elections, The Guardian reports.
The campaign was launched in conjunction with anti-fascist group Searchlight, aiming to push a message of tolerance and diversity to counteract campaigning by groups such as the BNP.
Richard Wallace, the editor of Daily Mirror told The Guardian: “It is vital that this country remains a place where hope and harmony triumph over hate and division. Britain’s fair, equal, multicultural society is one of our greatest assets and must be celebrated and protected.”
Following the BNP candidates elected over the Euro election in early June, thousands of people in Britain signed anti-BNP petition to express their outrage over the result.
The new Hope Not Hate petition had gathered 87, 000 signatures and almost 7, 000 photographs of British voters holding up signs with the message Not In My Name.
The Daily Mirror had travelled with Hope Not Hate activists to Strasbourg on 14 July, as it is an official date for these two BNP elected candidates, Griffin, in the North West region and Andrew Brons, in Yorkshire and Humber to take up their seats.
In Strasbourg, the Mirror and Hope Not Hate activists had presented the petition to the European Parliament. Its message that BNP dose not speak for the British people had been sent across, according to Daily Mirror.
Nick Lowles, Hope Not Hate organiser told the Daily Mirror: “We intend to show that most British people are against everything the racist BNP stand for, how can they possibly represent Britain when a whole generation risked and gave their lives to fight fascism?”
He then added the collapse of trust in the major political parties with the recent expenses scandal helped the BNP increase its share of the vote.
The nationwide anti-racism campaign had backed by celebrities including Sir Alan Sugar, John Terry, Amir Khan, Jamie Oliver, Frank Lampard, Mel B, and the cast of Coronation Street, Hollyoaks and Emmerdale, The Guardian reports.
Amir Khan said in an exclusive with Daily Mirror he is proud to be British and to be a Muslim.
The 22-year-old was one of British boxing’s brightest young hopes, he had fought at the 2004 Olympics and carried a nation’s hopes with him.
He is a fighter, as well a hero, said to be very proud of his heritage.
He told Daily Mirror he felt good to be a positive role model and the respects showed from his fans means a lot to him, that he is doing something good and people are just want to be like him.
The Hope not Hate campaign, toured from London, Leicester, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle would be last until early June, 2009.
The campaign was launched in conjunction with anti-fascist group Searchlight, aiming to push a message of tolerance and diversity to counteract campaigning by groups such as the BNP.
Richard Wallace, the editor of Daily Mirror told The Guardian: “It is vital that this country remains a place where hope and harmony triumph over hate and division. Britain’s fair, equal, multicultural society is one of our greatest assets and must be celebrated and protected.”
Following the BNP candidates elected over the Euro election in early June, thousands of people in Britain signed anti-BNP petition to express their outrage over the result.
The new Hope Not Hate petition had gathered 87, 000 signatures and almost 7, 000 photographs of British voters holding up signs with the message Not In My Name.
The Daily Mirror had travelled with Hope Not Hate activists to Strasbourg on 14 July, as it is an official date for these two BNP elected candidates, Griffin, in the North West region and Andrew Brons, in Yorkshire and Humber to take up their seats.
In Strasbourg, the Mirror and Hope Not Hate activists had presented the petition to the European Parliament. Its message that BNP dose not speak for the British people had been sent across, according to Daily Mirror.
Nick Lowles, Hope Not Hate organiser told the Daily Mirror: “We intend to show that most British people are against everything the racist BNP stand for, how can they possibly represent Britain when a whole generation risked and gave their lives to fight fascism?”
He then added the collapse of trust in the major political parties with the recent expenses scandal helped the BNP increase its share of the vote.
The nationwide anti-racism campaign had backed by celebrities including Sir Alan Sugar, John Terry, Amir Khan, Jamie Oliver, Frank Lampard, Mel B, and the cast of Coronation Street, Hollyoaks and Emmerdale, The Guardian reports.
Amir Khan said in an exclusive with Daily Mirror he is proud to be British and to be a Muslim.
The 22-year-old was one of British boxing’s brightest young hopes, he had fought at the 2004 Olympics and carried a nation’s hopes with him.
He is a fighter, as well a hero, said to be very proud of his heritage.
He told Daily Mirror he felt good to be a positive role model and the respects showed from his fans means a lot to him, that he is doing something good and people are just want to be like him.
The Hope not Hate campaign, toured from London, Leicester, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle would be last until early June, 2009.
Thursday 13 August 2009
French woman claims “burkini” ban a political matter
A French woman has been banned from wearing a “burkini” in a swimming pool outside Paris, the Daily Telegraph says.
The 35-year-old, who can only be identified as Carole, was ordered to leave by the chief lifeguard in the town pool at Emerainville, on the eastern outskirts of Paris.
She was refused entrance to the pool on the basis that she was breaking hygiene rules, which apply to all French public pools, according to the Times Online.
The rules indicate that women must wear swimsuits and men must wear trunks rather than shorts, as they are said to harbour more bacteria.
However, Carole went straight to the police and media after the incident had happened. She accused the pool officials of illegal discrimination, saying: “Quite simply, this is segregation, and I will fight to try to change things.”
The police refused her complaint on the grounds that the lifeguard was simply enforcing a rule that applies to all French public pools.
Carole, a traditional French woman, converted to Islam at the age of 17. She said she bought her “burkini” in Dubai during her holiday. The “burkini” is derived from the words of bikini and burka, according to the Daily Telegraph.
Despite the allusion to the Afghan burka, the swimsuit leaves the face uncovered. The body is clad in a track-suit-like tunic and coat and the head and neck are covered with a cross between a hijab and diver’s balaclava helmet.
The Lebanese-Australian designer’s product has quickly become a hit in the Gulf and has caused trouble in public pools in Europe and North America.
Carole’s ejection was regarded as contributing to the explicit battle between fundamentalist Muslim and a state that has banned head-cover from schools and may curb face-covering in public.
Carole said: “I thought that it could enable me to enjoy the pleasure of bathing without uncovering myself, as Islam recommends,” she told Le Parisien newspaper.
“I understand that it might shock people, but I am annoyed because I have been told that it is a political matter. I didn’t set out to cause a stir. My only aim was to be able to go swimming with my children.”
The local authorities insisted that no politics were involved. “The lady was almost fully dressed,” Daniel Guillanume, the head of sports facilities for the Seine-et-Marne department, said.
He added: “The personnel simply applied the rules that are in effect in all pools in France.”
According to Daniel Guillanume, the view is not shared by politicians who want tougher measures to oppose a rise in body-covering by strict Muslim women, and Muslims demanding segregated sessions for men and women at pools and other sports facilities.
However, André Gerin, a Communist MP from the Rhône area said: “Maybe you can see the woman’s face in this ridiculous swimsuit, but it is obviously a provocation by a militant. Going straight to the police station is proof that there is a political project behind this outfit. No doubt this is the start of a new problem.”
Mr Gerin heads a 32-member parliamentary inquiry that opened in June to review the possibility of a law to bar Muslim women from wearing the face-covering niqab in public.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy stirred fundamentalist anger last month when he sided with the review, saying that such a dress was not a symbol of faith, but a sign of women’s subservience and that it had “no place in France”, Time Online reports.
The 35-year-old, who can only be identified as Carole, was ordered to leave by the chief lifeguard in the town pool at Emerainville, on the eastern outskirts of Paris.
She was refused entrance to the pool on the basis that she was breaking hygiene rules, which apply to all French public pools, according to the Times Online.
The rules indicate that women must wear swimsuits and men must wear trunks rather than shorts, as they are said to harbour more bacteria.
However, Carole went straight to the police and media after the incident had happened. She accused the pool officials of illegal discrimination, saying: “Quite simply, this is segregation, and I will fight to try to change things.”
The police refused her complaint on the grounds that the lifeguard was simply enforcing a rule that applies to all French public pools.
Carole, a traditional French woman, converted to Islam at the age of 17. She said she bought her “burkini” in Dubai during her holiday. The “burkini” is derived from the words of bikini and burka, according to the Daily Telegraph.
Despite the allusion to the Afghan burka, the swimsuit leaves the face uncovered. The body is clad in a track-suit-like tunic and coat and the head and neck are covered with a cross between a hijab and diver’s balaclava helmet.
The Lebanese-Australian designer’s product has quickly become a hit in the Gulf and has caused trouble in public pools in Europe and North America.
Carole’s ejection was regarded as contributing to the explicit battle between fundamentalist Muslim and a state that has banned head-cover from schools and may curb face-covering in public.
Carole said: “I thought that it could enable me to enjoy the pleasure of bathing without uncovering myself, as Islam recommends,” she told Le Parisien newspaper.
“I understand that it might shock people, but I am annoyed because I have been told that it is a political matter. I didn’t set out to cause a stir. My only aim was to be able to go swimming with my children.”
The local authorities insisted that no politics were involved. “The lady was almost fully dressed,” Daniel Guillanume, the head of sports facilities for the Seine-et-Marne department, said.
He added: “The personnel simply applied the rules that are in effect in all pools in France.”
According to Daniel Guillanume, the view is not shared by politicians who want tougher measures to oppose a rise in body-covering by strict Muslim women, and Muslims demanding segregated sessions for men and women at pools and other sports facilities.
However, André Gerin, a Communist MP from the Rhône area said: “Maybe you can see the woman’s face in this ridiculous swimsuit, but it is obviously a provocation by a militant. Going straight to the police station is proof that there is a political project behind this outfit. No doubt this is the start of a new problem.”
Mr Gerin heads a 32-member parliamentary inquiry that opened in June to review the possibility of a law to bar Muslim women from wearing the face-covering niqab in public.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy stirred fundamentalist anger last month when he sided with the review, saying that such a dress was not a symbol of faith, but a sign of women’s subservience and that it had “no place in France”, Time Online reports.
Alan Duncan’s “sense of humor” puts his future in doubt
Alan Duncan, the Conservative frontbencher, has been accused of hypocrisy after he was secretly filmed complaining about MPs’ reduced standard of living, following the expenses scandal, the Daily Telegraph reports.
Tory leader David Cameron is said to have taken “dim view” of Mr. Duncan’s protest that MPs were being forced to live on “rations” and had been treated like “s---”.
Mr. Duncan’s future as shadow leader of the House of Commons is now in the balance, after some senior Tories privately expressed the hope that he would be sacked.
They said that David Cameron’s firm stance on the expenses scandal risks being undermined after Mr. Duncan’s outburst, the Times Online reports.
Many conservative colleagues spitted blood over Mr. Duncan’s thoughtless indiscretions. One said Mr. Duncan was “skating on thin ice”. Others have said his long-term prospects are now under scrutiny, because of Mr. Cameron’s hard-line attitude towards colleagues stepping out of line.
Mr. Cameron and William Hague, Shadow foreign secretary, in charge of the leader’s absence, were reported to be angry and embarrassed by the affair.
Philip Webster, the Times Online political editor, writes that the remarks were recorded by Heydon Prowse, a video journalist and magazine editor. He used a button-hole camera during a visit to the House of Commons.
On the video, Mr. Duncan said: “No one who has done anything in the outside world, or is capable of doing such a thing, will ever come into this place (the House of Commons) ever again, the way we are going. Basically, it’s being nationalised. You have to live on rations and are treated like s---.
“I spend my money on my garden and claim a tiny fraction on what is proper. And I could claim the whole ------- lot, but I don’t,” according to the Daily Telegraph.
Interestingly, Mr. Duncan defended his remarks by suggesting that he had been joking. “The last thing people want to hear is an MP whinging about his pay and conditions,” he said. “It is a huge honour to be an MP and my remarks, although meant in jest, were completely uncalled for. I apologise for them unreservedly.”
Mr. Prowse said in the Metro: “What we captured was the general prevailing attitude that he didn’t take the whole expenses scandal particularly seriously. It was all a bit of a joke.”
Lord Mandelson, the Business Secretary, said: “Alan Duncan is very fond of speaking a good game publicly, but in private talking and acting differently. So I’m not surprised he has been found out.”
When Mr. Duncan was recorded he was not in the vision, but his voice can be clearly heard, and the film was posted on the Don’t Panic website at the end of the last month.
Tory leader David Cameron is said to have taken “dim view” of Mr. Duncan’s protest that MPs were being forced to live on “rations” and had been treated like “s---”.
Mr. Duncan’s future as shadow leader of the House of Commons is now in the balance, after some senior Tories privately expressed the hope that he would be sacked.
They said that David Cameron’s firm stance on the expenses scandal risks being undermined after Mr. Duncan’s outburst, the Times Online reports.
Many conservative colleagues spitted blood over Mr. Duncan’s thoughtless indiscretions. One said Mr. Duncan was “skating on thin ice”. Others have said his long-term prospects are now under scrutiny, because of Mr. Cameron’s hard-line attitude towards colleagues stepping out of line.
Mr. Cameron and William Hague, Shadow foreign secretary, in charge of the leader’s absence, were reported to be angry and embarrassed by the affair.
Philip Webster, the Times Online political editor, writes that the remarks were recorded by Heydon Prowse, a video journalist and magazine editor. He used a button-hole camera during a visit to the House of Commons.
On the video, Mr. Duncan said: “No one who has done anything in the outside world, or is capable of doing such a thing, will ever come into this place (the House of Commons) ever again, the way we are going. Basically, it’s being nationalised. You have to live on rations and are treated like s---.
“I spend my money on my garden and claim a tiny fraction on what is proper. And I could claim the whole ------- lot, but I don’t,” according to the Daily Telegraph.
Interestingly, Mr. Duncan defended his remarks by suggesting that he had been joking. “The last thing people want to hear is an MP whinging about his pay and conditions,” he said. “It is a huge honour to be an MP and my remarks, although meant in jest, were completely uncalled for. I apologise for them unreservedly.”
Mr. Prowse said in the Metro: “What we captured was the general prevailing attitude that he didn’t take the whole expenses scandal particularly seriously. It was all a bit of a joke.”
Lord Mandelson, the Business Secretary, said: “Alan Duncan is very fond of speaking a good game publicly, but in private talking and acting differently. So I’m not surprised he has been found out.”
When Mr. Duncan was recorded he was not in the vision, but his voice can be clearly heard, and the film was posted on the Don’t Panic website at the end of the last month.
Birmingham riot indicates lack of social cohesion II
A expanded piece based on yesterday:
Police have arrested 33 people during a demonstration against Islamic fundamentalism and counter-protest by anti-fascists in Birmingham, BBC News Online reports.
The demonstration was made up of football fans who called themselves the English and Welsh Defence League and Casuals United.
The counter-protest was organised by campaign group United Against Fascism, West Midlands Police told the BBC.
The riot came after the Defence League and Casuals United clashed with Asian men backed by United Against Fascism activists. The conflict took place in front of shocked shoppers at the Bull Ring shopping centre, Robert Booth and Alan Travis wrote on the Guardian.
The English Defence League, described itself as “a mixed race group of English people, from business men and women, to football hooligans”. They gathered outside Waterstone’s bookshop in a planned demonstration against militant Islam.
On the other side, United Against Fascism mounted a counter demonstration, telling its supporters that “everyone in the area should come along and show these thugs that their brand of vicious racism is not wanted in Birmingham or the West Midlands”.
According to the BBC, three people were injured in the disturbance in the city centre, and West Midlands Police said a “post operation investigation” was under way.
The police also said it expected the number of arrests to increase as photographs and video images are studied.
A police spokesman told the BBC that anyone found to be taken part in acts of criminality during the protests will be prosecuted.
There was one report of criminal damage to a vehicle, but more reports expect to emerge soon.
Resident, Gary Nichols, witnessed the disturbances on Saturday evening from his city centre flat and told the BBC he was unable to go outside for about two and a half hours.
“It was very disheartening,” he said, “I’ve never experienced anything like it before in the three years I’ve lived here.”
“It started off with a group of white guys who were chanting ‘England, England’. I thought they were just football fans, but then a large group of black and Asian people turned up and it all kicked off.”
He the added: “You have people burning the Union Flag, people were being kicked – some of them weren’t anything to do with the protests”.
Superintendent Matt Ward, from the West Midlands Police, said on the police website there had been similar protests against Islamic fundamentalism in July, involving 70 to 90 people.
He said July’s protest had been “vocal” but peaceful.
However, interestingly, the riot in Birmingham’s city centre was rarely covered by other UK publications apart from the BBC and the Guardian. Even in the BBC report, it did not clarify the injured ones’ race, and most probably the “lack of media coverage” aims to protect and promote “social cohesion”.
Some bloggers have subsequently made comments online saying this type of incident indicates that multiculturalism in this country does not work well. Different races in Birmingham appear to not particularly get on with one another.
Police have arrested 33 people during a demonstration against Islamic fundamentalism and counter-protest by anti-fascists in Birmingham, BBC News Online reports.
The demonstration was made up of football fans who called themselves the English and Welsh Defence League and Casuals United.
The counter-protest was organised by campaign group United Against Fascism, West Midlands Police told the BBC.
The riot came after the Defence League and Casuals United clashed with Asian men backed by United Against Fascism activists. The conflict took place in front of shocked shoppers at the Bull Ring shopping centre, Robert Booth and Alan Travis wrote on the Guardian.
The English Defence League, described itself as “a mixed race group of English people, from business men and women, to football hooligans”. They gathered outside Waterstone’s bookshop in a planned demonstration against militant Islam.
On the other side, United Against Fascism mounted a counter demonstration, telling its supporters that “everyone in the area should come along and show these thugs that their brand of vicious racism is not wanted in Birmingham or the West Midlands”.
According to the BBC, three people were injured in the disturbance in the city centre, and West Midlands Police said a “post operation investigation” was under way.
The police also said it expected the number of arrests to increase as photographs and video images are studied.
A police spokesman told the BBC that anyone found to be taken part in acts of criminality during the protests will be prosecuted.
There was one report of criminal damage to a vehicle, but more reports expect to emerge soon.
Resident, Gary Nichols, witnessed the disturbances on Saturday evening from his city centre flat and told the BBC he was unable to go outside for about two and a half hours.
“It was very disheartening,” he said, “I’ve never experienced anything like it before in the three years I’ve lived here.”
“It started off with a group of white guys who were chanting ‘England, England’. I thought they were just football fans, but then a large group of black and Asian people turned up and it all kicked off.”
He the added: “You have people burning the Union Flag, people were being kicked – some of them weren’t anything to do with the protests”.
Superintendent Matt Ward, from the West Midlands Police, said on the police website there had been similar protests against Islamic fundamentalism in July, involving 70 to 90 people.
He said July’s protest had been “vocal” but peaceful.
However, interestingly, the riot in Birmingham’s city centre was rarely covered by other UK publications apart from the BBC and the Guardian. Even in the BBC report, it did not clarify the injured ones’ race, and most probably the “lack of media coverage” aims to protect and promote “social cohesion”.
Some bloggers have subsequently made comments online saying this type of incident indicates that multiculturalism in this country does not work well. Different races in Birmingham appear to not particularly get on with one another.
Wednesday 12 August 2009
Pakistan's nuclear bases targeted by al-Qaeda Report Says
Pakistan’s nuclear weapon bases have been attacked by al-Qaeda and the Taliban at least three times in the last two years, The Daily Telegraph has learnt.
The allegations, by a leading British expert on Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal, increased fears that terrorists could acquire a nuclear device or could trigger a nuclear disaster by bombing an atomic facility.
Dean Nelson wrote in a paper for the respected anti-terrorism journal of America’s West Point Military Academy, Professor Gregory, director of the Pakistan Security Research Unit at Bradford University, detailed three attacks since November 2007 and raised spectre of more incidents could be happened in the future.
He said in The Daily Telegraph that militants had struck a nuclear storage facility at Sarghoda on 1 Nov 2007; launched a suicide bomb assault on a nuclear air base at Kamra on 10 December 2007; and set off explosions at entrance points to Wah containment, one of Pakistan’s main nuclear assembly plants in August 2008.
However, Dr Anupam Srivastava, director of the centre for international Trade and Security at Georgia University, who has advised the US government on nuclear security issues, told The Daily Telegraph he believed there had been more than three attacks on Pakistan’s nuclear facilities and the al-Qaeda militants would intensify its assaults.
The attack on Wah, Dean Nelson wrote that was at the time as the deadliest terrorist strike against Pakistan’s armed forces, with 63 people killed in two suicide bombing.
The target was referred to as major conventional weapons and ammunition on manufacturing factory, but Prof Gregory and other analysts do not agree and said it is in fact an assembly plant for nuclear warheads.
“These sites are all identified by various authorities as nuclear weapons or related sites,” Prof Gregory said in an interview with The Daily Telegraph.
Pakistan’s nuclear weapons establishments are protected with heavily armed soldiers who patrol a wide security cordon, while inside state-of-the-art sensors intruders.
Other security facilities including employees are screened by vetting staff from its Strategic Plans Division and officials from its ISI intelligence service.
Warheads, detonators and launch vehicles are stored separately to prevent them being seized together.
However despite this “robust” security system, Prof Gregory said the facilities remain vulnerable because they re located in areas where “Taliban and Qaeda are more than capable of launching terrorist attack”, The Daily Telegraph reports.
The allegations, by a leading British expert on Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal, increased fears that terrorists could acquire a nuclear device or could trigger a nuclear disaster by bombing an atomic facility.
Dean Nelson wrote in a paper for the respected anti-terrorism journal of America’s West Point Military Academy, Professor Gregory, director of the Pakistan Security Research Unit at Bradford University, detailed three attacks since November 2007 and raised spectre of more incidents could be happened in the future.
He said in The Daily Telegraph that militants had struck a nuclear storage facility at Sarghoda on 1 Nov 2007; launched a suicide bomb assault on a nuclear air base at Kamra on 10 December 2007; and set off explosions at entrance points to Wah containment, one of Pakistan’s main nuclear assembly plants in August 2008.
However, Dr Anupam Srivastava, director of the centre for international Trade and Security at Georgia University, who has advised the US government on nuclear security issues, told The Daily Telegraph he believed there had been more than three attacks on Pakistan’s nuclear facilities and the al-Qaeda militants would intensify its assaults.
The attack on Wah, Dean Nelson wrote that was at the time as the deadliest terrorist strike against Pakistan’s armed forces, with 63 people killed in two suicide bombing.
The target was referred to as major conventional weapons and ammunition on manufacturing factory, but Prof Gregory and other analysts do not agree and said it is in fact an assembly plant for nuclear warheads.
“These sites are all identified by various authorities as nuclear weapons or related sites,” Prof Gregory said in an interview with The Daily Telegraph.
Pakistan’s nuclear weapons establishments are protected with heavily armed soldiers who patrol a wide security cordon, while inside state-of-the-art sensors intruders.
Other security facilities including employees are screened by vetting staff from its Strategic Plans Division and officials from its ISI intelligence service.
Warheads, detonators and launch vehicles are stored separately to prevent them being seized together.
However despite this “robust” security system, Prof Gregory said the facilities remain vulnerable because they re located in areas where “Taliban and Qaeda are more than capable of launching terrorist attack”, The Daily Telegraph reports.
Barack Obama health care reform row
US President Barack Obama has accused the Republicans of trying to “scare the heck” out of people in terms of his health care reform proposals, BBC News Online reports.
Anti-reform campaigners had created “bogeymen out there that just aren’t real”, he said at a town-hall style meeting in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. “Let’s disagree over things that are real, not these wild representations that bear no resemblance to anything that has actually been proposed,” says The Daily Telegraph.
Passing a healthcare reform bill is Mr Obama’s top domestic priority for 2009, the President had already called on the Senate and the House to agree their own versions of a bill before the August, but unfortunately lawmakers missed the deadline.
Republicans have portrayed Mr Obama’s health care plans as amounting to a government takeover of the private American healthcare system, leading to a British-or Canadian-style approach.
Mr Obama tried to turn the focus onto insurance companies, arguing that Americans were often “held hostage” because they were denied coverage or charged fees they could not afford, Toby Harnden writes on The Daily Telegraph.
He said: “I believe it is wrong, it is bankrupting families and businesses and that is why we’re going to pass health insurance reform in 2009.”
He insisted: “You will not be waiting in any lines. This is not about putting the government in charge of your health insurance. I don’t believe anyone should be in charge of your health insurance decisions but you and your doctor.
“I don’t think government bureaucrats should be meddling, but I also don’t think insurance company bureaucrats should be meddling. That’s the health care I believe in.”
Apart from these accusations made by his Republican opponent, Sarah Palin, the former Republican vice-presidential candidate said last week the president wanted to set up “death panels” of government officials with the power to determine whether disabled or elderly Americans are “worthy of healthcare”, the BBC reports.
However in fact, under proposals drawn up by the US House of Representatives, the government would pay for elderly American to receive voluntary consultations with doctors to discuss their end-of-life care.
“The rumour that’s been circulating a lot lately is this idea that somehow the House of Representatives voted for death panels that will basically pull the plug on Grandma because we’ve decided that its too expensive to let her live anymore,” said Mr Obama.
“It turns out that I guess this arose out of a provision in one of the House bills that allowed Medicare to reimburse people for consultations about end-of-life-care, setting up living wills, the availability of hospice, etcetera.
“So the intention of the members of Congress was to give people more information so that they could handle issues of end-of-life care when they’re ready, on their own terms. It wasn’t forcing anybody to do anything,” The Daily Telegraph reports.
Anti-reform campaigners had created “bogeymen out there that just aren’t real”, he said at a town-hall style meeting in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. “Let’s disagree over things that are real, not these wild representations that bear no resemblance to anything that has actually been proposed,” says The Daily Telegraph.
Passing a healthcare reform bill is Mr Obama’s top domestic priority for 2009, the President had already called on the Senate and the House to agree their own versions of a bill before the August, but unfortunately lawmakers missed the deadline.
Republicans have portrayed Mr Obama’s health care plans as amounting to a government takeover of the private American healthcare system, leading to a British-or Canadian-style approach.
Mr Obama tried to turn the focus onto insurance companies, arguing that Americans were often “held hostage” because they were denied coverage or charged fees they could not afford, Toby Harnden writes on The Daily Telegraph.
He said: “I believe it is wrong, it is bankrupting families and businesses and that is why we’re going to pass health insurance reform in 2009.”
He insisted: “You will not be waiting in any lines. This is not about putting the government in charge of your health insurance. I don’t believe anyone should be in charge of your health insurance decisions but you and your doctor.
“I don’t think government bureaucrats should be meddling, but I also don’t think insurance company bureaucrats should be meddling. That’s the health care I believe in.”
Apart from these accusations made by his Republican opponent, Sarah Palin, the former Republican vice-presidential candidate said last week the president wanted to set up “death panels” of government officials with the power to determine whether disabled or elderly Americans are “worthy of healthcare”, the BBC reports.
However in fact, under proposals drawn up by the US House of Representatives, the government would pay for elderly American to receive voluntary consultations with doctors to discuss their end-of-life care.
“The rumour that’s been circulating a lot lately is this idea that somehow the House of Representatives voted for death panels that will basically pull the plug on Grandma because we’ve decided that its too expensive to let her live anymore,” said Mr Obama.
“It turns out that I guess this arose out of a provision in one of the House bills that allowed Medicare to reimburse people for consultations about end-of-life-care, setting up living wills, the availability of hospice, etcetera.
“So the intention of the members of Congress was to give people more information so that they could handle issues of end-of-life care when they’re ready, on their own terms. It wasn’t forcing anybody to do anything,” The Daily Telegraph reports.
Middle class parents “dismiss” private school
The growing number of middle-class parents who cannot afford to move house or pay private school fee creates a places crisis in state schools, The Daily Telegraph quotes a Watchdog’s warning.
According to the Audit Commission (AC), increasing demand for state school places during the economic downturn means some state schools will have to resort to teaching pupils in temporary classrooms.
The commission, which monitors council services, discloses the pressure on state schools in a report assessing the way councils are responding to the recession.
The report says 34 per cent of councils are reporting increased demand for school places. Another 34 per cent of councils are anticipating higher demand in the months ahead.
However in last December, the commission found that only 9 per cent of councils had experienced increased demand.
“There is evidence of behaviour change due to the recession: children moving from private to state sector schools,” the AC said.
“This has partly been driven by rising unemployment, but may also be linked to the slowdown of the property market halting a common practice of young families moving out of central urban areas as the children reach school age.
Other UK publications like the Daily Mail also wrote similar issue on 16 July, saying primary schools are facing a crisis over places because of the recession.
Laura Clark wrote that hundreds of four and five-year-olds yet to be allocated to a school just weeks before the new term starts, while thousands will have to be bussed to primaries miles from their home.
One in five councils is reporting increased pressure on places, while complaints about admissions have risen 50 per cent to record high.
Back to The Daily Telegraph, Steve Bundred, the chief executive of the AC says that the surge in demand for states school places would leave some children being educated in temporary structures.
He says: “Councils will need to provide the places that are demanded and in some places, that will mean temporary classrooms,” he said. “There will be practical difficulties providing all the places that are demanded.
However, the Department of Children, Schools and Families questioned the commission’s claims, saying that “We are not getting a national picture that pupils are being pulled out of private schools and placing additional demands on the state sector for schools places, but it is too early to tell what the long-term impact of the recession will be.”
Ed Balls, the School Secretary, last month announced an extra £200 million for councils to provide more primary places, but council leaders say that is not enough.
According to the Audit Commission (AC), increasing demand for state school places during the economic downturn means some state schools will have to resort to teaching pupils in temporary classrooms.
The commission, which monitors council services, discloses the pressure on state schools in a report assessing the way councils are responding to the recession.
The report says 34 per cent of councils are reporting increased demand for school places. Another 34 per cent of councils are anticipating higher demand in the months ahead.
However in last December, the commission found that only 9 per cent of councils had experienced increased demand.
“There is evidence of behaviour change due to the recession: children moving from private to state sector schools,” the AC said.
“This has partly been driven by rising unemployment, but may also be linked to the slowdown of the property market halting a common practice of young families moving out of central urban areas as the children reach school age.
Other UK publications like the Daily Mail also wrote similar issue on 16 July, saying primary schools are facing a crisis over places because of the recession.
Laura Clark wrote that hundreds of four and five-year-olds yet to be allocated to a school just weeks before the new term starts, while thousands will have to be bussed to primaries miles from their home.
One in five councils is reporting increased pressure on places, while complaints about admissions have risen 50 per cent to record high.
Back to The Daily Telegraph, Steve Bundred, the chief executive of the AC says that the surge in demand for states school places would leave some children being educated in temporary structures.
He says: “Councils will need to provide the places that are demanded and in some places, that will mean temporary classrooms,” he said. “There will be practical difficulties providing all the places that are demanded.
However, the Department of Children, Schools and Families questioned the commission’s claims, saying that “We are not getting a national picture that pupils are being pulled out of private schools and placing additional demands on the state sector for schools places, but it is too early to tell what the long-term impact of the recession will be.”
Ed Balls, the School Secretary, last month announced an extra £200 million for councils to provide more primary places, but council leaders say that is not enough.
Birmingham riot indicates lack of social cohesion
Police have arrested 33 people during a demonstration against Islamic fundamentalism and counter-protest by anti-fascists in Birmingham, BBC News Online reports.
The demonstration was made up of football fans and calling themselves the English and Welsh Defence League and Casuals United.
The counter-protest was organised by campaign group United Against Fascism, West Midlands Police told the BBC.
Three people were injured in the disturbance in the city centre, and West Midlands Police said a “post operation investigation” was under way.
The police also said it expected the number of arrests to increase as photographs and video images are studied.
A police spokesman told the BBC anyone found to be taken part in acts of criminality will be prosecuted.
There was one report of criminal damage to a vehicle, but more were expected.
Resident Gary Nichols witnessed the disturbances on Saturday evening from his city centre flat and told the BBC he was unable to go outside for about two and a half hours.
“It was very disheartening,” He said. “I’ve never experienced anything like it before in the three years I’ve lived here.”
“It started off with a group of white guys who were chanting ‘England, England’. I thought they were just football fans, but then a large group of black and Asian people turned up and it all kicked off.
He the added: “You have people burning the Union Flag, people were being kicked – some of them weren’t anything to do with the protests”.
Superintendent Matt Ward from the West Midlands Police, said on the police website there had been similar protest against Islamic fundamentalism in July, involving 70 to 90 people.
He said July’s protest had been “vocal” but peaceful.
However, interestingly, the riot in Birmingham city centre was not reported in other UK publications apart from the BBC, and even in the BBC report, it did not clarify the injured ones’ race, and most probably the “lack of media coverage” aims to protect and promote “social cohesion”.
Some of the bloggers also made comments online saying it might indicates that multiculturalism in this country do not work well and different races in Birmingham do not particularly get on with each other.
The demonstration was made up of football fans and calling themselves the English and Welsh Defence League and Casuals United.
The counter-protest was organised by campaign group United Against Fascism, West Midlands Police told the BBC.
Three people were injured in the disturbance in the city centre, and West Midlands Police said a “post operation investigation” was under way.
The police also said it expected the number of arrests to increase as photographs and video images are studied.
A police spokesman told the BBC anyone found to be taken part in acts of criminality will be prosecuted.
There was one report of criminal damage to a vehicle, but more were expected.
Resident Gary Nichols witnessed the disturbances on Saturday evening from his city centre flat and told the BBC he was unable to go outside for about two and a half hours.
“It was very disheartening,” He said. “I’ve never experienced anything like it before in the three years I’ve lived here.”
“It started off with a group of white guys who were chanting ‘England, England’. I thought they were just football fans, but then a large group of black and Asian people turned up and it all kicked off.
He the added: “You have people burning the Union Flag, people were being kicked – some of them weren’t anything to do with the protests”.
Superintendent Matt Ward from the West Midlands Police, said on the police website there had been similar protest against Islamic fundamentalism in July, involving 70 to 90 people.
He said July’s protest had been “vocal” but peaceful.
However, interestingly, the riot in Birmingham city centre was not reported in other UK publications apart from the BBC, and even in the BBC report, it did not clarify the injured ones’ race, and most probably the “lack of media coverage” aims to protect and promote “social cohesion”.
Some of the bloggers also made comments online saying it might indicates that multiculturalism in this country do not work well and different races in Birmingham do not particularly get on with each other.
Tuesday 11 August 2009
Barack Obama's NAACP Speech “Missed the Boat”
Barack Obama's NAACP speech in the New York Times reportedly “missed the boat”– because journalists did not understand what he was talking about, Sorn Jessen says in the Guardian.
The article, Obama tells fellow blacks: 'No excuses' for any failure, published in the New York Times reported a 45 minutes speech and the related issues, which were addressed by the President, Barack Obama, to his mainly black audience.
People gathered in New York City to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the nation’s largest civil rights organisation.
Jessen claims the News York Times missed the point of what Obama was saying due to “unrecognised cultural blind-spots”. He first questions if the New York Times reporters ever go to church. If they don’t this would limit their understanding, as the speech appeared to be written in a sermon style, with a soft tone.
He says the structure of Obama’s speech is different from the structure of an ordinary political speech, and he thinks if journalists were more familiar with pulpit pounding, then they would have understood what Obama was trying to say.
Secondly, he says American mainstream society has two stereotypes when it comes to talks about minorities. Either members of minority groups are portrayed as drunk, lazy good-for-nothing, or they are pictured as noble savages resisting the incursions of the evil white man.
Sorn Jessen continues to argue that the sermon was reported in a lazy, half-assed way by the New York Times, but the speech was meant to be and was, in fact, inspiring.
He thought in the New York Times article, the two sides are fused and people get both types of stereotypes. On the one hand, there’s the noble savage stereotype in Barack Obama. On the other hand, there is an element in the original article, of the “good” minority who has come back to tell the “bad” minority how to adopt the white man’s ways and be successful.
He thought the problem with this entire way of reporting is that somewhere in the fusion of stereotypes, people lose their humanity.
Sorn Jessen then addressed in his article, entitled A sermon from Obama, that Obama’s speech was a sermon, and the best sermons in his mind are the ones where people are preached to both individually and collectively.
Collectively, the president brings everyone into contact with their history. Individually, he relates his own struggle to the individual struggles of the audience members. The end result is to give strength to the individual by preaching a collective message of hope, and to inspire the collective by preaching an individual message of perseverance.
Jessen maintains that Obama used the individual stories of people like Moses Wright to give strength and a voice to the communal experience of African-Americans.
“Of course the New York Times journalists got it wrong” - Sorn Jessen concludes in his article in the Guardian.
He says the confusion occurred because the journalists do not understand the tradition, and they do not understand the dynamic between the individual and his group. He argues that if the reporters went to church a bit more, or if they stopped viewing ethnic minorities as monolithic communities, they might get a bit more right
The article, Obama tells fellow blacks: 'No excuses' for any failure, published in the New York Times reported a 45 minutes speech and the related issues, which were addressed by the President, Barack Obama, to his mainly black audience.
People gathered in New York City to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the nation’s largest civil rights organisation.
Jessen claims the News York Times missed the point of what Obama was saying due to “unrecognised cultural blind-spots”. He first questions if the New York Times reporters ever go to church. If they don’t this would limit their understanding, as the speech appeared to be written in a sermon style, with a soft tone.
He says the structure of Obama’s speech is different from the structure of an ordinary political speech, and he thinks if journalists were more familiar with pulpit pounding, then they would have understood what Obama was trying to say.
Secondly, he says American mainstream society has two stereotypes when it comes to talks about minorities. Either members of minority groups are portrayed as drunk, lazy good-for-nothing, or they are pictured as noble savages resisting the incursions of the evil white man.
Sorn Jessen continues to argue that the sermon was reported in a lazy, half-assed way by the New York Times, but the speech was meant to be and was, in fact, inspiring.
He thought in the New York Times article, the two sides are fused and people get both types of stereotypes. On the one hand, there’s the noble savage stereotype in Barack Obama. On the other hand, there is an element in the original article, of the “good” minority who has come back to tell the “bad” minority how to adopt the white man’s ways and be successful.
He thought the problem with this entire way of reporting is that somewhere in the fusion of stereotypes, people lose their humanity.
Sorn Jessen then addressed in his article, entitled A sermon from Obama, that Obama’s speech was a sermon, and the best sermons in his mind are the ones where people are preached to both individually and collectively.
Collectively, the president brings everyone into contact with their history. Individually, he relates his own struggle to the individual struggles of the audience members. The end result is to give strength to the individual by preaching a collective message of hope, and to inspire the collective by preaching an individual message of perseverance.
Jessen maintains that Obama used the individual stories of people like Moses Wright to give strength and a voice to the communal experience of African-Americans.
“Of course the New York Times journalists got it wrong” - Sorn Jessen concludes in his article in the Guardian.
He says the confusion occurred because the journalists do not understand the tradition, and they do not understand the dynamic between the individual and his group. He argues that if the reporters went to church a bit more, or if they stopped viewing ethnic minorities as monolithic communities, they might get a bit more right
BBC Trust considers non-religious “Thought for the Day”
The BBC Trust is considering a non-religious Thought for the Day on Radio 4’s Today programme, sparking criticism from faith leaders, The Daily Telegraph says.
Lots of listeners previously complaint the two minute slot should give a voice to a wide range of religions and a voice to those from around the UK.
Secularists also claim the slot discriminates against non-believers and have complained to The Trust, the BBC’s governing body, which will deliver its response in Autumn, The Daily Telegraph reports.
Mark Damazer, the channel’s controller, has said that the slot on the flagship programme could “take in a wider range of voices”.
However, faith leaders have criticised the move saying that in an increasingly secular climate, it was “vitally important” that religion retain its voice.
Steve Clifford, General Director of the Evangelical Alliance said in an interview with The Daily Telegraph: “The Today programme has no problem running slots for business and sport, so why shouldn’t it have a slot dedicated to religion? It strikes me that the secularists predominate in the other two hour and 55 minutes, so is it really asking too much for religion to just have a small chunk of dedicated time?
John Newsbury, former editor of BBC religious programmes, writes an opinion article on The Guardian, entitled: Thought for the Day may be doomed.
He is concerned that if the programme opens up to atheists, to achieve a wider audience, it may no longer be able to fulfill its original brief, previously satisfied by the BBC news editors.
He then writes the brief on The Guardian Thought for the Day is “a theological reflection on the sorts of issues, topics and people with which the Today programme normally deals”.
Mr Newsbury says now the BBC Trust is to consider whether non-believers should be invited on to the programme. If they are, then the existing brief will have to be torn up.
Though non-religious people might have valuable insights to offer on matter of moral, social or political importance but they cannot personally reflect theologically on anything. It would be a bit like asking one of the favourite comedians, Sandi Toksvig, to reflect on the meaning of football when she loathes the game, The Guardian reports.
He thinks if non-religious contributors make it on to Thought for the Day, the slot is doomed, and there is no need for a non-theological Thought-style reflection on Today, the show is already stuffed with secular opinion in the form of interviews.
Secular and humanist groups have long campaigned for the slot to be opened up to those outside of religious groups, and in January this year a non-religious version, called Thought for the Afternoon, was broadcast on Radio 4’s Saturday afternoon programme, iPM, The Daily Telegraph says.
One listener told Feedback she found the programme “deeply irritating and quite often quite insulting”.
“I would be quite happy with a Thought for the Day with a secular point, some philosophical dilemma, a little bit of science,” she said. “I think it’s a very good opportunity to do that, I just feel annoyed it’s always the Sikhs or the Muslims or the Jews or the Christians or whatsever.”
However, some of the faith leaders were open to the idea of opening the slot to different voices, according to The Daily Telegraph.
Sir Iqbal Sacranie, former head of the Musliim Council of Britain, said: “I have no problem with secular people or people of no faith appearing on the programme if it fosters a spirit of inclusivity.”
A spokesman from the BBC Trust said: “The Trust's General Appeals Panel is considering this issue in response to a number of complaints. We expect to be able to publish a decision in the Autumn.”
Lots of listeners previously complaint the two minute slot should give a voice to a wide range of religions and a voice to those from around the UK.
Secularists also claim the slot discriminates against non-believers and have complained to The Trust, the BBC’s governing body, which will deliver its response in Autumn, The Daily Telegraph reports.
Mark Damazer, the channel’s controller, has said that the slot on the flagship programme could “take in a wider range of voices”.
However, faith leaders have criticised the move saying that in an increasingly secular climate, it was “vitally important” that religion retain its voice.
Steve Clifford, General Director of the Evangelical Alliance said in an interview with The Daily Telegraph: “The Today programme has no problem running slots for business and sport, so why shouldn’t it have a slot dedicated to religion? It strikes me that the secularists predominate in the other two hour and 55 minutes, so is it really asking too much for religion to just have a small chunk of dedicated time?
John Newsbury, former editor of BBC religious programmes, writes an opinion article on The Guardian, entitled: Thought for the Day may be doomed.
He is concerned that if the programme opens up to atheists, to achieve a wider audience, it may no longer be able to fulfill its original brief, previously satisfied by the BBC news editors.
He then writes the brief on The Guardian Thought for the Day is “a theological reflection on the sorts of issues, topics and people with which the Today programme normally deals”.
Mr Newsbury says now the BBC Trust is to consider whether non-believers should be invited on to the programme. If they are, then the existing brief will have to be torn up.
Though non-religious people might have valuable insights to offer on matter of moral, social or political importance but they cannot personally reflect theologically on anything. It would be a bit like asking one of the favourite comedians, Sandi Toksvig, to reflect on the meaning of football when she loathes the game, The Guardian reports.
He thinks if non-religious contributors make it on to Thought for the Day, the slot is doomed, and there is no need for a non-theological Thought-style reflection on Today, the show is already stuffed with secular opinion in the form of interviews.
Secular and humanist groups have long campaigned for the slot to be opened up to those outside of religious groups, and in January this year a non-religious version, called Thought for the Afternoon, was broadcast on Radio 4’s Saturday afternoon programme, iPM, The Daily Telegraph says.
One listener told Feedback she found the programme “deeply irritating and quite often quite insulting”.
“I would be quite happy with a Thought for the Day with a secular point, some philosophical dilemma, a little bit of science,” she said. “I think it’s a very good opportunity to do that, I just feel annoyed it’s always the Sikhs or the Muslims or the Jews or the Christians or whatsever.”
However, some of the faith leaders were open to the idea of opening the slot to different voices, according to The Daily Telegraph.
Sir Iqbal Sacranie, former head of the Musliim Council of Britain, said: “I have no problem with secular people or people of no faith appearing on the programme if it fosters a spirit of inclusivity.”
A spokesman from the BBC Trust said: “The Trust's General Appeals Panel is considering this issue in response to a number of complaints. We expect to be able to publish a decision in the Autumn.”
Legal loopholes makes Britain “safe haven for evil”
Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary, has recently announced that he would change the law to ensure suspected war criminals living in the UK could not escape prosecution, The Daily Telegraph reports.
The amendment aims to enable the prosecution of the overseas war criminals and tortures living in the UK dating back to 1991 go further enough, a committee of MPs and peers tells The Guardian.
As the 1991 cut-off and a requirement that only resident in the UK should face prosecution will leave an “impunity gap” which will allow international war criminals to visit and stay in Britain without fear of prosecution, a report from parliament’s joint human rights committee says to The Guardian.
The possible prosecution of war criminals is limited to those legal residents in Britain. This is based on the grounds that it was neither attractive nor practical to progress further for their trials, says Mr Straw.
The cross-party group of MPs and peers say they “fail to understand the justification” for using 1991 as the cut-off date for prosecution, saying it means that the 1994 Rwandan massacres are covered but not the 1970s Cambodian genocide, Alan Travis write on The Guardian.
MPs and peers urge Straw to adopt a date as far back as possible for each offence, with 1948 for genocide and 1949 for war crimes committed during internal armed conflicts.
Though ministers told the committee the UK did not aim “to become a policeman for the world”, The Daily Telegraph reports.
The committee questioned why ministers had set the cut-off point for genocide and war crimes in internal conflicts, as well as crimes against humanity at 1991, when international law allowed alleged crimes committed in those two categories as far back as 1948 and 1949 to be prosecuted.
The report said that having different cut-off dates was not “an exercise beyond the capacity of the UK government or beyond the understanding of the public”.
The report also called for a specialist war crimes unit to be set up and given “resources commensurate with the seriousness of crimes they need to investigate and the importance of leading the world in bringing international criminals to justice.”
Andrew Dismore, chairman of the parliament's human rights committee, said: “The UK must not be a safe haven for evil. The message to those who have perpetrated the most heinous crime imaginable must be clear: they are not welcome here – not to visit, not to live, not to holiday, shop or get medical treatment.
“The UK should close these loopholes in the law. We also need to re-establish the specialist war crimes unit. Victims of torture must be able to pursue compensation … We should lead the world in bringing international criminals to justice,” The Guardian reports.
The Aegis Trust, which campaigns against genocide, has said there were “significant numbers of suspected war criminals and genocidaires who are either in the UK or have visited this country,” says The Daily Telegraph.
The amendment aims to enable the prosecution of the overseas war criminals and tortures living in the UK dating back to 1991 go further enough, a committee of MPs and peers tells The Guardian.
As the 1991 cut-off and a requirement that only resident in the UK should face prosecution will leave an “impunity gap” which will allow international war criminals to visit and stay in Britain without fear of prosecution, a report from parliament’s joint human rights committee says to The Guardian.
The possible prosecution of war criminals is limited to those legal residents in Britain. This is based on the grounds that it was neither attractive nor practical to progress further for their trials, says Mr Straw.
The cross-party group of MPs and peers say they “fail to understand the justification” for using 1991 as the cut-off date for prosecution, saying it means that the 1994 Rwandan massacres are covered but not the 1970s Cambodian genocide, Alan Travis write on The Guardian.
MPs and peers urge Straw to adopt a date as far back as possible for each offence, with 1948 for genocide and 1949 for war crimes committed during internal armed conflicts.
Though ministers told the committee the UK did not aim “to become a policeman for the world”, The Daily Telegraph reports.
The committee questioned why ministers had set the cut-off point for genocide and war crimes in internal conflicts, as well as crimes against humanity at 1991, when international law allowed alleged crimes committed in those two categories as far back as 1948 and 1949 to be prosecuted.
The report said that having different cut-off dates was not “an exercise beyond the capacity of the UK government or beyond the understanding of the public”.
The report also called for a specialist war crimes unit to be set up and given “resources commensurate with the seriousness of crimes they need to investigate and the importance of leading the world in bringing international criminals to justice.”
Andrew Dismore, chairman of the parliament's human rights committee, said: “The UK must not be a safe haven for evil. The message to those who have perpetrated the most heinous crime imaginable must be clear: they are not welcome here – not to visit, not to live, not to holiday, shop or get medical treatment.
“The UK should close these loopholes in the law. We also need to re-establish the specialist war crimes unit. Victims of torture must be able to pursue compensation … We should lead the world in bringing international criminals to justice,” The Guardian reports.
The Aegis Trust, which campaigns against genocide, has said there were “significant numbers of suspected war criminals and genocidaires who are either in the UK or have visited this country,” says The Daily Telegraph.
Teachers "prevent" state schools pupils from applying Oxbridge report says
Bright pupils from comprehensive schools are being put off applying to Oxford and Cambridge universities because of fears over “elitism”, the Sutton Trust researcher tells The Daily Telegraph.
Graeme Paton, The Daily Telegraph education editor wrote teachers often promote the view that Oxbridge universities are “not for the likes of us”.
The Sutton Trust charity said that pupils from comprehensive schools needed better guidance to help them apply to leading universities.
Lord Mandelson, Business Secretary last month also said more needed to be done to widen access to higher education, Graeme Paton wrote.
More than four in 10 students currently admitted to Oxbridge are from independent schools, though they only educate just seven per cent of children in the United Kingdom.
The Sutton Trust suggested that schools were the ones often to blame for creating “not for the likes of us” situation.
Dr Lee Elliot Major, the charity’s research director said in an interview with The Daily Telegraph that teachers often confused excellence with elitism.
“What we’ve found is that independent school pupils with similar grades to state school pupils are far more likely to apply to leading research universities,” he said.
“One of our concerns is that there is a confusion between excellence and elitism in many state schools – that often the prestigious universities are perceived to be “not for the likes of us”.
The government is now considering introducing new guidance urging universities to give pupils from poor families a two-grade “head start” in the admissions process.
The Sutton Trust is due to publish research later this week which will demand an overhaul of careers advice in schools, said The Daily Telegraph.
Dr Elliot Major said around half the guidance pupils currently received in comprehensive schools was poor, “We’re also concerned about teachers – that half of comprehensive school pupils, even if they had the brightest pupils in their class, they wouldn’t advise them to consider Oxbridge.”
Graeme Paton, The Daily Telegraph education editor wrote teachers often promote the view that Oxbridge universities are “not for the likes of us”.
The Sutton Trust charity said that pupils from comprehensive schools needed better guidance to help them apply to leading universities.
Lord Mandelson, Business Secretary last month also said more needed to be done to widen access to higher education, Graeme Paton wrote.
More than four in 10 students currently admitted to Oxbridge are from independent schools, though they only educate just seven per cent of children in the United Kingdom.
The Sutton Trust suggested that schools were the ones often to blame for creating “not for the likes of us” situation.
Dr Lee Elliot Major, the charity’s research director said in an interview with The Daily Telegraph that teachers often confused excellence with elitism.
“What we’ve found is that independent school pupils with similar grades to state school pupils are far more likely to apply to leading research universities,” he said.
“One of our concerns is that there is a confusion between excellence and elitism in many state schools – that often the prestigious universities are perceived to be “not for the likes of us”.
The government is now considering introducing new guidance urging universities to give pupils from poor families a two-grade “head start” in the admissions process.
The Sutton Trust is due to publish research later this week which will demand an overhaul of careers advice in schools, said The Daily Telegraph.
Dr Elliot Major said around half the guidance pupils currently received in comprehensive schools was poor, “We’re also concerned about teachers – that half of comprehensive school pupils, even if they had the brightest pupils in their class, they wouldn’t advise them to consider Oxbridge.”
Monday 10 August 2009
Cleared doctor resumes his NHS career
A doctor who had alleged links to an Islamist terror plot was cleared of his offence and is now working in an NHS hospital, the Daily Mail reports.
Dr Mohammed Asha was cleared of conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to cause explosions following the 2007 terror bids, before starting his job at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH), the Sun reports.
According to the Daily Telegraph, the government last week withdrew a long-standing attempt to deport the 28-year-old on the basis that he was a threat to national security.
According to the Sun, Dr Asha started work at the RSH last week, a few days before the Home Office dropped its deportation bid, and days after the government dropped its deportation application.
However, the Department of Health spokesman was unable to confirm his employment status.
Trust chief executive Tom Taylor said: “Dr Mohammed Jamil Asha is a very capable young doctor and we are very pleased that he is continuing his training in our hospitals.”
“It is important to remember that he has been proven innocent and the government had withdrawn its application for deportation before he returned to the trust last week.”
“We hope everyone will judge him on the basis of his medical skills, and respect his and our wishes to let him continue his training in peace,” said the Daily Telegraph.
The Jordanian neurologist works at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital in Shropshire as Dr Jamil – his middle name, said the Daily Mail.
He was arrested on the day of a suicide bomb attack on Glasgow Airport on July 30th 2007. At the time, he worked for the University Hospital of North Staffordshire in Stoke-on-Trent.
Dr Asha spent a year on remand before being cleared of conspiracy to murder and cause explosions by a jury at London’s Woolwich Crown Court last year.
His solicitor said after his deportation application was dropped by the government, the father-of-one was determined to resume his career in the NHS.
“Mohammed Asha has always said he was innocent and was not a threat national security. Now, finally, he has been entirely vindicated,” said Tayab Ali.
“Hopefully he can now get his position back, which was offering help and support to people in the UK by being an NHS doctor.”
According to different UK publications, the London-Glasgow car bomb attacks were plotted by an NHS British-born Iraqi doctor Bilal Abdulla, 29 and a 28-year-old Indian engineering student Kafeel Ahmed.
Bilal Abdulla was convicted of plotting to commit mass murder and has been sentenced to at least 32 years in jails, and Kafeel Ahmed died five weeks later after suffering serious burns during the attacks.
The prosecution alleged Dr Asha was the financier and supporter of the Glasgow airport terror cell.
However, Dr Asha denied any offences that the government had charged him. He said he did not know the £1,300 he lent to Abdulla was to rent and buy cars and bomb-making equipment. He claimed the two men had betrayed him.
After the Woolwich Crown Court cleared his convictions, the Home Office was still trying to kick him out of the country, claiming he was a threat to national security.
Dr Mohammed Asha was cleared of conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to cause explosions following the 2007 terror bids, before starting his job at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH), the Sun reports.
According to the Daily Telegraph, the government last week withdrew a long-standing attempt to deport the 28-year-old on the basis that he was a threat to national security.
According to the Sun, Dr Asha started work at the RSH last week, a few days before the Home Office dropped its deportation bid, and days after the government dropped its deportation application.
However, the Department of Health spokesman was unable to confirm his employment status.
Trust chief executive Tom Taylor said: “Dr Mohammed Jamil Asha is a very capable young doctor and we are very pleased that he is continuing his training in our hospitals.”
“It is important to remember that he has been proven innocent and the government had withdrawn its application for deportation before he returned to the trust last week.”
“We hope everyone will judge him on the basis of his medical skills, and respect his and our wishes to let him continue his training in peace,” said the Daily Telegraph.
The Jordanian neurologist works at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital in Shropshire as Dr Jamil – his middle name, said the Daily Mail.
He was arrested on the day of a suicide bomb attack on Glasgow Airport on July 30th 2007. At the time, he worked for the University Hospital of North Staffordshire in Stoke-on-Trent.
Dr Asha spent a year on remand before being cleared of conspiracy to murder and cause explosions by a jury at London’s Woolwich Crown Court last year.
His solicitor said after his deportation application was dropped by the government, the father-of-one was determined to resume his career in the NHS.
“Mohammed Asha has always said he was innocent and was not a threat national security. Now, finally, he has been entirely vindicated,” said Tayab Ali.
“Hopefully he can now get his position back, which was offering help and support to people in the UK by being an NHS doctor.”
According to different UK publications, the London-Glasgow car bomb attacks were plotted by an NHS British-born Iraqi doctor Bilal Abdulla, 29 and a 28-year-old Indian engineering student Kafeel Ahmed.
Bilal Abdulla was convicted of plotting to commit mass murder and has been sentenced to at least 32 years in jails, and Kafeel Ahmed died five weeks later after suffering serious burns during the attacks.
The prosecution alleged Dr Asha was the financier and supporter of the Glasgow airport terror cell.
However, Dr Asha denied any offences that the government had charged him. He said he did not know the £1,300 he lent to Abdulla was to rent and buy cars and bomb-making equipment. He claimed the two men had betrayed him.
After the Woolwich Crown Court cleared his convictions, the Home Office was still trying to kick him out of the country, claiming he was a threat to national security.
Phones and emails snooped every 60 seconds
Councils, police and other public bodies are seeking access to people’s private telephone and email records on an average of 1,381 times a day last year, The Daily Telegraph reports.
Sir Paul Kennedy, the interception of communications commissioner released a report today that More than 500,000 requests have been made by the authorities for confidential communications data last year, which is equivalent to spying on one in every 78 adults.
The figures showed in the report will fuel concerns over the use of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act by public bodies, says The Daily Telegraph.
The Act gives authorities such as councils, the police and intelligence agencies the power to request access to confidential communications data, including lists of telephone numbers dialled and email addresses to which messages have been sent.
However, recently councils have been accused of using the powers for trivial matters such as littering and dog fouling, which were originally intended to tackle terrorism and organised crime.
Last month, it emerged that councils and other official bodies had used hidden tracking devices to spy on members of the public.
Maev Kennedy wrote on The Guardian the Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, Chris Huhne, said the figures “beggared belief” and showed that Britain had sleepwalked into a surveillance state.
“Many of these operations carried out by the police and security services are necessary, but the sheer numbers are daunting,” he added.
“It cannot be a justified response to the problems we face in this country that the state is spying on half a million people a year.
“We have sleepwalked into a surveillance state, but without adequate safeguards. Having the home secretary in charge of authorisation is like asking the fox to guard the hen house.
“The government forgets that George Orwell's novel 1984 was a warning and not a blueprint. We are still a long way from living under the Stasi but it beggars belief that it is necessary to spy on one in every 78 adults.”
The government has now launched a review. A Home Office spokesman said: "Of course it's vital that we strike the right balance between individual privacy and collective security and that is why the Home Office is clear these powers should only be used when they are proportionate."
Sir Paul Kennedy, the interception of communications commissioner released a report today that More than 500,000 requests have been made by the authorities for confidential communications data last year, which is equivalent to spying on one in every 78 adults.
The figures showed in the report will fuel concerns over the use of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act by public bodies, says The Daily Telegraph.
The Act gives authorities such as councils, the police and intelligence agencies the power to request access to confidential communications data, including lists of telephone numbers dialled and email addresses to which messages have been sent.
However, recently councils have been accused of using the powers for trivial matters such as littering and dog fouling, which were originally intended to tackle terrorism and organised crime.
Last month, it emerged that councils and other official bodies had used hidden tracking devices to spy on members of the public.
Maev Kennedy wrote on The Guardian the Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, Chris Huhne, said the figures “beggared belief” and showed that Britain had sleepwalked into a surveillance state.
“Many of these operations carried out by the police and security services are necessary, but the sheer numbers are daunting,” he added.
“It cannot be a justified response to the problems we face in this country that the state is spying on half a million people a year.
“We have sleepwalked into a surveillance state, but without adequate safeguards. Having the home secretary in charge of authorisation is like asking the fox to guard the hen house.
“The government forgets that George Orwell's novel 1984 was a warning and not a blueprint. We are still a long way from living under the Stasi but it beggars belief that it is necessary to spy on one in every 78 adults.”
The government has now launched a review. A Home Office spokesman said: "Of course it's vital that we strike the right balance between individual privacy and collective security and that is why the Home Office is clear these powers should only be used when they are proportionate."
Calls for independent torture inquiry
Campaigners have called for a judicial inquiry on recent row mounts over abuse of detainee abroad, The Daily Telegraph reports on 9 August.
The Home Secretary Alan Johnson and the Foreign Secretary Daily Miliband said it was “not possible to eradicate all risk” that foreign allies had mistreated terrorism suspects.
They pointed out in a jointly written article published on Sunday that intelligence officers faced “hard choices” and that their overriding aim was to “defend both our citizens’ rights and their security”.
They wrote: “Our position is clear, and the UK firmly opposes torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment.
“When detainees are held by our police or Armed Forces we can be sure how they are treated. By definition, we cannot have that same level of assurance when they are held by foreign governments, whose obligations may differ from our own.”
Their article came following several detailed allegations of British complicity in torture.
According to today’s Guardian newspaper, Sir John Scarlett, the head of MI6, denied his officers were complicit in torture.
Scarlett told BBC Radio 4’s A Century in the Shadows programme there was “no torture and no complicity in torture” by the British secret service.
He said: “Our officers are as committed to the value and the human values of liberal democracy as anybody else.”
However, he then added: “They also have the responsibility of protecting the country against terrorism, and these issues need to be debated and understood in that context.”
Sir John Scarlett addressed the parallel concerns of what the Home Secretary and the Foreign Secretary have previously underlined that our Armed Forces need to “defend both our citizens’ rights and their security”.
Scotland Yard is currently investigating an MI5 officer over the questioning of the UK resident Binyam Mohamed while he was being held incommunicado in Pakistan.
Two high court judges recently revealed MI5 knew more about the circumstances surrounding Mohamed than it had originally admitted.
However, The Guardian reports that David Miliband is continuing to refuse to allow a seven-page summary of Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) about the case to be disclosed.
The CIA material is widely believed to contain evidence of what the UK knew about abuse of Mohamed.
The foreign affairs committee yesterday said the government must adopt a more healthy approach to Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency about the abuse of detainees, and also it was "imperative" that the government fulfilled its legal obligations to act positively to prevent torture, and investigate allegations of it.
The parliamentary joint committee on human rights, in a stinging report last week, also said an independent inquiry was the only way to restore public confidence in the intelligence and security agencies.
The Home Secretary Alan Johnson and the Foreign Secretary Daily Miliband said it was “not possible to eradicate all risk” that foreign allies had mistreated terrorism suspects.
They pointed out in a jointly written article published on Sunday that intelligence officers faced “hard choices” and that their overriding aim was to “defend both our citizens’ rights and their security”.
They wrote: “Our position is clear, and the UK firmly opposes torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment.
“When detainees are held by our police or Armed Forces we can be sure how they are treated. By definition, we cannot have that same level of assurance when they are held by foreign governments, whose obligations may differ from our own.”
Their article came following several detailed allegations of British complicity in torture.
According to today’s Guardian newspaper, Sir John Scarlett, the head of MI6, denied his officers were complicit in torture.
Scarlett told BBC Radio 4’s A Century in the Shadows programme there was “no torture and no complicity in torture” by the British secret service.
He said: “Our officers are as committed to the value and the human values of liberal democracy as anybody else.”
However, he then added: “They also have the responsibility of protecting the country against terrorism, and these issues need to be debated and understood in that context.”
Sir John Scarlett addressed the parallel concerns of what the Home Secretary and the Foreign Secretary have previously underlined that our Armed Forces need to “defend both our citizens’ rights and their security”.
Scotland Yard is currently investigating an MI5 officer over the questioning of the UK resident Binyam Mohamed while he was being held incommunicado in Pakistan.
Two high court judges recently revealed MI5 knew more about the circumstances surrounding Mohamed than it had originally admitted.
However, The Guardian reports that David Miliband is continuing to refuse to allow a seven-page summary of Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) about the case to be disclosed.
The CIA material is widely believed to contain evidence of what the UK knew about abuse of Mohamed.
The foreign affairs committee yesterday said the government must adopt a more healthy approach to Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency about the abuse of detainees, and also it was "imperative" that the government fulfilled its legal obligations to act positively to prevent torture, and investigate allegations of it.
The parliamentary joint committee on human rights, in a stinging report last week, also said an independent inquiry was the only way to restore public confidence in the intelligence and security agencies.
Jackson lawyer denies Oliver star fathering Jacko’s child
Michael Jackson’s family lawyer has rejected claims from child star Mark Lester that he could be the biological father of the pop star’s daughter Paris, says The Daily Telegraph.
Mr Lester, 51, who found fame in the 1968 musical Oliver!, was a close friend of the late pop superstar. He is godfather to Paris, 11, and Jackson's two other children, 12-year-old Prince, and Prince Michael II, the seven-year-old nicknamed Blanket.
He claimed over the weekend that he gave Michael his sperm so that the King of the Pop could have kids and he said he felt a "definite bonding" with Paris, the 11-year-old, with pale skin and blue eyes might be his daughter, the Metro reports.
However, Brian Oxman, the Jackson family's lawyer, said he was confident the King of Pop was Paris' father.
He said: “The thing I always heard from Michael was that Michael was the father of these children, and I believe Michael," he said on GMTV from Los Angeles, The Daily Telegraph reports.
Mr Oxman went on to say in GMTV he did not think that Lester was lying, but that he was repeating what he had wrongly been told.
“Mark Lester is a friend of mine – he is a straight shooter," he said. “I think what Mark said is what he understands – he was told these things. That’s what Michael wanted it to be. But Michael always told me he was the papa.”
Mr Lester told the News of the World he was speaking out because he claimed he had been “cruelly” cut out of the lives of Jackons’ children since the start did in June, says the Metro.
He said up until the pop singer’s memorial last month, he was in touch with them on a weekly basis, but recently all of this phone calls and emails had gone unanswered.
“This isn’t what Michael would have wanted,” Lester continued to tell the News of the World. “I feel I have to come forward, as my only way of saying, ‘Please don’t shut me out!’.”
He was supported by Jackson’s close friend, Uri Geller, The Daily Telegraph reports.
"I have no reason to doubt Mark's story simply because I remember years ago in New York Michael implied to me that he wanted Mark to help him father a child for him," he told GMTV.
Though Mr Uri Geller said he cannot be 100 per cent sure that Paris is the biological daughter of Mark but he remembered those words, knowing the close relationship that Mark had with Michael and his families and his children.
Mr Lester, 51, who found fame in the 1968 musical Oliver!, was a close friend of the late pop superstar. He is godfather to Paris, 11, and Jackson's two other children, 12-year-old Prince, and Prince Michael II, the seven-year-old nicknamed Blanket.
He claimed over the weekend that he gave Michael his sperm so that the King of the Pop could have kids and he said he felt a "definite bonding" with Paris, the 11-year-old, with pale skin and blue eyes might be his daughter, the Metro reports.
However, Brian Oxman, the Jackson family's lawyer, said he was confident the King of Pop was Paris' father.
He said: “The thing I always heard from Michael was that Michael was the father of these children, and I believe Michael," he said on GMTV from Los Angeles, The Daily Telegraph reports.
Mr Oxman went on to say in GMTV he did not think that Lester was lying, but that he was repeating what he had wrongly been told.
“Mark Lester is a friend of mine – he is a straight shooter," he said. “I think what Mark said is what he understands – he was told these things. That’s what Michael wanted it to be. But Michael always told me he was the papa.”
Mr Lester told the News of the World he was speaking out because he claimed he had been “cruelly” cut out of the lives of Jackons’ children since the start did in June, says the Metro.
He said up until the pop singer’s memorial last month, he was in touch with them on a weekly basis, but recently all of this phone calls and emails had gone unanswered.
“This isn’t what Michael would have wanted,” Lester continued to tell the News of the World. “I feel I have to come forward, as my only way of saying, ‘Please don’t shut me out!’.”
He was supported by Jackson’s close friend, Uri Geller, The Daily Telegraph reports.
"I have no reason to doubt Mark's story simply because I remember years ago in New York Michael implied to me that he wanted Mark to help him father a child for him," he told GMTV.
Though Mr Uri Geller said he cannot be 100 per cent sure that Paris is the biological daughter of Mark but he remembered those words, knowing the close relationship that Mark had with Michael and his families and his children.
Sunday 9 August 2009
Ancient briton “ate each other” report says
Ancient Britons could have been cannibals, Geoff Marsh wrote on Sunday Express.
A human arm bone from a prehistoric cave in Devon was found to have seven cut marks made by a stone tool and the bone had been fractured.
The 9,000-year-old bone were examined by the scientists and it was believed the marks on the bone had been left after removing flesh from it, or the dismemberment had taken place shortly after death.
Dr Rick Schulting, of the School of Archaeology at Oxford University, said in an interview with Sunday Express: “There are intentional cut marks on there, and it seems the bone has been intentionally split.
“These two together can raise the possibility of cannibalism,” he then added: “The location of the fracture, right at the elbow, is where the cut would be made if dismemberment had taken place.”
The fact the markings are all in the same place indicate they were made to remove muscle attachments from the bone while it was still “fresh”, Dr Schulting said.
He then went on to say had the remains come from an animal, he would have assumed the bone had been fractured to remove the marrow.
The bone fragment, from Kent’s Cavern, is currently being kept at Torquay Museum.
Barry Chandler, Curator of Torquary Museum showed it to Dr Schulting, and it was him who had noticed the parallel cut marks on the bone.
The whereabouts of the rest of the adult human’s body are unknown, Geoff Marsh wrote.
Dr schulting also said it might also be wrong to consider ancient Briton as cannibal, as these markings could have been part of a ritualistic burial process.
He added: “These cuts may have been made to help the body decompose more quickly and speed up the process of joining the ancestors.
“Finds like this highlight the complexity of mortuary practices in the Mesolithic period, many thousands of years before the appearance of farming in the Neolithic period, which is more usually associated with complex funerary behaviour.”
Dr Schulting said the marks and the fracture were rare in British prehistory, and that the find was “particularly interesting” for this reason.
“This may only be a single bone, but it has already shown us something about mortuary practices, and the possibility of cannibalism,” he added.
According to the Sunday Express, the bone from kent’s Cavern was discovered by archaeologist and geologist William Pengelly in 1866.
It is hoped more remains found at the cave can now be analysed to look for further evidence of cannibalism.
A human arm bone from a prehistoric cave in Devon was found to have seven cut marks made by a stone tool and the bone had been fractured.
The 9,000-year-old bone were examined by the scientists and it was believed the marks on the bone had been left after removing flesh from it, or the dismemberment had taken place shortly after death.
Dr Rick Schulting, of the School of Archaeology at Oxford University, said in an interview with Sunday Express: “There are intentional cut marks on there, and it seems the bone has been intentionally split.
“These two together can raise the possibility of cannibalism,” he then added: “The location of the fracture, right at the elbow, is where the cut would be made if dismemberment had taken place.”
The fact the markings are all in the same place indicate they were made to remove muscle attachments from the bone while it was still “fresh”, Dr Schulting said.
He then went on to say had the remains come from an animal, he would have assumed the bone had been fractured to remove the marrow.
The bone fragment, from Kent’s Cavern, is currently being kept at Torquay Museum.
Barry Chandler, Curator of Torquary Museum showed it to Dr Schulting, and it was him who had noticed the parallel cut marks on the bone.
The whereabouts of the rest of the adult human’s body are unknown, Geoff Marsh wrote.
Dr schulting also said it might also be wrong to consider ancient Briton as cannibal, as these markings could have been part of a ritualistic burial process.
He added: “These cuts may have been made to help the body decompose more quickly and speed up the process of joining the ancestors.
“Finds like this highlight the complexity of mortuary practices in the Mesolithic period, many thousands of years before the appearance of farming in the Neolithic period, which is more usually associated with complex funerary behaviour.”
Dr Schulting said the marks and the fracture were rare in British prehistory, and that the find was “particularly interesting” for this reason.
“This may only be a single bone, but it has already shown us something about mortuary practices, and the possibility of cannibalism,” he added.
According to the Sunday Express, the bone from kent’s Cavern was discovered by archaeologist and geologist William Pengelly in 1866.
It is hoped more remains found at the cave can now be analysed to look for further evidence of cannibalism.
Friday 7 August 2009
David Miliband backs US-style primaries
Foreign Secretary David Miliband said in an interview with the left-leaning magazine that US-style primary elections would give the public a greater say in choosing candidates, The Daily Telegraph reports.
According to BBC News Online, the Foreign Minister said: “The traditional political structures of mainstream political parties are dying and our biggest concern is the gap between our membership and our potential voter base.
“We need to expand our reach by building social alliances and increasing opportunity for engagement and interaction with our party,”
The Daily Telegraph says in the Tribune magazine article, the Foreign Minister praised both the Greek socialist party and the US democrats for the way they involved the wider electorate and not just party members in decision making.
He said Labour should consider introducing a system of registered voters, as in the US, where anyone who identifies with a political party could vote not just in a general election but in primary elections to choose the party's candidates.
However, critics say this could hasten the decline in party membership as those who pay subscription fees would have far fewer rights in return.
The latest party accounts figures, submitted to the Electoral Commission, shows Labour Party membership fell from a peak of 405,000 in 1997 to the ninth consecutive year of 166, 247 in 2008, according to BBC News Online.
Neal Lawson, Chairman of left-wing campaign group Compass, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that David Miliband, as one of those at the top of the Labour Party over the last 10 years, he was among those responsible for leading it “to its death” through measures like increased privatisation.
He said: “The revival of the Labour Party and the revival of British democracy will come from political parties that believe and have a vision of the good society and compete over that in fair and open democratic elections. That’s what we want to see,” BBC News Online reports.
David Miliband also advocates donating some of the money raised by Labour’s fundraisers to charities and voluntary groups as a way of rebuilding trust, says The Daily Telegraph.
The issue of introducing more “open primaries” to Britain was raised earlier this week when GP Dr Sarah Wollaston was named as the Conservatives’ next Parliamentary candidate for Totnes in Devon after 16,497 people voted in a selection process.
The Conservative Party said the turnout exceeded its “wildest expectations” but had cost £38,000.
The party had opened up selection meeting to non-members before, but this time had done a step further and sent all 69,000 Totnes voters a postal ballot.
In a traditional selection meeting only a few hundred party members will vote, according to BBC News Online.
According to BBC News Online, the Foreign Minister said: “The traditional political structures of mainstream political parties are dying and our biggest concern is the gap between our membership and our potential voter base.
“We need to expand our reach by building social alliances and increasing opportunity for engagement and interaction with our party,”
The Daily Telegraph says in the Tribune magazine article, the Foreign Minister praised both the Greek socialist party and the US democrats for the way they involved the wider electorate and not just party members in decision making.
He said Labour should consider introducing a system of registered voters, as in the US, where anyone who identifies with a political party could vote not just in a general election but in primary elections to choose the party's candidates.
However, critics say this could hasten the decline in party membership as those who pay subscription fees would have far fewer rights in return.
The latest party accounts figures, submitted to the Electoral Commission, shows Labour Party membership fell from a peak of 405,000 in 1997 to the ninth consecutive year of 166, 247 in 2008, according to BBC News Online.
Neal Lawson, Chairman of left-wing campaign group Compass, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that David Miliband, as one of those at the top of the Labour Party over the last 10 years, he was among those responsible for leading it “to its death” through measures like increased privatisation.
He said: “The revival of the Labour Party and the revival of British democracy will come from political parties that believe and have a vision of the good society and compete over that in fair and open democratic elections. That’s what we want to see,” BBC News Online reports.
David Miliband also advocates donating some of the money raised by Labour’s fundraisers to charities and voluntary groups as a way of rebuilding trust, says The Daily Telegraph.
The issue of introducing more “open primaries” to Britain was raised earlier this week when GP Dr Sarah Wollaston was named as the Conservatives’ next Parliamentary candidate for Totnes in Devon after 16,497 people voted in a selection process.
The Conservative Party said the turnout exceeded its “wildest expectations” but had cost £38,000.
The party had opened up selection meeting to non-members before, but this time had done a step further and sent all 69,000 Totnes voters a postal ballot.
In a traditional selection meeting only a few hundred party members will vote, according to BBC News Online.
Taleban Leader Killed in US Missile Strike
Baitullah Mehsud, Pakistan’s top Taleban commander, described by Times Online as “the country’s most wanted man”, has been killed in a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) missile strike, officials disclose today.
The Tehrik-e-Taleban Pakistan, the group he headed, said the 35-year-old was killed early on Wednesday at his father-in-law’s house in South Waziristan.
According to Times Online the militant commander, who was reportedly blamed for dozens of suicide bombings and the murder of the former Pakistani premier Benazir Bhutto, has been seriously ill with a kidney ailment.
He was spending the night on the roof of the compound when the missiles, fired by an unmanned drone, hit in the early hours.
BBC News Online reports after the incident happened, the Taliban leader gathered in South Waziristan to choose a successor.
Local sources told the BBC reporter Abdul Hai Kakar, based in Peshawar, that the three candidates under the consideration for succeeding Baitullah Mehsud at the moment are Hakimullah Mehsud, Maulana Azmatullah, and Wali-ur-Rehman.
Shah Mahmood Quresh, Pakistani Foreign Minister said that no officials had yet seen Mehsud’s body, but the authorities would send a team to the site of the strike to verify his death.
Mr Qureshi said: “To be 100-per cent sure, we are going for ground verification and once the ground verification re-confirms, which I think is almost confirmed, then we’ll be 100-per cent sure,” Times Online reports.
According to the BBC Kafayat Ullah, who was described as an aide to Baitullah Mehsud, told the Associated Press by telephone on Friday 7 August, that his leader had been killed along with his second wife by a US missile, but he has no further details.
Zahid Hussain wrote on the Times Online that Mehsud is reportedly thought to have had some 20,000 men under his command and had a $5 million US bounty on his head after Washington branded him “a key al-Qaeda facilitator”.
Only until last month, the US envoy to the region, Richard Holbrooke, branded him “one of the most dangerous and odious people in the entire region”.
An intelligence source in South Waziristan said that Mehsud had already been buried after the strike in Zangar village in the Ladha region.
The Taliban military group emerged in the early 1990s in northern Pakistan following the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan.
The Taliban is a predominantly Pashtun movement, and came to prominence in Afghanistan in the autumn of 1994.
In recent years, the re-emergence of the hardline Islamic Taliban movement has been regarded as a fighting force in Afghanistan and a major threat to Pakistani government.
The Tehrik-e-Taleban Pakistan, the group he headed, said the 35-year-old was killed early on Wednesday at his father-in-law’s house in South Waziristan.
According to Times Online the militant commander, who was reportedly blamed for dozens of suicide bombings and the murder of the former Pakistani premier Benazir Bhutto, has been seriously ill with a kidney ailment.
He was spending the night on the roof of the compound when the missiles, fired by an unmanned drone, hit in the early hours.
BBC News Online reports after the incident happened, the Taliban leader gathered in South Waziristan to choose a successor.
Local sources told the BBC reporter Abdul Hai Kakar, based in Peshawar, that the three candidates under the consideration for succeeding Baitullah Mehsud at the moment are Hakimullah Mehsud, Maulana Azmatullah, and Wali-ur-Rehman.
Shah Mahmood Quresh, Pakistani Foreign Minister said that no officials had yet seen Mehsud’s body, but the authorities would send a team to the site of the strike to verify his death.
Mr Qureshi said: “To be 100-per cent sure, we are going for ground verification and once the ground verification re-confirms, which I think is almost confirmed, then we’ll be 100-per cent sure,” Times Online reports.
According to the BBC Kafayat Ullah, who was described as an aide to Baitullah Mehsud, told the Associated Press by telephone on Friday 7 August, that his leader had been killed along with his second wife by a US missile, but he has no further details.
Zahid Hussain wrote on the Times Online that Mehsud is reportedly thought to have had some 20,000 men under his command and had a $5 million US bounty on his head after Washington branded him “a key al-Qaeda facilitator”.
Only until last month, the US envoy to the region, Richard Holbrooke, branded him “one of the most dangerous and odious people in the entire region”.
An intelligence source in South Waziristan said that Mehsud had already been buried after the strike in Zangar village in the Ladha region.
The Taliban military group emerged in the early 1990s in northern Pakistan following the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan.
The Taliban is a predominantly Pashtun movement, and came to prominence in Afghanistan in the autumn of 1994.
In recent years, the re-emergence of the hardline Islamic Taliban movement has been regarded as a fighting force in Afghanistan and a major threat to Pakistani government.
Thursday 6 August 2009
Obama Urges North Korea Denuclearisation
US President Barack Obama has urged North Korea to give up developing nuclear weapons if the country wants better relations with the United States, the BBC reports.
Hours after former US President Bill Clinton had secured the release of the two journalists from Pyongyang, Obama made a speech and said North Korea should not engage “in provocative behaviour”.
In an interview with US TV network MSNBC, the President also said: “We have said to the North Koreans there’s a path for improved relations and it involves them no longer developing nuclear weapons.”
“We just want to make sure the government of North Korea is operating within the basic rules of the international community,” Obama added.
Daniel Sandford, the BBC correspondent in Washington says it appears the two US reporters were used fairly cynically by Pyongyang as pawns in a diplomatic game.
Tensions between the US and North Korea have risen in recent months, as the BBC reports, Pyongyang dropped out of six-party talks on its nuclear ambitions after the UN censured a long-range missile test in April.
Since then the North has also conducted an underground nuclear test and further missile tests, provoking new UN Security Council sanctions.
The two reporters were arrested by North Korea guards in March while filming a video about North Korea refugees for Current TV, The Daily Telegraph reports.
Ms Ling, speaking on behalf of the other journalist arrested with her, said both of them were surprised when they were taken to a meeting and found out Mr Clinton standing there in from of them.
“We were shocked. But we knew instantly in our hearts that the nightmare of our lives was finally coming to an end,” She said.
Mr Clinton’s unannounced visit to Pyongyang had been described as a private mission but a White House official later confirmed that North Korea had asked him to visit.
A senior US official said President Obama had been aware of the mission from its early stages and that US allies involved in the six-party talks over North Korea’s nuclear programme were also informed.
US officials earlier said the North Korean government had agreed in advance that Mr Clinton’s mission would not touch on the question of its nuclear programme.
The reporters now finally will have some “peace and quite” with their family, as they had suffered more than 100 days of nightmare.
The special pardon for the arrested journalists from the North Korea leader Kim Jong-il was described as a signal as the country’s “humanitarian and peace-loving policy”.
Hours after former US President Bill Clinton had secured the release of the two journalists from Pyongyang, Obama made a speech and said North Korea should not engage “in provocative behaviour”.
In an interview with US TV network MSNBC, the President also said: “We have said to the North Koreans there’s a path for improved relations and it involves them no longer developing nuclear weapons.”
“We just want to make sure the government of North Korea is operating within the basic rules of the international community,” Obama added.
Daniel Sandford, the BBC correspondent in Washington says it appears the two US reporters were used fairly cynically by Pyongyang as pawns in a diplomatic game.
Tensions between the US and North Korea have risen in recent months, as the BBC reports, Pyongyang dropped out of six-party talks on its nuclear ambitions after the UN censured a long-range missile test in April.
Since then the North has also conducted an underground nuclear test and further missile tests, provoking new UN Security Council sanctions.
The two reporters were arrested by North Korea guards in March while filming a video about North Korea refugees for Current TV, The Daily Telegraph reports.
Ms Ling, speaking on behalf of the other journalist arrested with her, said both of them were surprised when they were taken to a meeting and found out Mr Clinton standing there in from of them.
“We were shocked. But we knew instantly in our hearts that the nightmare of our lives was finally coming to an end,” She said.
Mr Clinton’s unannounced visit to Pyongyang had been described as a private mission but a White House official later confirmed that North Korea had asked him to visit.
A senior US official said President Obama had been aware of the mission from its early stages and that US allies involved in the six-party talks over North Korea’s nuclear programme were also informed.
US officials earlier said the North Korean government had agreed in advance that Mr Clinton’s mission would not touch on the question of its nuclear programme.
The reporters now finally will have some “peace and quite” with their family, as they had suffered more than 100 days of nightmare.
The special pardon for the arrested journalists from the North Korea leader Kim Jong-il was described as a signal as the country’s “humanitarian and peace-loving policy”.
Lloyds’ Bad Debts Hit 13.4bn Reports Say
Lloyds Banking Group has laid bare the scale of its latest state bail-out after revealing that taxpayers will insure three-quarters of the “toxic” assets, Philip Aldrick says in The Daily Telegraph.
The assets will cause a record £13.4bn of bad debts at the lender in the first half of the year.
Analysts say most bad news was now out and the future results would improve, which had heartened investors, the BBC reports.
The group, which is 43% owned by UK taxpayers, said £13bn of loans and investments had turned bad, most of them from the HBOS - Halifax and Bank of Scotland (BoS).
Eric Daniel, chief executive of the Lloyds banking group blamed the dismal performance on the BoS book acquired with HBOS, which was highly exposed to individual entrepreneurs and commercial property.
He said it was not performing “how any reasonable book would behave…it was not a balanced portfolio”.
The government is reportedly paid for the group’s stake - the closing price of 92.3 pence compares with the average of about 120p.
The banking analyst Lee Goodwin of Fox – Pitt Kilton told the BBC that with further share price rises, at some point the government would be able to sell its Lloyds stake at a profit, meaning taxpayers would get their money back.
The BBC business editor said the figures were more troubling for taxpayers than shareholders, as most of the poor loans were now being insured by taxpayers, not the banks.
Lloyds said it was in talks with the government about the insurance scheme, which is known as the Asset Protection Scheme.
It would insure Lloyds against further losses from bad loans, but would probably lead to the government increasing its stake in the bank, the BBC reports.
Lloyds has then added that about 75% of the charges it took in the first six months related to assets that it planned to put into the scheme.
Stephen Timms, financial secretary of the Treasury welcomed the signs of increasing leading from Lloyds, and he said: “Lloyds is starting to do the things we need banks to be doing, £18bn of mortgage leading in the first six months of this year and 60,000 news start-up business accounts.”
The BBC business editor pointed out any claims that Lloyds is doing its bit appear to be at odds with a 90% reduction in the value of its loans and advances to corporate customers over the past six months, to £198bn.
Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman Vince Cable also expressed his concern by saying the big bans were still not lending enough to viable business, says the BBC.
The assets will cause a record £13.4bn of bad debts at the lender in the first half of the year.
Analysts say most bad news was now out and the future results would improve, which had heartened investors, the BBC reports.
The group, which is 43% owned by UK taxpayers, said £13bn of loans and investments had turned bad, most of them from the HBOS - Halifax and Bank of Scotland (BoS).
Eric Daniel, chief executive of the Lloyds banking group blamed the dismal performance on the BoS book acquired with HBOS, which was highly exposed to individual entrepreneurs and commercial property.
He said it was not performing “how any reasonable book would behave…it was not a balanced portfolio”.
The government is reportedly paid for the group’s stake - the closing price of 92.3 pence compares with the average of about 120p.
The banking analyst Lee Goodwin of Fox – Pitt Kilton told the BBC that with further share price rises, at some point the government would be able to sell its Lloyds stake at a profit, meaning taxpayers would get their money back.
The BBC business editor said the figures were more troubling for taxpayers than shareholders, as most of the poor loans were now being insured by taxpayers, not the banks.
Lloyds said it was in talks with the government about the insurance scheme, which is known as the Asset Protection Scheme.
It would insure Lloyds against further losses from bad loans, but would probably lead to the government increasing its stake in the bank, the BBC reports.
Lloyds has then added that about 75% of the charges it took in the first six months related to assets that it planned to put into the scheme.
Stephen Timms, financial secretary of the Treasury welcomed the signs of increasing leading from Lloyds, and he said: “Lloyds is starting to do the things we need banks to be doing, £18bn of mortgage leading in the first six months of this year and 60,000 news start-up business accounts.”
The BBC business editor pointed out any claims that Lloyds is doing its bit appear to be at odds with a 90% reduction in the value of its loans and advances to corporate customers over the past six months, to £198bn.
Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman Vince Cable also expressed his concern by saying the big bans were still not lending enough to viable business, says the BBC.
Wednesday 5 August 2009
North Korean pardon frees two US journalists
Former US President Bill Clinton has left North Korea with two US journalists whose release he has helped to secure, the BBC reports.
Mr Clinton’s spokesman said they were flying to Los Angeles where the journalists would be reunited with their families.
Laura Ling and Euna Lee had been found guilty of illegally entering the North Korea and had been serving 12-year sentences for “hostile acts”, at the time when the former president come to rescue them.
The pair’s release was followed by North Korean leader Kim Jong-il issuing a special pardon to the journalists after a meeting with Mr Clinton.
The New York Times quoted a senior official saying that the Obama administration carried out “due diligence” with the North Koreans to ensure if Clinton went, he would return with the two arrested journalists.
Reports from Pyongyang media have said Clinton apologised on behalf of the women and said the visit would “contribute to deepening the understanding” between North Korea and the US. The claim of an apology has however been denied by the Obama administration.
The Guardian reports that a senior US official said the two women, appearing at the Pyongyang airport, were apparently in a “good health condition”, and the pair shook their hands with Clinton when they boarded the plane.
The two American reporters, Lee, 36, and Ling, 32, were on a reporting trip for Current TV – which was co-founded by Clinton’s former vice-president, Al Gore – when they were arrested.
According to the BBC, the pair had been informed previously by the North Korean government that if they would persuade Mr Clinton to visit Pyongyang on a private trip, they will be freed from jail.
The North Korean government had agreed in advance that Clinton’s private mission would not touch on the question of its nuclear programme, though a US official acknowledged that Clinton was likely to have expressed his views on denuclearisation to Kim.
He also warned that North Korea would face deeper isolation if it continued with “provocative behaviour” such as the recent nuclear test and missile launches, the Guardian says.
Analysts say it seems that Clinton’s trip is a new start of the renewed dialogue about North Korea’s nuclear weapon programme, albeit not immediately. His visit was the highest profile visit by an American for almost a decade.
According to the Guardian, Pyongyang wants direct talks with Washington, but the Obama administration has said any bilateral discussion would have to take place on the sideline of the stalled six-nation disarmament talks, which North Korea has described as “dead”.
However, the Guardian quotes South Korea’s Chosun Ilbo Daily as saying despite the US administration’s claims, the Clinton and Kim meeting signals the start of direct bargaining.
Tadashi Kimiya, associate professor at the University of Tokyo told Reuters, “it is hard to believe the North Korea release of the two journalists is purely based on humanitarian grounds, and it probably had something to do with a package deal with the United States, to resolve the issues of denuclearisation and normalisation of ties.”
Mr Clinton’s spokesman said they were flying to Los Angeles where the journalists would be reunited with their families.
Laura Ling and Euna Lee had been found guilty of illegally entering the North Korea and had been serving 12-year sentences for “hostile acts”, at the time when the former president come to rescue them.
The pair’s release was followed by North Korean leader Kim Jong-il issuing a special pardon to the journalists after a meeting with Mr Clinton.
The New York Times quoted a senior official saying that the Obama administration carried out “due diligence” with the North Koreans to ensure if Clinton went, he would return with the two arrested journalists.
Reports from Pyongyang media have said Clinton apologised on behalf of the women and said the visit would “contribute to deepening the understanding” between North Korea and the US. The claim of an apology has however been denied by the Obama administration.
The Guardian reports that a senior US official said the two women, appearing at the Pyongyang airport, were apparently in a “good health condition”, and the pair shook their hands with Clinton when they boarded the plane.
The two American reporters, Lee, 36, and Ling, 32, were on a reporting trip for Current TV – which was co-founded by Clinton’s former vice-president, Al Gore – when they were arrested.
According to the BBC, the pair had been informed previously by the North Korean government that if they would persuade Mr Clinton to visit Pyongyang on a private trip, they will be freed from jail.
The North Korean government had agreed in advance that Clinton’s private mission would not touch on the question of its nuclear programme, though a US official acknowledged that Clinton was likely to have expressed his views on denuclearisation to Kim.
He also warned that North Korea would face deeper isolation if it continued with “provocative behaviour” such as the recent nuclear test and missile launches, the Guardian says.
Analysts say it seems that Clinton’s trip is a new start of the renewed dialogue about North Korea’s nuclear weapon programme, albeit not immediately. His visit was the highest profile visit by an American for almost a decade.
According to the Guardian, Pyongyang wants direct talks with Washington, but the Obama administration has said any bilateral discussion would have to take place on the sideline of the stalled six-nation disarmament talks, which North Korea has described as “dead”.
However, the Guardian quotes South Korea’s Chosun Ilbo Daily as saying despite the US administration’s claims, the Clinton and Kim meeting signals the start of direct bargaining.
Tadashi Kimiya, associate professor at the University of Tokyo told Reuters, “it is hard to believe the North Korea release of the two journalists is purely based on humanitarian grounds, and it probably had something to do with a package deal with the United States, to resolve the issues of denuclearisation and normalisation of ties.”
University staffs cuts to tackle huge debts
The University of Wolverhampton plans to cut 250 jobs out of 2,700, in a bid to tackle debts of £8m, the BBC has learnt.
England’s higher education funding council has told the University to repay £3.5m because it understated drop-out rate.
The BBC says the university aims to “reposition” itself to be more employer-focused.
The university and College Union (UCU) opposes the trawl for redundancies and is seeking a full breakdown of the university’s income and expenditure.
The funding council (Hefce) has conducted an audit of Wolverhampton, but says such matters are not usually made public.
A spokesman from the Hefce said negotiations with the university is still continuing.
Wolverhampton in a statement said it was developing a new employer-focused curriculum for 2010, with more continuous professional development and innovation and enterprise activities to support regional businesses.
The university’s accounts for 2007- 08 showed an income of £148.5m and a deficit on continuing operations of £4.7m, and it says all of the universities in England were facing challenging times and itself is not alone, according to the BBC.
As the BBC continues that rising pay costs, a change to funding methodologies, a cap on growth and efficiency saving required by the government mean it had to take steps to balance its books and maintain its ability to invest in strategic development.
Prof Caroline Gipps, the Vice-chancellor said the university has sufficient reserves which ensure their financial future, but it is imperative that the university move as quickly as possible towards a balanced budget with a percentage for investment.
He went on to say: “Our priority remains our students and their learning experience. Every effort will be made to minimise disruption.”
On the other hand, the academics’ union said the quality of the student experience was bound to suffer if staff cuts were made.
Loraine Westcott, the chair of UCU’s negotiating committee at Wolverhampton said that they want to know a complete breakdown from the university as how they have got themselves into this situation.
The Wolverhampton University, according to the BBC, had a big reputation and an important role in the West Midlands in widening participation, and it has been taking many students who would probably have problems getting into other universities.
England’s higher education funding council has told the University to repay £3.5m because it understated drop-out rate.
The BBC says the university aims to “reposition” itself to be more employer-focused.
The university and College Union (UCU) opposes the trawl for redundancies and is seeking a full breakdown of the university’s income and expenditure.
The funding council (Hefce) has conducted an audit of Wolverhampton, but says such matters are not usually made public.
A spokesman from the Hefce said negotiations with the university is still continuing.
Wolverhampton in a statement said it was developing a new employer-focused curriculum for 2010, with more continuous professional development and innovation and enterprise activities to support regional businesses.
The university’s accounts for 2007- 08 showed an income of £148.5m and a deficit on continuing operations of £4.7m, and it says all of the universities in England were facing challenging times and itself is not alone, according to the BBC.
As the BBC continues that rising pay costs, a change to funding methodologies, a cap on growth and efficiency saving required by the government mean it had to take steps to balance its books and maintain its ability to invest in strategic development.
Prof Caroline Gipps, the Vice-chancellor said the university has sufficient reserves which ensure their financial future, but it is imperative that the university move as quickly as possible towards a balanced budget with a percentage for investment.
He went on to say: “Our priority remains our students and their learning experience. Every effort will be made to minimise disruption.”
On the other hand, the academics’ union said the quality of the student experience was bound to suffer if staff cuts were made.
Loraine Westcott, the chair of UCU’s negotiating committee at Wolverhampton said that they want to know a complete breakdown from the university as how they have got themselves into this situation.
The Wolverhampton University, according to the BBC, had a big reputation and an important role in the West Midlands in widening participation, and it has been taking many students who would probably have problems getting into other universities.
MPs’ expenses boss got pay rise reports say
The man who oversaw the discredited MPs’ expenses system got an 8% pay rise last year, Commons accounts show, according to the BBC.
Andrew Walker, the Director of Resources’ salary rose from a band of £115,000 - £120,000 to £125,000 - £130,000.
Mr Walker was criticised after playing an active role in trying to prevent the publication of MPs’ expenses, according to the politics.co.uk.
Last year, he was the official who defended the Commons’ position at an information tribunal, when it was resisting publishing full details of MPs’ expenses claims.
When details were eventually published, after being leaked to the Daily Telegraph, many MPs justified their claims by saying they had within the rules and agreed by Commons Fee Office, says the BBC.
However, the MPs’ “excuse” that strongly replies on their previous fee agreement with the Commons Fee Office had further undermined his position, says the politics.co.uk.
The increase of payment of Mr Walker comes at a time when others in public sector are seeing their annual salary restricted to only about 2%.
The salary increases have to be approved by a senior pay panel.
The BBC political correspondent Carole Walker said it was unclear whether the rises were agreed under the previous Commons speaker Michael Martin, who stepped down following the expenses row, or had been voted upon more recently, since officials vowed to clean up the system.
Amid public furore over some of the claims made under MPs’ second homes allowances, new interim rules were brought in to limit their use and an independent inquiry is currently considering what changes need to be made, says the BBC.
Malcolm Jack, the most Commons official, has now got an 11% rise which means he currently earns more than the Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
His pay rose from a £170,000-£175,000 band to £190,000 to £20,000 to £25,000, according to the BBC.
The biggest rise went to Joan Miller, who runs Parliament’s IT systems. Her pay rose from between £90,000 and £95,000 to a pay band of between £105,000 and £110,000, says the BBC.
The MPs’ expenses scandal was sparked after weeks of Daily Telegraph’s revelations on what MPs had claimed for their second homes expenses when they attend Westminster sessions instead of staying at their constituency home.
According to the Daily Telegraph, some of the MPs even claimed for DVDs renting fees, garden reparation fees, house utility bills, which utterly angered the general public, who condemned those MPs were wasting their – taxpayers’ money.
Andrew Walker, the Director of Resources’ salary rose from a band of £115,000 - £120,000 to £125,000 - £130,000.
Mr Walker was criticised after playing an active role in trying to prevent the publication of MPs’ expenses, according to the politics.co.uk.
Last year, he was the official who defended the Commons’ position at an information tribunal, when it was resisting publishing full details of MPs’ expenses claims.
When details were eventually published, after being leaked to the Daily Telegraph, many MPs justified their claims by saying they had within the rules and agreed by Commons Fee Office, says the BBC.
However, the MPs’ “excuse” that strongly replies on their previous fee agreement with the Commons Fee Office had further undermined his position, says the politics.co.uk.
The increase of payment of Mr Walker comes at a time when others in public sector are seeing their annual salary restricted to only about 2%.
The salary increases have to be approved by a senior pay panel.
The BBC political correspondent Carole Walker said it was unclear whether the rises were agreed under the previous Commons speaker Michael Martin, who stepped down following the expenses row, or had been voted upon more recently, since officials vowed to clean up the system.
Amid public furore over some of the claims made under MPs’ second homes allowances, new interim rules were brought in to limit their use and an independent inquiry is currently considering what changes need to be made, says the BBC.
Malcolm Jack, the most Commons official, has now got an 11% rise which means he currently earns more than the Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
His pay rose from a £170,000-£175,000 band to £190,000 to £20,000 to £25,000, according to the BBC.
The biggest rise went to Joan Miller, who runs Parliament’s IT systems. Her pay rose from between £90,000 and £95,000 to a pay band of between £105,000 and £110,000, says the BBC.
The MPs’ expenses scandal was sparked after weeks of Daily Telegraph’s revelations on what MPs had claimed for their second homes expenses when they attend Westminster sessions instead of staying at their constituency home.
According to the Daily Telegraph, some of the MPs even claimed for DVDs renting fees, garden reparation fees, house utility bills, which utterly angered the general public, who condemned those MPs were wasting their – taxpayers’ money.
Barack Obama joker socialism poster denounced as racist
A poster depicting the US President Barack Obama as Health Ledger’s “Joker” character from “The Dark Knight” has sparked controversy after it appeared on the streets of Los Angeles, Toby Harnden writes in The Daily Telegraph.
The poster shows the US president with white face paint, dark eye shadow and smudged red lipstick above the caption “socialism”.
It is unknown who created and distributed the image, but apparently it attacked the US President’s efforts to reform health care and stimulus spending.
Some critics believe the poster has racial overtones because it shows Mr Obama as a black-and-white minstrel in reverse.
According to The Daily Mail, a spokesman from the Los Angeles urban policy unit said depicting the president as demonic and a socialist “goes beyond political spoofery”.
The president’s supporter condemned the images and calling it “mean-spirited and dangerous”.
Toby Harnden, The Daily Telegraph correspondent says the Los Angeles urban policy unit have issued a public challenge to the person or group who put up the poster to come forth and publicly tell why they have used this depiction to ridicule President Obama.
Previously, South California born contemporary artist, graphic designer, and illustrator Shepard Fairey created a popular red, white and blue image of the President-elect featuring the caption “hope”.
The current emerged “socialism” image seems to indicate the President is facing a growing swell of criticism as he attempts to force through his $1 trillion health care programme.
The “socialism” poster has spread virally cross the internet, and crashed the website that first displayed images of it, and now it is rising to the top of Google’s “Today Hot Trends” list.
Apart from spreading on the web, paper version of the images also appear to be circulating, with some showing up in Atlanta, Georgia.
Some Right-wing commentators have seized approvingly on the images, Toby Harnden quotes what Thomas Lifson wrote on the conservative American Thinker website: “It is starting. Open mockery of Barack Obama, as disillusionment sets in with the man, his policies, and the phony image of a race-healing, brilliant, scholarly, middle-of-the-roader.”
The Liberal tabloid “LA Weekly” denounced the Obama-Joker poster as virulently racist.
The paper previously depicted George W. Bush, the former US president as Dracula on its cover in 2004.
The poster shows the US president with white face paint, dark eye shadow and smudged red lipstick above the caption “socialism”.
It is unknown who created and distributed the image, but apparently it attacked the US President’s efforts to reform health care and stimulus spending.
Some critics believe the poster has racial overtones because it shows Mr Obama as a black-and-white minstrel in reverse.
According to The Daily Mail, a spokesman from the Los Angeles urban policy unit said depicting the president as demonic and a socialist “goes beyond political spoofery”.
The president’s supporter condemned the images and calling it “mean-spirited and dangerous”.
Toby Harnden, The Daily Telegraph correspondent says the Los Angeles urban policy unit have issued a public challenge to the person or group who put up the poster to come forth and publicly tell why they have used this depiction to ridicule President Obama.
Previously, South California born contemporary artist, graphic designer, and illustrator Shepard Fairey created a popular red, white and blue image of the President-elect featuring the caption “hope”.
The current emerged “socialism” image seems to indicate the President is facing a growing swell of criticism as he attempts to force through his $1 trillion health care programme.
The “socialism” poster has spread virally cross the internet, and crashed the website that first displayed images of it, and now it is rising to the top of Google’s “Today Hot Trends” list.
Apart from spreading on the web, paper version of the images also appear to be circulating, with some showing up in Atlanta, Georgia.
Some Right-wing commentators have seized approvingly on the images, Toby Harnden quotes what Thomas Lifson wrote on the conservative American Thinker website: “It is starting. Open mockery of Barack Obama, as disillusionment sets in with the man, his policies, and the phony image of a race-healing, brilliant, scholarly, middle-of-the-roader.”
The Liberal tabloid “LA Weekly” denounced the Obama-Joker poster as virulently racist.
The paper previously depicted George W. Bush, the former US president as Dracula on its cover in 2004.
Tuesday 4 August 2009
Assisted suicide guidance applies both abroad and at home
New guidelines on assisted suicide will apply to people who help their loved ones die both in Britain and abroad, the Director of Public Prosecutions has disclosed, The Daily Telegraph reports.
Keir Starmer, the head of the Crown Prosecution Service, is to clarify whether people should be prosecuted for aiding a suicide following a landmark ruling by the Law Lords.
Though it had been assumed that this guidance would affect only cases in which friends or relatives helped people to die abroad, such as at the Dignitas clinic in Zurich.
According to the BBC, Mr Starmer said: “This policy is going to cover all assisted suicides. The same broad principles will apply. They've got to apply to all acts, in the jurisdiction or out of it.
“We won't have separate rules for Dignitas,”
Mr Starmer says he would not be arguing for the wholesale changes in the law, but said “Parliament has to speak” on the irregularity of assisted suicide being illegal in Britain but permitted in Switzerland, according to The Daily Telegraph.
The DPP has reportedly been reluctant to clarify the law for fear of making it easier for unprincipled relatives who might want to bring about the death of an elderly relative for threatening reasons.
In the interview with The Daily Telegraph, he provides an insight into the difficulties he faced in drafting the new guidelines.
He said: “On the question of whether this is better dealt with by Parliament, there’s nothing much I can do to nudge them along.
“They’re divided, there’s no inclination to change the law, so we have no choice but to produce this policy.
Mr Starmer did not insist that he would prefer Parliament to rule on the matter, however, he provokes the Government to intervene in such a sensitive area.
Meanwhile, he accepted that the House of Lords judgment gave him a mandate to shape the law.
He gave an example of 23-year-old paralysed playing rugby who died at the Swiss clinic, to illustrate his point that the location of a suicide would make no difference.
He said: “The factors we took into account — whether he was exercising individual judgment, whether there was any undue influence by the parents, whether they sought to persuade rather than assist him — will be as relevant for those acting inside the jurisdiction as for those acting outside.”
The change of assisted suicide guidelines was ordered after Debbie Purdy won her case ruled by the Law Lords.
She wants to know whether her husband would be prosecuted if he assisted her to commit suicide at the Dignitas in Switzerland.
Under the previous guidelines - the 1961 Suicide Act covering England and Wales, those who aid, abet, counsel or procure someone else's suicide can be prosecuted and sentenced to serve up to 14 years in jail, the BBC reports.
Though to date, nobody was prosecuted when assisting their relatives commit suicide abroad.
Keir Starmer, the head of the Crown Prosecution Service, is to clarify whether people should be prosecuted for aiding a suicide following a landmark ruling by the Law Lords.
Though it had been assumed that this guidance would affect only cases in which friends or relatives helped people to die abroad, such as at the Dignitas clinic in Zurich.
According to the BBC, Mr Starmer said: “This policy is going to cover all assisted suicides. The same broad principles will apply. They've got to apply to all acts, in the jurisdiction or out of it.
“We won't have separate rules for Dignitas,”
Mr Starmer says he would not be arguing for the wholesale changes in the law, but said “Parliament has to speak” on the irregularity of assisted suicide being illegal in Britain but permitted in Switzerland, according to The Daily Telegraph.
The DPP has reportedly been reluctant to clarify the law for fear of making it easier for unprincipled relatives who might want to bring about the death of an elderly relative for threatening reasons.
In the interview with The Daily Telegraph, he provides an insight into the difficulties he faced in drafting the new guidelines.
He said: “On the question of whether this is better dealt with by Parliament, there’s nothing much I can do to nudge them along.
“They’re divided, there’s no inclination to change the law, so we have no choice but to produce this policy.
Mr Starmer did not insist that he would prefer Parliament to rule on the matter, however, he provokes the Government to intervene in such a sensitive area.
Meanwhile, he accepted that the House of Lords judgment gave him a mandate to shape the law.
He gave an example of 23-year-old paralysed playing rugby who died at the Swiss clinic, to illustrate his point that the location of a suicide would make no difference.
He said: “The factors we took into account — whether he was exercising individual judgment, whether there was any undue influence by the parents, whether they sought to persuade rather than assist him — will be as relevant for those acting inside the jurisdiction as for those acting outside.”
The change of assisted suicide guidelines was ordered after Debbie Purdy won her case ruled by the Law Lords.
She wants to know whether her husband would be prosecuted if he assisted her to commit suicide at the Dignitas in Switzerland.
Under the previous guidelines - the 1961 Suicide Act covering England and Wales, those who aid, abet, counsel or procure someone else's suicide can be prosecuted and sentenced to serve up to 14 years in jail, the BBC reports.
Though to date, nobody was prosecuted when assisting their relatives commit suicide abroad.
Sudanese trousers woman challenges Sharia code
The trial of Lubna Hussein, a young woman facing 40 lashes for wearing ‘indecent clothing’ in public was adjourned by a Sudanese judge, says The Daily Telegraph.
Miss Hussein, a former journalist and United Nations press officer is expected to learn whether she would be found guilty of committing an indecent act and sentenced to 40 lashes with a camel hair whip inside the Khartoum court.
However, the judges adjourned their verdict until 7 September.
It was apparently, according to the Daily Telegraph, to consult over whether Miss Hussein’s UN job would grant her immunity, reports The Daily Telegraph.
At the time of her arrest, Hussein was working for the media department of the UN mission in Sudan, which gives her immunity from prosecution.
She submitted her resignation after her trial began because she wanted to go on trial to challenge the dress code of the Sharia law, says The Guardian.
Miss Hussein told the Reuters outside the Khartoum court that the judge wants to check with the UN whether she has immunity from prosecution, according to The Daily Telegraph.
“I don’t know why they are doing this because I have already resigned from the United Nations. I think they just want to delay the case,” Miss Hussein said.
The former journalist and UN press officer, who is in her earlier 30s, said she was arrested by the Public Order police for wearing ‘indecent clothing’ when she was in a Khartoum restaurant with 12 other women.
At that point of time, Miss Hussein was wearing a pair of loose green slacks, blouse and a think headscarf, and the rest of the women were also in trousers.
She and the rest of the women were then deemed to have contravened Article 152 of Sudanese law, which punishes with 40 lashes anyone who “commits an indecent act which violates a public morality or wears indecent clothing”.
Ten of the women accepted the punishment of 10 lashes, but Hussein and two others did not.
She says: “"I am not afraid of being flogged. I will not back down,” she told The Sunday Telegraph in her first interview with a Western newspaper.
“I want to stand up for the rights of women, and now the eyes of the world are on this case, I have a chance to draw attention to the plight of women in Sudan.”
Miss Hussein's defiant stand against the charge has gathered wide publicity and has embarrassed Sudan's strict ruling regime, according to The Daily Telegraph.
Women’s groups have argued that the law gives no clear definition of indecent dress, leaving the decision of whether to arrest a woman up to individual police officers.
Miss Hussein then argued wearing trousers does not contravene Sharia, the Islamic law in operation in Muslim northern Sudan.
She went to say “If I’m sentenced to be whipped, or to anything else, I will appeal.
“I will see it through to the end, to the constitutional court if necessary. And if the constitutional court says the law is constitutional, I’m ready to be whipped not 40 but 40,000 times.”
She defiantly appeared in court wearing the same clothes in which she was arrested. She printed 500 invitations to supporters, human rights activists and journalists to attend the hearing.
Miss Hussein, a former journalist and United Nations press officer is expected to learn whether she would be found guilty of committing an indecent act and sentenced to 40 lashes with a camel hair whip inside the Khartoum court.
However, the judges adjourned their verdict until 7 September.
It was apparently, according to the Daily Telegraph, to consult over whether Miss Hussein’s UN job would grant her immunity, reports The Daily Telegraph.
At the time of her arrest, Hussein was working for the media department of the UN mission in Sudan, which gives her immunity from prosecution.
She submitted her resignation after her trial began because she wanted to go on trial to challenge the dress code of the Sharia law, says The Guardian.
Miss Hussein told the Reuters outside the Khartoum court that the judge wants to check with the UN whether she has immunity from prosecution, according to The Daily Telegraph.
“I don’t know why they are doing this because I have already resigned from the United Nations. I think they just want to delay the case,” Miss Hussein said.
The former journalist and UN press officer, who is in her earlier 30s, said she was arrested by the Public Order police for wearing ‘indecent clothing’ when she was in a Khartoum restaurant with 12 other women.
At that point of time, Miss Hussein was wearing a pair of loose green slacks, blouse and a think headscarf, and the rest of the women were also in trousers.
She and the rest of the women were then deemed to have contravened Article 152 of Sudanese law, which punishes with 40 lashes anyone who “commits an indecent act which violates a public morality or wears indecent clothing”.
Ten of the women accepted the punishment of 10 lashes, but Hussein and two others did not.
She says: “"I am not afraid of being flogged. I will not back down,” she told The Sunday Telegraph in her first interview with a Western newspaper.
“I want to stand up for the rights of women, and now the eyes of the world are on this case, I have a chance to draw attention to the plight of women in Sudan.”
Miss Hussein's defiant stand against the charge has gathered wide publicity and has embarrassed Sudan's strict ruling regime, according to The Daily Telegraph.
Women’s groups have argued that the law gives no clear definition of indecent dress, leaving the decision of whether to arrest a woman up to individual police officers.
Miss Hussein then argued wearing trousers does not contravene Sharia, the Islamic law in operation in Muslim northern Sudan.
She went to say “If I’m sentenced to be whipped, or to anything else, I will appeal.
“I will see it through to the end, to the constitutional court if necessary. And if the constitutional court says the law is constitutional, I’m ready to be whipped not 40 but 40,000 times.”
She defiantly appeared in court wearing the same clothes in which she was arrested. She printed 500 invitations to supporters, human rights activists and journalists to attend the hearing.
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