Two men who planned to attend a terrorist training camp were both sentenced to seven years in jail today.
Waheed Ali, 25, and Mohammed Shakil, 32, were cleared of helping the 7/7 bombers to select their targets but convicted of conspiracy to attend a training camp for terrorists after they were arrested before boarding a flight for Pakistan in 2007.
Mr Justice Gross sentenced the pair to seven years each at Kingston Crown Court.
Both men have already spent more than two years in custody, which will be deducted from the time they will serve. They admitted attending terrorist training camps in the past, before it had been made an offence.
Ali and Shakil stood trial with Sadeer Saleem, 28, for assisting the 7/7 attacks on London. Yesterday all three were found not guilty. The three men, from Beeston in Leeds, were re-tried after an earlier jury failed to reach verdicts.
They were the only people to be charged as a result of the biggest police inquiry in British history. More than 37,000 exhibits were forensically examined, 4,700 telephones seized and 24,000 people eliminated from inquiries by an army of police and MI5 investigators. The total cost of the two trials is likely to exceed £5 million.
Families of the 7/7 victims say that the verdicts mean no one is likely ever to be brought to justice for the attacks on London’s transport network. Some have demanding a full independent inquiry.
Bereaved families and survivors have also called on the Government to publish a second Intelligence and Security Committee report into the bombings without delay. And they said inquests into the deaths of all 52 victims, plus the four suicide bombers, should be held in public as soon as possible.
The three men were accused of visiting the London Eye, the Natural History Museum and the London Aquarium to identify potential targets seven months before the 2005 atrocity.
Four suicide bombers, Mohammed Siddique Khan, Shehzad Tanweer, Hasib Hussain and Germaine Lindsay, detonated rucksack devices packed with explosives on three Tube trains and a bus.
The trial heard that the three defendants travelled from Leeds to London on December 16, 2004, with Hussain, who went on to detonate his bomb on the No 30 bus in Tavistock Square, claiming 13 lives. They also met Lindsay, who killed 26 people on a Piccadilly Line Underground train.
The prosecution alleged that they conducted a “hostile reconnaissance” of potential targets during a two-day visit. The three defendants admitted making the visit but claimed it was an entirely innocent social outing.
Source:The times
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Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Woman arrested after girl, 4, found dead at home
Police arrested a 22-year-old woman on suspicion of murder after the body of a four-year-old girl was found by officers called to her home at 1.40am today.
A police source confirmed that the arrested woman - believed to be the girl's mother - had made a call to the emergency services to report the death.
A phone box half a mile from the murder scene has been sealed off and was searched by scene-of-crime officers this morning.
The girl’s body was removed from the house on Oakdale Avenue, Wallasey, Merseyside, and a post-mortem examination will be carried out today to establish the cause of death.
A Merseyside Police statement said: “The investigation is in its early stages and crime scene investigators are at the address. House-to-house inquiries are also taking place."
Kayleigh Leathers, 23, a neighbour, said: “She was a lovely little girl. She was very bouncy and she would always shout ’Hi’ when she walked past.
“Her mum kept them to themselves, and there were only the two of them there in the house. Every now and again, you would see a man there who I thought was her partner.
“She kept the girl in her pram and took her out an awful lot late at night. You heard her screaming at her a bit, but I thought that was just like any other child. You only ever saw them between 6pm and 9pm.”
She added: “I didn’t have a clue what was going on this morning - my mum woke me up, saying something was happening in the street. I was totally shocked."
James McManus, 67, who lives next door to the murder scene, described the victim’s mother as “a lonesome girl”.
He said: “I heard the baby laughing and joking and screaming when she woke up but not a word from her mum.
“She had been here for about two years and we never bothered each other.”
This morning, a small floral tribute had sprung up and a solitary police community support officer stood guard outside the red-brick semi-detached house, in an industrial part of Wallasey
Source:The times
A police source confirmed that the arrested woman - believed to be the girl's mother - had made a call to the emergency services to report the death.
A phone box half a mile from the murder scene has been sealed off and was searched by scene-of-crime officers this morning.
The girl’s body was removed from the house on Oakdale Avenue, Wallasey, Merseyside, and a post-mortem examination will be carried out today to establish the cause of death.
A Merseyside Police statement said: “The investigation is in its early stages and crime scene investigators are at the address. House-to-house inquiries are also taking place."
Kayleigh Leathers, 23, a neighbour, said: “She was a lovely little girl. She was very bouncy and she would always shout ’Hi’ when she walked past.
“Her mum kept them to themselves, and there were only the two of them there in the house. Every now and again, you would see a man there who I thought was her partner.
“She kept the girl in her pram and took her out an awful lot late at night. You heard her screaming at her a bit, but I thought that was just like any other child. You only ever saw them between 6pm and 9pm.”
She added: “I didn’t have a clue what was going on this morning - my mum woke me up, saying something was happening in the street. I was totally shocked."
James McManus, 67, who lives next door to the murder scene, described the victim’s mother as “a lonesome girl”.
He said: “I heard the baby laughing and joking and screaming when she woke up but not a word from her mum.
“She had been here for about two years and we never bothered each other.”
This morning, a small floral tribute had sprung up and a solitary police community support officer stood guard outside the red-brick semi-detached house, in an industrial part of Wallasey
Source:The times
Swine flu: three new cases in Britain as US reports first death outside Mexico
Gordon Brown announced three new cases of swine flu in Britain today as a US official confirmed the first death outside Mexico from the new H1N1 flu strain.
The Prime Minister told MPs that a 12-year-old girl from Torbay, in Devon, was among the confirmed cases. Two adults have also contracted the virus, one from London and one from Birmingham.
"All have recently returned from Mexico, all have mild symptoms and all have responded well to treatment ... with Tamiflu," Mr Brown added.
He said that the girl's school in Torbay had been closed and pupils there were being treated with anti-viral drugs. "The World Health Organisation has said that we are one of the best prepared countries," Mr Brown told the Commons. "We intend to keep it that way."
The Prime Minister was speaking shortly after news emerged of the death of a 23-month-old child in Texas, one of 112 confirmed cases in the United States, most of which have been considered mild.
Dr Richard Besser, acting director of the Centres for Disease Control, told CNN: "I can confirm the very sad news out of Texas that a child has died of the H1N1 virus."
Mexican officials say that 159 people have died there of the virus, although the World Health Organisation says that only seven of these deaths have been confirmed as swine flu cases.
If the child in Texas is found to have been infected, the WHO is more likely to raise its pandemic alert level to phase five – the second highest and the first at which a pandemic is officially declared – as early as today.
Phase five would mean that the virus is spreading between people in at least two countries in a sustained way. A full phase six global pandemic would be declared if it was seen to be taking root in different regions of the world.
Earlier today, Germany announced its first cases of the feared new flu strain. It was the eighth country to detect it and the third in Europe. Other cases have been confirmed in Canada, New Zealand, Israel and Spain.
Results are expected today on swab samples from seven people who have displayed flu-like symptoms after coming into contact with a Scottish couple who were both infected during their honeymoon in Mexico. Sky News reported today that the seven had all tested negative, meaning that there has been no confirmed re-infection on British soil.
Mr Brown said that the Scottish couple, Iain and Dawn Askham, were responding well to treatment at the Monklands Hospital in Airdrie, Lanarkshire.
Source:the times
The Prime Minister told MPs that a 12-year-old girl from Torbay, in Devon, was among the confirmed cases. Two adults have also contracted the virus, one from London and one from Birmingham.
"All have recently returned from Mexico, all have mild symptoms and all have responded well to treatment ... with Tamiflu," Mr Brown added.
He said that the girl's school in Torbay had been closed and pupils there were being treated with anti-viral drugs. "The World Health Organisation has said that we are one of the best prepared countries," Mr Brown told the Commons. "We intend to keep it that way."
The Prime Minister was speaking shortly after news emerged of the death of a 23-month-old child in Texas, one of 112 confirmed cases in the United States, most of which have been considered mild.
Dr Richard Besser, acting director of the Centres for Disease Control, told CNN: "I can confirm the very sad news out of Texas that a child has died of the H1N1 virus."
Mexican officials say that 159 people have died there of the virus, although the World Health Organisation says that only seven of these deaths have been confirmed as swine flu cases.
If the child in Texas is found to have been infected, the WHO is more likely to raise its pandemic alert level to phase five – the second highest and the first at which a pandemic is officially declared – as early as today.
Phase five would mean that the virus is spreading between people in at least two countries in a sustained way. A full phase six global pandemic would be declared if it was seen to be taking root in different regions of the world.
Earlier today, Germany announced its first cases of the feared new flu strain. It was the eighth country to detect it and the third in Europe. Other cases have been confirmed in Canada, New Zealand, Israel and Spain.
Results are expected today on swab samples from seven people who have displayed flu-like symptoms after coming into contact with a Scottish couple who were both infected during their honeymoon in Mexico. Sky News reported today that the seven had all tested negative, meaning that there has been no confirmed re-infection on British soil.
Mr Brown said that the Scottish couple, Iain and Dawn Askham, were responding well to treatment at the Monklands Hospital in Airdrie, Lanarkshire.
Source:the times
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Swine flu outbreak suspected in NZ school children
A group of NZ school children have been placed in quarantine and are being tested for swine flu after some fell ll with flu-like symptoms after returning from a school trip to Mexico.
The 22 students and three teachers from Rangitoto College, in Auckland, flew back into NZ, via Los Angeles on Saturday, having spent three weeks in Mexico.
According to NZ health authorities, 13 students and one teacher from the group are unwell, one student is in hospital and the others in home isolation.
Auckland Regional Public Health clinical director Dr Julia Peters said: "We are taking this very seriously and doing everything necessary to manage this situation in Auckland. The Ministry of Health is managing the response to this issue at a national level.''
The latest fears of an outbreak comes as governments around the world rush to check the spread of swine flu and the death toll in Mexico rose to 81.
The World Health Organization declared the flu a "public health event of international concern."
WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan urged greater worldwide surveillance for any unusual outbreaks of influenza-like illness.
Mexico president Felipe Calderon said: "(We are) monitoring minute by minute the evolution of this problem across the whole country."
Argentina declared a health alert, requiring anyone arriving on flights from Mexico to advise if they had flu-like symptoms.
In Hong Kong and Japan, airports tightened checks on passengers arriving from Mexico. In Tokyo, with quarantine officials giving out face masks and using thermography imaging cameras to screen for passengers with a fever.
In Mexico city, nightclubs, cinemas and museums were closed and public events scrapped, from concerts to a running race. Sunday soccer matches were closed to spectators.
At least one bar stationed medics at its doors to check clients' throats and take their temperatures.
Locals hoarded bottled water and canned food, churchgoers were told to stay home and follow Sunday services on television and bewildered tourists were made to wear surgical face masks.
"It's all a bit alarming because as a tourist you don't know if you're going to be allowed home. It's worrying because there's not much information," said 29-year-old Sandy Itriago, waiting at a tour bus stop with her parents.
All schools in the city, Mexico State and San Luis Potosi were closed until May 6 and some companies planned to have employees work from home.
Source:The times
The 22 students and three teachers from Rangitoto College, in Auckland, flew back into NZ, via Los Angeles on Saturday, having spent three weeks in Mexico.
According to NZ health authorities, 13 students and one teacher from the group are unwell, one student is in hospital and the others in home isolation.
Auckland Regional Public Health clinical director Dr Julia Peters said: "We are taking this very seriously and doing everything necessary to manage this situation in Auckland. The Ministry of Health is managing the response to this issue at a national level.''
The latest fears of an outbreak comes as governments around the world rush to check the spread of swine flu and the death toll in Mexico rose to 81.
The World Health Organization declared the flu a "public health event of international concern."
WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan urged greater worldwide surveillance for any unusual outbreaks of influenza-like illness.
Mexico president Felipe Calderon said: "(We are) monitoring minute by minute the evolution of this problem across the whole country."
Argentina declared a health alert, requiring anyone arriving on flights from Mexico to advise if they had flu-like symptoms.
In Hong Kong and Japan, airports tightened checks on passengers arriving from Mexico. In Tokyo, with quarantine officials giving out face masks and using thermography imaging cameras to screen for passengers with a fever.
In Mexico city, nightclubs, cinemas and museums were closed and public events scrapped, from concerts to a running race. Sunday soccer matches were closed to spectators.
At least one bar stationed medics at its doors to check clients' throats and take their temperatures.
Locals hoarded bottled water and canned food, churchgoers were told to stay home and follow Sunday services on television and bewildered tourists were made to wear surgical face masks.
"It's all a bit alarming because as a tourist you don't know if you're going to be allowed home. It's worrying because there's not much information," said 29-year-old Sandy Itriago, waiting at a tour bus stop with her parents.
All schools in the city, Mexico State and San Luis Potosi were closed until May 6 and some companies planned to have employees work from home.
Source:The times
Briton quarantined as killer flu spreads
A DEADLY strain of flu that combines elements of swine, avian and human viruses could spread around the world after emerging simultaneously in Mexico and the United States, experts warned yesterday.
Margaret Chan, director-general of the World Health Organisation, declared the disease a “public health event of international concern” after an emergency meeting in Geneva last night. She said the disease had “pandemic potential” and urged all countries to keep a close watch for outbreaks of influenza-like illness.
A British Airways cabin crew member was taken to hospital with flu-like symptoms yesterday afternoon after falling ill on a flight from Mexico City to Heathrow. The Health Protection Agency said it was keeping a close eye on the situation.
Britons are not being advised to avoid travelling to affected areas, although anyone visiting those destinations or who has recently returned should consult a doctor if they experience flu-like symptoms.
In Mexico up to 81 people have died from pneumonia caused by the swine-flu virus and more than 1,000 suspected cases have been reported.
Mexican soldiers distributed surgical masks and the authorities warned people to avoid shaking hands and kissing.
The mayor of Mexico City cancelled all public events, and schools, museums, cinemas and libraries were closed. Health workers were posted at airports and at stations to keep anyone showing symptoms off public transport.
US scientists said Mexicans had been dying for weeks before the virus - an animal strain of H1N1, the virus that killed 50m in the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 - was detected. Controlling people’s movements might not now keep it from spreading, they said.
“It is clear that this is widespread,” said Dr Anne Schuchat of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Swine flu has also been identified in isolated outbreaks across America. There have been seven cases in California, three in Texas and two in Kansas.
Eight New York schoolchildren have been infected with a flu virus that officials think is likely to be identical. Most of the American patients, except those in New York, have already recovered.
The British Airways crew member was taken to Northwick Park hospital in Harrow, northwest London, after flight BA242 landed at 2pm.
“The patient was admitted directly to a side room and the hospital is scrupulously following infection control procedures to ensure there is no risk to any other individual in the hospital,” the hospital said.
The Port Health Authority, the agency responsible for disease containment at the UK’s borders, is asking crew on flights into Britain from Mexico to report any passengers suffering from coughs and sneezes to medics.
Danger of hybrid viruses
People who are around pigs are most likely to be infected by the H1N1 virus, but the virus can spread from person to person.
Avian flu, which has killed 250 people since 2003 and sparked the last pandemic threat, is caused by influenza viruses adapted to infect birds. Swine flu is caused by viruses adapted to pigs. Big problems arise when human and animal flu viruses mix and mutate into new organisms that can spread through the population.
The fact that most of the Mexican dead were aged between 25 and 45 rather than being elderly or very young is seen as a particularly worrying sign. The first victims of the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 were also healthy young adults.
The symptoms of swine flu in people include fever, fatigue, lack of appetite, coughing and sore throat.
Michael Osterholm, a pandemic flu expert at the University of Minnesota, said new cases were probably already incubating around the world.
Tamiflu, an antiviral drug used against bird flu, is said to be effective against the new strain.
Source:The times
Margaret Chan, director-general of the World Health Organisation, declared the disease a “public health event of international concern” after an emergency meeting in Geneva last night. She said the disease had “pandemic potential” and urged all countries to keep a close watch for outbreaks of influenza-like illness.
A British Airways cabin crew member was taken to hospital with flu-like symptoms yesterday afternoon after falling ill on a flight from Mexico City to Heathrow. The Health Protection Agency said it was keeping a close eye on the situation.
Britons are not being advised to avoid travelling to affected areas, although anyone visiting those destinations or who has recently returned should consult a doctor if they experience flu-like symptoms.
In Mexico up to 81 people have died from pneumonia caused by the swine-flu virus and more than 1,000 suspected cases have been reported.
Mexican soldiers distributed surgical masks and the authorities warned people to avoid shaking hands and kissing.
The mayor of Mexico City cancelled all public events, and schools, museums, cinemas and libraries were closed. Health workers were posted at airports and at stations to keep anyone showing symptoms off public transport.
US scientists said Mexicans had been dying for weeks before the virus - an animal strain of H1N1, the virus that killed 50m in the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 - was detected. Controlling people’s movements might not now keep it from spreading, they said.
“It is clear that this is widespread,” said Dr Anne Schuchat of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Swine flu has also been identified in isolated outbreaks across America. There have been seven cases in California, three in Texas and two in Kansas.
Eight New York schoolchildren have been infected with a flu virus that officials think is likely to be identical. Most of the American patients, except those in New York, have already recovered.
The British Airways crew member was taken to Northwick Park hospital in Harrow, northwest London, after flight BA242 landed at 2pm.
“The patient was admitted directly to a side room and the hospital is scrupulously following infection control procedures to ensure there is no risk to any other individual in the hospital,” the hospital said.
The Port Health Authority, the agency responsible for disease containment at the UK’s borders, is asking crew on flights into Britain from Mexico to report any passengers suffering from coughs and sneezes to medics.
Danger of hybrid viruses
People who are around pigs are most likely to be infected by the H1N1 virus, but the virus can spread from person to person.
Avian flu, which has killed 250 people since 2003 and sparked the last pandemic threat, is caused by influenza viruses adapted to infect birds. Swine flu is caused by viruses adapted to pigs. Big problems arise when human and animal flu viruses mix and mutate into new organisms that can spread through the population.
The fact that most of the Mexican dead were aged between 25 and 45 rather than being elderly or very young is seen as a particularly worrying sign. The first victims of the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 were also healthy young adults.
The symptoms of swine flu in people include fever, fatigue, lack of appetite, coughing and sore throat.
Michael Osterholm, a pandemic flu expert at the University of Minnesota, said new cases were probably already incubating around the world.
Tamiflu, an antiviral drug used against bird flu, is said to be effective against the new strain.
Source:The times
Alice Mahon quits Labour over e-mail smears
A Former Labour MP has quit the party after half-a-century in the wake of the government's e-mail smears scandal.
Veteran left-winger Alice Mahon says she was “shocked and absolutely scandalised” by Downing Street official Damian McBride’s attempts to smear top Tories.
Mahon, 71, MP for Halifax between 1987 and 2005 accused the party of betraying its principles and was on course for election defeat.
Ms Mahon said it was a difficult decision to quit the party, but said: “I can no longer be a member of a party that at the leadership level has betrayed many of the values and principles that inspired me as a teenager to join.”
Ms Mahon, who opposed the Iraq war, said that she had been unhappy with the direction Tony Blair had taken the party and hoped Gordon Brown’s leadership would have improved matters, but added: “I couldn’t have been more wrong.”
In particular she attacked the smear campaign, cooked up between Brown’s spin doctor Damian McBride and Labour blogger Derek Draper, for personally targeting David Cameron and his wife in the wake of their son Ivan’s death.
“Like everyone else I think that most decent people in the party would be shocked and absolutely scandalised by the smears that were about to be launched on our behalf.
“I cannot imagine what kind of person would think it is a good idea to smear a couple who have just lost a loving son - I really can’t.”
She said there was a ‘desperate and dispirited’ feeling among many Labour party members at moment and when asked if she thought Labour would lose the next General Election, she added: “Unless there is a dramatic change in what we are proposing to the electorate then that could be the case.”
Her resignation comes as deputy leader Harriet Harman has called for renewed confidence in the party and Gordon Brown's leadership.
Speaking at today's gathering of the Labour LGA group she said: “I think now is a time for us to be confident and for us to be determined,”
“Every day it is clearer that we have the answers to the big questions and the big future challenges. So we should be confident, in our record, in our values, in our leadership and in our team.”
Ms Harman went on to say that the party was “fortunate to be able to look to the leadership” of Mr Brown.
She added: “He is demonstrating conviction leadership.”
Last week Gordon Brown was forced to make a belated apology to senior conservatives including David Cameron and George Osborne over the e-mails.
Among the unsubstantiated rumours being proposed by McBride as material a new pro-labour blog called Red-Flag were that Cameron could have an embarrassing sexual disease and Osborne’s wife was emotionally unstable.
McBride was forced to resign after the e-mails were leaked to right-wing blogger Paul Staines and subsequently published
Source:The times
Veteran left-winger Alice Mahon says she was “shocked and absolutely scandalised” by Downing Street official Damian McBride’s attempts to smear top Tories.
Mahon, 71, MP for Halifax between 1987 and 2005 accused the party of betraying its principles and was on course for election defeat.
Ms Mahon said it was a difficult decision to quit the party, but said: “I can no longer be a member of a party that at the leadership level has betrayed many of the values and principles that inspired me as a teenager to join.”
Ms Mahon, who opposed the Iraq war, said that she had been unhappy with the direction Tony Blair had taken the party and hoped Gordon Brown’s leadership would have improved matters, but added: “I couldn’t have been more wrong.”
In particular she attacked the smear campaign, cooked up between Brown’s spin doctor Damian McBride and Labour blogger Derek Draper, for personally targeting David Cameron and his wife in the wake of their son Ivan’s death.
“Like everyone else I think that most decent people in the party would be shocked and absolutely scandalised by the smears that were about to be launched on our behalf.
“I cannot imagine what kind of person would think it is a good idea to smear a couple who have just lost a loving son - I really can’t.”
She said there was a ‘desperate and dispirited’ feeling among many Labour party members at moment and when asked if she thought Labour would lose the next General Election, she added: “Unless there is a dramatic change in what we are proposing to the electorate then that could be the case.”
Her resignation comes as deputy leader Harriet Harman has called for renewed confidence in the party and Gordon Brown's leadership.
Speaking at today's gathering of the Labour LGA group she said: “I think now is a time for us to be confident and for us to be determined,”
“Every day it is clearer that we have the answers to the big questions and the big future challenges. So we should be confident, in our record, in our values, in our leadership and in our team.”
Ms Harman went on to say that the party was “fortunate to be able to look to the leadership” of Mr Brown.
She added: “He is demonstrating conviction leadership.”
Last week Gordon Brown was forced to make a belated apology to senior conservatives including David Cameron and George Osborne over the e-mails.
Among the unsubstantiated rumours being proposed by McBride as material a new pro-labour blog called Red-Flag were that Cameron could have an embarrassing sexual disease and Osborne’s wife was emotionally unstable.
McBride was forced to resign after the e-mails were leaked to right-wing blogger Paul Staines and subsequently published
Source:The times
Violence, arrests, mar Ekiti rerun election
Violence, late arrival of election materials and the arrest of suspected hoodlums marred the rerun governorship election in Ekiti State on Saturday.
The mayhem, which erupted in Oye-Ekiti, which is the base of the Chairman, Senate Committee on Privatisation, Senator Ayo Arise, forced the Independent National Electoral Commission to postpone the exercise in Oye-Ekiti to Sunday (today).
This was even as the Action Congress accused the Vice-President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, of piling pressure on President Umaru Yar‘Adua to order a cancellation of the whole exercise.
As at 10.15pm when results from five local government areas had been released, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Mr. Segun Oni, was leading with 15,420 votes as against the 15,026 votes recorded for the Action Congress candidate, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.
INEC released results of Gboyin, Ekiti South-West, Irepodun/Ifelodun, Ise-Orun and Ijero LGs.
Fayemi, however, has over 12,000 votes in his kitty which were recorded in his favour as part of the validly cast votes in the 2007 election.
INEC informed journalists that the remaining four local governments where election also took place would be released at 5pm on Sunday.
The officials said the time for the release of the remaining results was fixed because all the stakeholders would be in Oye-Ekiti to monitor the election which was shifted to Sunday because of violence.
However, the AC spokesman, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said information at the disposal of the party indicated that the V-P was contacted by PDP leaders in Ekiti to try and convince Yar‘Adua to cancel the election, sensing that the candidate of the PDP had lost the election.
Mohammed said, ”We heard it on good authority that the Vice-President is already putting pressure on Yar‘Adua. This is the first time that the PDP would be asking for a cancellation after discovering that its rigging plans have failed woefully. The people of Ekiti have completed the election despite pockets of violence perpetrated by PDP leaders especially in Oye, where Senator Ayo Arise comes from. They have shot and abducted our people. But the youths of Ekiti have said they would all the same defend their votes.”
Attempts to get the reaction of the vice-president were not successful. Calls to the telephone line of his Senior Special Adviser on Communication, Mr. Ima Niboro, did not go through, while a text message sent to his phone at about 8.50pm was not responded to.
Parts of the state where violence erupted were Oye-Ekiti, Igede-Ekiti, Ilawe-Ekiti, Are-Ekiti and Ido-Ekiti.
One of our correspondents observed the arrest of 36 of the thugs, who assembled opposite the gate of Arise‘s residence with charms and weapons, while 25 others were arrested at Igede, Ilawe, Iloro, Are and Ido-Ekiti.
The suspects arrested at Ilawe with guns and an axe, were said to have attempted to burn down the house of the Secretary to the State Government, Ambassador Dare Bejide, which the police foiled.
The Deputy Inspector-General of Police, who supervised the election and the pro-tem Commissioner of Police for the Command, Mr. John Ahmadu, confirmed the arrests in separate interviews with our correspondent.
The chairman of Ado-Ekiti Local Government, Mrs. Tosin Aluko, was almost mobbed by supporters of the AC when she attempted to enter the collation centre at the Christ Girls‘ School in a car decorated with wedding materials.
She was said to have been spirited away from the scene in a police van, with the AC supporters that thronged the place jeering.
The election recorded pockets of violence, which was effectively contained by the police.
The former Commissioner for Commerce and Industry under the Oni‘s administration, Mr. Dare Omotosho, was also said to have been attacked by thugs at St. Theresa‘s Primary School, Erinwa, while his car was damaged.
At Ehinola compound, Igede III, an illiterate old woman who was deceived into thumb-printing for the PDP by a suspected PDP sympathiser, protested and this ignited a crisis that forced INEC to cancel the result of the ward.
In an interview, a former governor of the state and AC stalwart, Chief Adeniyi Adebayo, in his Iyin-Ekiti residence, said he might vote or might not depending on the security situation.
He said, ”I don‘t see why we should not have a free and fair election. I hope the police can maintain this momentum.”
At Usi-Ekiti, a former Minister of Education, Dr. Babalola Borishade, complained of discrepancies in the voters‘ register in three units in Usi Ward, which he said did not tally with the names posted by the INEC.
In an interview with Oni, he said the situation at Oye was unfortunate and that INEC should have allowed the election to take place there.
He said, ”Some people had the objective of not allowing the electorate to vote in Oye. Now, that objective has been partially achieved. It‘s unfortunate that we still practise democracy at this level.
”Every politician has his stronghold; that is the nature of politics. But, if you are confident of yourself, you should not perpetrate violence to achieve a selfish motive.
”Even if thugs prevent people from voting, we still believe that our advantage cannot be obliterated. We have a large volume of advantage. We have a high probability of winning and we are in a comfortable terrain.
”If I lose, all glory to God and if I win, all glory to God. I‘m surprised by the desperation of some people.”
On his part, the AC candidate, Fayemi, condemned the violence in Oye, which he linked to Arise.
Fayemi regretted the postponement of the election and said that he was not averse to the rescheduled election, given his conviction that he would win in Oye anytime.
He said, ”What I can say is that we are going to win this election, provided the police and INEC do their work competently and diligently. We are now moving to the collation stage.
”I‘m a democrat and I will always insist on the right thing; I‘m just a governorship candidate of this party. I‘m not the main leader of this party. I have to consult widely within this party.
”Particularly, we will consult within our members in Oye Wards I and II to see if they are disposed to the idea of participating in an election on Sunday.
”Even, if I don‘t want it to happen and my people say we want to show these people that they don‘t own this place, we don‘t have a choice but to listen to what they want us to do.”
Turnout
There was an impressive voters‘ turnout in most places visited by our correspondents, with the electorate conducting themselves in an orderly manner.
Voting was suspended in the two wards of Oye till Sunday (today) due to the charged atmosphere, following disagreement among party leaders on how to distribute election materials brought by INEC officials.
As soon as INEC officials began to offload the materials, it was gathered that agents of the PDP and AC swooped on them, prompting the INEC officials to return them to the vehicle.
The DIG, Ahmadu, later convened a meeting with INEC officials and representatives of the political parties around 11.30am, where it was agreed that the election should be postponed till Sunday (today).
The INEC officials were said to have cited the Electoral Act, which stipulates that voting should be concluded by noon and insisted that nothing much could be done within the short time left.
Confirming the postponement in an interview with one of our correspondents, the DIG said that he would supervise the scheduled election personally with other senior police officers.
Although he confirmed the arrest of 36 thugs in Oye with charms and weapons, he declined to confirm where they were arrested.
When one of our correspondents insisted that he witnessed the arrest and location of the suspects, Ahmadu said, ”I don‘t know o. I no dey for libel palaver. We caught thugs in Oye.
”We are here to give everybody a level-playing ground. All this violence here and there is just psychological warfare. Help us tell the people not to be afraid because we are equal to the task.”
In Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, streets were deserted following a late night restriction order by the acting governor, Mr. Olatunji Odeyemi, across the state, including areas where election did not take place.
Children were seen playing football on major roads, while eateries, filling stations, markets were closed to business.
One Armoured Personnel Carrier and hot water dispenser, manned by heavily armed policemen, were seen at Fajuyi, which is a hub of business activities in Ado-Ekiti, while roadblocks were mounted in strategic locations across the city.
There was a sharp contrast at Ikere, where elections did not equally take place, as there was movement of people and vehicles, while the popular Bisi Market was open to business.
At Ido-Osi Local Government Area, riot and regular policemen, members of the Civil Defence Corps and members of the vigilance group were dispatched to the various wards at 8.35am.
As at 9.46am in Ido-Osi, no material or INEC personnel was found, but by 10.30am, 10 voters were confirmed to have voted at St. Paul‘s Anglican Primary School, Unit 002 at Osi, where men and women voted separately.
The presiding officer, Mr. Idris Abdullahi, told one of our correspondents that he devised the method for administrative convenience.
Voting could not start until 9am at Unit V, Ward I, in Ido-Osi because voters‘ names were not listed alphabetically, which prompted the INEC official, Mr. Peter Ogah, to call out the names for accreditation before voting could start.
The Electoral Officer at Ido-Osi Ward II, Unit III, Mrs. Nwuche Catherine, who confirmed what she called the encouraging turnout, however declined to give the number of those that had cast their votes.
At Araromi, Ward 1, Unit 5, a Resident Electoral Commissioner from Imo State, Mrs. Maria Owi, who supervised the election said that the poll was peaceful in the area.
In the full glare of the public, an unaccredited agent of the PDP arrived at the centre, trying to persuade voters by monitoring them to the voting point to ensure that they voted for his party.
The REC blamed the confusion that dogged the discrepancy in the displayed voter register and the one used for the election on the failure of the electorate to have identified their serial numbers before now.
At Igede-Ekiti, headquarters of Irepodun/Ifelodun LGA, voting could not start as at 9.30am in some polling stations, while voting started about the same time in Asao Compound, Unit 003.
Voting took place at Ijesha Igan, Ijan and Ise-Ekiti.
Some electoral officials, including youth corps members deployed as polling agents were seen milling round the palace of the traditional ruler of Igede waiting for the materials to arrive from Ado-Ekiti.
Voting materials did not reach Ifaki as at 9am. However, as at 9.45am, 12 people had voted at Awo, Fakeye Hall Polling Unit 009, while six people had cast their vote at Anglican Primary School, Polling Unit 008.
Around 9.30am, one of our correspondents observed a bus filled up with fiery looking men who invaded Ward 047, Ifaki II, whose conduct scared away a group of journalists that had just arrived in the place.
It was also observed that only the PDP agents manned the polling units, while an attempt to speak with INEC officials over the discovery were frustrated by the arrival of the men.
Around 1.30pm, the same bus was sighted coming in to a hotel (Celiat) where Oni used as his base with armed police escort, as journalists were about to depart the place.
At Ifaki, one of our correspondents was threatened with death by two hefty men that rode in a grey Mercedes Benz 190, who ordered him to leave the town immediately despite identifying himself as a journalist.
At Ogbon Iro Town Hall, in Ifaki where Oni voted, there was no police presence, while some of his supporters organised a short prayer session for him.
The INEC officials in the two units, Mr. Jamil Sabiu and Mr. Adeyemi Oyemade, said there were no security problems. But at Iropora, voting had not started as at 10am.
At Ikole, voting started around noon due to late arrival of INEC officials and voting materials.
This was premised on security reasons, as the INEC officials were said to have waited for the arrival of police escorts before moving down to their locations.
Policemen foiled an attempt by some hoodlums to disrupt voting at the polling unit located opposite the palace of Elekole around 11.15am, while normalcy returned thereafter.
Because of the inability of INEC officials to access Orun Ward 10, Units 1, 9 and 10 due to threats of violence, the commission recorded zero for all the contesting political parties.
Olusola Obada
The deputy governor of Osun State, Mrs. Olusola Obada, was refused entry into the Independent National Electoral Commission office around 9.30am where she had gone in a convoy of five sports utility vans in company with Senator Isiaka Adeleke.
Men of the State Security Services who manned the gate, however, allowed Adeleke into the premises when he introduced himself as the Chairman, Senate Committee on INEC.
Obada immediately drove out of the area.
But Adeleke‘s almost one hour visit was greeted with protests by supporters of the Action Congress, who were around in the INEC office, while shouts of ”thief, thief” trailed his vehicle as he departed.
In an interview with our correspondent before leaving the place, Adeleke said that his status as a committee chairman with oversight function on INEC warranted his visit to the INEC headquarters.
Adeleke said, ”My oversight function entails monitoring election to ensure that they conform to the Electoral Act and guidelines for a free and fair election. I was at Cross Rivers, Sokoto and other places as well.
”I‘m not here to do anything more than that. I‘m not here to tell anybody to vote for this or that party. And during my monitoring, I observed little skirmishes here and there.
”I‘m not here to assist the PDP in any way. I‘m not here to manipulate for anybody. I‘m just performing my oversight function. There is no need for this anxiety.”
Asked why he came in the same convoy with Obada, the Senator simply said that he came on his own and that he entered the premises alone.
At a point during the interview, the atmosphere became tense as the AC supporters strongly protested his presence, at which point the Resident Electoral Commissioner for the state, Chief Olusola Adebayo, came into the scene.
Encircled by the supporters and bombarded with questions on the propriety of the presence of a PDP Senator at INEC office at that moment, the REC said, ”Adeleke was not supposed to be here.”
She said further, ”I did not receive notice that he was coming. I will (pleading) go inside now and see what is happening. You can see that I‘m just coming from the NTA. Please.”
But INEC spokesman, Mr. Phillip Umeadi, told our correspondent in a separate interview that the senator had not contravened any law.
He said, ”You will appreciate that it is still 12 (noon). Voting is still going on in the respective polling units. I can understand the apprehension of politicians.
”But you have just been able to appropriately describe his status. He has been monitoring. If you see what I have here, he was the one who passed this information to me.
”Apart from this one, he just came back from monitoring and said to us that in one of the Igede Wards, there was no security. He also said that in Iyemero and Itapaji, in Ikole LGs, there was also no security and thugs are mobilising there.
”We thanked him and we are seeing him off. It is his responsibility as Senate Committee Chairman on INEC to see that we are doing the proper thing.
”Because he has the responsibility also to his primary constituency in the Senate to let them know what is happening in Ekiti, he came in here and said to us that we should be able to do something about these two areas because thugs were mobilising.
”The point is that he is not coming here as working in INEC. His report will not be on what INEC is doing, but generally on what happened in Ekiti.”
At Igbemo and Eyio, in Irepodun LGA, observers were beaten up and allegedly chased away by some political thugs.
At Surulere Street, Ward I, thugs seized the micro tape recorder of one of our correspondents, his complimentary cards, identity cards and bundled him into a car piloted by one Yunus Onyebe.
He was detained briefly at Omuo-Oke Police Station on the excuse that he was a fake journalist, while one Abiodun, a Chief Superintendent of Police warned him not to interview anybody after releasing his seized property.
The correspondent identified the leader of the gang that attacked him as one Ayo, a.k.a., Ozo.
At Okemesi, some thugs wearing PDP tags were seen with voting materials in a bush, while an attempt to capture the scene led to the seizure of the camera of a correspondent with The News magazine, Mr. Gbenro Adesina.
The large presence of thugs who milled round some polling units visited by our correspondent at Omuo-Oke intimidated the INEC officials from granting an interview.
At Omuo-Oke, Ayegunle Quarters Unit Ward I, three houses were attacked by thugs, which residents said had been a recurring decimal during elections due to boundary dispute.
Source:The punch
The mayhem, which erupted in Oye-Ekiti, which is the base of the Chairman, Senate Committee on Privatisation, Senator Ayo Arise, forced the Independent National Electoral Commission to postpone the exercise in Oye-Ekiti to Sunday (today).
This was even as the Action Congress accused the Vice-President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, of piling pressure on President Umaru Yar‘Adua to order a cancellation of the whole exercise.
As at 10.15pm when results from five local government areas had been released, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Mr. Segun Oni, was leading with 15,420 votes as against the 15,026 votes recorded for the Action Congress candidate, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.
INEC released results of Gboyin, Ekiti South-West, Irepodun/Ifelodun, Ise-Orun and Ijero LGs.
Fayemi, however, has over 12,000 votes in his kitty which were recorded in his favour as part of the validly cast votes in the 2007 election.
INEC informed journalists that the remaining four local governments where election also took place would be released at 5pm on Sunday.
The officials said the time for the release of the remaining results was fixed because all the stakeholders would be in Oye-Ekiti to monitor the election which was shifted to Sunday because of violence.
However, the AC spokesman, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said information at the disposal of the party indicated that the V-P was contacted by PDP leaders in Ekiti to try and convince Yar‘Adua to cancel the election, sensing that the candidate of the PDP had lost the election.
Mohammed said, ”We heard it on good authority that the Vice-President is already putting pressure on Yar‘Adua. This is the first time that the PDP would be asking for a cancellation after discovering that its rigging plans have failed woefully. The people of Ekiti have completed the election despite pockets of violence perpetrated by PDP leaders especially in Oye, where Senator Ayo Arise comes from. They have shot and abducted our people. But the youths of Ekiti have said they would all the same defend their votes.”
Attempts to get the reaction of the vice-president were not successful. Calls to the telephone line of his Senior Special Adviser on Communication, Mr. Ima Niboro, did not go through, while a text message sent to his phone at about 8.50pm was not responded to.
Parts of the state where violence erupted were Oye-Ekiti, Igede-Ekiti, Ilawe-Ekiti, Are-Ekiti and Ido-Ekiti.
One of our correspondents observed the arrest of 36 of the thugs, who assembled opposite the gate of Arise‘s residence with charms and weapons, while 25 others were arrested at Igede, Ilawe, Iloro, Are and Ido-Ekiti.
The suspects arrested at Ilawe with guns and an axe, were said to have attempted to burn down the house of the Secretary to the State Government, Ambassador Dare Bejide, which the police foiled.
The Deputy Inspector-General of Police, who supervised the election and the pro-tem Commissioner of Police for the Command, Mr. John Ahmadu, confirmed the arrests in separate interviews with our correspondent.
The chairman of Ado-Ekiti Local Government, Mrs. Tosin Aluko, was almost mobbed by supporters of the AC when she attempted to enter the collation centre at the Christ Girls‘ School in a car decorated with wedding materials.
She was said to have been spirited away from the scene in a police van, with the AC supporters that thronged the place jeering.
The election recorded pockets of violence, which was effectively contained by the police.
The former Commissioner for Commerce and Industry under the Oni‘s administration, Mr. Dare Omotosho, was also said to have been attacked by thugs at St. Theresa‘s Primary School, Erinwa, while his car was damaged.
At Ehinola compound, Igede III, an illiterate old woman who was deceived into thumb-printing for the PDP by a suspected PDP sympathiser, protested and this ignited a crisis that forced INEC to cancel the result of the ward.
In an interview, a former governor of the state and AC stalwart, Chief Adeniyi Adebayo, in his Iyin-Ekiti residence, said he might vote or might not depending on the security situation.
He said, ”I don‘t see why we should not have a free and fair election. I hope the police can maintain this momentum.”
At Usi-Ekiti, a former Minister of Education, Dr. Babalola Borishade, complained of discrepancies in the voters‘ register in three units in Usi Ward, which he said did not tally with the names posted by the INEC.
In an interview with Oni, he said the situation at Oye was unfortunate and that INEC should have allowed the election to take place there.
He said, ”Some people had the objective of not allowing the electorate to vote in Oye. Now, that objective has been partially achieved. It‘s unfortunate that we still practise democracy at this level.
”Every politician has his stronghold; that is the nature of politics. But, if you are confident of yourself, you should not perpetrate violence to achieve a selfish motive.
”Even if thugs prevent people from voting, we still believe that our advantage cannot be obliterated. We have a large volume of advantage. We have a high probability of winning and we are in a comfortable terrain.
”If I lose, all glory to God and if I win, all glory to God. I‘m surprised by the desperation of some people.”
On his part, the AC candidate, Fayemi, condemned the violence in Oye, which he linked to Arise.
Fayemi regretted the postponement of the election and said that he was not averse to the rescheduled election, given his conviction that he would win in Oye anytime.
He said, ”What I can say is that we are going to win this election, provided the police and INEC do their work competently and diligently. We are now moving to the collation stage.
”I‘m a democrat and I will always insist on the right thing; I‘m just a governorship candidate of this party. I‘m not the main leader of this party. I have to consult widely within this party.
”Particularly, we will consult within our members in Oye Wards I and II to see if they are disposed to the idea of participating in an election on Sunday.
”Even, if I don‘t want it to happen and my people say we want to show these people that they don‘t own this place, we don‘t have a choice but to listen to what they want us to do.”
Turnout
There was an impressive voters‘ turnout in most places visited by our correspondents, with the electorate conducting themselves in an orderly manner.
Voting was suspended in the two wards of Oye till Sunday (today) due to the charged atmosphere, following disagreement among party leaders on how to distribute election materials brought by INEC officials.
As soon as INEC officials began to offload the materials, it was gathered that agents of the PDP and AC swooped on them, prompting the INEC officials to return them to the vehicle.
The DIG, Ahmadu, later convened a meeting with INEC officials and representatives of the political parties around 11.30am, where it was agreed that the election should be postponed till Sunday (today).
The INEC officials were said to have cited the Electoral Act, which stipulates that voting should be concluded by noon and insisted that nothing much could be done within the short time left.
Confirming the postponement in an interview with one of our correspondents, the DIG said that he would supervise the scheduled election personally with other senior police officers.
Although he confirmed the arrest of 36 thugs in Oye with charms and weapons, he declined to confirm where they were arrested.
When one of our correspondents insisted that he witnessed the arrest and location of the suspects, Ahmadu said, ”I don‘t know o. I no dey for libel palaver. We caught thugs in Oye.
”We are here to give everybody a level-playing ground. All this violence here and there is just psychological warfare. Help us tell the people not to be afraid because we are equal to the task.”
In Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, streets were deserted following a late night restriction order by the acting governor, Mr. Olatunji Odeyemi, across the state, including areas where election did not take place.
Children were seen playing football on major roads, while eateries, filling stations, markets were closed to business.
One Armoured Personnel Carrier and hot water dispenser, manned by heavily armed policemen, were seen at Fajuyi, which is a hub of business activities in Ado-Ekiti, while roadblocks were mounted in strategic locations across the city.
There was a sharp contrast at Ikere, where elections did not equally take place, as there was movement of people and vehicles, while the popular Bisi Market was open to business.
At Ido-Osi Local Government Area, riot and regular policemen, members of the Civil Defence Corps and members of the vigilance group were dispatched to the various wards at 8.35am.
As at 9.46am in Ido-Osi, no material or INEC personnel was found, but by 10.30am, 10 voters were confirmed to have voted at St. Paul‘s Anglican Primary School, Unit 002 at Osi, where men and women voted separately.
The presiding officer, Mr. Idris Abdullahi, told one of our correspondents that he devised the method for administrative convenience.
Voting could not start until 9am at Unit V, Ward I, in Ido-Osi because voters‘ names were not listed alphabetically, which prompted the INEC official, Mr. Peter Ogah, to call out the names for accreditation before voting could start.
The Electoral Officer at Ido-Osi Ward II, Unit III, Mrs. Nwuche Catherine, who confirmed what she called the encouraging turnout, however declined to give the number of those that had cast their votes.
At Araromi, Ward 1, Unit 5, a Resident Electoral Commissioner from Imo State, Mrs. Maria Owi, who supervised the election said that the poll was peaceful in the area.
In the full glare of the public, an unaccredited agent of the PDP arrived at the centre, trying to persuade voters by monitoring them to the voting point to ensure that they voted for his party.
The REC blamed the confusion that dogged the discrepancy in the displayed voter register and the one used for the election on the failure of the electorate to have identified their serial numbers before now.
At Igede-Ekiti, headquarters of Irepodun/Ifelodun LGA, voting could not start as at 9.30am in some polling stations, while voting started about the same time in Asao Compound, Unit 003.
Voting took place at Ijesha Igan, Ijan and Ise-Ekiti.
Some electoral officials, including youth corps members deployed as polling agents were seen milling round the palace of the traditional ruler of Igede waiting for the materials to arrive from Ado-Ekiti.
Voting materials did not reach Ifaki as at 9am. However, as at 9.45am, 12 people had voted at Awo, Fakeye Hall Polling Unit 009, while six people had cast their vote at Anglican Primary School, Polling Unit 008.
Around 9.30am, one of our correspondents observed a bus filled up with fiery looking men who invaded Ward 047, Ifaki II, whose conduct scared away a group of journalists that had just arrived in the place.
It was also observed that only the PDP agents manned the polling units, while an attempt to speak with INEC officials over the discovery were frustrated by the arrival of the men.
Around 1.30pm, the same bus was sighted coming in to a hotel (Celiat) where Oni used as his base with armed police escort, as journalists were about to depart the place.
At Ifaki, one of our correspondents was threatened with death by two hefty men that rode in a grey Mercedes Benz 190, who ordered him to leave the town immediately despite identifying himself as a journalist.
At Ogbon Iro Town Hall, in Ifaki where Oni voted, there was no police presence, while some of his supporters organised a short prayer session for him.
The INEC officials in the two units, Mr. Jamil Sabiu and Mr. Adeyemi Oyemade, said there were no security problems. But at Iropora, voting had not started as at 10am.
At Ikole, voting started around noon due to late arrival of INEC officials and voting materials.
This was premised on security reasons, as the INEC officials were said to have waited for the arrival of police escorts before moving down to their locations.
Policemen foiled an attempt by some hoodlums to disrupt voting at the polling unit located opposite the palace of Elekole around 11.15am, while normalcy returned thereafter.
Because of the inability of INEC officials to access Orun Ward 10, Units 1, 9 and 10 due to threats of violence, the commission recorded zero for all the contesting political parties.
Olusola Obada
The deputy governor of Osun State, Mrs. Olusola Obada, was refused entry into the Independent National Electoral Commission office around 9.30am where she had gone in a convoy of five sports utility vans in company with Senator Isiaka Adeleke.
Men of the State Security Services who manned the gate, however, allowed Adeleke into the premises when he introduced himself as the Chairman, Senate Committee on INEC.
Obada immediately drove out of the area.
But Adeleke‘s almost one hour visit was greeted with protests by supporters of the Action Congress, who were around in the INEC office, while shouts of ”thief, thief” trailed his vehicle as he departed.
In an interview with our correspondent before leaving the place, Adeleke said that his status as a committee chairman with oversight function on INEC warranted his visit to the INEC headquarters.
Adeleke said, ”My oversight function entails monitoring election to ensure that they conform to the Electoral Act and guidelines for a free and fair election. I was at Cross Rivers, Sokoto and other places as well.
”I‘m not here to do anything more than that. I‘m not here to tell anybody to vote for this or that party. And during my monitoring, I observed little skirmishes here and there.
”I‘m not here to assist the PDP in any way. I‘m not here to manipulate for anybody. I‘m just performing my oversight function. There is no need for this anxiety.”
Asked why he came in the same convoy with Obada, the Senator simply said that he came on his own and that he entered the premises alone.
At a point during the interview, the atmosphere became tense as the AC supporters strongly protested his presence, at which point the Resident Electoral Commissioner for the state, Chief Olusola Adebayo, came into the scene.
Encircled by the supporters and bombarded with questions on the propriety of the presence of a PDP Senator at INEC office at that moment, the REC said, ”Adeleke was not supposed to be here.”
She said further, ”I did not receive notice that he was coming. I will (pleading) go inside now and see what is happening. You can see that I‘m just coming from the NTA. Please.”
But INEC spokesman, Mr. Phillip Umeadi, told our correspondent in a separate interview that the senator had not contravened any law.
He said, ”You will appreciate that it is still 12 (noon). Voting is still going on in the respective polling units. I can understand the apprehension of politicians.
”But you have just been able to appropriately describe his status. He has been monitoring. If you see what I have here, he was the one who passed this information to me.
”Apart from this one, he just came back from monitoring and said to us that in one of the Igede Wards, there was no security. He also said that in Iyemero and Itapaji, in Ikole LGs, there was also no security and thugs are mobilising there.
”We thanked him and we are seeing him off. It is his responsibility as Senate Committee Chairman on INEC to see that we are doing the proper thing.
”Because he has the responsibility also to his primary constituency in the Senate to let them know what is happening in Ekiti, he came in here and said to us that we should be able to do something about these two areas because thugs were mobilising.
”The point is that he is not coming here as working in INEC. His report will not be on what INEC is doing, but generally on what happened in Ekiti.”
At Igbemo and Eyio, in Irepodun LGA, observers were beaten up and allegedly chased away by some political thugs.
At Surulere Street, Ward I, thugs seized the micro tape recorder of one of our correspondents, his complimentary cards, identity cards and bundled him into a car piloted by one Yunus Onyebe.
He was detained briefly at Omuo-Oke Police Station on the excuse that he was a fake journalist, while one Abiodun, a Chief Superintendent of Police warned him not to interview anybody after releasing his seized property.
The correspondent identified the leader of the gang that attacked him as one Ayo, a.k.a., Ozo.
At Okemesi, some thugs wearing PDP tags were seen with voting materials in a bush, while an attempt to capture the scene led to the seizure of the camera of a correspondent with The News magazine, Mr. Gbenro Adesina.
The large presence of thugs who milled round some polling units visited by our correspondent at Omuo-Oke intimidated the INEC officials from granting an interview.
At Omuo-Oke, Ayegunle Quarters Unit Ward I, three houses were attacked by thugs, which residents said had been a recurring decimal during elections due to boundary dispute.
Source:The punch
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Police spy on activist groups
POLICE are using a network of hundreds of paid informants to feed them information about protest groups, according to secret recordings made by a potential recruit.
A member of the climate-change protest group, Plane Stupid, has released a series of recorded discussions with officers apparently offering her money to spy on fellow activists.
Matilda Gifford, 24, says she was approached by Strathclyde Police last month after being released on bail following a demonstration at Aberdeen airport.
In a series of discussions with police, recorded by Miss Gifford, an officer attempting to recruit her is quoted as saying “UK plc can afford more than 20 quid”.
The tax-free cash would be in exchange for information on individuals within the climate-change protest group and would not be paid into her bank account for fear of leaving an audit trail.
She was also told that her continued involvement with Plane Stupid could lead to her having difficulties finding employment in the future if she ended up with a criminal record.
In one section of the recording a police officer states hundreds of informants are on police books giving them information on a spectrum of organisations ranging from terror cells to environmental activists.
The officer is quoted as saying: “We work with hundreds of people, believe me, ranging from terrorist organisations right through to whatever. To the others as we like to call them. Environmentalists.
“We have people who give us information on environmentalism, leftwing extremism, rightwing - you name it, we have the whole spectrum of reporting.”
Strathclyde Police stated the force “had a responsibility to gather intelligence” after admitting officers had had meetings with Plane Stupid activists.
The Assistant Chief Constable of Strathcylde Police, George Hamilton, said: “Officers from Strathclyde Police have been in contact with a number of protesters who were involved with the Plane Stupid protests including Aberdeen airport.”
He added that the purpose of the meetings was to make sure future protests were carried out within the law and respected the rights of all concerned.
Plane Stupid, a direct action group fighting against airport expansion since 2005, maintains the attempted police infiltration of the group was an attempt to curtail people’s right to protest.
Lawyers for Plane Stupid have been able to identify the officers invovled.
A statement from Plane Stupid reads: “Our civil liberties were invaded and our right to peaceful protest called into question simply to defend the interests of big business.”
The group’s first protest was to release a barrage of rape alarms attached to helium balloons disrupting an international aviation conference being held in London.
In a statement in its website Plane Stupid states it welcomed any actions in its name “provided they are non-violent and accountable and help further the struggle against airport expansion and greenhouse gas emissions from aviation.”
Source:The times
A member of the climate-change protest group, Plane Stupid, has released a series of recorded discussions with officers apparently offering her money to spy on fellow activists.
Matilda Gifford, 24, says she was approached by Strathclyde Police last month after being released on bail following a demonstration at Aberdeen airport.
In a series of discussions with police, recorded by Miss Gifford, an officer attempting to recruit her is quoted as saying “UK plc can afford more than 20 quid”.
The tax-free cash would be in exchange for information on individuals within the climate-change protest group and would not be paid into her bank account for fear of leaving an audit trail.
She was also told that her continued involvement with Plane Stupid could lead to her having difficulties finding employment in the future if she ended up with a criminal record.
In one section of the recording a police officer states hundreds of informants are on police books giving them information on a spectrum of organisations ranging from terror cells to environmental activists.
The officer is quoted as saying: “We work with hundreds of people, believe me, ranging from terrorist organisations right through to whatever. To the others as we like to call them. Environmentalists.
“We have people who give us information on environmentalism, leftwing extremism, rightwing - you name it, we have the whole spectrum of reporting.”
Strathclyde Police stated the force “had a responsibility to gather intelligence” after admitting officers had had meetings with Plane Stupid activists.
The Assistant Chief Constable of Strathcylde Police, George Hamilton, said: “Officers from Strathclyde Police have been in contact with a number of protesters who were involved with the Plane Stupid protests including Aberdeen airport.”
He added that the purpose of the meetings was to make sure future protests were carried out within the law and respected the rights of all concerned.
Plane Stupid, a direct action group fighting against airport expansion since 2005, maintains the attempted police infiltration of the group was an attempt to curtail people’s right to protest.
Lawyers for Plane Stupid have been able to identify the officers invovled.
A statement from Plane Stupid reads: “Our civil liberties were invaded and our right to peaceful protest called into question simply to defend the interests of big business.”
The group’s first protest was to release a barrage of rape alarms attached to helium balloons disrupting an international aviation conference being held in London.
In a statement in its website Plane Stupid states it welcomed any actions in its name “provided they are non-violent and accountable and help further the struggle against airport expansion and greenhouse gas emissions from aviation.”
Source:The times
Nuclear fears prompt Pakistan to prepare attack on Taleban
Thousands of Pakistani troops were massing for an assault on Taleban positions 65 miles from the country’s capital last night after giving the insurgents 24 hours to withdraw from their advanced positions or face attack.
The threat of force follows a stern warning from American policymakers that Islamabad was doing too little to stem a growing militant insurgency.
Richard Holbrooke, the special US envoy for the region, called Pakistan’s President Zardari on Thursday to convey Washington’s concern. Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, accused Pakistan this week of “abdicating to the Taleban”, which “poses a mortal threat to the security and safety of our country and the world”.
The US considers rooting out militant sanctuaries in Pakistan critical to success in the Afghan war. Washington is also worried about the security of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons
Mrs Clinton’s remarks followed a recent deal between Mr Zardari and the Taleban in the Swat Valley, allowing them to establish a fundamentalist enclave in the former tourist area in exchange for laying down their arms.
The Taleban have not disarmed, and this week its fighters poured out of Swat into the neighbouring district of Buner, taking control of government buildings and digging in at strategic positions around the major towns.
The threat from the army has so far been enough to encourage some insurgents to start pulling out of Buner, but other fighters were holding positions in the hills.
Local government officials said that militants were seen leaving a high-walled villa that served as their headquarters in Buner, in the foothill of the Karakoram mountains. The black-turbaned fighters carrying automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades clambered into several trucks and minibuses before driving away.
Taleban commanders insisted that their fighters had been preaching peacefully for Islamic law. Muslim Khan, a spokesman for the Taleban, said the fighters were leaving “of their own accord, not under any pressure”.
There was no indication that the insurgents were willing to give up control of the mosques and seminaries that they have been using to recruit local youths. A senior officer said that troops had been ordered to eliminate insurgents who refused to surrender.
In an unusually tough statement General Ashfaq Kayani, the head of the army, declared that the military was determined to root out the menace of terrorism and would not allow the militants to dictate terms to the Government or impose their way of life on the civil society of Pakistan.
“The army will fight to eliminate the militants who endanger the security of the country,” he said, addressing senior commanders in Rawalpindi.
Source:The times
The threat of force follows a stern warning from American policymakers that Islamabad was doing too little to stem a growing militant insurgency.
Richard Holbrooke, the special US envoy for the region, called Pakistan’s President Zardari on Thursday to convey Washington’s concern. Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, accused Pakistan this week of “abdicating to the Taleban”, which “poses a mortal threat to the security and safety of our country and the world”.
The US considers rooting out militant sanctuaries in Pakistan critical to success in the Afghan war. Washington is also worried about the security of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons
Mrs Clinton’s remarks followed a recent deal between Mr Zardari and the Taleban in the Swat Valley, allowing them to establish a fundamentalist enclave in the former tourist area in exchange for laying down their arms.
The Taleban have not disarmed, and this week its fighters poured out of Swat into the neighbouring district of Buner, taking control of government buildings and digging in at strategic positions around the major towns.
The threat from the army has so far been enough to encourage some insurgents to start pulling out of Buner, but other fighters were holding positions in the hills.
Local government officials said that militants were seen leaving a high-walled villa that served as their headquarters in Buner, in the foothill of the Karakoram mountains. The black-turbaned fighters carrying automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades clambered into several trucks and minibuses before driving away.
Taleban commanders insisted that their fighters had been preaching peacefully for Islamic law. Muslim Khan, a spokesman for the Taleban, said the fighters were leaving “of their own accord, not under any pressure”.
There was no indication that the insurgents were willing to give up control of the mosques and seminaries that they have been using to recruit local youths. A senior officer said that troops had been ordered to eliminate insurgents who refused to surrender.
In an unusually tough statement General Ashfaq Kayani, the head of the army, declared that the military was determined to root out the menace of terrorism and would not allow the militants to dictate terms to the Government or impose their way of life on the civil society of Pakistan.
“The army will fight to eliminate the militants who endanger the security of the country,” he said, addressing senior commanders in Rawalpindi.
Source:The times
WHO on high alert as swine flu spreads
Concerns are growing in Mexico and the United States after officials in both countries took emergency steps to contain a new multi-strain swine flu that has killed up to 60 in Mexico and infected eight in the United States.
Mexican Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova has confirmed 20 deaths from swine flu and said authorities were probing another 40 who had died with flu symptoms.
"There were 60 deaths with similar symptoms," Cordova said, as authorities launched a huge campaign to prevent the spread of the virus, closing schools and urging people to avoid contact in public.
Theatres and museums in the Mexican capital have shut their doors, and authorities announced that two professional soccer games scheduled for this Sunday will be played without spectators, behind closed doors, to avoid massive gatherings of people.
Mexican President Felipe Calderon cancelled a trip and met with his cabinet to coordinate the country's response.
Medical teams were on stand-by at the capital's international airport, and all passengers had to fill out a health questionnaire.
Health officials have been investigating 943 possible swine flu infections. The US Embassy in Mexico City said some of cases may have been caused by resistant the H1N1 strain of swine flu.
In New York, health officials announced they were testing about 75 students at a Queens school for swine flu after the students exhibited flu-like symptoms, CNN television reported.
The World Health Organization went on high alert, dispatching top experts to the United States and Mexico amid concern that the new virus could become a global epidemic.
"It's a virus that mutated from pigs and transmitted to some humans," Cordova said earlier.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said tests show some of the Mexican victims died from the same new strain of swine flu that affected eight people in Texas and California, who later recovered.
"It's very obvious that we are very concerned. We've set up emergency operation centers," CDC spokesman Dave Daigle told AFP.
The WHO said Canadian laboratory testing had confirmed 18 cases of swine fever among almost 1,000 Mexicans found to have an influenza-like illness in three regions - of whom 62 died.
"Because there are human cases associated with an animal influenza virus, and because of the geographical spread of multiple community outbreaks, plus the somewhat unusual age groups affected, these events are of high concern," the Swiss-based body said in a statement.
"The majority of (the Mexican) cases have occurred in otherwise healthy young adults. Influenza normally affects the very young and the very old, but these age groups have not been heavily affected in Mexico," the WHO said.
The UN health agency said samples from 12 were "genetically identical" to cases detected in the US state of California.
US medical authorities also expressed strong concern as eight known cases were reported, with President Barack Obama being fully briefed on an outbreak, according to a White House spokesman. The US also probed nine suspect cases.
The WHO was to send a team of experts to Mexico to work with health authorities and WHO head Margaret Chan was due to speak on the issue Saturday.
Mexico City authorities initially announced a mass vaccination campaign using regular human flu vaccines, but later admitted that the WHO had advised them that it was better to use antiviral medicines.
Cordova said that the government had more than one million doses of suitable antivirals.
The CDC website states that there is no vaccine to specifically protect humans from swine flu, only to protect pigs.
Human outbreaks of H1N1 swine influenza virus were recorded in the United States in 1976 and 1988, when two deaths were recorded, and in 1986. In 1988 a pregnant woman died after contact with sick pigs, according to the WHO.
In recent years, the global focus for a pandemic has shifted to the H5N1 bird flu virus, which has spread from poultry to humans and killed 257 of the 421 people infected by the virus since 2003.
If a pig is simultaneously infected with a human and an avian influenza virus, it can serve as a "mixing vessel" for the two viruses that could combine to create a new, more virulent strain.
Mexican Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova has confirmed 20 deaths from swine flu and said authorities were probing another 40 who had died with flu symptoms.
"There were 60 deaths with similar symptoms," Cordova said, as authorities launched a huge campaign to prevent the spread of the virus, closing schools and urging people to avoid contact in public.
Theatres and museums in the Mexican capital have shut their doors, and authorities announced that two professional soccer games scheduled for this Sunday will be played without spectators, behind closed doors, to avoid massive gatherings of people.
Mexican President Felipe Calderon cancelled a trip and met with his cabinet to coordinate the country's response.
Medical teams were on stand-by at the capital's international airport, and all passengers had to fill out a health questionnaire.
Health officials have been investigating 943 possible swine flu infections. The US Embassy in Mexico City said some of cases may have been caused by resistant the H1N1 strain of swine flu.
In New York, health officials announced they were testing about 75 students at a Queens school for swine flu after the students exhibited flu-like symptoms, CNN television reported.
The World Health Organization went on high alert, dispatching top experts to the United States and Mexico amid concern that the new virus could become a global epidemic.
"It's a virus that mutated from pigs and transmitted to some humans," Cordova said earlier.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said tests show some of the Mexican victims died from the same new strain of swine flu that affected eight people in Texas and California, who later recovered.
"It's very obvious that we are very concerned. We've set up emergency operation centers," CDC spokesman Dave Daigle told AFP.
The WHO said Canadian laboratory testing had confirmed 18 cases of swine fever among almost 1,000 Mexicans found to have an influenza-like illness in three regions - of whom 62 died.
"Because there are human cases associated with an animal influenza virus, and because of the geographical spread of multiple community outbreaks, plus the somewhat unusual age groups affected, these events are of high concern," the Swiss-based body said in a statement.
"The majority of (the Mexican) cases have occurred in otherwise healthy young adults. Influenza normally affects the very young and the very old, but these age groups have not been heavily affected in Mexico," the WHO said.
The UN health agency said samples from 12 were "genetically identical" to cases detected in the US state of California.
US medical authorities also expressed strong concern as eight known cases were reported, with President Barack Obama being fully briefed on an outbreak, according to a White House spokesman. The US also probed nine suspect cases.
The WHO was to send a team of experts to Mexico to work with health authorities and WHO head Margaret Chan was due to speak on the issue Saturday.
Mexico City authorities initially announced a mass vaccination campaign using regular human flu vaccines, but later admitted that the WHO had advised them that it was better to use antiviral medicines.
Cordova said that the government had more than one million doses of suitable antivirals.
The CDC website states that there is no vaccine to specifically protect humans from swine flu, only to protect pigs.
Human outbreaks of H1N1 swine influenza virus were recorded in the United States in 1976 and 1988, when two deaths were recorded, and in 1986. In 1988 a pregnant woman died after contact with sick pigs, according to the WHO.
In recent years, the global focus for a pandemic has shifted to the H5N1 bird flu virus, which has spread from poultry to humans and killed 257 of the 421 people infected by the virus since 2003.
If a pig is simultaneously infected with a human and an avian influenza virus, it can serve as a "mixing vessel" for the two viruses that could combine to create a new, more virulent strain.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Alistair Darling's Budget tax hike for the rich sets election battle line
Alistair Darling drew the battle lines for the next election today when he announced a new 50p top rate of tax for high-earners to help to rein in record public borrowing.
In his second Budget as Chancellor, Mr Darling conceded that net public borrowing is to hit £175 billion this year and national debt will reach almost 80 per cent of GDP within five years.
But he predicted that Britain would start to lift itself out of recession by the end of 2009 thanks to the dynamism of the UK economy and burgeoning demand for high-tech exports.
In a Budget that promised more money for the jobless and for high-tech and green industries but did not deliver any real economic stimulus, Mr Darling announced that those earning more than £150,000 a year would be taxed at 50p in the pound, up from 40p, from next April. Those earning more than £100,000 a year will lose all personal allowances, significantly increasing their tax bills.
In his pre-Budget report, Mr Darling had already announced a rise to 45p from 2011 and his decision to bring the increase forward breaks a key pledge in Tony Blair's 2005 manifesto not to raise either the basic or top rate of income tax during this Parliament.
The move represents a clear break with the Blair years and the New Labour emphasis on rewarding economic success. The top rate of tax has been at 40p since Nigel Lawson cut it from 60p back in 1988.
Mr Darling told the Commons that the UK economy will contract by 3.5 per cent this year, making the current recession the worst since the Second World War. But he said that he expected economic growth to resume by the end of this year and to see growth next year of 1.25 per cent - more bullish than current market forecasts.
He said that the UK economy contracted by 1.6 per cent in the last quarter of 2008 and declined by a similar amount in the first three months of this year.
"But because of our underlying strength, the measures we are taking, domestically and internationally, I expect to see growth resume towards the end of the year," he added.
"The IMF forecasts published today confirm the problems that all countries will face this year. But they also show that the British economy will suffer less than Germany, less than Japan, less than Italy, and less than the euro area as a whole this year. The British economy is diverse, flexible and resilient - which is why we can be confident in recovery."
Mr Darling announced a £3 billion package of measures to help the jobless back into work and prevent those who lose their jobs becoming long-term unemployed. He also announced £1 billion in funding to help fight climate change, £2.5 billion to help businesses invest in high-technology jobs and £500 million to kickstart stalled housing projects.
He also announced a £750 million strategic investment fund which he said would help to unblock as much as £50 billion in new business investment this year, including £10 billion in the communication sector. The Government will also contribute £300 million towards a "scrappage" scheme under which motorists can claim £2,000 towards a new car or van if they trade in a vehicle that is at least ten years old.
In other measures, petrol duty will increase by 2p per litre in September and then by 1p a litre above inflation each April for the next four years.
Alcohol duties will go up by 2 per cent - about 1p a pint - from midnight. Tobacco duty will rise by 2 per cent from 6pm - adding about 7p to a packet of 20 cigarettes. The Chancellor said these measures would raise more than £6 billion by 2012.
But scrutiny of the Budget, especially on the international capital markets, will focus on the depth of public borrowing and Britain's long-term ability to service and reduce national debt.
The Chancellor said that borrowing will start to fall from 2010 as the economy recovers. Projected public sector borrowing next year would be £173 billion, equivalent to 11.9 per cent of GDP, falling to 9.1 per cent in in 2011-12, then 7.2 per cent and 5.5 per cent in 2013-14.
Mr Darling said national debt relative to GDP would increase from 59 per cent this year, to 68 per cent next, 74 per cent in 2011-12, 78 per cent and 79 per cent in 2013-14.
"It will stabilise and then begin to fall in 2015-16," he added. "In countries across the world, because of this economic crisis, it will take longer for deficits to come back into balance. Because of the steps we are taking, I expect the underlying current budget deficit to come back into balance two years later."
Mr Darling's upbeat prediction on growth contrasted with the latest economic statistics this morning, which showed unemployment reaching 2.1 million - its highest level since Labour came to power in 1997.
In his Budget reply, the Tory leader, David Cameron, assailed "Labour's decade of debt" and laid the blame firmly at the feet of Gordon Brown for failing to shore up the public finances during his years in the Treasury.
"This Prime Minister has certainly got himself in the history books - he's written a whole chapter in red ink," he said. "Britain simply cannot afford another five years of Labour."
Source:The times
In his second Budget as Chancellor, Mr Darling conceded that net public borrowing is to hit £175 billion this year and national debt will reach almost 80 per cent of GDP within five years.
But he predicted that Britain would start to lift itself out of recession by the end of 2009 thanks to the dynamism of the UK economy and burgeoning demand for high-tech exports.
In a Budget that promised more money for the jobless and for high-tech and green industries but did not deliver any real economic stimulus, Mr Darling announced that those earning more than £150,000 a year would be taxed at 50p in the pound, up from 40p, from next April. Those earning more than £100,000 a year will lose all personal allowances, significantly increasing their tax bills.
In his pre-Budget report, Mr Darling had already announced a rise to 45p from 2011 and his decision to bring the increase forward breaks a key pledge in Tony Blair's 2005 manifesto not to raise either the basic or top rate of income tax during this Parliament.
The move represents a clear break with the Blair years and the New Labour emphasis on rewarding economic success. The top rate of tax has been at 40p since Nigel Lawson cut it from 60p back in 1988.
Mr Darling told the Commons that the UK economy will contract by 3.5 per cent this year, making the current recession the worst since the Second World War. But he said that he expected economic growth to resume by the end of this year and to see growth next year of 1.25 per cent - more bullish than current market forecasts.
He said that the UK economy contracted by 1.6 per cent in the last quarter of 2008 and declined by a similar amount in the first three months of this year.
"But because of our underlying strength, the measures we are taking, domestically and internationally, I expect to see growth resume towards the end of the year," he added.
"The IMF forecasts published today confirm the problems that all countries will face this year. But they also show that the British economy will suffer less than Germany, less than Japan, less than Italy, and less than the euro area as a whole this year. The British economy is diverse, flexible and resilient - which is why we can be confident in recovery."
Mr Darling announced a £3 billion package of measures to help the jobless back into work and prevent those who lose their jobs becoming long-term unemployed. He also announced £1 billion in funding to help fight climate change, £2.5 billion to help businesses invest in high-technology jobs and £500 million to kickstart stalled housing projects.
He also announced a £750 million strategic investment fund which he said would help to unblock as much as £50 billion in new business investment this year, including £10 billion in the communication sector. The Government will also contribute £300 million towards a "scrappage" scheme under which motorists can claim £2,000 towards a new car or van if they trade in a vehicle that is at least ten years old.
In other measures, petrol duty will increase by 2p per litre in September and then by 1p a litre above inflation each April for the next four years.
Alcohol duties will go up by 2 per cent - about 1p a pint - from midnight. Tobacco duty will rise by 2 per cent from 6pm - adding about 7p to a packet of 20 cigarettes. The Chancellor said these measures would raise more than £6 billion by 2012.
But scrutiny of the Budget, especially on the international capital markets, will focus on the depth of public borrowing and Britain's long-term ability to service and reduce national debt.
The Chancellor said that borrowing will start to fall from 2010 as the economy recovers. Projected public sector borrowing next year would be £173 billion, equivalent to 11.9 per cent of GDP, falling to 9.1 per cent in in 2011-12, then 7.2 per cent and 5.5 per cent in 2013-14.
Mr Darling said national debt relative to GDP would increase from 59 per cent this year, to 68 per cent next, 74 per cent in 2011-12, 78 per cent and 79 per cent in 2013-14.
"It will stabilise and then begin to fall in 2015-16," he added. "In countries across the world, because of this economic crisis, it will take longer for deficits to come back into balance. Because of the steps we are taking, I expect the underlying current budget deficit to come back into balance two years later."
Mr Darling's upbeat prediction on growth contrasted with the latest economic statistics this morning, which showed unemployment reaching 2.1 million - its highest level since Labour came to power in 1997.
In his Budget reply, the Tory leader, David Cameron, assailed "Labour's decade of debt" and laid the blame firmly at the feet of Gordon Brown for failing to shore up the public finances during his years in the Treasury.
"This Prime Minister has certainly got himself in the history books - he's written a whole chapter in red ink," he said. "Britain simply cannot afford another five years of Labour."
Source:The times
Voters queue at dawn in South Africa elections
Voters began queueing before sunrise today in a South African parliamentary election that is expected to propel Jacob Zuma to the presidency.
Mr Zuma has survived corruption and sex scandals to lead the African National Congress towards what is expected to be an overwhelming victory, promising to bring “visible change" to improve the lives of the country’s black majority.
Samuel Kekana, 46, a security guard, was among the early risers lining up to vote in Soweto. He said he would vote for the ANC, crediting it with building schools and houses and improving education since taking power in 1994. Mr Kekana said that he had voted in the first multiracial ballot in 1994 and in every election since.
“This is an opportunity for us to make our mark,” he said. “I didn’t want to miss this.” The opposition has tried to paint Mr Zuma, 67, a former anti-apartheid guerrilla, as corrupt and anti-democratic. But the ANC sees him as its first leader since Nelson Mandela who is able to connect with voters.
Desmond Tutu, the retired Cape Town Archbishop who won a Nobel Peace Prize for his anti-apartheid campaign and has dedicated himself since to building democracy in South Africa, has questioned whether Mr Zuma is fit to govern. Mr Tutu cast his ballot in Cape Town this morning without revealing which way he had voted.
“It isn’t like the previous elections. That is true of so many people who are having to ask questions,” Mr Tutu said.
“It’s good for democracy. People are not voting cattle. People have to make decisions and some decisions go against the inclinations.”
Parliament elects South Africa’s president, putting Mr Zuma in line to win the post when the new assembly votes in May.
The governing party has been accused of moving too slowly over the past 15 years to improve the lives of South Africa’s black majority. During the campaign, the ANC has stressed its commitment to creating jobs and a stronger social safety net for the nation of nearly 50 million, which is plagued by poverty, unemployment and an Aids epidemic.
A frail-looking Mr Mandela, 90, was aided to the ballot box by a local official and smiled broadly after voting. Mr Mandela, who is largely retired from public life, appeared alongside Mr Zuma at a rally in Johannesburg on Sunday that drew more than 100,000 people.
There have been concerns that Mr Zuma’s alliance with the Communists and the trade unions will lead him away from the market-friendly policies of Mandela’s successor as president, Thabo Mbeki.
Mr Mbeki was forced to step down as president last year after he was defeated by Mr Zuma in a bitter struggle for the ANC leadership. Kgalema Motlanthe was appointed president of a caretaker government until the election.
Mr Mbeki appeared relaxed as he cast his ballot early in Johannesburg, joking with a reporter who asked which party he had voted for that the question was "unconstitutional", according to the South African Press Association.
Mbeki supporters broke away to form their own party late last year, the Congress of the People, which was initially seen as a strong challenger to the ANC. But it has had little time to prepare and its early promise has fizzled because of internal bickering.
That party will be competing with the main opposition, the Democratic Alliance, for second place.
In the last elections in 2004, the ANC won 69.9 percent of the vote. Mr Zuma said last night that he expected an overwhelming majority again. Some speculate that the ANC may have trouble reaching a two-thirds majority.
Without it, the ANC will not be able to enact major budgetary and legislation unchallenged, or change the constitution.
Mr Zuma was fired by Mbeki as deputy president in 2005 after he was implicated in an arms deal bribery scandal. After a series of protracted legal battles, prosecutors dropped all charges against him earlier this month, saying that the case had been manipulated for political reasons and the criminal charges would never be revived. But they said that they still believed they had a strong case against Mr Zuma.
In 2006, he was acquitted of raping an HIV-positive family friend. He has been ridiculed for his testimony during the trial that he believed showering after the encounter, which he said was consensual, would protect him from Aids.
“You’d have to be blind not to question his morality,” Genius Mnywabe, 32, an advertising account manager in Cape Town, said. But Mr Mnywabe also credited the ANC with managing South Africa’s economy and doing much to improve conditions for the poor.
The son of a maid, Mr Zuma was imprisoned for 10 years on Robben Island, alongside Mandela and other heroes of the anti-apartheid struggle. He later went into exile, where he headed the ANC’s intelligence wing.
Source:The times
Mr Zuma has survived corruption and sex scandals to lead the African National Congress towards what is expected to be an overwhelming victory, promising to bring “visible change" to improve the lives of the country’s black majority.
Samuel Kekana, 46, a security guard, was among the early risers lining up to vote in Soweto. He said he would vote for the ANC, crediting it with building schools and houses and improving education since taking power in 1994. Mr Kekana said that he had voted in the first multiracial ballot in 1994 and in every election since.
“This is an opportunity for us to make our mark,” he said. “I didn’t want to miss this.” The opposition has tried to paint Mr Zuma, 67, a former anti-apartheid guerrilla, as corrupt and anti-democratic. But the ANC sees him as its first leader since Nelson Mandela who is able to connect with voters.
Desmond Tutu, the retired Cape Town Archbishop who won a Nobel Peace Prize for his anti-apartheid campaign and has dedicated himself since to building democracy in South Africa, has questioned whether Mr Zuma is fit to govern. Mr Tutu cast his ballot in Cape Town this morning without revealing which way he had voted.
“It isn’t like the previous elections. That is true of so many people who are having to ask questions,” Mr Tutu said.
“It’s good for democracy. People are not voting cattle. People have to make decisions and some decisions go against the inclinations.”
Parliament elects South Africa’s president, putting Mr Zuma in line to win the post when the new assembly votes in May.
The governing party has been accused of moving too slowly over the past 15 years to improve the lives of South Africa’s black majority. During the campaign, the ANC has stressed its commitment to creating jobs and a stronger social safety net for the nation of nearly 50 million, which is plagued by poverty, unemployment and an Aids epidemic.
A frail-looking Mr Mandela, 90, was aided to the ballot box by a local official and smiled broadly after voting. Mr Mandela, who is largely retired from public life, appeared alongside Mr Zuma at a rally in Johannesburg on Sunday that drew more than 100,000 people.
There have been concerns that Mr Zuma’s alliance with the Communists and the trade unions will lead him away from the market-friendly policies of Mandela’s successor as president, Thabo Mbeki.
Mr Mbeki was forced to step down as president last year after he was defeated by Mr Zuma in a bitter struggle for the ANC leadership. Kgalema Motlanthe was appointed president of a caretaker government until the election.
Mr Mbeki appeared relaxed as he cast his ballot early in Johannesburg, joking with a reporter who asked which party he had voted for that the question was "unconstitutional", according to the South African Press Association.
Mbeki supporters broke away to form their own party late last year, the Congress of the People, which was initially seen as a strong challenger to the ANC. But it has had little time to prepare and its early promise has fizzled because of internal bickering.
That party will be competing with the main opposition, the Democratic Alliance, for second place.
In the last elections in 2004, the ANC won 69.9 percent of the vote. Mr Zuma said last night that he expected an overwhelming majority again. Some speculate that the ANC may have trouble reaching a two-thirds majority.
Without it, the ANC will not be able to enact major budgetary and legislation unchallenged, or change the constitution.
Mr Zuma was fired by Mbeki as deputy president in 2005 after he was implicated in an arms deal bribery scandal. After a series of protracted legal battles, prosecutors dropped all charges against him earlier this month, saying that the case had been manipulated for political reasons and the criminal charges would never be revived. But they said that they still believed they had a strong case against Mr Zuma.
In 2006, he was acquitted of raping an HIV-positive family friend. He has been ridiculed for his testimony during the trial that he believed showering after the encounter, which he said was consensual, would protect him from Aids.
“You’d have to be blind not to question his morality,” Genius Mnywabe, 32, an advertising account manager in Cape Town, said. But Mr Mnywabe also credited the ANC with managing South Africa’s economy and doing much to improve conditions for the poor.
The son of a maid, Mr Zuma was imprisoned for 10 years on Robben Island, alongside Mandela and other heroes of the anti-apartheid struggle. He later went into exile, where he headed the ANC’s intelligence wing.
Source:The times
Alice Mahon quits Labour over e-mail smears
A Former Labour MP has quit the party after half-a-century in the wake of the government's e-mail smears scandal.
Veteran left-winger Alice Mahon says she was “shocked and absolutely scandalised” by Downing Street official Damian McBride’s attempts to smear top Tories.
Mahon, 71, MP for Halifax between 1987 and 2005 accused the party of betraying its principles and was on course for election defeat.
Ms Mahon said it was a difficult decision to quit the party, but said: “I can no longer be a member of a party that at the leadership level has betrayed many of the values and principles that inspired me as a teenager to join.”
Ms Mahon, who opposed the Iraq war, said that she had been unhappy with the direction Tony Blair had taken the party and hoped Gordon Brown’s leadership would have improved matters, but added: “I couldn’t have been more wrong.”
In particular she attacked the smear campaign, cooked up between Brown’s spin doctor Damian McBride and Labour blogger Derek Draper, for personally targeting David Cameron and his wife in the wake of their son Ivan’s death.
“Like everyone else I think that most decent people in the party would be shocked and absolutely scandalised by the smears that were about to be launched on our behalf.
“I cannot imagine what kind of person would think it is a good idea to smear a couple who have just lost a loving son - I really can’t.”
She said there was a ‘desperate and dispirited’ feeling among many Labour party members at moment and when asked if she thought Labour would lose the next General Election, she added: “Unless there is a dramatic change in what we are proposing to the electorate then that could be the case.”
Her resignation comes as deputy leader Harriet Harman has called for renewed confidence in the party and Gordon Brown's leadership.
Speaking at today's gathering of the Labour LGA group she said: “I think now is a time for us to be confident and for us to be determined,”
“Every day it is clearer that we have the answers to the big questions and the big future challenges. So we should be confident, in our record, in our values, in our leadership and in our team.”
Ms Harman went on to say that the party was “fortunate to be able to look to the leadership” of Mr Brown.
She added: “He is demonstrating conviction leadership.”
Last week Gordon Brown was forced to make a belated apology to senior conservatives including David Cameron and George Osborne over the e-mails.
Among the unsubstantiated rumours being proposed by McBride as material a new pro-labour blog called Red-Flag were that Cameron could have an embarrassing sexual disease and Osborne’s wife was emotionally unstable.
McBride was forced to resign after the e-mails were leaked to right-wing blogger Paul Staines and subsequently published.
Source:The times
Veteran left-winger Alice Mahon says she was “shocked and absolutely scandalised” by Downing Street official Damian McBride’s attempts to smear top Tories.
Mahon, 71, MP for Halifax between 1987 and 2005 accused the party of betraying its principles and was on course for election defeat.
Ms Mahon said it was a difficult decision to quit the party, but said: “I can no longer be a member of a party that at the leadership level has betrayed many of the values and principles that inspired me as a teenager to join.”
Ms Mahon, who opposed the Iraq war, said that she had been unhappy with the direction Tony Blair had taken the party and hoped Gordon Brown’s leadership would have improved matters, but added: “I couldn’t have been more wrong.”
In particular she attacked the smear campaign, cooked up between Brown’s spin doctor Damian McBride and Labour blogger Derek Draper, for personally targeting David Cameron and his wife in the wake of their son Ivan’s death.
“Like everyone else I think that most decent people in the party would be shocked and absolutely scandalised by the smears that were about to be launched on our behalf.
“I cannot imagine what kind of person would think it is a good idea to smear a couple who have just lost a loving son - I really can’t.”
She said there was a ‘desperate and dispirited’ feeling among many Labour party members at moment and when asked if she thought Labour would lose the next General Election, she added: “Unless there is a dramatic change in what we are proposing to the electorate then that could be the case.”
Her resignation comes as deputy leader Harriet Harman has called for renewed confidence in the party and Gordon Brown's leadership.
Speaking at today's gathering of the Labour LGA group she said: “I think now is a time for us to be confident and for us to be determined,”
“Every day it is clearer that we have the answers to the big questions and the big future challenges. So we should be confident, in our record, in our values, in our leadership and in our team.”
Ms Harman went on to say that the party was “fortunate to be able to look to the leadership” of Mr Brown.
She added: “He is demonstrating conviction leadership.”
Last week Gordon Brown was forced to make a belated apology to senior conservatives including David Cameron and George Osborne over the e-mails.
Among the unsubstantiated rumours being proposed by McBride as material a new pro-labour blog called Red-Flag were that Cameron could have an embarrassing sexual disease and Osborne’s wife was emotionally unstable.
McBride was forced to resign after the e-mails were leaked to right-wing blogger Paul Staines and subsequently published.
Source:The times
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Israel stands ready to bomb Iran's nuclear sites
The Israeli military is preparing itself to launch a massive aerial assault on Iran's nuclear facilities within days of being given the go-ahead by its new government.
Among the steps taken to ready Israeli forces for what would be a risky raid requiring pinpoint aerial strikes are the acquisition of three Airborne Warning and Control (AWAC) aircraft and regional missions to simulate the attack.
Two nationwide civil defence drills will help to prepare the public for the retaliation that Israel could face.
“Israel wants to know that if its forces were given the green light they could strike at Iran in a matter of days, even hours. They are making preparations on every level for this eventuality. The message to Iran is that the threat is not just words,” one senior defence official told The Times.
Officials believe that Israel could be required to hit more than a dozen targets, including moving convoys. The sites include Natanz, where thousands of centrifuges produce enriched uranium; Esfahan, where 250 tonnes of gas is stored in tunnels; and Arak, where a heavy water reactor produces plutonium.
The distance from Israel to at least one of the sites is more than 870 miles, a distance that the Israeli force practised covering in a training exercise last year that involved F15 and F16 jets, helicopters and refuelling tankers.
The possible Israeli strike on Iran has drawn comparisons to its attack on the Osirak nuclear facility near Baghdad in 1981. That strike, which destroyed the facility in under 100 seconds, was completed without Israeli losses and checked Iraqi ambitions for a nuclear weapons programme.
“We would not make the threat [against Iran] without the force to back it. There has been a recent move, a number of on-the-ground preparations, that indicate Israel's willingness to act,” said another official from Israel's intelligence community.
He added that it was unlikely that Israel would carry out the attack without receiving at least tacit approval from America, which has struck a more reconciliatory tone in dealing with Iran under its new administration.
An Israeli attack on Iran would entail flying over Jordanian and Iraqi airspace, where US forces have a strong presence.
Ephraim Kam, the deputy director of the Institute for National Security Studies, said it was unlikely that the Americans would approve an attack.
“The American defence establishment is unsure that the operation will be successful. And the results of the operation would only delay Iran's programme by two to four years,” he said.
A visit by President Obama to Israel in June is expected to coincide with the national elections in Iran — timing that would allow the US Administration to re-evaluate diplomatic resolutions with Iran before hearing the Israeli position.
“Many of the leaks or statements made by Israeli leaders and military commanders are meant for deterrence. The message is that if [the international community] is unable to solve the problem they need to take into account that we will solve it our way,” Mr Kam said.
Among recent preparations by the airforce was the Israeli attack of a weapons convoy in Sudan bound for militants in the Gaza Strip.
“Sudan was practice for the Israeli forces on a long-range attack,” Ronen Bergman, the author of The Secret War with Iran, said. “They wanted to see how they handled the transfer of information, hitting a moving target ... In that sense it was a rehearsal.”
Israel has made public its intention to hold the largest-ever nationwide drill next month.
Colonel Hilik Sofer told Haaretz, a daily Israeli newspaper, that the drill would “train for a reality in which during war missiles can fall on any part of the country without warning ... We want the citizens to understand that war can happen tomorrow morning”.
Israel will conduct an exercise with US forces to test the ability of Arrow, its US-funded missile defence system. The exercise would test whether the system could intercept missiles launched at Israel.
“Israel has made it clear that it will not tolerate the threat of a nuclear Iran. According to Israeli Intelligence they will have the bomb within two years ... Once they have a bomb it will be too late, and Israel will have no choice to strike — with or without America,” an official from the Israeli Defence Ministry said.
Source:The times
Among the steps taken to ready Israeli forces for what would be a risky raid requiring pinpoint aerial strikes are the acquisition of three Airborne Warning and Control (AWAC) aircraft and regional missions to simulate the attack.
Two nationwide civil defence drills will help to prepare the public for the retaliation that Israel could face.
“Israel wants to know that if its forces were given the green light they could strike at Iran in a matter of days, even hours. They are making preparations on every level for this eventuality. The message to Iran is that the threat is not just words,” one senior defence official told The Times.
Officials believe that Israel could be required to hit more than a dozen targets, including moving convoys. The sites include Natanz, where thousands of centrifuges produce enriched uranium; Esfahan, where 250 tonnes of gas is stored in tunnels; and Arak, where a heavy water reactor produces plutonium.
The distance from Israel to at least one of the sites is more than 870 miles, a distance that the Israeli force practised covering in a training exercise last year that involved F15 and F16 jets, helicopters and refuelling tankers.
The possible Israeli strike on Iran has drawn comparisons to its attack on the Osirak nuclear facility near Baghdad in 1981. That strike, which destroyed the facility in under 100 seconds, was completed without Israeli losses and checked Iraqi ambitions for a nuclear weapons programme.
“We would not make the threat [against Iran] without the force to back it. There has been a recent move, a number of on-the-ground preparations, that indicate Israel's willingness to act,” said another official from Israel's intelligence community.
He added that it was unlikely that Israel would carry out the attack without receiving at least tacit approval from America, which has struck a more reconciliatory tone in dealing with Iran under its new administration.
An Israeli attack on Iran would entail flying over Jordanian and Iraqi airspace, where US forces have a strong presence.
Ephraim Kam, the deputy director of the Institute for National Security Studies, said it was unlikely that the Americans would approve an attack.
“The American defence establishment is unsure that the operation will be successful. And the results of the operation would only delay Iran's programme by two to four years,” he said.
A visit by President Obama to Israel in June is expected to coincide with the national elections in Iran — timing that would allow the US Administration to re-evaluate diplomatic resolutions with Iran before hearing the Israeli position.
“Many of the leaks or statements made by Israeli leaders and military commanders are meant for deterrence. The message is that if [the international community] is unable to solve the problem they need to take into account that we will solve it our way,” Mr Kam said.
Among recent preparations by the airforce was the Israeli attack of a weapons convoy in Sudan bound for militants in the Gaza Strip.
“Sudan was practice for the Israeli forces on a long-range attack,” Ronen Bergman, the author of The Secret War with Iran, said. “They wanted to see how they handled the transfer of information, hitting a moving target ... In that sense it was a rehearsal.”
Israel has made public its intention to hold the largest-ever nationwide drill next month.
Colonel Hilik Sofer told Haaretz, a daily Israeli newspaper, that the drill would “train for a reality in which during war missiles can fall on any part of the country without warning ... We want the citizens to understand that war can happen tomorrow morning”.
Israel will conduct an exercise with US forces to test the ability of Arrow, its US-funded missile defence system. The exercise would test whether the system could intercept missiles launched at Israel.
“Israel has made it clear that it will not tolerate the threat of a nuclear Iran. According to Israeli Intelligence they will have the bomb within two years ... Once they have a bomb it will be too late, and Israel will have no choice to strike — with or without America,” an official from the Israeli Defence Ministry said.
Source:The times
Alice Mahon quits Labour over e-mail smears
A Former Labour MP has quit the party after half-a-century in the wake of the government's e-mail smears scandal.
Veteran left-winger Alice Mahon says she was “shocked and absolutely scandalised” by Downing Street official Damian McBride’s attempts to smear top Tories.
Mahon, 71, MP for Halifax between 1987 and 2005 accused the party of betraying its principles and was on course for election defeat.
Ms Mahon said it was a difficult decision to quit the party, but said: “I can no longer be a member of a party that at the leadership level has betrayed many of the values and principles that inspired me as a teenager to join.”
Ms Mahon, who opposed the Iraq war, said that she had been unhappy with the direction Tony Blair had taken the party and hoped Gordon Brown’s leadership would have improved matters, but added: “I couldn’t have been more wrong.”
In particular she attacked the smear campaign, cooked up between Brown’s spin doctor Damian McBride and Labour blogger Derek Draper, for personally targeting David Cameron and his wife in the wake of their son Ivan’s death.
“Like everyone else I think that most decent people in the party would be shocked and absolutely scandalised by the smears that were about to be launched on our behalf.
“I cannot imagine what kind of person would think it is a good idea to smear a couple who have just lost a loving son - I really can’t.”
She said there was a ‘desperate and dispirited’ feeling among many Labour party members at moment and when asked if she thought Labour would lose the next General Election, she added: “Unless there is a dramatic change in what we are proposing to the electorate then that could be the case.”
Her resignation comes as deputy leader Harriet Harman has called for renewed confidence in the party and Gordon Brown's leadership.
Speaking at today's gathering of the Labour LGA group she said: “I think now is a time for us to be confident and for us to be determined,”
“Every day it is clearer that we have the answers to the big questions and the big future challenges. So we should be confident, in our record, in our values, in our leadership and in our team.”
Ms Harman went on to say that the party was “fortunate to be able to look to the leadership” of Mr Brown.
She added: “He is demonstrating conviction leadership.”
Last week Gordon Brown was forced to make a belated apology to senior conservatives including David Cameron and George Osborne over the e-mails.
Among the unsubstantiated rumours being proposed by McBride as material a new pro-labour blog called Red-Flag were that Cameron could have an embarrassing sexual disease and Osborne’s wife was emotionally unstable.
McBride was forced to resign after the e-mails were leaked to right-wing blogger Paul Staines and subsequently published.
Source:The times
Veteran left-winger Alice Mahon says she was “shocked and absolutely scandalised” by Downing Street official Damian McBride’s attempts to smear top Tories.
Mahon, 71, MP for Halifax between 1987 and 2005 accused the party of betraying its principles and was on course for election defeat.
Ms Mahon said it was a difficult decision to quit the party, but said: “I can no longer be a member of a party that at the leadership level has betrayed many of the values and principles that inspired me as a teenager to join.”
Ms Mahon, who opposed the Iraq war, said that she had been unhappy with the direction Tony Blair had taken the party and hoped Gordon Brown’s leadership would have improved matters, but added: “I couldn’t have been more wrong.”
In particular she attacked the smear campaign, cooked up between Brown’s spin doctor Damian McBride and Labour blogger Derek Draper, for personally targeting David Cameron and his wife in the wake of their son Ivan’s death.
“Like everyone else I think that most decent people in the party would be shocked and absolutely scandalised by the smears that were about to be launched on our behalf.
“I cannot imagine what kind of person would think it is a good idea to smear a couple who have just lost a loving son - I really can’t.”
She said there was a ‘desperate and dispirited’ feeling among many Labour party members at moment and when asked if she thought Labour would lose the next General Election, she added: “Unless there is a dramatic change in what we are proposing to the electorate then that could be the case.”
Her resignation comes as deputy leader Harriet Harman has called for renewed confidence in the party and Gordon Brown's leadership.
Speaking at today's gathering of the Labour LGA group she said: “I think now is a time for us to be confident and for us to be determined,”
“Every day it is clearer that we have the answers to the big questions and the big future challenges. So we should be confident, in our record, in our values, in our leadership and in our team.”
Ms Harman went on to say that the party was “fortunate to be able to look to the leadership” of Mr Brown.
She added: “He is demonstrating conviction leadership.”
Last week Gordon Brown was forced to make a belated apology to senior conservatives including David Cameron and George Osborne over the e-mails.
Among the unsubstantiated rumours being proposed by McBride as material a new pro-labour blog called Red-Flag were that Cameron could have an embarrassing sexual disease and Osborne’s wife was emotionally unstable.
McBride was forced to resign after the e-mails were leaked to right-wing blogger Paul Staines and subsequently published.
Source:The times
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Full universities will turn away thousands
Up to 50,000 sixth-formers will be denied places at university this autumn because of a surge in applications combined with a freeze in undergraduate places.
Vice-chancellors and the head of the admissions service warned yesterday of a looming crisis, with many popular courses already full. Nearly one in ten applicants could be left without places at a time of bleak employment prospects for school-leavers.
The number of places available through the clearing system — which gives students who missed their A-level grades another chance to apply — will be restricted severely.
University heads accused ministers of threatening them with big fines if they took on too many students while encouraging more teenagers to apply.
John Denham, the Universities Secretary, has written to vice-chancellors ordering them not to offer any extra student places. He warned that universities which did increase their student numbers could have funding clawed back. Universities fear that they will be penalised by up to £10,000 for each extra student.
Baroness Warwick of Undercliffe, the head of Universities UK, which represents vice-chancellors, has written to the Chancellor saying that without a rethink thousands of students would not get a place this year. “Many institutions will not enter clearing, and the impact on students from lower socio-economic groups will be most pronounced,” she wrote.
“The threat of fines, which may go into several millions for institutions who accidentally over-recruit, means that most institutions will aim low, possibly even under-recruiting, in order to avoid crippling financial penalties. Anthony McClaran, head of Ucas, the admissions service, told The Times: “Pressure to obtain a place in clearing will be greater than in the past. There may be less flexibility this summer and fewer places available in clearing. It’s essential that universities communicate very clearly what is and isn’t available and students are realistic in what might be available. There are not suddenly going to be places opening up in courses which are very popular.”
The plight of some students could be exacerbated by a new policy that will allow those achieving better than expected A levels to reapply to more eminent universities in August. This could offer false hope, as the best universities are likely to be full by then.
By January this year there were 464,167 applications for full-time undergraduate courses starting in September — 33,678 more than at the same time last year. More applications are expected before August.
The Government has made provision for only 10,000 more places this year, including those taken by postgraduate or part-time students and any surplus students taken last year.
Last year 132,062 prospective students were not placed in universities either because they declined their offer or missed their grades. This year the figure is set to rise to more than 180,000 as a result of the increased applications and the effective cap on undergraduate places, meaning that good students who would in other years have got places will miss out.
David Willetts, the Shadow Universities Minister, said: “It’s a cruel trick on young people, who are being encouraged to do applications when there are not enough places.”
A spokeswoman for the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, said: “Getting a place at university is, by its nature, a competitive process and that means that there will be some people who cannot get the place they want.”
Source: The times
Vice-chancellors and the head of the admissions service warned yesterday of a looming crisis, with many popular courses already full. Nearly one in ten applicants could be left without places at a time of bleak employment prospects for school-leavers.
The number of places available through the clearing system — which gives students who missed their A-level grades another chance to apply — will be restricted severely.
University heads accused ministers of threatening them with big fines if they took on too many students while encouraging more teenagers to apply.
John Denham, the Universities Secretary, has written to vice-chancellors ordering them not to offer any extra student places. He warned that universities which did increase their student numbers could have funding clawed back. Universities fear that they will be penalised by up to £10,000 for each extra student.
Baroness Warwick of Undercliffe, the head of Universities UK, which represents vice-chancellors, has written to the Chancellor saying that without a rethink thousands of students would not get a place this year. “Many institutions will not enter clearing, and the impact on students from lower socio-economic groups will be most pronounced,” she wrote.
“The threat of fines, which may go into several millions for institutions who accidentally over-recruit, means that most institutions will aim low, possibly even under-recruiting, in order to avoid crippling financial penalties. Anthony McClaran, head of Ucas, the admissions service, told The Times: “Pressure to obtain a place in clearing will be greater than in the past. There may be less flexibility this summer and fewer places available in clearing. It’s essential that universities communicate very clearly what is and isn’t available and students are realistic in what might be available. There are not suddenly going to be places opening up in courses which are very popular.”
The plight of some students could be exacerbated by a new policy that will allow those achieving better than expected A levels to reapply to more eminent universities in August. This could offer false hope, as the best universities are likely to be full by then.
By January this year there were 464,167 applications for full-time undergraduate courses starting in September — 33,678 more than at the same time last year. More applications are expected before August.
The Government has made provision for only 10,000 more places this year, including those taken by postgraduate or part-time students and any surplus students taken last year.
Last year 132,062 prospective students were not placed in universities either because they declined their offer or missed their grades. This year the figure is set to rise to more than 180,000 as a result of the increased applications and the effective cap on undergraduate places, meaning that good students who would in other years have got places will miss out.
David Willetts, the Shadow Universities Minister, said: “It’s a cruel trick on young people, who are being encouraged to do applications when there are not enough places.”
A spokeswoman for the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, said: “Getting a place at university is, by its nature, a competitive process and that means that there will be some people who cannot get the place they want.”
Source: The times
France may ban illegal downloaders from internet
Anyone who downloads films and music in France without paying will face up to a year's ban from the internet under a disputed law that is to be approved by the French parliament today.
Hollywood and the music industry are behind President Sarkozy's “three strikes and you're out” scheme for curbing the illegal use of entertainment.
Paul McGuinness, the manager of the Irish band U2, said that the French law, in which rights holders will trace and turn abusers in to the State, set an example in the fight against piracy. “It is equitable and balanced and will work in practice,” he said.
Critics, who include internet and civil liberties groups and some artists, are denouncing it as a breach of freedom that will not work. One internet campaign group called Quadrature du Net said that the law amounted to “imposing a social death sentence”.
They said that it would punish citizens whose internet access is used by their children, employees or people hooking into their wi-fi.
A group of French directors and actors, including Catherine Deneuve and Victoria Abril, published a protest on Tuesday. They urged film lovers to fight a law that was “demagogic, inapplicable and stupidly ignorant of new ways of downloading” creative work.
The Socialist opposition plans to challenge the Creation and Internet Law in the constitutional court but if that fails a state agency will begin tracking down abusers next summer. The agency, known by its acronym Hadopi, will send two e-mail warnings and then a registered letter. If the warnings are ignored Hadopi can impose an internet ban for up to a year.
Mr Sarkozy, who has been encouraged by his wife, Carla Bruni, a singer, said that it would bring order to “the high-tech Wild West where outlaws are pillaging creative work”.
France has one of the worst rates of piracy with a third of internet users admitting to illegal downloading.
American film-makers asked Congress to follow the French example. On Monday Congress heard that $20 billion (£14 billion) of copyrighted entertainment was lost annually to piracy networks.
Opponents of the law, including several MPs from the centre-right party of Mr Sarkozy, said that it was seeking to save an outdated monopoly.
Jacques Attali, the economist who has advised successive French governments, said: “It is absurd, because people no longer download, they stream audio and video ... absurd because it would deprive entire families of internet access ... because real artists have nothing to lose by letting people know their work.”
Some large internet companies are opposed to the law. Google said that a plan by Hadopi to have a label of quality for legal sites that would be given priority in search engine results, contradicted its policies.
End to downloads
— In 2000 the online file-sharing site Napster was sued by the heavy metal band Metallica and the hip-hop artist Dr Dre for copyright infringement. The site settled out of court but faced lawsuits from a coalition of music labels and was declared bankrupt in 2002. It has reappeared as a subscription site
— In 2004 the Motion Picture Association of America, a lobby group representing Hollywood studios, began filing lawsuits against individual hosts of BitTorrent sites that direct users to video downloading sites. In most cases they were successful
— Offices of the highest profile sharing site in the world, The Pirate Bay, were raided in Sweden in 2006 and the company was charged with copyright violation. The verdict on the potentially landmark case is expected this month
Source: Times database
Hollywood and the music industry are behind President Sarkozy's “three strikes and you're out” scheme for curbing the illegal use of entertainment.
Paul McGuinness, the manager of the Irish band U2, said that the French law, in which rights holders will trace and turn abusers in to the State, set an example in the fight against piracy. “It is equitable and balanced and will work in practice,” he said.
Critics, who include internet and civil liberties groups and some artists, are denouncing it as a breach of freedom that will not work. One internet campaign group called Quadrature du Net said that the law amounted to “imposing a social death sentence”.
They said that it would punish citizens whose internet access is used by their children, employees or people hooking into their wi-fi.
A group of French directors and actors, including Catherine Deneuve and Victoria Abril, published a protest on Tuesday. They urged film lovers to fight a law that was “demagogic, inapplicable and stupidly ignorant of new ways of downloading” creative work.
The Socialist opposition plans to challenge the Creation and Internet Law in the constitutional court but if that fails a state agency will begin tracking down abusers next summer. The agency, known by its acronym Hadopi, will send two e-mail warnings and then a registered letter. If the warnings are ignored Hadopi can impose an internet ban for up to a year.
Mr Sarkozy, who has been encouraged by his wife, Carla Bruni, a singer, said that it would bring order to “the high-tech Wild West where outlaws are pillaging creative work”.
France has one of the worst rates of piracy with a third of internet users admitting to illegal downloading.
American film-makers asked Congress to follow the French example. On Monday Congress heard that $20 billion (£14 billion) of copyrighted entertainment was lost annually to piracy networks.
Opponents of the law, including several MPs from the centre-right party of Mr Sarkozy, said that it was seeking to save an outdated monopoly.
Jacques Attali, the economist who has advised successive French governments, said: “It is absurd, because people no longer download, they stream audio and video ... absurd because it would deprive entire families of internet access ... because real artists have nothing to lose by letting people know their work.”
Some large internet companies are opposed to the law. Google said that a plan by Hadopi to have a label of quality for legal sites that would be given priority in search engine results, contradicted its policies.
End to downloads
— In 2000 the online file-sharing site Napster was sued by the heavy metal band Metallica and the hip-hop artist Dr Dre for copyright infringement. The site settled out of court but faced lawsuits from a coalition of music labels and was declared bankrupt in 2002. It has reappeared as a subscription site
— In 2004 the Motion Picture Association of America, a lobby group representing Hollywood studios, began filing lawsuits against individual hosts of BitTorrent sites that direct users to video downloading sites. In most cases they were successful
— Offices of the highest profile sharing site in the world, The Pirate Bay, were raided in Sweden in 2006 and the company was charged with copyright violation. The verdict on the potentially landmark case is expected this month
Source: Times database
Kim Jong Il unanimously re-elected as Supreme Leader
Kim Jong Il has been unanimously re-elected Supreme Leader of North Korea, as the international community remains deadlocked over how to react to Pyongyang's missile test on Sunday.
The military dictator, who has not been seen in public since he suffered a stroke in August last year, was appointed to a third term by North Korea's Parliament, which, despite his prolonged absence from public view, gave thanks for his "dynamic leadership".
"This... marks a great event, strikingly demonstrating the unshakeable faith and will of the army and people of the DPRK to firmly defend and glorify the Korean-style socialist system centred on the popular masses," declared the official KCNA news agency.
Kim's less-than-surprising re-election comes at the end of a week of propaganda celebrating the country's military might, in the wake of what the regime insists on calling its successful satellite launch, which went ahead in spite of international condemnation.
The launch, widely seen as a disguised missile test, has left world leaders at odds over how to respond. As China and Russia continue to block calls from tthe US and its allies in the region to join a United Nations censure motion against Pyongyang, North Korea's Deputy Ambassador to the UN, Pak Tok Hun, has warned that Pyongyang will take "strong steps" if the Security Council takes action.
On a visit to China today, the defeated US presidential candidate John McCain pressed North Korea's key ally to join a UN censure motion on its communist neighbour.
"They can, and should, and haven't, exercised more influence on North Korea to try to rein in this threat to stability in this part of the world," he said after a meeting with China's foreign and defence ministers. Regarding China's calls for restraint, he added: "We've heard that for years."
Kim's re-election was announced to the North Korean people in a carefully stage-managed broadcast. While State television does not usually go on air until the 5pm news, a daytime broadcast showed undated footage of the Dear Leader meeting solders and workers. Interspersed with footage of the military at its patriotic best – MiG fighters flying above lines of tanks – smiling farmers tilled unusually lush fields and fishermen sang as they showed off their nets packed with their catch.
Kim was in almost every scene, although curiously some pictures showed the ample frame he sported before his illness, while others showed a slimmer version.
Kim usually attends the opening session of Parliament, but it was unclear if he had appeared today. The country's propaganda machine had earlier this week prepared the public for his full return by saying that he watched Sunday's rocket launch.
On Tuesday, it showed video footage of the launch on State TV followed by a documentary on Kim in which the public saw recent video images of him for the first time since his suspected stroke.
Analysts said that the carefully choreographed session of the Supreme People's Assembly would give Kim a mandate that cemented his legacy of building a military-first state and could lead to a transfer of power to one of his three sons.
Source:the times
The military dictator, who has not been seen in public since he suffered a stroke in August last year, was appointed to a third term by North Korea's Parliament, which, despite his prolonged absence from public view, gave thanks for his "dynamic leadership".
"This... marks a great event, strikingly demonstrating the unshakeable faith and will of the army and people of the DPRK to firmly defend and glorify the Korean-style socialist system centred on the popular masses," declared the official KCNA news agency.
Kim's less-than-surprising re-election comes at the end of a week of propaganda celebrating the country's military might, in the wake of what the regime insists on calling its successful satellite launch, which went ahead in spite of international condemnation.
The launch, widely seen as a disguised missile test, has left world leaders at odds over how to respond. As China and Russia continue to block calls from tthe US and its allies in the region to join a United Nations censure motion against Pyongyang, North Korea's Deputy Ambassador to the UN, Pak Tok Hun, has warned that Pyongyang will take "strong steps" if the Security Council takes action.
On a visit to China today, the defeated US presidential candidate John McCain pressed North Korea's key ally to join a UN censure motion on its communist neighbour.
"They can, and should, and haven't, exercised more influence on North Korea to try to rein in this threat to stability in this part of the world," he said after a meeting with China's foreign and defence ministers. Regarding China's calls for restraint, he added: "We've heard that for years."
Kim's re-election was announced to the North Korean people in a carefully stage-managed broadcast. While State television does not usually go on air until the 5pm news, a daytime broadcast showed undated footage of the Dear Leader meeting solders and workers. Interspersed with footage of the military at its patriotic best – MiG fighters flying above lines of tanks – smiling farmers tilled unusually lush fields and fishermen sang as they showed off their nets packed with their catch.
Kim was in almost every scene, although curiously some pictures showed the ample frame he sported before his illness, while others showed a slimmer version.
Kim usually attends the opening session of Parliament, but it was unclear if he had appeared today. The country's propaganda machine had earlier this week prepared the public for his full return by saying that he watched Sunday's rocket launch.
On Tuesday, it showed video footage of the launch on State TV followed by a documentary on Kim in which the public saw recent video images of him for the first time since his suspected stroke.
Analysts said that the carefully choreographed session of the Supreme People's Assembly would give Kim a mandate that cemented his legacy of building a military-first state and could lead to a transfer of power to one of his three sons.
Source:the times
Police chief, Bob Quick, resigns over terror blunder
Scotland Yard’s counter-terrorism chief resigned today after accidentally revealing a briefing document detailing a counterterrorist operation against al-Qaeda suspects in the UK.
Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, said that he had accepted the resignation of Bob Quick with “great reluctance and sadness”. He will be replaced by Assistant Commissioner John Yates.
A huge MI5 and police counterterrorist operation had to be brought forward at short notice last night because of the blunder.
Twelve people were arrested, including 10 Pakistani nationals on student visas and one Briton, at eight addresses after a long covert surveillance operation involving MI5 and police from the North West Counter-Terrorism Unit was compromised.
Senior sources believe that there were plans to attack the Birdcage nightclub in Manchester city centre or the Trafford Centre shopping complex. The nightclub, which hosts cabaret and dancing showgirls, attracts thousands of people each week.
Detectives believe that the venue, near The Printworks entertainment complex, was being targeted as a “symbol of Western decadence”. The Trafford Centre in Manchester attracts 140,000 shoppers each weekend.
The operation was nearly blown when Mr Quick walked up Downing Street holding a document marked “secret” with highly sensitive operational details visible to photographers.
The document, carried under his arm, revealed how many terrorist suspects were to be arrested, in which cities across the North West.
It revealed that armed members of the Greater Manchester Police would force entry into a number of homes. The operation’s secret code headed the list of action that was to take place.
Mr Johnson confirmed Mr Quick had not been sacked. He added: “As I understand matters, obviously there were consultations overnight and I think in the end Bob Quick decided it was the best thing to do.
“It is a matter of sadness and he has had a very, very distinguished career in counter-terrorism.
“I want to stress there was absolutely no kind of witch hunt or effort to get him out but I think that what people felt was this was extremely unfortunate, an operation that was very, very sensitive and important to counter-terrorism, for rounding up terrorists had been potentially compromised and there was a real difficulty there.”
Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, said that Mr Quick felt his position was “untenable” following the publication of the photographs and thanked him for his work.
She said: “Sir Paul Stephenson has informed me that Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick has offered his resignation following the publication of certain photographs yesterday.
“Although the operation was successful he felt that his position was untenable.
“I want to offer by sincere appreciation for all the outstanding work he has done in this role which has helped keep this country safe.” It is understood the Home Secretary met Mr Quick and Sir Paul last night to discuss the matter.
The assistant commissioner had been scheduled to see the Prime Minister and Ms Smith about police reform in his capacity as a member of the Association of Chief Police Officers, but the document indicated that he was planning to outline to Gordon Brown that police raids were imminent.
As soon as the photograph was circulated, MI5 and Scotland Yard took immediate steps to stop its publication, fearing that even a reference to Mr Quick’s arrival in Downing Street might tip off the suspects.
A rare D-notice — guidance issued from the Ministry of Defence to safeguard issues of national security — was slapped on media organisations.
However, the photograph of the document had already been distributed abroad, where the D-notice system carries no weight. Getty Images, which took the photograph, agreed to take it off its website, but foreign media organisations that have contracts with Getty had already received the picture, along with every national newspaper in Britain. A Californian magazine also had the picture.
Frantic discussions took place between the police and MI5 and a decision was taken to bring forward the raids from 2am to 5pm.
As newspapers mulled over the contents of the D-notice, police officers from the terrorism unit, supported by officers from Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Lancashire, carried out a series of moves. Instead of a planned operation in the early hours, the armed police had to swoop on the addresses while it was still light.
A senior officer said: “This was a massive compromise of the whole operation.”
Last night Mr Quick apologised to Sir Paul Stephenson, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, for the security blunder that nearly put paid to months of surveillance work.
A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “Assistant Commissioner Quick accepts he made a mistake on leaving a sensitive document on open view and deeply regrets it.”
The arrests appear to have foiled a major terrorist plot. Senior detectives said that there was an “imminent and credible” threat of an atrocity by an al-Qaeda-linked group.
One officer said: “These are the most significant arrests for some time. There was information which led us to believe that these men were planning something major. It was not clear when or where they would strike, but they were collecting material for a large explosion. We are talking about something big.”
Two men were arrested at a house on Galsworthy Avenue in Cheetham Hill, Manchester, two at a premises on Cheetham Hill Road, one on the M602, three at Cedar Grove in Merseyside, one near Liverpool John Moores University, one on Earle Road in the Wavertree area of Liverpool, and two at a Homebase store in Clitheroe. The suspects included a teenager and a man aged 41.
Mesu Raza, an unemployed man from Pakistan who lives in a flat above Cyber Net Café, said: “I saw police arrest two people. There were a large number of police vans.”
Witnesses to the arrests on Galsworthy Avenue said that the two men tried to make a run for it.
Bushra Majid, 33, a mother of four and Urdu-speaker, said that she recognised the men as speaking Pashtun, a dialect from Afghanistan.
She said: “Six or seven men used to live there and every day they went to the al-Falah mosque [an Islamic centre on Haywood Street].” She said that the men were aged between 25 and 50. She said there were lots of people coming and going all the time.
At about 5pm she opened the door after hearing noises and saw police dragging a man without shoes along the pavement. She said the men arrested were “darker and had longer beards” than the predominantly Pakistani population in the area.
A woman living near the Cheetham Hill house where three men were taken away told the BBC: “They were just nice neighbours, not noisy, never did anything to disturb anybody.”
Police have also sealed off a terrace of properties in Earle Road in the Wavertree area of Liverpool and witnesses said a man was arrested at a flat above a shop just before 5pm.
Witnesses at Liverpool John Moores University said that two Asian men in their mid to late twenties were held by armed police outside the main library. Greater Manchester Police said that just one man was arrested there.
Craig Ahmed, 24, a business student from Maghull, Merseyside, said: “There was all shouting and commotion outside so I went to the window and saw about eight police officers. One of them was armed and was pointing his gun at two men who were ordered to lie face down on the ground.
“For about half an hour they held the men on the floor. The police were shouting things at them but I couldn’t hear what was being said. They looked like students. One was wearing tracksuit bottoms and a hooded top and the other had a Puffa-style jacket on.
“The police searched a satchel belonging to one of the men and a carrier bag belonging to the other one. The two men were then searched as they were on the ground and cuffed and taken away.”
Police also removed evidence from a Homebase DIY store in Clitheroe.
It is the second time in recent months that Mr Quick has had to apologise. He was the officer who ordered the arrest of Damian Green, the Shadow Immigration Minister, in November, after an investigation into leaks of Home Office information by a civil servant to the Conservative Party. He later accused “the Tory machinery” of undermining his investigation. He had to apologise after the Tories denied his accusation of dirty tricks.
Cheetham Hill has been the centre of terror investigations before. In November 2007, Abdul Rahman, 25, from Pakistan, became the first person in Britain to be convicted of disseminating terrorist information. He ran a cell largely based at a council house in Cheetham Hill. He recruited young Muslim men for a “holy war” against coalition forces in Afghanistan.
Source:the times
Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, said that he had accepted the resignation of Bob Quick with “great reluctance and sadness”. He will be replaced by Assistant Commissioner John Yates.
A huge MI5 and police counterterrorist operation had to be brought forward at short notice last night because of the blunder.
Twelve people were arrested, including 10 Pakistani nationals on student visas and one Briton, at eight addresses after a long covert surveillance operation involving MI5 and police from the North West Counter-Terrorism Unit was compromised.
Senior sources believe that there were plans to attack the Birdcage nightclub in Manchester city centre or the Trafford Centre shopping complex. The nightclub, which hosts cabaret and dancing showgirls, attracts thousands of people each week.
Detectives believe that the venue, near The Printworks entertainment complex, was being targeted as a “symbol of Western decadence”. The Trafford Centre in Manchester attracts 140,000 shoppers each weekend.
The operation was nearly blown when Mr Quick walked up Downing Street holding a document marked “secret” with highly sensitive operational details visible to photographers.
The document, carried under his arm, revealed how many terrorist suspects were to be arrested, in which cities across the North West.
It revealed that armed members of the Greater Manchester Police would force entry into a number of homes. The operation’s secret code headed the list of action that was to take place.
Mr Johnson confirmed Mr Quick had not been sacked. He added: “As I understand matters, obviously there were consultations overnight and I think in the end Bob Quick decided it was the best thing to do.
“It is a matter of sadness and he has had a very, very distinguished career in counter-terrorism.
“I want to stress there was absolutely no kind of witch hunt or effort to get him out but I think that what people felt was this was extremely unfortunate, an operation that was very, very sensitive and important to counter-terrorism, for rounding up terrorists had been potentially compromised and there was a real difficulty there.”
Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, said that Mr Quick felt his position was “untenable” following the publication of the photographs and thanked him for his work.
She said: “Sir Paul Stephenson has informed me that Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick has offered his resignation following the publication of certain photographs yesterday.
“Although the operation was successful he felt that his position was untenable.
“I want to offer by sincere appreciation for all the outstanding work he has done in this role which has helped keep this country safe.” It is understood the Home Secretary met Mr Quick and Sir Paul last night to discuss the matter.
The assistant commissioner had been scheduled to see the Prime Minister and Ms Smith about police reform in his capacity as a member of the Association of Chief Police Officers, but the document indicated that he was planning to outline to Gordon Brown that police raids were imminent.
As soon as the photograph was circulated, MI5 and Scotland Yard took immediate steps to stop its publication, fearing that even a reference to Mr Quick’s arrival in Downing Street might tip off the suspects.
A rare D-notice — guidance issued from the Ministry of Defence to safeguard issues of national security — was slapped on media organisations.
However, the photograph of the document had already been distributed abroad, where the D-notice system carries no weight. Getty Images, which took the photograph, agreed to take it off its website, but foreign media organisations that have contracts with Getty had already received the picture, along with every national newspaper in Britain. A Californian magazine also had the picture.
Frantic discussions took place between the police and MI5 and a decision was taken to bring forward the raids from 2am to 5pm.
As newspapers mulled over the contents of the D-notice, police officers from the terrorism unit, supported by officers from Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Lancashire, carried out a series of moves. Instead of a planned operation in the early hours, the armed police had to swoop on the addresses while it was still light.
A senior officer said: “This was a massive compromise of the whole operation.”
Last night Mr Quick apologised to Sir Paul Stephenson, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, for the security blunder that nearly put paid to months of surveillance work.
A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “Assistant Commissioner Quick accepts he made a mistake on leaving a sensitive document on open view and deeply regrets it.”
The arrests appear to have foiled a major terrorist plot. Senior detectives said that there was an “imminent and credible” threat of an atrocity by an al-Qaeda-linked group.
One officer said: “These are the most significant arrests for some time. There was information which led us to believe that these men were planning something major. It was not clear when or where they would strike, but they were collecting material for a large explosion. We are talking about something big.”
Two men were arrested at a house on Galsworthy Avenue in Cheetham Hill, Manchester, two at a premises on Cheetham Hill Road, one on the M602, three at Cedar Grove in Merseyside, one near Liverpool John Moores University, one on Earle Road in the Wavertree area of Liverpool, and two at a Homebase store in Clitheroe. The suspects included a teenager and a man aged 41.
Mesu Raza, an unemployed man from Pakistan who lives in a flat above Cyber Net Café, said: “I saw police arrest two people. There were a large number of police vans.”
Witnesses to the arrests on Galsworthy Avenue said that the two men tried to make a run for it.
Bushra Majid, 33, a mother of four and Urdu-speaker, said that she recognised the men as speaking Pashtun, a dialect from Afghanistan.
She said: “Six or seven men used to live there and every day they went to the al-Falah mosque [an Islamic centre on Haywood Street].” She said that the men were aged between 25 and 50. She said there were lots of people coming and going all the time.
At about 5pm she opened the door after hearing noises and saw police dragging a man without shoes along the pavement. She said the men arrested were “darker and had longer beards” than the predominantly Pakistani population in the area.
A woman living near the Cheetham Hill house where three men were taken away told the BBC: “They were just nice neighbours, not noisy, never did anything to disturb anybody.”
Police have also sealed off a terrace of properties in Earle Road in the Wavertree area of Liverpool and witnesses said a man was arrested at a flat above a shop just before 5pm.
Witnesses at Liverpool John Moores University said that two Asian men in their mid to late twenties were held by armed police outside the main library. Greater Manchester Police said that just one man was arrested there.
Craig Ahmed, 24, a business student from Maghull, Merseyside, said: “There was all shouting and commotion outside so I went to the window and saw about eight police officers. One of them was armed and was pointing his gun at two men who were ordered to lie face down on the ground.
“For about half an hour they held the men on the floor. The police were shouting things at them but I couldn’t hear what was being said. They looked like students. One was wearing tracksuit bottoms and a hooded top and the other had a Puffa-style jacket on.
“The police searched a satchel belonging to one of the men and a carrier bag belonging to the other one. The two men were then searched as they were on the ground and cuffed and taken away.”
Police also removed evidence from a Homebase DIY store in Clitheroe.
It is the second time in recent months that Mr Quick has had to apologise. He was the officer who ordered the arrest of Damian Green, the Shadow Immigration Minister, in November, after an investigation into leaks of Home Office information by a civil servant to the Conservative Party. He later accused “the Tory machinery” of undermining his investigation. He had to apologise after the Tories denied his accusation of dirty tricks.
Cheetham Hill has been the centre of terror investigations before. In November 2007, Abdul Rahman, 25, from Pakistan, became the first person in Britain to be convicted of disseminating terrorist information. He ran a cell largely based at a council house in Cheetham Hill. He recruited young Muslim men for a “holy war” against coalition forces in Afghanistan.
Source:the times
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Street View UK is here to stay, says boss of Google Maps
Google will continue to take pictures of the streets of Britain and put them online for its controversial Street View mapping service, the head of Google Maps has told The Times.
John Hanke said the feature was already widely used in the UK and dismissed concerns that it might help burglars plan where to strike. The company plans to provide coverage of most of the country by the end of next year.
At the offices of Google Maps and Earth in Mountain View, Silicon Valley, Mr Hanke said: "We know it is really popular and people are using it broadly and I am totally convinced that they are not all using it to plan robberies. I tend to think that societies like ours come down on the side of information being good for the economy and good for us as individuals."
Google Street View, which was introduced in Britain last month, gives 360-degree views of big cities at street level, allowing people to take virtual tours from their computers or mobile phones
The company’s camera-equipped cars have been travelling around British streets since last year. The cars take images only on public roads and produce a seamless panoramic view of a particular street on a particular day.
Street View automatically blurs out images of people's faces and car registrations, although the technology is not perfect. Anyone wishing to have images removed can contact Google which says most requests are processed within hours.
Claims that the online feature is an invasion of privacy have combined with fears that it provides easy information for burglars and there were calls for the service to be dismantled. Earlier this month villagers blocked a Street View car from entering Broughton in Buckinghamshire, claiming it was intrusive. Privacy International, a pressure group, has sent a formal complaint about the service to the Information Commissioner's Office, citing more than 200 reports from members of the public who were identifiable on Street View images. The group has asked for the service to be suspended.
Mr Hanke said that Google believed it was acting within the law and that the benefits of the service outweighed concerns about its intrusiveness. "Public debate is very healthy and that is a good thing. The reason we are doing it is because we think it has a lot of benefits."
Asked about the villagers of Broughton, he said: "It is their community. People should work through what the real risk is. My request is that we not buy into some of the negative hype and really think about what Street View is and where it fits into society."
Mr Hanke said Street View was part of the trend for people to use social media, like YouTube, Flickr or Facebook to publish online their descriptions and images of the world around them.
"Generally the side of openness is one that serves us well as a society, in terms of enriching our lives by better information and better choices," he said.
Google promotes Street View as a useful tool for househunting, planning holidays or working out where to meet friends. Mr Hanke said that combined with the Google Maps service, it was a "reasonable proxy" for going there yourself.
Mr Hanke said: "For me it is a really simple idea - Street View allows you to do something from your desktop that you used to have to get in your car and drive around to do. It is taking people off the road, burning less fuel and saving people time. It is about giving people powerful information so that they can make better choices."
For instance, it relieved the anxiety of booking the right hotel in the right location, he said. "It is almost like Star Trek where in an ideal world you would just go to the transporter room and transport yourself there, materialise out of the ether, walk around with you tricorder/camera, investigate the place and then beam back and tell your wife, it's perfect and then book it."
Mr Hanke has previously had to fend off controversy about the security implications of the "overhead" imagery of Google Maps. Terrorists in Mumbai used mapping programs to help plot their attacks. Google also replaced images of a British base in Iraq after military objections. A Republican legislator in California has drafted a bill calling for Google to blur out all schools, places of worship, government buildings and medical facilities because of the security risk.
Mr Hanke said he expected the Street View controversy to die down in the UK once people understood the technology and the limitations of the service better. He pointed out that the Street View images will only be updated at most once a year and probably once every two years.
It is not real time, you can see that there is a red vehicle in front of a house on a certain day. But can you check on Street View to see if there is anyone at home? No, because it is one image taken at a certain point in time. It does not tell you anything about whether the car is there now or whether it is there every day."
Street View began as a side project for Google co-founder Larry Page. In the early years of Google, before it became a public company in 2004, he investigated how to stitch together photos taken from a moving car and asked Google engineers to come up with systems to put the pictures together and create a mapping service.
Mr Hanke, who was co-founder and CEO of Keyhole, a global mapping company that was acquired by Google in 2004 and which became Google Earth, oversaw the introduction of Street View which now comprises tens of millions of photos. The service acts as the ground level layer for Google Maps and Earth which uses satellite imagery to allow users to "fly" to wherever they want in the world and view the terrain, the buildings and the streets.
Street View was launched in the US in May, 2007, and has gradually been expanded to include more cities around the world, more streets, and also some rural areas. it is available for countries including France, Italy, Spain, Australia and Japan.
Street View UK includes 25 leading cities and Google intends to cover the majority of cities and towns in the country by the end of next year. Mr Hanke said: "As a company we may not make 100 per cent of everybody happy in all situations but I don't think you can live your life as an individual or as a company not wanting to step on anybody's toes. We have to chart a course between the benefit that can come from something and adhering to social mores and the law."
Source:the times
John Hanke said the feature was already widely used in the UK and dismissed concerns that it might help burglars plan where to strike. The company plans to provide coverage of most of the country by the end of next year.
At the offices of Google Maps and Earth in Mountain View, Silicon Valley, Mr Hanke said: "We know it is really popular and people are using it broadly and I am totally convinced that they are not all using it to plan robberies. I tend to think that societies like ours come down on the side of information being good for the economy and good for us as individuals."
Google Street View, which was introduced in Britain last month, gives 360-degree views of big cities at street level, allowing people to take virtual tours from their computers or mobile phones
The company’s camera-equipped cars have been travelling around British streets since last year. The cars take images only on public roads and produce a seamless panoramic view of a particular street on a particular day.
Street View automatically blurs out images of people's faces and car registrations, although the technology is not perfect. Anyone wishing to have images removed can contact Google which says most requests are processed within hours.
Claims that the online feature is an invasion of privacy have combined with fears that it provides easy information for burglars and there were calls for the service to be dismantled. Earlier this month villagers blocked a Street View car from entering Broughton in Buckinghamshire, claiming it was intrusive. Privacy International, a pressure group, has sent a formal complaint about the service to the Information Commissioner's Office, citing more than 200 reports from members of the public who were identifiable on Street View images. The group has asked for the service to be suspended.
Mr Hanke said that Google believed it was acting within the law and that the benefits of the service outweighed concerns about its intrusiveness. "Public debate is very healthy and that is a good thing. The reason we are doing it is because we think it has a lot of benefits."
Asked about the villagers of Broughton, he said: "It is their community. People should work through what the real risk is. My request is that we not buy into some of the negative hype and really think about what Street View is and where it fits into society."
Mr Hanke said Street View was part of the trend for people to use social media, like YouTube, Flickr or Facebook to publish online their descriptions and images of the world around them.
"Generally the side of openness is one that serves us well as a society, in terms of enriching our lives by better information and better choices," he said.
Google promotes Street View as a useful tool for househunting, planning holidays or working out where to meet friends. Mr Hanke said that combined with the Google Maps service, it was a "reasonable proxy" for going there yourself.
Mr Hanke said: "For me it is a really simple idea - Street View allows you to do something from your desktop that you used to have to get in your car and drive around to do. It is taking people off the road, burning less fuel and saving people time. It is about giving people powerful information so that they can make better choices."
For instance, it relieved the anxiety of booking the right hotel in the right location, he said. "It is almost like Star Trek where in an ideal world you would just go to the transporter room and transport yourself there, materialise out of the ether, walk around with you tricorder/camera, investigate the place and then beam back and tell your wife, it's perfect and then book it."
Mr Hanke has previously had to fend off controversy about the security implications of the "overhead" imagery of Google Maps. Terrorists in Mumbai used mapping programs to help plot their attacks. Google also replaced images of a British base in Iraq after military objections. A Republican legislator in California has drafted a bill calling for Google to blur out all schools, places of worship, government buildings and medical facilities because of the security risk.
Mr Hanke said he expected the Street View controversy to die down in the UK once people understood the technology and the limitations of the service better. He pointed out that the Street View images will only be updated at most once a year and probably once every two years.
It is not real time, you can see that there is a red vehicle in front of a house on a certain day. But can you check on Street View to see if there is anyone at home? No, because it is one image taken at a certain point in time. It does not tell you anything about whether the car is there now or whether it is there every day."
Street View began as a side project for Google co-founder Larry Page. In the early years of Google, before it became a public company in 2004, he investigated how to stitch together photos taken from a moving car and asked Google engineers to come up with systems to put the pictures together and create a mapping service.
Mr Hanke, who was co-founder and CEO of Keyhole, a global mapping company that was acquired by Google in 2004 and which became Google Earth, oversaw the introduction of Street View which now comprises tens of millions of photos. The service acts as the ground level layer for Google Maps and Earth which uses satellite imagery to allow users to "fly" to wherever they want in the world and view the terrain, the buildings and the streets.
Street View was launched in the US in May, 2007, and has gradually been expanded to include more cities around the world, more streets, and also some rural areas. it is available for countries including France, Italy, Spain, Australia and Japan.
Street View UK includes 25 leading cities and Google intends to cover the majority of cities and towns in the country by the end of next year. Mr Hanke said: "As a company we may not make 100 per cent of everybody happy in all situations but I don't think you can live your life as an individual or as a company not wanting to step on anybody's toes. We have to chart a course between the benefit that can come from something and adhering to social mores and the law."
Source:the times
Courts are racist, says black magistrate
A black magistrate claimed yesterday that a culture of courtroom racism routinely saw innocent ethnic minority defendants found guilty before being handed the harshest possible jail sentence.
Iris Josiah told an employment tribunal that she was repeatedly blocked from promotion at Enfield Magistrates’ Court in North London after raising her concerns.
She said that for seven-and-a-half years she was the victim of “systemic unfair treatment” because of her colour. The teacher, originally from Antigua, is demanding £75,000 damages from the Ministry of Justice claiming she suffered racial discrimination leaving her tearful, stressed and humiliated.
In her statement presented to Stratford Employment Tribunal, she said: “In the immediate years following my appointment as a magistrate, I witnessed the hostile treatment of black defendants by some fellow magistrates.
“[That included] harsh remarks, severe sentencing, disregard for personal mitigation, easy findings of guilt irrespective of evidence, most likely to refuse bail, most likely to be sentenced to prison and general unfair practices.
“I have confronted a couple of magistrates about particular incidents of unfair practices relating to black defendants including unfair practices directed at me – for example, leaving me out of discussions during deliberations.”
The mother of one, who has also served as a councillor and school governor, was appointed Justice of the Peace in 1995 and serves in both the adult and youth courts.
She told the tribunal that in June 1999 she witnessed the “unfair treatment against a black defendant” by another magistrate on the ‘Tuesday bench’ and reported it to Stephen Carroll, Deputy Clerk to the Justices.
“I felt this needed to be discussed and resolved with the magistrate since I did not want to participate in a culture of unfair practices against black defendants,” she said.
“I have no doubt that I have been racially discriminated against and victimised over the years for raising concerns of racial discrimination against black defendants and in particular for the incident which I raised back in 1999.”
She told the tribunal that ever since making that report she was “blocked” from becoming bench chairman by senior white magistrates, despite obtaining the relevant training, and was banned from sitting in remand courts.
She said those magistrates manufactured two complaints against her before “unlawfully” stopping her sitting at the court.
“By preventing me from becoming a court chairman, I have been denied the same opportunities as my fellow white magistrates sitting in court on Tuesdays who although they have given less service to the magistracy have been appointed court chairmen,” she said.
In her statement she lists those white magistrates who have been appointed as chairmen of the bench. She expressed an interest in becoming a chairman and a mentor for new magistrates in 2000.
“I am the longest serving black magistrate sitting on Tuesdays and the second longest serving black female magistrate serving at Enfield Magistrates’ Court,” she said. “I am now in my 15th year and still there is not a black court chairman or black mentor on the Tuesday bench and there is not a black female chair or black mentor with Enfield.”
During questioning she admitted that she was aware of one of other black chairman at Enfield who sat on different days.
“I feel I have been bullied and victimised by Enfield Magistrates’ Court and the North West Advisory Committee,” she added.
Miss Josiah, from Palmers Green, North London, said the two complaints lodged against her by senior court staff left her “in tears, feeling stressed and harassed” and at one point contemplating resignation, a decision she rejected because of support from her family.
The Ministry of Justice denies her claim. The hearing continues.
Source:the times
Iris Josiah told an employment tribunal that she was repeatedly blocked from promotion at Enfield Magistrates’ Court in North London after raising her concerns.
She said that for seven-and-a-half years she was the victim of “systemic unfair treatment” because of her colour. The teacher, originally from Antigua, is demanding £75,000 damages from the Ministry of Justice claiming she suffered racial discrimination leaving her tearful, stressed and humiliated.
In her statement presented to Stratford Employment Tribunal, she said: “In the immediate years following my appointment as a magistrate, I witnessed the hostile treatment of black defendants by some fellow magistrates.
“[That included] harsh remarks, severe sentencing, disregard for personal mitigation, easy findings of guilt irrespective of evidence, most likely to refuse bail, most likely to be sentenced to prison and general unfair practices.
“I have confronted a couple of magistrates about particular incidents of unfair practices relating to black defendants including unfair practices directed at me – for example, leaving me out of discussions during deliberations.”
The mother of one, who has also served as a councillor and school governor, was appointed Justice of the Peace in 1995 and serves in both the adult and youth courts.
She told the tribunal that in June 1999 she witnessed the “unfair treatment against a black defendant” by another magistrate on the ‘Tuesday bench’ and reported it to Stephen Carroll, Deputy Clerk to the Justices.
“I felt this needed to be discussed and resolved with the magistrate since I did not want to participate in a culture of unfair practices against black defendants,” she said.
“I have no doubt that I have been racially discriminated against and victimised over the years for raising concerns of racial discrimination against black defendants and in particular for the incident which I raised back in 1999.”
She told the tribunal that ever since making that report she was “blocked” from becoming bench chairman by senior white magistrates, despite obtaining the relevant training, and was banned from sitting in remand courts.
She said those magistrates manufactured two complaints against her before “unlawfully” stopping her sitting at the court.
“By preventing me from becoming a court chairman, I have been denied the same opportunities as my fellow white magistrates sitting in court on Tuesdays who although they have given less service to the magistracy have been appointed court chairmen,” she said.
In her statement she lists those white magistrates who have been appointed as chairmen of the bench. She expressed an interest in becoming a chairman and a mentor for new magistrates in 2000.
“I am the longest serving black magistrate sitting on Tuesdays and the second longest serving black female magistrate serving at Enfield Magistrates’ Court,” she said. “I am now in my 15th year and still there is not a black court chairman or black mentor on the Tuesday bench and there is not a black female chair or black mentor with Enfield.”
During questioning she admitted that she was aware of one of other black chairman at Enfield who sat on different days.
“I feel I have been bullied and victimised by Enfield Magistrates’ Court and the North West Advisory Committee,” she added.
Miss Josiah, from Palmers Green, North London, said the two complaints lodged against her by senior court staff left her “in tears, feeling stressed and harassed” and at one point contemplating resignation, a decision she rejected because of support from her family.
The Ministry of Justice denies her claim. The hearing continues.
Source:the times
Gang jailed for huge heroin operation
Four members of a drugs gang have been sentenced to a total of 25 years for bringing millions of pounds worth of heroin into the North East of Scotland.
Iain McDonald, 46, of Inverurie, was jailed for nine years and Stephen Madden, 50, of Newmachar, was jailed for six years and nine months. Paul Fox, 45, of Torquay, received five years and three months, and Alison Wilkie, 41, of Dundee, was jailed for three years and nine months.
Almost three kilos of heroin, with a maximum street value of £294,000, were found in a Land Rover Discovery hired by Fox to drive to Aberdeen. A further quantity of the Class A drug had been dropped off on the way north in Perth.
The four were arrested last October as a result of an intelligence-led operation, codenamed Hawk, led by the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency alongside Grampian Police and Tayside Police.
Sentencing McDonald at the High Court in Edinburgh, Lady Dorrian said: “You were significantly involved in the large scale supply, sale and distribution of drugs between Liverpool and Grampian.”
She said that Madden was “involved in the supply of heroin on a day-to-day basis and clearly provided a link between McDonald and others lower in the chain of supply”.
Lady Dorrian said that she did not accept a defence contention that Fox was “a mere courier” in the drug trade. She pointed out that he had been described as “a trusted employee” in the English end of the operation.
During a surveillance operation the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency discovered that many of the gang’s customers were financially well able to afford drugs and many held down good jobs. Some were purchasing half an ounce of heroin for £450 for their own use every few days.
The Crown also began proceedings for confiscation orders, starting the process of stripping those convicted of any profits of their crime.
Source:the times
Iain McDonald, 46, of Inverurie, was jailed for nine years and Stephen Madden, 50, of Newmachar, was jailed for six years and nine months. Paul Fox, 45, of Torquay, received five years and three months, and Alison Wilkie, 41, of Dundee, was jailed for three years and nine months.
Almost three kilos of heroin, with a maximum street value of £294,000, were found in a Land Rover Discovery hired by Fox to drive to Aberdeen. A further quantity of the Class A drug had been dropped off on the way north in Perth.
The four were arrested last October as a result of an intelligence-led operation, codenamed Hawk, led by the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency alongside Grampian Police and Tayside Police.
Sentencing McDonald at the High Court in Edinburgh, Lady Dorrian said: “You were significantly involved in the large scale supply, sale and distribution of drugs between Liverpool and Grampian.”
She said that Madden was “involved in the supply of heroin on a day-to-day basis and clearly provided a link between McDonald and others lower in the chain of supply”.
Lady Dorrian said that she did not accept a defence contention that Fox was “a mere courier” in the drug trade. She pointed out that he had been described as “a trusted employee” in the English end of the operation.
During a surveillance operation the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency discovered that many of the gang’s customers were financially well able to afford drugs and many held down good jobs. Some were purchasing half an ounce of heroin for £450 for their own use every few days.
The Crown also began proceedings for confiscation orders, starting the process of stripping those convicted of any profits of their crime.
Source:the times
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