Diberdayakan oleh Blogger.

Popular Posts Today

Sochi Olympics Boycott Call Rejected By PM

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 10 Agustus 2013 | 18.25

David Cameron has ruled out a boycott of the Winter Olympics in Russia, insisting attending is a better way to tackle anti-gay prejudice.

The Prime Minister spoke out after broadcaster Stephen Fry called for the Games in 2014 to be moved because of Russia's anti-gay laws.

David Cameron said he had shared the "deep concern" about the abuse of gay people in the country.

But writing on Twitter, the Prime Minister said: "I believe we can better challenge prejudice as we attend, rather than boycotting the Winter Olympics."

Stephen FryDavid Cameron Boycott call: Stephen Fry and David Cameron

Fry had appealed directly to Mr Cameron, asking him to support moves to stop Russia's hosting of the Games in Sochi next February.

The broadcaster compared Russian President Vladimir Putin's approach to gay people to Adolf Hitler's treatment of the Jews.

And he argued that allowing the Games to go ahead would be comparable to the decision to hold the 1936 Olympics in NAzi Germany.

He said: "An absolute ban on the Russian Winter Olympics of 2014 on Sochi is simply essential. Stage them elsewhere in Utah, Lillehammer, anywhere you like.

"At all costs Putin cannot be seen to have the approval of the civilised world."

Mr Putin signed a new bill into law in June banning "homosexual propaganda".

This makes it illegal to give anyone under 18 information about homosexuality.

Anyone deemed to be promoting gay rights or "non-traditional relationships" to young people could now be arrested and fined, or in the case of foreigners, detained and deported.

Critics say the law is intentionally vaguely-worded and part of a broader crackdown on gay rights.

The country's sports minister has said the law will apply to athletes and spectators at the Games.


18.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

FA Boss: Summer World Cup In Qatar 'Impossible'

Fifa Boss: Move 2022 World Cup

Updated: 7:21am UK, Saturday 10 August 2013

Fifa's president says the organisation still has enough time to switch the 2022 World Cup to the winter to avoid Qatar's intense summer heat.

Sepp Blatter said he would discuss the plans with his executive committee in October.

The move would cause major disruption to various domestic leagues around the world.

But Mr Blatter insisted: "We still have enough time.

"The executive committee will certainly follow my proposal. Then we will have dealt with the topic for good."

Summer temperatures can reach 50C (122F) in Qatar, and there are currently plans for games to be played in air-conditioned stadiums.

But there is pressure for the tournament to be moved to the winter, when temperatures reach a high of 24C (75F).

Mr Blatter said: "The Fifa World Cup must be a festival of the people. But for it to be such a festival, you can't play football in the summer.

"You can cool down the stadiums, but you can't cool down the whole country - and you can't simply cool down the ambience of a World Cup. The players must be able to play in the best conditions to play a good World Cup."

Hassan al Thawadi, the head of Qatar's organising committee, said the country was open to the move "if it's the wish of the football community".

Mr Blatter said medical information about the effects of the heat on players led to his change of heart.

"There has been a fresh medical investigation into what it would be like to play football there in the summer and we have to take into account the health, not of the spectators, but of the players," he explained.

Qatar defeated bids from South Korea, Japan, Australia and the US for the right to host the 2022 World Cup.

Speaking to Sky Germany, Mr Blatter also said Brazil might have been the wrong choice to host the 2014 World Cup if the tournament is affected by the wave of protests seen at the Confederations Cup last month.

Hundreds of thousands of Brazilians took to the streets expressing their anger over the costs to stage the World Cup and demanding better public services.

"If this happens again we have to question whether we made the wrong decision awarding the hosting rights," Mr Blatter added.


18.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Belfast Riots Police Injury Toll Reaches 56

Police have confirmed the number of officers injured during rioting in Belfast was 56.

A total of four officers needed hospital treatment with one being kept in after the violence overnight on Friday.

Northern Ireland's Chief Constable described the loyalist rioters who wrecked parts of central Belfast as indulging in mindless anarchy.

Matt Baggott said protesters attacked police with missiles, including scaffolding poles and paving stones ripped up from a main shopping district.

He warned that the "prisons would be bulging" once the police had identified and arrested those responsible.

Water cannon is used to disperse protesters during rioting in Belfast Water cannon is used to disperse protesters during rioting in Belfast

The violence erupted in the Royal Avenue area, a usually busy commercial street close to City Hall, as more than a thousand loyalist demonstrators gathered to protest at a republican rally to mark the introduction of internment without trial in Northern Ireland during the Troubles.

The republican parade was rerouted but some sectarian clashes still occurred as the march passed close to the loyalist protesters.

Northern Ireland's Assistant Chief Constable George Hamilton had earlier said the violence had been started by "crowds intent on creating disorder."

Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers described the violence and attacks on police as "shameful".

A loyalist is arrested by riot police in the centre of Belfast A loyalist is arrested by riot police in the centre of Belfast

She told Sky News: "I blame the people who came out on the streets and carried out this disgraceful violence. The UK government stands fairly and squarely behind Matt Baggott and his officers in Northern Ireland.

"If people on the streets think this is defending a cause then they are completely mistaken. This is not the way to support Britishness.

"They are not going to achieve anything from this other than a criminal record."

After a number of years of relative calm following the IRA ceasefire in the 1990s, Northern Ireland has seen increasing outbreaks of violence and sectarian protest. 

Last month parts of Belfast were consumed by more rioting, predominantly loyalist, when Orangemen were banned from parading past the nationalist Ardoyne area.


18.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Oprah Winfrey 'Victim Of Racism' In Swiss Shop

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 09 Agustus 2013 | 18.25

Oprah Winfrey has said she recently became a victim of racism when a shop assistant in Switzerland refused to show her a £24,477 handbag saying it would be "too expensive" for her.

The US chat show host, who is one of the richest women in the world, was in Zurich for Tina Turner's wedding when she decided to go shopping alone.

Winfrey told Entertainment Tonight: "I was in Zurich the other day, in a store whose name I will not mention. I didn't have my eyelashes on, but I was in full Oprah Winfrey gear. I had my little Donna Karan skirt and my little sandals. But obviously The Oprah Winfrey Show is not shown in Zurich.

"I go into a store and I say to the woman, 'Excuse me, may I see the bag right above your head?' and she says to me, 'No. It's too expensive.'"

The bag was apparently in the shop window behind a security wall.

Goetz Trois Pommes owner Trudie Goetz

When Winfrey insisted again, the woman replied: "No, no you don't want to see that one, you want to see this one because that one will cost too much. You will not be able to afford that."

The assistant then started to show the media owner smaller bags before she asked for a third time and was refused again.

"She said, 'Oh I don't want to hurt your feelings' and I said, 'Ok thank you so much you're probably right I can't afford it.'" said the 59-year-old.

Winfrey, who is the world's only African-American billionaire, then walked out of the shop calmly.

She said: "I could've had the whole blow-up thing and thrown down the black card but why do that but that clearly is you know … it (racism) still exists, of course it does."

Blick newspaper reported that Trudie Goetz, the owner of the boutique Trois Pommes, had apologised for the incident.

Ms Goetz, who is believed to have also attended Tina Turner's wedding, said there had been a "misunderstanding" caused by the assistant's failure to recognise Winfrey.

"We don't have any facial recognition here," Blick quoted Ms Goetz as saying.

Oprah had been asked on the US TV show whether anyone had ever called her the 'N- word'.

She said no one in their right mind would call her that to her face, but that racism showed itself in other ways.

"It shows up for me this way. Sometimes I'm in a boardroom or I'm in situations where I'm the only woman, I'm the only African American person within a 100-mile radius and I can see in the energy of the people there, they don't sense that I should be holding one of those seats.

"I can sense that. But I can never tell is it racism, is it sexism, because often it's both. I mean the sexism thing is huge. The higher the ladder you climb it gets huge, because men are used to running things."

Oprah has just been awarded America's highest civilian honour - the Presidential Medal of Freedom - which she will receive from President Barack Obama at the White House later in the year.


18.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Zanzibar: Two Held For Acid Attack On UK Teens

A Zanzibar police chief has told Sky News that five people have been questioned over an acid attack on two British teenagers, two of whom are being detained for further interrogation.

Regional police commander Mkadam Khamis said the other three have been released.

Katie Gee and Kirstie Trup, both 18, were attacked by two men on a motorbike as they walked through the historic capital Stone Town on Wednesday night.

The acid was splashed over their faces, chests, backs and hands.

Acid attack The terrified girls were taken to hospital on the mainland

Sky News Foreign Affairs Correspondent Lisa Holland said there were some suggestions that one of the people held was a local shopkeeper who had been in an altercation with one of the girls a few days before.

But she added that the motive remained unclear - with other reports of eyewitnesses saying the acid was not intended for the British teenagers but someone else walking down the road. 

The pair, who had been volunteering at an orphanage on the island, were taken to hospital in Dar es Salaam on the Tanzanian mainland, and are due to be flown home today.

When they arrive in London it is thought they will be treated at a specialist burns unit.

Miss Gee's mother Nicky Gee told Sky News her daughter had suffered burns to her "whole face and her whole body" in the "vicious attack".

Nicky Gee Katie Gee's mother, Nicky, told Sky News her daughter was badly burned

Miss Trup also reportedly received horrific burns and was said to be "inconsolable".   

The young women, from north London, were enjoying the last week of a trip as volunteer teachers to the predominantly Muslim island when a corrosive substance was thrown at them.

The trip had been organised by i-to-i Travel, which is based in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, and runs gap year trips to parts of Africa, Asia, central and South America and Australia.

Trips to teach in Zanzibar, based in Stone Town, start at £669 for two weeks, according to its website.

In a statement, i-to-i Travel said the pair were released from a hospital in the country's capital, Dar es Salaam, where they had been flown for medical treatment after the "acid attack".

The family home of Kirstie Trup The family home of Kirstie Trup in north London

"All our efforts remain focused on ensuring they are supported whilst assisting them and their relatives with the arrangements for their return home," it said.

The Foreign Office travel advice for Tanzania warns that although most visits to the country are trouble-free, "violent and armed crime is increasing".

The advice, available on its website, says: "Mugging, bag snatching (especially from passing cars) and robbery have increased throughout the country."

It adds: "In Zanzibar, incidents have taken place in Stone Town and on popular tourist beaches."

Jakaya Kikwete, Tanzania's president, is reported to have visited the women at the Aga Khan Hospital in Dar es Salaam and promised that the men responsible for the "shameful" attack would be found.

Zanzibar Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous region of Tanzania

Zanzibar is an archipelago of islands in the Indian Ocean around 22 miles off the mainland.

The semi-autonomous region of Tanzania is predominantly Muslim and has been the scene of some religious violence in recent years.

Earlier this year two Christian leaders were killed and in November a cleric was treated in hospital after an acid attack. This is thought to be the first attack on tourists.

A further announcement from the police in Zanzibar regarding the case is expected later today.


18.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Probe Into Government's 'Go Home' Poster Van

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is investigating the Home Office poster van campaign targeting illegal immigrants.

ASA said it has launched the investigation after receiving 60 complaints, which expressed concerns that the ads were "reminiscent of slogans used by racist groups to attack immigrants in the past".

The poster van carried the slogans: "In the UK illegally? Go home or face arrest." A second line on the advert claimed: "106 arrested in your area". It then encouraged illegal immigrants to text "home" to the number 78070.

The campaign attracted widespread criticism, including censure from the Business Secretary Vince Cable, who called it "stupid and offensive".

However, Downing Street insisted that it was working and that immigrants were volunteering to leave, although the Home Office did not provide figures.

The van travelled through Barnet, Hounslow, Barking and Dagenham, Ealing, Brent and Redbridge as part of a £10,000 pilot scheme, which ended at the end of last month.

Van displaying Liberty poster against Home Office immigration campaign Liberty's response to the Home Office 'go home' van

Responding to criticism, Downing Street pointed out that the £10,000 pilot scheme was cheaper than the £15,000 cost of forcibly removing illegal immigrants from the country.

They suggested the scheme could be rolled out across the country.

An ASA spokesman said: "I can confirm that the Advertising Standards Authority has launched a formal investigation into the Home Office 'Go Home' ad campaign following 60 complaints.

"Complainants have expressed concerns that the ad, in particular the phrase 'Go Home', is offensive and irresponsible because it is reminiscent of slogans used by racist groups to attack immigrants in the past and could incite or exacerbate racial hatred and tensions in multicultural communities.

"Separately, some complainants have challenged whether the claim '106 arrests last week in your area' is misleading.

"They've also challenged whether it is misleading because it implies arrest is the automatic consequence of remaining in the UK without permission.

"We will publish our findings in due course."

A Home Office spokesman said: "We can confirm that we are in contact with the Advertising Standards Authority over this investigation and will respond in due course."

A suspected visa overstayer arrested at Swansea nail bar A suspected illegal immigrant is arrested in Swansea in a crackdown

The ASA's probe is in addition to another investigation by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) into a wave of immigration checks across the country.

The EHRC launched the probe after it was claimed that the spot checks - conducted at transport hubs up and down the country - were being carried out by border officials purely on the basis of ethnicity.


18.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hannah Smith: Charge Site Over Death Says Dad

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 08 Agustus 2013 | 18.25

The father of a teenager who killed herself after being bullied online has called for the owners of the website on which she was abused to be charged with manslaughter.

Hannah Smith, 14, from Lutterworth, Leicestershire, took her own life on Friday after being abused on the social network site ask.fm.

Dave Smith has accused the website owners of not caring that "teenagers are dying and killing theirselves".

Speaking to the Daily Mirror in his first on-camera interview since Hannah's death, Mr Smith said: "The people that run it should get done for manslaughter or murder because you try contacting them and they don't care.

"These websites should be got rid of, if nothing else they need to be regulated and they need to stop people from doing this.

Hannah Smith (L) and Georgia Clarke (R) Hannah and her best friend Georgia Clarke (R)

"If David Cameron was sitting here now I would want to know why he hasn't done something about this six, 12 - two years ago. Modern technology has gone on but the laws have stuck the same."

Ask.fm allows users to post anonymous questions and messages but has been criticised for not doing enough after several other teenagers took their lives - apparently after receiving abuse on the site.

Hannah committed suicide after repeated messages encouraging her to kill herself and criticising her appearance.

Mr Smith and Hannah's stepmother Deborah said people needed to think more about the effect of their online posts as it emerged their elder daughter Jo has also been the target of abuse on the site.

"How could you?", Mrs Smith said. "People need to stop and think. You can't just sit behind a keyboard and type something and think that doesn't matter. There's a complete lack of emotional intelligence."

Mr Smith added: "There's something not right with the world today that people can tell someone to die so many times that they actually do it."

David Smith And Jo Smith David Smith with elder daughter Jo

He described his younger daughter was a "bubbly person" and a "pleasure to be around" and revealed he had intervened in the past to stop her being bullied at school.

He also said, on the night before she died, Hannah had told him: "Goodnight Dad, I love you."

"I was 50 miles away in a lorry," said Mr Smith, describing how he found out about her death.

"My brother turned round to me and said 'Hannah's hung herself' and I said 'is she dead?', and he said 'yeah'. I just broke down and turned the lorry round as fast as I could to get back."

Kiran, another youngster who has suffered cyberbullying, told Sky News: "I felt like I was drowning, like I was sinking because all these words were coming in and I had pressures from exams and everything was building up and the cyberbullying really got to me.

"I thought I had people there to help me and support me and actually my own peers were not there to support me they were pushing me down."

He added: "There were times when I felt I didn't want to be here any more."

Hannah Smith Hannah received messages criticising her appearance

The Prime Minister promised the Government would look at any action it can take to stop future tragedies like Hannah's death, which he called "an absolutely appalling case".

He also said: "The people that operate these websites have to step up to the plate and show some responsibility.

"There's something all of us as parents and users of the internet can do and that is not use some of these vile sites: boycott them, don't go there, don't join them."

And he warned that people online were not above the law and could be punished for inciting anyone to do harm or become violent.

Ask.fm, based in Latvia, has called Hannah's death a "true tragedy" and said it is cooperating with Leicestershire Police's investigation.

In a statement the site said it actively "encourages users and their parents to report any incidences of bullying", either by using the in-site reporting button, or via the website's contact page.

"All reports are read by our team of moderators to ensure that genuine concerns are heard and acted upon immediately - and we always remove content reported to us that violates our Terms of Service," the statement added.

:: Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 08457 90 90 90 or email jo@samaritans.org.

:: BeatBullying.org is also available for advice and support.


18.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

A&E Crisis: £500m Bailout Over Two Years

Struggling A&E departments in England are to be given a £500m Government bailout to help relieve pressure over the winter months.

The funding, announced by Prime Minister David Cameron, will be spread over the next two years to prepare the service for winter and will include £15m for the troubled 111 phone service.

The emergency care system has come under intense pressure, partly due to a rise in the number of people attending A&E.

Over one million more people attend the departments than three years ago.

David Cameron Salford hospital visit David Cameron on a hospital visit in Salford on Thursday

Some experts have blamed issues in primary care, saying patients feel they have nowhere to turn once GP surgeries are closed.

Major problems with the new 111 service for non-urgent care are also thought to have impacted on A&E.

Last month, MPs on the Health Select Committee said plans to tackle problems were not robust enough.

The new funding is aimed at A&E departments identified as being under the most pressure and will be targeted at "pinch points" in local services.

Hospitals have already put forward proposals aimed at improving how the service works, including taking into account how other services feed into it.

One way of relieving pressure could be to minimise A&E attendances and hospital admissions from care homes by appointing hospital specialists in charge of joining up services for the elderly.

Consultants may also be called upon to review patients arriving by ambulance at A&E so that a senior level decision is taken on what care is needed at the earliest opportunity.

Jeremy Hunt Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt says the money will help units over winter

Mr Cameron said: "With over a million more people visiting A&E in the last three years, services and staff can find themselves under pressure during the busier winter period.

"While A&E departments are performing well this summer and at a level we would expect for this time of year, I want the NHS to take action now to prepare for the coming winter.

"The additional funding will go to hospitals where the pressure will be greatest, with a focus on practical measures that relieve pinch points in local services."

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: "This £500m will help A&E departments to prepare for winter and give patients confidence that they can quickly access safe and reliable emergency care."

A spokesman for the British Medical Association (BMA) said: "It is right that the Government is finally listening to the concerns of doctors and patients but, at a time when they are demanding cuts of £20bn across the NHS, this is nothing more than papering over the cracks.

"It is recognition that their austerity programme has hospitals facing ever increasing demands with diminishing resources."


18.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Zanzibar: Two British Women In Acid Attack

Two British teenagers have had acid thrown in their faces in a late night attack on the island of Zanzibar.

Katie Gee and Kirstie Trup, both 18, were attacked as they walked through the streets of Stone Town, the historical centre of the capital of the east African island, by two men on a moped.

The acid splashed their faces, chests, backs and hands.

The pair, who had been working as volunteer teachers at an orphanage, were flown to hospital in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, for treatment after the attack on Wednesday night but have now been discharged.

Katie Gee Katie Gee had been volunteering as a teacher

The two teenagers, from London, were with the volunteering organisation i-to-i as part of a four-week trip.

They had been due to return home from the island, a popular destination for gap-year travellers, to the UK on Saturday.

In a statement the organisation said: "The motive for the attack is as yet not known and we will await the report from the local authorities in Zanzibar before any comment can be made.

"The female clients had been volunteer teachers on Zanzibar and were in the final week of their trip.

Kirstie Trup Kirstie Trup was also injured in the attack

"The safety of our customers is of paramount importance to us and our own investigation will be launched as soon as it is possible to do so."

Their parents are understood to have been informed and the teenagers are expected to fly back on Thursday.

Deputy Police Commissioner Mkadam Khamis said: "Police in Zanzibar have launched a manhunt, and we ask for public assistance in identifying the attackers."

He added: "The motive for the attack on the volunteers, aged 18 years, has not been established."

The street in Stone Town where the attack took place The street in Stone Town where the attack took place

Saleh Mohammed Jidawi, a senior health ministry official, said that the women's wounds were "not life threatening".

The assault is the first against foreigners in the popular tourist destination, however, there have been a series of local attacks in the archipelago, mainly on grounds of religion.

A Muslim cleric was subjected to an acid attack in November. In February a Catholic priest was shot dead and in December another priest was shot and wounded.

But police described the attack on the British teenagers as an "isolated incident" and refused to link it to rising religious tensions between Muslims and Christians.

The Indian Ocean islands, famed for their white sand beaches and historical buildings in Stone Town, listed as a world heritage site by Unesco, are mainly Muslim, with 3% of the 1.2 million people Christian.

The attack on the island, 22 miles off the coast of Tanzania, came at the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan as people began to celebrate the Eid holiday.

A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: "We are aware of an incident and are providing consular assistance."


18.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Outcry As Girl Called 'Sex Predator' By Judge

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 07 Agustus 2013 | 18.25

A paedophile who avoided jail after a judge and prosecutor described his 13-year-old victim as "predatory" in court could have his sentence reviewed.

Neil Wilson, 41, was handed an eight-month suspended sentence and walked free from court on Monday.

But the case has prompted an outcry from children's charities and his sentence is now being examined by the Attorney General's office.

It will decide whether it should ask the Court of Appeal to consider whether the punishment was unduly lenient.

Prosecutor Robert Colover reportedly told Snaresbrook Crown Court in London: "The girl is predatory in all her actions and she is sexually experienced."

Passing sentence, Judge Nigel Peters then said he had taken into account that the girl looked and behaved "a little bit older" than she was.

"The girl was predatory and was egging you on. That is no defence when dealing with children but I am prepared to impose a suspension," he said. 

Wilson, now living in York, had watched the girl strip out of her school uniform at his home in Romford, Essex, before she performed a sex act on him.

He admitted two counts of making extreme pornographic images and one count of sexual activity with a child.

Judge Peters told Wilson: "Allowing her to visit your home is something we have to clamp down on and in normal circumstances that would mean a significant term in prison."

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has said the language used by its prosecutor was "inappropriate".

A spokesman said: "The transgressor in this case was the defendant and he bears responsibility for his criminal acts."

More than 4,000 people have already signed a petition set up by a campaigner working on behalf of sex abuse victims calling for a review.

She wrote on the Change.org website: "I'm a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. I could have been that 13-year-old girl who the judge and prosecutor described as 'predatory'.

"I have seen first-hand how this kind of victim-blaming prevents women from coming forward and protects men who commit these crimes."

Caroline Criado-Perez 'Completely appalling': Caroline Criado-Perez

The NSPCC warned that the case was part of a wider pattern about how child sex abuse cases are treated in the courts.

Alan Wardle, head of corporate affairs, said: "It was quite clear in the case the predator was the man who was in the dock, not a 13-year-old child, and it is quite clear that a 13-year-old child cannot be complicit in her own abuse.

"Making sure that judges and barristers in all these cases are properly trained and understand the nature of child sexual abuse and how children are groomed in these sort of cases is important."

A spokesman for Barnardo's added: "It is plain wrong to imply in any way that the experiences of sexually exploited children are something they bring on themselves."

Victim Support's chief executive Javed Khan said: "Victims of sexual abuse should be praised for their bravery in coming forward, not censured and have their credibility called into question - least of all by the prosecution.

"It is traumatic enough for anyone who is brought to court to face their abuser, but particularly so when this is a young vulnerable person. It is completely unacceptable for victims to be blamed in any way for the abuse they have suffered."

Caroline Criado-Perez, who received rape threats following her calls for Jane Austen to be the face on the £10 bank note, called the judge's decision "completely appalling".

She told Sky News: "It's really worrying that we're in the 21st century and we're still suggesting victims can be complicit in their abuse which is basically what calling a 13-year-old child a sexually predator is.

"I don't think you can ever call a child a sexual predator because they are a child. They are below the age of consent. We have laws specifically because of this kind of thing so that you can't say a child is responsible for her abuse.

"This adds to the horror that has happened to her. She has been abused and now we are blaming her for it. It's just unconscionable."

The Attorney General said a decision on whether the case is referred to the Court of Appeal will be made within 28 days.


18.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Borrowers Boost: Interest Rates Tied To Jobs

The Bank of England plans to keep the base rate of interest at its record low level until unemployment falls to 7% - unlikely for another three years.

The announcement was made by new governor, Mark Carney, at his first Inflation Report news conference where he outlined sweeping changes to monetary policy in a bid to provide more clarity to the public and financial markets.

The bank said it would keep the base rate at 0.5% unless inflation threatened to spiral out of control or there was a danger to financial stability.

Policymakers said they stood ready to buy more government bonds if additional stimulus was needed and would not reverse existing purchases while unemployment was too high.

It meant there would be no scaling back on the bank's £375bn programme of quantitative easing (QE) for at least three years.

The Bank of England in central London The bank expects economic recovery to accelerate

Mr Carney said unemployment falling to 7% would mean more than 750,000 UK jobs are created, which, combined with rising wages, would represent "real improvements in the lives of people across the nation".

But the Bank suggested that growth was likely to be "weak by historical standards", even though economic recovery was "taking hold."

Inflation, the report said, was forecast to stay above its 2% target until the second half of 2015 based on market rate expectations though it was now not expected to rise above 3% this year.

The forward guidance on the likely movement of bank rate - while welcome news for borrowers - means savers face more years of weak interest on their money.

A growing number of major central banks, including the US Federal Reserve, are providing so-called forward guidance to help nurse their economies back to health.

The BoE also forecast that the economy would grow by 0.6% during the current quarter - the same as between April and June, and that growth would reach an annual rate of 2.6% in two years' time.

The Chancellor welcomed the introduction of forward guidance by the Bank in a letter to Mr Carney.

George Osborne said: "Given the exceptional economic challenges continuing to face the UK economy, I agree with you that forward guidance can play a useful role in enhancing the effectiveness of monetary policy and thereby supporting the recovery."

Vicky Redwood, chief UK economist at consultancy Capital Economics, said the Bank's guidance was a "clear steer that interest rates will stay on hold until the end of 2016 or even 2017.

"Although financial markets already expected rates to stay low for a long time, this probably exceeds their expectations," she added.

But the Bank's interest rate pledge did little to boost market confidence as the FTSE 100 Index fell as much as 1% after the announcement, although the pound gained some strength.


18.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

'Bongo Land' Comment Sparks UKIP Racism Row

A UK Independence Party politician has been rebuked for declaring Britain should not send taxpayer-funded aid to "bongo bongo land".

The eurosceptic party has asked Godfrey Bloom, an MEP for Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire, to watch his language.

Mr Bloom was filmed questioning Britain's overseas aid payments, as well as appearing to back the return of hanging.

"How we can possibly be giving a billion pounds a month, when we're in this sort of debt, to bongo bongo land is completely beyond me," he said in the video.

"To buy Ray-Ban sunglasses, apartments in Paris, Ferraris and all the rest of it that goes with most of the foreign aid. F-18s for Pakistan.

"We need a new squadron of F-18s. Who's got the squadrons? Pakistan, where we send the money."

Later in the speech, Mr Bloom railed against the European Court of Human Rights for ruling that full life sentences could not be handed down.

He said: "You can torture people to death, but you jolly well can't give them a full life sentence because that's against their human rights.

"We can't hang them because we're now a member of the European Union and it's embedded in the Treaty of Rome. It's a personal thing, but I'd hang the b******s myself."

He added: "I do hope they would ask me to throw the rope over the beam because I'd be delighted to do so."

Mr Bloom denied to The Guardian, who obtained the video, that his comments were racist and declared: "What's wrong with that? I'm not a wishy-washy Tory."

But he was later asked by UKIP not to repeat the words "bongo bongo" to avoid causing offence.

Party chairman Steve Crowther said: "We are asking Godfrey not to use this phrase again as it might be considered disparaging by members from other countries.

"However, foreign aid is an extremely important debate that needs wider discussion."

Quizzed before the party's statement about what he would do if he was asked to mind his language, Mr Bloom said: "I'd say 'Righto, sorry, sorry everybody'."

But he then repeated the controversial phrase, saying: "If I've offended anyone in bongo bongo land, I shall write to the ambassador at the Court of St James's and apologise to him personally."

He insisted he was right to argue that Britain should be keeping taxpayers' money at a time of austerity - and shrugged off the prospect his language could lose him votes.

"We live in a free country. I'm a libertarian. Please don't vote for me if you don't agree with me. I wouldn't expect you to," he told BBC's Radio 4 Today programme.

"But if you're fed up with £1bn a month going abroad with no audit trail when we're cutting our police and hospitals, vote for me."

He added: "I think I'm standing up for ordinary people at the pub, the cricket club, the rugby club."

Laura Pidcock, from campaign group Show Racism The Red Card, called the comments "highly offensive" and said the intention behind them was irrelevant.

"These crude stereotypes that see Britain as a civilised place and overseas as tribal is an extremely homogenising sentiment and I think it's incredibly damaging," she said.

Shadow international development secretary Rushanara Ali added: "These are an offensive and narrow-minded set of remarks.

"The British are among the most generous in the world and recognise that Britain's commitment to international development is both morally right and key to securing our future prosperity.

"If Nigel Farage is serious about getting rid of racism and intolerance in his party, he should take action against UKIP politicians who think it's acceptable to refer to developing countries as bongo bongo land."

Mr Bloom has previously had to defend his controversial views after suggesting that no "self-respecting small businessman" would employ a "woman of child-bearing age".

In April, a leaked email from the MEP also suggested he was concerned about excessive "political correctness" among new recruits to UKIP.

And he had complained that forging UKIP's policy platform was like "herding cats" and suggested the party could buy its policies "off the shelf" from think-tanks.


18.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Test Tube Burger To Face First Tasting

Written By Unknown on Senin, 05 Agustus 2013 | 18.25

By Alex Watts, Sky News Online

The world's first test tube burger, costing a whopping £220,000, is to be unveiled today in London.

The 5oz patty - made from lab-grown "cultured beef" - will be dished up by its creator, Professor Mark Post, before journalists at a secret location in the west of the capital.

The scientist-turned-chef made the most expensive beefburger in history from 20,000 tiny strips of meat grown from cow stem cells.

Few details of today's slice of culinary and scientific history have been released.

All that is known is the burger will be fried in a pan, possibly by a celebrity chef, and tasted by two volunteers, one of whom may be the anonymous philanthropist who paid for the research.

Professor Mark Post, creator of synthetic beef burger grown in test tube Professor Post reckons commercial production could begin within 20 years

The mystery benefactor was described by Professor Post last year as a household name with a track record of "turning everything into gold".

Professor Post believes his artificial meat - known by the rather unappetising title "in-vitro meat" - could herald a food revolution and appear in supermarkets within the next 10 to 20 years.

It could also help save the planet by cutting the billions of tonnes of greenhouse gases currently released by livestock, and may also be deemed ethically acceptable by vegetarians because it would dramatically reduce the need to slaughter animals.

But its success or failure will ultimately depend on how much it resembles the taste, texture and price of real meat.

Synthetic beef (centre) with hamburger meat (left) and minced beef (right)

Up until now, the only outsider known to have eaten the synthetic meat is a Russian reporter who snatched a piece of cultured pork and stuffed it in his mouth during a visit to Professor Post's lab - before it had been passed as safe to eat.

He was reportedly unimpressed by the pork, describing it as "chewy and tasteless".

Professor Post's team at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands conducted experiments which progressed from mouse meat to pork and finally beef - the most environmentally destructive meat.

"What we are going to attempt is important because I hope it will show cultured beef has the answers to major problems that the world faces," he said.

"Our burger is made from muscle cells taken from a cow. We haven't altered them in any way. For it to succeed it has to look, feel and hopefully taste like the real thing."

Cultured beef grown in laboratory at University of Maastricht, Holland The in-vitro burger is cultured from cattle stem cells

The ingredients don't sound like something a chef would boast about on a menu - half-millimetre thick strips of pinkish yellow lab-grown tissue, each the size of a rice grain.

But Professor Post is confident he can produce a burger that is almost indistinguishable from one made from prime beef.

He points out that livestock farming is becoming unsustainable, with demand for meat rocketing around the world.

The industry accounts for nearly 20% of all greenhouse gas emissions - even greater than transport - with 228 million tonnes of meat produced each year.

And the environmental problems are only likely to get worse, with the UN forecasting that world demand for meat will double by 2050, largely driven by an increased demand from a growing middle class in China and other developing nations.

Added to this, around 70% of all farmland is devoted to meat production, and cattle consume around 10% of the world's freshwater supplies, making meat farming a very costly, planet-damaging business.

Cultured beef Twitter page The hashtag for the event will be #culturedbeef

Experts say 1kg of meat requires up to 10kg of crops to produce, making it a highly inefficient method of turning plants into human food, whereas synthetic meat uses about 2kg of feed.

Research by Oxford University scientists in 2011 estimated that cultured meat needs 99% less land than livestock, between 82% and 96% less water, and produces between 78% and 95% less greenhouse gas.

The burger launched today has cost 250,000 euros (£220,000) to produce, but the Dutch team are hoping to dramatically slash the cost by industrialising the laborious process.

The Food Standards Agency said that before going on sale, synthetic meat would need regulatory approval, with manufacturers needing to prove that all necessary safety tests had been carried out.

:: The event will be streamed live on the Sky News website from 1pm today.


18.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Gibraltar Row: Spain Accused Of Sabre-Rattling

Gibraltar's chief minister has accused Spain of "sabre-rattling like North Korea" after it threatened to impose sanctions on the Rock.

Fabian Picardo said Spanish foreign minister Jose Garcia-Margallo was being belligerent by threatening to charge workers almost £90 a day to cross the border.

Prime Minister David Cameron has also now weighed in, with Downing Street saying he is "seriously concerned" by the escalating row.

A spokesman said: "The Spanish have not raised the prospect of introducing border fees with us. We are seeking an explanation from them regarding reports that they might target Gibraltar with further measures."

Mr Garcia-Margallo had suggested a levy on workers travelling from Gibraltar could be used to help Spanish fishermen who have lost out because of damage to fishing grounds allegedly caused by Gibraltarian authorities.

But Mr Picardo told Sky News: "The 10,000 Spanish workers that come into Gibraltar every day, they would be on the hook for 100 euros - 50 in and 50 out - when they might earn less than that each day.

"I think this is quite a silly remark for the Spanish foreign minister to have made. He is sabre-rattling a la North Korea. It almost makes you feel like you are listening to the politics of Franco in the 1950s and 60s."

In a separate interview, he said that the border costs would violate European Union freedom of movement rules.

Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party's leader Fabian PicardoJose Manuel Garcia-Margallo Fabian Picardo (left) and Jose Garcia-Margallo

He also warned "hell will freeze over" before the Gibraltan authorities remove an artificial reef Madrid claims is harming the interests of Spanish fishermen.

And he branded the possibility of Spain closing its airspace to flights from the Rock dangerous and the "politics of madness".

The Foreign Office has already voiced concerns over Mr Garcia-Margallo's comments and said Britain would not compromise its sovereignty over Gibraltar.

A spokesman made clear that the UK expects Madrid to live up to the commitments it made in the 2006 Cordoba Agreement.

These include deals on issues like border crossings and access for flights, as well as establishing a tripartite forum for regular dialogue between Britain, Spain and Gibraltar.

Spain's main opposition party, the Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE) accused Mr Garcia-Margallo of "dynamiting" dialogue on issues affecting workers, fishermen and traders.

Its spokesman for EU affairs Juan Moscoso del Prado said: "You cannot threaten 50 euro fees when there are more than 10,000 people who go there every day to work. Workers should not be taken hostage by this conflict."

The dispute over the status of Gibraltar escalated recently following a number of alleged Spanish incursions into the territory's waters.

Spain claims sovereignty over the Rock, which stands on the southernmost tip of the Iberian peninsula but has been a British Overseas Territory since the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713.

However, the UK Government has made clear that it will not negotiate over sovereignty as long as Gibraltar's people want to remain British.

Foreign Secretary William Hague last month phoned Mr Garcia-Margallo to complain about Spain ramping up border checks, which forced drivers to wait for up to seven hours in searing heat.

On Sunday, the Foreign Office summoned the Spanish ambassador, to demand assurances that there would be no repeat of the excessive checks.


18.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Gazza Admits Assault And Disorderly Charges

Paul Gascoigne has pleaded guilty to charges of common assault and being drunk and disorderly after an incident at Stevenage railway station.

The former Newcastle and Tottenham midfielder appeared before magistrates in the Hertfordshire town, who fined him £1,245.

Gascoigne, 46, had been arrested on July 4 when police were called to the station at around 10.30pm.

It is understood that Jack Sherrington, a member of rail security staff, was assaulted as he tried to get Gascoigne to sit in a wheelchair because he was drunk and unstable.

He had been travelling from Newcastle to London but got off at Stevenage.

Ms McMillan, prosecuting, said Gascoigne grabbed hold of Mr Sherrington in the neck area - an assault which lasted a few seconds.

Mr Sherrington was not injured in the incident.

A media scrum greeted Gascoigne outside the court. He held a packet of cigarettes and was wearing a dark suit, pale blue shirt, beige loafers with no socks and sunglasses. 

The court heard that he had been in Newcastle visiting his ill father, who has a heart condition, at the time of the incident.

Gascoigne's lawyer Gavin Harris said his client had consumed a small amount of alcohol, due to a "combination of stress caused by worry for his father and acute pain from a hip operation six weeks previously".

Mr Harris said that because Gascoigne had not drunk alcohol for a significant period of time, the effects were stronger than would otherwise have been the case.

The court heard that Gascoigne's ex-wife and children were called to the station and in her sentencing, chair of the bench Carolyn Marsh, pointed out that his 17-year-old son was "distressed".

He was fined a total of  £1,245 in fines and costs.

Gascoigne, who received treatment for alcoholism in an American clinic earlier this year, was originally charged with two counts of assault, one involving his ex-wife Sheryl, but that charge was dropped.

Speaking outside court, Mr Harris said his client would like to "publicly apologise for his actions" but asked for privacy so he can continue with his recovery.


18.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Childcare Scheme To Help Working Parents

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 04 Agustus 2013 | 18.26

Families where both parents are in work could soon be offered taxpayer-funded help with childcare.

The Government is to announce a formal consultation on the introduction of a £1bn scheme, set to be introduced in 2015.

It is proposed that the online vouchers will be worth up to £1,200 per child, according to the Sunday Telegraph.

For every 80p families pay in, the Government will put in 20p up to an annual limit for each child of £1,200.

The support will benefit around 2.5 million households.

And even families with a combined income of up to £300,000 will be able to get the payments.

Families boosted by childcare move The issue of childcare has proven tricky for the coalition

However, about 1.2 million households where one parent - mostly mothers - stays at home will not be eligible for the help.

The scheme will be introduced for children under five by 2015 and extended to cover all those under 12 by 2020, under current plans.

Lower-income families where both parents work will get extra payments that will cover up to 85% of their childcare costs, compared with the current 70%.

The Treasury will invite comments on the plans on Monday.

Sharon Hodgson MP, Labour's shadow minister for children and families said: "Only David Cameron's Government could be so out of touch that they expect families to be grateful for help with childcare in 2015 when they've already seen costs spiralling and support taken away.

"This Government has hit hardworking parents. Families with two children have already lost up to £1,500 in childcare tax credit.

"This Government promised to be the most family friendly ever but hardworking parents have lost out while millionaires get a tax cut."


18.26 | 0 komentar | Read More

Thomas Ousby: Briton Dies In Spain Hotel Fall

A British teenager has died after falling from a hotel in Spain.

Thomas Ousby, 19, died after falling from a fire escape on the ninth floor of a four-star hotel in Magaluf, Majorca, according to reports.

Mr Ousby, who was believed to be staying at another hotel, had spoken about returning to the UK days before his death on Thursday.

The aspiring model and musician from London wrote on Twitter: "Magas all good, coming home sometime this week tho."

He told friends he was promoting bars and boat trips at the party resort, tweeting in June: "Crazy times haha! It's all good selling tickets for bar crawls n boat parties."

A tribute to Thomas Ousby A tribute to the teenager

Tributes flooded on to the social networking site, including a picture of his name spelled out in tea-light candles.

Lily Delphine, 18, a film student from London, wrote: "I wish we were all together again", adding, "On the balcony with everyone, having a cheeky drink and listening to toms ipod."

Danielle McCabe tweeted: "Thomas William Ousby has the most amazing energy I've ever met in a person, I truly adore him and cannot understand why he's not here."

Milena wrote: "I will treasure every fond memory. Every morning you woke us up singing and dancing. Every 'hii guyss' through the window. Every big smile."

A spokesman for the Atlantic Park hotel in Magaluf, where the incident is reported to have happened, refused to comment.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "We were notified on August 3 of the death of a British national in Spain and are providing consular assistance to the family at this time."


18.26 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bolton Pensioner Suffers Stroke After Attack

A pensioner suffered a stroke after he was robbed and "savagely" beaten in his own home, police have said.

The 87-year-old was subjected to the "ferocious assault" when he was woken up by a man who broke into his home on Longfield Road in Bolton, Greater Manchester, in the early hours of Saturday morning.

The intruder prised open the living room window and climbed through. He then made his way upstairs into the victim's bedroom and turned the light on.

Startled, the pensioner was confronted by the thief who demanded money and then punched the victim several times in the face.

After stealing the man's bank book, wallet and cheque book from the pensioner's bedside cabinet, the thief then fled.

The victim managed to call the police despite his injuries.

Police are now hunting the offender and are appealing to anyone with information to come forward.

Detective Inspector Denise Pye said: "This man was awoken, only to find an intruder standing over him making threats.

"Before he knew what was happening, he was savagely attacked and as a result of this ferocious assault, he sustained a stroke and has been diagnosed with a bleed to his brain.

"He is currently in a serious condition in hospital and is being treated for his injuries. Our thoughts are with him and we hope he makes a recovery.

"This was clearly a shocking crime and I'm sure people in this community will rightly be outraged at what has happened.

"That is why we are appealing to anyone living in this area who might have information about what happened to come forward.

"Whatever information you may have could be crucial to finding the offender and ensuring justice is done.

"I urge people in the strongest terms that if they do know something or have any suspicions about who may be involved that they call us."

:: Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101, 0161 856 5599 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.


18.26 | 0 komentar | Read More
techieblogger.com Techie Blogger Techie Blogger