On the whole, the modern male has put up a rather pathetic defence against the process of enforced feminisation that began about two decades ago. Indeed, our primary response has been simply to mock ourselves — most recently by finding new and ironically humorous ways to combine the word “man” with the everyday nouns of our post-emasculation existence.
Thus a briefcase is now a man-bag; going down the pub with a friend is a mate-date (especially if one of you has a man-crush); the act of greeting said friend is a man-hug; the holiday you might discuss while supping on your mint-infused vodka would be a man-cation (on which you would almost certainly lounge poolside in a man-kini). And of course if you were ever to lose weight — rather than just obsess over calorie counts — that would make you a manorexic.
The variations on the man-word theme are of course endless and constantly evolving. The other day I found myself asking a supermarket employee where I could find the “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Light — For Men”. And the most fashionable Hollywood genre of the moment is the bromantic comedy (the latest example of which being I Love You, Man).
Which brings us to the final frontier, the last taboo, the great capitulation: “manscaping”.
When I was first asked to write about this subject, I initially assumed that this was a new term for landscape gardening. As amusing as that sounded, wasn’t digging up soil a bit, well, manly in the first place? Wasn’t the whole point of the man-word phenomenon to poke fun at our surrender to all things poncey? Wasn’t it now getting a little confused — a tad off-target? Then my wife explained it to me.
“They don’t mean gardening,” she said. “They mean, um, ‘gardening’.”
“Say again?”
“Tending to the garden, Chris.”
“Like, flowers and stuff?”
“No. ‘Down there’.”
“I don’t under-” “Your pubic hair, for God’s sake.
Ah.
For the next several minutes I steadfastly refused to believe that any self-respecting member of the hairier sex — no matter how metrosexualised — would engage in such nether-region shenanigans. Then I thought about it for a while. Swimmers do it, sort of. Cyclists almost certainly do it. Even Arnold Schwarzenegger does it. (He described his decision to run for governor of California as “the most difficult decision I’ve made in my entire life, except the one I made in 1978 when I decided to get a bikini wax.”) So why not the rest of us?
Then I asked around a bit, and discovered that a truly alarming number of my male friends were already tending regularly to their dark and musty backwaters. “Crack, sack, and back,” said one LA-based mate. “Get it done every month. I want my girlfriend’s to be as clean as a whistle, so I can hardly go around looking like the Beast of Bodmin, can I?” He then proceeded to inform me of a trimming device he had purchased from Amazon, which he described as the Ballmaster 3000. Never in my life had I ever felt so, well, married.
A quick Google search confirmed my worst fears: manscaping is one of the fastest-growth sectors of the beauty industry. Manicures, pedicures, waxing, trimming, massaging, facialising, steaming, scrubbing, ionic detoxing, even Botoxing — all are now considered normal procedures in the reformed male’s vanity routine. Clearly, further investigation was required. So I headed for the top-rated gentleman’s grooming club in Los Angeles: the Gendarmerie.
Owned by the ex-music industry boss Topper Schroeder — who looks 50 but is in fact 72 — the Gendarmerie is located on a quiet West Hollywood side street in what the locals would call a “craftsman-style cottage”. Inside, and in spite of this being WeHo (aka, Boyz Town), Schroeder has gone to great lengths to make the heterosexual male feel as though he’s in his natural habitat: heavy rugs, leather chairs, and a suitably enormous flatscreen, tuned to the ESPN sports channel. They’ll even serve you a drink, although the suggested lemon Martini somehow gives the game away. They might as well set off a Klaxon.
Well, here goes, I thought.
“There’s something about being groomed, it’s good for your self-esteem,” declares Schroeder — one of the friendliest, most hospitable people you’re ever likely to meet — as he gives me a brief tour. “Everyone’s human. To me, there’s nothing more gratifying than to see a construction guy coming in here and getting a pedicure and falling asleep halfway through it.”
Schroeder and his business partners opened the Gendarmerie five years ago as an adjunct to their already successful department store fragrance business. (Schroeder quit the music industry to concentrate on selling his Gendarme scent and the decision paid off when Sharon Stone told a reporter that it was her preferred fragrance, even though it was intended for men). “There were 50 places for women around here, and nothing for men,” said Schroeder. “We still get lots of women, but about 60 per cent of our customers are male, and probably only about half of them are gay.”
Now clearly, for the sake of research, I had to undergo some kind of manscapery. “How about I get my nails done?” I suggested.
Before I had time to raise a convincing objection I was being led into a dimly lit and pleasantly scented outhouse by a 37-year-old Mexican named Everardo, who promised to relieve me of the unsightly tufts of manliness on my upper arms along with the fine layer of hair that for 20 years had kept my beer belly warm.
“Women notice these things,” reassured Schroeder. “It makes it a whole lot easier to like a man if he likes himself.” He then asked if I was absolutely sure that I didn’t want to do anything more radical. It was on the house, after all. “You won’t believe what people get waxed,” he said. “Men have this thing, it’s called ‘visual enhancement’. When you trim, it looks bigger.” He raised his eyebrows. What about the Ballmaster 3000? “Sure, you can buy a trimmer. But you can’t always reach, can you?”
Bloody hell, I wondered, what had I done?
An hour of extraordinary agony followed, during which a great deal of shouting took place and an even greater number of profanities were uttered. At one point I pledged to buy my wife flowers next time she paid a visit to her Russian bikini-line enforcer.
Suffer? I literally bled. From every follicle. I drew a line, however, at anything below the belt. No crack, thank you. And absolutely no sack.
“It’s always worst the first time,” reassured Everardo. What surprised me the most, however, was how weirdly satisfying it all was. Satisfying in the way that getting your car waxed feels. Satisfying in the way that putting up a shelf using a complicated type of Rawlplug feels. As an added bonus, the pain of having my body hair ripped violently from its roots eliminated any psychological unease over being manhandled while almost completely starkers by a member of the same sex.
At last, it was done. “You look like a giant bearded baby,” observed The Times photographer, Jeff, marvelling at the sight of my infant-smooth (and still bleeding) belly, which I hadn’t set eyes on since the late Eighties.
I sat up and exhaled, loudly. It was then that Jeff helpfully pointed out the obvious pitfall of waxing selected parts of your anatomy only. “It’s like you’re wearing a hairy bra,” he said, photographing my remaining chest hair as though it were crime scene evidence.
Overall, however, I was rather pleased with this manscaping lark. Besides, how poncey could it be, when such immense physical endurance was required?
Granted, I immediately began to miss my belly hair — my stomach didn’t even feel like it belonged to me anymore — but I was definitely glad to bid farewell to my “trucker arms”. I felt so good about it, in fact, that I briefly indulged a dangerous fantasy of sleeveless T-shirts.
Finally, at the very end of the session, which would have cost me about $90 (£60) had I been paying, I took a steam shower, lathered myself down with some kind of soothing lotion (on Everardo’s advice), then went and got a manicure. I felt so relaxed (or perhaps relieved) I almost passed out at the table. And then, after finally accepting one of Schroeder’s Martinis, it was time to leave.
“Don’t be surprised if you get a bit of a rash,” warned Everardo. “It’ll go away in a few days. Your skin gets used to waxing the more you do it.” Pah. I thought. Like I can’t handle it.
After a rather uncomfortable night, I awoke the next morning to what could only be described as a horror show. Every newly hairless follicle on my entire body now played host to a furious, hospital-grade rash, which gave me hideous flashbacks to teenage back acne. Far from improving my self-esteem and revitalising my love life, my adventure in manscaping had essentially rendered any contact with the opposite sex impossible. For a married man, this is annoying. For a bachelor, it could be a catastrophe. The rash didn’t just last for a few days, either. Try a month.
Did my wife prefer the hairless me? Hard to tell, because by the time I dared reveal my body to her, the fuzz was already halfway back. If I was truly committed, of course, I would have immediately returned to the Gendarmerie to go through it all again, allowing my skin to get used to the process. As it is, I think I’ll save any future waxings for my car, and leave the sessions at the torture chamber to those who qualify as the tougher sex these days — the girls.
Source:The times
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Sunday, May 31, 2009
Mother ‘too stupid’ to keep child
A MOTHER is taking her fight to the European Court of Human Rights after she was forbidden from seeing her three-year-old daughter because she is not “clever enough” to look after her.
The woman, who for legal reasons can be identified only by her first name, Rachel, has been told by a family court that her daughter will be placed with adoptive parents within the next three months, and she will then be barred from further contact.
The adoption is going ahead despite the declaration by a psychiatrist that Rachel, 24, has no learning difficulties and “good literacy and numeracy and [that] her general intellectual abilities appear to be within the normal range”.
Her daughter, K, was born prematurely and officials felt Rachel lacked the intelligence to cope with her complex medical needs Baby K was released from hospital into care and is currently with a foster family. Her health has now improved to the point where she needs little or no day-to-day medical care.
Rachel said last night: “I have been totally let down by the system. All I want is to care for my daughter but the council and the court are determined not to let me.
“The court here has now ordered that my contact with my daughter must be reduced from every fortnight until in three months’ time it will all be over and I will never see her again.”
Rachel has now lodged an appeal with the European Court of Human Rights, which has the power to stop the child being given to another family. She has also applied for a judicial review of the adoption order.
Her attempts to fight Nottingham city council’s adoption of her daughter have been hampered because her case was taken over by the official solicitor, the government-funded lawyer who acts for those unable to represent themselves. He was brought in to represent Rachel’s interests because she was judged to be intellectually incapable of instructing her own solicitor. He declined to contest the council’s adoption application, despite her wish to do so.
After the psychiatrist’s assessment of Rachel, the court has now acknowledged that she does have the mental capacity to keep up with the legal aspects of her situation. It has nevertheless refused her attempts to halt the adoption process.
John Hemming, Liberal Democrat MP for Birmingham Yardley, who is campaigning on Rachel’s behalf, said: “The way Rachel has been treated is appalling. She has been swept aside by a system that seems more interested in securing a child for adoption than preserving a natural family unit.”
Source:The times
The woman, who for legal reasons can be identified only by her first name, Rachel, has been told by a family court that her daughter will be placed with adoptive parents within the next three months, and she will then be barred from further contact.
The adoption is going ahead despite the declaration by a psychiatrist that Rachel, 24, has no learning difficulties and “good literacy and numeracy and [that] her general intellectual abilities appear to be within the normal range”.
Her daughter, K, was born prematurely and officials felt Rachel lacked the intelligence to cope with her complex medical needs Baby K was released from hospital into care and is currently with a foster family. Her health has now improved to the point where she needs little or no day-to-day medical care.
Rachel said last night: “I have been totally let down by the system. All I want is to care for my daughter but the council and the court are determined not to let me.
“The court here has now ordered that my contact with my daughter must be reduced from every fortnight until in three months’ time it will all be over and I will never see her again.”
Rachel has now lodged an appeal with the European Court of Human Rights, which has the power to stop the child being given to another family. She has also applied for a judicial review of the adoption order.
Her attempts to fight Nottingham city council’s adoption of her daughter have been hampered because her case was taken over by the official solicitor, the government-funded lawyer who acts for those unable to represent themselves. He was brought in to represent Rachel’s interests because she was judged to be intellectually incapable of instructing her own solicitor. He declined to contest the council’s adoption application, despite her wish to do so.
After the psychiatrist’s assessment of Rachel, the court has now acknowledged that she does have the mental capacity to keep up with the legal aspects of her situation. It has nevertheless refused her attempts to halt the adoption process.
John Hemming, Liberal Democrat MP for Birmingham Yardley, who is campaigning on Rachel’s behalf, said: “The way Rachel has been treated is appalling. She has been swept aside by a system that seems more interested in securing a child for adoption than preserving a natural family unit.”
Source:The times
Gordon Brown sets out reform of politics and Parliament and insists he will not quit
Gordon Brown outlined his plan to clean up politics and fight the recession today as he made plain he had no intention of quitting as Labour leader.
The Prime Minister said directly he would reject any move from within the Cabinet to persuade him to stand down.
Facing a potential wipeout in this week’s county elections and a drubbing in the European elections on the same day, Mr Brown used a BBC interview to insist he would fight on regardless.
He set out his programme for cleaning up expenses and extending it to all public institutions. He promised a constitutional reform Bill in the autumn which would introduce a statutory code of conduct for MPs. For the longer term he did not rule out changing the electoral system.
Mr Brown said he would refuse to move aside even if senior Labour figures told him it would help the party retain seats as a general election, arguing that his focus was on tackling the recession and pushing through a programme of constitutional reform.
A poll today put Labour in third place behind the Tories and the Liberal Democrats for the first time in 22 years, while David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, used a newspaper article to call for a "new approach to politics".
But asked on BBC One's Andrew Marr Show whether he would stand aside if Cabinet members said it would help Labour's chances at a general election, Mr Brown replied: "No, because I am dealing with the issues at hand. I am dealing with the economy every day."
Having set out his plans for constitutional reform, the Prime Minister added: "I am dealing with the issues, and I am also dealing... with these constitutional issues.
"I am leading a debate on that but it has got to be thought through. It cannot be gimmicks. It's got to be serious, it has got to be ordered, and it has got to done in a calm way."
Speaking amid further embarrassing revelations of expense claims, including one Labour MP's bid to get back a £5 church donation from the taxpayer, the PM expressed his shock.
"What I have seen offends my Presbyterian conscience, what I have seen is something that is appalling," he said.
I did not expect to see instances where there are clear cases which maybe have to be answered to for fraud."
And he hinted that an independent review of the pay and perks system would call for a ban on controversial "golden handshake" pay-offs for MPs who stand down.
Asked if he would block the controversial compensation, Mr Brown said: “I don’t think that when the Kelly Committee reports that this thing will still be like it is.”
He went on: “Every MP will go through a ’star chamber’ if you like. Every MP will got through a process where their receipts and expenses will be examined in detail for the last four years.
“Where there is wrongdoing, it will be exposed; where people need to be punished they will be punished where repayment needs to be made it will be made."
Setting out plans for a Constitutional Reform Bill, he said it would include "a clause which sets out the responsibilities, a code of conduct for MPs.
"Then we will set up an independent external body that will manage these things from now on.
"We need an open, transparent democracy where all these things are above board. And if I may say so, it doesn't just affect the House of Commons, it affects the House of Lords and it may affect all public institutions that receive taxpayers' money.
"People want to know that where taxpayers' money is involved, the right decisions are being made. That is the clean up that has got to start immediately.
"It will have to affect public institutions, including the health service and all sorts of other institutions including, I suspect the BBC."
Mr Brown also hinted at plans to set up a National Democratic Council to head the march for reform, suggesting it would include outside experts and other parties as well as ministers.
Mr Brown said “quite major and surgical constitutional changes” were necessary to make politics more accountable and better protect people’s rights.
These could include fixed parliamentary terms, a written constitution, voting reforms, extending Freedom of Information and further House of Lords modernisation.
“These are the issues that are now on the agenda because it’s about Parliament’s accountability to the people,” Mr Brown said.
“We will be the reforming party on the constitution. It’s always where I have wanted to be.”
Source:The times
The Prime Minister said directly he would reject any move from within the Cabinet to persuade him to stand down.
Facing a potential wipeout in this week’s county elections and a drubbing in the European elections on the same day, Mr Brown used a BBC interview to insist he would fight on regardless.
He set out his programme for cleaning up expenses and extending it to all public institutions. He promised a constitutional reform Bill in the autumn which would introduce a statutory code of conduct for MPs. For the longer term he did not rule out changing the electoral system.
Mr Brown said he would refuse to move aside even if senior Labour figures told him it would help the party retain seats as a general election, arguing that his focus was on tackling the recession and pushing through a programme of constitutional reform.
A poll today put Labour in third place behind the Tories and the Liberal Democrats for the first time in 22 years, while David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, used a newspaper article to call for a "new approach to politics".
But asked on BBC One's Andrew Marr Show whether he would stand aside if Cabinet members said it would help Labour's chances at a general election, Mr Brown replied: "No, because I am dealing with the issues at hand. I am dealing with the economy every day."
Having set out his plans for constitutional reform, the Prime Minister added: "I am dealing with the issues, and I am also dealing... with these constitutional issues.
"I am leading a debate on that but it has got to be thought through. It cannot be gimmicks. It's got to be serious, it has got to be ordered, and it has got to done in a calm way."
Speaking amid further embarrassing revelations of expense claims, including one Labour MP's bid to get back a £5 church donation from the taxpayer, the PM expressed his shock.
"What I have seen offends my Presbyterian conscience, what I have seen is something that is appalling," he said.
I did not expect to see instances where there are clear cases which maybe have to be answered to for fraud."
And he hinted that an independent review of the pay and perks system would call for a ban on controversial "golden handshake" pay-offs for MPs who stand down.
Asked if he would block the controversial compensation, Mr Brown said: “I don’t think that when the Kelly Committee reports that this thing will still be like it is.”
He went on: “Every MP will go through a ’star chamber’ if you like. Every MP will got through a process where their receipts and expenses will be examined in detail for the last four years.
“Where there is wrongdoing, it will be exposed; where people need to be punished they will be punished where repayment needs to be made it will be made."
Setting out plans for a Constitutional Reform Bill, he said it would include "a clause which sets out the responsibilities, a code of conduct for MPs.
"Then we will set up an independent external body that will manage these things from now on.
"We need an open, transparent democracy where all these things are above board. And if I may say so, it doesn't just affect the House of Commons, it affects the House of Lords and it may affect all public institutions that receive taxpayers' money.
"People want to know that where taxpayers' money is involved, the right decisions are being made. That is the clean up that has got to start immediately.
"It will have to affect public institutions, including the health service and all sorts of other institutions including, I suspect the BBC."
Mr Brown also hinted at plans to set up a National Democratic Council to head the march for reform, suggesting it would include outside experts and other parties as well as ministers.
Mr Brown said “quite major and surgical constitutional changes” were necessary to make politics more accountable and better protect people’s rights.
These could include fixed parliamentary terms, a written constitution, voting reforms, extending Freedom of Information and further House of Lords modernisation.
“These are the issues that are now on the agenda because it’s about Parliament’s accountability to the people,” Mr Brown said.
“We will be the reforming party on the constitution. It’s always where I have wanted to be.”
Source:The times
Kidnappers swoop on China’s girls
WHEN Li Xiang Xiang, aged 2½, went out of her family's home on April 1 to the shop around the corner, as she did every day, her mother expected to see her back in minutes with a big smile and a bag of sweets.
Instead, Xiang Xiang - whose rhyming name means “thoughtful” - vanished and her heartbroken mother and father joined the ranks of Chinese parents who fear they have lost their little girls to child kidnappers.
Small boys have long been abducted for sale in China, but in recent years the country’s strict birth control policy, which has led to abortions of girls in families intent on having a boy, has left the countryside short of female babies.
According to a recent report in the British Medical Journal, 124 boys are born for every 100 girls in the country as a whole, and in one province the figure has risen to 192.
Stolen girls have therefore become increasingly valuable commodities in an cruel trade. Many are bought by farmers who want wives for their small sons when they come of age or by men who want a child bride without a dowry, say police and the state media.
The public security ministry says that between 2,000 and 3,000 children and young women are kidnapped every year, but the state-controlled newspapers have put the figure as high as 20,000. Only a handful of cases are solved.
“I can’t eat. My wife cries every night. Our son, who’s one, has been sick since his sister vanished and now he’s in hospital,” said Xiang Xiang's father, Li Faming, 35, who sat wringing his hands and smoking in a backstreet cafe.
He and his wife were permitted a second child because their first was a daughter.
His pain testified to the emotional bond that many young Chinese fathers develop with their girls, in contrast with an older generation for whom sons were a prize and daughters a burden.
His story is typical. He makes just enough money as a decorator to survive in Shuang-qiao, a slum district on the fringe of Kunming, the capital of Yunnan. The province, in southwestern China, is a centre of human trafficking that is spreading to Burma, Laos and Vietnam.
“We went to the police and they took a report,” he said. He produced the tattered, precious piece of paper – which, it turns out, few such parents receive.
“They said they would investigate. When we went back, they said they’d been to ask questions but our neighbours never saw them. This morning they said they were too busy to see me.”
Impoverished and powerless, the family made their own “missing” posters with carefully printed appeals, a photograph of Xiang Xiang, the offer of a £6,000 reward - although it was not clear how they ever hoped to amass so much money - and their telephone numbers.
Friends and neighbours helped to plaster the notices around the district where, Li says, about 10 children have gone missing since March alone.
Two things happened. A hoaxer telephoned Li to try to extort money, so he alerted the police and went to a meeting with two undercover officers, who arrested the man. Then the police tore down the posters.
“That happens all the time,” said another father of a missing child whose attempt to launch a campaign has resulted in police surveillance and harassment. “They don’t want the city to have a bad image.”
It was impossible to offer Li much comfort in his misery.
The kind of media and police attention accorded to missing children in developed countries and epitomised by the case of Madeleine McCann is unimaginable in China.
Take Mao Yinjie, aged four, another girl who has been missing for more than a year.
Her disappearance led to local press and television coverage but only after her father, Mao Zhengfa, 37, who with his wife sifts rubbish for a living, got fed up with police inaction and called a hotline to the mayor’s office.
Yinjie - “the pure nightingale” - was left to play with a group of children outside the family’s home while her parents juggled their hours of work.
Frantic after losing track of her, they went to the police while neighbours organised search parties. A thousand posters were put up appealing for news, although most were later torn down.
The parents’ anguish was compounded when security guards showed them a video recording of Yinjie leaving the other children and heading out of a courtyard.
“She stopped and looked back three times and then she walked out onto the road,” said her father, who could not keep the trembling out of his voice.
Yinjie’s mother felt suicidal at first and collapsed in bed for weeks at a time. It drove her father to pester the local media for help. “They weren’t interested,” he said.
In despair he called the mayoral hotline and connected with one of those fleeting moments in China when a citizen’s need coincides with political convenience.
The next day a television reporter and crew called on him. City newspapers printed stories. The police put Yinjie on a list of missing persons and interviewed witnesses.
“More than a year later there’s nothing,” said her father, “but I’m not giving up.”
Parents across China have defied the authorities’ instinctive repression of any mass campaign by signing up to a website whose name means “baby come home”.
No fewer than 2,000 sets of parents have posted details of their missing children. Four hundred children have also registered to look for their families. But the site has claimed only seven successes in two years.
The Chinese government accepts that child abductions are growing.
“More children are being kidnapped by criminal gangs,” said Yuan Xiaoyin, a ministry official in Yunnan, vowing a tougher response.
Last month the public security ministry mounted its sixth campaign against the trade and issued a list of the country’s 10 most wanted human traffickers. It also launched a nation-wide DNA database to help resolve identification of missing children.
Reliable data on the number of girls being snatched remain as hard to verify as every other crime statistic in a country of 1.3 billion people. But the police, state media, experts and parents all say the figures are going up.
“I have heard reports from Chinese sources that such abductions are increasing,” said Valerie Hudson, of Brigham Young University in the United States, who has studied gender ratios at birth in China. “But [the] abduction of toddlers takes things to a whole new level and certainly indicates, as the data plainly show, that the sex ratio problem among the youngest cohorts of the Chinese population is increasing, not decreasing.
“It makes me wonder if the traffickers have sensed a lucrative new market and seized upon it.”
In raids over the past month, police have freed 51 girls from kidnappers, according to official media reports. This is a complex criminal challenge.
Police who raided one village in Guangnan county in southern Yunnan found that babies were being raised for sale and families were acting as brokers for other peasants who wanted to sell off “surplus” infants.
However, the abduction of very young children who may not even understand that they have been wrongly taken demands different methods from those used by detectives investigating the kidnapping of girls for China’s booming sex industry.
The difficulty of fighting the crime has led campaigners to demand harsh measures against the people who keep it going, the child buyers.
“They are at the root of the problem,” said Zhang Baoyan, director of the baby-come-home website, in an interview with the China Daily.
The newspaper endorsed her call for tougher penalties, calling the current maximum sentence of three years in prison “by no means heavy enough”.
It would be hard to think ofa punishment stern enough to compensate the distraught fathers of Kunming, who carry their missing daughters’ photographs close to their hearts every day.
Additional reporting: Richard Jones
Source:The times
Instead, Xiang Xiang - whose rhyming name means “thoughtful” - vanished and her heartbroken mother and father joined the ranks of Chinese parents who fear they have lost their little girls to child kidnappers.
Small boys have long been abducted for sale in China, but in recent years the country’s strict birth control policy, which has led to abortions of girls in families intent on having a boy, has left the countryside short of female babies.
According to a recent report in the British Medical Journal, 124 boys are born for every 100 girls in the country as a whole, and in one province the figure has risen to 192.
Stolen girls have therefore become increasingly valuable commodities in an cruel trade. Many are bought by farmers who want wives for their small sons when they come of age or by men who want a child bride without a dowry, say police and the state media.
The public security ministry says that between 2,000 and 3,000 children and young women are kidnapped every year, but the state-controlled newspapers have put the figure as high as 20,000. Only a handful of cases are solved.
“I can’t eat. My wife cries every night. Our son, who’s one, has been sick since his sister vanished and now he’s in hospital,” said Xiang Xiang's father, Li Faming, 35, who sat wringing his hands and smoking in a backstreet cafe.
He and his wife were permitted a second child because their first was a daughter.
His pain testified to the emotional bond that many young Chinese fathers develop with their girls, in contrast with an older generation for whom sons were a prize and daughters a burden.
His story is typical. He makes just enough money as a decorator to survive in Shuang-qiao, a slum district on the fringe of Kunming, the capital of Yunnan. The province, in southwestern China, is a centre of human trafficking that is spreading to Burma, Laos and Vietnam.
“We went to the police and they took a report,” he said. He produced the tattered, precious piece of paper – which, it turns out, few such parents receive.
“They said they would investigate. When we went back, they said they’d been to ask questions but our neighbours never saw them. This morning they said they were too busy to see me.”
Impoverished and powerless, the family made their own “missing” posters with carefully printed appeals, a photograph of Xiang Xiang, the offer of a £6,000 reward - although it was not clear how they ever hoped to amass so much money - and their telephone numbers.
Friends and neighbours helped to plaster the notices around the district where, Li says, about 10 children have gone missing since March alone.
Two things happened. A hoaxer telephoned Li to try to extort money, so he alerted the police and went to a meeting with two undercover officers, who arrested the man. Then the police tore down the posters.
“That happens all the time,” said another father of a missing child whose attempt to launch a campaign has resulted in police surveillance and harassment. “They don’t want the city to have a bad image.”
It was impossible to offer Li much comfort in his misery.
The kind of media and police attention accorded to missing children in developed countries and epitomised by the case of Madeleine McCann is unimaginable in China.
Take Mao Yinjie, aged four, another girl who has been missing for more than a year.
Her disappearance led to local press and television coverage but only after her father, Mao Zhengfa, 37, who with his wife sifts rubbish for a living, got fed up with police inaction and called a hotline to the mayor’s office.
Yinjie - “the pure nightingale” - was left to play with a group of children outside the family’s home while her parents juggled their hours of work.
Frantic after losing track of her, they went to the police while neighbours organised search parties. A thousand posters were put up appealing for news, although most were later torn down.
The parents’ anguish was compounded when security guards showed them a video recording of Yinjie leaving the other children and heading out of a courtyard.
“She stopped and looked back three times and then she walked out onto the road,” said her father, who could not keep the trembling out of his voice.
Yinjie’s mother felt suicidal at first and collapsed in bed for weeks at a time. It drove her father to pester the local media for help. “They weren’t interested,” he said.
In despair he called the mayoral hotline and connected with one of those fleeting moments in China when a citizen’s need coincides with political convenience.
The next day a television reporter and crew called on him. City newspapers printed stories. The police put Yinjie on a list of missing persons and interviewed witnesses.
“More than a year later there’s nothing,” said her father, “but I’m not giving up.”
Parents across China have defied the authorities’ instinctive repression of any mass campaign by signing up to a website whose name means “baby come home”.
No fewer than 2,000 sets of parents have posted details of their missing children. Four hundred children have also registered to look for their families. But the site has claimed only seven successes in two years.
The Chinese government accepts that child abductions are growing.
“More children are being kidnapped by criminal gangs,” said Yuan Xiaoyin, a ministry official in Yunnan, vowing a tougher response.
Last month the public security ministry mounted its sixth campaign against the trade and issued a list of the country’s 10 most wanted human traffickers. It also launched a nation-wide DNA database to help resolve identification of missing children.
Reliable data on the number of girls being snatched remain as hard to verify as every other crime statistic in a country of 1.3 billion people. But the police, state media, experts and parents all say the figures are going up.
“I have heard reports from Chinese sources that such abductions are increasing,” said Valerie Hudson, of Brigham Young University in the United States, who has studied gender ratios at birth in China. “But [the] abduction of toddlers takes things to a whole new level and certainly indicates, as the data plainly show, that the sex ratio problem among the youngest cohorts of the Chinese population is increasing, not decreasing.
“It makes me wonder if the traffickers have sensed a lucrative new market and seized upon it.”
In raids over the past month, police have freed 51 girls from kidnappers, according to official media reports. This is a complex criminal challenge.
Police who raided one village in Guangnan county in southern Yunnan found that babies were being raised for sale and families were acting as brokers for other peasants who wanted to sell off “surplus” infants.
However, the abduction of very young children who may not even understand that they have been wrongly taken demands different methods from those used by detectives investigating the kidnapping of girls for China’s booming sex industry.
The difficulty of fighting the crime has led campaigners to demand harsh measures against the people who keep it going, the child buyers.
“They are at the root of the problem,” said Zhang Baoyan, director of the baby-come-home website, in an interview with the China Daily.
The newspaper endorsed her call for tougher penalties, calling the current maximum sentence of three years in prison “by no means heavy enough”.
It would be hard to think ofa punishment stern enough to compensate the distraught fathers of Kunming, who carry their missing daughters’ photographs close to their hearts every day.
Additional reporting: Richard Jones
Source:The times
Fugitive tycoon Ian Griffin sought sea escape
The manhunt for a fugitive businessman intensified yesterday when it emerged that he had turned up at a Thames boatyard the day after his girlfriend was found battered to death in a bath at a Paris hotel.
Ian Griffin, 39, originally from Cheshire, called at Shepperton Marina in Surrey last Wednesday — and appeared to be planning a seaborne getaway.
According to Ruby Lewis, an employee at the yard, Griffin bought a marine satellite navigation system and charts of British, Irish and European waters. He also asked if anti-fouling work under way on his 18ft motorboat could be completed urgently.
When told that it would take some time, he asked if he could buy a cabin cruiser instead.
urrey police confirmed last night that they were aware of the sighting and were investigating. They have carried out searches of a house in Surrey.
It is the first positive identification of Griffin since Tuesday afternoon when he was seen driving away in a Porsche from Hotel Le Bristol in Paris hours before the body of Kinga Legg, his 36-year-old Polish-born girlfriend, was found naked in the bath of their room.
The hotel is a regular haunt of President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Carla.
Legg, a businesswoman who made a fortune selling tomatoes and vegetables from Poland to British companies such as Tesco and McDonald’s, died from internal bleeding. The room was spattered with blood and littered with broken furniture.
“No weapon was used other than bits of furniture and fists,” said Henri Moreau, a French detective.
The couple were said to have been drinking copious amounts of champagne in their room.
Before attention returned to Britain this weekend, it had been thought that Griffin had headed south from Paris to the Mediterranean, where Legg had recently taken delivery of a £1m Sunseeker yacht, now moored at Port Leucate, near Perpignan.
In a further development this weekend, police in Cheshire have impounded a black Porsche belonging to Griffin. It is believed to be the same as the one seen leaving the Bristol. According to unconfirmed reports the car was found at the home of Griffin’s parents in Winwick, near Warrington.
Lewis, 19, a sales administrator with her father’s company at Shepperton Marina, said Griffin had arrived shortly before 2pm last Wednesday dressed in jeans, a grey T-shirt and a beanie hat. Days earlier he had asked for his £25,000 18ft Sea Ray boat to be taken out of the water and treated with anti-fouling paint.
Lewis said: “He seemed quite agitated when I told him anti-fouling work had not been completed. He then asked if it was possible to buy a cabin cruiser.
“He decided to take away a marine sat nav system and some electronic navigation charts that he also asked us to fit.”
Lewis showed an invoice for the goods made out in the name “I Griffin” and said that he had given the e-mail contact ian@vegexuk.co.uk an address at Vegex, Legg’s vegetable trading company.
Last night the boat was tied up at its moorings after the yard impounded it and called the police. Legg’s Polish family and friends are mourning her in the town of Opatowek, west of Lodz.
Her father Jan Wolf, a former mayor, would only say: “It’s too difficult for me to comment at the moment.”
Another resident of the town, where Vegex is a pillar of the local economy, described her as “a friendly person, always smiling. She had a lot of bright ideas and helped a lot of people”.
In an interview in the French media, Legg’s mother, using the pseudonym Magdalena, described Griffin as “a badly brought up man who likes to drink and is very interested in money”.
Griffin has made money in a series of ventures including tanning salons, gadget shops and mobile phone ringtones, although he has a string of failed companies behind him.
He was once briefly arrested on suspicion of fraud in Spain, but was later released without charge.
Although his record has been mixed, Griffin is proud of the money he has made.
An entry in his name on the Friends Reunited social networking website describes “my incredible successes over the past 17 years” and says to his former school colleagues: “I have read all your notes and to be quite frank none of you sorry lot have accomplished anything apart from babies, dogs and goldfish.”
One photograph of him on board an executive jet includes the tag: “The only way to guarantee a pleasent \ flight home with no mingers is to purchase all the other seats!”
Joel Edgerton, his cousin, described him as “dead good-looking and charming with everyone”. He said he did not believe he could have murdered Legg because “it’s so out of character, he’s a lovely bloke”.
Typical of his style, according to Edgerton, was when he used to visit one of his tanning shops in a run-down part of Wigan driving an orange Lamborghini said to have once belonged to Eric Clapton, the rock star. His acquaintances included Anna Friel, the Hollywood actress.
Griffin and Legg had an on-off relationship said to date back some 15 years before her brief marriage to a Blackpool council official. They lived in Cheshire before moving to Leatherhead, Surrey, where they rented a £1.4m house on an executive estate.
A neighbour said yesterday they had lived there for about nine months: “He used to take his golden retriever for a walk tied behind his quad bike.”
Additional reporting: Tom Hendry, Matthew Campbell, Phil Cardy, Kamil Tchorek
Monday, May 25 Kinga Legg checks into the £1,000-a-night Hotel Le Bristol, Paris
Tuesday Ian Griffin arrives. In the afternoon he is seen driving away in a Porsche
Tuesday evening A cleaner finds Legg’s battered body
Wednesday afternoon Griffin calls at Shepperton Marina, Surrey, to see if his motorboat is seaworthy
Source:The times
Ian Griffin, 39, originally from Cheshire, called at Shepperton Marina in Surrey last Wednesday — and appeared to be planning a seaborne getaway.
According to Ruby Lewis, an employee at the yard, Griffin bought a marine satellite navigation system and charts of British, Irish and European waters. He also asked if anti-fouling work under way on his 18ft motorboat could be completed urgently.
When told that it would take some time, he asked if he could buy a cabin cruiser instead.
urrey police confirmed last night that they were aware of the sighting and were investigating. They have carried out searches of a house in Surrey.
It is the first positive identification of Griffin since Tuesday afternoon when he was seen driving away in a Porsche from Hotel Le Bristol in Paris hours before the body of Kinga Legg, his 36-year-old Polish-born girlfriend, was found naked in the bath of their room.
The hotel is a regular haunt of President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Carla.
Legg, a businesswoman who made a fortune selling tomatoes and vegetables from Poland to British companies such as Tesco and McDonald’s, died from internal bleeding. The room was spattered with blood and littered with broken furniture.
“No weapon was used other than bits of furniture and fists,” said Henri Moreau, a French detective.
The couple were said to have been drinking copious amounts of champagne in their room.
Before attention returned to Britain this weekend, it had been thought that Griffin had headed south from Paris to the Mediterranean, where Legg had recently taken delivery of a £1m Sunseeker yacht, now moored at Port Leucate, near Perpignan.
In a further development this weekend, police in Cheshire have impounded a black Porsche belonging to Griffin. It is believed to be the same as the one seen leaving the Bristol. According to unconfirmed reports the car was found at the home of Griffin’s parents in Winwick, near Warrington.
Lewis, 19, a sales administrator with her father’s company at Shepperton Marina, said Griffin had arrived shortly before 2pm last Wednesday dressed in jeans, a grey T-shirt and a beanie hat. Days earlier he had asked for his £25,000 18ft Sea Ray boat to be taken out of the water and treated with anti-fouling paint.
Lewis said: “He seemed quite agitated when I told him anti-fouling work had not been completed. He then asked if it was possible to buy a cabin cruiser.
“He decided to take away a marine sat nav system and some electronic navigation charts that he also asked us to fit.”
Lewis showed an invoice for the goods made out in the name “I Griffin” and said that he had given the e-mail contact ian@vegexuk.co.uk an address at Vegex, Legg’s vegetable trading company.
Last night the boat was tied up at its moorings after the yard impounded it and called the police. Legg’s Polish family and friends are mourning her in the town of Opatowek, west of Lodz.
Her father Jan Wolf, a former mayor, would only say: “It’s too difficult for me to comment at the moment.”
Another resident of the town, where Vegex is a pillar of the local economy, described her as “a friendly person, always smiling. She had a lot of bright ideas and helped a lot of people”.
In an interview in the French media, Legg’s mother, using the pseudonym Magdalena, described Griffin as “a badly brought up man who likes to drink and is very interested in money”.
Griffin has made money in a series of ventures including tanning salons, gadget shops and mobile phone ringtones, although he has a string of failed companies behind him.
He was once briefly arrested on suspicion of fraud in Spain, but was later released without charge.
Although his record has been mixed, Griffin is proud of the money he has made.
An entry in his name on the Friends Reunited social networking website describes “my incredible successes over the past 17 years” and says to his former school colleagues: “I have read all your notes and to be quite frank none of you sorry lot have accomplished anything apart from babies, dogs and goldfish.”
One photograph of him on board an executive jet includes the tag: “The only way to guarantee a pleasent \ flight home with no mingers is to purchase all the other seats!”
Joel Edgerton, his cousin, described him as “dead good-looking and charming with everyone”. He said he did not believe he could have murdered Legg because “it’s so out of character, he’s a lovely bloke”.
Typical of his style, according to Edgerton, was when he used to visit one of his tanning shops in a run-down part of Wigan driving an orange Lamborghini said to have once belonged to Eric Clapton, the rock star. His acquaintances included Anna Friel, the Hollywood actress.
Griffin and Legg had an on-off relationship said to date back some 15 years before her brief marriage to a Blackpool council official. They lived in Cheshire before moving to Leatherhead, Surrey, where they rented a £1.4m house on an executive estate.
A neighbour said yesterday they had lived there for about nine months: “He used to take his golden retriever for a walk tied behind his quad bike.”
Additional reporting: Tom Hendry, Matthew Campbell, Phil Cardy, Kamil Tchorek
Monday, May 25 Kinga Legg checks into the £1,000-a-night Hotel Le Bristol, Paris
Tuesday Ian Griffin arrives. In the afternoon he is seen driving away in a Porsche
Tuesday evening A cleaner finds Legg’s battered body
Wednesday afternoon Griffin calls at Shepperton Marina, Surrey, to see if his motorboat is seaworthy
Source:The times
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
At least 30 killed as militants attack security forces in Lahore
Suspected Islamic militants killed 30 people and wounded hundreds in an attack on Pakistan’s military intelligence agency and police today. The terrorist attack in the eastern city of Lahore is one of the bloodiest to have targeted the security forces.
At least seven officers serving with the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the country’s main spy agency, were among the dead.
Gunmen fired indiscriminately and hurled grenades before a suicide bomber rammed his explosive-laden vehicle into a security barrier, bringing down a two-storey police building and partially destroying the ISI regional headquarters next door. Police and witnesses said that firing continued for several minutes after the explosion.
Several other buildings in the high-security zone were damaged
Raja Riaz, a senior minister in the Punjab provincial government, said that at least 30 people were killed in the attack, which was carried out by several people. “It was a well-planned terrorist attack,” he said. Three suspects were arrested. TV channels showed footage of three bearded men being dragged by the police, but it is not clear whether they were among the attackers
At least 50 policemen were inside the building, which is in one of Lahore’s major commercial districts, at the time of the attack. “The entire building came down,” said a policeman who was outside the building at the time of the attack.
One witness, Riaz Bukhari, said that gunmen fired indiscriminately, killing a traffic warden outside the building. “They were firing with machine guns,” said Mr Bukhari, who was injured in the blast.
Another witness said that the attackers were wearing black jackets and came out of a white vehicle. “I saw several dead bodies, including of some school children, lying on the street,” Khalil Ahmed, a shopkeeper, said.
Security sources said that the ISI was the attackers' main target. More than 52 ISI officers have been killed in more than half a dozen attacks since mid 2007 following the military's raid on the Red Mosque in Islamabad. Last year, more than 30 people were killed in a suicide bomb attack on a bus carrying ISI personnel in Rawalpindi.
The high-security zone houses the Punjab provincial assembly and many important government offices, including the office of the Chief Minister. At least 30 buildings and dozens of vehicles were damaged. The area was littered with broken glass.
Police and doctors said that at least 295 people were wounded, many of them seriously. Dozens of others are trapped under the rubble. A state of emergency was declared.
No one has claimed responsibility, but the police suspect Islamic militants retaliating against the military operation against the Taleban in Swat Valley.
“The bombing seems to be a reprisal to the Swat offensive, “ Rehman Malik, the federal Interior Minister, said.
Lahore, the capital of Pakistan’s largest province, has been the target of several terrorist attacks in recent months. In March gunmen killed more than seven people in an attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team. Several of the cricketers were injured.
Security officials said that the same militant group could be involved in the latest attack in the city. “The pattern of the two attacks was the same,” Tasneem Noorani, a former federal interior secretary, said.
Senior security officials suspect that the attack may have been carried out by militants associated with the Tehrik-e-Taleban Pakistan, an outlawed group led by Baitullah Mehsud, the most wanted militant commander. The army this week expanded its offensive to South Waziristan, Mehsud's main base and the area which Pakistan's intelligence agencies believe is the centre of al-Qaeda activities.
Intelligence officials said that southern Punjab had become a base for militant Islamic groups associated with the Taleban.
Thousands of troops are fighting Taleban militants in Swat Valley. A senior military spokesman said that a large part of the valley had been cleared of rebels and street-to-street fighting was raging in Mingora, the main town of the area.
Source:The times
At least seven officers serving with the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the country’s main spy agency, were among the dead.
Gunmen fired indiscriminately and hurled grenades before a suicide bomber rammed his explosive-laden vehicle into a security barrier, bringing down a two-storey police building and partially destroying the ISI regional headquarters next door. Police and witnesses said that firing continued for several minutes after the explosion.
Several other buildings in the high-security zone were damaged
Raja Riaz, a senior minister in the Punjab provincial government, said that at least 30 people were killed in the attack, which was carried out by several people. “It was a well-planned terrorist attack,” he said. Three suspects were arrested. TV channels showed footage of three bearded men being dragged by the police, but it is not clear whether they were among the attackers
At least 50 policemen were inside the building, which is in one of Lahore’s major commercial districts, at the time of the attack. “The entire building came down,” said a policeman who was outside the building at the time of the attack.
One witness, Riaz Bukhari, said that gunmen fired indiscriminately, killing a traffic warden outside the building. “They were firing with machine guns,” said Mr Bukhari, who was injured in the blast.
Another witness said that the attackers were wearing black jackets and came out of a white vehicle. “I saw several dead bodies, including of some school children, lying on the street,” Khalil Ahmed, a shopkeeper, said.
Security sources said that the ISI was the attackers' main target. More than 52 ISI officers have been killed in more than half a dozen attacks since mid 2007 following the military's raid on the Red Mosque in Islamabad. Last year, more than 30 people were killed in a suicide bomb attack on a bus carrying ISI personnel in Rawalpindi.
The high-security zone houses the Punjab provincial assembly and many important government offices, including the office of the Chief Minister. At least 30 buildings and dozens of vehicles were damaged. The area was littered with broken glass.
Police and doctors said that at least 295 people were wounded, many of them seriously. Dozens of others are trapped under the rubble. A state of emergency was declared.
No one has claimed responsibility, but the police suspect Islamic militants retaliating against the military operation against the Taleban in Swat Valley.
“The bombing seems to be a reprisal to the Swat offensive, “ Rehman Malik, the federal Interior Minister, said.
Lahore, the capital of Pakistan’s largest province, has been the target of several terrorist attacks in recent months. In March gunmen killed more than seven people in an attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team. Several of the cricketers were injured.
Security officials said that the same militant group could be involved in the latest attack in the city. “The pattern of the two attacks was the same,” Tasneem Noorani, a former federal interior secretary, said.
Senior security officials suspect that the attack may have been carried out by militants associated with the Tehrik-e-Taleban Pakistan, an outlawed group led by Baitullah Mehsud, the most wanted militant commander. The army this week expanded its offensive to South Waziristan, Mehsud's main base and the area which Pakistan's intelligence agencies believe is the centre of al-Qaeda activities.
Intelligence officials said that southern Punjab had become a base for militant Islamic groups associated with the Taleban.
Thousands of troops are fighting Taleban militants in Swat Valley. A senior military spokesman said that a large part of the valley had been cleared of rebels and street-to-street fighting was raging in Mingora, the main town of the area.
Source:The times
Green pioneers brigade: Shai Agassi
SHAI AGASSI travelled halfway round the world to change a battery last week. He flew from his home in San Francisco to watch a platform scuttle along a set of metal rails, stop at an electric car, remove the vehicle’s old battery and replace it with a new one. As the metallic ballet played out, Agassi beamed.
It seemed a long way to travel for so little, but what happened in Yokohama was the culmination of a five-year ambition that might change the way we think about our cars and much else besides.
Certainly Time magazine thinks so. It recently named Agassi — a fast-talking 41-year-old with a line in snazzy suits and Prada loafers — one of the 100 most influential people on the planet. He is “the Steve Jobs of green technology — visionary, technologist, businessman”, the magazine said.
Why the fuss? Agassi is the force behind Better Place, a clean-transport company. His big idea is to kick-start the global adoption of electric cars by minimising one of the biggest frustrations with the technology: the need for slow and frequent recharges.
The robot he went to see in Yokohama is the key to his solution. The Japanese carmaker Nissan is his partner and provided a locally made electric 4x4 for the test.
Better Place and Nissan have designed a car with a removable battery. You drive into a switching station, turn off the motor and wait 45 seconds while the robot grabs the depleted battery from the underside of the car and installs a fully-charged one.
Denmark, Israel, Hawaii, districts of Australia and San Francisco’s Bay Area have agreed to build a network of battery-switching stations. Traditional “plug-in-from-the-mains” charge points will be available at homes and offices.
As well as the prototype Nissan Qashqai SUV, Renault will soon launch a saloon car based on the Mégane.
To counter criticism that electric cars “run on coal” because the electricity used to charge their batteries is generated by coal-burning power stations, Better Place will buy green energy from solar and wind generators.
It will then sell drivers “clean” pay-as-you-go miles — £150 for 1,000 miles, say, £300 for 3,000 miles, and a few hundred pounds a month for unlimited driving.
“Soon there will be countries and cities where you will be able to drive your car all day without producing any carbon dioxide at all or having any impact on the environment,” Agassi claims.
His belief has convinced backers to invest £200m — one of the largest start-up financings in history.
Renault/Nissan has committed a further £200m to building cars with removable batteries and Agassi is hoping to sign a deal to bring the technology to London. He has met Boris Johnson and describes the London mayor as “the kind of person who says ‘we gotta do something’.”
It would be easy to dismiss Agassi as just another Californian dreamer. He is anything but. He has been in business since he was a teenager when, instead of chasing girls, he was dreaming of designing software. Soon after his 14th birthday, he did his first deal, persuading his father to buy him an Apple IIe by promising him 10% of his “lifetime profits” from writing software.
It turned out to be an excellent deal: at 21, Agassi founded Top Tier Software, selling it nine years later to SAP, the German software giant, for £300m. Three more start-ups followed and by the time he was 33 he had made enough to retire.
In those days, Agassi didn’t regard himself as an environmentalist. He used to drive a souped-up Mercedes E-Class AMG, the kind of car that does gallons to the mile, not miles to the gallon. In 2005, however, he attended the World Economic Forum at Davos where delegates discussed the question “How would you make the world a better place?” His answer was: by ending the world’s addiction to oil.
Only electric vehicles can do this, he claims. Hybrids are “meaningless” half-measures because they, for now at least, require a petrol or diesel engine. Alternative fuels such as hydrogen and natural gas aren’t going to be readily available in the near future, if at all — he loftily dismisses Honda’s new FCX Clarity hydrogen car as “the fantasy-mobile”. But he still had to solve the problem of refuelling — hence the swappable battery.
His venture, though, is not entirely altruistic. Powering a car by electricity costs much less than powering it by petrol or diesel: usually about 1p a mile, compared with 16p for a petrol car. With the American market for petrol worth $275 billion (£173 billion), Agassi believes the company controlling charging stations will become wildly profitable.
Of course, there are dozens of obstacles. He has only one carmaker — Renault/Nissan — on board. Others, including the world’s biggest carmaker, Toyota, reject his scheme as unworkable. Even if some other manufacturers do sign up, he has to prove his system will work with dozens of different sizes and shapes of battery.
Creating the network of charge points and battery- switching stations may be cheaper than building petrol stations but it still requires huge investment from, most probably, governments, many of which are unwilling to invest in such a revolutionary scheme. And while the technology may be suitable for a city or a small country, it seems unlikely that it would work for a large nation such as America, which creates the most car pollution in the world.
Agassi, though, is undeterred. He has the zeal of a man who has succeeded in everything he has done and is damned if he is going to let a few local difficulties get in his way. “Some people say I’m missing the fear gene,” he joked.
One nagging question remains. What does he drive? Is there any car green enough? No, as it turns out. But he has come up with a solution. “I have two electric cars, both Toyota RAV4 EVs. You can’t buy them — they don’t make them any more — but I got hold of a couple and converted them.” It’s his way.
Chairs made from old luggage
YOU may have spent some time sitting on your suitcase in airport queues, but not like this.
Maybe Design, a firm based in Austria, has created a new line of chairs made out of discarded bags and suitcases. The hard shell serves as the backing and bottom and is filled with padding. The least imaginative part is the name: the Sit Bag.
Source:The times
It seemed a long way to travel for so little, but what happened in Yokohama was the culmination of a five-year ambition that might change the way we think about our cars and much else besides.
Certainly Time magazine thinks so. It recently named Agassi — a fast-talking 41-year-old with a line in snazzy suits and Prada loafers — one of the 100 most influential people on the planet. He is “the Steve Jobs of green technology — visionary, technologist, businessman”, the magazine said.
Why the fuss? Agassi is the force behind Better Place, a clean-transport company. His big idea is to kick-start the global adoption of electric cars by minimising one of the biggest frustrations with the technology: the need for slow and frequent recharges.
The robot he went to see in Yokohama is the key to his solution. The Japanese carmaker Nissan is his partner and provided a locally made electric 4x4 for the test.
Better Place and Nissan have designed a car with a removable battery. You drive into a switching station, turn off the motor and wait 45 seconds while the robot grabs the depleted battery from the underside of the car and installs a fully-charged one.
Denmark, Israel, Hawaii, districts of Australia and San Francisco’s Bay Area have agreed to build a network of battery-switching stations. Traditional “plug-in-from-the-mains” charge points will be available at homes and offices.
As well as the prototype Nissan Qashqai SUV, Renault will soon launch a saloon car based on the Mégane.
To counter criticism that electric cars “run on coal” because the electricity used to charge their batteries is generated by coal-burning power stations, Better Place will buy green energy from solar and wind generators.
It will then sell drivers “clean” pay-as-you-go miles — £150 for 1,000 miles, say, £300 for 3,000 miles, and a few hundred pounds a month for unlimited driving.
“Soon there will be countries and cities where you will be able to drive your car all day without producing any carbon dioxide at all or having any impact on the environment,” Agassi claims.
His belief has convinced backers to invest £200m — one of the largest start-up financings in history.
Renault/Nissan has committed a further £200m to building cars with removable batteries and Agassi is hoping to sign a deal to bring the technology to London. He has met Boris Johnson and describes the London mayor as “the kind of person who says ‘we gotta do something’.”
It would be easy to dismiss Agassi as just another Californian dreamer. He is anything but. He has been in business since he was a teenager when, instead of chasing girls, he was dreaming of designing software. Soon after his 14th birthday, he did his first deal, persuading his father to buy him an Apple IIe by promising him 10% of his “lifetime profits” from writing software.
It turned out to be an excellent deal: at 21, Agassi founded Top Tier Software, selling it nine years later to SAP, the German software giant, for £300m. Three more start-ups followed and by the time he was 33 he had made enough to retire.
In those days, Agassi didn’t regard himself as an environmentalist. He used to drive a souped-up Mercedes E-Class AMG, the kind of car that does gallons to the mile, not miles to the gallon. In 2005, however, he attended the World Economic Forum at Davos where delegates discussed the question “How would you make the world a better place?” His answer was: by ending the world’s addiction to oil.
Only electric vehicles can do this, he claims. Hybrids are “meaningless” half-measures because they, for now at least, require a petrol or diesel engine. Alternative fuels such as hydrogen and natural gas aren’t going to be readily available in the near future, if at all — he loftily dismisses Honda’s new FCX Clarity hydrogen car as “the fantasy-mobile”. But he still had to solve the problem of refuelling — hence the swappable battery.
His venture, though, is not entirely altruistic. Powering a car by electricity costs much less than powering it by petrol or diesel: usually about 1p a mile, compared with 16p for a petrol car. With the American market for petrol worth $275 billion (£173 billion), Agassi believes the company controlling charging stations will become wildly profitable.
Of course, there are dozens of obstacles. He has only one carmaker — Renault/Nissan — on board. Others, including the world’s biggest carmaker, Toyota, reject his scheme as unworkable. Even if some other manufacturers do sign up, he has to prove his system will work with dozens of different sizes and shapes of battery.
Creating the network of charge points and battery- switching stations may be cheaper than building petrol stations but it still requires huge investment from, most probably, governments, many of which are unwilling to invest in such a revolutionary scheme. And while the technology may be suitable for a city or a small country, it seems unlikely that it would work for a large nation such as America, which creates the most car pollution in the world.
Agassi, though, is undeterred. He has the zeal of a man who has succeeded in everything he has done and is damned if he is going to let a few local difficulties get in his way. “Some people say I’m missing the fear gene,” he joked.
One nagging question remains. What does he drive? Is there any car green enough? No, as it turns out. But he has come up with a solution. “I have two electric cars, both Toyota RAV4 EVs. You can’t buy them — they don’t make them any more — but I got hold of a couple and converted them.” It’s his way.
Chairs made from old luggage
YOU may have spent some time sitting on your suitcase in airport queues, but not like this.
Maybe Design, a firm based in Austria, has created a new line of chairs made out of discarded bags and suitcases. The hard shell serves as the backing and bottom and is filled with padding. The least imaginative part is the name: the Sit Bag.
Source:The times
North Korea threatens war as it tears up 50-year armistice
North Korea announced today that it is to abandon the armistice which for more than 50 years has held together a fragile peace with South Korea, amid increasing military activity on the peninsula.
The news came as reports emerged in the South Korean media that North Korea has restarted its plutonium reactor, which produces material for nuclear warheads such as the one it tested on Monday.
US spy satellites have detected steam coming out of the nuclear power plant at Yongbyon since the end of April, the Seoul-based Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported. The doors of storage facilities at the site, north of Pyongyang, have been opened and closed a number of times and vehicles have been detected apparently transporting chemicals.
The activity suggests that North Korea is reprocessing spent plutonium fuel rods to produce the fissile material used to build Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal. If all 8,000 fuel rods are processed, the newspaper said, they would yield between 6kg and 8kg of plutonium, on top of the 31kg that North Korea admitted having stockpiled last year. This could add one nuclear weapon to the six to 12 bombs that North Korea is already believed to have assembled.
The North has threatened to abandon the armistice before, so the announcement does not mean that war is imminent. But it could suggest that Pyongyang is preparing for a military skirmish with the South, as the next move in its strategy of gradually increasing pressure on the international community.
The move comes in response to South Korea’s announcement yesterday that it is to join the Proliferation Security Initiative, a multilateral effort to limit the spread of weapons of mass destruction by intercepting shipping and aviation.
“Our military will no longer be bound by the armistice accord as the current US leadership ... has drawn the puppets [South Korea] into the PSI,” Pyongyang said in a statement.
Signed in August July 1953, after months of negotiations, the armistice marked a ceasefire and truce rather than a formal end to the Korean War, and the past 50 years have been marked by bitter arguments about what it should be replaced with. North Korea wants a peace treaty with the United States, but the US insists that any settlement must include South Korea.
“The Korean peninsula will go back to a state of war [without the armistice],” said the statement, which was issued through the Korean Central News Agency. “Those who have provoked us will face unimaginable merciless punishment … Any hostile act against our peaceful vessels, including search and seizure, will be considered an unpardonable infringement on our sovereignty and we will immediately respond with a powerful military strike.”
According to the South Korean government, North Korean fighter jets have more than doubled their sorties near the demilitarised zone, which divides the two states.
North Korea test-fired another short-range missile overnight, bringing to five the number it has fired since the underground nuclear test on Monday morning, the South Korean news agency, Yonhap, said. Unlike the long-range rocket that was fired deep into the Pacific early last month, the testing of such smaller weapons does not violate international law or UN resolutions.
However, it is a further provocation to North Korea’s international critics — as well as a reminder of the country’s considerable conventional defensive capabilities to any government that might be contemplating military action .
The US sought to form a united front against North Korea yesterday in response to the latest missiles launches and the underground nuclear test on Monday which provoked outrage across the world.
It remains to be seen whether the unusual consensus on the UN Security Council will extend to concrete steps such as sanctions. After an emergency meeting on Monday, the Security Council issued a unanimous statement condemning Pyongyang for its nuclear test, and representatives of its five veto-bearing members as well as Japan and South Korea discussed a new resolution last night.
Before that meeting Susan Rice, the US Ambassador at the United Nations, vowed that Pyongyang would pay the price for its actions. Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, telephoned Sergei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, to ask for a unified response.
Ian Kelly, the State Department spokesman, said: “We look forward to working with our colleagues on the council to craft strong, unequivocal and unified response to North Korea’s grave violation of international law.”
Mr Kelly carefully avoided mentioning sanctions, a recognition that Russia and China are unlikely to back such a move.
Moscow has condemned the nuclear test and made clear that it would support firm United Nations action, but ruled out further curbs on North Korea. “Most likely the adoption of a tough UN Security Council resolution is unavoidable,” a Russian Foreign Ministry source said. “The reaction should be fairly serious because the authority of the Security Council is at stake.”
China, which is North Korea’s closest ally, voiced its “resolute opposition” to the nuclear test in a rare instance of open criticism of its communist neighbour. However, Beijing would not be prepared to tighten sanctions already imposed by the UN after its previous nuclear test.
Sourece:The times
The news came as reports emerged in the South Korean media that North Korea has restarted its plutonium reactor, which produces material for nuclear warheads such as the one it tested on Monday.
US spy satellites have detected steam coming out of the nuclear power plant at Yongbyon since the end of April, the Seoul-based Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported. The doors of storage facilities at the site, north of Pyongyang, have been opened and closed a number of times and vehicles have been detected apparently transporting chemicals.
The activity suggests that North Korea is reprocessing spent plutonium fuel rods to produce the fissile material used to build Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal. If all 8,000 fuel rods are processed, the newspaper said, they would yield between 6kg and 8kg of plutonium, on top of the 31kg that North Korea admitted having stockpiled last year. This could add one nuclear weapon to the six to 12 bombs that North Korea is already believed to have assembled.
The North has threatened to abandon the armistice before, so the announcement does not mean that war is imminent. But it could suggest that Pyongyang is preparing for a military skirmish with the South, as the next move in its strategy of gradually increasing pressure on the international community.
The move comes in response to South Korea’s announcement yesterday that it is to join the Proliferation Security Initiative, a multilateral effort to limit the spread of weapons of mass destruction by intercepting shipping and aviation.
“Our military will no longer be bound by the armistice accord as the current US leadership ... has drawn the puppets [South Korea] into the PSI,” Pyongyang said in a statement.
Signed in August July 1953, after months of negotiations, the armistice marked a ceasefire and truce rather than a formal end to the Korean War, and the past 50 years have been marked by bitter arguments about what it should be replaced with. North Korea wants a peace treaty with the United States, but the US insists that any settlement must include South Korea.
“The Korean peninsula will go back to a state of war [without the armistice],” said the statement, which was issued through the Korean Central News Agency. “Those who have provoked us will face unimaginable merciless punishment … Any hostile act against our peaceful vessels, including search and seizure, will be considered an unpardonable infringement on our sovereignty and we will immediately respond with a powerful military strike.”
According to the South Korean government, North Korean fighter jets have more than doubled their sorties near the demilitarised zone, which divides the two states.
North Korea test-fired another short-range missile overnight, bringing to five the number it has fired since the underground nuclear test on Monday morning, the South Korean news agency, Yonhap, said. Unlike the long-range rocket that was fired deep into the Pacific early last month, the testing of such smaller weapons does not violate international law or UN resolutions.
However, it is a further provocation to North Korea’s international critics — as well as a reminder of the country’s considerable conventional defensive capabilities to any government that might be contemplating military action .
The US sought to form a united front against North Korea yesterday in response to the latest missiles launches and the underground nuclear test on Monday which provoked outrage across the world.
It remains to be seen whether the unusual consensus on the UN Security Council will extend to concrete steps such as sanctions. After an emergency meeting on Monday, the Security Council issued a unanimous statement condemning Pyongyang for its nuclear test, and representatives of its five veto-bearing members as well as Japan and South Korea discussed a new resolution last night.
Before that meeting Susan Rice, the US Ambassador at the United Nations, vowed that Pyongyang would pay the price for its actions. Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, telephoned Sergei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, to ask for a unified response.
Ian Kelly, the State Department spokesman, said: “We look forward to working with our colleagues on the council to craft strong, unequivocal and unified response to North Korea’s grave violation of international law.”
Mr Kelly carefully avoided mentioning sanctions, a recognition that Russia and China are unlikely to back such a move.
Moscow has condemned the nuclear test and made clear that it would support firm United Nations action, but ruled out further curbs on North Korea. “Most likely the adoption of a tough UN Security Council resolution is unavoidable,” a Russian Foreign Ministry source said. “The reaction should be fairly serious because the authority of the Security Council is at stake.”
China, which is North Korea’s closest ally, voiced its “resolute opposition” to the nuclear test in a rare instance of open criticism of its communist neighbour. However, Beijing would not be prepared to tighten sanctions already imposed by the UN after its previous nuclear test.
Sourece:The times
Attorney-General moves to have 'lenient' Baby P sentences increased
The Attorney-General moved today to have the sentences in the Baby P case increased on the grounds that they were unduly lenient.
Baroness Scotland of Asthal, QC, the Attorney-General, intervened after receiving complaints from members of the public within hours of the sentencing being announced at the Old Bailey last week.
The mother of Baby P, who can now be named as Peter, was given an indeterminate sentence with a minimum term of five years to be served before she can be considered for release. However, she will be able to apply for parole in just over three years because of time already spent in custody.
Her boyfriend was given ten years and Jason Owen, the lodger, an indeterminate sentence for public protection with a minimum term of three years.
Peter was 17 months- old when he was found dead in a blood-spattered cot in August 2007 having suffered a broken back and fractured ribs.
He had more than 50 injuries despite having been on the at-risk register and visited 60 times in eight months by social workers, doctors and police.
Today the Attorney-General started a process that could lead to the sentences being increased by judges at the Appeal Court.
In a statement, she said: “We have called for the papers in this case since the Attorney-General has the power to refer certain sentences to the Court of Appeal for review if, after looking at all the facts, she thinks the sentence was unduly lenient. Within this power, the Attorney-General can look at minimum tariffs imposed on life and indeterminate sentence prison.”
The statement added: “However, it is important to understand that such prisoners are not released automatically after the minimum term has been served — they are only released when the independent Parole Board is satisfied that their continued detention is no longer necessary to protect the public."
Whitehall sources said that Baroness Scotland would review the whole case and the three sentences given at the Old Bailey.
The minimum terms to be served under the sentences given by Judge Stephen Kramer, QC, were criticised by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.
Peter’s mother was described as manipulative, self-centred and calculating by Judge Kramer as he imposed the unlimited sentence. He told her that she would be released only when the Parole Board deemed that she was no longer a risk to the public and in particular to children.
Her former boyfriend was given life imprisonment after he was found guilty of raping a two-year-old girl and a concurrent sentence of 12 years for causing or allowing Peter’s death.
Neither he nor Peter’s mother can be named for legal reasons.
SIf the board refuses to release Peter’s mother, she will remain in prison with reviews on whether she can be freed taking place every two years.
Anyone who is released from an indeterminate sentence for public protection is put under supervision by the probation service for a further ten years. At the end of that period they can apply to the board for the supervision to be lifted.
Source:The times
Baroness Scotland of Asthal, QC, the Attorney-General, intervened after receiving complaints from members of the public within hours of the sentencing being announced at the Old Bailey last week.
The mother of Baby P, who can now be named as Peter, was given an indeterminate sentence with a minimum term of five years to be served before she can be considered for release. However, she will be able to apply for parole in just over three years because of time already spent in custody.
Her boyfriend was given ten years and Jason Owen, the lodger, an indeterminate sentence for public protection with a minimum term of three years.
Peter was 17 months- old when he was found dead in a blood-spattered cot in August 2007 having suffered a broken back and fractured ribs.
He had more than 50 injuries despite having been on the at-risk register and visited 60 times in eight months by social workers, doctors and police.
Today the Attorney-General started a process that could lead to the sentences being increased by judges at the Appeal Court.
In a statement, she said: “We have called for the papers in this case since the Attorney-General has the power to refer certain sentences to the Court of Appeal for review if, after looking at all the facts, she thinks the sentence was unduly lenient. Within this power, the Attorney-General can look at minimum tariffs imposed on life and indeterminate sentence prison.”
The statement added: “However, it is important to understand that such prisoners are not released automatically after the minimum term has been served — they are only released when the independent Parole Board is satisfied that their continued detention is no longer necessary to protect the public."
Whitehall sources said that Baroness Scotland would review the whole case and the three sentences given at the Old Bailey.
The minimum terms to be served under the sentences given by Judge Stephen Kramer, QC, were criticised by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.
Peter’s mother was described as manipulative, self-centred and calculating by Judge Kramer as he imposed the unlimited sentence. He told her that she would be released only when the Parole Board deemed that she was no longer a risk to the public and in particular to children.
Her former boyfriend was given life imprisonment after he was found guilty of raping a two-year-old girl and a concurrent sentence of 12 years for causing or allowing Peter’s death.
Neither he nor Peter’s mother can be named for legal reasons.
SIf the board refuses to release Peter’s mother, she will remain in prison with reviews on whether she can be freed taking place every two years.
Anyone who is released from an indeterminate sentence for public protection is put under supervision by the probation service for a further ten years. At the end of that period they can apply to the board for the supervision to be lifted.
Source:The times
Friday, May 22, 2009
Weather Eye: can a bee foresee a rainstorm?
Bees have had a rough time in recent times. Last year in the UK we lost nearly a third of our bees, and for all sorts of reasons. Two wet summers kept them cooped up in their hives away from flowers, but added to that has been the onslaught from the varroa mite and its viruses, and pesticides are also thought to be a threat as well. So it is a relief to see bees buzzing in the sunshine this month, as an old saying goes: “A swarm in May, worth a load of hay.”
Bees enjoy warm sunshine and detest wet weather. Little if any honeybee flight activity occurs below 10C (50F), and on still, clear, sunny days some of them will fly at 12-14C (54-57F). But the bees really take off in earnest at 16C (61F) and make hectic foraging trips. Bees also have a reputation for forecasting the weather, warning of rainstorms by disappearing into their hives:
“When bees crowd into the hives again,
It’s a sure sign of storms and rain.”
And when a thunderstorm approaches the wise beekeeper will keep away from the hive as bees are said to turn aggressive.
Bees are also affected by wind — strong winds more than 24km/h (15mph) generally leave bees grounded. And they do not like heavy clouds — when the cloud covers seven tenths or more of the sky, bees begin to lose interest in foraging.
Bees enjoy warm sunshine and detest wet weather. Little if any honeybee flight activity occurs below 10C (50F), and on still, clear, sunny days some of them will fly at 12-14C (54-57F). But the bees really take off in earnest at 16C (61F) and make hectic foraging trips. Bees also have a reputation for forecasting the weather, warning of rainstorms by disappearing into their hives:
“When bees crowd into the hives again,
It’s a sure sign of storms and rain.”
And when a thunderstorm approaches the wise beekeeper will keep away from the hive as bees are said to turn aggressive.
Bees are also affected by wind — strong winds more than 24km/h (15mph) generally leave bees grounded. And they do not like heavy clouds — when the cloud covers seven tenths or more of the sky, bees begin to lose interest in foraging.
Green and Confused: Where can I recycle computer batteries?
Every year in the UK we use about 600 million household or portable batteries. While re-use and recycling rates for larger batteries from the automotive and other industries are relatively high, almost all the smaller types, along with their cocktail of toxic substances, such as mercury, nickel and cadmium, are chucked in the bin and end up in landfill.
Next month, after an EU directive, regulations are being brought in aimed at putting an end to the dumping of hazardous waste and stopping the leaching of dangerous materials into the soil and water courses. Manufacturers, along with retailers, will in future be responsible for paying for battery collection, treatment and recycling. The aim is to collect 25 per cent of portable batteries, including rechargeable computer units, by 2012, rising to 45 per cent by 2016. Clearly this is going to result in industry restructuring: watch out for rising battery - and computer - prices.
Exactly how the new regulations will be implemented and in what way collection systems will work is far from clear. Gathering sufficient batteries to achieve economies of scale is one challenge. Public awareness campaigns are necessary. There are many different types of battery, each made up of various materials. Recycling companies say they are particularly worried about handling non-EU batteries, especially those manufactured in China, which often contain higher than permitted levels of mercury. This can make recycling a more hazardous and expensive process.
Many communities have their own battery collection schemes. Most recycling centres have battery drop-offs. If you use a lot of batteries at home or run a small scale enterprise, a Battbox (battbox.co.uk) costs £25. When the box is full, its contents are taken away and recycled. Other components in a computer tend to fail before its rechargeable battery. Manufacturers usually offer free “take-back” services but these can be difficult to access.
Manufacturing computers is a drain on environmental resources and re-use is better than recycling. Computer Aid International (computeraid.org) urgently requires computers for use in the developing world: to ensure privacy hard disks are thoroughly wiped. Computers can either be dropped off or couriered to the charity's North London depot.
Electronic or e-waste is the fastest growing source of manufacturing waste in the world. The problem has to be tackled, or we are digging a toxic grave.
Source:The times
Next month, after an EU directive, regulations are being brought in aimed at putting an end to the dumping of hazardous waste and stopping the leaching of dangerous materials into the soil and water courses. Manufacturers, along with retailers, will in future be responsible for paying for battery collection, treatment and recycling. The aim is to collect 25 per cent of portable batteries, including rechargeable computer units, by 2012, rising to 45 per cent by 2016. Clearly this is going to result in industry restructuring: watch out for rising battery - and computer - prices.
Exactly how the new regulations will be implemented and in what way collection systems will work is far from clear. Gathering sufficient batteries to achieve economies of scale is one challenge. Public awareness campaigns are necessary. There are many different types of battery, each made up of various materials. Recycling companies say they are particularly worried about handling non-EU batteries, especially those manufactured in China, which often contain higher than permitted levels of mercury. This can make recycling a more hazardous and expensive process.
Many communities have their own battery collection schemes. Most recycling centres have battery drop-offs. If you use a lot of batteries at home or run a small scale enterprise, a Battbox (battbox.co.uk) costs £25. When the box is full, its contents are taken away and recycled. Other components in a computer tend to fail before its rechargeable battery. Manufacturers usually offer free “take-back” services but these can be difficult to access.
Manufacturing computers is a drain on environmental resources and re-use is better than recycling. Computer Aid International (computeraid.org) urgently requires computers for use in the developing world: to ensure privacy hard disks are thoroughly wiped. Computers can either be dropped off or couriered to the charity's North London depot.
Electronic or e-waste is the fastest growing source of manufacturing waste in the world. The problem has to be tackled, or we are digging a toxic grave.
Source:The times
David Cameron orders public reprimand for suicide warning MP
Nadine Dorries, the Tory backbencher, will be publicly reprimanded today by David Cameron after she claimed that MPs were victims of a “McCarthy-style witch-hunt” over their expenses.
The Conservative Party is deeply embarrassed by comments that the MP for Mid-Bedfordshire made early this morning when she warned that the relentless drip-drip of leaked claims was creating such an atmosphere of terror that there was a real risk of an MP committing suicide.
Hours after Ms Dorries made the remarks, Mr Cameron ordered a public statement that would distance the Tory party from the backbencher, insisting that her comments were her own and did not represent those of the Conservative Party.
According to one Tory source, party officials have had conversations with Ms Dorries on more than one occasion to rebuke her for her “increasing tendency to make wild and eccentric statements”.
After Ms Dorries drew a comparison between the expenses scandal and the anti-communist witch-hunts of US senator Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s, a number of other MPs hit out at the backbencher.
Stephen Pound, the Labour MP, described Ms Dorries’s comments as “facile” adding: “The idea that anybody is going to play the violin and ask people to contribute to the MPs’ relief fund has absolutely no grasp of reality whatsoever.”
Earlier today, Mr Cameron attacked Ms Dorries’ judgement insisting that: “Of course MPs are concerned about what is happening but, frankly, MPs ought to be concerned about what their constituents think and ought to be worrying about the people who put us where we are.”
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Ms Dorries said: “People are seriously beginning to crack. The last day in Parliament this week was, I would say, completely unbearable.
"I have never been in an atmosphere or environment like it, when people walk around with terror in their eyes and people are genuinely concerned, asking, 'Have you seen so and so? Are they in their office? They've not been seen for days.'
"There's a really serious concern that this has got to a point now which is almost unbearable for any human being to deal with."
Ms Dorries' comments, echoing postings on her weblog, followed an angry outburst yesterday in which one MP, forced to stand down over the size of his gardening bills, complained that his critics had merely been jealous of his "very, very large house".
"I've done nothing criminal, that's the most awful thing," said Anthony Steen, who spent £90,000 his second home, including big sums for lopping trees. "And do you know what it's all about? Jealousy."
Mr Steen was one of two MPs who confirmed their departure at the next election, the other being Ben Chapman, the Labour MP for Wirral South, who insisted that he had done nothing wrong despite allegations that he over-claimed £15,000 extra for mortgage interest.
Mr Chapman said that he had been given permission by the Commons Fees Office to maintain claims on the mortgage for his second home in London despite his decision to pay off £295,000 of it, which reduced his mortgage bill from £1,900 a month to around £400.
Another Labour MP, Ian Gibson, also offered to stand down if the voters demanded it after claims that he had sold his taxpayer-subsidised second home to his daughter at a knock-down rate. He, too, insisted that he acted within the rules.
In this morning's interview, Ms Dorries insisted that the underlying problem was not the greed of politicians but the fact that no Prime Minister in recent history had dared to award MPs a proper pay rise, preferring to use the second home allowance to make up the difference.
The proof, she said, was that until recent years newly elected MPs were advised by Commons officials that they had an absolute right to claim the full Additional Costs Allowance, which she said was a lump sum allowance not an expense account.
"In my intake in 2005 things had changed, but prior to my intake in 2005 MPs were told, they were sat down and told by people in the Fees Office: 'You haven't been awarded pay rises, an MP's salary is not commensurate with anyone else at your professional level, this pot of money has been awarded to you as an allowance, not expenses... Our job here is to help you maximise that.'"
Under interim reforms announced this week by Gordon Brown and Michael Martin, the Commons Speaker swept from office by the scandal, the Fees Office is to be abolished under a new system of external regulation.
In the meantime, MPs continue to blame it for the more fanciful expenses claims and opaque "arrangements" that have cost them their careers.
The veteran Tory Douglas Hogg, for example, was paid 1/12th of the second home allowance per month to help meet the running costs of his country manor in Lincolnshire, which exceeded the allowance.
Mr Hogg was forced to stand down by David Cameron, the party leader, after it emerged that he had "claimed" for the cost of having his moat cleaned because it was listed on the bills for his estate.
So far one minister, Shahid Malik, has been forced to step down pending inquiries into his claims.
Three Cabinet ministers - James Purnell, Geoff Hoon and Hazel Blears - have been criticised for failing to pay Capital Gains Tax on the sale of their second homes. Mr Brown yesterday gave his full backing to Mr Purnell and Mr Hoon but has called Ms Blears's claim "totally unacceptable".
Source:The times
The Conservative Party is deeply embarrassed by comments that the MP for Mid-Bedfordshire made early this morning when she warned that the relentless drip-drip of leaked claims was creating such an atmosphere of terror that there was a real risk of an MP committing suicide.
Hours after Ms Dorries made the remarks, Mr Cameron ordered a public statement that would distance the Tory party from the backbencher, insisting that her comments were her own and did not represent those of the Conservative Party.
According to one Tory source, party officials have had conversations with Ms Dorries on more than one occasion to rebuke her for her “increasing tendency to make wild and eccentric statements”.
After Ms Dorries drew a comparison between the expenses scandal and the anti-communist witch-hunts of US senator Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s, a number of other MPs hit out at the backbencher.
Stephen Pound, the Labour MP, described Ms Dorries’s comments as “facile” adding: “The idea that anybody is going to play the violin and ask people to contribute to the MPs’ relief fund has absolutely no grasp of reality whatsoever.”
Earlier today, Mr Cameron attacked Ms Dorries’ judgement insisting that: “Of course MPs are concerned about what is happening but, frankly, MPs ought to be concerned about what their constituents think and ought to be worrying about the people who put us where we are.”
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Ms Dorries said: “People are seriously beginning to crack. The last day in Parliament this week was, I would say, completely unbearable.
"I have never been in an atmosphere or environment like it, when people walk around with terror in their eyes and people are genuinely concerned, asking, 'Have you seen so and so? Are they in their office? They've not been seen for days.'
"There's a really serious concern that this has got to a point now which is almost unbearable for any human being to deal with."
Ms Dorries' comments, echoing postings on her weblog, followed an angry outburst yesterday in which one MP, forced to stand down over the size of his gardening bills, complained that his critics had merely been jealous of his "very, very large house".
"I've done nothing criminal, that's the most awful thing," said Anthony Steen, who spent £90,000 his second home, including big sums for lopping trees. "And do you know what it's all about? Jealousy."
Mr Steen was one of two MPs who confirmed their departure at the next election, the other being Ben Chapman, the Labour MP for Wirral South, who insisted that he had done nothing wrong despite allegations that he over-claimed £15,000 extra for mortgage interest.
Mr Chapman said that he had been given permission by the Commons Fees Office to maintain claims on the mortgage for his second home in London despite his decision to pay off £295,000 of it, which reduced his mortgage bill from £1,900 a month to around £400.
Another Labour MP, Ian Gibson, also offered to stand down if the voters demanded it after claims that he had sold his taxpayer-subsidised second home to his daughter at a knock-down rate. He, too, insisted that he acted within the rules.
In this morning's interview, Ms Dorries insisted that the underlying problem was not the greed of politicians but the fact that no Prime Minister in recent history had dared to award MPs a proper pay rise, preferring to use the second home allowance to make up the difference.
The proof, she said, was that until recent years newly elected MPs were advised by Commons officials that they had an absolute right to claim the full Additional Costs Allowance, which she said was a lump sum allowance not an expense account.
"In my intake in 2005 things had changed, but prior to my intake in 2005 MPs were told, they were sat down and told by people in the Fees Office: 'You haven't been awarded pay rises, an MP's salary is not commensurate with anyone else at your professional level, this pot of money has been awarded to you as an allowance, not expenses... Our job here is to help you maximise that.'"
Under interim reforms announced this week by Gordon Brown and Michael Martin, the Commons Speaker swept from office by the scandal, the Fees Office is to be abolished under a new system of external regulation.
In the meantime, MPs continue to blame it for the more fanciful expenses claims and opaque "arrangements" that have cost them their careers.
The veteran Tory Douglas Hogg, for example, was paid 1/12th of the second home allowance per month to help meet the running costs of his country manor in Lincolnshire, which exceeded the allowance.
Mr Hogg was forced to stand down by David Cameron, the party leader, after it emerged that he had "claimed" for the cost of having his moat cleaned because it was listed on the bills for his estate.
So far one minister, Shahid Malik, has been forced to step down pending inquiries into his claims.
Three Cabinet ministers - James Purnell, Geoff Hoon and Hazel Blears - have been criticised for failing to pay Capital Gains Tax on the sale of their second homes. Mr Brown yesterday gave his full backing to Mr Purnell and Mr Hoon but has called Ms Blears's claim "totally unacceptable".
Source:The times
Mao portrait saboteurs Yu Dongyue and Yu Zhijian granted asylum in America
Two men who spent years in jail for daring to throw paint at a portrait of Chairman Mao have been granted political asylum in the United States.
Yu Dongyue, a former journalist and art critic, and his friend Yu Zhijian, a former teacher, have fled China and made their way to Thailand, Radio Free Asia reported. US Embassy officials in Bangkok declined to comment.
The pair, along with Yu Dongyue’s sister and Yu Zhijian’s wife, had travelled secretly to Thailand, probably through Laos along a route that is well trodden by people trying to flee China.
Yu Dongyue’s brother said that he had gone abroad with his sister in the hope of better treatment for the mental illness he developed while in jail. “We have taken him to the hospital many times but he has not recovered,” his brother said. “The situation is still the same . . . We don’t think he can recover here.”
He was deliberately vague about his brother’s whereabouts but confirmed that he had long since left home. “My parents are missing him very much since he left. But if it is good for his health, that is OK.”
The news of their flight emerged almost exactly 20 years after the two men, childhood friends, and a bus driver, Lu Decheng, hurled eggshells filled with paint at the portrait of Chairman Mao that gazes out from the Gate of Heavenly Peace.
One of the most potent symbols of Communist Party rule, it has hung, smiling faintly, from the Gate since Mao declared the founding of the People’s Republic from its terrace in 1949.
On May 23, 1989, the three men wanted to make a mark amid the excitement of the student-led pro-democracy demonstrations in Tiananmen Square. They had travelled from their home province of Hunan, in central China, the region where Mao himself was born.
They came up with the idea of making a dramatic gesture and bought 30 eggs from a street food stall, filling the shells with paint.
Mr Lu, who found asylum in Canada three years ago, has said that Yu Zhijian prevented people from walking through the gate under the portrait while he and Yu Dongyue hurled the eggs at Mao’s 30ft face.
They were quickly seized by student demonstrators who were anxious to distance themselves from the act. After some debate, it was decided to hand the trio over to the police.
Two months later Yu Dongyue was convicted of sabotage and counter-revolutionary propaganda and sentenced to 20 years. Mr Lu got 16 years and Yu Zhijian received a life sentence. The latter two were released in 1998 but prison officials refused requests to free Yu Dongyue on medical parole, saying that he had never admitted doing anything wrong.
However, his sentence was reduced by two years in 2000 and by another 15 months in 2003. He served the longest-known political sentence after the Tiananmen Square crackdown.
His treatment in prison, including two years in solitary confinement as well as subjection to electric shocks and brutal beatings, took a toll on Yu Dongyue’s mental health.
At the time of his release, his mother said that her son’s mental state was clearly extremely fragile when she had visited him in jail. “He looked at me through the glass but didn’t recognise me. He pushed the phone aside and wouldn’t talk to me and just mumbled in some foreign language. He never called me ‘Ma’.”
Source:The times
Yu Dongyue, a former journalist and art critic, and his friend Yu Zhijian, a former teacher, have fled China and made their way to Thailand, Radio Free Asia reported. US Embassy officials in Bangkok declined to comment.
The pair, along with Yu Dongyue’s sister and Yu Zhijian’s wife, had travelled secretly to Thailand, probably through Laos along a route that is well trodden by people trying to flee China.
Yu Dongyue’s brother said that he had gone abroad with his sister in the hope of better treatment for the mental illness he developed while in jail. “We have taken him to the hospital many times but he has not recovered,” his brother said. “The situation is still the same . . . We don’t think he can recover here.”
He was deliberately vague about his brother’s whereabouts but confirmed that he had long since left home. “My parents are missing him very much since he left. But if it is good for his health, that is OK.”
The news of their flight emerged almost exactly 20 years after the two men, childhood friends, and a bus driver, Lu Decheng, hurled eggshells filled with paint at the portrait of Chairman Mao that gazes out from the Gate of Heavenly Peace.
One of the most potent symbols of Communist Party rule, it has hung, smiling faintly, from the Gate since Mao declared the founding of the People’s Republic from its terrace in 1949.
On May 23, 1989, the three men wanted to make a mark amid the excitement of the student-led pro-democracy demonstrations in Tiananmen Square. They had travelled from their home province of Hunan, in central China, the region where Mao himself was born.
They came up with the idea of making a dramatic gesture and bought 30 eggs from a street food stall, filling the shells with paint.
Mr Lu, who found asylum in Canada three years ago, has said that Yu Zhijian prevented people from walking through the gate under the portrait while he and Yu Dongyue hurled the eggs at Mao’s 30ft face.
They were quickly seized by student demonstrators who were anxious to distance themselves from the act. After some debate, it was decided to hand the trio over to the police.
Two months later Yu Dongyue was convicted of sabotage and counter-revolutionary propaganda and sentenced to 20 years. Mr Lu got 16 years and Yu Zhijian received a life sentence. The latter two were released in 1998 but prison officials refused requests to free Yu Dongyue on medical parole, saying that he had never admitted doing anything wrong.
However, his sentence was reduced by two years in 2000 and by another 15 months in 2003. He served the longest-known political sentence after the Tiananmen Square crackdown.
His treatment in prison, including two years in solitary confinement as well as subjection to electric shocks and brutal beatings, took a toll on Yu Dongyue’s mental health.
At the time of his release, his mother said that her son’s mental state was clearly extremely fragile when she had visited him in jail. “He looked at me through the glass but didn’t recognise me. He pushed the phone aside and wouldn’t talk to me and just mumbled in some foreign language. He never called me ‘Ma’.”
Source:The times
Sri Lanka says it lost 6,000 troops in final phase of war
More than 6,200 Sri Lankan troops have been killed and nearly 30,000 injured since the last phase of the war against the Tamil Tigers began in July 2006.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the Defence Secretary, revealed the death toll for the first time in an interview last night with state-run television.
“We made huge sacrifices for this victory,” he said.
The Government stopped publishing military casualty figures last year, anxious to maintain recruitment levels for the Army and public support for its campaign to defeat the Tigers after 26 years of civil war.
Its last estimate for military deaths, released late last year, was 3,800 over the previous 18 months.
Mr Rajapaksa said that the new death toll for the Army, Navy, Air Force, police and civil defence force since July 2006 was 6,261, with 29,551 wounded.
The total number of military deaths since 1981 was 23,790.
The new figures give a measure of the intensity of the fighting since the start of this year, when the Army captured the Tigers’ de facto capital and drove them into a small piece of land on the northeastern coast.
Sri Lanka formally declared victory on Tuesday after killing or capturing the last of the Tigers, who were banned as a terrorist organisation by the United States, the European Union, India, Canada and Australia.
The true human cost of Asia’s longest modern war is still unclear, however — not least because the Government has blocked reporters and aid workers from visiting the scene of the final battle, or talking to civilian witnesses.
The military said several months ago that it had killed at least 20,000 Tigers in this phase of the war, but has yet to give a final tally. The Tigers admitted in November that they had lost more than 22,000 fighters since 1982.
There is also uncertainty over the number of civilian casualties, especially since the start of the year, when more than 200,000 non-combatants were trapped with the Tigers in the tiny conflict zone.
Unconfirmed UN estimates suggest that 7,000 civilians have been killed since January 20.
The Government says that is an exaggeration, but has not given its own estimate, although President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Defence Secretary’s brother, told Parliament on Tuesday that the Army had won “without shedding the blood of civilians”.
The Tigers accuse the army of killing more than 20,000 civilians in the last phase of the fighting.
International aid agencies have warned that thousands more civilian lives could be lost if the Government does not allow better access to almost 300,000 Tamil civilians being held and screened in internment camps.
Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary-General, is due in Sri Lanka later today on a 24-hour mission to press for unrestricted humanitarian access to the camps where aid workers say water, medicine and other basic needs are in short supply.
He is expected to visit some of the better-equipped camps in the northern district of Vavuniya tomorrow and to meet President Rajapaksa and Rohitha Bogollagama, the Foreign Minister.
The UN chief has also joined the EU in calling for an international investigation into allegations that both sides committed war crimes by targeting civilians.
Overall, the United Nations estimated this week that 80,000 to 100,000 people had been killed on all sides since the civil war began in 1983.
Source:The times
Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the Defence Secretary, revealed the death toll for the first time in an interview last night with state-run television.
“We made huge sacrifices for this victory,” he said.
The Government stopped publishing military casualty figures last year, anxious to maintain recruitment levels for the Army and public support for its campaign to defeat the Tigers after 26 years of civil war.
Its last estimate for military deaths, released late last year, was 3,800 over the previous 18 months.
Mr Rajapaksa said that the new death toll for the Army, Navy, Air Force, police and civil defence force since July 2006 was 6,261, with 29,551 wounded.
The total number of military deaths since 1981 was 23,790.
The new figures give a measure of the intensity of the fighting since the start of this year, when the Army captured the Tigers’ de facto capital and drove them into a small piece of land on the northeastern coast.
Sri Lanka formally declared victory on Tuesday after killing or capturing the last of the Tigers, who were banned as a terrorist organisation by the United States, the European Union, India, Canada and Australia.
The true human cost of Asia’s longest modern war is still unclear, however — not least because the Government has blocked reporters and aid workers from visiting the scene of the final battle, or talking to civilian witnesses.
The military said several months ago that it had killed at least 20,000 Tigers in this phase of the war, but has yet to give a final tally. The Tigers admitted in November that they had lost more than 22,000 fighters since 1982.
There is also uncertainty over the number of civilian casualties, especially since the start of the year, when more than 200,000 non-combatants were trapped with the Tigers in the tiny conflict zone.
Unconfirmed UN estimates suggest that 7,000 civilians have been killed since January 20.
The Government says that is an exaggeration, but has not given its own estimate, although President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Defence Secretary’s brother, told Parliament on Tuesday that the Army had won “without shedding the blood of civilians”.
The Tigers accuse the army of killing more than 20,000 civilians in the last phase of the fighting.
International aid agencies have warned that thousands more civilian lives could be lost if the Government does not allow better access to almost 300,000 Tamil civilians being held and screened in internment camps.
Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary-General, is due in Sri Lanka later today on a 24-hour mission to press for unrestricted humanitarian access to the camps where aid workers say water, medicine and other basic needs are in short supply.
He is expected to visit some of the better-equipped camps in the northern district of Vavuniya tomorrow and to meet President Rajapaksa and Rohitha Bogollagama, the Foreign Minister.
The UN chief has also joined the EU in calling for an international investigation into allegations that both sides committed war crimes by targeting civilians.
Overall, the United Nations estimated this week that 80,000 to 100,000 people had been killed on all sides since the civil war began in 1983.
Source:The times
NSPCC anger over 'disappointing' Baby P sentences
Britain's foremost children's charity reacted with anger today to the sentences handed out to three people convicted over the brutal death of Baby P.
Judge Stephen Kramer, QC, imposed unlimited sentences on the baby's mother and lodger Jason Owen at the Old Bailey. The mother's boyfriend was sentenced to life.
But the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children said that the minimum terms were unacceptable.
The mother of Baby P, who can now be called Peter, was given a minimum tariff of five years, her boyfriend ten years and Owen three years.
Andrew Flanagan, chief executive of the NSPCC, said: “We are disappointed that the minimum tariff was so low. It raises the question of how bad the abuse has to be before offenders get a longer minimum time in prison.
“Baby Peter suffered sustained abuse, leaving him with horrendous injuries. Two of his abusers could walk free at a time when Peter should be a schoolboy with a new world in front of him. Despicable cruelty has denied him that opportunity.
“These three caused or allowed the torture and death of a defenceless baby. They may be behind bars now but when released from prison they must be put under the most stringent monitoring so they can never harm another child.
“The authorities must use every measure at their disposal to manage these individuals when they are freed."
Peter's mother was described by the judge as manipulative, self-centred and calculating as he imposed the unlimited sentence. He told her that she would be released only when the parole board deemed she was no longer a risk to the public and in particular to children.
She will be able to apply for parole in just over three years because of time already spent in custody.
Her former boyfriend was given life imprisonment after he was found guilty of raping a two-year-old girl and a concurrent sentence of 12 years for causing or allowing the death of Baby P. Neither he nor Peter's mother can be named for legal reasons.
Peter's father, who cannot be named, was in court to see the three sentenced and wiped away tears as the boyfriend was sentenced.
Peter was 17 months old when he was found dead in a blood-spattered cot in August 2007 having suffered a broken back and fractured ribs.
He had more than 50 injuries despite being on the at-risk register and being visited 60 times in eight months by social workers, doctors and police.
After outlining the catalogue of injuries inflicted on the baby, Judge Kramer told the three defendants: "Your alleged ignorance of what was happening to Peter in that small house defies belief."
Quoting one of the pre-sentencing reports, he said: "The family home seems to have developed a climate of abuse and neglect which should have been obvious to all of the adults present in the home."
As he sentenced the mother he told her that reports said that she was a vocal and not unintelligent young woman who was fairly articulate.
"Having seen and observed you over many weeks, I have concluded that you are also a manipulative and self-centred person with a calculating side as well as a temper.
"I sentence you for a course of conduct lasting weeks if not months during which time Peter was abused, injured and finally killed. I reject the suggestion that you were blind to what was happening in that house or that you were naive."
He said that he was satisfied she had "actively deceived" the authorities and acted selfishly because her priority was her relationship with her former boyfriend.
Peter’s natural father told the Old Bailey yesterday of his horror at discovering that the little boy had suffered months of pain, fear and loneliness before his death. He said that his own life had become a living nightmare since losing his son.
In a victim impact statement the father, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told of the moment he was confronted with his son’s lifeless body in a north London hospital.
He said: "I could not believe what was happening. I could not believe it was my son."
Peter’s death sparked an outpouring of public anger and led to strong criticism of the social workers, police officers and health professionals responsible for protecting him. Five employees of Haringey Council in North London, including Sharon Shoesmith, the director of children’s services, were sacked and the General Medical Council has suspended two doctors involved in the case.
Justice Secretary Jack Straw said: “These were terrible crimes, unspeakable almost beyond words. The whole country has been deeply affected by the case of Baby Peter.
"It will now be the role of the prison service to monitor these offenders within prison. The judge has been clear about the minimum terms they must serve and such decisions must be for the judiciary. Beyond that time they will only be released if the Parole Board decides after a rigorous safety assessment that it is safe to do so. If the Parole Board thinks they are not safe to release, they will remain in custody until such time as they are, whenever that may be.”
Source:The times
Judge Stephen Kramer, QC, imposed unlimited sentences on the baby's mother and lodger Jason Owen at the Old Bailey. The mother's boyfriend was sentenced to life.
But the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children said that the minimum terms were unacceptable.
The mother of Baby P, who can now be called Peter, was given a minimum tariff of five years, her boyfriend ten years and Owen three years.
Andrew Flanagan, chief executive of the NSPCC, said: “We are disappointed that the minimum tariff was so low. It raises the question of how bad the abuse has to be before offenders get a longer minimum time in prison.
“Baby Peter suffered sustained abuse, leaving him with horrendous injuries. Two of his abusers could walk free at a time when Peter should be a schoolboy with a new world in front of him. Despicable cruelty has denied him that opportunity.
“These three caused or allowed the torture and death of a defenceless baby. They may be behind bars now but when released from prison they must be put under the most stringent monitoring so they can never harm another child.
“The authorities must use every measure at their disposal to manage these individuals when they are freed."
Peter's mother was described by the judge as manipulative, self-centred and calculating as he imposed the unlimited sentence. He told her that she would be released only when the parole board deemed she was no longer a risk to the public and in particular to children.
She will be able to apply for parole in just over three years because of time already spent in custody.
Her former boyfriend was given life imprisonment after he was found guilty of raping a two-year-old girl and a concurrent sentence of 12 years for causing or allowing the death of Baby P. Neither he nor Peter's mother can be named for legal reasons.
Peter's father, who cannot be named, was in court to see the three sentenced and wiped away tears as the boyfriend was sentenced.
Peter was 17 months old when he was found dead in a blood-spattered cot in August 2007 having suffered a broken back and fractured ribs.
He had more than 50 injuries despite being on the at-risk register and being visited 60 times in eight months by social workers, doctors and police.
After outlining the catalogue of injuries inflicted on the baby, Judge Kramer told the three defendants: "Your alleged ignorance of what was happening to Peter in that small house defies belief."
Quoting one of the pre-sentencing reports, he said: "The family home seems to have developed a climate of abuse and neglect which should have been obvious to all of the adults present in the home."
As he sentenced the mother he told her that reports said that she was a vocal and not unintelligent young woman who was fairly articulate.
"Having seen and observed you over many weeks, I have concluded that you are also a manipulative and self-centred person with a calculating side as well as a temper.
"I sentence you for a course of conduct lasting weeks if not months during which time Peter was abused, injured and finally killed. I reject the suggestion that you were blind to what was happening in that house or that you were naive."
He said that he was satisfied she had "actively deceived" the authorities and acted selfishly because her priority was her relationship with her former boyfriend.
Peter’s natural father told the Old Bailey yesterday of his horror at discovering that the little boy had suffered months of pain, fear and loneliness before his death. He said that his own life had become a living nightmare since losing his son.
In a victim impact statement the father, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told of the moment he was confronted with his son’s lifeless body in a north London hospital.
He said: "I could not believe what was happening. I could not believe it was my son."
Peter’s death sparked an outpouring of public anger and led to strong criticism of the social workers, police officers and health professionals responsible for protecting him. Five employees of Haringey Council in North London, including Sharon Shoesmith, the director of children’s services, were sacked and the General Medical Council has suspended two doctors involved in the case.
Justice Secretary Jack Straw said: “These were terrible crimes, unspeakable almost beyond words. The whole country has been deeply affected by the case of Baby Peter.
"It will now be the role of the prison service to monitor these offenders within prison. The judge has been clear about the minimum terms they must serve and such decisions must be for the judiciary. Beyond that time they will only be released if the Parole Board decides after a rigorous safety assessment that it is safe to do so. If the Parole Board thinks they are not safe to release, they will remain in custody until such time as they are, whenever that may be.”
Source:The times
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Guang Hui Cao guilty of murdering young Chinese couple in Newcastle
A Chinese man collapsed in court today as he was found guilty of brutally murdering two graduates in their home in Newcastle.
Guang Hui Cao, 31, fainted after the foreman announced that the jury had agreed unanimously that he had tied up, beaten and killed the young couple last summer.
The court heard that he tricked his way into the home of Xi Zhou and Zhen Xing Yang, both 25, to try to steal the hundreds of thousands of pounds that they had made selling forged qualifications and in an internet betting scam.
Cao, a restaurant worker in Morpeth, stood motionless in glasses and a white T-shirt in Newcastle Crown Court until the prosecution said they were pressing for a full life tariff. Proceedings were halted and an ambulance was called when he suddenly fell to the ground, apparently unconscious, with his eyes rolled back and his head lolling to one side.
When the hearing resumed Cao was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 33 years.
He had pretended he wanted to sub-let a room in the couple’s flat in Croydon Road, but once inside he murdered their pet cat and subjected the pair to a frenzied and sustained attack.
Known by their anglicised names of Kevin Yang and Cici Zhou, they were discovered by friends two days after they died on August 7, last year.
Miss Zhou was found lying face down on a bed. Her killer had bound her wrists with tape and then hit her over the head with a heavy weapon, possibly a hammer.
A piece of towelling was stuffed into her mouth, which had been taped shut. She had suffocated around 90 minutes after the ordeal began.
Mr Yang was discovered in the other bedroom, having been hit with a hammer in the face and head. His throat had been slashed after he had lost unconsciousness.
The court heard that the couple were involved in a lucrative internet betting operation which saw £233,000 pass through their bank accounts in three years.
Mr Yang was involved in sending information from live football matches to Chinese gamblers who benefited from a TV time delay of several seconds, allowing them to bet on events already knowing the outcome.
He also supplied fake education certificates and other documents to Chinese students who wanted to enrol on education courses in the UK, or get jobs on returning to China.
After the murder, Cao changed his clothes and fled from the property with laptop computers and mobile phones which linked him to the couple.
The phones were found dumped in a nearby park by two boys, with the batteries and SIM cards missing.
They were handed to police after the murders were featured on the Crimewatch programme and police discovered phone contacts between the couple and Cao.
He was arrested at his home and police discovered a speck of Mr Yang’s blood on Cao’s glasses, while more blood was found in two recesses of Cao’s watch.
In his defence, Cao claimed he had been blackmailed into unwittingly helping to set up the couple’s deaths after threats were made to his family in China.
He said he was in the flat at Croydon Road when they were killed, but was tied up and locked in the bathroom.
Cao had claimed that masked gunmen burst into the house and killed Mr Yang because he made someone “unhappy” with his behaviour.
He said he was afraid to contact police because he was frightened that his parents would be harmed if he came forward and because he had stayed in the UK illegally after his student visa expired in 2003.
Miss Zhou came to Britain as a student in June 2005, while her boyfriend arrived in 2003 and met her in Newcastle after he studied English and accounting in Cardiff.
The couple have been buried together in China. Their families watched the trial with an interpreter through a video link.
Miss Zhou’s father, Sanbao Zhou, said he felt “as if the sky had fallen on us” when he heard about his daughter’s death.
“We nurtured her for 25 years and now she is suddenly gone. Words alone cannot possibly convey the harm that has been done to our family.
“There is an ancient Chinese saying: ’The most suffering one can go through in one’s life consists of losing one’s mother when one is still young, losing one’s wife in the prime of one’s life and losing one’s children in one’s old age.'
“This is especially true when one’s child has been murdered. For us, anger and sadness is mingled together.”
Mr Yang’s mother, ShuZhen Qu, said: “This person did not just kill two people, he has killed two families. If this had not happened, we expected our son to return to China and the lives of our entire family would have been very different.
“We have now been sentenced to go to hell. Our family will never be able to have any future generations."
Source:The times
Guang Hui Cao, 31, fainted after the foreman announced that the jury had agreed unanimously that he had tied up, beaten and killed the young couple last summer.
The court heard that he tricked his way into the home of Xi Zhou and Zhen Xing Yang, both 25, to try to steal the hundreds of thousands of pounds that they had made selling forged qualifications and in an internet betting scam.
Cao, a restaurant worker in Morpeth, stood motionless in glasses and a white T-shirt in Newcastle Crown Court until the prosecution said they were pressing for a full life tariff. Proceedings were halted and an ambulance was called when he suddenly fell to the ground, apparently unconscious, with his eyes rolled back and his head lolling to one side.
When the hearing resumed Cao was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 33 years.
He had pretended he wanted to sub-let a room in the couple’s flat in Croydon Road, but once inside he murdered their pet cat and subjected the pair to a frenzied and sustained attack.
Known by their anglicised names of Kevin Yang and Cici Zhou, they were discovered by friends two days after they died on August 7, last year.
Miss Zhou was found lying face down on a bed. Her killer had bound her wrists with tape and then hit her over the head with a heavy weapon, possibly a hammer.
A piece of towelling was stuffed into her mouth, which had been taped shut. She had suffocated around 90 minutes after the ordeal began.
Mr Yang was discovered in the other bedroom, having been hit with a hammer in the face and head. His throat had been slashed after he had lost unconsciousness.
The court heard that the couple were involved in a lucrative internet betting operation which saw £233,000 pass through their bank accounts in three years.
Mr Yang was involved in sending information from live football matches to Chinese gamblers who benefited from a TV time delay of several seconds, allowing them to bet on events already knowing the outcome.
He also supplied fake education certificates and other documents to Chinese students who wanted to enrol on education courses in the UK, or get jobs on returning to China.
After the murder, Cao changed his clothes and fled from the property with laptop computers and mobile phones which linked him to the couple.
The phones were found dumped in a nearby park by two boys, with the batteries and SIM cards missing.
They were handed to police after the murders were featured on the Crimewatch programme and police discovered phone contacts between the couple and Cao.
He was arrested at his home and police discovered a speck of Mr Yang’s blood on Cao’s glasses, while more blood was found in two recesses of Cao’s watch.
In his defence, Cao claimed he had been blackmailed into unwittingly helping to set up the couple’s deaths after threats were made to his family in China.
He said he was in the flat at Croydon Road when they were killed, but was tied up and locked in the bathroom.
Cao had claimed that masked gunmen burst into the house and killed Mr Yang because he made someone “unhappy” with his behaviour.
He said he was afraid to contact police because he was frightened that his parents would be harmed if he came forward and because he had stayed in the UK illegally after his student visa expired in 2003.
Miss Zhou came to Britain as a student in June 2005, while her boyfriend arrived in 2003 and met her in Newcastle after he studied English and accounting in Cardiff.
The couple have been buried together in China. Their families watched the trial with an interpreter through a video link.
Miss Zhou’s father, Sanbao Zhou, said he felt “as if the sky had fallen on us” when he heard about his daughter’s death.
“We nurtured her for 25 years and now she is suddenly gone. Words alone cannot possibly convey the harm that has been done to our family.
“There is an ancient Chinese saying: ’The most suffering one can go through in one’s life consists of losing one’s mother when one is still young, losing one’s wife in the prime of one’s life and losing one’s children in one’s old age.'
“This is especially true when one’s child has been murdered. For us, anger and sadness is mingled together.”
Mr Yang’s mother, ShuZhen Qu, said: “This person did not just kill two people, he has killed two families. If this had not happened, we expected our son to return to China and the lives of our entire family would have been very different.
“We have now been sentenced to go to hell. Our family will never be able to have any future generations."
Source:The times
Sri Lankan military shows 'body of Tamil Tiger leader Prabhakaran' on TV
Sri Lankan state TV showed grisly pictures today of what it claimed was the dead body of Velupillai Prabhakaran, the leader of the Tamil Tigers.
Prabhakaran was wearing his signature combat fatigues and a dog tag bearing the serial number "001". His head was partially covered by a cloth but a gaping wound was clearly visible. A laminated Tamil Tiger ID card was also on display.
Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara, a military spokesman, told The Times that the body was recovered earlier today and the authorities were "100 per cent positive" that it was Prabhakaran.
Troops found Prabhakaran's bullet-ridden body on the bank of the Nanthikadal lagoon, the Ministry of Defence said on its website.
Brigadier Nanayakkara said that Prabhakaran, who was the prime architect of a 26-year civil war that claimed more than 70,000 lives, had been shot, probably in fierce fighting yesterday morning.
The announcement contradicted previous official claims that Prabhakaran's badly burnt body had been discovered yesterday.
Military officials had said yesterday that Prabhakaran had been killed after he was ambushed by commandos as he made a desperate attempt to break through government lines in an ambulance.
Prabhakaran, who had sworn never to be taken alive, was badly burnt when his vehicle burst into flames, officials had said. No pictures were released of his body and DNA tests were ordered to prove his identity.
Brigadier Nanayakkara dismissed claims made by the Tigers' chief of international relations this morning that Prabhakaran was alive and safe and would "continue to lead the quest for dignity and freedom for the Tamil people".
"Our beloved leader is alive and safe. He will continue to lead the quest for dignity and freedom for the Tamil people," the Tigers' chief of international relations, Selvarasa Pathmanathan, said in a statement carried on the pro-rebel Tamilnet website.
Mr Pathmanathan gave no indication of the whereabouts of Prabhakaran.
The Tigers' claim came as Mahinda Rajapakse, the Sri Lankan President, announced the "complete defeat" of the rebels and vowed to press ahead with a "homegrown political solution" to end ethnic divisions between the majority Sinhalese population and the minority Tamils.
Addressing Parliament, Mr Rajapakse said that the Government now controlled “every inch” of the island state and had rid the country of terrorism after crushing the rebels on Monday.
"We have demonstrated that we can solve our problems and we will come up with a homegrown political solution," he said.
Sri Lanka would seek international aid to rebuild the devastated former Tiger strongholds in the north and east of the country, he added. He also delivered a rebuke to Britain and US, which are resented by some Sri Lankans for calling for a ceasefire just days before the Tigers were defeated.
"What we need from the international community is not advice, but material help to carry out our reconstruction effort," the President said.
Government forces said yesterday that they had found 300 bodies strewn over the 100-square-metre stretch of land where the last Tiger troops had hunkered down. Tamilnet said that the military had carried out a “determined massacre”.
Reporters were not allowed near the conflict zone to witness the aftermath.
In the north of Sri Lanka, fears for the wellbeing of an estimated 300,000 civilians displaced by the conflict escalated after the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross – the only aid organisations allowed to operate in the conflict zone – were denied access to a large number of them on Saturday.
“It appears that the Government does not want us to see the condition of these people or witness the procedures it uses to screen them for possible escaped rebels,” a senior international aid worker said.
The internment camps, which are surrounded in barbed wire and have been dubbed “welfare villages” by the Government, had already triggered concerns among humanitarian organisations.
Prabhakaran built the Tigers into one of the deadliest terrorist organisations in the world.
He pioneered the use of suicide bombers, plotted the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, the Indian Prime Minister, in 1991 and at one time commanded about a third of Sri Lanka as he fought to build a separate Tamil state in the north of the country.
Even Sri Lankans critical of the Government admitted yesterday that most of the country is delighted with the defeat of the rebels. There were urgent calls, however, for a political solution to avoid new terror strikes by radicalised Tamils angry at the treatment of their community.
“The majority of Sri Lankans feel a sense of relief and joy at the Army’s victory,” said Lal Wickrematunge, the managing editor of the Sunday Leader, a newspaper founded by his brother Lasantha, who was assassinated in January after he criticised the Government.
Mr Wickrematunge added: “The thing is, nobody is taking into account the attitude of the oppressed minorities.”
Sri Lanka’s minority Tamils were favoured under British rule, but in the 1950s a Sinhalese-dominated government began to pass laws that benefitted the majority Sinhalese population.
“Much depends on the path the Sri Lankan Government takes from here,” a Western diplomat said. “We hope it will not engage in ethic, nationalistic triumphalism. The Tamils must be included in the political process.”
In Britain, ten people were arrested for public order offences outside the Houses of Parliament in central London early today after protests by Tamil exiles turned violent. Twenty police officers were injured as they broke up the demonstration.
Shops were shuttered and businesses run by Britain's large Tamil population, estimated at around 300,000, were closed yesterday as the news sank in. Many expressed disbelief that the civil war waged by the Tamil Tiger movement since the early 1980s had come to an end, and said it would resume.
Source:The times
Prabhakaran was wearing his signature combat fatigues and a dog tag bearing the serial number "001". His head was partially covered by a cloth but a gaping wound was clearly visible. A laminated Tamil Tiger ID card was also on display.
Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara, a military spokesman, told The Times that the body was recovered earlier today and the authorities were "100 per cent positive" that it was Prabhakaran.
Troops found Prabhakaran's bullet-ridden body on the bank of the Nanthikadal lagoon, the Ministry of Defence said on its website.
Brigadier Nanayakkara said that Prabhakaran, who was the prime architect of a 26-year civil war that claimed more than 70,000 lives, had been shot, probably in fierce fighting yesterday morning.
The announcement contradicted previous official claims that Prabhakaran's badly burnt body had been discovered yesterday.
Military officials had said yesterday that Prabhakaran had been killed after he was ambushed by commandos as he made a desperate attempt to break through government lines in an ambulance.
Prabhakaran, who had sworn never to be taken alive, was badly burnt when his vehicle burst into flames, officials had said. No pictures were released of his body and DNA tests were ordered to prove his identity.
Brigadier Nanayakkara dismissed claims made by the Tigers' chief of international relations this morning that Prabhakaran was alive and safe and would "continue to lead the quest for dignity and freedom for the Tamil people".
"Our beloved leader is alive and safe. He will continue to lead the quest for dignity and freedom for the Tamil people," the Tigers' chief of international relations, Selvarasa Pathmanathan, said in a statement carried on the pro-rebel Tamilnet website.
Mr Pathmanathan gave no indication of the whereabouts of Prabhakaran.
The Tigers' claim came as Mahinda Rajapakse, the Sri Lankan President, announced the "complete defeat" of the rebels and vowed to press ahead with a "homegrown political solution" to end ethnic divisions between the majority Sinhalese population and the minority Tamils.
Addressing Parliament, Mr Rajapakse said that the Government now controlled “every inch” of the island state and had rid the country of terrorism after crushing the rebels on Monday.
"We have demonstrated that we can solve our problems and we will come up with a homegrown political solution," he said.
Sri Lanka would seek international aid to rebuild the devastated former Tiger strongholds in the north and east of the country, he added. He also delivered a rebuke to Britain and US, which are resented by some Sri Lankans for calling for a ceasefire just days before the Tigers were defeated.
"What we need from the international community is not advice, but material help to carry out our reconstruction effort," the President said.
Government forces said yesterday that they had found 300 bodies strewn over the 100-square-metre stretch of land where the last Tiger troops had hunkered down. Tamilnet said that the military had carried out a “determined massacre”.
Reporters were not allowed near the conflict zone to witness the aftermath.
In the north of Sri Lanka, fears for the wellbeing of an estimated 300,000 civilians displaced by the conflict escalated after the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross – the only aid organisations allowed to operate in the conflict zone – were denied access to a large number of them on Saturday.
“It appears that the Government does not want us to see the condition of these people or witness the procedures it uses to screen them for possible escaped rebels,” a senior international aid worker said.
The internment camps, which are surrounded in barbed wire and have been dubbed “welfare villages” by the Government, had already triggered concerns among humanitarian organisations.
Prabhakaran built the Tigers into one of the deadliest terrorist organisations in the world.
He pioneered the use of suicide bombers, plotted the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, the Indian Prime Minister, in 1991 and at one time commanded about a third of Sri Lanka as he fought to build a separate Tamil state in the north of the country.
Even Sri Lankans critical of the Government admitted yesterday that most of the country is delighted with the defeat of the rebels. There were urgent calls, however, for a political solution to avoid new terror strikes by radicalised Tamils angry at the treatment of their community.
“The majority of Sri Lankans feel a sense of relief and joy at the Army’s victory,” said Lal Wickrematunge, the managing editor of the Sunday Leader, a newspaper founded by his brother Lasantha, who was assassinated in January after he criticised the Government.
Mr Wickrematunge added: “The thing is, nobody is taking into account the attitude of the oppressed minorities.”
Sri Lanka’s minority Tamils were favoured under British rule, but in the 1950s a Sinhalese-dominated government began to pass laws that benefitted the majority Sinhalese population.
“Much depends on the path the Sri Lankan Government takes from here,” a Western diplomat said. “We hope it will not engage in ethic, nationalistic triumphalism. The Tamils must be included in the political process.”
In Britain, ten people were arrested for public order offences outside the Houses of Parliament in central London early today after protests by Tamil exiles turned violent. Twenty police officers were injured as they broke up the demonstration.
Shops were shuttered and businesses run by Britain's large Tamil population, estimated at around 300,000, were closed yesterday as the news sank in. Many expressed disbelief that the civil war waged by the Tamil Tiger movement since the early 1980s had come to an end, and said it would resume.
Source:The times
MPs to end centuries of self-regulation as Michael Martin quits
Gordon Brown tonight announced plans to end centuries of self-regulation by MPs on the day that Michael Martin became the first Speaker to be forced from office in 300 years.
Mr Martin will appear in the House of Commons later tonight to make a statement detailing plans to modernise politics, just hours after he told MPs that he would step down from his post by June 21 over the expenses scandal.
The Prime Minister said that the main party leaders had reached an agreement in principal over the introduction of an independent statutory body to oversee the rules governing MPs expenses and pay, among other agreements.
“Westminster cannot operate like some gentlemen’s club where the members make up the rules and operate them among themselves,” Mr Brown said, holding a press conference tonight. “I believe that the keystone of any reform must be to switch from self-regulation to independent external regulation.”
Mr Martin attended a meeting of the party leaders this afternoon, and it falls to him to read out the proposals to the House.
He is the first Speaker to be forced from office for more than 300 years but Mr Brown insisted that he had “a record of public service which he and his family should be proud”.
The veteran Glasgow MP had effectively sealed his own fate when stubbornly refused to countenance discussion of his own future during a Commons statement yesterday. As a string of senior MPs stood up to demand his resignation, his authority crumbled away.
This afternoon, after bowing to the inevitable, Mr Martin again addressed a packed House to lay out the timetable for his departure. His statement lasted less than a minute before the Commons passed on to other business.
"Since I came to this House 30 years ago, I have always felt that the House is at its best when it is united," he said.
"In order that unity can be maintained, I have decided that I will relinquish the office of Speaker on Sunday June 21. This will allow the House to proceed to elect a new Speaker on Monday June 22.
"That is all I have to say on this matter."
As he steps down from the Speaker's chair, Mr Martin will also be standing down as an MP – leaving a vacancy in his constituency of Glasgow North East.
Mr Martin's decision to resign allowed him to avoid the humiliation of a debate and vote from a no-confidence motion tabled by the Tory backbencher Douglas Carswell.
As Westminster reverberated to the news of Mr Martin's departure, the Tory MP whose claim for the cleaning of the moat his country estate came to embody MPs' excesses announced that he is to stand down at the next general election.
Douglas Hogg, who has represented Sleaford and North Hykeham in Lincolnshire since 1979 and served as Agriculture Minister under John Major, was embarrassed by the revelation that he claimed £2,115 for having the moat dredged at his country manor house.
He has paid that money back even while denying that he ever specifically claimed it, insisting that he gave the Fees Office a list of costs associated with the running of his estate which far exceeded the Additional Costs Allowance which is at the heart of the expenses scandal.
As Speaker since 2000, Mr Martin has been in ultimate charge of Commons administration and had repeatedly thwarted moves to ensure greater transparency on parliamentary expenses.
He had himself been criticised on more than one occasion on his lavish expenditure, which included £4,000 in claims for his wife's taxi bills while she was out shopping and more than £700,000 spent on refurbishing Speaker's House, where he received the Prime Minister yesterday.
Meanwhile, Labour's ruling executive ruled that any Labour MPs who have abused their parliamentary expenses will be barred from standing for re-election on the party's ticket.
A new panel will consider any prima facie cases against MPs arising from a comprehensive audit of all allowance claims made in the past four years. It will start with Elliot Morley and David Chaytor, who were suspended from the Parliamentary party after claiming for mortgage interest on non-existent loans.
Source:The times
Mr Martin will appear in the House of Commons later tonight to make a statement detailing plans to modernise politics, just hours after he told MPs that he would step down from his post by June 21 over the expenses scandal.
The Prime Minister said that the main party leaders had reached an agreement in principal over the introduction of an independent statutory body to oversee the rules governing MPs expenses and pay, among other agreements.
“Westminster cannot operate like some gentlemen’s club where the members make up the rules and operate them among themselves,” Mr Brown said, holding a press conference tonight. “I believe that the keystone of any reform must be to switch from self-regulation to independent external regulation.”
Mr Martin attended a meeting of the party leaders this afternoon, and it falls to him to read out the proposals to the House.
He is the first Speaker to be forced from office for more than 300 years but Mr Brown insisted that he had “a record of public service which he and his family should be proud”.
The veteran Glasgow MP had effectively sealed his own fate when stubbornly refused to countenance discussion of his own future during a Commons statement yesterday. As a string of senior MPs stood up to demand his resignation, his authority crumbled away.
This afternoon, after bowing to the inevitable, Mr Martin again addressed a packed House to lay out the timetable for his departure. His statement lasted less than a minute before the Commons passed on to other business.
"Since I came to this House 30 years ago, I have always felt that the House is at its best when it is united," he said.
"In order that unity can be maintained, I have decided that I will relinquish the office of Speaker on Sunday June 21. This will allow the House to proceed to elect a new Speaker on Monday June 22.
"That is all I have to say on this matter."
As he steps down from the Speaker's chair, Mr Martin will also be standing down as an MP – leaving a vacancy in his constituency of Glasgow North East.
Mr Martin's decision to resign allowed him to avoid the humiliation of a debate and vote from a no-confidence motion tabled by the Tory backbencher Douglas Carswell.
As Westminster reverberated to the news of Mr Martin's departure, the Tory MP whose claim for the cleaning of the moat his country estate came to embody MPs' excesses announced that he is to stand down at the next general election.
Douglas Hogg, who has represented Sleaford and North Hykeham in Lincolnshire since 1979 and served as Agriculture Minister under John Major, was embarrassed by the revelation that he claimed £2,115 for having the moat dredged at his country manor house.
He has paid that money back even while denying that he ever specifically claimed it, insisting that he gave the Fees Office a list of costs associated with the running of his estate which far exceeded the Additional Costs Allowance which is at the heart of the expenses scandal.
As Speaker since 2000, Mr Martin has been in ultimate charge of Commons administration and had repeatedly thwarted moves to ensure greater transparency on parliamentary expenses.
He had himself been criticised on more than one occasion on his lavish expenditure, which included £4,000 in claims for his wife's taxi bills while she was out shopping and more than £700,000 spent on refurbishing Speaker's House, where he received the Prime Minister yesterday.
Meanwhile, Labour's ruling executive ruled that any Labour MPs who have abused their parliamentary expenses will be barred from standing for re-election on the party's ticket.
A new panel will consider any prima facie cases against MPs arising from a comprehensive audit of all allowance claims made in the past four years. It will start with Elliot Morley and David Chaytor, who were suspended from the Parliamentary party after claiming for mortgage interest on non-existent loans.
Source:The times
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Private schools hiring laywers to get unpaid fees from parents
Unprecedented numbers of private schools are engaging lawyers to help them to claim unpaid fees, as they struggle to make ends meet in the recession, The Times has learnt.
Solicitors report a huge surge in the number of legal actions brought in the past year against parents who have defaulted on fees. Such measures are usually a last resort but are now being employed by schools at an earlier stage. Pupils can also face expulsion if their parents do not pay up.
Yesterday one group of parents obtained an injunction to stop a £21,603-a-year independent school excluding their children over fee payments. Parents at St David’s School in Ashford, West London, want to pay weekly because the school is set to close in July, arguing that they cannot be sure the school will remain open all this term. But the school is threatening exclusion unless fees for the full term are paid immediately.
Wellington College, Berkshire, is hosting a seminar on “fee recovery” in June that will give tips to private school heads and bursars on excluding children for non-payment of fees and recovering debts through the courts. The seminar, which was advertised only in the last week, is already almost half full.
Veale Wasbrough, the leaders in school fee recovery, have seen a 33 per cent increase in the number of active claims brought by schools against parents in the last year. Tabitha Cave, head of school fees recovery at Veale Wasbrough, said the “unprecedented” rise was a direct result of the economic crisis. “Schools are being more effective with their credit control,” she said. “Any business in the recession will tighten up on credit control and schools are no exception.”
The firm is now fighting 2,468 cases against parents — up from 1,846 in 2008. The number of claims had remained static in previous years.
Nicholas Marten, chairman of the Independent Schools’ Bursars Association, said: “If parents are in difficulty we do all we can to help them. At some stage there has to be an acceptance by parents that they are paying for a service, and if they can’t pay — and schools have used up all their bursary funds — they will have to withdraw their child.” But, he added: “The last thing we want is to lose parents.” Lawyers say there has been an increase in the number of schools seeking guidance on the legality and etiquette of excluding pupils if their fees are not paid.
Most independent schools include a clause in their contract with parents stating that pupils can be excluded if their fees are not paid. But parents are fighting back. One school has been served with an injunction preventing it from taking such action against certain pupils.
In the case of St David’s School, which has existed for 300 years, Wendy Ransom has served it with a High Court injunction to prevent her daughter Grace, 14, being expelled. It will also force the school to provide the families with references for pupils should other schools request them — the Bursar of the school had refused to do so without full fee payment.
“We are doing this to protect our daughters,” Mrs Ransom said. “The stress is huge and because [the school] has withheld all these references we still haven’t got an offer of a place anywhere else. The girls are all upset and bewildered.”
Angela Langston, who is paying her daughter Georgia’s fees a week in advance and also obtained an injunction against the school, said: “The stance the school has taken has been aggressive.
“We didn’t pay the full term’s fees because we had concerns that we couldn’t get assurances that the school was going to stay open until the end of the year. “It is a traumatic and uncertain time.”
“Our only priority is to ensure that our daughter’s education is not damaged and that she achieves her full potential in GCSEs.”
Ann Dent, the Bursar at St David’s, said: “The contract with parents states that fees must be paid a term in advance.”
Source:The times
Solicitors report a huge surge in the number of legal actions brought in the past year against parents who have defaulted on fees. Such measures are usually a last resort but are now being employed by schools at an earlier stage. Pupils can also face expulsion if their parents do not pay up.
Yesterday one group of parents obtained an injunction to stop a £21,603-a-year independent school excluding their children over fee payments. Parents at St David’s School in Ashford, West London, want to pay weekly because the school is set to close in July, arguing that they cannot be sure the school will remain open all this term. But the school is threatening exclusion unless fees for the full term are paid immediately.
Wellington College, Berkshire, is hosting a seminar on “fee recovery” in June that will give tips to private school heads and bursars on excluding children for non-payment of fees and recovering debts through the courts. The seminar, which was advertised only in the last week, is already almost half full.
Veale Wasbrough, the leaders in school fee recovery, have seen a 33 per cent increase in the number of active claims brought by schools against parents in the last year. Tabitha Cave, head of school fees recovery at Veale Wasbrough, said the “unprecedented” rise was a direct result of the economic crisis. “Schools are being more effective with their credit control,” she said. “Any business in the recession will tighten up on credit control and schools are no exception.”
The firm is now fighting 2,468 cases against parents — up from 1,846 in 2008. The number of claims had remained static in previous years.
Nicholas Marten, chairman of the Independent Schools’ Bursars Association, said: “If parents are in difficulty we do all we can to help them. At some stage there has to be an acceptance by parents that they are paying for a service, and if they can’t pay — and schools have used up all their bursary funds — they will have to withdraw their child.” But, he added: “The last thing we want is to lose parents.” Lawyers say there has been an increase in the number of schools seeking guidance on the legality and etiquette of excluding pupils if their fees are not paid.
Most independent schools include a clause in their contract with parents stating that pupils can be excluded if their fees are not paid. But parents are fighting back. One school has been served with an injunction preventing it from taking such action against certain pupils.
In the case of St David’s School, which has existed for 300 years, Wendy Ransom has served it with a High Court injunction to prevent her daughter Grace, 14, being expelled. It will also force the school to provide the families with references for pupils should other schools request them — the Bursar of the school had refused to do so without full fee payment.
“We are doing this to protect our daughters,” Mrs Ransom said. “The stress is huge and because [the school] has withheld all these references we still haven’t got an offer of a place anywhere else. The girls are all upset and bewildered.”
Angela Langston, who is paying her daughter Georgia’s fees a week in advance and also obtained an injunction against the school, said: “The stance the school has taken has been aggressive.
“We didn’t pay the full term’s fees because we had concerns that we couldn’t get assurances that the school was going to stay open until the end of the year. “It is a traumatic and uncertain time.”
“Our only priority is to ensure that our daughter’s education is not damaged and that she achieves her full potential in GCSEs.”
Ann Dent, the Bursar at St David’s, said: “The contract with parents states that fees must be paid a term in advance.”
Source:The times
Barack Obama restarts military courts to put Guantánamo suspects on trial
President Obama revived the Bush-era system of military tribunals for trials of suspected terrorists held at the Guantánamo Bay detention camp yesterday.
Although the White House emphasised that Mr Obama had never promised to scrap the bitterly criticised system of military commissions, his decision yesterday was markedly different to his rhetoric during the election campaign, when he suggested that detainees held at Guantánamo Bay should be dealt with through the federal courts. His decision risked another confrontation with many of his most fervent supporters on the liberal wing of the Democratic party.
Mr Obama drew swift condemnation from human rights groups increasingly angered by his reliance on legal tools or national security arguments inherited from the Bush administration. But he was praised by conservatives who have repeatedly warned that he is making America less safe.
The President tried to navigate a middle way through a highly partisan atmosphere by emphasising that he would reform the tribunals to make them fairer. “This is the best way to protect our country while upholding our deeply held values,” he said.
When, on his second day in office, Mr Obama halted all trials under the tribunal system and promised to close the camp within a year, he received adulatory headlines around the world for making a decisive break with his predecessor’s policy.
Since then, however, the Administration has discovered that shutting down Guantánamo is fraught with difficulty. It would like some of the remaining 240 inmates — those who represent no security threat — to be resettled abroad. Lakhdar Boumediene, a Bosnian who had been accused of involvement in a plot to bomb the US embassy in Sarajevo, was released yesterday to join relatives in France but US allies, including Britain, have resisted pressure to take more.
Other detainees, against whom there is overwhelming case for prosecution, will face trial in civilian courts. Mr Obama’s advisers, however, have concluded that this is not feasible for about 20 inmates, and it is these who will face revised versions of the military tribunals.
The advantages of such a system are that it helps prosecutors use classified information without compromising intelligence sources and convictions are less subject to lengthy appeals.
A third group of detainees, for whom there is not enough evidence to prosecute but who are deemed too dangerous to release, are likely to be incarcerated indefinitely without trial on the American mainland.
Some lawyers argue that they could be held under the international law of warfare, which allows governments to detain enemy fighters until the end of a conflict. Others say that the Administration would have to ask Congress to enact a law that would allow preventive detention, possibly through a new national security court.
Any such measure is certain to be opposed by the Left on civil liberties grounds and by Republicans who are already running advertisements suggesting that Mr Obama wants to bring dozens of terrorists on to the American mainland. The lack of a coherent proposal for closing Guantánamo led Congress to remove $80 million (£52 million) earmarked for this purpose from a war funding Bill on Thursday.
Military tribunals have already been subject to challenges from civil liberties groups who say that they deny defendants many of the rights that they would have in a civilian courtroom.
Mr Obama, who previously said that the system was flawed, tried to calm fears about reviving the military system by promising reforms “to restore the commissions as a legitimate forum for prosecution, while bringing them in line with the rule of law”.
These would limit the use of hearsay, ban evidence gained through cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, give defendants more scope to pick their own lawyers and provide more protection if they do not testify.
“Military commissions have a long tradition in the United States. They are appropriate for trying enemies who violate the laws of war, provided that they are properly structured and administered,” Mr Obama said.
Pointing out that military commissions at Guantánamo had prosecuted only three suspected terrorists in more than seven years, he explained that his objection to the Bush policy had been based on it being ineffective.
Jonathan Hafetz, of the American Civil Liberties Union, said: “It’s disappointing that Obama is seeking to revive rather than end this failed experiment. Even with the proposed modifications, this will not cure the commissions or provide them with legitimacy. This is perpetuating the Bush administration’s misguided policy.”
Source:The times
Although the White House emphasised that Mr Obama had never promised to scrap the bitterly criticised system of military commissions, his decision yesterday was markedly different to his rhetoric during the election campaign, when he suggested that detainees held at Guantánamo Bay should be dealt with through the federal courts. His decision risked another confrontation with many of his most fervent supporters on the liberal wing of the Democratic party.
Mr Obama drew swift condemnation from human rights groups increasingly angered by his reliance on legal tools or national security arguments inherited from the Bush administration. But he was praised by conservatives who have repeatedly warned that he is making America less safe.
The President tried to navigate a middle way through a highly partisan atmosphere by emphasising that he would reform the tribunals to make them fairer. “This is the best way to protect our country while upholding our deeply held values,” he said.
When, on his second day in office, Mr Obama halted all trials under the tribunal system and promised to close the camp within a year, he received adulatory headlines around the world for making a decisive break with his predecessor’s policy.
Since then, however, the Administration has discovered that shutting down Guantánamo is fraught with difficulty. It would like some of the remaining 240 inmates — those who represent no security threat — to be resettled abroad. Lakhdar Boumediene, a Bosnian who had been accused of involvement in a plot to bomb the US embassy in Sarajevo, was released yesterday to join relatives in France but US allies, including Britain, have resisted pressure to take more.
Other detainees, against whom there is overwhelming case for prosecution, will face trial in civilian courts. Mr Obama’s advisers, however, have concluded that this is not feasible for about 20 inmates, and it is these who will face revised versions of the military tribunals.
The advantages of such a system are that it helps prosecutors use classified information without compromising intelligence sources and convictions are less subject to lengthy appeals.
A third group of detainees, for whom there is not enough evidence to prosecute but who are deemed too dangerous to release, are likely to be incarcerated indefinitely without trial on the American mainland.
Some lawyers argue that they could be held under the international law of warfare, which allows governments to detain enemy fighters until the end of a conflict. Others say that the Administration would have to ask Congress to enact a law that would allow preventive detention, possibly through a new national security court.
Any such measure is certain to be opposed by the Left on civil liberties grounds and by Republicans who are already running advertisements suggesting that Mr Obama wants to bring dozens of terrorists on to the American mainland. The lack of a coherent proposal for closing Guantánamo led Congress to remove $80 million (£52 million) earmarked for this purpose from a war funding Bill on Thursday.
Military tribunals have already been subject to challenges from civil liberties groups who say that they deny defendants many of the rights that they would have in a civilian courtroom.
Mr Obama, who previously said that the system was flawed, tried to calm fears about reviving the military system by promising reforms “to restore the commissions as a legitimate forum for prosecution, while bringing them in line with the rule of law”.
These would limit the use of hearsay, ban evidence gained through cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, give defendants more scope to pick their own lawyers and provide more protection if they do not testify.
“Military commissions have a long tradition in the United States. They are appropriate for trying enemies who violate the laws of war, provided that they are properly structured and administered,” Mr Obama said.
Pointing out that military commissions at Guantánamo had prosecuted only three suspected terrorists in more than seven years, he explained that his objection to the Bush policy had been based on it being ineffective.
Jonathan Hafetz, of the American Civil Liberties Union, said: “It’s disappointing that Obama is seeking to revive rather than end this failed experiment. Even with the proposed modifications, this will not cure the commissions or provide them with legitimacy. This is perpetuating the Bush administration’s misguided policy.”
Source:The times
Second Labour MP claims for non-existent mortgage as Justice Minister quits
David Chaytor has become the second Labour MP to admit claiming thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money for interest on a non-existent mortgage, it emerged last night.
The MP for Bury North will pay back £13,000 claimed on expenses after telling The Daily Telegraph that he had made an “unforgivable error” by continuing to submit monthly claims for £1,175 for months after the loan was paid off.
He is likely to receive the same treatment as Elliot Morley, a former minister, who has been suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party after admitting claiming £16,000 for a non-existent mortgage. Lawyers have said that there is a good case for a criminal investigation.
Mr Chaytor is also alleged to have changed his designation of his second home four times since 2004, allowing him to claim expenses on five properties. He blamed “changing and complex family circumstances” for the multiple moves, and said that “family stress” had prevented him from paying attention to his financial affairs.
Sir Gerald Kaufman, a former Labour minister, was reported to have charged £1,851 for an antique rug imported from New York. The MP for Manchester Gorton allegedly submitted a claim for £8,865 for a television, and was paid £15,329 of a £28,834 bill for improvements to a London flat after telling Commons authorities he was “living in a slum”.
Tam Dalyell, who retired as an MP in 2005, submitted a claim for £18,000 for bookcases two months before retiring as an MP in 2005. He said last night that he was “extremely relaxed” about his claims.
Gordon Brown required his Justice Minister to step down yesterday after an investigation of his expenses disclosed he may have breached the ministerial code. Shahid Malik became the latest casualty of the week-long revelations after it appeared that he had failed to declare that he was benefiting from a subsidised rent. Mr Malik has moved aside from his post pending an inquiry by Sir Philip Mawer, the ministerial watchdog. Mr Brown has asked Sir Philip, his official adviser on ministerial interests, to investigate the claims as quickly as possible.
David Cameron, the Conservative leader, said that MPs from all parties had made unjustifiable expenses claims and politicians must display leadership for Parliament to regain the trust of the people.
Mr Brown’s spokesman emphasised that Mr Malik was expected to return to office if he was cleared and said that no replacement was being appointed. There is no suggestion that Mr Malik broke parliamentary rules on expenses but it is his conduct as a minister that is under scrutiny. He was alleged to have claimed the maximum amount allowable — £66,827 over three years — on his second home in London but obtained a discounted rent of £100 a week on his main family home in his Dewsbury constituency, which he paid out of his own pocket.
Mr Malik has described the claim about his rent as a “fabrication”. But Mr Brown’s spokesman said that it had to be investigated because, if true, it would represent a “potential financial benefit” that had not been part of Mr Malik’s ministerial declaration and “this could represent a breach of the ministerial code”. The allegation comes amid a rising tide of public anger at MPs from all parties, with the former police chief Ray Mallon, now the Independent Mayor of Middlesbrough, making a formal complaint to the Metropolitan Police.
Senior Scotland Yard officers and prosecutors will meet next week to decide what action to take. Officials will assess whether criminal inquiries are necessary after a surge in the number of complaints from the public. Sir Paul Stephenson, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, and Keir Starmer, QC, the Director of Public Prosecutions, decided to establish the panel.
Momentum is growing for MPs to make public details of their expenses immediately, rather than wait for the parliamentary authorities in July. Frank Field, the Labour MP for Birkenhead, published his expenses for 2007-2008 and called on other MPs to follow suit.
The Conservative website has begun publishing details of claims made by frontbenchers. Yesterday the website showed that Mr Cameron had claimed £1,081 in mortgage interest on his constituency home in West Oxfordshire on May 12, as well as £211 for council tax and a £170 fuel bill.
In Westminster, Michael Martin was struggling to hang on to his position as Speaker after the Tory leadership said there was “a problem” with his staying in the job. William Hague, Mr Cameron’s second in command, has become the most senior Tory to voice concern. Asked if there was a problem of confidence in Mr Martin, Mr Hague, the Shadow Foreign Secretary, told the BBC Today programme: “There certainly is a problem. Any MP has to acknowledge that.”
His comments come after Liberal Democrats effectively withdrew their support from Mr Martin this week.MPs led by Douglas Carswell , a Conservative backbencher, will put down a motion on Monday calling for the Speaker to go.
Source:The times
The MP for Bury North will pay back £13,000 claimed on expenses after telling The Daily Telegraph that he had made an “unforgivable error” by continuing to submit monthly claims for £1,175 for months after the loan was paid off.
He is likely to receive the same treatment as Elliot Morley, a former minister, who has been suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party after admitting claiming £16,000 for a non-existent mortgage. Lawyers have said that there is a good case for a criminal investigation.
Mr Chaytor is also alleged to have changed his designation of his second home four times since 2004, allowing him to claim expenses on five properties. He blamed “changing and complex family circumstances” for the multiple moves, and said that “family stress” had prevented him from paying attention to his financial affairs.
Sir Gerald Kaufman, a former Labour minister, was reported to have charged £1,851 for an antique rug imported from New York. The MP for Manchester Gorton allegedly submitted a claim for £8,865 for a television, and was paid £15,329 of a £28,834 bill for improvements to a London flat after telling Commons authorities he was “living in a slum”.
Tam Dalyell, who retired as an MP in 2005, submitted a claim for £18,000 for bookcases two months before retiring as an MP in 2005. He said last night that he was “extremely relaxed” about his claims.
Gordon Brown required his Justice Minister to step down yesterday after an investigation of his expenses disclosed he may have breached the ministerial code. Shahid Malik became the latest casualty of the week-long revelations after it appeared that he had failed to declare that he was benefiting from a subsidised rent. Mr Malik has moved aside from his post pending an inquiry by Sir Philip Mawer, the ministerial watchdog. Mr Brown has asked Sir Philip, his official adviser on ministerial interests, to investigate the claims as quickly as possible.
David Cameron, the Conservative leader, said that MPs from all parties had made unjustifiable expenses claims and politicians must display leadership for Parliament to regain the trust of the people.
Mr Brown’s spokesman emphasised that Mr Malik was expected to return to office if he was cleared and said that no replacement was being appointed. There is no suggestion that Mr Malik broke parliamentary rules on expenses but it is his conduct as a minister that is under scrutiny. He was alleged to have claimed the maximum amount allowable — £66,827 over three years — on his second home in London but obtained a discounted rent of £100 a week on his main family home in his Dewsbury constituency, which he paid out of his own pocket.
Mr Malik has described the claim about his rent as a “fabrication”. But Mr Brown’s spokesman said that it had to be investigated because, if true, it would represent a “potential financial benefit” that had not been part of Mr Malik’s ministerial declaration and “this could represent a breach of the ministerial code”. The allegation comes amid a rising tide of public anger at MPs from all parties, with the former police chief Ray Mallon, now the Independent Mayor of Middlesbrough, making a formal complaint to the Metropolitan Police.
Senior Scotland Yard officers and prosecutors will meet next week to decide what action to take. Officials will assess whether criminal inquiries are necessary after a surge in the number of complaints from the public. Sir Paul Stephenson, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, and Keir Starmer, QC, the Director of Public Prosecutions, decided to establish the panel.
Momentum is growing for MPs to make public details of their expenses immediately, rather than wait for the parliamentary authorities in July. Frank Field, the Labour MP for Birkenhead, published his expenses for 2007-2008 and called on other MPs to follow suit.
The Conservative website has begun publishing details of claims made by frontbenchers. Yesterday the website showed that Mr Cameron had claimed £1,081 in mortgage interest on his constituency home in West Oxfordshire on May 12, as well as £211 for council tax and a £170 fuel bill.
In Westminster, Michael Martin was struggling to hang on to his position as Speaker after the Tory leadership said there was “a problem” with his staying in the job. William Hague, Mr Cameron’s second in command, has become the most senior Tory to voice concern. Asked if there was a problem of confidence in Mr Martin, Mr Hague, the Shadow Foreign Secretary, told the BBC Today programme: “There certainly is a problem. Any MP has to acknowledge that.”
His comments come after Liberal Democrats effectively withdrew their support from Mr Martin this week.MPs led by Douglas Carswell , a Conservative backbencher, will put down a motion on Monday calling for the Speaker to go.
Source:The times
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