A man has been sued for attempting to pay a large bill with coppers. Where did he go wrong?A care home manager has been ordered by a judge to pay a total of £1,118.62 after he tried to settle an £804 debt to his accountant with five crates of mostly 1p and 2p coins. He had been to the bank especially, he said: be glad that you weren't behind him in the queue. So what did Robert Fitzpatrick, the care home manager, do wrong?This might come as a surprise, but according to the Royal Mint, 1p and 2p coins are legal tender only if you are paying for something costing 20p or less: once you have…
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What can you pay for with 1p and 2p coins? Not an £800 bill …
Most viewed | guardian.co.uk15 May 2012 | 2:00 pm -
John Sculley: the future of our health is in the cloud
Technology: Apple | guardian.co.uk16 May 2012 | 9:51 amThe Newton was two decades ahead of its time, says the former Apple chief executive – and the future of healthcare will be driven by cloud computingJohn Sculley – the man who as Apple chief executive gave the world the Newton, which was the first glimpse of the "personal digital assistant" in the 1980s – can see a number of possibilities opening up before us.A world without work for millions who want it? A world where we can diagnose strokes or heart attacks well before they happen? A world of machines talking to machines? All are possible, even likely, because of cloud computing, which… -
Max Payne 3 – review
Technology: Microsoft | guardian.co.uk14 May 2012 | 11:15 amPS3/Xbox 360/PC; £39.99; cert 18+; RockstarRockstar knows how to do sleaze, that's for sure. From the Latino sex clubs of GTA III: Vice City to the rickety saloon bars and whore houses of Red Dead Redemption, this company has always reveled in the sights, smells and pleasures of the low life. And with Max Payne 3, the third part in a downbeat shooter franchise adopted from Finnish developer Remedy, it has crafted a masterpiece of underworld carnality, depravity and violence.As soon as the action kicks off, Dan and Sam Houser – the enigmatic siblings who run the Rockstar behemoth and steer… -
Dropping Rio Ferdinand for Euro 2012 sends out the wrong message | Rodney Hinds
Comment is free | guardian.co.uk16 May 2012 | 1:05 pmIt's hard to believe this happened for footballing reasons. It's John Terry who should be dropped until he's cleared his nameRio Ferdinand has surely played his last game for England. After 81 games for the national side, the central defender has been axed from the Euro 2012 squad by new England manager Roy Hodgson. Ferdinand's omission has had many in and outside of the game scratching their heads. Is it a football decision, or a political decision?One of Hodgson's first tasks as the England chief was to address the impasse between Ferdinand and fellow central defender John Terry, whose seat… -
Magdalena Kožená: 'I'm not scared of the big maestro'
Culture | guardian.co.uk16 May 2012 | 1:00 pmWhat's it like to sing Carmen when your husband is the conductor? Magdalena Kožená (aka Lady Simon Rattle) reveals all to Kate ConnollyMagdalena Kožená believes musicians fall into two categories. "There are people who love to work with their partners and those who simply can't," she says. It is, she admits, "fortunate that I'm the first case": the celebrated Czech mezzo-soprano's husband happens to be conductor Simon Rattle.What's the main advantage of being married to the conductor? "You can say, 'I'm sorry, darling, you know today my voice is just not in a very good…
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Technology: Apple | guardian.co.uk
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John Sculley: the future of our health is in the cloud
16 May 2012 | 9:51 amThe Newton was two decades ahead of its time, says the former Apple chief executive – and the future of healthcare will be driven by cloud computingJohn Sculley – the man who as Apple chief executive gave the world the Newton, which was the first glimpse of the "personal digital assistant" in the 1980s – can see a number of possibilities opening up before us.A world without work for millions who want it? A world where we can diagnose strokes or heart attacks well before they happen? A world of machines talking to machines? All are possible, even likely, because of cloud computing, which… -
Aaron Sorkin to write script for Sony's Steve Jobs biopic
16 May 2012 | 6:08 amThe Social Network's Oscar-winning screenwriter is to pen film based on bestselling biography of the late Apple founderHis legacy already surrounds us in the shape of iPods, iPhones, iPads and myriad other iconic, sleek and indispensable examples of 21st-century living. Now Apple founder Steve Jobs is to be immortalised on the big screen in not one but two competing Hollywood biopics, the latest of which yesterday confirmed The Social Network's Oscar-winning Aaron Sorkin as its screenwriter.Studio Sony's announcement that it has appointed the creator of The West Wing to adapt Walter… -
Apple and publishers fail to halt ebook lawsuit
15 May 2012 | 2:20 pmLawsuit accuses Apple and publishers of colluding to break up Amazon.com's low-cost dominanceApple and five major book publishers have failed to persuade a US judge to throw out a lawsuit by consumers accusing them of conspiring to raise electronic book prices two years ago.The lawsuit in US district court in New York is related to government charges in April accusing Apple and publishers of colluding to break up Amazon.com's low-cost dominance of the digital book market.HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster and Hachette reached settlements, while Apple and two of the publishers, Macmillan and… -
Apple drops '4G' from new iPad name in UK online store
15 May 2012 | 11:32 amAlteration to 'Cellular' comes after complaints to Advertising Standards Authority over 'LTE' compatibility claims but investigation could still follow in SwedenApple has removed claims that its new iPad has "4G" capability from its UK and other non-US online stores, after complaints that its high-speed mobile connection could not work outside the US.The UK Apple Store now describes the mobile-capable device as having "cellular" capability, rather than 4G. The latter offers superfast mobile connections at speeds of up to 100 megabits per second. But in the UK there are no publicly available… -
Silicon Valley legend John Sculley on cloud computing
15 May 2012 | 7:56 amIn this edition of Tech Weekly with Aleks Krotoski and Guardian Technology editor Charles Arthur, we look at the plight of Yahoo as turmoil at the top begs the question: what is Yahoo for?Telecoms correspondent Juliette Garside discusses a Guardian survey of UK broadband speeds and why it appears that we are falling behind in the global rankings.And Charles speaks to former Apple chief executive and Silicon Valley legend John Sculley about cloud computing, and why it will change health care provision in the US and innovate state services around the world.Don't forget to...• Comment below•…
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Technology: Microsoft | guardian.co.uk
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Max Payne 3 – review
14 May 2012 | 11:15 amPS3/Xbox 360/PC; £39.99; cert 18+; RockstarRockstar knows how to do sleaze, that's for sure. From the Latino sex clubs of GTA III: Vice City to the rickety saloon bars and whore houses of Red Dead Redemption, this company has always reveled in the sights, smells and pleasures of the low life. And with Max Payne 3, the third part in a downbeat shooter franchise adopted from Finnish developer Remedy, it has crafted a masterpiece of underworld carnality, depravity and violence.As soon as the action kicks off, Dan and Sam Houser – the enigmatic siblings who run the Rockstar behemoth and steer… -
Bing gets social as it leapfrogs Google with Facebook, Twitter – and Google+
11 May 2012 | 11:18 amUpdates to the perenially cash-bleeding search engine mean that it now includes data from your social networks - including the biggest two that Google can't reach.If you're choosing a search engine that is able to do social search, your obvious choice is… Microsoft's Bing?Yes, it is - or, following a series of upgrades by Microsoft, it might be in the near fugure. In a move that Google may well find galling, Microsoft now searches not just Twitter and Facebook – both of which barely appear in Google's search results - but also Google+, Google's own social network.And unlike Google's… -
Minecraft: Xbox 360 edition – review
9 May 2012 | 5:56 amXbox 360; 1600 Microsoft Points (about £13); cert 7+; Mojang/4J StudiosWith 25 million registered players and a hardcore community that makes the Scientologists look feckless and uncommitted, Minecraft is one of indie gaming's most astonishing and important success stories.Originally released on the PC in 2009 as a working project, the title has been evolving ever since, adding new features, rules and modes and now a console conversion. Along the way, it has quietly become such a vital cultural force it even has its own Lego set. Which, if you know anything about Minecraft, is a delicious… -
Microsoft to go carbon neutral
8 May 2012 | 1:50 pmTech giant commits to making data centres, air travel and offices meet target by July, and to introducing internal carbon marketMicrosoft has committed to going carbon neutral, joining the growing list of tech companies trying to reduce their environmental footprint.A blog post on the company website said Microsoft would commit to making its data centres, software labs, air travel and office buildings carbon neutral by 1 July, which marks the start of the company's next financial year."Working on the issues of energy use and environmental change provides another opportunity to make a… -
Bank Holiday catch-up: EA, Wii-U and the $99 Xbox
8 May 2012 | 6:17 amCatch up on some of the stories that broke over the Bank Holiday break, including the announcement of Dead Space 3 and a new way to sell games consolesIt's been quite a busy weekend for the games industry, so here's a quick refresh on what we've missed while lounging about at home enjoying the Bank Holiday break...EA has a record year for revenues, hints at Dead Space 3, but admits Star Wars: The Old Republic subscriptions diveElectronic Arts has announced its financial results from Q4 2011 and the fiscal year. Over the 12 months up to 31 March 2012, the company generated $4.2bn in revenue,…
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Comment is free | guardian.co.uk
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Dropping Rio Ferdinand for Euro 2012 sends out the wrong message | Rodney Hinds
16 May 2012 | 1:05 pmIt's hard to believe this happened for footballing reasons. It's John Terry who should be dropped until he's cleared his nameRio Ferdinand has surely played his last game for England. After 81 games for the national side, the central defender has been axed from the Euro 2012 squad by new England manager Roy Hodgson. Ferdinand's omission has had many in and outside of the game scratching their heads. Is it a football decision, or a political decision?One of Hodgson's first tasks as the England chief was to address the impasse between Ferdinand and fellow central defender John Terry, whose seat… -
Why Upfront needs to make drama out of a crisis | Caryn Mandabach
16 May 2012 | 11:47 amUpfront season sees frantic wooing between TV networks and advertisers. But without quality airtime, the relationship is brokenAfter the hectic and wasteful piloting process is over, it is once again Upfront season in NYC, which means it's time to trot out the goods in front of the television advertisers. As ever, they are meant to be impressed by the razzle-dazzle of the program presentation reels, and thus offer to pay more for the time and the privilege to have their clients be adjacent to the new magic. Alas, this moribund institution hasn't had any real purpose, apart from building up… -
Flexible UK workers are staying in work – but we must invest in job creation | Jonathan Portes
16 May 2012 | 10:42 amBritish workers' resilience in the labour market has meant that employment statistics are not as bad as they could have beenOverall, today's employment statistics are good news. They confirm the resilience of the UK labour market in the face of a very weak economy. If, three years ago, you had told me – or almost any other labour market economist – that output would still be more than 4% below its peak level, we'd have predicted unemployment of well over 3 million. Thankfully, we were wrong. So what's going on?At a headline level, the most important factor is that British workers have… -
Q&A with Ana Marie Cox: Ron Paul's libertarian adventure
16 May 2012 | 10:31 amRon Paul has suspended his campaign but plans to make a splash at the convention. Join us to discuss what he's achievedRon Paul announced this week that he was suspending active campaigning in the states yet to vote in this year's Republican presidential nomination contest. Despite this scaling-back of effort, Paul has remained a remarkably constant presence in the race, while other candidates have come and gone.Paul was never a serious challenger to Mitt Romney's frontrunner status, but he has earned praise from some for using the primaries to build a movement – and looks likely to… -
Is Rikers Island jail with 'the Program'? | Sadhbh Walshe
16 May 2012 | 10:01 amAllegations that corrections officers are using youth offenders to control others may not be the most daunting of Rikers' problemsLast week, the Village Voice newspaper ran a cover story about an upsurge in violence at New York City's jail complex known as Rikers Island, complete with graphic photos of mostly young inmates with vicious-looking knife wounds on their faces and necks. The story was replete with horrific details of alleged beatings at the jail's adolescent facility (the RNDC), and concluded that violence at the adolescent complex was out of control. The Voice also claimed that…
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Culture | guardian.co.uk
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Magdalena Kožená: 'I'm not scared of the big maestro'
16 May 2012 | 1:00 pmWhat's it like to sing Carmen when your husband is the conductor? Magdalena Kožená (aka Lady Simon Rattle) reveals all to Kate ConnollyMagdalena Kožená believes musicians fall into two categories. "There are people who love to work with their partners and those who simply can't," she says. It is, she admits, "fortunate that I'm the first case": the celebrated Czech mezzo-soprano's husband happens to be conductor Simon Rattle.What's the main advantage of being married to the conductor? "You can say, 'I'm sorry, darling, you know today my voice is just not in a very good… -
Rambert Dance Company – review
16 May 2012 | 12:32 pmSadler's Wells, LondonThe beating heart of Rambert's new programme is L'Après-Midi d'un Faune – the ballet of dappled, feral eroticism that launched Nijinsky's choreographic career. Rambert acquired Faune in 1931 and today's revival goes a long way to reminding us how sexy, touching and strange it must have originally seemed.Stripped of the monumental Bakst backdrop that usually frames it (too large, too unaffordable for 1930s Rambert) and performed by a wonderfully alert cast, this Faune has an entrancing intimacy. Dane Hurst in the title role does vivid justice to the choreography's… -
Laura Wade: return of the thugs
16 May 2012 | 12:30 pmHer play Posh was inspired by the violent antics of the Bullingdon Club. Laura Wade tells Kira Cochrane why she has updated it for a post-riot, Tory-led, bankrupt BritainOne evening during the first run of her play Posh, the writer Laura Wade was drawn into a heated argument in the interval. An audience member demanded to know just why she hated Old Etonians. The person was very cross, she says, and asked "what [Old Etonians] had ever done to me. As if I was enacting some sort of dreadful personal slight against an ex-boyfriend or something."The argument was misdirected for several reasons. -
Detroit – review
16 May 2012 | 12:24 pmCottesloe, LondonThere's room for more than one play about American suburbia. But, after the brilliance of Bruce Norris's Clybourne Park at the Royal Court, which dealt with the intersection of property and race, this 2010 piece by Lisa D'Amour, originally seen at Chicago's Steppenwolf theatre, seems familiar stuff: a spasmodically amusing variation on the theme of the disruptive newcomers who overturn existing order.The newcomers in D'Amour's typical innercity suburb are Sharon and Kenny: two broke kids just out of drugs rehab who take over an empty house that once belonged to the latter's… -
Toujours et Près de Moi – review
16 May 2012 | 12:21 pmPrint Room, London"Don't box me in" is the cry of many lovers, but it takes on new meaning in this fascinating but insufficiently meaty piece from Opera Erratica. The show puts a modern twist on the Victorian stage effect called Pepper's ghost, an illusion in which a piece of glass is suspended at an angle at the front of the stage to throw an image from below back on to the stage.Here, watched over by their older, wiser selves, two tiny hologram figures emerge from boxes on a table and act out a doomed love affair. There is something magical about the way the effect is used to allow the past…
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Latest financial, market & economic news and analysis | guardian.co.uk
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Olympic Games will boost UK economy, predicts Bank of England
16 May 2012 | 1:45 pmLondon 2012 will bring tourist boom and extra public spending that may see off double-dip recession, says Threadneedle StreetBritain's struggling economy will receive a much-needed boost from the Olympic Games this summer as more tourism and extra public spending lead to increased activity that could spell the end of the double dip recession, the Bank of England said.In its assessment of the likely impact of hosting the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, Threadneedle Street said it expected output to be around 0.2% higher in the third quarter than it otherwise would have been.After the… -
The Greek people now face a stark choice: in or out? | Timothy Garton Ash
16 May 2012 | 1:45 pmIt's just another election in the birthplace of democracy, but the future of Europe may turn on this oneWhen Germany's chancellor Hannelore Kraft met France's president François Hollande in a sunny Berlin earlier this week, they agreed on a compelling strategy to save the eurozone. With no elections in any eurozone country for the next two years, they were able to stretch the austerity timeline for Greece, Spain and Italy, add some elements of growth stimulus, including increased demand in Germany itself, but also keep up the essential pressure for fiscal discipline and structural reform. As… -
Facebook IPO: commentary and analysis from around the web
16 May 2012 | 1:40 pmAn ongoing collection of commentary and analysis on Facebook's upcoming IPOThe nearly $100bn valuation of Facebook in the lead up to the company's much-anticipated public offering Friday has many people talking and some investors reeling. The eight-year old company has an unprecedented 900 million users worldwide, and its COO is none other than Sheryl Sandberg, the former Google executive whose management of Google's ad sales department generated billions in revenue. The questions is, is Facebook worth almost $100bn? Is it here to stay? Will it follow the path of MySpace or Google? Nearly 80%… -
Five reasons not to buy Facebook shares
16 May 2012 | 1:22 pmThe sale will likely generate billions, but hidden just beneath the buzz are signs that not all is well for Silicon Valley's starOn Friday, Facebook will finally become a public company. The hotly anticipated initial public offering (IPO) will be the largest tech company share sale ever and is expected to value the social network at over $100bn – more than the combined value of Nike and Goldman Sachs. But not everyone is cheering Facebook on. Ahead of the sale of the century, here are five signals that suggest there may be choppy days ahead for Facebook's investors. A lot of smart guys just… -
How much do fund managers really earn?
16 May 2012 | 1:08 pmFund managers tend not to reveal their incentive arrangements to those whose money they manage, but that doesn't prevent a guessing game at the Prudential, proud owner of M&G"You should see how much fund managers earn." This cry, usually uttered by a chief executive after a row over his or her own pay package, tends to die in the wind because so few details ever emerge. As a rule, fund managers tend not to reveal their incentive arrangements to those whose money they manage - a catch-all total expense ratio is deemed all the punters need to know. Nor do many fund managers sit on the boards of…
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Personal finance and money news, analysis and comment | guardian.co.uk
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David Cameron briefed on concerns over green deal for homeowners
16 May 2012 | 10:43 amImpact assessment shows loft insulations and cavity wall insulations are set to fall dramatically under current plansDeep concerns over the government's flagship policy to make 14m homes warmer and cheaper to heat have reached the top of government, with prime minister David Cameron and deputy prime minister Nick Clegg receiving a personal briefing on its troubles.The green deal aims to provide "pay as you save" loans to homeowners to improve their energy efficiency and cut bills. It is due to launch in October but has faced widespread criticism from energy companies, the building industry,… -
How Greece's exit from the euro would affect UK consumers
16 May 2012 | 10:13 amAs the eurozone crisis intensifies, we look at the impact a Greek exit would have on savers, spenders and speculatorsThe experts agree: it's not a matter of if but when Greece will leave the euro. We've covered how this will affect people planning to take holidays in Greece, but what does the eurozone crisis mean for the rest of us?What effect will this have on the cost of borrowing?Banks worldwide, including British ones, have lent $167.7bn to Greece, according to the Bank for International Settlements quarterly review. This will result in banks either suffering because they have lost money… -
Wansbeck is bankruptcy capital of UK
16 May 2012 | 9:33 amIndividual insolvency rate in Wansbeck is 57 per 10,000 adults, as the overall figure for England and Wales fell to 27.1 in 2011 from a peak of 31.1 in 2009The Wansbeck area of Northumberland has officially been named the bankruptcy capital of England, in a list that also features parts of Cornwall and the seaside town of Eastbourne, considered well-heeled by many.Meanwhile, the City of London, which includes the flat-dwellers of the Barbican, tops the list of areas with fewest bankruptcies, closely followed by St Albans in Hertfordshire and affluent London boroughs such as Richmond upon… -
Does job insecurity make you less likely to take sick leave? | Open thread
16 May 2012 | 6:51 amSick days are on the decline and it has been suggested that recent falls are linked to the recession. Tell us your experiencesGood news for UK employers: employees are calling in sick less often. The Office of National Statistics reports that the average worker now takes just 4.5 days because of illness or injury, compared with 7.2 in 1993. A total of 131m work days were lost in 2011, down 6m on the year before. Londoners are least likely to take time off (1.3% of total working hours), whereas employees in Wales and north east England called in sick at the rate of 2.5% of total working… -
UK families waste £270 a year on food
16 May 2012 | 6:49 amMost families massively underestimate the amount of food they throw away each week, according to new researchUK families are wasting £270 a year (£5.20 a week) on discarded food and drink, according to a survey of their kitchen habits.Most families massively underestimate the amount of food they throw away each week, according to new research.Despite the economic downturn they admit to buying more than they need, often tempted by supermarkets' "Buy One Get One Free" and similar offers.The survey of 2,116 adults, carried out by frozen food giant Birds Eye, found that the average household…
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Life and style | guardian.co.uk
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Luxembourg by e-bike: a natural high | Frederika Whitehead
16 May 2012 | 11:50 amThe ability to flick a switch and top up pedal power with battery power gives me the extra push I need to master the ArdennesGust Muller, president of Luxembourg's cycling advocacy group LVI, promised me that "hills will just melt away" if I used an e-bike to tour Luxembourg. And this wasn't far from the truth.Although it has many miles of extremely pretty, pancake-flat leisure routes that follow old tram lines or run alongside its rivers, Luxembourg can also be hilly, particularly in the north of the country around the Ardennes.Using an e-bike, Muller assured me, would mean that I – and… -
I came, I saw, EyeGarden: Andy Sturgeon's capsule garden creation
16 May 2012 | 11:38 amHow did garden designer Andy Sturgeon turn a London Eye capsule into a garden? Jane Perrone finds outAndy Sturgeon's a busy man right now. In between creating the main sponsor's show garden at the Chelsea Flower Show, he's managed to install the Pommery Eyegarden, a pop-up garden in a London Eye capsule. I had the chance to take a ride in this garden in the sky this afternoon, at the launch of the Cityscapes garden festival, taking place this summer in the South Bank and Bankside area of London. Sturgeon's garden is simple, but brilliantly effective: clean white square pillars echo the… -
Flaking out
16 May 2012 | 11:02 amUK sales of processed breakfast cereals are dwindling, with many British breakfasters ditching the sugary brands for healthier, more natural alternativesThis month's acquisition by a Chinese company of a majority stake in Weetabix, the UK's top-selling cereal (we eat around 336 each a year, apparently) shows there's still an appetite for processed grains for breakfast. But foreign markets unfamiliar with this relatively recent way of starting the day may now be the industry's biggest players' only hope for the future – after more than a century of growth, Britain's best-known cereals… -
From dream homes to hellholes: architects shed light on the way we live
16 May 2012 | 10:37 amA report by Riba suggests what we want from our homes – big, light-filled spaces – we just don't get. But in the current economic climate, what can architects do about it?We all know the English like to think of their homes as castles. But according to a report by the Royal Institute of British Architects, "dungeon" could now be a more fitting medieval analogy. The architect's professional body has produced a report called The Way We Live Now, a study of what people want out of their homes and how they're using them. What leaps out from its pages is the gap between expectations and… -
Top 10 swimming holidays
16 May 2012 | 9:51 amLong-distance outdoor swimming was once the preserve of elite athletes or eccentrics such as 'Big River Man' Martin Strel, but a growing number of us are making swimming the focus of a holiday, be it by joining a boat-supported tour of lakes and coasts, or entering a race abroad. Here's our pick of swim trips to suit all levelsFOR NEWCOMERS'Short Swim' trip, CroatiaThe range of trips offered by SwimTrek – founded by coach and Channel swimmer Simon Murie in 2003 – already dwarfs those of its competitors, and the company's roster continues to grow. This year sees the introduction of a new…
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Environment news, comment and analysis from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk
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Luxembourg by e-bike: a natural high | Frederika Whitehead
16 May 2012 | 11:50 amThe ability to flick a switch and top up pedal power with battery power gives me the extra push I need to master the ArdennesGust Muller, president of Luxembourg's cycling advocacy group LVI, promised me that "hills will just melt away" if I used an e-bike to tour Luxembourg. And this wasn't far from the truth.Although it has many miles of extremely pretty, pancake-flat leisure routes that follow old tram lines or run alongside its rivers, Luxembourg can also be hilly, particularly in the north of the country around the Ardennes.Using an e-bike, Muller assured me, would mean that I – and… -
El Salvador women put their faith in agroecology
16 May 2012 | 11:04 amRural women strive to achieve food sovereignty and develop energy forests to help mitigate the impact of climate changeMaría Elena Muñoz industriously weeds a clearing in the forest and then digs several holes, where she and another four dozen women are planting plantain seedlings to help feed their families in this poor farming area in El Salvador.The group is involved in an agroecology programme that has two main aims: achieving food sovereignty, which is at risk in the rural communities of San Julián; and fomenting the development of energy forests, which provide local families with… -
David Cameron briefed on concerns over green deal for homeowners
16 May 2012 | 10:43 amImpact assessment shows loft insulations and cavity wall insulations are set to fall dramatically under current plansDeep concerns over the government's flagship policy to make 14m homes warmer and cheaper to heat have reached the top of government, with prime minister David Cameron and deputy prime minister Nick Clegg receiving a personal briefing on its troubles.The green deal aims to provide "pay as you save" loans to homeowners to improve their energy efficiency and cut bills. It is due to launch in October but has faced widespread criticism from energy companies, the building industry,… -
Total stops North Sea gas leak
16 May 2012 | 9:22 amWork to stop leak on Elgin platform, which involved pumping heavy mud into well, has been a success, says TotalThe near two month crisis around a gas well on the Elgin field in the North Sea appeared to have been averted on Wednesday with French operator, Total, saying it had succeeded in plugging the leak.Shares in the company rose more than 2% on the announcement that no more methane was being released into the environment and the company can soon put a halt to its relief operations which have been costing it $3m a day."A major turning point has been achieved," said Yves-Louis Darricarrere,… -
EU plays down talk of Kyoto rift
16 May 2012 | 9:17 amOfficials insist agreement can be reached despite row over length of new Kyoto dealDivisions have again emerged on the first few days of the latest round of international climate change talks in Bonn, with the EU and groups of developing countries clashing over the future of the controversial Kyoto protocol.Under the terms of the Durban Platform agreed at last year's UN climate summit, the EU said it would sign on to an extension of the Kyoto protocol before it lapses at the end of this year in return for an agreement from all nations that a new binding treaty will be finalised by 2015 and…
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Blogposts | guardian.co.uk
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Nato summit in Chicago and G8 at Camp David – live build-up
16 May 2012 | 1:47 pmProtesters will gather at the Nato summit in Chicago, while demonstrations are also planned close to the G8 summit• Follow updates here and tweet me @AdamGabbatt2.30pm: Law enforcement in Chicago will be on "high alert" to stop sex trafficking during the Nato summit, according to Illinois state attorney Anita Alvarez.Alvarez told WLS that trafficking can increase during conventions or significant events, but police will be monitoring sites which are known to have featured adverts for trafficked persons. "The sexual services of children, and young men and women are not for sale here in… -
Obama campaign raises $43m in April – US politics live
16 May 2012 | 1:29 pmObama's re-election campaign raises $43m in April, while Karl Rove's super Pac plans a huge attack ad spree - live2.18pm: The Federal Reserve's interest rate-setting committee has released the minutes of its last meeting, at the end of last month. Amidst all the talk about the economy, there was also this discussion about the impact of the political battle over the federal budget:Participants expected that the government sector would be a drag on economic growth over coming quarters. They generally saw the US fiscal situation also as a risk to the economic outlook; if agreement is not reached… -
Five reasons not to buy Facebook shares
16 May 2012 | 1:22 pmThe sale will likely generate billions, but hidden just beneath the buzz are signs that not all is well for Silicon Valley's starOn Friday, Facebook will finally become a public company. The hotly anticipated initial public offering (IPO) will be the largest tech company share sale ever and is expected to value the social network at over $100bn – more than the combined value of Nike and Goldman Sachs. But not everyone is cheering Facebook on. Ahead of the sale of the century, here are five signals that suggest there may be choppy days ahead for Facebook's investors. A lot of smart guys just… -
How much do fund managers really earn?
16 May 2012 | 1:08 pmFund managers tend not to reveal their incentive arrangements to those whose money they manage, but that doesn't prevent a guessing game at the Prudential, proud owner of M&G"You should see how much fund managers earn." This cry, usually uttered by a chief executive after a row over his or her own pay package, tends to die in the wind because so few details ever emerge. As a rule, fund managers tend not to reveal their incentive arrangements to those whose money they manage - a catch-all total expense ratio is deemed all the punters need to know. Nor do many fund managers sit on the boards of… -
Clip joint: Ghosts
16 May 2012 | 12:10 pmWho you gonna call? Help us find cinemas best spooksThis week's Clip joint is by Emily Cleaver. Think you can do better? If you've got an idea for a future Clip joint, send a message to adam.boult@guardian.co.ukMore than any other medium, film has the power to scare us silly. In the dark of the cinema, the suspense of a slow pan, that shadowy figure at the edge of frame – the shock of a sudden sound-effect, or jittery jump-cut – all come together in delicious, breath-stopping, heartbeat-skipping moments of pure cinematic fear. But forget chainsaws, zombies or psychos. The best scares in…
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Most viewed | guardian.co.uk
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Eurozone crisis live: Greek elections called for 17 June
16 May 2012 | 12:10 pm• Supreme court judge named as caretaker PM• Sir Mervyn King: euro crisis could derail UK recovery• Bank of England cuts growth forecasts• Merkel calms markets after early sell-off• Analysts fear Greek exit after new elections• Blogging now: Nick Fletcher6.09pm: And with that its time to close up on another busy day, with a new president for Greece and a date for new elections.David Cameron and Mervyn King voiced their concerns about the eurozone crisis, and there was confusion over whether the ECB had stopped supporting a number of Greek banks (it seems it hasn't).We'll be back… -
Euro 2012: England squad announcement - live!
16 May 2012 | 8:22 am• Ferdinand, RIchards and Crouch left out, Downing, Ruddy and Oxlade-Chamberlain in• Gerrard appointed captain2.19pm: The cameras have finally been turned off, which means it's just about time to wrap this up. I'll give the second-last word to myself: I think there is too much negativity towards this England squad, which is close to the best that Hodgson could have chosen and is still sixth-favourites for the tournament. And I'll give the last word to Twitter's Turkey international, Colin Kazim-Richards, who strikes a positive tone. Sort of. "@colin_kazim08 Well at least Great Britain… -
Euro 2012: Rio Ferdinand dropped from England squad
15 May 2012 | 4:54 pm• Roy Hodgson visits Chelsea to talk to John Terry• Micah Richards and Peter Crouch also omittedRio Ferdinand's broken relationship with John Terry may have ended his England career after Roy Hodgson decided to sacrifice the Manchester United defender from his Euro 2012 plans.Hodgson contacted Ferdinand on Tuesday to inform him that he would not be including him in his squad for the tournament in Poland and Ukraine next month. The England manager then travelled to Chelsea's training ground where he met Terry for the first time since taking the job and spoke at length to him and the… -
What can you pay for with 1p and 2p coins? Not an £800 bill …
15 May 2012 | 2:00 pmA man has been sued for attempting to pay a large bill with coppers. Where did he go wrong?A care home manager has been ordered by a judge to pay a total of £1,118.62 after he tried to settle an £804 debt to his accountant with five crates of mostly 1p and 2p coins. He had been to the bank especially, he said: be glad that you weren't behind him in the queue. So what did Robert Fitzpatrick, the care home manager, do wrong?This might come as a surprise, but according to the Royal Mint, 1p and 2p coins are legal tender only if you are paying for something costing 20p or less: once you have… -
Eurozone crisis live: Greece heads for make-or-break elections as talks fail
15 May 2012 | 1:24 pm• Last-ditch talks over unity government collapse• Fears Greece could run out of funds• Bank run worries as €700m withdrawn since May 6• IMF: Greek euro exit would be 'messy'• Eurozone economy avoids recession, just• Hollande meets Merkel, after lightning strike7.15pm: Time to wind things up after a dramatic day in the eurozone. Here's a closing summary.Greece's membership of the eurozone hangs in the balance after attempts to form a unity government failed. The five leaders of Greece's main political parties met again in Athens, but failed to back a "technocratic government"…
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Education: Access to university | guardian.co.uk
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Patrick McGhee, new chair of Million+ thinktank, is trending nationally
7 May 2012 | 1:30 pmThe new chair of the Million+ thinktank intends to make the voice of the post-1992 universities heardFrom his Twitter pic, it is difficult to gauge much about Professor Patrick McGhee, newly elected chair of the university thinktank Million+. Taken with his face right up against the camera, it gives away nothing in the way of facial expression, sartorial quirks, age or build.In fact, at 50, McGhee, vice-chancellor of the University of East London for the past two years, is one of the youngest vice-chancellors in the UK and one of his most striking features is that he has a Twitter pic at… -
What part should universities play in fostering academic talent?
30 Apr 2012 | 5:10 amGovernment is finally investing money in the widening participation agenda, but what more should universities be doing, asks Kim Catcheside?Earlier this month the universities secretary David Willetts devoted a significant part of his speech at HEFCE's annual conference to the issue of widening participation. He endorsed the practice, already adopted by many universities, of offering places to applicants lower grades with from poorly performing schools or low incomes homes. "Grades are not the only indicator," he told his audience, suggesting that admission "can be based on more than just… -
Fewer than half of state school teachers encourage Oxbridge applications
27 Apr 2012 | 4:32 amJust 44% of secondary school teachers say they encourage gifted students to consider Oxford or Cambridge, study findsFewer than half of state school teachers would advise bright pupils to apply to the UK's top universities, and the numbers are falling, research suggests.The Sutton Trust, which commissioned the study, said it was deeply concerning that the majority of teachers would not encourage gifted students to apply to Oxford and Cambridge.It said more needed to be done in schools to "dispel the myths" about the two elite institutions and other leading universities.The study, which… -
A-level reform in practice: lessons to be learned from Cambridge Pre-U
25 Apr 2012 | 4:42 amMichael Gove's suggestion that universities set A-levels was widely derided, but academics do have a part to play in preparing pupils for university, says Peter WothersAs the dust settles on the education secretary Michael Gove's recent plan to reform A-levels, one of the unanswered questions is how universities should be involved. The Russell Group, for example, has already spoken out with concerns over how much time it will take up – and what does this mean for schools, who have just returned from the Easter break to a whole new world?The idea of involving universities in school exam… -
Calling all teachers - Cambridge is for your pupils too!
25 Apr 2012 | 3:57 amCambridge University's student union access officer is working hard to dispel the myths that act as barriers to state school children applying to top universities, but she needs your helpSo many column inches are wasted on pupils applying to Oxford and Cambridge.I wish there were a silver bullet to the problem of accessibility to narrowly academic universities, but we're embedded so much into our own institutions it's difficult to have a clearer strategy or more co-ordinated approach.For the moment, different institutions are working to improve access to "top" universities in very good, but…
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Education: A-levels | guardian.co.uk
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Distracted by A-level reform: why you can't afford to ignore grade inflation
11 May 2012 | 9:18 amDon't get bogged down in the detail of A-level reform and miss an opportunity to tackle 'dumbing down' and grade inflationThe debate around the protracted public killing off of the A-level system introduced by Labour 12 years ago continues. At the National Association of Head Teachers annual conference over the May day weekend, heads outlined their objections to plans to end modular A-levels and replace the two part qualification and return to a two year linear qualification. I'm fascinated at the way that while there is concern about the detail of A-level reform, there seems to be little… -
GCSE and A-levels are easier, Ofqual finds
1 May 2012 | 12:07 pmRegulator compares exam papers from last 10 years and finds more multiple choice questions and fewer essaysGCSE and A-level exams have become easier over the past few years, a review has found, prompting the government to warn of a gradual decline in standards.The qualifications regulator, Ofqual, compared question papers in biology and chemistry GCSEs, and biology, chemistry and geography A-levels between 2003 and 2008, and 2001 and 2010.The papers from 2008 and 2010 were far more likely to demand less of teenagers than those from 2001 and 2003, the regulator found, as they had more… -
Exams watchdog plans A-level reforms to curb persistent grade inflation
29 Apr 2012 | 7:47 amOfqual chief says year-on-year grade inflation 'impossible to justify' and outlines plans to make some subjects compulsoryThe head of the exams watchdog has signalled wide-ranging reforms to A-levels to tackle claims that examiners have been giving students "the benefit of the doubt", leading to persistent grade inflation.Glenys Stacey, chief executive of Ofqual, said the body would consult over the summer on proposals to scrap the modular AS structure, to make certain core subjects compulsory for all under-18s, and to introduce multiple choice questions to ensure students were being tested… -
Ministers lift cap on number of top students universities can enrol
27 Apr 2012 | 10:05 amThe plans are likely to benefit top universities, with around three in four universities likely to have an overall drop in numbersUniversities face a fresh bidding war for students next year, after ministers unveiled plans aimed at allowing more bright youngsters to gain their first choice place.Under reforms revealed on Friday, institutions will be able to recruit as many teenagers as they want with at least an A and two B grades at A-level in 2013.It is likely to mean that universities are competing for around 120,000 students – one in three of the places available.This year, institutions… -
A-level reform in practice: lessons to be learned from Cambridge Pre-U
25 Apr 2012 | 4:42 amMichael Gove's suggestion that universities set A-levels was widely derided, but academics do have a part to play in preparing pupils for university, says Peter WothersAs the dust settles on the education secretary Michael Gove's recent plan to reform A-levels, one of the unanswered questions is how universities should be involved. The Russell Group, for example, has already spoken out with concerns over how much time it will take up – and what does this mean for schools, who have just returned from the Easter break to a whole new world?The idea of involving universities in school exam…
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Media: Advertising | guardian.co.uk
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Why Upfront needs to make drama out of a crisis | Caryn Mandabach
16 May 2012 | 11:47 amUpfront season sees frantic wooing between TV networks and advertisers. But without quality airtime, the relationship is brokenAfter the hectic and wasteful piloting process is over, it is once again Upfront season in NYC, which means it's time to trot out the goods in front of the television advertisers. As ever, they are meant to be impressed by the razzle-dazzle of the program presentation reels, and thus offer to pay more for the time and the privilege to have their clients be adjacent to the new magic. Alas, this moribund institution hasn't had any real purpose, apart from building up… -
Center Parcs' families advert banned by ASA
16 May 2012 | 5:47 amFirm's TV campaign featured two adults and two children despite offer being for mid-week breaks outside school holidaysCenter Parcs has been rapped by the advertising watchdog for running a TV ad campaign featuring families enjoying a cheap break – but did not allow bookings during school holidays when children are free to go away.The holiday company's TV campaign featured families doing activities together and a voiceover asking parents what experiences they want their kids to remember them by.Despite this the company said it should have been obvious to viewers that there is no way a… -
Greenpeace reprimanded over 'irresponsible' ad campaign
16 May 2012 | 5:27 amWebsite campaign called for donations to support direct action protests against power station chimneysThe advertising watchdog has given Greenpeace a dressing down for running an "irresponsible" ad campaign to raise funds to takeover and deface property to make environmental protests.Greenpeace ran a campaign on its website, www.greenpeacegiving.org.uk, calling for donations to support direct action protests against power station chimneys.The text asked web users to send an £80 gift to fund Greenpeace activists "redecorating" power station chimneys with slogans, such as "stupid" and "no new… -
Paddy Power's 'transgendered ladies' ad banned by ASA
16 May 2012 | 4:54 amBookmaker says it has been the victim of an orchestrated campaign over the ad, which attracted more then 400 complaintsThe advertising watchdog has banned Paddy Power's controversial "transgendered ladies" TV ad after receiving more than 400 complaints it is offensive, with the Irish bookmaker claiming it has been the victim of an orchestrated campaign.Paddy Power's commercial, which asked viewers to spot the "stallions from the mares" among actors playing transgendered ladies in a crowd of racing fans at the Cheltenham festival, was originally intended to run on BSkyB, Channel 4 and… -
General Motors gives Facebook the boot ahead of $100bn share sale
15 May 2012 | 4:16 pmWithdrawal of one of the world's biggest advertisers days before stock market sale seen as an embarrassment by analystsGeneral Motors, the world's biggest car company, has unfriended Facebook just days before the social media giant is planning a stock market sale that is expected to value the company at $100bn.The auto giant confirmed that it will no longer pay for advertising on the social network, deciding instead to concentrate on Facebook pages, which are free.GM is one of the world's biggest advertisers and spent $1.83bn on US ads last year, according to Kantar Media, an ad-tracking…
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World news: Afghanistan | guardian.co.uk
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A Sceptic's Guide to the Nato Summit
16 May 2012 | 10:37 amA quick route through the Chicago agendaFour main issues: Afghanistan, Nuclear Weapons, Russia, Burden-sharingThousands of words will be written about the many more thousand that will be spoken during the Nato summit on 20 and 21 May in Barack's adopted home city of Chicago.The test facing leaders of the 28 members of the world's most powerful military alliance, established in the early years of the cold war, is how they will make concrete progress on these important issues:1. Afghanistan.Afghan president Hamid Karzai has been invited. So, too, has the Pakistan president, Asif Ali Zardari. -
Stone carvers defy Taliban to return to the Bamiyan valley
16 May 2012 | 9:02 amAfghan students learn the centuries-old skills that carved out the giant buddhas blown up by extremistsUnder perfectly carved niches that once held dozens of small buddha statues, the purposeful tap of chisel on stone echoed over the Bamiyan valley for the first time in centuries.Twelve young Afghans had gathered to take the first tentative steps back towards a stone-working tradition that once made their home famous, at a workshop in a cave gouged out as a monastery assembly hall more than 1,000 years ago.The cave-hall was part of a complex built around two giant buddhas that loomed serenely… -
Afghanistan hopeful of extra US cash to fund security
15 May 2012 | 12:47 pmOfficials believe Washington will pay more on top of lion's share of expected $4.1bn annual budget after foreign troops leaveAfghanistan is confident the US will stump up billions of extra dollars for its army and police on top of the main chunk of a $4.1bn (£2.6bn) annual budget that is expected to be sealed at a Nato summit this month, an Afghan diplomat has said.With foreign combat troops already heading home, and all due to be all gone by the end of 2014, there is little hope the impoverished country will be able to hold off the hardened Taliban insurgents without outside financial… -
Afghan detainee wins right to judicial review in torture case
15 May 2012 | 12:08 pmSerdar Mohammed says he was tortured by Afghan authorities after British forces captured him and handed him overAn Afghan detainee who says he was subjected to torture after being handed over to the Afghan authorities following capture by British forces has won permission to challenge the legality of his transfer.Serdar Mohammed, 24, was given leave to seek judicial review by Mr Justice Collins, sitting at the high court in London.His lawyers say that, after the transfer, he was tortured into confessing that he was a member of the Taliban by the national directorate of security, the… -
British dead and wounded in Afghanistan, month by month
15 May 2012 | 4:00 amWhat is the human cost of the war in Afghanistan for British forces? As British troop deaths reach 414, these are the latest figures - including the most recent wounded and amputation statistics• Get the data• Amputation statistics explainer• Afghanistan civilian casualties• Interactive guideWith the latest deaths caused by the war in Afghanistan, the total number of British troop fatalities during the conflict now stands at 414. The 400 mark was passed when six British soldiers were killed in an explosion on 6 March. Last month the MoD released the latest annual numbers on…
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World news : Africa roundup | guardian.co.uk
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G8 urged to tackle malnutrition, the hidden killer in Mozambique
16 May 2012 | 10:17 amPlight of Mozambican family forced to use boiled wood shavings for food highlights problem of chronic malnourishmentFor their meal tonight, Olinda Novela and her children will dine on tree root soup. This is what they ate for breakfast, and what they will likely eat tomorrow. The soup, made from mashed wood shavings boiled in salty water, has zero nutritional value. It is a thin, brown, evil-looking gruel. But in remote, drought-stricken Mahache village, about five hours' drive north from Mozambique's capital, Maputo, there is simply no other choice.Novela, 37, has four children still at… -
Charles Taylor accuses Hague court of targeting African leaders
16 May 2012 | 10:08 amLiberian war criminal likens offences he was convicted of to those he claims US forces committed during Iraq warThe convicted war criminal Charles Taylor has accused the international community of selectively targeting African heads of state with prosecutions while ignoring offences committed by US forces in Iraq.In his final address before sentencing by a UN-backed tribunal in The Hague, the 64-year-old former Liberian president denied encouraging human rights abuses during the long-running civil war in neighbouring Sierra Leone, insisting he had in fact been trying to stabilise the… -
Charles Taylor speaks at sentencing for Sierra Leone war crimes – video
16 May 2012 | 10:03 amThe former Liberian president at the special court for Sierra Leone in Leidschendam, outside The Hague -
In Egypt, Mubarak's repression machine is still alive and well | Hossam el-Hamalawy
16 May 2012 | 8:01 amThe revolution must support the strikes by conscripts and civil servants if we are ever to dissolve the hated interior ministryA little over a week ago, in Obour City, hundreds of Egypt's notorious Central Security Forces (CSF) conscripts mutinied over torture received at the hands of their officers. The conscripts took to the highway, blocked the road, and even started chanting a famous anti-police song composed by the Ultras White Knights, one of the country's football fan groups. The mutiny was put down quickly by the army, together with concessions and promises offered.This was not the… -
War criminal Charles Taylor appeals for 'reconciliation not retribution'
16 May 2012 | 6:35 amEx-Liberian president shows no contrition or remorse as he addresses judges at Hague sentencing hearingThe convicted war criminal and former Liberian president Charles Taylor has told judges at his sentencing hearing he sympathises with victims of the civil war in Sierra Leone he helped foment, and urged them to decide their sentence against him in a spirit of "reconciliation, not retribution".However, he stopped short of admitting any wrongdoing, apologising for his actions, or expressing remorse.In a landmark ruling in April, judges at the special court for Sierra Leone found Taylor guilty…
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Business: Airline industry | guardian.co.uk
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Shorter cuts: news doesn't get any smaller
15 May 2012 | 2:00 pmHow Britney Spears came out on top, mobile phones on planes and why the recession is bad for your love lifeBested by BritneyUS singer Demi Lovato (nope, we hadn't either) must have been miffed to discover the other new American X Factor judge is world-famous pop star Britney Spears. Thunder promptly stolen.Payback timeSixty years ago the House of Commons agreed equal pay for women doing the same jobs as men. But, according to the Fawcett Society, women working full-time are still on average paid 14.9 % less.I'm on the plane!Virgin Atlantic has just ruined one of the greatest pleasures of air… -
EU hails airline emissions tax success
15 May 2012 | 9:03 amMore than 99% of major airlines comply with first step of Europe's scheme to charge them for carbon emissionsMore than 99% of all major global airlines have complied with the first step of Europe's controversial scheme to charge them for their carbon emissions.The inclusion of aviation in the European Union's emissions trading system (ETS) from the start of 2012 caused uproar from airlines in more than 20 countries including the US, China, Russia and Japan, but virtually all submitted the required baseline emissions data for 2011. Only eight Chinese airlines and two Indian ones did not comply… -
Russian plane crash: search teams begin retrieving bodies
12 May 2012 | 12:10 amSearch teams reach the wreckage of plane which crashed into a volcano during a demonstration flight in IndonesiaClearer weather has allowed Indonesian helicopters to land and retrieve the bodies of the 45 people on a Russian-made plane that crashed into a volcano during a demonstration flight.Investigators still have found no sign of the black box recorder that might explain why the new Sukhoi Superjet-100 slammed into Mount Salak about halfway through a 50-minute flight intended to woo potential Indonesian airline buyers on Wednesday.Search teams who climbed the dormant volcano's… -
Bmi Regional sold by British Airways group for £8m
10 May 2012 | 7:55 amSale of bmi subsidiary to Scottish consortium expected to save 330 jobsInternational Airlines Group, the parent group of British Airways, claims to have secured around 330 jobs after announcing a buyer for bmi Regional, the Aberdeen-based subsidiary of the airline it recently acquired.IAG said it has signed a binding agreement to sell bmi Regional to a Scottish consortium, Sector Aviation Holdings, for £8m. The sale includes all bmi Regional's fixed assets and long-term liabilities, including owned and operating lease aircraft. Bmi Regional operates scheduled services from seven English and… -
Russian plane crash: rescuers recover bodies but no survivors
10 May 2012 | 6:04 amAll 45 people on board Sukhoi Superjet feared dead after it crashed into Indonesian volcano during flight to impress buyersRescuers have discovered bodies but no survivors near the wreckage of a new Russian-made passenger plane that smashed into the side of an Indonesian volcano during a flight to impress potential buyers. All 45 people on board are feared dead.Owing to the remoteness of the crash site, the bodies will need to be placed in nets and lifted by ropes to a helicopter, according to a national search and rescue agency spokesman."So far we haven't found any survivors, but we are…
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World news: al-Qaida | guardian.co.uk
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Yemeni troops kill al-Qaida militants
14 May 2012 | 12:43 pmMilitary officials say 10 killed in air strike on hideout and six killed in missile attack on vehicle in troubled southern regionYemeni troops have killed at least 16 militants in the troubled south where the army is trying to uproot al-Qaida, military officials say.In one attack, Yemeni warplanes struck an al-Qaida hideout about 45 miles (70km) from Zinjibar, the provincial capital of Abyan, killing at least 10 militants. The army also fired missiles at a moving vehicle on the outskirts of Lawder, killing six militants, the officials said.The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because… -
Yemen says US drone strikes have killed 11 al-Qaida militants in two days
13 May 2012 | 7:49 amIncreasing pace of US strikes against al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula comes as US expert warns of anti-western sentimentSuspected US drones have killed 11 alleged al-Qaida militants in a strike in southern Yemen, local military authorities have said.The first of the two attacks took place on Saturday near the border of Marib and Shabwa provinces southeast of the capital, Sana'a, killing six militants, including one Egyptian national, the Yemeni officials said. A second strike hit two cars in Marib, killing a further five al-Qaida-linked fighters.The air strikes come a week after the US took… -
Q&A with Naomi Wolf: the spectacle of terror
11 May 2012 | 11:30 amJoin Naomi Wolf to discuss whether US counterterrorism strategy is turning America into a surveillance societyThis week, Naomi wrote about post 9/11 terrorist plots and US counterterror strategy – and the vested interests in the industry that has grown up around surveillance and security in the name of Americans' public safety. A number of domestic terrorist operations have been foiled in recent years, but many, critics say, are synthetic plots largely invented by agencies like the FBI and CIA to "entrap" unwitting dupes who constitute no real threat. In the meantime, civil liberties have… -
Drone attacks: MI5 and MI6 will have to get used to prying eyes | Richard Norton-Taylor
11 May 2012 | 10:41 amAs the role and reach of British security and intelligence agencies increases, they are being watched – and rightly soThe last thing MI5 and MI6 wanted after the exposure of their involvement, wittingly or otherwise, in the abuse and torture of terror suspects was to be dragged into a huge new controversy. This time, it involved a double agent's sting operation leading to the capture of an apparently sophisticated "underwear" bomb and the deaths of suspected militants and potential terrorists in US drone attacks.For the CIA, MI6, and their Saudi and Yemeni partners, it seemed a brilliant… -
Al-Qaida has presence in Syria, says Leon Panetta - video
11 May 2012 | 3:36 amUS defence secretary Leon Panetta says intelligence indicates an al-Qaida presence in Syria
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World news : Americas roundup | guardian.co.uk
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El Salvador women put their faith in agroecology
16 May 2012 | 11:04 amRural women strive to achieve food sovereignty and develop energy forests to help mitigate the impact of climate changeMaría Elena Muñoz industriously weeds a clearing in the forest and then digs several holes, where she and another four dozen women are planting plantain seedlings to help feed their families in this poor farming area in El Salvador.The group is involved in an agroecology programme that has two main aims: achieving food sovereignty, which is at risk in the rural communities of San Julián; and fomenting the development of energy forests, which provide local families with… -
Perenco's environmental consultancy buried evidence of Amazon tribe
16 May 2012 | 7:01 amDaimi Peru withheld evidence found by anthropologists for indigenous people living near the oil company's operations, a leaked report revealsAn environmental consultancy working for an oil company withheld evidence of an "uncontacted tribe" where the company is operating in Peru's Amazon, a leaked report obtained by the Guardian reveals.The leak is acutely embarrassing for Perenco, based in London and Paris, because it has consistently claimed there is no evidence for indigenous people living without contact with the outside world near its operations and cites research by the consultancy,… -
Politician's payments to Mexican radio journalists were 'sponsorship'
16 May 2012 | 6:29 amI reported a couple of days ago about a Mexican presidential candidate having paid journalists for mentions on radio outlets.The radio station named as receiving money, Grupo Fórmula, has since explained that these payments - made by Enrique Peña Nieto - involved sponsorship and/or adverts.The station was supported by the National Chamber of the Radio and Television Industry, which represents the owners of Mexico's radio and television companies.It sent a letter to the director of the Reforma newspaper, which broke the story of the payments, saying the sponsorship ads were clearly… -
Chávez's economics lesson for Europe | Richard Gott
16 May 2012 | 3:00 amHugo Chávez's rejection of the neoliberal policies dragging Europe down sets a hopeful example to Greece and beyondSome years ago, travelling on the presidential plane of Hugo Chávez of Venezuela with a French friend from Le Monde Diplomatique, we were asked what we thought was happening in Europe. Was there any chance of a move to the left? We replied in the depressed and pessimistic tones typical of the early years of the 21st century. Neither in Britain nor France, nor anywhere in the eurozone, did we see much chance of a political breakthrough.Then maybe, said Chávez with a twinkle, we… -
Bogota bomb kills two of ex-minister's bodyguards
16 May 2012 | 1:28 am39 people injured in attempt to kill former interior minister Fernando Londono, a vocal critic of rebel group the FarcA bomb targeting a hardline Colombian former interior minister has killed two of his bodyguards and injured at least 39 people in Bogota.The former minister and morning radio host, Fernando Londono, sustained minor wounds and was out of danger after being operated on to remove glass shards from his chest, authorities said. Video footage showed a stunned Londono, his face bruised, being led from the wreckage in a dark suit and red tie.The Bogota mayor, Gustavo Petro, said a…
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World news: Anglicanism | guardian.co.uk
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How filthy lucre could subvert the Church of England
16 May 2012 | 12:17 pmConservative evangelical churches threaten to withhold cash from pro-gay and liberal 'heretics'The Rev Paul Perkin seemed bewildered by the question: what was his take on the latest scheme for conservative evangelical churches to withhold money from the rest of the Church of England in order to keep it out of the hands of liberals, gay people or women priests?"I can't talk about that," he said. "You'll have to ask James Paice." Both men are vicars in south London. And both are directors of the company set up last month to implement this scheme, the Southwark Good Stewards Company. It is the… -
Letter: Canon Eric James was one of the founder members of the Eric Symes Abbott memorial committee
15 May 2012 | 12:07 pmReaders of Canon Eric James's obituary who were interested in the reference to his 1998 lecture which described the hereditary monarchy as a "lottery" may like to know that this lecture was the 13th Eric Symes Abbott memorial lecture, and that the text can be found on the Westminster Abbey website. James was a student at King's College London during the time that the Very Rev Eric Symes Abbott was dean, and on Abbott's death decades later was one of the founder members of the Eric Symes Abbott memorial committee, set up to fund and administer an annual lecture in his memory. Subsequent to his… -
Dick Hatch obituary
14 May 2012 | 7:28 amWhen my friend Dick Hatch, eccentric BBC broadcaster, Anglican vicar, lover of John Smith's bitter, Wigan and the Muppet Show, went to meet his maker, his coffin was transported in the back of a VW camper van (his preferred mode of transport) stuffed with helium-filled Kermit the Frog balloons. It was a fitting send-off for Dick, who has died aged 75. He was a flamboyant character, whose religious and secular broadcasts, not to mention his extravagant sideburns, earned him a following in the north-west in the 1970s and 80s.The son of the Rev Raymond Hatch, and his wife, May, Dick was born in… -
Why should spirituality prioritise the needs of the busy? | Giles Fraser
11 May 2012 | 1:30 pmFor many, the length of time that time takes to pass is often an excruciating experience of lifelessnessIf you sit very quietly in the rectory at St Mary's Newington, you can hear the rumble of the Northern line running directly under the house. What makes this so strange an experience is the contrast between the packed commuter train below, full of jostle and hurry, and the stillness in the house above. After a while, two experiences of time seem to bump up against each other. And the clock on the wall is no guide to either. In different places, life travels at different speeds. What is… -
A vicar's war against English Heritage Christianity | Andrew Brown
10 May 2012 | 12:00 pmHow do you get to children who are completely post-Christian? Focus on the unlikeliest part of the story, said ex-programmerOn Saturday night I got drunk with a witch and a vicar. If this were a proper Guardian story, the witch would have been male, and the vicar a woman. But in real life it was the other way round. After all the cheap jokes and scurrilous gossip were exhausted we bitched about religion. "Witches make the best church ladies," said the vicar, comfortably. Dating a witch is only the latest raid in his long war against what he calls "English Heritage Christianity".He's still…
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World news: Animals | guardian.co.uk
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BBC receives hundreds of complaints over TV chefs cooking foie gras
16 May 2012 | 8:29 amFoie gras, made by force-feeding geese, is banned from production in the UK, though it is still a legal ingredientHundreds of complaints have been made to the BBC after two chefs competing on its Great British Menu programme were shown preparing dishes including foie gras.Johnnie Mountain made foie gras ice cream while Aiden Byrne served black cherry and foie gras terrine in an episode screened last week.Production of foie gras – made by force-feeding ducks or geese until their livers are enlarged – is prohibited in the UK, although it is still a legal ingredient.The BBC said it had… -
WWF Living Planet Report: Monitoring Global Biodiversity
15 May 2012 | 5:34 amAround the world, WWF helps to monitor changes in the size of wildlife populations to indicate trends in global biodiversity -
Behind the scenes at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology hawk cam | video | GrrlScientist
15 May 2012 | 2:00 amThis video captures the time and effort it took to mount a birdcam on a light tower overlooking Cornell University's athletic fieldOne of the many things that I love about all this newly affordable miniaturised technology is the astonishing number of birdcams that are sprouting up all around the world. These birdcams are providing the general public with an unprecedented "bird's eye view" of a growing number of animal species for the first time in the history of mankind. This can only be good for animals and for conservation. This video provides a behind-the-scenes look at the expertise and… -
Hurrah for Pudsey the dog's victory on Britain's Got Talent
14 May 2012 | 3:00 pmAshleigh and Pudsey's triumph proves that canine appreciation is on the up – great news for those of us who believe in the transformative power of dogsPudsey the dog has won Britain's Got Talent, with its owner, Ashleigh. Aaah! Weren't they brilliant?Did you see those judges blown away? Soppy faces? Nearly in tears? And the audience going wild – giving a standing ovation, nearly crying at the sweetness of it all? So was I, because weren't they both charming, clever and just adorabubble? And on top of all that, I think this may herald a bit of… -
Country diary: Chilthorne Domer, Somerset: Taking a chance on water buffalo
14 May 2012 | 2:59 pmChilthorne Domer, Somerset: Each animal has its own distinct personality, no two faces are alike, and they have a way of looking you directly in the eyeWhen I bought some water buffalo burgers at Sherborne farmers' market, I asked where the animals were farmed, and a few days later found my way to Chilthorne Domer, near Ilchester, where the river Yeo was overflowing its banks. The way to Lower Oakley farm runs three-quarters of a mile from the road between wide, flat fields. Swans were gliding on sheets of water where cattle would normally have been grazing. But the water buffalo, though…
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Science: Archaeology | guardian.co.uk
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Stone carvers defy Taliban to return to the Bamiyan valley
16 May 2012 | 9:02 amAfghan students learn the centuries-old skills that carved out the giant buddhas blown up by extremistsUnder perfectly carved niches that once held dozens of small buddha statues, the purposeful tap of chisel on stone echoed over the Bamiyan valley for the first time in centuries.Twelve young Afghans had gathered to take the first tentative steps back towards a stone-working tradition that once made their home famous, at a workshop in a cave gouged out as a monastery assembly hall more than 1,000 years ago.The cave-hall was part of a complex built around two giant buddhas that loomed serenely… -
How stone age man invented the art of raving
12 May 2012 | 6:06 pmNew scientific techniques reveal how large tribal gatherings swept neolithic BritainThey were the stone-age equivalent of Glastonbury festival. People gathered in their hundreds to drink, eat and party every summer at revelries lasting several days and nights. Young men met women from nearby communities and married them. Herds of cattle were slaughtered to provide food.These neolithic carousals even had special sites. They were held on causewayed enclosures, large hilltop earthworks built by our forebears after they brought farming to Britain from the continent 6,000 years ago.This picture of… -
In praise of … The Antikythera clock | Editorial
10 May 2012 | 3:50 pmThe secrets of the world's oldest computer have been unlocked by X-ray imagingTwenty-one centuries after it sank under water, and one after it was brought back to the surface, the secrets of the world's oldest computer have been unlocked by X-ray imaging. Sponge divers off the Greek island of Antikythera found relics from an ancient ship in 1901. Among them was a calcified lump shot through with gearwheels. Erudite guesswork and microscopic inspection identified these as parts of a complex classical clock. The mechanical engineering compared with a good Victorian timepiece. The ambition was… -
Mayan calendar: excavation reveals mural of ancient calculations – interactive
10 May 2012 | 1:20 pmArchaeologists have uncovered paintings of figures and a mural depicting calculations relating to the ancient Mayan calendarPaddy Allen -
Mayan astronomical charts found in Guatemalan jungle are oldest known
10 May 2012 | 1:00 pmPaintings of the Mayan king and astronomical hieroglyphs unearthed in a room buried under a collapsed buildingAncient inscriptions on the walls of a looted house in the Guatemalan jungle are the oldest astronomical charts known from the Mayan civilisation.Explorers chanced upon the writings while excavating a room buried under a collapsed building that was overgrown with rainforest vegetation in Xultún in the north-eastern region of Petén.Researchers who dug debris from the room found bright and vivid paintings of the king and other figures preserved on the walls, leading them to speculate…
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Art and design: Architecture | guardian.co.uk
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London 2012 Olympic Park site architecture - video
16 May 2012 | 11:35 amArchitects Amanda Levete and Piers Gough and critic Charles Jencks give their verdict on the key venues of the London Olympic siteRobert BoothGuy GrandjeanJosh Strauss -
London Olympics stadium disappoints architects, but supporting cast save day
16 May 2012 | 11:31 amVelodrome and aquatics centre are the stars of Olympic park, according to a panel of architects convened by the Guardian"That's as dull as ditchwater," said architect Piers Gough as the organising committee's minibus skirted the copper-clad Olympic handball arena. Amanda Levete, Stirling prize-winning designer, craned her neck to take a look. "Do you think it is deliberately banal?" she asked. "Shocking. The electricity substation is better."It was a tough start for the architecture of the Olympic park, which was being put to the test by a panel of leading architects and critics convened by… -
From dream homes to hellholes: architects shed light on the way we live
16 May 2012 | 10:37 amA report by Riba suggests what we want from our homes – big, light-filled spaces – we just don't get. But in the current economic climate, what can architects do about it?We all know the English like to think of their homes as castles. But according to a report by the Royal Institute of British Architects, "dungeon" could now be a more fitting medieval analogy. The architect's professional body has produced a report called The Way We Live Now, a study of what people want out of their homes and how they're using them. What leaps out from its pages is the gap between expectations and… -
Poll: Have you got enough room at home?
16 May 2012 | 5:51 amA new report from Riba claims that new houses are too small, leading to some people resorting to extreme storage solutions. Have you got enough space at home? -
Blues versus blues: why is team Boris so opposed to Chelsea's Battersea power station plan?
15 May 2012 | 3:23 amThe west London club's imaginative idea for salvaging the capital's finest disused landmark has already met opposition from City HallChelsea FC's bid to buy the Battersea power station site with the aim of constructing, "one of the most iconic football stadiums in the world," there has divided opinion. Rowan Moore anticipates the same problems as previous schemes proposed for reviving London's most magnificent disused building:Gigantism, the destruction of the essential qualities of the old building, and rather obvious issues with transport and local residents. It is hard to see how dropping…
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World news: Argentina | guardian.co.uk
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Greece should follow Argentina's lead
12 May 2012 | 6:05 pmAs Argentina's experience after 2002 shows, when an economic crisis hits it is often best to go it aloneUnemployment in Greece stands at a record 21.7%. More than one in two young people aged between 18 and 24 is out of work. The economy will be 20% smaller at the end of 2012 than it was five years ago and shows little sign of pulling out of its tailspin.So when the cry goes up that departure from the eurozone would be a calamity for Greece, the obvious riposte is: how much worse can it get? Greeks fully understand that life outside the single currency would be tough. They know that… -
London 2012: Controversial Falklands video star dropped by Argentina
9 May 2012 | 4:06 am• Hockey player dropped from Argentina Olympic warm-up event• Fernando Zylberberg was filmed exercising on war memorialThe Argentinian hockey player filmed training on the Falkland Islands in a controversial advert has been dropped from Argentina's final Olympic Games warm-up event.Fernando Zylberberg, a 34-year-old midfielder who has captained his country, was not included in the 18-man squad for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia posted on the Argentine Hockey Confederation website.The other teams participating in the six-nation tournament from 24 May to 4 June are the hosts, India,… -
Argentine Olympic Committee distances itself from Falklands TV ad
8 May 2012 | 10:57 am• NOC president says 'Games are not a platform for politics'• Clip shows hockey player training on British war memorialThe Argentine Olympic Committee has distanced itself from a television advertisement shot on the disputed Falkland Islands that has triggered a diplomatic dispute with Britain before the London Games."The Argentine National Olympic Committee is fully committed to the Olympic charter and the best practices of the Olympic movement," the NOC chief, Gerardo Werthein, said in a statement on Tuesday. "We strongly believe the Olympic Games are not a platform for politics and we… -
The euro alternative to Greek default and the drachma | Dean Baker
7 May 2012 | 2:17 pmDecisive votes against austerity in Greece and France mean the ECB and Germany have to change policy to save the eurozoneAusterity was the big loser in the Greek elections on Sunday. The two main Greek parties, who endorsed the austerity pact signed last year, together got just over one-third of the vote. This is an extraordinary rebuke given that, between them, these parties have governed Greece since the end of the dictatorship in 1976.On the anti-austerity side, a leftwing coalition came in second with around 17% of the vote. More ominously, a far-right anti-immigrant party, which is also… -
Argentina and the magic soybean: the commodity export boom that wasn't | Mark Weisbrot
4 May 2012 | 1:59 pmArgentina's record levels of employment and massive reductions in poverty have little to do with exportsOne of the great myths about the Argentine economy that is repeated nearly every day is that the rapid growth of the Argentine economy during the past decade has been a "commodity export boom". For example, led by domestic consumption and investment. And it happened because the Argentine government changed its most important macroeconomic choices: on fiscal, monetary, and exchange rate policies. That is what took Argentina out of its 1998-2002 depression and turned it into the…
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Art and design: Art | guardian.co.uk
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Our memories of Mike Kelley's art will be shaped by the manner of his death
16 May 2012 | 10:49 amThe late artist's unfinished replica of his childhood home, with its dark underground retreat, suggests parallels with his troubled lifeDoes Van Gogh's painting of crows over a wheat field, like black messengers of fate, presage his imminent death? However many art historians argue otherwise, it is always going to look like a painted suicide note. When an artist dies by suicide this has a deep effect on how we see that artist's work.While Van Gogh is written into history as "the man suicided by society", in Antonin Artaud's words, the place of American artist Mike Kelley in modern memory has… -
Queen on tour: 'unofficial' exhibition of royal portraits arrives in London
16 May 2012 | 10:29 amExhibition of images of Elizabeth II, which has already visited Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff, arrives in capitalA fragile and rarely loaned portrait of the Queen has gone on public display for the first time in 26 years as part of an exhibition of portraiture that includes works that would not necessarily be of Her Majesty's choosing.The summer-long show arrived at the National Portrait Gallery in London ahead of the diamond jubilee weekend celebrations. But its curator, Paul Moorhouse, stressed: "The really important thing to say is that it is in no sense an official exhibition. It has not… -
Stone carvers defy Taliban to return to the Bamiyan valley
16 May 2012 | 9:02 amAfghan students learn the centuries-old skills that carved out the giant buddhas blown up by extremistsUnder perfectly carved niches that once held dozens of small buddha statues, the purposeful tap of chisel on stone echoed over the Bamiyan valley for the first time in centuries.Twelve young Afghans had gathered to take the first tentative steps back towards a stone-working tradition that once made their home famous, at a workshop in a cave gouged out as a monastery assembly hall more than 1,000 years ago.The cave-hall was part of a complex built around two giant buddhas that loomed serenely… -
British pavilions at the Venice Biennale - in pictures
15 May 2012 | 11:14 amThe artist Jeremy Deller has been picked to fill the British pavilion at next year's Venice Biennale. We look at some of the past pavilions ... -
Resisting the Present - review
15 May 2012 | 8:01 amMusée d'Art Moderne, ParisThe show starts demonstratively, with $50,000 cut into the wall above the entrance by a series of bullet holes. The ironic title of this installation is No hay artista joven que resista un cañonazo de $50,000 dólares (No young artist can resist a $50,000 cannon blast). The work by the Tercerunquinto collective introduces Resisting the Present (until 8 July). The opening work harks back to a disabused remark by Álvaro Obregón, the president of Mexico in 1920-24, condemning the corruption rife among the military during the revolution in the 1910s: "No hay general…
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Art and design news, reviews, comment and features | guardian.co.uk
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London 2012 Olympic Park site architecture - video
16 May 2012 | 11:35 amArchitects Amanda Levete and Piers Gough and critic Charles Jencks give their verdict on the key venues of the London Olympic siteRobert BoothGuy GrandjeanJosh Strauss -
London Olympics stadium disappoints architects, but supporting cast save day
16 May 2012 | 11:31 amVelodrome and aquatics centre are the stars of Olympic park, according to a panel of architects convened by the Guardian"That's as dull as ditchwater," said architect Piers Gough as the organising committee's minibus skirted the copper-clad Olympic handball arena. Amanda Levete, Stirling prize-winning designer, craned her neck to take a look. "Do you think it is deliberately banal?" she asked. "Shocking. The electricity substation is better."It was a tough start for the architecture of the Olympic park, which was being put to the test by a panel of leading architects and critics convened by… -
Our memories of Mike Kelley's art will be shaped by the manner of his death
16 May 2012 | 10:49 amThe late artist's unfinished replica of his childhood home, with its dark underground retreat, suggests parallels with his troubled lifeDoes Van Gogh's painting of crows over a wheat field, like black messengers of fate, presage his imminent death? However many art historians argue otherwise, it is always going to look like a painted suicide note. When an artist dies by suicide this has a deep effect on how we see that artist's work.While Van Gogh is written into history as "the man suicided by society", in Antonin Artaud's words, the place of American artist Mike Kelley in modern memory has… -
From dream homes to hellholes: the way we live now
16 May 2012 | 10:37 amA report by Riba suggests what we want from our homes – big, light-filled spaces – we just don't get. But in the current economic climate, what can architects do about it?We all know the English like to think of their homes as castles. But according to a report by the Royal Institute of British Architects, "dungeon" could now be a more fitting medieval analogy. The architect's professional body has produced a report called The Way We Live Now, a study of what people want out of their homes and how they're using them. What leaps out from its pages is the gap between expectations and… -
Queen on tour: 'unofficial' exhibition of royal portraits arrives in London
16 May 2012 | 10:29 amExhibition of images of Elizabeth II, which has already visited Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff, arrives in capitalA fragile and rarely loaned portrait of the Queen has gone on public display for the first time in 26 years as part of an exhibition of portraiture that includes works that would not necessarily be of Her Majesty's choosing.The summer-long show arrived at the National Portrait Gallery in London ahead of the diamond jubilee weekend celebrations. But its curator, Paul Moorhouse, stressed: "The really important thing to say is that it is in no sense an official exhibition. It has not…
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Business: Asda | guardian.co.uk
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Lancashire marches on East Anglia, armed with cheese
14 May 2012 | 11:35 amCorrie's Martin Platt leads a pongy invasion with a truck full of Smelly Apeth, How's Your Father and Mouth Almighty. Rebecca Smithers is clearing room in her fridgeAs 'cheeky chappy' Martin Platt he was the father of the deeplyirritating David Platt and the hapless husband of the equally annoyingGail.But since leaving the cobbles of Coronation Street seven years ago,actor Sean Wilson has swapped his nurse's uniform for a catering hat and overalls and turned his attention to a different art - that of artisan cheese making.Food fanatic Wilson (who claims to have 300 cookbooks groaning on… -
Would holographic supermarket staff improve your shopping experience? | Poll
7 May 2012 | 12:22 pmFollowing a successful trial in its Milton Keynes branch, Britain's second largest supermarket chain Asda is considering installing an army of virtual shop assistants to greet customers. Would a holographic staff member improve your shopping experience? -
Morrisons blames weak figures on last year's bumper sales
3 May 2012 | 12:56 pmMorrisons says weak quarterly figures are down to distortion caused by sales boosted by Royal Wedding and warm EasterMorrisons has blamed its weakest quarterly figures since the takeover of rival Safeway in 2004 on the distortion caused by bumper sales last year when an exceptionally warm Easter and celebrations surrounding the Royal Wedding boosted sales.Like-for-likes sales fell 1% in the 13 weeks to 29 April and some analysts are worried the Bradford-based grocer is being outgunned by resurgent larger rivals Tesco and Asda. Its chief executive Dalton Philips was "satisfied" with the… -
Walmart shares tumble amid allegations of Mexican bribery cover-up
23 Apr 2012 | 1:01 pmFirm faces lengthy investigation of all its foreign subsidiaries over possible violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices ActWalmart faces years of litigation and regulatory scrutiny after revelations that the firm may have covered up a bribery scandal at its Mexican subsidiary, according to legal experts.Shares in the world's largest retailer tumbled on Monday after the company confirmed it was investigating possible violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), which prohibits acts of bribery in foreign countries.The company has yet to comment on allegations, first made by the… -
Shorter cuts: news doesn't get any smaller
22 Apr 2012 | 2:00 pmDodgy deals, free folic acid and cats in pubsGangster gamesPlan B's debut film Ill Manors follows recent flick Wild Bill, setting dodgy dealings in the shadow of the Olympic stadium.Freebie of the weekAsda is giving away free folic acid to women trying to conceive or already pregnant.Distracted by …Pubcats.com is devoted to "pusses in pubs", mapping each feline drinking buddy so you can enjoy a pint with them.Talking cureOn Saturday at the Underdog gallery in London, people will rap battle with each other to raise money for Depression Alliance.Shadowy businessCarine Roitfeld, ex- French…
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World news : Asia Pacific roundup | guardian.co.uk
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Lady Gaga denied permit for Indonesia concert after religious protests
16 May 2012 | 5:19 amPolice refuse to license Jakarta gig, saying they are unable to guarantee singer's safety following protestsLady Gaga's show in Jakarta next month looks certain to be cancelled. The Indonesian authorities have refused to grant a permit for the concert on 3 June, citing security concerns following protests by conservative Muslim groups. "She's a vulgar singer," said Salim Alatas, from the Islam Defenders Front. "[She] wears only panties and a bra when she sings and she stated she is the envoy of the devil's child and that she will spread Satanic teaching."Local and national police were unable… -
Russian Superjet crash: Indonesian searchers find black box
15 May 2012 | 10:39 pmSukhoi Superjet 100 crashed into Mount Salak during demonstration flight, killing all 45 people on boardIndonesian special forces have found the black box voice and data recorder of a new Russian passenger jet that crashed into a dormant volcano, killing all on board.The recorder could help explain the cause of the crash of the Sukhoi Superjet 100, which had been on a short demonstration flight for potential buyers. Indonesian search and rescue agency spokesman Gagah Prakoso said it was found near the tail of the shattered wreck at the bottom of a 500-metre ravine.The device was delivered to… -
Afghanistan hopeful of extra US cash to fund security
15 May 2012 | 12:47 pmOfficials believe Washington will pay more on top of lion's share of expected $4.1bn annual budget after foreign troops leaveAfghanistan is confident the US will stump up billions of extra dollars for its army and police on top of the main chunk of a $4.1bn (£2.6bn) annual budget that is expected to be sealed at a Nato summit this month, an Afghan diplomat has said.With foreign combat troops already heading home, and all due to be all gone by the end of 2014, there is little hope the impoverished country will be able to hold off the hardened Taliban insurgents without outside financial… -
Unfriending the US: Facebook co-founder stands to save millions
15 May 2012 | 11:24 amIn renouncing his citizenship last year, Eduardo Saverin will get out of paying $39m in taxes according to one estimateWould you renounce your US citizenship for $39 million?If you're Eduardo Saverin, you might.A billionaire Facebook co-founder, Saverin renounced his US citizenship last year, although the decision was made public just days before the social network's anticipated initial public offering on Friday.Saverin, 30, is a 2% stakeholder in the company, according to the wealth intelligence provider Wealth-X, which would put his net worth in the neighborhood of $2 billion after the IPO. -
EU hails airline emissions tax success
15 May 2012 | 9:03 amMore than 99% of major airlines comply with first step of Europe's scheme to charge them for carbon emissionsMore than 99% of all major global airlines have complied with the first step of Europe's controversial scheme to charge them for their carbon emissions.The inclusion of aviation in the European Union's emissions trading system (ETS) from the start of 2012 caused uproar from airlines in more than 20 countries including the US, China, Russia and Japan, but virtually all submitted the required baseline emissions data for 2011. Only eight Chinese airlines and two Indian ones did not comply…
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Television & radio: Television Baftas | guardian.co.uk
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Radio Times poll provokes online battle for Baftas
5 May 2012 | 6:04 pmFierce opposition to al-Jazeera's Bahrain documentary generates a million votesThis year's Bafta award for the best current affairs television programme, to be awarded later this month, has provoked an international struggle to undermine the content of at least one of the four powerful documentaries on the shortlist – a film about the uprising in Bahrain last spring.A fortnight ago the Radio Times magazine launched an online poll to allow readers to vote for their favourite Bafta nominees. There are no prizes on offer, but the current affairs category has now registered an incredible one… -
Media Talk Podcast: Leveson inquiry, Jeremy Hunt and Bafta nominations
27 Apr 2012 | 10:39 amJohn Plunkett looks back over a huge week in the world of media, with the help of Dan Sabbagh, Lisa O'Carroll and Vicky Frost.Lisa and Dan are fresh from the Royal Courts of Justice and they have all the fallout from James and Rupert Murdoch's performance at the Leveson inquiry, where Rupert Murdoch admitted there had been a cover-up at the News of the World. They also discuss whether culture secretary Jeremy Hunt's position is now untenable following allegations about his closeness to the Murdochs while the BSkyB deal was being assessed.John talks television with Vicky as the Bafta… -
Bafta TV awards 2012: full list of nominations
24 Apr 2012 | 6:51 amNominations for the 2012 Arqiva British Academy Television awards, which will be presented at Royal Festival Hall on 27 MayLeading actorBenedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock (BBC1)Dominic West, Appropriate Adult (ITV1)John Simm, Exile (BBC1)Joseph Gilgun, This is England '88 (Channel 4)Leading actressEmily Watson, Appropriate Adult (ITV1)Nadine Marshall, Random (Channel 4)Romola Garai, The Crimson Petal and the White (BBC2)Vicky McClure, This is England '88 (Channel 4)Supporting ActorAndrew Scott, Sherlock (BBC1)Joseph Mawle, Birdsong (BBC1)Martin Freeman, Sherlock (BBC1)Stephen Rea, The Shadowline… -
Bafta TV awards 2012: what do you make of the nominations?
24 Apr 2012 | 5:55 amAppropriate Adult deservingly leads the field, with This is England '88 and Sherlock taking three nominations eachIts four Bafta nominations will come as no surprise to those who watched Appropriate Adult, ITV's unflinching drama about Fred West and the uncovering of his crimes; brave programming, brilliantly written and performed. What could have seemed exploitative was rendered insightful in a piece of television that was provocative for all the right reasons. Dominic West and Emily Watson already have won Royal Television Society awards for their portrayals of West and Janet Leach, the… -
Bafta TV awards: Appropriate Adult leads nominations
24 Apr 2012 | 4:34 amITV drama about Fred West nominated for four Bafta TV awards, ahead of BBC's Sherlock and Channel 4's This Is England '88ITV's drama about the serial killer Fred West has topped the shortlist for the 2012 Bafta television awards with four nominations, ahead of BBC1's Sherlock and Channel 4's This is England '88 with three each.Appropriate Adult stars Dominic West and Emily Watson are both nominated for the main acting prizes, with the drama also recognised in the Bafta TV best supporting actress and best mini series categories in the nominations announced on Tuesday. It has already been…
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World news: Bangladesh | guardian.co.uk
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'We have seen the enemy': Bangladesh's war against climate change
9 May 2012 | 7:17 amDevastating cyclones, floods and ruined crops have made Bangladesh 'the world's most aware society on climate change'Rebecca Sultan's life has been shattered twice in a few years. First, the 140mph winds of Cyclone Sidr ripped through her village, Gazipara, flattening houses, killing 6,000 people and devastating the lives of millions as it slammed into southern Bangladesh in 2007.Then, 18 months later, as Sultan was recovering, Cyclone Aila tore in from the Bay of Bengal with torrential rains, breaching the coastal embankments and flooding her fields with salt water.Storms of this intensity… -
Inside the shipbreaking yards of Chittagong - in pictures
5 May 2012 | 6:01 pmThe shipbreaking industry in Bangladesh has been condemned for exposing low-paid workers to asbestos and polluting the environment -
Bangladeshi workers risk lives in shipbreaking yards
5 May 2012 | 7:25 amEU safety rules for recycling yards could save hundreds from injury and poisoning but pose dangers for south Asian economiesWhen the rusty, old supertanker Lara 1 reached Bangladesh two weeks ago, the captain stoked up its engines for the last time and rammed it as far up the beach at Chittagong as possible. The 70-metre tall, 400-metre long iron colossus now squats in the mud in the Rising Steel ship breaking yard, waiting to be picked over by an army of young men risking their lives for little more than £1 a day.The Lara 1 is one of the largest corpses in the world's biggest graveyard of… -
Indian ferry capsizes drowning more than 100 in Brahmaputra river
1 May 2012 | 2:27 amDivers and rescue workers pull bodies from remote reach of river in Assam state as search for survivors goes onArmy divers and rescue workers have pulled 103 bodies out of a river after a packed ferry capsized in heavy winds and rain in a remote part of north-eastern India.At least 100 people were still missing after the boat, carrying about 350 passengers, broke into two pieces late on Monday, said Pritam Saikia, the district magistrate of Goalpara district.Deep-sea divers and soldiers worked through the night to pull bodies from the Brahmaputra river, in Assam state.Heavy winds and rain… -
Sports manufacturing in Bangladesh: behind the scenes – video
30 Apr 2012 | 6:34 amWith the Olympic Games approaching, working conditions at the companies making sports kit are under the spotlight. Watch a hand-operated production line in action in BangladeshJohn Vidal
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Business: Barclays | guardian.co.uk
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FTSE falls again on Greek woes but Croda and Aberdeen Asset buck the trend
16 May 2012 | 11:38 amChemicals group and asset manager benefit from inclusion in MSCI indexThe MSCI index may not be as immediately familiar as the FTSE, but investors in chemicals group Croda and Aberdeen Asset Management had cause to be grateful to it.On another volatile day on the markets, thanks of course to the continuing eurozone crisis, Croda climbed 63p to £21.82 and Aberdeen added 8.6p to 255.9p as their names were added to the MSCI UK index in its latest reshuffle. The Morgan Stanley Capital International indices, to give the full name, are widely followed by fund managers and banks around the world,… -
Bob Diamond bonus subplot thickens
16 May 2012 | 10:57 amWas the Barclays board divided over Diamond's bonus and did Marcus Agius, as chairman, disagree with Alison Carnwath?The ructions over pay at Barclays continue to fascinate. Alison Carnwath, the new head of the bank's pay committee, thought chief executive Bob Diamond should surrender his £2.7m bonus, according to the Wall Street Journal. Chairman Marcus Agius resisted, the tale goes, and a fudge was agreed to placate shareholders by which Diamond and finance director Chris Lucas agreed to tie half their bonuses to three-year performance targets.These details are intriguing because there are… -
FTSE slumps below 5400 on Greek fears but Barclays bucks the trend
16 May 2012 | 3:30 amBank lifted by recommendation by UBS, but investors still fearful of eurozone crisisAs leading shares slumped again on the growing prospect of Greece leaving the eurozone, the FTSE 100 fell below the 5400 level for the first time since mid-December.But with investors shying away from risk, one surprise was the emergence of Barclays as one of the biggest risers so far. The bank is up 2.55p at 188.65p after UBS raised its recommendation from neutral to buy, although it cut its price target from 272p to 215p. UBS analyst John-Paul Crutchley said:Barclays shares have fallen by around 20% since a… -
FTSE drops nearly 2% on fears of Greek euro exit, but Invensys climbs on renewed bid talk
14 May 2012 | 11:16 amLeading shares under pressure as Greek turmoil continues, with £28.5bn wiped off value of UK's top companiesAs markets plunged around the world on the escalating crisis in Greece, there were few bright spots for investors.One was Invensys, the engineering group, which added 6.5p to 209p as takeover speculation refused to die down. The list of potential suitors for the business has been growing over the past few days, with Siemens, ABB, General Electric and China's CSR all mentioned. Reports over the weekend suggested there could have been informal approaches, but there has been no comment… -
Banks and mining shares send FTSE down nearly 2% on fears of Greek euro exit and China slowdown
14 May 2012 | 3:48 amInvestors unsettled by growing concerns about Greek euro exit and future growth in ChinaBanks and mining companies are leading the fallers in a slumping market, amid growing uncertainty about Greece's future in the eurozone and worries about China's economy.As the political impasse continues in Greece, with the prospect of new elections looming, the idea that the country could exit the eurozone is gaining currency, especially as members of the European Central Bank's governing body have been openly talking about the possibility. Any Grexit would inevitably lead to speculation about the next…
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Media: BBC | guardian.co.uk
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Abuse of disabled children in Jordan's care homes - video
16 May 2012 | 1:26 pmThis film documents the shocking abuse of children with disabilities in Jordan's care homes using undercover filming and eyewitness testimony -
The 10 best Blue Peter clips
16 May 2012 | 10:46 amFrom John Noakes on a bobsleigh to Bacon's departure, here are 10 BP memories from the analogue daysBlue Peter is setting sail from BBC1, never to return. Fear not younger viewers, you'll be able to find it on your digital channel CBBC, where it will be permanent docked and not, it is to be hoped, holed beneath the waterline.But for older viewers it means they will never stumble across the programme again on BBC1 in the afternoon as they tune out of Deal or No Deal, or wait patiently for everyone's favourite tea-time quiz hosted by Alexander Armstrong, Pointless.Here are 10 BP memories from… -
How Blue Peter has kept children's TV shipshape
16 May 2012 | 9:23 amIt's easy to be sniffy over the show's electro-pop theme tune but in other respects the programme hasn't changedAnyone over a certain age (about 20, probably) who returns to the latest edition of Blue Peter is in for a bit of a shock.Yes, there's still a dog. And yes, they still makes things out of stuff you find round the house.But the theme tune, an electro-pop remix by a pair called Banks and Wag, hasn't got much of a Mike Oldfield feel about it, and the pace and production values are light years from the 70s and 80s incarnations presided over by John Noakes and Peter Purves and (later)… -
BBC receives hundreds of complaints over TV chefs cooking foie gras
16 May 2012 | 8:29 amFoie gras, made by force-feeding geese, is banned from production in the UK, though it is still a legal ingredientHundreds of complaints have been made to the BBC after two chefs competing on its Great British Menu programme were shown preparing dishes including foie gras.Johnnie Mountain made foie gras ice cream while Aiden Byrne served black cherry and foie gras terrine in an episode screened last week.Production of foie gras – made by force-feeding ducks or geese until their livers are enlarged – is prohibited in the UK, although it is still a legal ingredient.The BBC said it had… -
Blue Peter: has the BBC made the right decision to drop it from BBC1?
16 May 2012 | 7:22 amIt's arguably sensible to put all children's output in one place but will this bring an end to family viewing?Children's programmes are to be entirely expunged from the BBC1 and BBC2 schedules as soon as digital switchover is complete – to roars of knee-jerk disapproval from many. In particular, the news that Blue Peter will be shipped off to the CBBC channel has infuriated several generations of adults who have grown up with the show since its launch in 1958.It was bad enough when they moved Blue Peter out of Television Centre to its new home in Salford and uprooted Percy Thrower's lovely…
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Fashion: Beauty | guardian.co.uk
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Skinny white models could be bad for business
16 May 2012 | 6:52 amA new study shows women are more likely to buy clothes if the models look like themDebate around skinniness in fashion is not new. From blogs to magazine editors to parliament, the issue of abnormally thin models comes up again and again, whether it's Lib Dem MP Jo Swinson calling for airbrushing to be banned in advertising or Vogue Italy's Franca Sozzani admitting that "the current inclination to embrace a female beauty standard that exalts thinness has devastating consequences on many adolescents' eating habits."But despite the chorus of protest, alarm and disgust, nothing ever really seems… -
Key fashion trends of the season: Summer beauty reboot
12 May 2012 | 6:05 pmDeliciously tempting beauty treats to get you ready for summer -
Attracting men is child's play, ladies – just grow up and act your age | Julie Burchill
12 May 2012 | 6:05 pmEncouraging women to look like children, as some glossy mags do, suggests that guys are turned on by prepubescentsWhen Alexandra Shulman, the editor of Vogue, announced recently that her magazine would no longer feature underweight or underage models, I can't say I dropped my Krispy Kreme in sheer molten glee on the first count. I am not one of those fat birds who feels miserable because models are thin. Frankly, I feel more insulted by the idea that unless I see other fat birds in fashion magazines, I will be reduced to a snivelling wreck of a human being.Whereas – prizing myself for… -
The beauty spot: modern home fragrance
12 May 2012 | 6:04 pmWhen delicate rosebuds can't hide the worst smells, it's time to call in the experts…The joy of living with people who stink is that yours is the privilege of choosing a perfume with which to de-stink them. That's it. That's the only benefit. Apols if you were expecting a list. First time I saw Aesop's Post-Poo Drops (£21, aesop.com), I won't lie, I thought it was an April Fool. But it makes perfect sense. I mean, every home fragrance is basically a "post-poo" perfume, isn't it? Incense, room sprays – they're all expensive variations on "lighting a match", but it's for this that I love… -
Beauty: cream eyeshadow
11 May 2012 | 4:59 pm'It's very clever and yet about as idiot-proof as make-up gets'I am currently enjoying a spell of uncharacteristically low-maintenance make-up. This wasn't deliberate; I fell in love with Tom Ford's new Cream Colour For Eyes in Platinum (a stupid name – it's not platinum but a deep pearlescent mink, and all the better for it), which reminded me that cream eyeshadow is the world's quickest, easiest way to look expertly made up. A slightly shimmery, pearly cream brilliantly apes the effect of several traditional eyeshadows blended together by creating depth and…
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Politics: Tony Blair | guardian.co.uk
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Bradford Muslims must practice serious, mainstream politics to win effective change
16 May 2012 | 7:47 amThe city's former Lord Mayor Mohammed Ajeeb condemns both Labour's lacklustre politics and Respect's firebranding; and reveals how he warned his party's national executive in 1999 about the dangers of 'clan' politicsI first met Mohammed Ajeeb on an icy winter's day in 1975. Huddled over a one-bar electric heater in Shelter's Bradford office, we plotted a campaign which eventually saved three Victorian squares in Manningham – Peel, Hanover and Southfield, where I then lived. Ajeeb subsequently served for many years as a Labour councillor and was the city's first British Asian Lord Mayor in… -
François Hollande's brutal baptism into the summit club
15 May 2012 | 9:46 amBerlin, Washington, Chicago: and that's just the first week. Pity the novice French president, thrust into a high-stakes gameAs François Hollande spends most of his first week as president of France flying from one important summit to another – from Berlin to Washington and on to Chicago – he will start to feel the immense pressure of high office, which he has previously been able only to imagine.His brutal baptism of fire, with the eyes of the world upon him, initiates the newcomer into a small club with a high casualty rate and, in 2012, the highest stakes since the end of the cold… -
Jeremy Hunt criticised for failure to oversee adviser
14 May 2012 | 2:39 pmEx-civil service chief tells Leveson inquiry fairness was crucial in BSkyB bid, while Alastair Campbell denies Blair-Murdoch dealThe former head of the civil service, Lord O'Donnell, has told the Leveson inquiry that the culture secretary, Jeremy Hunt, should have known if his special adviser was giving feedback to News Corporation on its controversial £8bn takeover bid for BSkyB.He told the inquiry into press ethics that ministers and secretaries of state should know exactly what their special advisers are doing, particularly in relation to quasi-judicial decisions. "I would have expected… -
Israel warned of volatile situation as Palestinian hunger strikers near death
13 May 2012 | 1:06 pmTony Blair urges action and Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas fears potential 'disaster that no one could control'Demonstrations in the West Bank and Gaza in support of about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike are escalating amid efforts by Egyptian mediators to broker a deal to avoid protests spiralling out of control if a detainee dies.Two prisoners, who have refused food for 77 days, are thought to be close to death with another six in a critical condition, say Palestinian groups. The Israeli prison service (IPS) says no one's life is at risk.In an unusual intervention, Tony… -
Carole Caplin: why I wish I had never worked with the Blairs
12 May 2012 | 6:05 pmIn her 'final interview', former lifestyle coach reveals how media scrutiny in Downing Street pushed her to a breakdownTony and Cherie Blair's former "lifestyle coach", Carole Caplin, has revealed that she regrets ever having worked for the former prime minister and his wife because of the resulting press coverage, which contributed to a "sort of breakdown" two years ago.In Observer Magazine, in what she says will be the last interview she ever gives, Caplin talks candidly about the "hurt and humiliation" caused by media stories provoked by her role at the Blairs' side in Downing Street.Two…
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World news: Joe Biden | guardian.co.uk
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Gay Americans' risk of mistaking marriage equality for total equality | Jason Farago
13 May 2012 | 9:47 amAfter the euphoria of Obama's support for same-sex marriage, let's check whether homophobia and discrimination just endedIn one respect, it's about time. Barack Obama's totally unsurprising acknowledgment that he favors the legalization of gay marriage – long delayed, then suddenly accelerated after Joe Biden jumped the gun – means that the president has finally caught up to what he told an Illinois newspaper 16 years ago."I favor legalizing same-sex marriages, and would fight efforts to prohibit such marriages," the young candidate held, in 1996. On Wednesday, at the White House, he… -
Obama campaign hopes marriage equality support a boon for fundraising
10 May 2012 | 5:09 pmStrategists remain divided on impact of same-sex marriage announcement as poll suggests some danger in swing statesBarack Obama headed for the west coast on Thursday for the start of a sustained period of election fundraising that is expected to be boosted by his declaration of support for same-sex marriage, a touchstone issue for many Democrats.Obama is to speak at events in Seattle and Los Angeles, the latter hosted by George Clooney at his home, an event that some predictions estimate could bring in $15m.Pollsters and political strategists were divided on the impact of the same-sex… -
Obama's good politics on gay marriage | Alex Slater
10 May 2012 | 4:20 pmThere's no question of the president being bounced into backing same-sex marriage. It was a planned part of his re-election bidBy any definition, Wednesday 10 May 2012 was a seminal day for the civil rights movement in the United States: the first sitting president to declare support for gay marriage. In Washington's elite Democratic circles, the reaction was jubilant: this was Obama at his best – taking a courageous stance, speaking plainly and bravely from the heart in support of progress. This was the president we could rally around. But at the back of everybody's mind was a niggling… -
Democrats seeking re-election cautious about Obama gay marriage stance
10 May 2012 | 4:12 pmThose in president's party have so far been wary of alienating voters while Republicans paint the comments as a distractionDemocratic politicians fighting to hold on to their seats in Congress have distanced themselves from Barack Obama's support of gay marriage even as the party's leadership said it expects the president's re-election platform to include a commitment to the legalisation of same-sex unions.Gay rights campaigners lauded the president's stance, and reserved particular praise for the role of vice-president Joe Biden in bouncing the White House into Wednesday's announcement. But… -
Barack Obama speaks out and declares support for same-sex marriage
9 May 2012 | 3:38 pmPresident speaks about issue in deeply personal terms, and affirms his unequivocal support for same-sex couples to marryBarack Obama has declared his unequivocal support for same-sex marriage, taking a bold political gamble on an issue that divides American voters just months before a presidential election.Obama's announcement, in a hastily-arranged ABC interview on Wednesday, came after years of dodging the issue. He was forced to go public partly because vice-president Joe Biden ignited the debate with a remark in support of gay marriage at the weekend.In the interview, Obama said he had…
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Books: Books blog | guardian.co.uk
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Reading Group webchat: Paul Hendrickson
16 May 2012 | 7:58 amThe author of Hemingway's Boat, will be online Friday 18 May from 1pm. Post now for a chance to grill him on this month's Reading Group idea of Ernest Hemingway as a 'macho' writerOn Friday 18 May at 1pm BST we will be joined by Paul Hendrickson, the author of Hemingway's Boat, a book detailing the writer's life in Florida and Cuba and the importance of his boat, Pilar.As the recent Observer review explains:[Hendrickson's] "genius is to tack through the muddied waters of Hemingway's life by way of the thing he loved most purely: Pilar, the magical, black-hulled boat he bought in a Brooklyn… -
Tips, links and suggestions: Our review list and what you are reading
15 May 2012 | 11:23 amStieg Larsson's Expo Files and the novels Gone Girl and HHhH are among the books we're reviewing this week. What you are reading, today?Last week's thread included excited talk about Bring Up the Bodies, a call for more comic books to be covered on the site and the books you are currently reading and what you think of them.SharonE6 says:I'm zipping through my re-read of Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel and loving it just as much second time round. I'd forgotten how funny it is in places - "Half the world is called Thomas" made me laugh out loud. JonnyGibbings says:Just a suggestion, more comedy… -
Have we fallen out of love with John Updike?
15 May 2012 | 11:02 amThree years after John Updike's death, his reputation appears to be on the wane. But who else can match his deftness and grace?Happy news from across the water. 117 Philadelphia Ave, Shillington, childhood home of John Updike, has been bought by the Updike Society for what seems, to one humbled by the London property market, a snip at $200000. Their plan is to run the house as an "historic site" - restored, presumably, to something like the condition it would have been in when Updike was in residence, and open by appointment to visiting "writers and scholars". All well and good - and… -
Happy Birthday, A Clockwork Orange
14 May 2012 | 11:29 amAnthony Burgess's diabolical tale of juvenile ultraviolence is 50. Five decades on, the novel holds a lofty position as one of pop culture's most influential and enduring pieces of literatureFifty years ago today, Anthony Burgess published his ninth novel, A Clockwork Orange. Reviewing it in the Observer, Kingsley Amis called the book "the curiosity of the day". Five decades later and there is still nothing quite like it.When discussing A Clockwork Orange, many mistakenly confuse the book with Stanley Kubrick's 1971 film and immediately focus on the violence of the story, when really it's the… -
Reader reviews roundup
11 May 2012 | 12:34 pmOpinions is divided, but this week Can Themba and Charles Dickens join Suzanne Collins on the ever-growing to-read pileOpinionsLtd is in two minds about Penguin's collected Can Themba, Requiem for Sophiatown with "roughly half" of the stories falling flat. "But when I imagined apartheid government demolition crews wrecking Themba's Sophiatown while he wrote," OL continues, the book took on a "sense of panic"."Themba's occasional descriptions of Sophiatown's destruction seem distant until you notice the urgency in his style. Did he write with the sounds of bulldozers tearing down his favourite…
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Books news, reviews and author interviews | guardian.co.uk
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Fred Pearce's top 10 eco-books
16 May 2012 | 5:14 amFrom the despair of nuclear bombs to the hope of nuclear technology, the environment journalist picks out green books that are both positive and negative about our planet's futureI am not a tree hugger. Nor a people hater. For me, as an environment journalist for 30 years, the story is about people and how they work, live and dream on planet Earth. And how we – seven billion of us, and counting – can keep up the mad dance of civilisation in an ever more crowded and resource-depleted world. Luckily, I am an optimist. These books contain some stories of potential horrors ahead, like Bill… -
The Science of Love and Betrayal by Robin Dunbar
16 May 2012 | 3:00 amA strictly biological view of human relationships leaves too little scope for monkey businessI'm an expert. Many of us are. My first wife never said the word "love" without a sneer; my present wife is a true believer. So I've looked at love from both sides now. But if Robin Dunbar is to be believed, I really don't know love at all.Remember those PG Tips ads where they dressed chimpanzees as human beings and made them drink tea? This book is rather like those ads in that it confuses the animal and the specifically human. Why do we kiss, it asks. To taste our potential partner's saliva and… -
Carlos Fuentes, 1928-2012
15 May 2012 | 3:52 pmMexico's most celebrated novelistThe writer and polemicist Carlos Fuentes, who has died aged 83, published more than 60 works, including novels, short stories, essays and plays, in a career that spanned six decades. His 1985 novel El Gringo Viejo (The Old Gringo) was the first Mexican book to figure in the New York Times bestseller list, and four years later was made into a Hollywood film starring Gregory Peck and Jane Fonda, while his fictionalised account of his love affair with the movie star Jean Seberg surfaced in Diana, O la Cazadora Solitaria (Diana: The Goddess Who Hunts Alone,… -
Campaigners block council's efforts to remove books from Kensal Rise library
16 May 2012 | 7:44 amProtesters gather outside 111-year-old library, which has been closed down by Brent councilAround 50 campaigners have gathered outside Kensal Rise library in north-west London after Brent council workers began removing books from the closed library, which has become a key battleground in the fight over local authority cuts.Although the campaigners lost their legal battle to save the library in February, local residents have refused to give up the struggle and are offering to run it voluntarily as a free community facility.At around 7.30 on Wednesday morning, three lorries and eight council… -
The pick of your micro-fiction
16 May 2012 | 5:49 amOn Monday, flash-fiction specialist David Gaffney revealed the secrets of writing in the form. Scores of readers had a go. To mark National Flash Fiction Day, he looks at four of the bestAfter my article on how to write flash fiction was published on the blog on Monday, I was delighted to see people posting examples of their own micro-fiction. I read a few and was amazed at the variety of themes, styles and approaches people employed to create these little chunks of prose.One story caught my eye right away. It began: "The wards are full of four smells"; I was smitten. Four smells. Can you…
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Business: BP | guardian.co.uk
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Sage drops on eurozone slowdown as FTSE 100 falls for third day running
9 May 2012 | 11:48 amSoftware group reports disappointing revenue growth while Greek and Spanish concerns unnerve investorsAs the market slumped for the third day running on continuing eurozone woes, the leading faller was software group Sage.Recently tipped as a possible bid target, its shares dropped 15.2p to 263p - a 5.5% decline - following disappointing first half revenue growth of just 2%. It said the problems in Europe were holding back its progress in the region, but was encouraged by its underlying performance. George O'Connor at Panmure Gordon said:Interim results feature 2% revenue growth down from 5%… -
Endangered turtles injured by the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster – in pictures
9 May 2012 | 9:38 amThese newly released images of damaged wildlife following the Deepwater Horizon disaster in 2010 have come to light, in response to a freedom of information request made by Greenpeace asking for details of endangered and threatened Gulf species impacted by the spill -
US law firm urges pension funds to file Deepwater claims against BP
6 May 2012 | 1:40 pmLegal representatives from Pomerantz Haudek Grossman & Gross are flying to London to meet City investorsBritish pension schemes which held investments in BP during the Deepwater Horizon disaster are being urged by a New York law firm to file claims against the oil company to recover "billions of dollars" in compensation.Legal representatives from Pomerantz Haudek Grossman & Gross are flying to London this month to explain to investors that they can take advantage of Texas law to pursue claims.A recent US supreme court decision in the case of Morrison v National Australia Bank blocked foreign… -
BP profits fall further than expected
1 May 2012 | 12:02 pmBP blames tough conditions in refining business and chief executive's 'shrink to grow' policy in wake of Gulf oil spillProfits at BP have fallen further than expected after the company was forced to sell some of its oil fields to pay for the Gulf of Mexico disaster fund.Replacement cost profits – which exclude the effect of oil and other price movements – were down $680m, or 14%, to $4.8bn compared with $5.48bn in the same period last year, with bosses admitting profits will continue to fall in the next quarter.BP blamed tough conditions in its refining business and chief executive Bob… -
Severn Trent slides despite market rally, but Drax moves higher on renewed bid talk
1 May 2012 | 10:57 amWater company falls after Morgan Stanley downgrade, while Drax takeover rumours refuse to die downWith European markets shut for the May Day holiday, the FTSE 100 was dominated by corporate news as well as the latest UK and US manufacturing surveys.But despite a positive mood overall, Severn Trent missed out after Morgan Stanley cut its recommendation on the water company from overweight to equal weight. Its shares fell 7p to £16.83 as the bank said the good news for the business was already in the price:We calculate that Severn Trent will have the strongest balance sheet come 2015, and…
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Global: Charlie Brooker | guardian.co.uk
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Charlie Brooker: When you lose touch with popular culture, it's tough to get back
13 May 2012 | 2:00 pmI haven't seen The Voice, can't name anyone in Britain's Got Talent and don't use Facebook any more. This will never doWhen a monk takes a vow of silence, is he still allowed to post messages on the internet? Chances are God won't find out. Being ancient, God probably can't work computers. He holds the mouse gingerly, like it's made of fine china. Sometimes he accidentally minimises a window and can't get it back. LOL what a noob #GodFailThings change so rapidly these days it's easy to get left behind, no matter how powerful you are. Much online tittering occurred last Friday when King… -
So you want to get elected? Then think like a clown. Or a penguin | Charlie Brooker
6 May 2012 | 2:00 pmAs last week's elections proved, when it comes to the crunch, the public prefers penguins to politiciansSo huge swaths of the electorate seem to have finally decided that peevish gump David Cameron isn't the convincing statesman they never quite thought he was in the first place. Still, he had a good innings. People often criticise Cameron's judgment, but no matter what you think of his policies, his ability to surround himself with decoy pillocks was a strategy that, until recently, paid dividends. Since coming to power in 2010, voters have been so busy hating Nick Clegg, Andrew Lansley,… -
Sumo: martial art or fight in a pub doorway?
2 May 2012 | 2:30 pmTo some people Japan's national sport looks like a scrap between two men in nappies. Would a live sumo tournament in Tokyo change Charlie Brooker's mind?The Japanese have successfully enthralled Westerners by exporting all manner of popular distractions – karaoke, manga, Super Mario Land, karate – but sumo wrestling remains, squatting stubbornly in its birthplace, refusing to leave. Valiant attempts have been made to popularise the sport outside Japan, but to little avail.James Bond pops into a sumo stadium in You Only Live Twice, but predictably only spends a few seconds watching the… -
What is the difference between The Hobbit and the news? Not as much as there should be | Charlie Brooker
29 Apr 2012 | 2:00 pmNews reports are looking more like movies – and movies are looking more like news reports. How are we supposed to tell them apart?Quick, close your eyes for a second and picture the 1920s. What did you see? If you're anything like me, the projectionist in your head put on a newsreel consisting of black-and-white footage of flappers doing the Charleston, or a queue of men in flat caps patiently waiting for the great depression to kick off in earnest. And chances are the footage was jittery and slightly speeded-up.It's a curious testament to the power of moving pictures that you have to… -
Not excited by the Olympics? Then thank God for the sponsors | Charlie Brooker
22 Apr 2012 | 2:00 pmBritish people don't appear to care about the Games, so it's handy there are the Olympic sponsors to help us get into the spirit of thingsThe Olympic games trundle ever closer, and already you can smell the excitement in the air, because it's being wafted in by gigantic corporate excitement blowers. Try as they might to engage us, we're not on tenterhooks yet. On paper it's virtually illegal to be anything other than thrilled to self-pissing point at the prospect of hours of running, jumping, swimming etc filling our minds and airwaves for several weeks, but in reality, the majority of…
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Politics: Gordon Brown | guardian.co.uk
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Leveson inquiry: Adam Boulton says Brown's pyjama party was 'bonkers'
15 May 2012 | 12:45 pmSky News presenter could not believe the then prime minister 'indulged' in such intimacy and it would 'end in tears'The "slumber party" the former prime minister's wife Sarah Brown hosted for guests including Wendi Deng and Rebekah Brooks was "completely bonkers", Sky News political editor Adam Boulton told the Leveson inquiry.The veteran TV journalist said during his appearance at the inquiry as a witness on Tuesday afternoon that he could not believe it when he heard about the party from a then cabinet minister in 2008."At the time I just thought this is completely bonkers that this sort of… -
Statesmen and stature: how tall are our world leaders? | Datablog
15 May 2012 | 4:20 amIt seems we like our political giants to be just that – giants – according to research. So how does France's new president François Hollande compare to past leaders?• Get the data• More data journalism and data visualisations from the GuardianFrançois Hollande will step into Nicolas Sarkozy's shoes today when he is sworn in at the Elysée palace, becoming France's first socialist leader in nearly 20 years. But how does he compare to the past leaders in terms of height?Last year we were told stature really does matter according to a scientific paper published in Social Science… -
Gordon Brown denies Rebekah Brooks's claims over story about son
11 May 2012 | 5:09 pmEx-prime minister issues statement voicing concern over lack of 'satisfactory explanation' for how Sun learned of child's healthGordon Brown and his wife Sarah have challenged Rebekah Brooks's claims at the Leveson inquiry that the former prime minister was content to see details of his son's cystic fibrosis published in the Sun.In a strongly worded statement issued following Brooks's appearance, where her claims were challenged by barrister Robert Jay QC, the couple also said they remained concerned about the absence of "a satisfactory explanation" about how private medical information… -
Leveson inquiry: Rebekah Brooks tells of web of influence … and the LOLs
11 May 2012 | 2:57 pmFormer Murdoch CEO reveals how David Cameron and Tony Blair cultivated connections with herRebekah Brooks's appearance was the Leveson inquiry's big chance to finally get the inside track on the relationship between the former queen of Rupert Murdoch's publishing empire in Britain and three successive prime ministers.In her first public appearance since appearing before a parliamentary select committee, Brooks was questioned for more than five hours by inquiry counsel Robert Jay QC – with occasional interjections by Lord Justice Leveson – about emails, texts, phone calls, dinners and… -
Gordon Brown 'did not give permission' for Sun story about son's illness
11 May 2012 | 11:54 amFormer PM's staff reject Rebekah Brooks's claim that story about Fraser Brown's cystic fibrosis had then-chancellor's approvalA former aide to Gordon Brown has challenged Rebekah Brooks's claims that the ex-prime minister was content to see details of his son's cystic fibrosis published in the Sun.She made the claim at the Leveson inquiry, and was challenged by barrister Robert Jay QC.Former advisers said that Brown was deeply upset in November 2006 when his staff was informed by political journalists that the Sun had found out that his four-month-old son Fraser had been diagnosed with the…
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Education: Education + Bullying | guardian.co.uk
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Parents of autistic children forced to wait years for diagnosis
12 May 2012 | 6:06 pmSurvey for the National Autistic Society reveals that 55% of families find the assessment process 'long and stressful', with one in 10 resorting to private medicineParents who suspect that their children have autism face years of uncertainty and anguish because of a continuing unwillingness to diagnose the condition. Long waiting times leave more than a third of families waiting at least three years for a diagnosis, with two thirds waiting more than a year, according to new figures.A wide-ranging survey of the experiences of adults and children living on the autistic spectrum,… -
Autism causes profound problems for children and their families. So why are doctors still reluctant to diagnose it?
12 May 2012 | 6:06 pmFifty years after the National Autistic Society was set up, the problems of getting a diagnosis are leaving parents frustrated and youngsters isolatedFirst they blamed the child, then the parents, then even the doctors. A few later pointed to modern life: computer games or too much television. But after decades of work begun by two remarkable British women, we are now closer than ever to understanding that genetics are responsible for the prevalence of autistic spectrum disorders in children.Described back in 1979 by Dr Lorna Wing and Dr Judy Gould as a "triad of impairments", autism is a… -
Bullied teachers fear culture of 'macho managers'
7 Apr 2012 | 2:37 pmSurvey by NASUWT union shows 67% were affected by abuse from colleaguesMore than two-thirds of teachers have experienced or witnessed workplace bullying in the past 12 months, with one in five victims quitting their job as a result, according to a poll published by the teaching union NASUWT.The survey revealed that 67% witnessed or were subject to bullying, harassment and abuse from colleagues.The grim findings of the online poll, conducted last year and involving 3,000 teachers, was released to coincide with the NASUWT's annual conference in Birmingham, where delegates have angrily hit back… -
What's behind the anti-anti-bullying backlash | Katherine Stewart
3 Apr 2012 | 12:21 pmEven as states and schools try to put in place anti-bullying policies, the Christian right is mobilising to undo themFor four years at his Tennessee high school, Jacob Rogers was bullied for being gay. He repeatedly appealed to school administrators for help, but didn't get much. Around Thanksgiving of last year, it got so bad that he quit going to school. In early December, not long after turning 18, he killed himself. Jacob, who lived with his grandmother, left her with passwords to his phone and email accounts, so that she and investigators might understand why he chose to take his own… -
Homophobia is declining in schools, study claims
3 Mar 2012 | 5:25 pmTeenagers no longer stigmatise being gay, argues Brunel University sociologist Mark McCormackTeenagers face far less homophobia among their peers than ever before because the stigma of being gay is melting away in secondary schools, according to a new book.The anti-gay prejudices of the 80s and early 90s are disappearing, claims Mark McCormack, a sociologist at Brunel University. McCormack spent six months in each of three schools in the same UK town to study attitudes of 16- to 18-year-olds. In his book, The Declining Significance of Homophobia: How Teenage Boys are Redefining Masculinity…
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World news: Burma | guardian.co.uk
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Gay people in Burma start to challenge culture of repression
13 May 2012 | 1:59 pmClubs, magazines and even an LGBT-oriented TV show are building momentum against institutionalised prejudiceThe nightclub is heaving, sweaty and loud, pulsating with blinding blue and white lights, and packed with drunken dancers. At the bar, the young sons of Burma's elite are buying bottles of Jack Daniel's and Johnnie Walker with thick wads of dirty kyat notes.But inside the double doors and through the dark fog of the smoke machine, a cultural transformation is taking place on the dance floor. Clubbers are grinding up against each other – girls on girls, boys on boys – singing… -
Burma suffering from huge shortfall in HIV and Aids drugs, warn doctors
9 May 2012 | 9:09 amMSF bemoans 'tragic' shortage of antiretroviral drugs as new drug-resistant tuberculosis strand causes further concernDoctors in Burma are calling for the "devastating gap" between people's need and access to treatment for HIV and Aids to be bridged. There are approximately 240,000 people with HIV in Burma, half of whom are in urgent need of life-saving antiretroviral treatment (ART), say doctors. According to national estimates in 2010, less than 30,000 of them were receiving it.Burma is the least developed country in south-east Asia and receives only a fraction of the aid from which some of… -
Burma's Aids crisis: 'For a doctor, it's a horrible situation' – video
9 May 2012 | 9:07 amDoctors in Burma describe the 'devastating gap' between people's need and their access to HIV and Aids treatmentChristopher SymesPatrick Bodenham -
Burma rebels killed in clashes with government troops
4 May 2012 | 5:51 amDozens die in battles between Burmese soldiers and Kachin Independence Army, according to state mediaRecent battles between Burmese government troops and Kachin ethnic rebels have killed 31 people, according to a state-run newspaper.The New Light of Myanmar reported on Friday that there had been 11 clashes in the last week of April, including what it said was an attack by rebels of the Kachin Independence Army on border guards. It accused the rebel group of trying to seize the base "to save face for its declining military prestige".The paper said 29 of the 31 dead were Kachin rebels, while… -
Aung San Suu Kyi takes oath at Burmese parliament
1 May 2012 | 11:22 pmNational League for Democracy leader and her MPs claim seats after being kept out by military for nearly 25 yearsAung San Suu Kyi has entered the Burmese parliament to take the oath of office and her seat as an elected member, ushering in a historic new political era after years of oppressive military rule.The woman who led a nearly quarter of a century struggle for democracy in Myanmar had originally refused to take an oath to "safeguard" the constitution, because her National League for Democracy wants the document amended to reduce the military's dominance of government.The NLD swept…
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Politics: Byelections | guardian.co.uk
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George Galloway: 'I believe that on judgment day, people have to answer for what they did'
29 Apr 2012 | 12:00 pmThe newly elected MP for Bradford West strongly believes politics should not be secular, so why won't he say whether or not he is a Muslim?Everyone complains that MPs these days are crashingly dull, but the recent return of one of the few who is not has given many people the vapours. Most of the Labour supporters I know regard George Galloway as something between a snake and a toad, and his recent victory a dark day for democracy. I don't know if this makes me more frivolous than them, or perhaps just less tribal, but for the life of me I cannot see it that way, Westminster being short… -
Respect's Salma Yaqoob: 'Labour has gone a bit mad since Bradford West'
24 Apr 2012 | 2:00 pmAn assured and calm operator, Yaqoob is being talked of as her party's potential second MPIn the acres of coverage of what George Galloway showily called "the Bradford spring", one thing was overlooked. He secured his byelection win in the name of a party: Respect, whose tangled history goes back to 2004. He remains its most recognisable public face, but its leader is Salma Yaqoob, whose personal style represents a sharp contrast with the way Galloway does things. Whereas he tends to pursue his aims in the manner of someone single-handedly performing the last act of Macbeth, she is altogether… -
George Galloway claims outlaw status
16 Apr 2012 | 12:00 amRespect leader likens himself to Robin Hood and says that he is the most inquired-into political figure in the UKNewly-elected MP George Galloway has claimed he is the "Robin Hood" of British politics.Galloway, who was victorious in the Bradford West byelection last month, compared himself to the folklore outlaw and said he was the "most inquired-into individual in British politics".In an interview with the Big Issue street newspaper, he said: "If I was a bigamist, I'd be under arrest. If I was a tax dodger, I'd be under arrest. I'm the most inquired-into individual in British politics. By a… -
Ed Miliband 'listens and learns' in Bradford after poll defeat
12 Apr 2012 | 2:31 pmLabour's trouncing by George Galloway prompts leader to meet locals and understand why party lostEd Miliband went to Bradford on Thursday to hear from 100 local people about why the party had been obliterated in the Bradford West byelection, fulfilling a promise to "listen and learn" from the rejection.Labour lost the previously safe seat at the end of March to the founder of the Respect party, George Galloway.Opening a meeting dominated by searching questions, Miliband said: "I am determined to learn the lessons of why we lost here in Bradford. I may not agree with everything that is said… -
Ed Miliband highlights Labour's process of 'genuine change'
12 Apr 2012 | 6:09 amLeader's speech cites 'uncomfortable truth' of recent byelection defeat but insists change is not akin to 'skin deep' ConservativesEd Miliband has insisted the Labour party is embarking on "real, deep, genuine change" to reconnect with disenchanted voters.The party's humiliating defeat in the Bradford West byelection was a reminder of the scale of the task facing Labour after it was rejected in the 2010 general election, he said."You might think the government's failure to bring about change will be good for Labour," he said in a speech in Derby on Thursday."It certainly didn't turn out that…
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Politics: Vince Cable | guardian.co.uk
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Labour urges Vince Cable to press ahead with boardroom reform
7 May 2012 | 6:06 amChuka Umunna says business secretary must resist rightwing pressure for return to light-touch business regulationThe shadow business secretary has warned the government not to try to snuff out the "shareholder spring" against executive pay.Chuka Umunna said the business secretary, Vince Cable, must proceed with his plans for boardroom reform and not be cowed by rightwingers upset by the coalition's local election losses."We are seeing an awakening in the City and on Wall Street that we cannot go back to business as usual and rewards for failure. When we raised these issues in the past we were… -
Unilever and Centrica under fire over executive pay as revolt escalates
6 May 2012 | 2:12 pmVince Cable, has backed 'shareholder spring' saying it is the 'right way' to deal with executive excessThe "shareholder spring" that has rocked boardrooms over recent days is set to intensify this week, with investors challenging executive pay at bookies William Hill, Ben & Jerry's ice cream maker Unilever and gas group Centrica.The grassroots rebellion has been given support by the business secretary, Vince Cable, who is to meet institutional investors in the next couple of days and who says it is the "right way" to deal with executive excess .The first new flashpoint will be on Tuesday,… -
Vince Cable feels 'vindicated' over handling of News Corp bid for BSkyB
6 May 2012 | 12:06 pmBusiness secretary makes his views known in light of the controversy about the way the culture department dealt with the matterThe business secretary, Vince Cable, said on Sunday that he felt vindicated in relation to his handling of the News Corporation bid for BSkyB in the light of the controversy about the way the Department for Culture, Media and Sport dealt with the matter.In comments that can be seen as implicitly critical of Jeremy Hunt, the culture secretary, Cable said that he believed ministers dealing with quasi-judicial decisions of this kind should have an arms-length… -
George Osborne comes under pressure to appear at Leveson inquiry
5 May 2012 | 1:15 pmChancellor called on to tell inquiry into press ethics about his role in appointment of Andy CoulsonThe chancellor, George Osborne, is facing pressure to appear in person before the Leveson inquiry into media ethics to explain his role in the appointment of former News of the World editor Andy Coulson as David Cameron's communications chief.It emerged on Friday that Osborne, who is understood to have persuaded Cameron to take on Coulson in July 2007 in order to sharpen up the Tories' press operations, would only be submitting a written witness statement.Cameron and several cabinet ministers,… -
Vince Cable urges investors to keep up the pressure on executive pay
4 May 2012 | 1:01 pmThe business secretary said the government's pressure had given shareholders a new confidence: 'There's a process going on, a very healthy one, where investors are taking control of the companies they own.'Business secretary Vince Cable has urged shareholders to keep up the pressure on boardroom pay as he pledged to press ahead with his plans to hand investors new powers to clamp down on excessive bonus deals.After a fortnight of big protests by City investors about pay at underperforming companies, Cable welcomed the "very healthy" signs that shareholders are finally taking control of the…
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Politics: David Cameron | guardian.co.uk
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Miliband sets the goad standard
16 May 2012 | 1:11 pmLabour has decided that Cameron's weak spot is his temper, and tried everything to make him lose it at PMQs"Calm down, calm down!" said Ed Balls to David Cameron as he was banging on about police budgets at prime minister's questions. Labour has decided it has found Cameron's weak spot – his temper. I assume they hope to goad him into losing it again. With any luck, they might get a real spittle-filled, face-purpling outburst, which would get a million hits on YouTube."I am extremely calm," the PM replied, but he said it like Herbert Lom as Inspector Clouseau's boss. You may recall the… -
David Cameron briefed on concerns over green deal for homeowners
16 May 2012 | 10:43 amImpact assessment shows loft insulations and cavity wall insulations are set to fall dramatically under current plansDeep concerns over the government's flagship policy to make 14m homes warmer and cheaper to heat have reached the top of government, with prime minister David Cameron and deputy prime minister Nick Clegg receiving a personal briefing on its troubles.The green deal aims to provide "pay as you save" loans to homeowners to improve their energy efficiency and cut bills. It is due to launch in October but has faced widespread criticism from energy companies, the building industry,… -
David Cameron teased at PMQs over François Hollande - video
16 May 2012 | 10:15 amLabour leader Ed Miliband asks the prime minister about economic growth discussions he's had with the new French president -
David Cameron raises possibility of euro breakup
16 May 2012 | 8:44 amLabour accuses PM of stoking fears for eurozone, days after chancellor criticised those who engaged in speculationDavid Cameron appeared to cast doubt on the future of the euro during prime minister's questions when he said the eurozone "either has to make up or it is looking at a potential breakup".He told MPs: "That's the choice they have to make and it is a choice they can't long put off." His aides said later he had not made a mistake with his remarks, which Labour immediately pounced on, accusing the prime minister of stoking fears of a breakup.Cameron's words followed a stark warning… -
Politics live blog + PMQs: Wednesday 16 May 2012
16 May 2012 | 8:06 am• Unemployment falls by 45,000• Bank of England lowers 2012 growth forecast to 0.8%• My PMQs verdict• Lunchtime summary2.00pm: Here's a lunchtime summary.• David Cameron has suggested the Greece leaving the euro could be a possible solution to the Eurozone crisis. He made the comment during PMQs in response to a question from the Tory MP Sir Peter Tapsell.It either has to make up or it is looking at a potential break up. That is the choice they have to make.He made the comment even though George Osborne said only yesterday that "open speculation" about Greece leaving the euro was…
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Global: Cartoon | guardian.co.uk
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Peter Duggan's Artoons: Caravaggio
16 May 2012 | 9:36 amIn his latest take on art history, cartoonist Peter Duggan lets Derek Jarman and Barbara Windsor loose on Caravaggio to create a graphic new film -
Steve Bell on Rebekah Brooks being charged over phone-hacking 'cover-up'
15 May 2012 | 5:35 pmFormer News International CEO expressed her anger that those close to her have been 'dragged into the affair'Steve Bell -
Steve Bell's If... 'You're intending to detonate an underpant bomb?'
15 May 2012 | 3:30 pmSteve Bell's If...The GuardianSteve Bell -
Kipper Williams on Avon and Coty
15 May 2012 | 1:10 pm'We can't wait any longer, I'm starting to get wrinkles' -
Clare in the Community
15 May 2012 | 1:00 pmClare refuses to allow popular culture to undermine her professional approachHarry Venning
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World news: Catholicism | guardian.co.uk
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I'd rather be a Catholic than be 'respectable' | Catherine Pepinster
16 May 2012 | 7:27 amHilary Mantel says the Catholic church is no longer a place for 'respectable people'. But respectability is a problematic notion One of the heartaches of being a Roman Catholic in recent years has been the clerical abuse scandal. No pain that any of us suffers from discovering that some of our priests abused children – and even worse – that senior clergy covered up their crimes – can compare with the victims' plight, of course, but it has knocked for six many devout Catholics' faith. Some have left the church because of it; others are certainly more sceptical, or even more cynical about… -
The cover-ups that happen when sexual abuse scandals threaten your values | Andrew Brown
12 May 2012 | 8:00 amHowever misguided, good intentions may have fed a reluctance to respond properly to scandals in both Rochdale and IrelandI have been brooding on two cover-ups of the sexual abuse of children that have been uncovered this week. The first is the reluctance of the English secular authorities to prosecute gangs involved in the abuse of girls; the second is the reluctance of Irish clerical authorities to prosecute or expose the priests who were involved in the abuse of (mostly) boys.One point is that it's very rare to come across people who think that none of the religious or cultural aspects are… -
My job interview for altar boy | Lizz Winstead
10 May 2012 | 8:30 amWho knew the Catholic Church in 1970s Minnesota wasn't the cutting edge of gender equality? Talk about mass discriminationI came prepared with a list of my skills. I would be the best altar boy ever. So good, in fact, that he would only need one: just Father Hansen and me, on stage. Blowing everyone away.Our meeting was in the rectory study. Wood paneling, leather chairs, even more Jesus pictures than we had, as I recall. It looked like one of those libraries that rich old vampires had on Dark Shadows."So what did you want to talk to me about today, Lizz?" he asked, gesturing for me to sit in… -
Cardinal Sean Brady issues apology over paedophile scandal
7 May 2012 | 6:58 pmLeader of Ireland's Catholics apologises for failure to report list of children who suffered abuse at hands of notorious priestThe embattled leader of Ireland's Catholics, Cardinal Sean Brady, has issued a public apology to a man who revealed that he failed to report to police and parents a list of children who were being abused by a notorious paedophile priest.But one victim has denounced the move, saying it was part of a survival strategy by Brady and the Irish Catholic hierarchy.Andrew Madden, an abuse victim who detailed his ordeal at the hands of a north Dublin priest in his book Altar… -
The pope's handout to disaffected Anglicans offers a glimpse into his mind | Catherine Pepinster
6 May 2012 | 4:00 amHis $250,000 donation to the Anglican ordinariate offers an insight into Benedict's vision of the church and his view of BritainAnybody attempting to fund-raise in these hard-pressed times of austerity knows how hard it is to get big donations, especially now that George Osborne is going to tax philanthropy. So imagine opening an envelope to discover that, out of the blue, someone is giving your cause a quarter of a million smackers.That is the happy state in which the Anglican ordinariate – the body set up to provide disenchanted members of the Church of England a berth in the Catholic…
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Life and style: Celebrity | guardian.co.uk
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The actor who printed his life on a business card
15 May 2012 | 2:00 pmThomas F Wilson, who played Biff Tannen in the Back to the Future movies, has a unique way of dealing with over-curious fansThe internet is awash with an image of a card that actor Thomas F Wilson purportedly carries around with him. Sick of being asked questions about his most famous role – Biff Tannen in the Back to the Future trilogy – he simply hands it out to inquisitive fans and walks away. It's a win-win: they get to discover facts such as "Michael J Fox is nice. I'm not in close contact with him", "I made less money than you'd think" and "I don't talk about the movies much because… -
The celebrity wig-wearing trend has to be good news
14 May 2012 | 3:00 pmIf Adele, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj are proud to talk about their wigs, there's hope for those of us with bad hairWigs seem to have gone mainstream. How? And why?Orla McGarry, BelfastAs ever, Orla, this page's most faithful correspondent, you prove yourself to be the perceptive voice of plain-speaking reason. No longer are wigs seen as the province of drag artists and women who inspire drag artists (ie country and western singers.) Following on from chunky platform heels and push-up bras, wigs are the latest accessory to be promoted from "niche, trashy and dubious" to "nigh a… -
Come on, Clarkson. Have the guts to take on Cowell
10 May 2012 | 2:00 pmSo Jeremy Clarkson bows out of a ratings fight between Top Gear and The X Factor. But why is he so petulant?To Twitter, now, and an intriguing new direction in the shtick of Mr Jeremy Clarkson. This week, Jeremy was moved to take to his account to break some heartrending news to fans of his TV show."There's a rumour in internet land that there will be no more Top Gears this year," he declared. "I'm afraid that apart from an Xmas special, it's true. Would love to be back in the autumn but Sunday nights then will be full of fat people singing."The reference, obviously, is to Simon Cowell's… -
Holding out for a hero? Then look no further than your nearest plucky movie star
10 May 2012 | 2:00 pmIt's not just Dustin Hoffman who's prepared to save the world. There's a whole host of would-be celebrity superheroes out thereWelcome, civilians! Welcome, and take your seats for the news-o-tainment blockbuster A-List Assemble, in which a diverse team of celebrities is recruited to the cause of performing their basic civic duty if they encounter a human in a life-threatening situation.Its full-spectrum dominance means you will already be familiar with the tale of Dustin Hoffman, who saw a jogger collapse in London's Hyde Park and dialled an ambulance in a performance critics are… -
The Thirty Club: not much of a secret any more
9 May 2012 | 2:00 pmIt was supposed to be a secret society. But then William, Kate and even Gary Lineker turned up …The first rule of a secret society? Do not talk about the secret society. But a bunch of ad men were never likely to stay shtoom and so news of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's appearance at The Thirty Club was splashed all over the papers yesterday. Still, by the standards of advertising gurus, the members of this mysterious club have been remarkably discreet: their shadowy organisation was eclipsed by the glamour – and tattoos – of the couple who were the real stars of the gathering:…
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Society: Child protection | guardian.co.uk
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King of Jordan orders inquiry into claims of abuse in children's homes
16 May 2012 | 1:28 pmUndercover investigation by BBC Arabic reveals allegations of abuse of mentally and physically disabled childrenThe king of Jordan has ordered an inquiry into allegations of abuse in private children's homes that were made in an undercover investigation aired in the country this week.The BBC Arabic programme revealed allegations of abuse of children with mental and physical illnesses – some as young as seven or eight – that included sexual abuse, beatings, insults and swearing.It is common for wealthy parents from across the Middle East to send children to Jordan for treatment. But BBC… -
Stepfather jailed for murder of five-year-old boy
15 May 2012 | 7:12 am'Controlling' Elvis Lee must serve at least 17 years after kicking Tyler Whelan into a door at his home, rupturing his abdomenA "wicked and controlling" man who murdered his "fun-loving, mischievous" stepson has been ordered to serve at least 17 years in prison.Elvis Lee, 34, was found guilty of murdering five-year-old Tyler Whelan.Lee admitted he kicked and bit Tyler on the day of his death but denied murder. The kick was so hard that Tyler flew half a metre through the air, hitting a door at his home in Paston, near Peterborough, rupturing his abdomen and slowly killing him.At Cambridge… -
Graph of Doom: a bleak future for social care services
15 May 2012 | 6:30 amWithout radical change, the cost of social care could soak up every penny of Barnet council's budget within 20 yearsLet me to introduce you to the Barnet Graph of Doom. It's a PowerPoint slide showing that within 20 years, unless things change dramatically, the north London council will be unable to provide any services except adult social care and children's services. No libraries, no parks, no leisure centres – not even bin collections.Barnet, once dubbed "easyCouncil", is known for its enthusiastic embrace of service outsourcing. But the Graph of Doom is quite separate. Irrespective of… -
Second Rochdale child grooming ring suspected
12 May 2012 | 9:32 amGreater Manchester police arrest nine men in connection with investigation, after members of first gang received heavy jail sentencesNine men have been arrested by detectives investigating a suspected second child grooming gang in Rochdale, Greater Manchester.The alleged victim is reported to be one of 47 girls questioned by police in relation to an earlier child sexual exploitation ring in the town.That case concluded on Wednesday when nine Asian men received jail sentences of between four and 19 years from a judge who said they treated their five white victims "as though they were worthless… -
The cover-ups that happen when sexual abuse scandals threaten your values | Andrew Brown
12 May 2012 | 8:00 amHowever misguided, good intentions may have fed a reluctance to respond properly to scandals in both Rochdale and IrelandI have been brooding on two cover-ups of the sexual abuse of children that have been uncovered this week. The first is the reluctance of the English secular authorities to prosecute gangs involved in the abuse of girls; the second is the reluctance of Irish clerical authorities to prosecute or expose the priests who were involved in the abuse of (mostly) boys.One point is that it's very rare to come across people who think that none of the religious or cultural aspects are…
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Film | guardian.co.uk
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Roman Polanski – A Film Memoir
16 May 2012 | 12:27 pmThis new documentary about Roman Polanski is undoubtedly enlightening, but suffers from a reticence over the key issues of the director's careerLaurent Bouzereau's film about Roman Polanski is not merely a documentary, but a full-length, wide-ranging interview with the man himself, carried out by his long-time friend and producing partner Andrew Braunsberg. The prospect of Polanski speaking about the extraordinary events that shaped his life is mouth-watering; Braunsberg's questioning is intelligent and sympathetic and Polanski can be a wonderful raconteur.But perhaps inevitably the film… -
Ghosts
16 May 2012 | 12:10 pmWho you gonna call? Help us find cinemas best spooksThis week's Clip joint is by Emily Cleaver. Think you can do better? If you've got an idea for a future Clip joint, send a message to adam.boult@guardian.co.ukMore than any other medium, film has the power to scare us silly. In the dark of the cinema, the suspense of a slow pan, that shadowy figure at the edge of frame – the shock of a sudden sound-effect, or jittery jump-cut – all come together in delicious, breath-stopping, heartbeat-skipping moments of pure cinematic fear. But forget chainsaws, zombies or psychos. The best scares in… -
Day one - in pictures
16 May 2012 | 11:50 amHighlights from the opening day of the film festival -
Cannes opens with Wes Anderson's 'charming evocation of childhood'
16 May 2012 | 11:39 amMoonrise Kingdom is first of 22 films competing for the Palme D'Or, none of which was made by female directorsThe Cannes film festival kicked off its 65th edition not, as usual, with a Hollywood blockbuster, or the latest in 3D animation, but with a gentle, charming, at times dark evocation of childhood by American indie director Wes Anderson – whose own boyhood provided some of the material for this lopsided look at innocent first love.When he was a boy, the director of Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums said, he found a pamphlet called Coping With the Very Troubled Child on the fridge. "I… -
Michael Caine trapped in dressing room
16 May 2012 | 10:25 amThe actor, who was filming Now You See Me in a disused theatre, was accidentally locked in a makeshift dressing area overnight before being set free the next morningNo tabloid story about Michael Caine is complete without a headline referencing his famous line from The Italian Job: "You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!" Sub-editors at the Mirror must have thought all their Christmasses had come at once yesterday after the unfortunate 79-year-old actor was locked in his dressing room overnight while taking a nap.According to the newspaper, Caine was on a break earlier this…
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Music: Classical music | guardian.co.uk
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Magdalena Kožená: 'I'm not scared of the big maestro'
16 May 2012 | 1:00 pmWhat's it like to sing Carmen when your husband is the conductor? Magdalena Kožená (aka Lady Simon Rattle) reveals all to Kate ConnollyMagdalena Kožená believes musicians fall into two categories. "There are people who love to work with their partners and those who simply can't," she says. It is, she admits, "fortunate that I'm the first case": the celebrated Czech mezzo-soprano's husband happens to be conductor Simon Rattle.What's the main advantage of being married to the conductor? "You can say, 'I'm sorry, darling, you know today my voice is just not in a very good… -
LSO/Gergiev – review
16 May 2012 | 12:13 pmBarbican, LondonValery Gergiev's Stravinsky retrospective with the LSO continued with a pair of concerts in which the Russian maestro's erratic variability was much in evidence. The programme for each consisted of two stage works, and the first – a chamber concert juxtaposing Renard with The Soldier's Tale – showed Gergiev's Stravinsky at its finest.Both works are difficult, complex and austere. Renard – dramatising traditional cock and fox tales for four male singers who swap roles throughout – is a modernist masterpiece that can seem forbidding. The Soldier's Tale, in which a… -
Beethoven: Diabelli Variations, etc – review
16 May 2012 | 9:21 amAndreas Staier(Harmonia Mundi)Classical CD of the weekIt's safe to predict that very few people who hear this extraordinary performance of the greatest of all sets of variations for piano will have heard one quite like it before. Andreas Staier bases his performance on the autograph manuscript of the Diabelli Variations, which only became accessible when it was acquired by the Beethoven House in Bonn three years ago, and he plays it on a copy of a Conrad Graf instrument from Beethoven's time, one which includes the extra novelty features that were so popular with amateur pianists then. -
Falstaff – review
16 May 2012 | 6:31 amRoyal Opera House, LondonSince it pensioned off Franco Zeffirelli's naturalistic 1960s production of Falstaff, Covent Garden has struggled to find a successor that could successfully capture the many qualities of Verdi's late masterpiece. Robert Carsen's new staging is the Royal Opera's third post-Zeffirelli effort and, while this one may not endure for decades either, in some ways it is the house's best shot so far.Carsen sets Falstaff in a posh, postwar, panel-lined country hotel, inhabited by conservative hunting chaps in plus-fours and handsome women in glamorous New Look frocks. The fat… -
Music-in-the-Round – review
15 May 2012 | 1:30 pmCrucible, SheffieldIt is interesting to speculate how 20th-century music might have turned out were it not for the invention of the sewing machine. If Paris was the capital of the European avant garde, then the salon hosted by the American heiress Winnaretta Singer – the music-loving recipient of the Singer sewing machine fortune – was at its epicentre. Ravel, Satie and Poulenc played for her, Isadora Duncan danced, Proust noted it all down.Music-in-the-Round's May festival has a French theme, and included a recreation of one of the legendary Singer salons, with the music performed by…
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Politics: Nick Clegg | guardian.co.uk
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David Cameron briefed on concerns over green deal for homeowners
16 May 2012 | 10:43 amImpact assessment shows loft insulations and cavity wall insulations are set to fall dramatically under current plansDeep concerns over the government's flagship policy to make 14m homes warmer and cheaper to heat have reached the top of government, with prime minister David Cameron and deputy prime minister Nick Clegg receiving a personal briefing on its troubles.The green deal aims to provide "pay as you save" loans to homeowners to improve their energy efficiency and cut bills. It is due to launch in October but has faced widespread criticism from energy companies, the building industry,… -
Sorry Nick Clegg – social mobility and austerity just don't mix | Kate Pickett and Richard Wilkinson
15 May 2012 | 1:00 pmTo claim social mobility as your guiding principle yet ignore income inequality is not serious policy-makingWhen Nick Clegg announced a drive for social mobility at the weekend, based on the pupil premium for children on free school meals, he was articulating a goal supported across the political spectrum. In his foreword to the coalition's social mobility strategy, published last year, Clegg writes that "tackling the opportunity deficit – creating an open, socially mobile society – is our guiding purpose". The same document boasts of "adopt[ing] a ruthlessly evidence-based approach,… -
Clegg and Cameron's cruellest day | Polly Toynbee
14 May 2012 | 3:40 pmFrom business to the disabled, Monday was special even for a cabinet whose dogmatic bungling is unrivalled in modern BritainGreece, the birthplace of democracy, has set off a voters' rebellion against the dictatorship of financiers. In the eye of the vortex, no one knows if the centre can hold or what happens next when voters say no to austerity imposed by the same financiers who caused the crash. JP Morgan's reckless derivatives gamble lands on cue to make the point. As François Hollande and Angela Merkel meet for the first time on Tuesday, Karl Marx could not have devised so perfect a… -
Nick Clegg's pupil premium won't fix social mobility | Anna Vignoles
14 May 2012 | 1:30 pmThe problems that lead to a lack of educational achievement lie in a child's background and environment, not in school fundingAccording to Nick Clegg, who announced a range of education measures on Saturday, the pupil premium will play a key role in boosting social mobility. But just what is the pupil premium, and what effects will it have?The policy will redistribute funding to schools with poor pupils, and this is clearly to be welcomed. The premium will be given to the schools on the basis of each additional student who is eligible for free school meals (a rising proportion because of the… -
Politics live blog: Monday 14 May
14 May 2012 | 10:20 am• Lunchtime summary• Afternoon summary8.50am: It's quite a busy day at Westminster, but nothing is probably quite as important as the crisis in the Eurozone, which is back at the top of the headlines again today. Greece's departure from the euro looks increasingly likely and, in early trading this morning, the FTSE 100 fell 70 points. My colleague Graeme Wearden has all the details in his Eurozone debt crisis live blog. Nick Clegg has been giving interviews this morning in advance of a speech on the pupil premium and he has reiterated the government's determination not to contribute to a…
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World news: Colombia | guardian.co.uk
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Bogota bomb kills two of ex-minister's bodyguards
16 May 2012 | 1:28 am39 people injured in attempt to kill former interior minister Fernando Londono, a vocal critic of rebel group the FarcA bomb targeting a hardline Colombian former interior minister has killed two of his bodyguards and injured at least 39 people in Bogota.The former minister and morning radio host, Fernando Londono, sustained minor wounds and was out of danger after being operated on to remove glass shards from his chest, authorities said. Video footage showed a stunned Londono, his face bruised, being led from the wreckage in a dark suit and red tie.The Bogota mayor, Gustavo Petro, said a… -
Bogota hit by fatal bomb attack
15 May 2012 | 12:36 pmColombian president says former interior minister was target of attack in crowded streetThe Colombian president, Juan Manuel Santos, says two people have been killed in a bomb attack on a crowded Bogota street that he says targeted a former interior minister.Santos said the former minister, Fernando Londono, was hurt but out of danger.He said in a brief televised declaration that the driver and a police escort of Londono had been killed in the bombing, which occurred just before midday on Tuesday in the heart of Bogota's commercial district at Calle 74 and Caracas Avenue.The city's health… -
Colombia's Farc rebels to free French reporter
14 May 2012 | 3:01 amNo release date yet for Romeo Langlois, who was kidnapped two weeks ago during a shootout with government forcesColombia's Farc guerrilla group has decided to free a French reporter they kidnapped two weeks ago, although they have not given a date for his release, according to the Red Cross.Members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia kidnapped Romeo Langlois, a reporter for France 24, during a shootout with troops carrying out an anti-drug raid in Caquetá, a rebel-stronghold in the south."The ICRC [International Committee of the Red Cross] has received a statement from the Farc in… -
Colombia's resistance to corporate mining excess has lessons for the world | Jonathan Glennie
14 May 2012 | 1:00 amVoluntary guidelines are not enough. We must ensure our critical gaze on exploitative mining firms does not waverI was recently sent a new film by an old friend, Hollman Morris. Morris was once the bete noire of the Colombian political class. His searing and powerful attacks on the role of the state in violence and displacement prompted the country's former president, Álvaro Uribe, to describe him as a "publicist for terrorism". Today, Morris is the boss of Bogota's regional TV channel, Canal Capital.His latest film, produced with Minority Rights Group International, is about a community of… -
Colombian woman in secret service scandal meets US investigators
11 May 2012 | 3:05 amDania Londono Suarez voluntarily spoke to US government investigators at the US embassy in MadridUS government investigators interviewed the Colombian woman at the centre of a secret service prostitution scandal, which has cost eight officers and supervisors their jobs and become an election-year embarrassment for the Obama administration.Dania Londono Suarez voluntarily met investigators at the US embassy in Madrid, agency spokesman Edwin Donovan said. He said the secret service investigation was nearly complete. More than 200 people, including most of the women involved, have been…
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Stage: Comedy | guardian.co.uk
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Ben Elton applauds 'vibrant' standup comedy scene
15 May 2012 | 8:56 amPioneer of the alternative comedy scene describes the 'enormous demand' for standup and champions younger comics – even if they don't rate himBen Elton has sung the praises of today's standup comedians – even if the feeling isn't mutual. In an interview with Metro, the comedian and author described the current standup comedy scene as "very vibrant".Asked about the ways in which standup comedy has changed, Elton said: "I was arguably the biggest comic in the country in 1988-89 and I did seven nights at the Hammersmith Apollo, which was a record at the time. Now it's the equivalent of two… -
This week's new live comedy
11 May 2012 | 6:06 pmMike Birbiglia, LondonIf you're performing a solo comedy show about your romantic mishaps, there are certain rules of that you're expected to follow. You have to get your heart broken along the way, sure, but you also need to end the hour having found lasting love. US comic Mike Birbiglia doesn't dodge those cliches with this new show, but he imbues them with such warmth and imagination that it's nothing less than a pleasure to accompany him on the journey. A regular on cult radio sensation This American Life (the show that also gave us author David Sedaris), Birbiglia has a relaxed,… -
Seven days on stage: National Theatre of Scotland on top
11 May 2012 | 7:43 amIn this week's roundup, the National Theatre of Scotland dominates Scottish critics' awards – plus Des O'Connor becomes the oldest performer in the West EndCATS WhiskersThe National Theatre of Scotland leads the nominations for the Critics' Awards for Theatre in Scotland (affectionately known as the CATS), with nominations in all bar one category. NTS – which has had a huge and hugely positive impact on Scotland's theatre scene since it was founded in 2006 – has seven productions or co-productions sharing 12 nominations, with shows including Christmas Carol and Enquirer (NTS's take on… -
Comedy gold: Margaret Cho: I'm the One That I Want
10 May 2012 | 9:12 amIn this remarkable comeback gig, one of comedy's great survivors demonstrates her superbly polished style – and her fearless honestyTitle: Margaret Cho: I'm the One That I WantDate: 1999The setup: In 1994, it seemed obvious that Margaret Cho was going to be a star. Having honed her act from the age of 16, she was young, funny and fearless , the winner of an American Comedy Award, and doing warm-up gigs for Jerry Seinfeld. Being Korean-American also made her fresh and distinctive. And when the president of Disney called her personally one Sunday to tell her that she had got her own sitcom on… -
Edinburgh fringe censors title of Stuart Goldsmith show
9 May 2012 | 7:01 amChortle award-nominated comedian told his show Prick must be called 'Pr!ck' in all official publicity materialsOrganisers of the Edinburgh festival fringe have been accused of double standards after refusing to print the title of a comedian's show on the grounds of potential offence, according to comedy website Chortle.Stuart Goldsmith, who was nominated for a Chortle comedy award last year, had called his forthcoming Edinburgh show "Prick", in an ironic reference to his charming style. However, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival Society have insisted that he use the title Pr!ck in all official…
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Society: Communities | guardian.co.uk
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It's time to challenge outdated and unfair GP funding
15 May 2012 | 7:30 amGeneral practice funding is based on an outdated system that leaves many surgeries in poorer areas at the bottom the pileFor many years there has been a gross inequity in general practice funding in many areas of the UK. This means that some practices can boast twice as much financial support as those that lie at the bottom of the funding table. Even surgeries next door to each other can have vastly different contracts.Our GP practice, along with many others in the most deprived part of Bristol, comes at the bottom of the table. Historically, this funding inequity dates back to when GP… -
Graph of Doom: a bleak future for social care services
15 May 2012 | 6:30 amWithout radical change, the cost of social care could soak up every penny of Barnet council's budget within 20 yearsLet me to introduce you to the Barnet Graph of Doom. It's a PowerPoint slide showing that within 20 years, unless things change dramatically, the north London council will be unable to provide any services except adult social care and children's services. No libraries, no parks, no leisure centres – not even bin collections.Barnet, once dubbed "easyCouncil", is known for its enthusiastic embrace of service outsourcing. But the Graph of Doom is quite separate. Irrespective of… -
Are you a gardening good samaritan? | Open thread
14 May 2012 | 9:30 amIslington council wants locals to use their bathwater to water street trees. Tell us how you've helped improve public spacesSometimes the simplest things can brighten your rainy commute to work. To wit: as I was making my way to the Guardian's offices this morning, I noticed that each of the small trees growing along York Way had been adorned with a small laminated public notice, presumably put there by Islington council. It said:"In this time of drought, there is a real risk that some of our trees will suffer greatly if they do not receive enough water. When water is scarce, residents can… -
Experience: I was a teenage gangster
11 May 2012 | 4:59 pm'The future held only two options for me: death or jail'When I was young, I had everything I needed, but I wanted more. My head was turned by the glamour of music videos and I felt I wouldn't be happy until I had £90 trainers. My mum and dad couldn't afford them, so I started dealing – it was all around me on the estate in London where I grew up. I began with cannabis in my early teens and by the time I was 16, I was selling class A drugs.The money started rolling in and I enjoyed the lifestyle. I suppose we were in a gang, but to me they were my childhood mates; I… -
Live discussion: tackling antisocial behaviour
11 May 2012 | 7:11 amJoin our live panel from 12pm on Monday 14 May to discuss how housing can manage antisocial behaviourTackling antisocial behaviour (ASB) is a priority for social landlords and tenants alike. Tales of neighbours from hell regularly hit the headlines, but rarely as tragically as the case of Fiona Pilkington, who killed herself and her severely disabled daughter following a decade sustained abuse from a gang of local teenagers. Pilkington had called the police 33 times, but nobody was ever charged.At the inquest into the deaths, superintendent Steve Harrod of Leicestershire police affirmed that…
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Politics: Conservatives | guardian.co.uk
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David Cameron braced for setbacks in elections to 1922 committee
16 May 2012 | 6:07 amSenior Tories say prime minister needs to rethink relations with Conservative backbenchersDavid Cameron has an unfortunate history with the Conservative 1922 committee which has historically acted as a forum for backbench MPs to vent their frustration with the party leadership.Mindful of the way in which the 1922 helped destabilise the leadership of Sir John Major, Cameron tried to abolish the committee after the 2010 election by allowing frontbenchers to vote in its elections. Paul Goodman writes on ConservativeHome today that Cameron won the vote but backed off after it became clear that… -
Unemployment benefit claimants constituency by constituency: full data
16 May 2012 | 5:20 amThe UK unemployment has fallen. These are the claimant numbers in each parliamentary constituencies. Get them where you live• Get the dataUnemployment is down - by 45,000 in the three months to March.The total number of jobless fell to 2.63 million, according to the Office for National Statistics, its lowest level since last summer. That brought the unemployment rate in the first quarter of 2012 down to 8.2%, from 8.4% in the last three months of 2011.The ONS said the more timely claimant count, which measures the number of people receiving jobseekers' allowance, had also fallen, by 13,700… -
Steve Hilton's parting shots: £25bn in cuts and a broadside at the civil service
16 May 2012 | 4:46 amDavid Cameron's chief strategist begins sabbatical, calling for further reductions in welfare bill and Whitehall streamliningSteve Hilton, David Cameron's chief strategy adviser, has left Downing Street, calling for £25bn welfare cuts and claiming an inefficient Whitehall machine could be massively reduced in size, possibly more than halved.The prime minister's closest adviser for more than five years is taking a year-long sabbatical in California where he plans to study how governance can be improved.Hilton has had a series of run-ins within Whitehall, frustrated at the slow pace of reform… -
Britain is rising to the challenge of greening our economy | Caroline Spelman
16 May 2012 | 2:00 amAt Rio+20, I'll be calling for a commitment from international leaders to green growth as the path to shared prosperityIt's clear that with unprecedented pressure on our natural resources and our climate, the world economy needs to "green up". I want UK businesses to be in the vanguard of that move. On Wednesday, I'll take my seat alongside British business leaders at the Aldersgate Rio +20 Business Summit where we'll debate the opportunities – and the challenges – of transforming our whole economy to one geared towards long-term green growth.The shift to a green economy represents one of… -
Hopes rise among Conservative old guard before 1922 committee elections
15 May 2012 | 7:27 pmAs Downing Street aides play down chances of success, the right is working hard to keep hold of two crucial postsHopes are rising among members of the Conservative right that they will spike the guns of supporters of David Cameron, who aim to oust members of the old guard from the executive of the 1922 committee in elections.As Downing Street aides played down chances of success in Wednesday's elections, the right were working hard to ensure they keep hold of the crucial two secretarys posts of the 1922 executive.A row erupted on the Tory backbenches after members of the loyalist 301 group…
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Books: Costa book awards | guardian.co.uk
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Uncle Joe's Mint Balls find literary fame
20 Apr 2012 | 6:00 amNovelist who made the Costa award shortlist brings the 'fiendish northern sweets' into her plotAfter yesterday's news in the Guardian Northerner of the Bowes museum inspiring Booker prizewinner Peter Carey, here is a similar literary accolade for Wigan.Not quite so exalted, maybe, but tonight the novelist Louisa Young whose My Dear, I Wanted to Tell You was shortlisted for last year's Costa awards, gives a talk at the Leigh and Wigan Words literary festival.Wigan has an undying claim to fame via its place in the title of George Orwell's The Road to Wigan Pier, and it also attracted the… -
The Costa short story prize is not enough
31 Jan 2012 | 10:02 amWe are overdue a high-profile award for this neglected form, but we need more than a token, niche gong for a single storyThe news that the Costa prize is to give an award to the short story came suddenly, and unexpectedly. For those publishers that invest heavily in collections – the wondrous Salt, for example, or Bloomsbury, which has unilaterally declared 2012 the year of the short story – it looked like a godsend. Finally, a level playing field! A real opportunity to show the varied breadth of stories in this country! Publicity at last! Then the details emerged: the prize is to be… -
Robert McCrum: as long as words are cool, the novel will flourish
28 Jan 2012 | 6:05 pmWhen the novel was young and confident, inventiveness was its raison d'etre. Not nowAbout 80,000 new novels were published in Britain last year, from Booker winner The Sense of an Ending to Costa children's book winner Blood Red Road. This looks like a boom time for Anglo-American fiction. More readers, attention and sales than ever before, and in more formats: e, graphic and audio. Prizes; film and TV tie-ins; book festivals and writing schools: never, you might think, has the human appetite for stories been gratified on such a global scale. Yet, below this headline, all is not well. There's… -
Short stories win their own Costa award
25 Jan 2012 | 7:38 amA high-profile prize for this genre will train some welcome spotlight on an under-espoused formShock news at the Costas last night — and not about Andrew Miller's triumph, either. Before the winner was even unveiled, Costa CEO John Derkach took to the stage to announce that the prizes – currently comprising awards for the year's best novel, first novel, poetry collection, biography and children's book – were poised to add another string to their bow. As of 2012, the coffee chain will also be sponsoring – doubtless with the requisite helping of pride – a Costa short story prize.Back… -
Guardian Books podcast: Andrew Miller wins Costa book of the year
25 Jan 2012 | 6:11 amAs Andrew Miller's Pure is anointed the 2011 Costa book of the year, we listen in to the award ceremony with Sarah Crown and discuss what his win means for the 40-year-old prize. Miller talks to Lindesay Irvine about hope, history and his approach to fiction, and reads a section from his novel, which is based on the true story of the demolition of Paris's cemetery of Les Innocents soon before the country was convulsed by revolution.Reading list:Pure by Andrew Miller (Sceptre)Andrew Miller (novelist)Claire ArmitsteadLindesay IrvineTim MabySarah Crown
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Environment: Country diary | guardian.co.uk
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Country diary: Wenlock Edge: The willy lily on the wild side of the fence
15 May 2012 | 2:59 pmWenlock Edge: This extraordinary plant's erotic reputation was enhanced in a 1655 translation of Dioscorides, which claimed it 'stirrs up affections to conjugation being dranck with wine'My lords-and-ladies, I am the vulgar spirit of rustic insolence hiding in the bushes who calls you cuckoo pintle, Jack-in-the-pulpit, willy lily; I am the ribald namer of wild things to embarrass you toffs who decide which side of the fence I'm on; I am the fly in the ointment. So might say the fly, dancing around the erect spadix-maypole-phallic-thing as a burst of May sunlight shines through the spathe and… -
Country diary: Chilthorne Domer, Somerset: Taking a chance on water buffalo
14 May 2012 | 2:59 pmChilthorne Domer, Somerset: Each animal has its own distinct personality, no two faces are alike, and they have a way of looking you directly in the eyeWhen I bought some water buffalo burgers at Sherborne farmers' market, I asked where the animals were farmed, and a few days later found my way to Chilthorne Domer, near Ilchester, where the river Yeo was overflowing its banks. The way to Lower Oakley farm runs three-quarters of a mile from the road between wide, flat fields. Swans were gliding on sheets of water where cattle would normally have been grazing. But the water buffalo, though… -
Archive 14 May 1912: Surprise lodgers move into nesting boxes
13 May 2012 | 4:30 pmAn English-made box has two different sets of tenants: a great tit and an enterprising queen waspMany people now tempt birds by placing nesting-boxes on their trees, and are delighted when the attention is appreciated. Birds, however, are not the only occupants of these shelters, at least they are not in a garden at Duffield, I am told. Last year three of the German boxes, usually the better type, had no avian inhabitants, but they were often used as day bedrooms by long-eared and other bats. This season an English-made box has two different sets of tenants. A great tit, now busily engaged in… -
Country diary: Blackwater Carr, Norfolk: The dead-nettle and the bumblebee: a match made in heaven
13 May 2012 | 2:59 pmBlackwater Carr, Norfolk: When the bees burrow down there is such a snug fit one instantly gets the intimacy in their relationsThere is little to redeem the nightmare in grey that passes for our current spring, but at least the stand of white dead-nettle at the marsh edge is especially luxurious this year. Tonight it is steeped in the rambling music of garden warbler, while a distant cuckoo keeps time. But what a sorry name we plumped for when christening this fabulous plant. You will all know it. It lives everywhere on our road verges and in all those unforeseen creases where nature claims… -
Country diary: Blashford, New Forest: Skies may be grey, but dextrous swallows show that spring is here
11 May 2012 | 2:59 pmBlashford, New Forest: Sand martins and swallows wheel and whoop, helping to raise the gloom of the surrounding landscapeThe leaden sky is depressing, toning down the vibrant greens of the young growth bursting out from shrub and tree. Ibsley Water offers a palette of greys as the whipping wind ruffles the surface. As I settle into the chill comfort of Goosander hide at Blashford Lakes nature reserve I notice an entry in the sightings' log. It records that just half an hour earlier two ospreys, a male and female, had been seen. Far across the lake, two raptors were being harried by a crow. By…
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Business: Credit crunch | guardian.co.uk
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Repossessions by local authority - visualised and listed
10 May 2012 | 9:45 amThe number of repossessions has remained steady in the first quarter of 2012. These are the latest figures for each court and local authority in England and Wales• Get the data• Interactive mapRepossessions across England and Wales have remained steady according to latest figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML).During the first three months of this year, 9,600 repossessions were recorded - the same figure as in the first quarter of 2011. Although the 2012 Q1 figure is up from the 8,700 repossesion during the fourth quarter last year, CML claim it 'represents a normal seasonal… -
Sorry, Mervyn: borrowers have little to show for the debt-fuelled boom
3 May 2012 | 6:05 pmThe Bank has always argued that raised levels of borrowing corresponded with higher asset purchases. But it seems the people doing the borrowing weren't the people buying the assetsSir Mervyn King told the nation on Wednesday night that the credit crunch had been a "bust without a boom". The Bank has consistently argued that although households' borrowing increased sharply in the decade before 2007, they had something to show for it, because they used the money to buy a pile of assets – not least their homes.From this eagle's-eye perspective, it doesn't matter too much for the economic… -
Sir Mervyn King admits: we did too little to warn of economic crisis
2 May 2012 | 4:35 pmBank of England 'should have shouted from the rooftops' about the dangers it saw approaching, governor tells BBC audienceSir Mervyn King has admitted that the Bank of England should have "shouted from the rooftops" its concerns about the looming disaster in the City as he warned that Britain's recovery from recession would be a long, slow process.The Bank's governor urged the coalition government to press ahead with reforms that would ringfence the high-street operations of banks from their speculative activities, after blaming the last Labour government for allowing the financial sector to… -
Fears for recovery intensify as bank lending shrinks again
2 May 2012 | 12:48 pmAlmost £100bn in credit has now gone from the economy since the banking bailoutConcerns about the prospects for growth mounted on Wednesday after data from the Bank of England showed that almost £100bn of lending has been sucked out of the economy in the three-and-a-half years since the banking industry was bailed out.In March, lending contracted by 9.4% on a three-month annualised basis, further highlighting the concerns of policymakers, politicians and economists about the state of the economy, which is now back in recession.The supply of lending contracted by £3.2bn in March as… -
The New Few: Or a Very British Oligarchy by Ferdinand Mount – review
28 Apr 2012 | 6:05 pmHow Ferdinand Mount's mild views on banks and bonuses these days count as a radical positionDo you remember the great economic crash of 2008? You know, the one that has left this nation and many others in catastrophic debt and rendered the future jobless and hopeless for countless millions of young people across Europe? Of course you do because we're all still living through its effects and are likely to for years to come.Yet in a strange way it's as if it never happened. For while we may be all too familiar with the symptoms of the infamous "credit crunch", a kind of official amnesia appears…
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Sport: Cricket | guardian.co.uk
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England clean sweep on the cards if seamers pitch it right at Lord's
16 May 2012 | 12:17 pmBad weather and IPL absences have hurt West Indies' preparation and the home side's attack should bring series winGiven a clear run with the weather, it seems inconceivable that England, a team who have lost four of their past five Test matches, will not nonetheless make a clean sweep of the three-match series against West Indies. At Lord's they will be playing on a pitch that will all but guarantee a finish (and an early one at that) because of the obstacles placed in the way of the groundsman, Mick Hunt, by the dramatic levels of recent rainfall and lack of sun. At Trent Bridge, England… -
Confident Andrew Strauss bats away questions about England captaincy
16 May 2012 | 11:45 am• Strauss says he is determined to 'lead from the front'• Captain says he feels good despite lean run of formAndrew Strauss responded to another round of questioning over his future as the England captain by declaring his determination to "lead from the front" in the Test series against West Indies and South Africa this summer.On the eve of the first Test against West Indies, Strauss was in more relaxed mood than during the occasionally tense exchanges that had preceded England's last Test against Sri Lanka, when he scored 61 in the first innings of the victory in Colombo – his highest… -
How Jonny Bairstow sprinted up on the rails as England Test player | Vic Marks
16 May 2012 | 8:35 amThe selection of the charismatic Bairstow for the series against West Indies is a bold choice and one that sets the pulse racingTest selectors rarely have a free hand. They are hostages to events. A century here, a five-wicket haul there and their hands are tied. They are nowhere near as omnipotent as first appears. It is only at the start of a series that they have real power – before events get in the way – and before the start of this series they have exercised their power most interestingly. They have chosen Jonny Bairstow.This is a bold choice, an exciting one; it may even be an… -
County cricket - as it happened
16 May 2012 | 5:14 am• Click here for full coverage on our dedicated cricket siteMorning all11.10am: Welcome to the county cricket live blog for the latest round of Championship action. Our writers will be here with all the day's play shortly. Richard Rae is at Warwicks v Lancs, Richard Gibson is at Yorks v Hants, and Andy Wilson will be heading down to the Oval after taking in the pre-Test press conferences at Lord's.Your essential guide to the seasonYou can find full fixture lists for the season here and county-by-county previews here. You can follow the action throughout the season here. Watch video… -
The Spin | Why rain can enhance a game of cricket | Rob Bagchi
16 May 2012 | 4:48 amBefore the mandatory covering of pitches, downpours could produce some enthralling passages of playWET AND WILD"The elements are cricket's presiding geniuses," wrote Sir Neville Cardus, the effervescent nonpareil of this parish, and it seems apt to reflect on the intrusions of the weather this shower-wracked May as the Spin hourly checks the forecasts for the prospects of play at Lord's on Thursday.Some of the greatest matches have been given a helping hand towards immortality by the rain. Indeed the England v Australia Test at The Oval in 1882, the one that inspired the sardonic notice "in…
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UK news: Crime | guardian.co.uk
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Teenager found guilty of murder after conkers row
16 May 2012 | 12:11 pmBoy, 15, faces life sentence for fatally stabbing Steven Grisales, 21, who had remonstrated with group about throwing conkersA 15-year-old boy is facing a life sentence after being found guilty of stabbing a student to death in a row over conkers.The teenager was found guilty at the Old Bailey in London of murdering architecture student Steven Grisales, 21.Grisales died last August after he went over to remonstrate with a group of young people throwing conkers still in their spiky husks. He was walking to Silver Street station, Edmonton, north London, when he was attacked.The teenager, who… -
Sam Hallam released after prosecution decides against opposing his appeal
16 May 2012 | 9:54 amHallam was jailed in 2005 for the murder of trainee chef Essayas Kassahun but has always protested his innocenceSam Hallam, who has served seven years for murder, is to be released from prison after the prosecution told the court it would not oppose his appeal.In a dramatic moment at the court of appeal on Wednesday, 24-year-old Hallam was told that he would be released. Jailed in 2005 for the murder of Essayas Kassahun, he has always protested his innocence and his family and friends have campaigned fiercely for his release.The Metropolitan police face criticism for their murder inquiry and… -
Derby fire victims' father thanks community for support - video
16 May 2012 | 8:14 amMick Philpott, whose six children who were killed in a house fire in Derby on Friday, speaks at a press conference with his wife, Mairead, alongside him -
Care home criticised after mentally ill resident is jailed for killing schoolboy
16 May 2012 | 8:14 amJudge questions systems at Ashness House home after jailing resident Serif Aslan for murder of 15-year-old Kasey GordonA private care home has been criticised by a judge as he sentenced a mentally ill resident to life for killing a schoolboy.Serif Aslan had not been taking his anti-psychotic medication and said he had kept a knife in his room for about a week.As he walked past a school to go to his favourite cafe, Aslan made a remark about a girl and got into a fight with a schoolboy.Kasey Gordon, 15, went to help the boy and was stabbed through the heart and died on the pavement.Three other… -
Derby fire: father speaks of anguish as police say blaze was started with petrol
16 May 2012 | 6:59 amMick Philpott, the father of the six children killed in last week's house fire, breaks down as he speaks at press conferenceThe father of six children who were killed in a house fire in Derby early on Friday has spoken of his anguish as police revealed that petrol had been poured through the letterbox in an arson attack.Mick Philpott wept as he spoke at a press conference on Wednesday morning with his wife, Mairead, alongside him and said he had been overwhelmed by support from the local community. Five of their children, aged between five and 10, died following the blaze at a house in…
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Stage: Dance | guardian.co.uk
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Rambert Dance Company – review
16 May 2012 | 12:32 pmSadler's Wells, LondonThe beating heart of Rambert's new programme is L'Après-Midi d'un Faune – the ballet of dappled, feral eroticism that launched Nijinsky's choreographic career. Rambert acquired Faune in 1931 and today's revival goes a long way to reminding us how sexy, touching and strange it must have originally seemed.Stripped of the monumental Bakst backdrop that usually frames it (too large, too unaffordable for 1930s Rambert) and performed by a wonderfully alert cast, this Faune has an entrancing intimacy. Dane Hurst in the title role does vivid justice to the choreography's… -
This week's highlights: 27 and Mayfest
13 May 2012 | 3:30 pmOur critics' picks of this week's openings, plus your last chance to see and what to book now• Which cultural events are in your diary this week? Tell us in the comments belowOpening this weekTheatre27Return of Abi Morgan's play, set in a convent, which examines faith, science, ageing and loneliness. Maureen Beattie stars and Vicky Featherstone directs. Citizens, Glasgow, Thursday to 26 May, then touring.MayfestFabulous festival in Bristol of work from both established and emerging artists. It's a real mixture, very little of it in traditional form. Be adventurous.Various venues, Thursday… -
Ballet Preljocaj: Snow White; La Fille mal gardée – review
12 May 2012 | 6:05 pmSadler's Wells; Royal Opera House; both LondonAngelin Preljocaj is one of the grands noms of French choreography. Of Albanian origin, he trained in classical ballet before turning to contemporary dance and founding his own company in 1984. Since then he has been much honoured with awards for grand-scale productions like Le Parc (1994), an exploration of the formal eroticism of the 17th century court, and Roméo et Juliette (1990), set in an eastern European totalitarian state.His work is characterised by its psychological acuity and often very beautiful imagery. The architecture of his… -
Lunch dances: reel meals | Observer editorial
12 May 2012 | 6:04 pmLunch Beat has arrived from Sweden to perk up jaded workersThe Lunch Beat manifesto is impressive. Points one and two are identical: you have to dance. Point three is blunt: if you don't want to dance, go and eat your lunch somewhere else. Lunch Beat lasts precisely 60 minutes from noon; no alcohol; free water; a DJ. It's not for profit and on 31 May it is spreading from its birthplace in Sweden to 15 other countries including the UK, with Manchester the lucky host."We make it possible to fully embody the buzz words of playfulness, participation and community," Lunch Beat's organisers… -
This week's new theatre and dance
11 May 2012 | 6:06 pmTender Napalm, On tourOne of the best plays of 2011, Philip Ridley's Tender Napalm is like much of his work, a play about the violence of love. A two-hander that requires ferocious honesty, commitment and energy, it offers a couple telling each other stories as they are shipwrecked on an island of love, a place from which you worry there can be no survivors. The language is both sensual and sweaty, the allusions are to Greek myth and The Tempest and if the play doesn't easily yield up its meanings, it washes over you in great bruising waves of love and pain. If this revival is as good as the…
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World news: Debt relief | guardian.co.uk
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Debt and the developing world
16 May 2012 | 5:00 amDespite successful debt abolition campaigns, World Bank figures show external debts owed by developing countries have increased by $430bn over 12 months to $4tnNick Mead -
A developing world of debt
16 May 2012 | 5:00 amMore than a decade after the cancellation of billions of dollars of debt, developing countries owe $4tn … and countingYears after debt campaigners succeeded in persuading the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank and G8 to abolish debts worth billions of dollars owed by developing countries, figures show total external debts are once again on the increase.Data in the World Bank's global development finance 2012 report (pdf) shows total external debt stocks owed by developing countries increased by $437bn over 12 months to stand at $4tn at the end of 2010, the latest period for which… -
Credit ratings: how Fitch, Moody's and S&P rate each country . Visualised - with a spreadsheet
15 Mar 2012 | 12:30 pmFitch has changed its outlook for the UK's sovereign credit ratings to 'negative'. See how different credit rating agency compare countries• Get the data• US debt ceiling analysed• Who owns America's debt?How do credit ratings vary by country and by ratings agencies? Fitch has given the UK a negative outlook, becoming the second ratings agency to put the treasured AAA rating at risk after Moody's made the same move last month.The credit agency announced its decision yesterday, warning that the UK had "very limited fiscal space to absorb further adverse economic shocks in light of such… -
The Greek debt crisis: it's, like, totally over - video
22 Feb 2012 | 10:03 amHave you heard? The bailout might not work at all and, in the best case scenario, will take eight years to reduce Greek debt to a level that is still too highTom Meltzer -
Jersey plans new law to stop vulture funds using its courts
2 Feb 2012 | 7:18 amIt is hoped legislation will stop vulture funds from pursuing poor countries for inflated debt repayments through its courtsJersey has proposed introducing legislation designed to stop international financiers and debt speculators from pursuing some of the world's poorest countries for inflated repayments through its courts.A Guardian/Newsnight investigation into the activities of vulture funds last year revealed that one in particular, New York-based FG Hemisphere, was using Jersey to pursue the Democratic Republic of Congo for a payment of up to $100m (£63m). FG Hemisphere had bought the…
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Media: Digital media | guardian.co.uk
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How the kindness of (virtual) strangers on Twitter saved my day | Momtaz Begum-Hossain
16 May 2012 | 7:05 amAfter Twitter followers helped me remove a BNP banner from my street on election day, it's my first port of call from now onI've made a decision. From now on, if I need help, I'm heading straight to Twitter. I've tweeted pleas before. I once posted that I needed a job and the same afternoon got commissioned to write an article. But a few weeks ago, I discovered the true benefits of the virtual world.It was election day and on my way back from a lunchtime trip to the launderette I discovered a huge BNP banner had been tied to the lamp post outside my flat. My immediate reaction was to pull it… -
Perform buys data company RunningBall for £95m
16 May 2012 | 2:06 amSports rights company buys real-time data firm in deal worth up to £95mDigital sports rights company Perform has acquired real-time data firm RunningBall in a deal worth up to €120m (£95m).The deal is the largest ever struck by Perform, whose largest shareholder is US billionaire Leonard Blavatnik.The company spent £25m on acquisitions in 2011 including £18m on Goal.com.Under the terms of the deal Perform, which listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2011, will pay a minimum of €101m and a maximum of €120m.An initial consideration of €70m will consist of €20m in cash and €50m… -
Facebook: a tale of two media models | Michael Wolff
15 May 2012 | 4:12 pmThe irony of the Facebook epoch is that old media covets its IPO billions, while new social media envies the old's contentWhat is social media – I mean, as opposed to plain old media?That's the unexamined question that will only become more pressing – and less clear – when Facebook shortly completes its IPO, with more and more people in plain old media feeling they ought to be in social media. And with more and more people in social media, with a $100bn or so of new liquid currency in the market, feeling it is the future of media.As it happens, the dual media have almost nothing in… -
Twitter now has 10m users in UK
15 May 2012 | 12:43 pmUK is the fourth-largest country for Twitter users in the world, with 80% accessing it with mobile phonesTwitter now has 10 million active users in the UK and 140 million worldwide, the company revealed on Wednesday, underlining the rapid growth in the microblogging network since it launched just six years ago.Twitter has had an increasing impact on everyday life: over the past year it has been blamed for inciting riots – a charge that was disproved – and of undermining superinjunctions involving, among others, Ryan Giggs and Jeremy Clarkson.The network, which limits users to 140… -
Five steps to becoming a heavyweight Twitter fighter | Sarah Ditum
15 May 2012 | 4:42 amLearn how to be a master of public pugnacity a la Giles Coren or an expert in online exasperation, just like Joey BartonThis week, Times columnist and professional snark Giles Coren found himself yearning for "the golden age when we wrote, they read, and that was it" after a vituperative run-in with a critic on Twitter. But we live in a new golden age now: an age of constant, vicious spats. An age where, with a little application, you can lock yourself into a constant cycle of public unpleasantness. By taking some guidance from celebrity examples, you too can be a part of the great big…
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Global: Tim Dowling | guardian.co.uk
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10 tips for home-workers
15 May 2012 | 11:06 amAre you one of the civil servants being told to work from home during the Olympics? If so, you'll need to follow these rules for getting the most out of your new working environmentThe news that up to 40% of Whitehall staff will be permitted to work from home for seven weeks this summer – as part of a bid to ease transport congestion during the Olympics – has been greeted with derision by the private sector. But those of us who work from home full time know it's not as easy as it appears to the people who try to ring us when there's tennis on. It requires organisation, self discipline… -
Britain's Got Talent: is my dog as good as Pudsey?
14 May 2012 | 1:10 pmInspired by the success of Ashleigh and Pudsey, I tried to teach Nellie some new tricks …The triumph of Ashleigh and Pudsey in the Britain's Got Talent final has already got pet-owners across the nation trying to train up family pets as dancing partners. I have no particular desire to see this craze catch on, but I do have two dogs that have so far only cost me money. Could they possess hidden talent?As far as I know, my dogs have only one trick between them: staring at my back while wearing expressions of foolish expectancy. If either of them could read a clock they would know it's neither… -
Tim Dowling: is rösti a recipe for existential angst?
11 May 2012 | 5:00 pm'I am staring at something that is transparently still just a bunch of potatoes. Why bother? It occurs to me that existence is futile'It is Friday, and my wife has done that thing where she buys a load of random ingredients and presents them to me as a meal-in-waiting, as if I were a chef on Ready Steady Cook."What am I supposed to do with this?" I say, peering into the bag."That's for you to decide," she says. I never do this to her.As suppertime approaches, I am overtaken by a failure of imagination. My wife, sensing this, steps in. I find her in the kitchen doing something… -
Tim Dowling: God bless American officialdom
4 May 2012 | 5:00 pm'As we wait for our number to be called, my palms begin to sweat and my breathing becomes shallow and rapid'I have to get the oldest one a US passport before he turns 18 and loses his entitlement to one. In terms of leaving things until the last minute, this is a personal high-water mark for me: an 18-year window, narrowed to a matter of months.I did once try to get him a passport when he was a baby, only to be told I had the wrong sort of birth certificate. This time I have assembled a fat file of paperwork: passports, forms running to many pages, a series of photos that shows the… -
Rock stars: before they were famous
29 Apr 2012 | 5:04 pmA new picture of Keith Richards and Mick Jagger at primary school has emerged. Why is there something so compelling about seeing the icons of our own youth during theirs?In pictures: rock stars in their high-school yearbooksFresh-faced, clean-cut, square-jawed or just plain square: irrefutable photographic evidence proves that to be a rock star you don't necessarily have to look like one – at least not while you're still in school.The recently released Wentworth Primary School class picture featuring a young Michael Jagger and an even younger (by five months) Keith Richards doesn't make it…
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World news: Timor-Leste | guardian.co.uk
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Timor-Leste marathon is more than just a race
11 May 2012 | 11:07 amDili marathon is a vibrant departure from decades of brutal and bloody foreign occupation that ended, officially, 10 years agoThey stand on street corners, clutching tiny versions of their nation's red, black and gold flag, all anxious for a sale before the big day. "Maratao, maratao!" they cry out – "marathon, marathon!" – their excitement palpable over Saturday's 26-mile run through the waterfront lanes of Dili, Timor-Leste's capital.For these young hawkers, as well as many other islanders, the event marks not only the third-ever international marathon in this nation's young history,… -
David Scott obituary
2 May 2012 | 8:56 amMy friend David Scott, who has died aged 87, was the last aid official to leave Dili on the eve of the Indonesian invasion of East Timor in December 1975. He said that he knew he would be killed if he stayed.He then took as much leave as he could from his directorships of the community welfare agency the Brotherhood of St Laurence and the international aid agency he had set up, Community Aid Abroad, to go to New York to support the East Timorese delegation to the UN. This was led by the 25-year-old José Ramos-Horta, then minister for external affairs and now about to step down as president… -
Timor-Leste voters choose former guerilla fighter as president
23 Apr 2012 | 7:07 amTaur Matan Ruak to replace former Nobel peace prize winner in largely symbolic roleOfficial election results have named a former guerrilla fighter who became Timor-Leste's army chief as the nation's new president, largely a ceremonial post.The country's supreme court of appeal, which has to vet election results, announced on Monday that Taur Matan Ruak had won the 16 April runoff.The court chief Claudio Ximenes said Ruak had won 61% of the vote, defeating his rival Francisco "Lu Olo" Guterres.Ruak's real name is José Maria Vasconcelos but he is known by his nom de guerre. He will take office… -
Guerrilla leaders vie for East Timorese presidency
16 Apr 2012 | 3:24 amVoters must choose between two heroes of the 24-year-long struggle for independenceTwo former guerrilla leaders are vying for East Timor's presidency, each hoping to steer the young, often-troubled nation after UN peacekeeping troops begin their planned withdrawal later this year.Francisco "Lu Olo" Guterres and Taur Matan Ruak are neck-and-neck in the country, also known as Timor-Leste, after incumbent Jose Ramos-Horta was knocked out of the race in the first round of voting. Both joined small lines forming in the capital, Dili, on Monday to cast their ballots.While both were confident of… -
Timor-Leste president loses election – video
19 Mar 2012 | 7:23 am1996 Nobel peace prize laureate José Ramos-Horta, who led Timor-Leste's fight for independence from Indonesia, concedes defeat
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Culture: Edinburgh festival | guardian.co.uk
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Seven days on stage: National Theatre of Scotland on top
11 May 2012 | 7:43 amIn this week's roundup, the National Theatre of Scotland dominates Scottish critics' awards – plus Des O'Connor becomes the oldest performer in the West EndCATS WhiskersThe National Theatre of Scotland leads the nominations for the Critics' Awards for Theatre in Scotland (affectionately known as the CATS), with nominations in all bar one category. NTS – which has had a huge and hugely positive impact on Scotland's theatre scene since it was founded in 2006 – has seven productions or co-productions sharing 12 nominations, with shows including Christmas Carol and Enquirer (NTS's take on… -
Edinburgh fringe censors title of Stuart Goldsmith show
9 May 2012 | 7:01 amChortle award-nominated comedian told his show Prick must be called 'Pr!ck' in all official publicity materialsOrganisers of the Edinburgh festival fringe have been accused of double standards after refusing to print the title of a comedian's show on the grounds of potential offence, according to comedy website Chortle.Stuart Goldsmith, who was nominated for a Chortle comedy award last year, had called his forthcoming Edinburgh show "Prick", in an ironic reference to his charming style. However, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival Society have insisted that he use the title Pr!ck in all official… -
Is fringe theatre getting the most out of actors?
2 May 2012 | 4:16 amToo many performers are being given negligible roles. It's time for the industry to come clean about the opportunities on offerAh, fringe theatre – the dreamcatcher of the London theatre scene. The dusty but dazzling arena in which low-budget productions kickstart long-lasting careers. Or so the legend goes. But is the industry selling a false dream and are actors, big dreamers by necessity, buying into this fantasy too readily?Recently I've seen young fringe actors take on a number of negligible roles, which can offer little artistic or financial reward. I've watched one bushy-tailed drama… -
Noises off: Dramaturgs, Mike Daisey and divisions on the Edinburgh fringe
12 Apr 2012 | 9:15 amThe spotlight falls on the mysterious figure of the dramaturg, TheatreIdeas defends Mike Daisey, while bloggers battle it out over a free fringe rivalryThis week, blogger Scott Walters attempts the seemingly impossible – defending Mike Daisey, the American theatremaker who landed in such trouble over his solo show about alleged abuses at Apple's factories in China. Crucially, he revisits Daisey's original episode of This American Life and notes that host Ira Glass very deliberately frames it as an adapted excerpt of the theatre piece. Glass's exact words, which you can read on Walters's… -
Edinburgh takes pride in a cultural renaissance
17 Mar 2012 | 7:00 pmNew galleries, acclaimed restaurants and hotels, and now even a Hollywood film premiere add to the Scottish capital's allureEurope's new capital of cool – in picturesIn the light, spacious rooms of a former orphanage near Edinburgh city centre, the works of a painter once discredited by the art world have come home.The enormous popularity of the first dedicated exhibition since 1942 to Scottish colourist FCB Cadell is a sign of a revitalised interest in the son of a city that is enjoying its own renaissance.Heavily reliant on banking and public sector jobs, Edinburgh had seemed badly placed…
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Education news, comment and analysis | guardian.co.uk
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That Science for the Future lobby of parliament: A view from a participant | Cyrus Hirjibehedin | Life & Physics
16 May 2012 | 10:24 amCyrus Hirjibehedin: The new disconnect between EPSRC research studentships and research grants is potentially catastrophic. And perhaps more constructive than the coffin is the fact that many scientists talked directly to their MPsApproximately 100 scientists from the group "Science for the Future" gathered at Parliament on Wednesday, 15 May as part of efforts to overturn a series of changes in the way research funds are allocated by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Council (EPSRC), the primary government funding body for these disciplines in the UK. This follows the publication of a… -
Michael Gove proposes that schools set own teachers' pay
16 May 2012 | 10:10 amEducation secretary Michael Gove's suggestion would lead to the end of a national pay scale for the professionEngland's state schools could be allowed to set their teachers' salaries themselves, the education secretary has proposed, leading to the end of a national pay scale for the profession.Michael Gove made the suggestion in a submission to a review on teachers' pay due to report this autumn.His idea would trigger one of the biggest shakeups in teachers' working conditions for a generation and was deeply unpopular with trade unions.Gove said the current national pay scale for the… -
How to be a good lecturer: HE live chat
16 May 2012 | 10:00 amThe role of lecturer is an important one but doesn't come naturally to most. Join our panel on Friday 18 May, to explore the how-tos of teaching for new and not-so-new academicsA quick Google search reveals that there are many examples of 'lecturers behaving badly' on YouTube. It would seem students are taking to the site to share footage of academics doing things such as rambling on incoherently or losing their patience over "an overly loud yawn."It's harder however to find examples, shared by students, of good teaching online. Perhaps when it comes to lecturing, like most things, criticism… -
Creating a genuinely sustainable higher education system
16 May 2012 | 8:32 amThe funding system set up to support the increase in tuition fees in England is financially and socially unsustainableLast year's white paper, Putting students at the heart of the system, built on the Browne review, which sought to put higher education on a sustainable footing.There has been much debate about what we might call social sustainability since tuition fees rose to £9,000. Discussion has focused on higher fees putting off poorer students. Yet, although application rates have decreased, thus far this decrease has not added to social inequality, because applications from poorer… -
Geoengineering experiment cancelled due to perceived conflict of interest
16 May 2012 | 8:13 amTwo scientists involved in Spice project to simulate the cooling effect of volcanoes had submitted patents for similar technologyA controversial geoengineering experiment to simulate the cooling effect of volcanoes has been cancelled due to concern over a perceived conflict of interest with some of the researchers.The experiment would have injected 150 litres of water into the atmosphere from a weather balloon via a 1km pipe tethered to a ship as part of the Spice project (Stratospheric Particle Injection for Climate Engineering).Matthew Watson, a scientist at Bristol University and the…
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World news: Egypt | guardian.co.uk
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In Egypt, Mubarak's repression machine is still alive and well | Hossam el-Hamalawy
16 May 2012 | 8:01 amThe revolution must support the strikes by conscripts and civil servants if we are ever to dissolve the hated interior ministryA little over a week ago, in Obour City, hundreds of Egypt's notorious Central Security Forces (CSF) conscripts mutinied over torture received at the hands of their officers. The conscripts took to the highway, blocked the road, and even started chanting a famous anti-police song composed by the Ultras White Knights, one of the country's football fan groups. The mutiny was put down quickly by the army, together with concessions and promises offered.This was not the… -
Syria: UN monitors attacked - live updates
15 May 2012 | 11:00 am• Video shows UN monitors under fire north of Hama• Parliamentary election results announced in Syria• Palestinians and Israeli police clash on Nakba day• Read the latest summary5.00pm: Here's a summary of the latest developments:Syria• Video has emerged showing UN monitors under fire in Kham Sheikhoun, north of Hama. A member of the team has told Reuters that no monitors were injured, contrary to an earlier report from an activist (see 3.42pm).• Turnout in last week's parliamentary elections was more than 50%, according to election officials. The names of winning candidates have… -
Syria and Middle East - Monday 14 May
14 May 2012 | 9:57 am• Fierce clashes reportedly kill more than 30 in Rastan, Syria• Syrian clashes spill over into Lebanon• Nato airstrikes killed 72 in Libya - Human Rights Watch• Talks in Cairo to end Palestinian prisoners' hunger strikeRead the latest summary3.57pm: Here's a summary of the main developments today:Syria• Forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad have clashed with the Free Syrian Army in the town of Rastan on Syria's main northern highway this morning. The FSA killed 23 soliders, according to the British-based Syrian Observatory of Human Rights. An FSA member told Reuters that nine… -
Syria, Egypt and Algeria - Friday 11 May
11 May 2012 | 11:12 am• Islamists routed in Algeria's parliamentary elections• Syrian regime claims to have foiled car bomb in Aleppo• Expatriate Egyptians go to the polls• Read the latest summary5.12pm: Here's a round-up of the latest developments:Algeria• Government parties have increased their share of seats in Algeria's parliamentary election, with the Islamist alliance trailing in third place. The election was marked by large-scale abstentions, with an offical turnout figure of 42.9% (see 4.50pm).Syria• US defence secretary Leon Panetta says intelligence indicates that al-Qaida does have a… -
Egyptian presidential candidates in first television debate
10 May 2012 | 10:48 pmMillions of Egyptians tune into two private satellite channels to watch Amr Moussa and Abdel-Moneim Abul-Futoh debateMillions of Egyptians tuned into the first ever presidential debate in the country's history on Thursday night between frontrunners Amr Moussa and Abdel-Moneim Abul-Futoh. With former president Hosni Mubarak languishing in hospital as he awaits sentencing next month, Egyptians watched two private satellite channels to witness an event held within its borders for the first time: a bona fide presidential debate. There are 13 candidates in the campaign, which begins on 23 May, but…
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Education: Online learning | guardian.co.uk
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20 ways of thinking about digital literacy in higher education
15 May 2012 | 11:28 amFrom understanding what digital literacy is, to developing skills and establishing ethical principles for students, our live chat panel share ideas and resources for universitiesJosie Fraser, social and educational technologist, Leicester City CouncilFirst define what you mean by digital literacy: The definition I most frequently use is this one: digital literacy = digital tool knowledge + critical thinking + social engagement. Then it's worth knowing its main characteristics:• It supports and helps develop traditional literacies• It's a life-long practice• It's about skills,… -
A great debate
10 May 2012 | 3:46 amHow can getting involved in debating contribute to your professional development, as well as benefiting your students? Jason Vit explains, in the first of a series of blogs from the ESUWhat do solitary confinement, chocolate money, alcohol and violent video games have in common? It's not, in fact, my idea of a good weekend's entertainment – although I suppose it could be! These are actually a few of the topics that students around the country have been debating this year both as part of class teaching and after-school clubs.Thousands of schools enter teams in debating competitions organised… -
Open for business? Why universities must collaborate on OpenCourseWare
25 Apr 2012 | 11:44 amThe digital revolution has begun and successful institutions will be those that use the opportunity to collaborate, grow and widen their influence, says Anka MulderLeading higher education specialists from across the world convened at Cambridge University in April for a landmark global conference on the future of online learning. The contrast here between the ancient and the modern, the traditional and the new, reflects the challenges of standardising the digital learning revolution across higher education globally.The Cambridge conference was hosted by the OpenCourseWare Consortium, a… -
Forget the business case, open online courses are about learning
16 Apr 2012 | 5:45 amWill Massive Open Online Courses replace the conventional system? Probably not, but they can offer something different, says Bonnie StewartEver since MITx was unveiled last December, futurists have been predicting what it might all mean for higher education. They're calling it "The Great Disruption", a brand name worthy of Nostradamus. The Globe and Mail says it's about time. The Atlantic is envisioning a post-campus America.For those of us actually enrolled in Massive Open Online Courses, though – or those like me who have enlisted both to teach and learn within these experimental course… -
The power of Twitter
31 Mar 2012 | 2:31 amHow I became a convert to Twitter• The teaching and education community on Twitter is truly inspirationalI signed up for Twitter several years ago but struggled to understand the point. What is it? What is it for? What information can I share in 140 characters? I did what millions of other people do: followed famous people, sportsmen, rappers, comedians and actors. Much of the time, it turned out, they didn't have anything that interesting to say and, after a few weeks, I gave up on it.Then, as the site grew in popularity, I decided to give it another chance. I had about 30 followers,…
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Global: Barbara Ellen | guardian.co.uk
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Chris Brown, like all abusers, has more than one method of attack | Barbara Ellen
12 May 2012 | 6:03 pmSome people don't realise that many abusers, male and female, are adept not only at "masking", but also multitaskingSinger Rihanna has "unfollowed" former boyfriend Chris Brown on Twitter, and he's unfollowed her back. Problems in paradise? Paradise being a relationship that ended three years ago when he viciously beat her. Recently, Rihanna appeared to forgive Brown, performing a duet; even, it was rumoured, getting back together with him. Good work, Rihanna, some of us thought sarcastically: what a great message to send out to young women.Now they have fallen out again, after Brown rapped:… -
So Amanda, why did you watch that vile tape? | Barbara Ellen
5 May 2012 | 6:07 pmThe treatment of Tulisa over the 'sex tape' was cruel and unthinkingIt feels strange to be angry and disappointed in Amanda Holden. It feels like being let down by the little girl chalking on the blackboard on the old-fashioned test card. It feels like being angry at a sub-par bowl of Instant Whip. Amanda Holden sits on the panel of a television talent show. She's rather pretty and has always seemed quite sweet. Why on earth would anyone be angry or disappointed with her?Except that on Alan Carr: Chatty Man last week, Holden giggled about how she'd watched the Tulisa Contostavlos "sex tape". -
Sweet Revenge: The Intimate Life of Simon Cowell by Tom Bower – review
5 May 2012 | 6:05 pmBonks, Botox and bitching give Cowell's life story the X factor. And then the ennui sets in…What's left to say about this "unauthorised" (sort of), hilarious (definitely) book except: how could anyone be angry or upset about it? Least of all Simon Cowell, who gave 200 hours of access and finds himself in the illustrious company of Tom Bower's other subjects such as Gordon Brown, Richard Branson, Robert Maxwell and Conrad Black. The image on the back cover sets the tone, showing a bare-chested Cowell sunning himself on a yacht, like a Duran Duran video sponsored by Sanatogen. A lone… -
To bear or not to bear? Frankly, I don't give a damn | Barbara Ellen
28 Apr 2012 | 6:07 pmOur obsession with discussing reproduction is eternally tiresomeAre you glad you had children? Have you decided not to have children? Either way, would it be possible for us all to get back to the good old days of just getting on with the decision and refraining from boring everyone else rigid with endless self-justifications?Oxford-educated television historian Dr Lucy Worsley is the latest to become entangled in the "to breed or not to breed" debate. Speaking to the Radio Times, she declared: "I have been educated out of the natural reproductive function. I get to spend my time doing things… -
It's easier to be a gay pop star if you're a man | Barbara Ellen
21 Apr 2012 | 6:03 pmEven in the kingdom of Elton and Rufus and George, the lesbian is pressured to don the mask of bisexualityA new biography claims that musician Jessie J is a lesbian, when she says that she is bisexual. The book also makes claims, denied by Jessie J, that the singer was instructed by music executives to term herself "bisexual" rather than "lesbian" because, while the former term was trendy, exotic and "would increase her allure", the latter would "alienate people".Pathetically nosey some of us might be, but is Jessie J's sexuality anybody's business but her own? Of course not. Away from Jessie…
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Society: Equality | guardian.co.uk
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Sorry Nick Clegg – social mobility and austerity just don't mix | Kate Pickett and Richard Wilkinson
15 May 2012 | 1:00 pmTo claim social mobility as your guiding principle yet ignore income inequality is not serious policy-makingWhen Nick Clegg announced a drive for social mobility at the weekend, based on the pupil premium for children on free school meals, he was articulating a goal supported across the political spectrum. In his foreword to the coalition's social mobility strategy, published last year, Clegg writes that "tackling the opportunity deficit – creating an open, socially mobile society – is our guiding purpose". The same document boasts of "adopt[ing] a ruthlessly evidence-based approach,… -
Equality and Human Rights Commission has workforce halved
15 May 2012 | 10:58 amGovernment also removes equality watchdog's obligation to consider policy impact on poor and downgrades role of chairThe Equality and Human Rights Commission has been stripped of its duty to promote a society with equal opportunity for all and had its budget and workforce halved, the government has announced.The move comes days after the watchdog chided ministers for failing to consider how crucial policies would affect women, disabled people and ethnic minorities.The EHRC has long been a bugbear for the Tory right who see it as a relic of the past. It has also been criticised by MPs for… -
The myth that Canary Wharf did east London any good | Owen Hatherley
15 May 2012 | 7:27 amThere are few places so utterly implicated in our discontents as this symbol of the ludicrousness of 'trickle-down' economicsCanary Wharf, the "second City", an "evil twin" to London's financial district, has overtaken its ancient rival, according to the Financial Times. It wouldn't be altogether surprising if some saw this as a cause for celebration. Canary Wharf, and the 1980s Docklands development of which it was the most successful part, was an enterprise zone, an idea that the current government is trying to revive. As an enterprise zone it was deliberately unplanned, low-tax, and in… -
Effort to ban Tintin comic book fails in Belgium | Jogchum Vrielink
14 May 2012 | 7:04 amOffensive as Tintin au Congo may be, recourse to the law is misguided and counterproductiveTintin is experiencing new and exciting adventures these days. Not just in the cinema, but in Belgian courts as well.Bienvenu Mbuto Mondondo, a Congolese national studying in Brussels, filed suit to obtain an injunction against the continued publication, distribution and sale of Hergé's comic book Tintin in the Congo (Tintin au Congo), as well as seeking to have the book withdrawn from bookshops and libraries in Belgium. Mondondo did so on the basis of alleged violations of the Belgian anti-racism… -
Treasury failed to test fairness of spending cuts, equality watchdog finds
13 May 2012 | 6:05 pmDuty to women, disabled people and ethnic minorities ignored in coalition zeal, says Equality and Human Rights CommissionThe Treasury failed to consider how crucial policies would affect women, disabled people and ethnic minorities before the 2010 spending review, according to a report by the equality watchdog.The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said it was "unable to establish" whether government had checked how its flagship schemes would hit vulnerable people – despite this being a legal necessity.In key areas of policy, the government appeared to set aside equality…
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Environment: Ethical and green living | guardian.co.uk
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Peru's coffee growers turn carbon traders to save their farms from climate change
12 May 2012 | 6:06 pmGlobal warming threatens the future of Peru's poorest coffee farmers, but one brand thinks it has found an answer on the financial marketsIn the foothills of the Andes, in the Sierra Piura region of Peru, the problems faced by coffee farmers are clear. Up to 6,600 farmers produce here for the Central Piurana de Cafetaleros co-operative (Cepicafe), growing 4,000 tonnes a year of the finest Peruvian coffee on family plots scattered across the mountainside. Together, year in, year out, they bring in this special harvest, the arabica coffee cherries, which are painstakingly picked by hand,… -
Ethical living: whatever happened to acid rain?
12 May 2012 | 6:03 pmWhy do we only hear about certain eco issues, such as climate change? What happened to acid rain and the ozone layer? I agree that planet green has a tendency to be a little one-note. For a long while it's been singing a plaintive song (more of a wail, actually) about climate change. But you can see why this preoccupies us. In the run-up to the Rio climate conference we are without an agreed solution and parts of the world are experiencing dire effects first hand.Inevitably eco issues remain "hot" until they are solved and we all have a vested interest in making as much noise as possible in… -
Ethical homes for your cash Isas
11 May 2012 | 5:01 pmCampaign is on for savers to move to socially responsible cash Isas – and the rates are surprisingly competitive tooYou are looking to open a savings account, but would like your cash to be used in a socially or environmentally responsible way rather than financing arms dealing or other dodgy activities. Or perhaps you are angry about the cuts and bankers' bonuses and want to teach the big banks a lesson by moving your savings elsewhere.If either of these scenarios strikes a chord, a best-buy guide launched this week should help make it easier to choose the right account. And you might be… -
UK's only carbon-neutral chocolate arrives by sailing ship | John Vidal
11 May 2012 | 6:29 amAt £1.50 a mouthful, it's the UK's most expensive chocolate – but manufacturers say the price reflects the true cost of cocoaWhich ticks more ethical boxes? Fairtrade organic olive oil from the Palestinian territories? Or organic chocolate grown by a co-operative of Grenadian peasant farmers on a solar-powered farm and transported to Europe from the Caribbean in a sailing ship with no engines?The olive oil sells for £8.50 for a 500ml bottle, but the first 24,000 bars of "handpressed, single-estate, vanilla-free, vintage rootstock, grown-with-a-windward aspect" chocolate in the world… -
Breakthrough in mixed plastics recycling as new plant opens
10 May 2012 | 9:42 amThe £15m facility in north Lincolnshire will use advanced technology to integrate the processing of both plastic bottles and polymersA major breakthrough in the challenge of recycling mixed plastics - a long-standing issue for consumers - has been made with the opening of a new national recycling plant.The £15m facility in north Lincolnshire - a joint venture recycling operation between Coca-Cola Enterprises and ECO Plastics - was opened on Thursday by environment minister Lord Taylor, and will be one of the first to use advanced technology to integrate the processing of both plastic…
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World news: European Union | guardian.co.uk
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Turkey to renew talks over European Union membership
16 May 2012 | 12:37 pmWith key opponent of Turkey's membership, Nicolas Sarkozy, no longer in office, EU commissioner to visit Ankara over policiesTurkey is showing renewed interest in reviving its stalled bid to join the European Union, now that one of its key opponents is no longer the president of France.Turkey began its EU accession negotiations in 2005 but made little progress in its candidacy, thanks to a dispute with EU-member Cyprus and opposition from the then French president, Nicolas Sarkozy. Sarkozy argued that the predominantly Muslim country was not a part of Europe and wanted Turkey to accept a form… -
Greeks judge Panagiotis Pikramenos as safe pair of hands
16 May 2012 | 11:09 amGreece's caretaker prime minister is a senior judge insiders say will be able to keep the peace until elections in JuneGreece's caretaker prime minister, Panagiotis Pikramenos, is president of the country's top administrative court. A specialist in Greek constitutional law, the high court judge was seen as a safe pair of hands at the helm of a government that has a lifespan of less than five weeks."It is a purely caretaker administration that will act within the framework of the constitution," said the French-trained legal expert in his first public statement.Born in Athens in 1945, as Greece… -
UK banks readying for Greek euro exit
16 May 2012 | 10:33 amFinancial institution have been preparing since November, reducing exposure, with drachma trading facility ready if neededBritain's financial firms are dusting down contingency plans for a Greek exit from the euro – an event that the head of the International Monetary Fund said could be "quite messy".Banks in the UK have been making preparations since at least November when the Financial Services Authority's top regulator, Andrew Bailey, told banks: "We must not ignore the prospect of the disorderly departure of some countries from the eurozone."ICAP, the City currency broker, is ready to… -
EU is investing in toxic waste projects in developing world, GAIA claims
16 May 2012 | 9:08 amThe EU is threatening waste-pickers' livelihoods and backing projects that may actually increase emissions, says reportThe EU's clean development mechanism (CDM) is supporting waste projects in developing countries that threaten livelihoods and cause toxic emissions, according to a report by the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA).The study, published on Tuesday in Brussels and entitled The European Union's double standards on waste management and climate policy (pdf), claims the EU is funding waste-to-energy methods that violate its own guidelines and would be illegal in its… -
Greece must remain in the eurozone | Nikos Chrysoloras
16 May 2012 | 9:07 amPrinting a new currency while already bankrupt is suicidal – and the ensuing chaos would hurt the rest of EuropeIt is striking that, when it comes to the European debt crisis, an ever increasing number of pundits, broadsheet press columnists and experts are in complete agreement with populists from the far left and the far right: the fiscal consolidation programme is self-defeating, they say, and Greece (and possibly other states in the periphery) should abandon the eurozone in order to regain their competitiveness. However, if there was one thing that the 2008 financial crisis should have…
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Global: Competition | guardian.co.uk
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Kew the Music: Win a pair of tickets to the concert of your choice
16 May 2012 | 5:25 amTim Minchin is among the musicians appearing at this summer's Kew the Music, a series of concerts in London's Kew Gardens running from 3 to 8 July 2012. Extra members can win a pair of tickets to the gig of their choice -
Public Servant of the Year voting form
15 May 2012 | 6:03 pmPublic Servant of the Year voting form -
Public Services Awards 2012: Entry form
15 May 2012 | 6:03 pmSubmit your application to the 2012 Public Services Awards -
Win a photography masterclass at Apple Cart festival
14 May 2012 | 11:00 amAn brilliant photography masterclass with Guardian staff photographer's at London's Apple Cart festival to be won. -
Viewfinder competition: win a £150 hotel voucher
12 May 2012 | 6:05 pmName the place and win a £150 voucher from Hotels.com, letting you stay at thousands of hotels worldwideObserver
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Education: Faith schools | guardian.co.uk
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Catholic tastes
7 May 2012 | 12:00 pmRos Asquith, Lines cartoonRos Asquith -
Should we allow faith schools at all? | Andrew Copson
1 May 2012 | 4:30 amDiscriminatory state-funded faith schools are on the increase – receiving preferential treatment with little scrutinyWith all the controversy in the last year or two over the government's free schools programme, the issue of state-funded faith schools has been somewhat eclipsed. This isn't because their expansion has been at all reduced – if anything it has been accelerated – but public attention has shifted. Events of the past few weeks should reignite the debate, as a fuller picture emerges than ever before of just how our education system is manipulated, and the rights of children… -
Letters: No place for prejudice in our schools
29 Apr 2012 | 3:00 pmWe were appalled to read that the Catholic Education Service had written to state-funded Catholic schools to push them into taking a stand against gay marriage (Catholic state schools promote petition against gay marriage, 26 April).Brook and FPA do not believe there is a place for this type of lobbying. It raises serious concerns about the impact on the school community and on individuals who are gay or have family members who are gay. Schools have a duty to work within the equal opportunities statement of the national curriculum, and faith-based schools are not exempt.The young people who… -
Gove investigates Catholic school petition on gay marriage
28 Apr 2012 | 6:07 pmEducation secretary will investigate whether Catholic schools' gay marriage petition broke the rulesThe education secretary, Michael Gove, is to examine claims that rules were breached when Catholic schools were asked to encourage their pupils to sign a national petition against gay marriage.The Catholic Education Service (CES) wrote to nearly 400 British secondary schools to encourage support for the petition organised by Coalition for Marriage, a Christian campaign that has registered more than 47,000 signatures for its campaign.A spokesman for the Department for Education said… -
Christianity does not sit in opposition to progressive equality legislation | Maria Exall
21 Apr 2012 | 5:00 amThere is no issue of principle where LGBT and religious rights are counterposed, despite George Carey's assumptionsGeorge Carey, the former archbishop of Canterbury, has argued that Christian employees are excluded from many sectors of employment, have their beliefs "vilified" and are "driven underground". He insists that equality laws, particularly those which give LGBT people civil rights, discriminate against Christians.He has sent in a submission to the European court of human rights in support of the challenges it is considering under current UK equality legislation. Two of the cases to…
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UK news: Falkland Islands | guardian.co.uk
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From the archive, 11 May 1982: Henry Kissinger on the Falklands
11 May 2012 | 1:30 amThe former US Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs reflects on British and American attitudes to foreign policyBritain and America have never ceased to play important roles in each other's history. On the whole it has been a productive and creative relationship, perhaps one of the most durable in the history of nations. In the last 200 years, we have approached each other sometimes warily, and dealt with foreign affairs often from different perspectives. Still, on balance, the relationship has been of considerable benefit to world peace.Britain has rarely proclaimed moral absolutes or… -
London 2012: Controversial Falklands video star dropped by Argentina
9 May 2012 | 4:06 am• Hockey player dropped from Argentina Olympic warm-up event• Fernando Zylberberg was filmed exercising on war memorialThe Argentinian hockey player filmed training on the Falkland Islands in a controversial advert has been dropped from Argentina's final Olympic Games warm-up event.Fernando Zylberberg, a 34-year-old midfielder who has captained his country, was not included in the 18-man squad for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia posted on the Argentine Hockey Confederation website.The other teams participating in the six-nation tournament from 24 May to 4 June are the hosts, India,… -
Argentine Olympic Committee distances itself from Falklands TV ad
8 May 2012 | 10:57 am• NOC president says 'Games are not a platform for politics'• Clip shows hockey player training on British war memorialThe Argentine Olympic Committee has distanced itself from a television advertisement shot on the disputed Falkland Islands that has triggered a diplomatic dispute with Britain before the London Games."The Argentine National Olympic Committee is fully committed to the Olympic charter and the best practices of the Olympic movement," the NOC chief, Gerardo Werthein, said in a statement on Tuesday. "We strongly believe the Olympic Games are not a platform for politics and we… -
Sir Martin Sorrell condemns Argentinian Falklands Olympics ad
4 May 2012 | 12:36 pmWPP boss 'appalled' by ad made by one of his agencies, featuring Argentinian training on war memorial in FalklandsSir Martin Sorrell has condemned one of his advertising agencies for creating a TV commercial featuring an Argentinian Olympic athlete training on a war memorial on the Falkland Islands and called for it to be taken off air.Sorrell, the chief executive of the world's largest marketing group WPP, said he was appalled by the campaign and that his subsidiary had called for the Argentinian government to ban the commercial.The TV ad was secretly filmed on the Falkand Islands by… -
Argentina's Falklands Olympic ad an insensitive stunt, says UK
4 May 2012 | 5:06 amAdvertisement claiming Falkland Islands as Argentinian soil was filmed secretly at British landmarks, including war memorialBritain has criticised Argentina for broadcasting a television advertisement referring to the Falkland Islands as "Argentinian soil", accusing it of staging provocative and insensitive stunts to garner support for its claim to the overseas territory.The ad was filmed secretly on the islands and shows an Argentinian hockey player training at a variety of manifestly British landmarks, including a first world war memorial. It was aired on Wednesday and appears to have been…
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Global development: Famine | guardian.co.uk
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With food prices escalating, the G8 has to deliver on its plan for Africa | Jay Rayner
12 May 2012 | 6:04 pmAt this week's G8 summit, the prime minister has a great opportunity to take the lead in tackling povertyIt is tempting to wonder how much of an appetite Barack Obama will have for dinner on Thursday evening. That afternoon, ahead of the two-day meeting of the G8 at Camp David, which kicks off on Friday, he will announce what is currently being called "the new alliance to increase food security and nutrition".It's an initiative by members of the G8 designed to tackle hunger in half a dozen African nations, which has been the subject of intense inter-governmental back channel negotiations for… -
Sahel food crisis has been made worse by the widespread unrest in Africa
29 Mar 2012 | 9:16 amGaddafi-armed Tuareg rebels in Mali and terrorist attacks in Nigeria are adding to the growing crisis in the Sahel regionThe recent upheavals in Africa – including the military coup in Mali, the uprising in Libya and a spate of terrorist attacks in Nigeria – have one thing in common: they are all helping to fuel the growing crisis in the Sahel.For a sense of the scale of the problem, consider the amount of relief money the UN has called for to aid the increasingly lawless region: $1bn (£630m). Aid agencies, meanwhile, are warning of severe food shortages affecting up to 15 million… -
How aid donors, the media, and the public responded to the famine in Somalia - get the data
22 Feb 2012 | 7:29 amThe UN formally declared famine 20 July 2011. We used data on aid, media coverage and public engagement to explore how the world reacted• Explore the interactive based on this dataOn 20 July 2011, the UN formally declared famine in two regions of Somalia. Oxfam said the announcement marked a "catastrophic breakdown of the world's collective responsibility to act." A number of questions followed: could aid donors have responded earlier? Why didn't they? Is the media to blame? Why does 'famine' compel more attention than 'humanitarian emergency'? Could the crisis have been averted?The UN… -
Somalia famine: how the world responded
22 Feb 2012 | 5:15 amIn July 2011 the UN formally declared famine in two regions of Somalia. This interactive looks at aid flows, media coverage, web searches and twitter mentions to examine how the world engaged with the crisis before, during, and after the famine • Explore and discuss the data behind this interactiveIrene RosNicola HughesAlex GraulClaire ProvostGuardian Interactive teamWill de Freitas -
Ordinary Somalis must be the focus of the London talks | Mary Robinson
21 Feb 2012 | 9:42 amLondon is hosting a conference on Somalia, and with wars and droughts taking lives it is vital policies prioritise the vulnerableReturning to Somalia in 2011 after 19 years, and hearing the UN declare famine was heart-wrenching. We could see the evidence all around us in Dollow, which had become a transition post for Somalis en route to Ethiopia.The women we spoke to referred repeatedly to gaajo (hunger). The local district commissioner urged us to increase the support available, including for other areas "where children and the elderly have to be left to die before they can get here". He…
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Fashion news, advice and pictures | guardian.co.uk
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Bad for business
16 May 2012 | 6:52 amA new study shows women are more likely to buy clothes if the models look like themDebate around skinniness in fashion is not new. From blogs to magazine editors to parliament, the issue of abnormally thin models comes up again and again, whether it's Lib Dem MP Jo Swinson calling for airbrushing to be banned in advertising or Vogue Italy's Franca Sozzani admitting that "the current inclination to embrace a female beauty standard that exalts thinness has devastating consequences on many adolescents' eating habits."But despite the chorus of protest, alarm and disgust, nothing ever really seems… -
M&S diamond jubilee knickers? I can give you worse memorabilia | Stuart Jeffries
16 May 2012 | 6:04 amWash your Royal Wedding pizza down with some Jubilade and if it's all too much here's a diamond jubilee sick bagNever since Jeremy Paxman railed against the inadequacies of men's pants a few years ago has so much attention focused on Marks and Spencer's underwear output. This morning the high street retailer is launching in its (serious face) Marble Arch boardroom a new range of underwear (slightly less serious face), the M&S jubilee lingerie collection.Does anything express your patriotic royal pride than wearing royal knickers, ideally over your union flag leggings? The question was… -
Are men ready for prints?
15 May 2012 | 3:00 pmBritish blokes have embraced colour – so will pattern, from Hawaiian shirts to floral trousers, be the next big thing in menswear?Gather round, men: your plain shirts and discreet dark jeans are looking a trifle tired. This season, it's all about print. From Hawaiian shirts to floral Dr Martens, patterns are on everything. Not since the 1980s – when it was all about the Manchester indie-rave scene and Versace's baroque designs – has print in menswear made fashion headlines.Cut to now and Prada is selling floral trousers that riff on golfing slacks and printed shirts… -
The best men's summer prints – in pictures
15 May 2012 | 3:00 pmFrom Hawaiian shirts to Liberty print shoes, it's time to embrace vibrant colour schemes with these high-street stylesSara Ilyas -
British glamour since 1950 at the V&A
15 May 2012 | 12:39 pmThe newly refurbished V&A fashion galleries play host to a dazzling array of gowns in celebration of British glamour since the 1950s
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Features | guardian.co.uk
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Dante rivals may find that Derby prospect Bonfire is hard to control
16 May 2012 | 1:29 pmAndrew Balding should prove justified in hoping that he has a live Epsom contender in this colt who was last seen in OctoberBonfire (2.30) can confirm his Derby credentials with victory in York's Betfred Dante Stakes, the highlight of Thursday's televised action on The Knavesmire. Having bypassed a couple of alternative engagements, time is running out for his trainer, Andrew Balding, to get a run into the colt, with Epsom fast approaching.But this looks the ideal opportunity for Bonfire to dispel doubts over what he actually achieved when third in a French Group One on his most appearance… -
Heads Up: Dark Ranger too big at 11-1 for staying handicap at York
16 May 2012 | 1:24 pmHorse's consistency makes him a fine each-way bet, while Mandaean must be opposed in the DanteDark Ranger (4.45) is over-priced at 11-1 to repeat his victory of 12 months ago in the concluding two-mile two-furlong handicap at York on Thursday.The winner of two valuable handicap hurdles at Cheltenham and Aintree on his most recent starts, Cape Tribulation comes into the contest arguably in the form of his life. But transferring that sort of form to the Flat will be a very different ball game and bookmakers may have over-reacted in installing him as short as 4-1 to maintain the winning run.Dark… -
Magdalena Kožená: 'I'm not scared of the big maestro'
16 May 2012 | 1:00 pmWhat's it like to sing Carmen when your husband is the conductor? Magdalena Kožená (aka Lady Simon Rattle) reveals all to Kate ConnollyMagdalena Kožená believes musicians fall into two categories. "There are people who love to work with their partners and those who simply can't," she says. It is, she admits, "fortunate that I'm the first case": the celebrated Czech mezzo-soprano's husband happens to be conductor Simon Rattle.What's the main advantage of being married to the conductor? "You can say, 'I'm sorry, darling, you know today my voice is just not in a very good… -
Laura Wade: return of the thugs
16 May 2012 | 12:30 pmHer play Posh was inspired by the violent antics of the Bullingdon Club. Laura Wade tells Kira Cochrane why she has updated it for a post-riot, Tory-led, bankrupt BritainOne evening during the first run of her play Posh, the writer Laura Wade was drawn into a heated argument in the interval. An audience member demanded to know just why she hated Old Etonians. The person was very cross, she says, and asked "what [Old Etonians] had ever done to me. As if I was enacting some sort of dreadful personal slight against an ex-boyfriend or something."The argument was misdirected for several reasons. -
England clean sweep on the cards if seamers pitch it right at Lord's
16 May 2012 | 12:17 pmBad weather and IPL absences have hurt West Indies' preparation and the home side's attack should bring series winGiven a clear run with the weather, it seems inconceivable that England, a team who have lost four of their past five Test matches, will not nonetheless make a clean sweep of the three-match series against West Indies. At Lord's they will be playing on a pitch that will all but guarantee a finish (and an early one at that) because of the obstacles placed in the way of the groundsman, Mick Hunt, by the dramatic levels of recent rainfall and lack of sun. At Trent Bridge, England…
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Film: Film blog | guardian.co.uk
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Clip joint: Ghosts
16 May 2012 | 12:10 pmWho you gonna call? Help us find cinemas best spooksThis week's Clip joint is by Emily Cleaver. Think you can do better? If you've got an idea for a future Clip joint, send a message to adam.boult@guardian.co.ukMore than any other medium, film has the power to scare us silly. In the dark of the cinema, the suspense of a slow pan, that shadowy figure at the edge of frame – the shock of a sudden sound-effect, or jittery jump-cut – all come together in delicious, breath-stopping, heartbeat-skipping moments of pure cinematic fear. But forget chainsaws, zombies or psychos. The best scares in… -
Why The Dictator isn't Great
16 May 2012 | 9:38 amSacha Baron Cohen's Borat deserves to be bracketed with Chaplin's masterpiece; The Dictator doesn'tOn the face of it, Sacha Baron Cohen might seem to be hoeing the same row this time round but by other means. Once more, a funny foreigner with unpalatable attitudes is let loose on the Land of the Free. Like Borat and Brüno before him, Aladeen parades bigotry to risque but comic effect. You might have thought that the shift from real-world interactivity to intensively scripted narrative would simply have added a bit of precision and gloss to the same underlying routine. Not so. The Dictator is… -
Cannes 2012 diary: day one
16 May 2012 | 9:06 amBruce Willis fries sausages but can't make Wes Anderson's Cannes opener sizzle. Meanwhile asses take over the MarchéIt's the opening day of the Cannes film festival and we've reached the midway mark of Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom, the first film off the rank. Up on the screen, Bruce Willis's small-town cop is frying sausages in a caravan, while a 12-year-old orphan is explaining that he only ran away from scout camp in order to be with the girl that he loves. "I can't argue with what you're saying," Willis informs him. "But then again I don't have to because you're 12 years old." It is… -
Barbarossa: Siege Lord – why the emperor needs a new movie
16 May 2012 | 6:13 amThis historically haywire film about Frederick I Barbarossa, Holy Roman Emperor, lets its fine subject downBarbarossa: Siege Lord (2009)Director: Renzo MartinelliEntertainment grade: EHistory grade: CFrederick I Barbarossa was King of Germany and later Holy Roman Emperor, ruling from 1155-1190. Operation Barbarossa, the 1941 German invasion of the Soviet Union, was named after him.PeopleThe film begins with a boy, Alberto, accidentally stumbling into the path of Frederick I when the emperor is hunting wild boar in northern Italy. Armed with a crossbow, Alberto manages to kill the boar just… -
Cannes 2012: live blog - day one
16 May 2012 | 3:55 amAll the latest news, reviews, comment and buzz from the Croisette, as it happens9.53am: Bonjour mesdames et messieurs, it's Wednesday 16th May and that can only mean one thing: the 2012 Cannes film festival is open for business. They've dusted down the red carpet, springcleaned the cinemas, and installed thousands of metal barriers for the 12-day frenzy of film on the Riviera.Right around now the world's critics are pushing and shoving their way into the press screening for Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom, the festival opener; in a couple of hours from now we'll know whether it's hot... or…
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UK news: Firefighters | guardian.co.uk
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Debts 'threaten fire engine company's ability to tackle high-rise blazes'
5 May 2012 | 1:49 pmDoubts raised over government's privatisation agenda as London operator's £78m debts limit its capacity to fight firesGovernment plans to privatise more emergency services have been thrown into question after it emerged that debts at the private company operating London's fleet of fire engines threaten its ability to tackle blazes in high-rise buildings.A report obtained by the Observer, written by the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, warned that AssetCo, which owns the capital's 500 appliances and 50,000 pieces of critical safety kit, was beset by crippling financial problems… -
Firefighters ordered into evacuated warehouse died needlessly, trial told
20 Apr 2012 | 10:28 amThree fire service managers accused of manslaughter of four men killed in blaze at Warwickshire vegetable packing plant in 2007Four firefighters who died in a warehouse blaze were sent into an "obviously dangerous situation" for no good reason after the site had been evacuated, a jury has heard.Members of the four-man team lost their lives not in a valiant effort to rescue anyone but having been ordered into a storage area containing cardboard boxes, labels and old furniture, Stafford crown court was told.Three Warwickshire fire service managers – the station manager Timothy Woodward and… -
Fire engulfs luxury lodge on island in Poole harbour
20 Apr 2012 | 9:57 amFirefighters use fast boats to reach private island off Dorset's exclusive Sandbanks after millionaire's retreat goes up in smokeDozens of firefighters had to be ferried out to a small island on fast boats after fire broke out at a millionaire's luxury eco-home retreat.Crews were rushed out to Green Island in Poole harbour, Dorset, and used thousands of litres of seawater to try to douse the flames that engulfed the three-storey wooden building. A barge carrying water was also dispatched to the scene.As well as trying to save the building, the firefighters battled to stop the flames spreading… -
Burning issues for female firefighters
16 Apr 2012 | 3:00 pmThe life of a firefighter is tough enough – without mixed toilets and stereotypes, say the women who make up just 4% of the fire serviceImagine a job where prejudice and harassment is a frequent complaint, you don't have your own changing rooms or toilets, and, to top it all, your life is regularly put at risk. Welcome to the world of female firefighting.Women make up a mere 4% of the UK's firefighting force, up from 3% in 2006, making firefighting one of the most sex-segregated professions in the UK. Which does little to dispel that female firefighters are more about rescuing kittens… -
Mick Shaw obituary
5 Apr 2012 | 10:07 amMy brother, Mick Shaw, who has died of cancer aged 53, was the president of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) from 2007 to 2011. Mick joined the fire service in 1977, and along with other recruits at the London Fire Brigade training centre in Southwark, he joined the first ever national firefighters' strike, in November of that year. He worked first at Shoreditch fire station and later at Plaistow, before moving on to full-time union work. He was involved in every FBU campaign from 1977 onwards, fighting against cuts in the fire service and the abolition of the Greater London council.He became…
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Environment: Fishing | guardian.co.uk
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The UK's marine reserves are nothing but paper parks | George Monbiot
10 May 2012 | 6:10 amThe government is in breach of its promise to create a network of marine conservation zones by 2012What do the terms "marine reserve" and "marine-protected area" conjure up for you? Places in which, perhaps, wildlife is protected? In which the damaging activities permitted in other parts of the sea – such as trawling and dredging – are banned? Wrong.A marine-protected area in the United Kingdom is an area inside a line drawn on a map - and that's about it. In most cases, the fishing industry can continue to rip up the seabed, overharvest the fish and shellfish, and cause all the other… -
Warm water marine species spreading northwards into British waters
8 May 2012 | 12:00 pmHigher sea temperatures around UK mean bluefin tuna, thresher sharks and anchovies among others are increasingly commonExotic warm water marine species such as anchovy, bluefin tuna, stingray, and thresher shark are spreading northwards into British coastal waters, where average sea temperatures are now moving closer to the warmer conditions of southern Europe.A new study by marine scientists discloses that many species, some better known to holidaymakers in the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands, are now increasingly commonly seen in the seas off Cornwall, Devon, Hampshire and Sussex,… -
Senegal revokes licences of foreign fishing trawlers
4 May 2012 | 1:00 amGovernment demands that 29 ships offload their catches before leaving the west African country's territorial watersThe new government of Senegal has cancelled the licences of 29 foreign fishing trawlers, demanding that they offload their catches in the capital Dakar before leaving the west African country's territorial waters.The dramatic move on Tuesday by fisheries minister Pape Diouf follows growing resentment at overfishing and alleged corruption of the previous government's licencing system. It is expected to defuse threats by Senegal's 52,000 small-scale inshore fishermen to take direct… -
EU states close to agreeing on greater local say in managing fisheries
27 Apr 2012 | 4:35 pmReforms could pave way for countries avoiding annual rows over fishing quotas by adopting a long-term approachProposals to give European Union member states a greater say over how their fisheries are managed moved a step closer to acceptance on Friday, as part of a wider package of reforms that represent the biggest shakeup of the fishing industry in decades.The meeting of the EU Fisheries Council in Luxemburg concluded without major upset, giving ministers the chance to concentrate in future meetings on the more controversial components of the package, such as the proposal to ban the… -
China and Philippines end fishing standoff
14 Apr 2012 | 12:18 amChinese fishing boats leave disputed shoal in South China Sea, ending days of tensionThe last five Chinese fishing boats at the centre of a dangerous impasse between China and the Philippines have left a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, diffusing the standoff, officials say.A spokesman for the Philippine department of foreign affairs, Raúl Hernández, confirmed that the boats had left Scarborough Shoal off the north-western Philippines.He said the Philippine foreign secretary, Albert del Rosario, and the Chinese ambassador, Ma Keqing, were continuing to talk to find a permanent…
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Life and style: Fitness | guardian.co.uk
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Luxembourg by e-bike: a natural high | Frederika Whitehead
16 May 2012 | 11:50 amThe ability to flick a switch and top up pedal power with battery power gives me the extra push I need to master the ArdennesGust Muller, president of Luxembourg's cycling advocacy group LVI, promised me that "hills will just melt away" if I used an e-bike to tour Luxembourg. And this wasn't far from the truth.Although it has many miles of extremely pretty, pancake-flat leisure routes that follow old tram lines or run alongside its rivers, Luxembourg can also be hilly, particularly in the north of the country around the Ardennes.Using an e-bike, Muller assured me, would mean that I – and… -
Top 10 swimming holidays
16 May 2012 | 9:51 amLong-distance outdoor swimming was once the preserve of elite athletes or eccentrics such as 'Big River Man' Martin Strel, but a growing number of us are making swimming the focus of a holiday, be it by joining a boat-supported tour of lakes and coasts, or entering a race abroad. Here's our pick of swim trips to suit all levelsFOR NEWCOMERS'Short Swim' trip, CroatiaThe range of trips offered by SwimTrek – founded by coach and Channel swimmer Simon Murie in 2003 – already dwarfs those of its competitors, and the company's roster continues to grow. This year sees the introduction of a new… -
Momentum builds for 20mph speed limit | John M Morrison
15 May 2012 | 5:26 amUK local authorities are taking a close look at the policy – which is winning wider public supportCould a universal 20 mph speed limit on residential streets soon be as widely accepted as the smoking ban in pubs?It's too soon to talk about a tipping point, but more and more UK local authorities are taking a close look at a policy which is winning wider public support.Portsmouth, Oxford and other cities have pioneered the switch within the past five years, and campaigners from the 20's Plenty For Us movement say 8 million people now live in areas which are committed to adopting the limit for… -
What is the new exercise science fit for? | Matt Seaton
13 May 2012 | 12:43 pmWe know more about health and fitness than ever before, but knowledge is only an unqualified good when it has benefits for allWhen I go to log in to the website managed by the maker of my sports watch, I get a vivid sense of how many people are doing the same thing. A counter – like the one that shows the rising national debt – displays a torrent of tumbling figures as people with the same brand of sports watch as mine clock up miles of running or biking. The total stands at 1.85bn miles – or, as the site helpfully informs me, not quite 4,000 trips to the moon and back. Given all the… -
London 2012: Cycling is free. Someone forgot to tell the Olympic organisers | Peter Walker
10 May 2012 | 5:35 amCharging spectators to watch the likes of Mark Cavendish in the London 2012 road race threatens cycling's democratic spiritAsk a road cycling fan if they have a significant pre-Olympics gripe, and it's unlikely they'll cite spiralling costs, a surface-to-air missile on the roof terrace or even Duran Duran. What's likely to get them hot under the collar is being asked to pay money to watch a sport that is, by tradition, free.Following the many controversies surrounding the 2012 ticketing system, cycling fans always had the consolation of being able to watch the road race. After all, with the…
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Life and style: Food & drink | guardian.co.uk
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Flaking out: is our taste in breakfast cereal changing?
16 May 2012 | 11:02 amUK sales of processed breakfast cereals are dwindling, with many British breakfasters ditching the sugary brands for healthier, more natural alternativesThis month's acquisition by a Chinese company of a majority stake in Weetabix, the UK's top-selling cereal (we eat around 336 each a year, apparently) shows there's still an appetite for processed grains for breakfast. But foreign markets unfamiliar with this relatively recent way of starting the day may now be the industry's biggest players' only hope for the future – after more than a century of growth, Britain's best-known cereals… -
BBC receives hundreds of complaints over TV chefs cooking foie gras
16 May 2012 | 8:29 amFoie gras, made by force-feeding geese, is banned from production in the UK, though it is still a legal ingredientHundreds of complaints have been made to the BBC after two chefs competing on its Great British Menu programme were shown preparing dishes including foie gras.Johnnie Mountain made foie gras ice cream while Aiden Byrne served black cherry and foie gras terrine in an episode screened last week.Production of foie gras – made by force-feeding ducks or geese until their livers are enlarged – is prohibited in the UK, although it is still a legal ingredient.The BBC said it had… -
Baked sole with asparagus recipe | Angela Hartnett
16 May 2012 | 6:23 amA simple way to serve this versatile, delicately flavoured fish, with fresh spring vegetablesI love the delicate taste and fine texture of dover and lemon sole – wonderfully versatile fish that can be cooked in many ways including goujons, classic sole meuniere and, as here, baked.Serves four30ml olive oil100ml water8 large or 16 small sole fillets200g breadcrumbs50g parmesan, grated50g gruyère, grated16 asparagus spearsSpread a teaspoon of oil across an oven tray with a splash of water. Season and roll the sole fillets, place them on the tray and cook in a preheated oven at 180C / gas 4… -
Ten of the best tea towels - in pictures
16 May 2012 | 5:48 amFrom smiling sausages to historic prints, we've scoured the UK's best online boutiques to find 10 tea towels that will make washing up less of a choreRachel Holmes -
Street food: a bit of a performance
16 May 2012 | 3:50 amSuccessful street traders have always understood that a little theatre brings in the punters, and the new generation is no exceptionOn my first day selling fruit and veg down the market, the boss entrusted me with my own costermonger's cry – "new potaters, easy scrapers, all the way from En-ger-land." I was studying drama for A-level (and, to be honest, had rather wowed in the school's production of The Italian Straw Hat) and was happy to try channelling a time when food on the street was all "cried" or "hawked". Yes, a bit too Dick Van Dyke, but I put a smile on people's faces. And I sold.
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Football news, match reports and fixtures | guardian.co.uk
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Dropping Rio Ferdinand for Euro 2012 sends out the wrong message | Rodney Hinds
16 May 2012 | 1:05 pmIt's hard to believe this happened for footballing reasons. It's John Terry who should be dropped until he's cleared his nameRio Ferdinand has surely played his last game for England. After 81 games for the national side, the central defender has been axed from the Euro 2012 squad by new England manager Roy Hodgson. Ferdinand's omission has had many in and outside of the game scratching their heads. Is it a football decision, or a political decision?One of Hodgson's first tasks as the England chief was to address the impasse between Ferdinand and fellow central defender John Terry, whose seat… -
David Beckham flies out to Greece to meet Olympic torch
16 May 2012 | 1:00 pmBeckham's arrival for ceremony will increase speculation he will be part of the Great Britain football team at the OlympicsDon't bother trying to keep David Beckham out of the news. Two and a half hours before Roy Hodgson revealed the composition of his party for the Euro 2012 finals – the first major tournament for which England have qualified since 1998 in which Beckham will take no part – came the announcement that Goldenballs will be arriving in Athens to observe Thursday's ceremony at which the Olympic flame will be handed over to the representatives of London 2012.Beckham, who… -
Barton accepts one of two charges
16 May 2012 | 12:57 pm• Midfielder accepts charge he kicked Sergio Agüero• Barton denies charge he headbutted Vincent Kompany• QPR announce internal investigation into captain's behaviourJoey Barton has accepted a charge of violent conduct against Manchester City's Sergio Agüero but denied the same charge for his confrontation with Vincent Kompany.The 29-year-old's future at Queens Park Rangers is in doubt after he elbowed Carlos Tevez, kicked Agüero and appeared to headbutt Kompany during their 3-2 defeat at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.Barton, the QPR captain, was given further time to respond to the… -
England have same old faces apart from the new assertive Roy Hodgson | Barney Ronay
16 May 2012 | 12:14 pmRoy Hodgson stands for no nonsense as he faces the press to announce his England squad for Euro 2012So, here they come again. You know: them. In the end Roy Hodgson's squad for Euro 2012 contained no great surprises, essayed no era-defining shifts and remains a group of men very similar to every other group of men assembled in recent years to sally forth in slim-fit suits and pointy shoes to sweat and snarl and grimace on some humid foreign field. In fact, the only real note of difference on the day was Roy himself. Paradoxically amid all this unremarkable continuity, it was a subtly… -
Kenny Dalglish's Liverpool sacking: what owners and ex-manager said
16 May 2012 | 12:13 pm• Dalglish in website statement: 'It has been an honour'• Henry: 'He personifies everything that is good about Liverpool'John W Henry, principal owner"Kenny will always be more than a championship winning manager, more than a championship winning star player. He is in many ways the heart and soul of the club. He personifies everything that is good about Liverpool Football Club. He has always put the club and its supporters first. Kenny will always be a part of the family at Anfield."Our job now is to identify and recruit the right person to take this club forward and build on the strong…
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World news: France | guardian.co.uk
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Turkey to renew talks over European Union membership
16 May 2012 | 12:37 pmWith key opponent of Turkey's membership, Nicolas Sarkozy, no longer in office, EU commissioner to visit Ankara over policiesTurkey is showing renewed interest in reviving its stalled bid to join the European Union, now that one of its key opponents is no longer the president of France.Turkey began its EU accession negotiations in 2005 but made little progress in its candidacy, thanks to a dispute with EU-member Cyprus and opposition from the then French president, Nicolas Sarkozy. Sarkozy argued that the predominantly Muslim country was not a part of Europe and wanted Turkey to accept a form… -
David Cameron teased at PMQs over François Hollande - video
16 May 2012 | 10:15 amLabour leader Ed Miliband asks the prime minister about economic growth discussions he's had with the new French president -
Angela Merkel and François Hollande focus on growth in Greece – video
16 May 2012 | 6:36 amThe newly inaugurated French president, François Hollande, and the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, agree to work closely on growth in Europe -
Youth unemployment across the OECD: how does the UK compare?
16 May 2012 | 2:00 amNearly 11m young people are out of work across the OECD. How has youth unemployment changed and which countries are experiencing the worst rates?• Get the data• More data journalism and data visualisations from the GuardianYouth unemployment across the OECD has risen alarmingly with nearly 11m 15-24 year olds out of work, according to latest figures.The statistics published by the OECD, show youth unemployment reached a rate of 17.1% in March 2012, more than double the unemployment rate affecting the general population. Greece and Spain have fared worst with both reporting youth… -
Le Beau Sancy diamond sold for £5m
16 May 2012 | 1:40 amJewel that began 400-year journey through European royalty in the crown of Henri IV's second wife Maria Médicis sold for double the expected priceAs soon as she set eyes on the Beau Sancy diamond, Marie de Médicis, wife of the French king Henri IV, knew she wanted it, and she nagged her wayward husband until he bought it for her.It was to bring neither of them great pleasure. In 1610, a day after her coronation – for which the large pear-shaped gem was set atop her crown – Henri was assassinated, leaving six children under the age of nine.And so began the Beau Sancy's 400-year journey…
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Global: Jonathan Freedland | guardian.co.uk
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Labour party returns as a credible rival to nervous Tories | Jonathan Freedland
4 May 2012 | 7:22 pmEd Miliband can find much to cheer him in the local election results, but they heap misery on the Liberal DemocratsThe smiles were Boris Johnson's, but the greatest relief belonged to Ed Miliband. With the London result dramatic, but easily written off as a special case – thanks to the peculiar chemistry of two opposing personalities, one more popular than his party, the other much less – Miliband and Labour could celebrate having passed what US politics would call a threshold test, clearing a hurdle essential if Labour is, once again, to be a plausible contender for government.The party… -
Labour must decide – is this government useless or evil? | Jonathan Freedland
27 Apr 2012 | 3:00 pmTeam Miliband needs a coherent line of attack in order to capitalise on coalition troubles. It may not be hard to findThe inner circle of Barack Obama's re-election campaign was grappling recently with a dilemma. How should they run against the president's now-confirmed opponent? Should they cast Mitt Romney as a flip-flopping phoney who would say whatever it took to win – or as a hardcore man of the right, a Wall Street conservative and committed pal of the wealthiest 1%? A senior Democrat told me this week that Team Obama has opted for the latter option.As it happens, Team Miliband has… -
Anders Breivik is a terrorist, so we should treat him like one | Jonathan Freedland
20 Apr 2012 | 3:00 pmWe comb over every word from Oslo, but disregard al-Qaida's rants. The lack of consistency speaks volumesDoes Abu Qatada play World of Warcraft? Did he once, like Anders Behring Breivik, dedicate a sabbatical year to "hardcore" playing of the game? We don't know. Perhaps we will find out when Abu Qatada, often described as the spiritual leader of al-Qaida in Europe, finally faces trial. But I wouldn't bet on it.For when alleged jihadists like Abu Qatada have been brought to trial, they don't quite get the treatment accorded to Breivik this week. If they are allowed to testify for five… -
David Miliband on voting in his own constituency: 'South Shields feels a very long way away from politics' - video
13 Apr 2012 | 9:14 amMP David Miliband talks about the issue of democratic engagement on a local level. He says the sense that people cannot affect politics is profound and we have to re-power communities rather than mess around with constitutional systemJonathan FreedlandAlex Rees -
Ngaire Woods: 'Democracy is not just about being elected' – video
13 Apr 2012 | 9:13 amUniversity of Oxford professor in global economic governance, Ngaire Woods, considers task of government to ensure that the rule of law is enforcedJonathan FreedlandAlex Rees
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Politics: Freedom of information | guardian.co.uk
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Dominic Grieve denies existence of policy to curb freedom of information
16 May 2012 | 6:49 amAttorney general tells justice select committee each FoI application is dealt with on case-by-case basisThere is no government initiative to curtail freedom of information requests, according to the attorney general who has told MPs each application is dealt with on a case-by-case basis.Appearing before the Commons justice select committee, Dominic Grieve QC, denied that the refusal to publish an NHS risk register represented part of a new pattern of responses aimed at blunting the impact of transparency laws.Grieve said he could not second guess why the health secretary, Andrew Lansley,… -
Home care, stealth tax and the elderly: which councils charge the most?
15 May 2012 | 6:01 pmA significant reduction in the number of older people getting care for free, or partly funded by the council means a vast difference in costs. Which councils charge the most and which have the lowest rate?• Get the data• More data journalism and data visualisations from the GuardianThe postcode lottery of social care has been exposed by a survey of local authories in England revealing big increases and wide variations in council charges for home care services that help frail and vulnerable older and disabled people, the Guardian can reveal.Freedom of information requests to 120 councils… -
Private firms face FoI for government contracts
15 May 2012 | 6:22 amMPs committee calls for more scrutiny of central government deals with private companies including opening up contracts to freedom of information requestsThe Commons public accounts committee says companies doing business with central government should be subject to the Freedom of Information Act and should have their performance and contracts examined by the government's spending watchdogs.In its report on the Work Programme on Tuesday, the committee recommended that the Cabinet Office Efficiency Reform Group (ERG) should extend its work to ensure that taxpayers get better value from… -
China's transparency laws: a death sentence for the Yangtze sturgeon
13 May 2012 | 8:40 amThe Yangtze's latest dam construction shows the hollowness of China's 'breakthrough' FoI legislationIn March, as the Chinese city of Chongqing reeled from the ousting of its charismatic party secretary Bo Xilai, the Three Gorges Corporation began preliminary construction work on the Xiaonanhai dam – a project upriver of the city that Bo had strongly advocated in the face of environmental opposition, and the last in a series of 12 new dams along the Yangtze river.Green campaigners were dismayed. Although some still hold out hope that the construction can be halted, many fear that the dam… -
Edited NHS risk register is published in partial climbdown
10 May 2012 | 8:55 amAndrew Lansley releases document on department's website after cabinet used veto to prevent full publicationThe risk of patient care suffering while NHS managers are distracted by restructuring and financial failures is among those on an assessment of risks of the government's flagship health reforms that has been published by the Department of Health in a partial climbdown from its insistence it will not release the controversial document.The health secretary, Andrew Lansley, also told MPs the department would continue to publish updated assessments of the risk register for at least the next…
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Art and design: Frieze art fair | guardian.co.uk
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Frieze art fair New York - in pictures
4 May 2012 | 11:36 amFrieze art fair has opened on Randall's Island, Manhattan in a bespoke temporary structure designed by New York-based SO-IL architects -
New York warms to Frieze as fair muscles in on US art market
3 May 2012 | 2:58 pmUS debut features a 250,000 sq ft tent devoted to contemporary works on Randall's island in the East river"Attention galleries, the fair will be opening in three minutes!" As the announcement blasts, military style, over the intercom, gallery owners could be seen frantically slapping final dabs of white paint on walls, clearing away ladders, dusting frames and polishing picture glass.But, by 11am on the dot, all was calm. All was pristine. The Frieze Art Fair 2012 was open.Regular visitors to Frieze, the annual showcase of contemporary art that began from a standing start in 2003 and grew to… -
Frieze New York review: more glitz, less grit, as art fair moves stateside
3 May 2012 | 2:26 pmIt's all business at the Manhattan edition, and provocations of the type London audiences have come to expect are not in evidenceThe question hovering over the inaugural edition of Frieze New York has been whether the British interlopers would displace the Armory Show, our increasingly moribund local art fair, as New York's leading festival of contemporary art and conspicuous consumption.For the dealers and the collectors it's too soon to tell – Frieze opens on Friday after a collectors' preview on Thursday. But this is a far better fair than might have been expected the first time out,… -
Frieze New York 2012 - in pictures
28 Apr 2012 | 6:01 pmSelected highlights from the artwork submitted by 180 galleries from across the world to be shown at the exhibition -
London Frieze braves backlash to fly the flag of British culture in Manhattan
28 Apr 2012 | 9:31 amThe fair faces the threat of protests by the Occupy movement against art commercialisation as it makes its first trip abroadThe Frieze art fair is set to plant the flag of British culture and commerce on Manhattan soil in its first overseas expansion of the brand.But while organisers plan to shake up the cosy world of New York art fairs, and draw thousands of buyers and fans of contemporary art to a snaking, architecturally unique tent on Randall's Island, Frieze arrives as art critics and curators detect a significant shift in art practice away from the overtly market-orientated and…
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Education: Further education | guardian.co.uk
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Letters: Review threatens quality of teaching in FE
15 May 2012 | 3:00 pmWe are gravely concerned about the Lingfield review panel's proposal to stop requiring further education college lecturers to be qualified as teachers. We fear this will lead to the de-professionalising of staff in colleges, work-based learning and private providers, undoing all gains made since 2001 when training became compulsory. We are also shocked and disturbed by the withdrawal of government support for the sector's professional body, the Institute for Learning. What is missing from the Lingfield interim report, Professionalism in Further Education,is consultation with students. Initial… -
Stranded: the students and staff hit by the crackdown on 'bogus' colleges
14 May 2012 | 2:00 pmAs the coalition attempts to cut immigration, it stands accused of taking the equivalent of a machine gun to private collegesLast year, David Whittaker used half his life savings – about £5,000 – to move from his native South Africa to study in Britain.The 31-year-old had been told by teachers, friends and family that a business degree from a UK college could be the springboard for him to run a successful company back home one day.Whittaker, who had worked in IT since leaving school, chose a college approved and listed by the UK Border Agency (UKBA): Fulham & Chelsea College (FCC). He… -
Student visa rules cost universities millions, MPs told
14 May 2012 | 1:40 pmUniversities say they are struggling to navigate 'Kafkaesque' rules governing entry of non-EU studentsUniversities and colleges are spending millions of pounds to navigate the government's "Kafkaesque" new student visa rules, a committee of MPs has been told.An institution such as the London School of Economics spends £250,000 a year trying to understand regulations governing the entry of non-European Union students, the public accounts committee heard.Medium-sized colleges have had to recruit more than a dozen members of staff each to ensure they are correctly complying with the rules,… -
Education in brief: Rebekah Brooks to lose honorary fellowship?
14 May 2012 | 1:15 pmUniversity of the Arts London urged to revoke former Sun editor's honour, Gateshead College – not such a top employer after all, and big spending plans for free-school management jobsUneasy ed fellowIt's not just David Cameron who continues to be plagued by his association with the former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks. Following publication of the culture, media and sport select committee's report on phone hacking, the University of the Arts London (UAL) is facing renewed calls from staff and students to revoke the honorary fellowship it awarded to the former Sun editor… -
Treasury failed to test fairness of spending cuts, equality watchdog finds
13 May 2012 | 6:05 pmDuty to women, disabled people and ethnic minorities ignored in coalition zeal, says Equality and Human Rights CommissionThe Treasury failed to consider how crucial policies would affect women, disabled people and ethnic minorities before the 2010 spending review, according to a report by the equality watchdog.The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said it was "unable to establish" whether government had checked how its flagship schemes would hit vulnerable people – despite this being a legal necessity.In key areas of policy, the government appeared to set aside equality…
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World news: Georgia | guardian.co.uk
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Russia 'foils Islamist plot to attack Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics'
10 May 2012 | 12:12 pmAnti-terror committee says agents have arrested three suspects and found surface-to-air missiles, TNT and grenade launchersRussia says it has foiled a plot by Islamist rebels to attack the southern city of Sochi when it hosts the Winter Olympics in 2014.The country's anti-terror committee said agents from the Federal Security Service (FSB) had arrested three suspected rebels and seized a large cache of weapons during a raid last week in Abkhazia, the Georgian breakaway region that borders Sochi."Russia's FSB could establish that militants were planning to move these weapons to Sochi during… -
Georgian Orthodox church patriarch's mass baptisms boost birth rate
6 May 2012 | 5:12 pmSince Ilia II began ceremonies in 2008, he has gained almost 11,000 godchildren.The patriarch of the Georgian Orthodox church has baptised hundreds of babies in a Tbilisi cathedral and has been credited with raising the birth rate.Patriarch Ilia II has promised to become the godfather of all babies born into Orthodox Christian families who already have two or more children.Since he began the mass baptisms in 2008, he has gained almost 11,000 godchildren.Georgian president Mikheil Saaskashvili said the patriarch deserves credit for the 25% higher birth rate from 2005 to 2010.Many parents of… -
Hezbollah denies any connection to attacks in India, Georgia and Thailand – video
17 Feb 2012 | 3:42 pmHassan Nasrallah says Hezbollah would never target ordinary Israelis to avenge the death of its military commander Imad Mughniyeh -
Iran seems an unlikely culprit for the attacks on Israeli diplomats | Arshin Adib-Moghaddam
15 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pmTehran has good relations with Thailand, India and Georgia. Why would it endanger that by planting bombs there?Let's assume that sections of the military and security apparatus in Iran are responsible for the string of bombings in Georgia, Thailand and India. What would be the motive? The argument that Iran is retaliating for the murder of five civilian nuclear scientists in Iran is not plausible. If Iran wanted to target Israeli interests, it has other means at its disposal. It is hard to imagine that the Iranian government would send Iranian operatives to friendly countries, completely… -
Iran behind Thailand blasts, claims Israel's Ehud Barak
15 Feb 2012 | 12:11 am• Three blasts in Bangkok wound bomber and five others• Two men in custody with a third on the run• Israeli defence chief blames Iran 'terror cell'Israel has accused Iran of being behind three blasts in Bangkok that injured five people and blew off the legs of the alleged bomber – an Iranian national who was fleeing police when the grenade slipped through his hands and detonated next to him.The blasts came just a day after bombs targeted Israeli diplomats in India and Georgia, and has again escalated tensions between the two countries.Thai police have not yet divulged motives for the…
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World news: Germany | guardian.co.uk
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The Greek people now face a stark choice: in or out? | Timothy Garton Ash
16 May 2012 | 1:45 pmIt's just another election in the birthplace of democracy, but the future of Europe may turn on this oneWhen Germany's chancellor Hannelore Kraft met France's president François Hollande in a sunny Berlin earlier this week, they agreed on a compelling strategy to save the eurozone. With no elections in any eurozone country for the next two years, they were able to stretch the austerity timeline for Greece, Spain and Italy, add some elements of growth stimulus, including increased demand in Germany itself, but also keep up the essential pressure for fiscal discipline and structural reform. As… -
Macedonia on trial for human rights abuses in US post-9/11 rendition case
16 May 2012 | 11:07 amEuropean court of human rights hears case of Khaled el-Masri, detained in Skopje before alleged torture in Afghanistan by CIAEurope's human rights court began hearing the first case arising from the US's post-9/11 rendition programme on Wednesday, when the government of Macedonia went on trial accused of multiple human rights abuses of a German citizen.Khaled el-Masri, 48, a car salesman of Lebanese descent, was detained in Macedonia in December 2003 and held for more than three weeks in Skopje, before being handed to CIA officers who flew him to Afghanistan, where he was allegedly tortured… -
Angela Merkel sacks minister after poor regional election showing
16 May 2012 | 11:04 amGerman chancellor fires Norbert Röttgen after he led her CDU party to heavy election defeat in North Rhine-WestphaliaThe German chancellor, Angela Merkel, has fired her environment minister after he led her conservative party to an embarrassingly heavy state election defeat on Sunday.Merkel said she had asked Germany's president to dismiss Norbert Röttgen and replace him with Peter Altmaier, a trusted senior politician who has been the Christian Democratic Union's chief whip since 2009 and helped organise parliamentary majorities for her eurozone rescue plans.She said in a brief statement… -
Angela Merkel and François Hollande focus on growth in Greece – video
16 May 2012 | 6:36 amThe newly inaugurated French president, François Hollande, and the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, agree to work closely on growth in Europe -
Le Beau Sancy diamond sold for £5m
16 May 2012 | 1:40 amJewel that began 400-year journey through European royalty in the crown of Henri IV's second wife Maria Médicis sold for double the expected priceAs soon as she set eyes on the Beau Sancy diamond, Marie de Médicis, wife of the French king Henri IV, knew she wanted it, and she nagged her wayward husband until he bought it for her.It was to bring neither of them great pleasure. In 1610, a day after her coronation – for which the large pear-shaped gem was set atop her crown – Henri was assassinated, leaving six children under the age of nine.And so began the Beau Sancy's 400-year journey…
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Music: Glastonbury festival | guardian.co.uk
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Michael Eavis and Rob da Bank answer your questions live from The Great Escape
11 May 2012 | 6:36 amWe asked you to send in your questions for Michael Eavis and Rob da Bank, the organisers of Glastonbury and Bestival. Here's how they responded.Stand by for Michael and Rob's answers to your questions in the comments thread below …We'll also post your questions and their answers in this article to make the Q&A easy to follow. But first, a tweet from Rob:The godfather of uk music festivals and some fool in a rave top lockerz.com/s/208107012— Rob da Bank (@RobdaBank) May 11, 2012claraclara asksDo you still get any enjoyment from organising the events ? Michael repliesOf course. -
Michael Eavis and Rob da Bank webchat live from the Great Escape – post your questions here
9 May 2012 | 8:15 amClick here now to see their answers to your questionsThe figures responsible for the UK's best big festivals – Glastonbury and Bestival – will be online to answer your questions at 1pm on Friday 11 May. Leave your questions hereMore than 300 bands are gathering for the Great Escape in Brighton this week, but the festival is more than just a celebration of new talent: running alongside it is a music industry convention, with figures such as the Guardian's Alexis Petridis discussing everything from how to get started in the business, the point of record reviews and how to get the most out… -
Reasons to be cheerful in 2012: There's more to festivals that Glastonbury
20 Jan 2012 | 5:00 pmGlastonbury's taking a year off, but don't tear your hair out: that just means other festivals get to share a piece of the action this yearThe UK's festival scene is as vibrant right now as it's ever been. In fact, if anything, it might be a bit too vibrant – it's exploded to the extent that on most scraps of green during the summer you can expect to see the bassist from Shed Seven performing a lacklustre solo set to an audience of two bewildered campers who are starting to question the value of their £90 tickets.But this year, smaller festivals have a chance of succeeding,… -
Glastonbury, Bestival and Y-Not festival are big winners at industry awards
16 Nov 2011 | 10:02 amEighth annual UK Festival awards also sees Ed Sheeran named breakthrough artist of the yearTriumphing over its competitors in a crowded (if not muddy) field, Glastonbury was named best major festival of 2011 at a ceremony in London on Tuesday night. Headliners at the festival in June included U2, Beyoncé and Coldplay, and it is probably a relief to organiser Michael Eavis's rivals that the event is taking a break next year.Other winners at the eighth annual UK Festival awards at the Roundhouse in Camden included Bestival, which was named the fan's [sic] favourite festival – a new category… -
Greenpeace launches Rainbow Warrior III with help of Glastonbury founder
10 Nov 2011 | 2:28 pmGlastonbury festival owner Michael Eavis joins maiden voyage on the river Thames of environmental group's third flagship• An interactive guide to Rainbow Warrior IIIMichael Eavis first went to sea in 1951, when he was a 15-year-old farmer's son from an undistinguished village near Glastonbury. The death of his father four years later brought an end to his career as a sailor, however, and he returned to manage the dairy herd and, almost by accident years later, to found Europe's biggest music festival.He has never lost his sea legs, however, and on Thursday the 76-year-old fulfilled a…
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World news: Globalisation | guardian.co.uk
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The 'GlobalMay manifesto' of the International Occupy assembly
11 May 2012 | 3:00 amThe International Occupy assembly wants a better world. Such a world is possible, and here's how …We are living in a world controlled by forces incapable of giving freedom and dignity to the world's population. A world where we are told "there is no alternative" to the loss of rights gained through the long, hard struggles of our ancestors, and where success is defined in opposition to the most fundamental values of humanity, such as solidarity and mutual support. Moreover, anything that does not promote competitiveness, selfishness and greed is seen as dysfunctional.But we have not… -
Want to stop banks gambling on food prices? Try closing the casino
10 May 2012 | 1:00 amNeither debate nor dictum have stopped bankers betting on the world's food supply, leaving criminalisation as the only optionRecent price spikes in global food commodities – most notably the bubbles of 2008 and 2010-11 – have exposed a fundamental fault of economic analysis: although speculation in the world's food supply has long been suspected, no one has been able to prove it. The world's most precious resources may have been transformed into a casino for high rollers such as Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase, Barclays and Deutsche Bank, but it's nearly impossible to figure out who is… -
Europe's secondhand clothes brings mixed blessings to Africa
7 May 2012 | 12:21 pmRoaring trade in often smuggled charity castoffs in African street markets risks ruining domestic textile industriesAs a boy growing up in Sierra Leone, Kemoh Bah prized his Michael Jackson T-shirt. "I was the only one who had this kind of T-shirt in my village, and I felt like I was part of American culture," said Bah, dressed head-to-toe in clothes emblazoned with logos outside his roadside secondhand clothes shack in the capital, Freetown.Nicknamed "junks" in Sierra Leone, hand-me-downs account for the majority of outfits in a country where seven out of 10 people live on less than $2 a… -
Imperialism didn't end. These days it's known as international law | George Monbiot
30 Apr 2012 | 2:30 pmA one-sided justice sees weaker states punished as rich nations and giant corporations project their power across the worldThe conviction of Charles Taylor, the former president of Liberia, is said to have sent an unequivocal message to current leaders: that great office confers no immunity. In fact it sent two messages: if you run a small, weak nation, you may be subject to the full force of international law; if you run a powerful nation, you have nothing to fear.While anyone with an interest in human rights should welcome the verdict, it reminds us that no one has faced legal consequences… -
Are export processing zones the new sweatshops, or drivers of development? | John Vidal
30 Apr 2012 | 6:35 amGiant export factories like those in Bangladesh are great for foreign firms, but the benefits for local workers are less obviousWhere does Nike make its trainers? Or Wrangler its jeans? In the same place Raleigh make its bikes, Philip Morris makes its cigarettes, Korean companies make LED lights, and giant corporations like Walmart, Mothercare, Tesco and Reebok make practically everything from pharmaceuticals to fishing rods and baseball caps. The Chittagong export development zone (EDZ) in Bangladesh is the capital of globalisation, the plumb centre of global free trade, and the reason, it…
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News: Main section | guardian.co.uk
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Olympic Games will boost UK economy, predicts Bank of England
16 May 2012 | 1:45 pmLondon 2012 will bring tourist boom and extra public spending that may see off double-dip recession, says Threadneedle StreetBritain's struggling economy will receive a much-needed boost from the Olympic Games this summer as more tourism and extra public spending lead to increased activity that could spell the end of the double dip recession, the Bank of England said.In its assessment of the likely impact of hosting the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, Threadneedle Street said it expected output to be around 0.2% higher in the third quarter than it otherwise would have been.After the… -
The Greek people now face a stark choice: in or out? | Timothy Garton Ash
16 May 2012 | 1:45 pmIt's just another election in the birthplace of democracy, but the future of Europe may turn on this oneWhen Germany's chancellor Hannelore Kraft met France's president François Hollande in a sunny Berlin earlier this week, they agreed on a compelling strategy to save the eurozone. With no elections in any eurozone country for the next two years, they were able to stretch the austerity timeline for Greece, Spain and Italy, add some elements of growth stimulus, including increased demand in Germany itself, but also keep up the essential pressure for fiscal discipline and structural reform. As… -
Passport row sapped Home Office staff morale, survey finds
16 May 2012 | 1:30 pmDepartment responsible for law and order, immigration and security is most demoralised in governmentThe Home Office is Whitehall's most demoralised and discontented department, the first independent survey of civil servants' views of reforms has found.More employees in the department responsible for Britain's law and order, immigration and security said their organisation was poorly equipped to cope with the uncertainties and challenges of the future compared with elsewhere in government.They were also highly critical of colleagues they said were "incompetent". Two-thirds of the civil… -
Miliband sets the goad standard
16 May 2012 | 1:11 pmLabour has decided that Cameron's weak spot is his temper, and tried everything to make him lose it at PMQs"Calm down, calm down!" said Ed Balls to David Cameron as he was banging on about police budgets at prime minister's questions. Labour has decided it has found Cameron's weak spot – his temper. I assume they hope to goad him into losing it again. With any luck, they might get a real spittle-filled, face-purpling outburst, which would get a million hits on YouTube."I am extremely calm," the PM replied, but he said it like Herbert Lom as Inspector Clouseau's boss. You may recall the… -
David Beckham flies out to Greece to meet Olympic torch
16 May 2012 | 1:00 pmBeckham's arrival for ceremony will increase speculation he will be part of the Great Britain football team at the OlympicsDon't bother trying to keep David Beckham out of the news. Two and a half hours before Roy Hodgson revealed the composition of his party for the Euro 2012 finals – the first major tournament for which England have qualified since 1998 in which Beckham will take no part – came the announcement that Goldenballs will be arriving in Athens to observe Thursday's ceremony at which the Olympic flame will be handed over to the representatives of London 2012.Beckham, who…
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Politics: Guardian diary | guardian.co.uk
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Stephen Moss's diary
16 May 2012 | 5:07 am'Remoding' for the Olympics: is this a policy beyond parody?• "Remoding" is the word on everyone's lips, thanks to transport secretary Justine Greening's appearance in a film made by her department praising the virtues of Operation StepChange. "Across the whole department we're trying to reroute, remode, retime and generally reduce our travel," she says as she strides briskly to a cabinet meeting. "I'm remoding at the moment." Operation StepChange seems to involve abandoning the tube, which will be overwhelmed by the Olympics, and walking, cycling or kayaking around London instead. But it… -
Stephen Moss's diary
14 May 2012 | 4:56 pmSo Jeremy Hunt's pulled out of a conference gig due to 'other commitments'. Enjoy those commitments while they last, minister• Oh Lord, Hugh Muir is off for two weeks, and you're stuck with me doing the Diary. I haven't done this since Bonar Law was PM and have completely forgotten how it works. Please help. My Twitter address is at the foot of this column, and since all journalism now consists of recycled tweets I'm rather hoping to crowdsource this column. Crowd, get sourcing.• "Egrets – I've had a few," exclaimed writer and bon viveur Roger Lewis in an amusing review of William… -
Hugh Muir's diary
10 May 2012 | 4:50 pmPsst. A message from West Midland's constabulary. Wanna buy a spy camera for a quid?• Success has many fathers, failure is an orphan, so one doubts that anyone will be rushing forward to take the credit for Project Champion. The wheeze to spy on two Muslim areas in Birmingham using more than 200 CCTV cameras was halted after our man Paul Lewis revealed it to be a dodgy counterterrorism initiative. That was two years ago, but what to do with all those pesky cameras? Well, some have been "redeployed" as part of the effort to protect the Olympics but there are a good few left. So: roll up,… -
Hugh Muir's diary
9 May 2012 | 4:50 pmScotland Yard's audience with the hack who said 'privacy is for paedos'• With Andy Coulson due before the Leveson inquiry tomorrow all eyes turn to the high court. But in the background continue the various police investigations into shenanigans at the late News of the World. Detectives have got to get on with it. And so it was, we understand, that officers from Operation Weeting – the one probing phone hacking – spent much of Wednesday in the pub, the better to understand what life was like in the inglorious past at Wapping. Reminiscing at their behest was Paul McMullan, former deputy… -
Hugh Muir's diary
8 May 2012 | 4:49 pmAn event fraught with danger for the Queen. How to keep the peace between all those PMs• The Queen, she never gets nervous, but like anyone heading for a party uniting disparate – often warring – elements, she must be wondering if it will go off OK. The official website reveals that on 24 July, as part of the 24-hour, coast-to-coast diamond jubilee celebrations, the Queen will pitch up at No 10 for lunch with the prime minister and his predecessors. Quite a day. On her golden jubilee, Blair hosted a dinner attended by all of the then surviving PMs – Heath, Callaghan, Thatcher and…
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Culture: The Guide | guardian.co.uk
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This week's new events
11 May 2012 | 6:06 pm2.8 Hours Later, LiverpoolSometimes three words are all you need. That's your chocolate. Westlife have split. Look: an otter. But how about: zombie chase game? The undead are coming, and there are no weapons to protect you – 2.8 Hours Later is in fact an inspired twist on playground staple tag. Players try to get from A to B without being caught by lurching zombies. Get touched, and you have to go to the survivors' camp for scanning, and if you show up as infected – uh-oh, you're joining the hordes. Thankfully, this just means being made up and dispatched to the zombie disco. Ace.Secret… -
This week's new theatre and dance
11 May 2012 | 6:06 pmTender Napalm, On tourOne of the best plays of 2011, Philip Ridley's Tender Napalm is like much of his work, a play about the violence of love. A two-hander that requires ferocious honesty, commitment and energy, it offers a couple telling each other stories as they are shipwrecked on an island of love, a place from which you worry there can be no survivors. The language is both sensual and sweaty, the allusions are to Greek myth and The Tempest and if the play doesn't easily yield up its meanings, it washes over you in great bruising waves of love and pain. If this revival is as good as the… -
DJ Artwork Q&A
11 May 2012 | 6:06 pmThe dubstep pioneer and Magnetic Man member empties the contents of his psychic record bagThe track I'll be opening my next DJ set with Speedy J: RiseThis track does make you stop and take a breather but it also shows you mean business when that bassline comes in.The track I always play to rescue a dancefloor Benga & Coki: NightIt's one of those records that still sends people running on to the dancefloor to get involved.The track that currently gets the most rewinds DJ Bigga G: Mind, Body And SoulIt just has the meanest bassline of all the records in my bag. As soon as it drops, I look… -
This week's new exhibitions
11 May 2012 | 6:06 pmFlights Of Fancy, KnutsfordThe summertime scattering of sculpture around the grounds of historic mansions can often compromise the integrity of both the art and the landscape. To add greater coherence, each Tatton Park Biennial is given a theme; this year, dreams of flying. Local historical relevance is cited, such as the proximity of Jodrell Bank and Manchester Airport. The artists invited, including Hilary Jack, Tessa Farmer, Olivier Grossetête and the deadpan romantics Juneau Projects need a degree of ironic thrust to make the project take off, but so it variably does with performances in… -
Clubs picks of the week
11 May 2012 | 6:06 pmTsuba Warehouse Party, LondonFor Tsuba's second warehouse party of the year, the label brings together two DJs from contrasting backgrounds, both providing their own takes on house music. Steffi cut her teeth as a DJ in Amsterdam, where she co-founded the playful electro label Klakson in 2000. Moving to Berlin in 2007, she soon won a residency at the legendary Panorama Bar. Her debut album Yours & Mine was released on the club's in-house label Ostgut Ton last year, affirming her commitment to combining the dazzle of New York house with the drive and precision of Berlin techno. Huxley, on the…
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Books: Harry Potter | guardian.co.uk
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Harry Potter theme park to open in Japan
10 May 2012 | 6:48 amA third Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park is to open at Universal Studios' Osaka site in 2014Harry Potter is heading off to Japan following the announcement that a new theme park attraction based on JK Rowling's famous boy wizard is to open at Universal Studios' Osaka site in 2014.This Japanese attraction will be the third of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme parks. The first was opened in 2010 as a section of Universal's Islands of Adventure site at its resort in Orlando, Florida; a second, at Universal Studios park in Hollywood, California, is under construction and looks… -
Pottermore: 3m pupils enrol at Hogwarts
10 May 2012 | 5:40 amMillions of fans have signed up to JK Rowling's digital experience to cast spells and fight duels, with more interactivity and The Chamber of Secrets promised 'soon'Hogwarts, the wizarding school at the centre of the Harry Potter books, can now count 3 million virtual pupils among its numbers after fans rushed to sign up to creator JK Rowling's latest venture Pottermore.After its initial launch date of last October slipped and slipped, Pottermore eventually went live to all on the morning of 14 April. Over the next two weeks, the site's chief executive Charlie Redmayne said it received 22m… -
Why shouldn't paganism have a place in RE lessons? | Liz Williams
8 May 2012 | 3:00 amCornish schools won't be 'teaching witchcraft and druidry', less still black mass – religious education doesn't equal indoctrinationLast month it was suggested that Cornish schools should study paganism in religious education. This modest proposal provoked a splenetic and histrionic reaction from Cristina Odone, in the Daily Telegraph. She seems to be under the impression that the schools' new remit is to "teach witchcraft and druidry". For an exciting moment, I had a vision of Hogwarts' latest Ofsted inspection proving inspirational to Cornish educational authorities, with parents in Truro… -
Fan fiction promises to be a rich vein for publishers
5 May 2012 | 6:03 pmThe transformation of EL James's Fifty Shades of Grey from free ebook to paperback bestseller shows that fan fiction communities are a potentially lucrative source of materialEL James's Fifty Shades of Grey has stormed to the top of the bestseller charts on both sides of the Atlantic, going from self-published ebook and print-on-demand paperback to a Vintage/Arrow Books series, with two sequels hurried into print and a multimillion-dollar film deal with Universal sealed. And, as a saucy novel written by a woman, there has been the usual fuss about erotic fiction.The same feigned surprise… -
From Pottermore to Frankenstein, a new kind of monster is being created | Claire Armitstead
4 May 2012 | 3:30 pmInteractive ebooks that enable us to inhabit characters and rewrite the story are transforming our reading experienceAs China's Zhou Enlai would say, it's always too early to predict the outcome of a revolution – but wherever it's headed, the one that's happening in the publishing world looks to have reached a point of no return.This week, the Publishers Association Statistics Yearbook – collating information from 250 publishers – announced that ebook sales in the UK had increased by 366% last year. Meanwhile, JK Rowling's Pottermore sold more than £1m of ebooks in its first three days…
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Politics: Health policy | guardian.co.uk
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Prostate cancer: health watchdog reverses NHS guidance on drug
16 May 2012 | 2:13 amNice says advanced sufferers in England and Wales should get abiraterone after fresh information from manufacturerA drug to treat advanced prostate cancer should be given to patients on the NHS, a health watchdog has said.Abiraterone, marketed as Zytiga, can extend the lives of late-stage cancer sufferers by more than three months.The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) revised its recommendations after fresh information from the manufacturer, Janssen. Experts welcomed the draft guidance.Professor Alan Ashworth, chief executive of the Institute of Cancer Research,… -
'Fat tax' on unhealthy food must raise prices by 20% to have effect, says study
15 May 2012 | 6:03 pmResearchers say levy on junk food should be accompanied by subsidies for fruit and vegetables"Fat taxes" would have to increase the price of unhealthy food and drinks by as much as 20% in order to cut consumption by enough to reduce obesity and other diet-related diseases, experts have said. Such levies should be accompanied by subsidies on healthy foods such as fruit and vegetables to help encourage a significant shift in dietary habits, according to research published in the British Medical Journal.Academics led by Dr Oliver Mytton and Dr Mike Rayner of the Department of Public Health at… -
It's time to challenge outdated and unfair GP funding
15 May 2012 | 7:30 amGeneral practice funding is based on an outdated system that leaves many surgeries in poorer areas at the bottom the pileFor many years there has been a gross inequity in general practice funding in many areas of the UK. This means that some practices can boast twice as much financial support as those that lie at the bottom of the funding table. Even surgeries next door to each other can have vastly different contracts.Our GP practice, along with many others in the most deprived part of Bristol, comes at the bottom of the table. Historically, this funding inequity dates back to when GP… -
Andrew Lansley branded a liar as nurses give him a frosty reception
14 May 2012 | 7:09 pmRoyal College of Nursing conference delegates berate health secretary's claim of rise in number of clinical staff in NHSAndrew Lansley has been accused of lying about staffing levels in the NHS amid angry scenes at the Royal College of Nursing's annual congress.The health secretary's claim that the number of clinical staff in the NHS has increased since the 2010 election was greeted with derision by many delegates, with some heckling or laughing and others shouting "liar".The RCN has collected evidence, based on a variety of official sources, that 61,113 NHS posts across the UK have… -
Health regulator must learn lessons of breast implant scandal, report warns
14 May 2012 | 11:43 amHealth minister Earl Howe finds MHRA acted appropriately in PIP scandal but needs to improve its communication with publicA government report on the actions of a regulator and the Department of Health during the PIP breast implant scandal has concluded that serious lessons must be learned from the affair, which affected as many as 47,000 women in Britain.The health minister Earl Howe concluded that the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority (MHRA) acted "appropriately" before and after the scandal, but needed to improve in key respects in order to better identify problems…
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Culture: Heritage | guardian.co.uk
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Vandals damage Roman stonework at Scarborough castle
15 May 2012 | 1:00 amNight time attack risks damage to sensitive archaeology dating back more than 2,500 yearsIt is good for the north that the Hepworth Wakefield has reached the final four of the Museum of the Year competition, but there is less happy heritage news from Scarborough.Vandals have clambered into the town's castle, whose position on the headland is one of the glories of both bays, and done significant damage to Roman stonework.The fortress is generally well capable of looking after itself, with walls up to 12ft thick and the mortar so hard in places that it has crystallised into spar. There is also… -
Lancashire marches on East Anglia, armed with cheese
14 May 2012 | 11:35 amCorrie's Martin Platt leads a pongy invasion with a truck full of Smelly Apeth, How's Your Father and Mouth Almighty. Rebecca Smithers is clearing room in her fridgeAs 'cheeky chappy' Martin Platt he was the father of the deeplyirritating David Platt and the hapless husband of the equally annoyingGail.But since leaving the cobbles of Coronation Street seven years ago,actor Sean Wilson has swapped his nurse's uniform for a catering hat and overalls and turned his attention to a different art - that of artisan cheese making.Food fanatic Wilson (who claims to have 300 cookbooks groaning on… -
Yorkshire aims at youth with its cannibalistic anthem
14 May 2012 | 5:29 amJolliest version yet is recorded in the sunshine of the grisly tale of the Ilkley lover whose remains...well, best to check out the lyrics for yourselfYorkshire is going through a period of extreme Yorkshireness at the moment, with a contest over the geographical centre of the county and a vast exercise in reworking the county anthem, On Ilkla Moor Baht 'At.The first issue is one we'd best transfer to our distinguished, mathematical guest-blogger Professor S.Barry Cooper of Leeds University, whose series of posts about the Alan Turing Centenary Year for the Northerner is doing very well on… -
Stormy Waters
9 May 2012 | 1:00 amA Liverpudlian response to Rowan Moore's criticisms of the Liverpool Waters planLiverpool is still one of the most deprived cities in the UK, but it does have an economy that is slowly improving. Only last week, it jumped to fifth place in the table of cities most-visited from overseas. The 1,000 new jobs at the Jaguar Land Rover plant in Halewood are another welcome boost. Yet the fact that some 35,000 people applied for those vacancies shows how it still has a long way to go. This is why ambitious projects like Liverpool Waters, the controversial plan for new offices, homes and other… -
Helston dances the Flora Day away - in pictures
8 May 2012 | 5:03 pmThe Cornish town of Helston hosts a day of dances to celebrate the arrival of spring
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Life and style: Health & wellbeing | guardian.co.uk
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Does job insecurity make you less likely to take sick leave? | Open thread
16 May 2012 | 6:51 amSick days are on the decline and it has been suggested that recent falls are linked to the recession. Tell us your experiencesGood news for UK employers: employees are calling in sick less often. The Office of National Statistics reports that the average worker now takes just 4.5 days because of illness or injury, compared with 7.2 in 1993. A total of 131m work days were lost in 2011, down 6m on the year before. Londoners are least likely to take time off (1.3% of total working hours), whereas employees in Wales and north east England called in sick at the rate of 2.5% of total working… -
Mothers to get 'named midwife' under plan to combat postnatal depression
16 May 2012 | 2:04 amOne-to-one care during labour and birth part of government strategy to tackle condition that affects 10-15% of mothersMothers will receive one-to-one care from a named midwife during labour and birth as part of government plans to combat postnatal depression.Women who have a miscarriage or stillbirth and parents who are forced to cope with the death of a baby will also be offered increased support from the NHS.Under the plans, health workers will be given enhanced training so they can spot the early signs of postnatal depression.The move was welcomed by the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) and… -
Gene variant enhances memory and increases risk of PTSD | Mo Costandi | Neurophilosophy blog
15 May 2012 | 7:35 amThe downside to having a good memoryA genetic variant associated with an enhanced capacity for emotional memories is also linked to increased susceptibility to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to new research published yesterday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.The study, led by Dominique de Quervain of the University of Basel, used a combination of behavioural genetics and functional neuroimaging, and was carried out in three phases, two involving healthy European volunteers and the third involving Rwandan refugees who fled the 1994 civil war. I describe the… -
Transgender journey: facing the reality of surgery
15 May 2012 | 4:03 amAfter a consultation with her gender reassignment surgeon, the reality of impending surgery dawns on Juliet Jacques. Is she doing the right thing?I'm finally moving towards the second major stage of the gender reassignment pathway – surgery.I asked myself: "Is this still what you want to do?" I'd never regretted coming out as transsexual or starting hormone therapy, but both were reversible (at least to a point). This, less so. Some people live full-time in their desired gender without pursuing surgery, but I felt as certain as ever that it was the right course for me. The clinicians at the… -
Joey Barton should take tips from Wayne Rooney
14 May 2012 | 2:00 pmAfter his sending off against Manchester City, the famously hot-headed footballer must finally learn to control his anger. Here are a few tips …Learn from Wayne Rooney." This is what Joey Barton – the famously hot-headed footballer sent off against Manchester City for hitting out at a rival player, then two more on his way to an early bath – should now be doing, according to Mike Fisher, director of the British Association of Anger Management and author of Mindfulness and the Art of Managing Anger.Rooney, says Fisher, "was a natural hot head exposed to the adrenalised, competitive…
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Education: Higher education | guardian.co.uk
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That Science for the Future lobby of parliament: A view from a participant | Cyrus Hirjibehedin | Life & Physics
16 May 2012 | 10:24 amCyrus Hirjibehedin: The new disconnect between EPSRC research studentships and research grants is potentially catastrophic. And perhaps more constructive than the coffin is the fact that many scientists talked directly to their MPsApproximately 100 scientists from the group "Science for the Future" gathered at Parliament on Wednesday, 15 May as part of efforts to overturn a series of changes in the way research funds are allocated by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Council (EPSRC), the primary government funding body for these disciplines in the UK. This follows the publication of a… -
How to be a good lecturer: HE live chat
16 May 2012 | 10:00 amThe role of lecturer is an important one but doesn't come naturally to most. Join our panel on Friday 18 May, to explore the how-tos of teaching for new and not-so-new academicsA quick Google search reveals that there are many examples of 'lecturers behaving badly' on YouTube. It would seem students are taking to the site to share footage of academics doing things such as rambling on incoherently or losing their patience over "an overly loud yawn."It's harder however to find examples, shared by students, of good teaching online. Perhaps when it comes to lecturing, like most things, criticism… -
Creating a genuinely sustainable higher education system
16 May 2012 | 8:32 amThe funding system set up to support the increase in tuition fees in England is financially and socially unsustainableLast year's white paper, Putting students at the heart of the system, built on the Browne review, which sought to put higher education on a sustainable footing.There has been much debate about what we might call social sustainability since tuition fees rose to £9,000. Discussion has focused on higher fees putting off poorer students. Yet, although application rates have decreased, thus far this decrease has not added to social inequality, because applications from poorer… -
Geoengineering experiment cancelled due to perceived conflict of interest
16 May 2012 | 8:13 amTwo scientists involved in Spice project to simulate the cooling effect of volcanoes had submitted patents for similar technologyA controversial geoengineering experiment to simulate the cooling effect of volcanoes has been cancelled due to concern over a perceived conflict of interest with some of the researchers.The experiment would have injected 150 litres of water into the atmosphere from a weather balloon via a 1km pipe tethered to a ship as part of the Spice project (Stratospheric Particle Injection for Climate Engineering).Matthew Watson, a scientist at Bristol University and the… -
I can no longer work for a system that puts profit over access to research | Winston Hide
16 May 2012 | 6:34 amThe associate editor of Genomics says its publisher Elsevier effectively denies developing world access to research findingsToday I resigned from the editorial board of a well respected journal in my field – Genomics. No longer can I work for a system that provides solid profits for the publisher while effectively denying colleagues in developing countries access to research findings.It has not been an easy decision. Some may feel that I'm grandstanding or making a futile gesture. And it may be a toxic career move. Scientists are expected to contribute to the community by reviewing…
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Politics: Simon Hoggart's sketch | guardian.co.uk
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Miliband sets the goad standard
16 May 2012 | 1:11 pmLabour has decided that Cameron's weak spot is his temper, and tried everything to make him lose it at PMQs"Calm down, calm down!" said Ed Balls to David Cameron as he was banging on about police budgets at prime minister's questions. Labour has decided it has found Cameron's weak spot – his temper. I assume they hope to goad him into losing it again. With any luck, they might get a real spittle-filled, face-purpling outburst, which would get a million hits on YouTube."I am extremely calm," the PM replied, but he said it like Herbert Lom as Inspector Clouseau's boss. You may recall the… -
Immigration at airports: the noise, the queues, the horror! | Simon Hoggart
15 May 2012 | 12:39 pmHome affairs committee chairman, Keith Vaz, reveals the hell he suffered at Stansted on his return from Orlando, FloridaThe home affairs committee under the direction of its mighty chairman, Keith Vaz, on Tuesday tackled the problem of immigration queues at airports. Various airline and airport executives were summoned, along with the relevant minister, to account for themselves to the Vaz of Vaz, surely the grandest backbencher in parliament, possibly the grandest ever, a man who makes the Great Panjandrum look like some snivelling satrap.In fact "backbencher" hardly does him justice. -
From jets to sets – MPs ride the wave of cuts
10 May 2012 | 2:00 pmAs parliament argues over another coalition U-turn – this time fighter jets – praise for hairdressers proves far more groundingThe omnishambles in government continues. Day after day it rolls on. Now it's a megashambles. Or in the jargon, a shambles going forward. Yesterday's Guardian story, about the U-turn on the navy's aircraft carrier jets, was the latest.But before that, we had a brief discussion about hairdressers. Richard Fuller, the Tory MP for Bedford, paid tribute to the late Vidal Sassoon, who had "revolutionised hairstyling". But he was not alone. Fuller furnished a list of… -
Queen opens parliament with a festival of bling – and a couple of fluffs
9 May 2012 | 12:25 pmThe Queen's speech was the usual clanging, clanking collection of boilerplate ambitions cloaked in the language of clicheThe last session of parliament was the longest for 100 years. At the previous state opening, the Queen had been on the throne for a mere 58 years. She looks a little more elderly these days, a little more stooped, and she walked with that slight caution that you would have if you were carrying the weight of a large bag of potatoes on your head. Or a crown as we call it.You could hardly call it an austerity opening, though looking round the House of Lords I could see only… -
Simon Hoggart: Hamlet without the prince – and the flame-haired Ophelia
1 May 2012 | 2:39 pmCulture committee report into phone hacking turned out to be the most courteous pub brawl in historyThe culture committee launched its report on phone hacking on Tuesday. Tories to the left, Labour to the right. It turned into the most courteous pub brawl in history. "I bow to no one in my respect for you. Wallop!""Come outside and say that again – though I do insist that you have every right to adhere to that view!""Lay off 'im, Phil – but that's not to say 'e ain't wurf it."The report was nine months in the making. The chairman, John Whittingdale, said they wouldn't comment on people…
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Life and style: Homes | guardian.co.uk
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From dream homes to hellholes: architects shed light on the way we live
16 May 2012 | 10:37 amA report by Riba suggests what we want from our homes – big, light-filled spaces – we just don't get. But in the current economic climate, what can architects do about it?We all know the English like to think of their homes as castles. But according to a report by the Royal Institute of British Architects, "dungeon" could now be a more fitting medieval analogy. The architect's professional body has produced a report called The Way We Live Now, a study of what people want out of their homes and how they're using them. What leaps out from its pages is the gap between expectations and… -
Ten of the best tea towels - in pictures
16 May 2012 | 5:48 amFrom smiling sausages to historic prints, we've scoured the UK's best online boutiques to find 10 tea towels that will make washing up less of a choreRachel Holmes -
Trading up, trading down – in pictures
16 May 2012 | 5:41 amFrom a Cumbrian farmstead to an Edinburgh town houseAnna Tims -
10 tips for home-workers
15 May 2012 | 11:06 amAre you one of the civil servants being told to work from home during the Olympics? If so, you'll need to follow these rules for getting the most out of your new working environmentThe news that up to 40% of Whitehall staff will be permitted to work from home for seven weeks this summer – as part of a bid to ease transport congestion during the Olympics – has been greeted with derision by the private sector. But those of us who work from home full time know it's not as easy as it appears to the people who try to ring us when there's tennis on. It requires organisation, self discipline… -
Homes wishlist: the best coloured glass - in pictures
14 May 2012 | 9:49 amPerk up your home with a piece of pretty coloured glass, whether it's a vase, bowl, tumbler, jug or bottle. Jo Jones and Helen Seamons pick the best on the high streetJo JonesHelen Seamons
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Law: Human rights | guardian.co.uk
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Macedonia on trial for human rights abuses in US post-9/11 rendition case
16 May 2012 | 11:07 amEuropean court of human rights hears case of Khaled el-Masri, detained in Skopje before alleged torture in Afghanistan by CIAEurope's human rights court began hearing the first case arising from the US's post-9/11 rendition programme on Wednesday, when the government of Macedonia went on trial accused of multiple human rights abuses of a German citizen.Khaled el-Masri, 48, a car salesman of Lebanese descent, was detained in Macedonia in December 2003 and held for more than three weeks in Skopje, before being handed to CIA officers who flew him to Afghanistan, where he was allegedly tortured… -
If there were global justice, Nato would be in the dock | Seumas Milne
15 May 2012 | 4:20 pmLiberia's Charles Taylor has been convicted of war crimes, so why not the western leaders who escalated Libya's killing?Libya was supposed to be different. The lessons of Iraq and Afghanistan had been learned, David Cameron and Nicolas Sarkozy insisted last year. This would be a real humanitarian intervention. Unlike Iraq, there would be no boots on the ground. Unlike in Afghanistan, Nato air power would be used to support a fight for freedom and prevent a massacre. Unlike the Kosovo campaign, there would be no indiscriminate cluster bombs: only precision weapons would be used. This would be… -
The NYPD's criminal stop-and-frisk record | Darius Charney
15 May 2012 | 12:43 pmThe police department's policy amounts to racial profiling and the illegal harassment of thousands of New Yorkers a dayLast week, the New York Police Department released quarterly data on its stop-and-frisk program. The numbers are worse than ever, and they confirm everything that is wrong with this practice. From January through March 2012, 203,500 New Yorkers were stopped and frisked. That's an average of 2,200 people per day. Twenty-two hundred people a day, many of whom are stopped for no reason – or the wrong reason, like the color of their skin, or their age, or their gender… -
Mistaken identity, abuse and rendition: Khaled El-Masri finally has day in court | Darian Pavli
15 May 2012 | 8:49 amState secrets aside, Macedonia's callous contribution in CIA's extraordinary rendition programme to be judged in StrasbourgJudges at Europe's top human rights court will on Wednesday May 16 hear the first case to come before them arising from the US CIA's program of "extraordinary rendition", the campaign of covert cross-border transfers of terror suspects launched by the agency after the attacks of September 11, 2001. The case has been brought by Khaled El-Masri, a German citizen of Lebanese descent who was abducted by Macedonian agents at a border crossing in 2004, and transferred to CIA… -
Young human rights reporter of the year 2012 – sixth-form runner-up
14 May 2012 | 11:40 amBeth Rowland, Bablake school, CoventryTasersHow scared should we be of our police force? Personally, I find the police an effective but community-friendly organisation, with our safety and comfort at the forefront of every officer's mind. What about in America? To us Britons, the American police are presented as an organisation to be feared; their officers are, at least in my mind, tough guys with guns, patrolling the streets and shooting the bad guys.They are dangerous and ruthless, and will not hesitate to shoot anyone in their way. In comparison in Britain, the police are almost never…
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World news: India | guardian.co.uk
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UK hedge fund's India tussle puts unfair bilateral trade in spotlight
16 May 2012 | 1:00 amActivists say global trade rules increase corporate power at the expense of developing countries, a claim highlighted by TCI's plan to sue the Indian governmentThe threat by a UK-based hedge fund to sue Coal India, one of the world's largest coalmine operators, has thrown into sharp relief the crucial question of whether the terms of trade and investment are skewed in favour of rich countries and multinational companies.The Children's Investment Fund (TCI), a British hedge fund run by Christopher Hohn, is a minority shareholder in Coal India after acquiring a 1.01% stake when the Indian… -
Aishwarya Rai's post-baby body forces India to confront its attitude to women
15 May 2012 | 11:00 amThe former Miss World is due to appear at the Cannes festival as a debate about her weight rages in her home countryAishwarya Rai is no stranger to Cannes. The Bollywood actor and former Miss World has attended the film festival 10 times, but her appearance on the red carpet next week is set to be her most talked about. The cause of a controversy raging in India lies not with her latest film – Rai is there to promote a cosmetic brand rather than a new movie – but instead, bewilderingly, with recent photographs which suggest that, six months after giving birth to a baby girl, Rai has… -
EU hails airline emissions tax success
15 May 2012 | 9:03 amMore than 99% of major airlines comply with first step of Europe's scheme to charge them for carbon emissionsMore than 99% of all major global airlines have complied with the first step of Europe's controversial scheme to charge them for their carbon emissions.The inclusion of aviation in the European Union's emissions trading system (ETS) from the start of 2012 caused uproar from airlines in more than 20 countries including the US, China, Russia and Japan, but virtually all submitted the required baseline emissions data for 2011. Only eight Chinese airlines and two Indian ones did not comply… -
Slumdog's dissenters: poverty on film in India
15 May 2012 | 9:02 amHow does India, assertively taking its place on film's pop culture world map, deal with outsiders' portrayals of its social woes?• What global box-office stories would you like to see in After Hollywood? Let us know in the comments belowA few weeks ago, Joss Whedon scored all the smart cultural points by taking us on an abridged world tour of horror in The Cabin in the Woods. But he seemed to trip up after putting superherodom on long-haul in Avengers Assemble – the Kolkata slum scenes (where Black Widow finds Bruce Banner on an indefinite gap year) were criticised by Indian actors for… -
Language exodus reshapes India's schools
15 May 2012 | 8:00 amThe belief shared at all levels of Indian society that an English-medium education is the key to children's prosperity is changing classroom teaching but experts worry about standardsDinesh Mandal, an illiterate villager from Bihar, came to India's capital city nearly three decades ago with a dream – to make sure that, unlike him, his son Umesh would get a proper education.To make that possible, Mandal took up work in a home in the heart of Delhi, in an area built by the colonial British and popularly known after its chief planner and architect Edwin Lutyens. Lutyens's Delhi not only has…
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World news: Indian Ocean tsunami 2004 | guardian.co.uk
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Rewind TV: Indian Ocean; Louis Theroux: Extreme Love; The Plot to Bring Down Britain's Planes
28 Apr 2012 | 6:04 pmSimon Reeves swims with endangered sharks, while Louis Theroux has a close encounter with people suffering from dementiaIndian Ocean (BBC2) | iPlayerLouis Theroux: Extreme Love (BBC2) | iPlayerThe Plot to Bring Down Britain's Planes (C4) | 4ODA spirit of restlessness – or, less charitably, randomness – followed Simon Reeve in the first part of his trip round the Indian Ocean, BBC2's new Sunday-evening date with foreign travel and adventure. The views were spectacular, of course. It was hard to keep one's full empathy on the plight of, say, abalones – an endangered seafood highly prized… -
Face to faith: God offers no instant fix in adversity. He respects our free will and asks us to use it well
23 Sep 2011 | 1:00 pmGod offers no instant fix in adversity. He respects our free will and asks us to use it wellI recently sang a familiar hymn by William Cowper which now rang a false note. It began: "God moves in a mysterious way / His wonders to perform; / He plants His footsteps in the sea / And rides upon the storm. / Deep in unfathomable mines / Of never failing skill / He treasures up His bright designs / And works His sovereign will."It could be taken to mean that everything is as God wills it. Yet in the Lord's Prayer, Christians pray that "your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven."… -
Let Not the Waves of the Sea by Simon Stephenson – review
30 Jul 2011 | 6:05 pmSimon Stephenson's account of coming to terms with the death of his brother in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami is beautifully written and unerringly movingOn what would have been his brother's 28th birthday, Simon Stephenson sat in a small room in Edinburgh, his head resting on his sibling's coffin. It was an absurdly large box, made of rich rosewood and big enough to contain the sealed steel casket containing Dominic's remains.Stephenson and his family had been warned not to open the casket on any account. The body was decreed too damaged, too dangerous for them to gaze upon it one last time… -
How can we curb the proliferation of NGOs in a crisis? | Madeleine Bunting
11 May 2011 | 11:00 amGovernment ministers, NGOs and journalists met to discuss how to stop hundreds of aid organisations descending on a country after a disaster. There were no easy answersImagine there is a disaster in a developing country. Communications are down, food is running out, there is no clean water, millions are homeless and hungry. And the planes that do get through are full of well-meaning NGOs with their pockets full of cash. The UN agencies struggle to cope, and spend as much time sorting out the hundreds – even thousands – of NGOs as they do trying to help the disaster stricken.Of course this… -
Doubts over role of cash transfers in women's empowerment
9 May 2011 | 12:06 pmCash transfers are an important step in tackling the women's deprivations, but excluding men could deepen gender divisions, say Oxfam and Concern WorldwideDoubts are emerging over whether cash transfers, designed to strengthen local markets, also empower women and change gender roles in emergencies."Gender relations are quite complex and you cannot assume $50 is going to change that," Sarah Bailey, research officer at the Humanitarian Policy Group, told Irin. "You cannot assume targeting women necessarily leads to their empowerment or promotes gender equality."According to a joint report by…
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World news: Indonesia | guardian.co.uk
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Lady Gaga denied permit for Indonesia concert after religious protests
16 May 2012 | 5:19 amPolice refuse to license Jakarta gig, saying they are unable to guarantee singer's safety following protestsLady Gaga's show in Jakarta next month looks certain to be cancelled. The Indonesian authorities have refused to grant a permit for the concert on 3 June, citing security concerns following protests by conservative Muslim groups. "She's a vulgar singer," said Salim Alatas, from the Islam Defenders Front. "[She] wears only panties and a bra when she sings and she stated she is the envoy of the devil's child and that she will spread Satanic teaching."Local and national police were unable… -
Russian Superjet crash: Indonesian searchers find black box
15 May 2012 | 10:39 pmSukhoi Superjet 100 crashed into Mount Salak during demonstration flight, killing all 45 people on boardIndonesian special forces have found the black box voice and data recorder of a new Russian passenger jet that crashed into a dormant volcano, killing all on board.The recorder could help explain the cause of the crash of the Sukhoi Superjet 100, which had been on a short demonstration flight for potential buyers. Indonesian search and rescue agency spokesman Gagah Prakoso said it was found near the tail of the shattered wreck at the bottom of a 500-metre ravine.The device was delivered to… -
Five journalists die in plane crash
14 May 2012 | 2:00 amFive journalists were killed in Indonesia when a plane crashed into Mount Salak, a volcano south of Jakarta, during a demonstration flight.The English-language daily Jakarta Post said 45 people died in the crash and identified the journalists as Femi Adi, a reporter with Bloomberg; Dody Aviantara and Didik Nur Yusuf of Angkasa magazine; and Ismiyati Sunarto and Aditya Sukardi of Trans TV.Indonesia's Institute of Aeronautics and Space said the plane, a Sukhoi Superjet 100, encountered bad weather on the flight last Wednesday (10 May). Search teams were still recovering the bodies of victims… -
Russian plane crash: search teams begin retrieving bodies
12 May 2012 | 12:10 amSearch teams reach the wreckage of plane which crashed into a volcano during a demonstration flight in IndonesiaClearer weather has allowed Indonesian helicopters to land and retrieve the bodies of the 45 people on a Russian-made plane that crashed into a volcano during a demonstration flight.Investigators still have found no sign of the black box recorder that might explain why the new Sukhoi Superjet-100 slammed into Mount Salak about halfway through a 50-minute flight intended to woo potential Indonesian airline buyers on Wednesday.Search teams who climbed the dormant volcano's… -
Russian plane crash: rescuers recover bodies but no survivors
10 May 2012 | 6:04 amAll 45 people on board Sukhoi Superjet feared dead after it crashed into Indonesian volcano during flight to impress buyersRescuers have discovered bodies but no survivors near the wreckage of a new Russian-made passenger plane that smashed into the side of an Indonesian volcano during a flight to impress potential buyers. All 45 people on board are feared dead.Owing to the remoteness of the crash site, the bodies will need to be placed in nets and lifted by ropes to a helicopter, according to a national search and rescue agency spokesman."So far we haven't found any survivors, but we are…
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World news: Japan | guardian.co.uk
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Afghanistan hopeful of extra US cash to fund security
15 May 2012 | 12:47 pmOfficials believe Washington will pay more on top of lion's share of expected $4.1bn annual budget after foreign troops leaveAfghanistan is confident the US will stump up billions of extra dollars for its army and police on top of the main chunk of a $4.1bn (£2.6bn) annual budget that is expected to be sealed at a Nato summit this month, an Afghan diplomat has said.With foreign combat troops already heading home, and all due to be all gone by the end of 2014, there is little hope the impoverished country will be able to hold off the hardened Taliban insurgents without outside financial… -
Eyewitness: Tokyo
14 May 2012 | 5:30 amPhotographs from the Guardian Eyewitness series -
Sony posts record annual loss
10 May 2012 | 10:40 amThe creator of the Walkman music player and PlayStation forecasts operating profit of ¥180bn for year to next MarchSony, the name once synonymous with high-quality consumer electronics, posted a record loss of ¥456.7bn (£3.6bn) for the last financial year on Thursday as it struggled with its loss-making televisions business and lack of new products.Sony shares have slipped to a 25-year low, a sign of how the Walkman and PlayStation maker has lost its innovative edge and fallen behind rivals Apple and Samsung. Sony is now valued at around £9bn, or just 3% of Apple.Under new chief executive… -
Harry Potter theme park to open in Japan
10 May 2012 | 6:48 amA third Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park is to open at Universal Studios' Osaka site in 2014Harry Potter is heading off to Japan following the announcement that a new theme park attraction based on JK Rowling's famous boy wizard is to open at Universal Studios' Osaka site in 2014.This Japanese attraction will be the third of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme parks. The first was opened in 2010 as a section of Universal's Islands of Adventure site at its resort in Orlando, Florida; a second, at Universal Studios park in Hollywood, California, is under construction and looks… -
Fukushima owner saved from collapse by Japanese government
9 May 2012 | 9:58 amJapan agrees to 1tn yen injection for Tepco, hit by compensation claims and decontamination costs after nuclear plant's meltdownTokyo Electric Power (Tepco), the company at the centre of Japan's worst-ever nuclear accident, has been saved from collapse after the government in effect nationalised the firm by agreeing to inject 1 trillion yen ($12.5bn) in fresh capital.Japan's biggest utility has received at least 3.5tn yen in state support since three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant went into meltdown after being hit by a powerful tsunami on 11 March last year.The trade…
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Music: Jazz | guardian.co.uk
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Take five: John Fordham's month in jazz – May
16 May 2012 | 9:10 amContinuing our series of monthly columns, John Fordham picks out his musical milestones from the past few weeks. Tell us in the comments section below if there's things we've missed, plus what you'd like to see John covering in next month's column1) An anniversary: Herbie Hancock's Takin' OffThanks to those who posted comments on last month's Take Five – including nilpferd's suggestion that Herbie Hancock's 1962 Blue Note debut Takin' Off would make a fitting 50th anniversary classic for May. I couldn't agree more.Chicago-raised Hancock was just 22 when he made this astonishingly mature… -
Dub Colossus Dub Band – review
14 May 2012 | 6:11 amNew Empowering Church, LondonDub Colossus are one of the most exciting fusion bands of recent years, thanks to their inventive blend of Ethiopian jazz and traditional styles, dub reggae and atmospheric instrumentals. But that doesn't always ensure a good payday. Their leader, Nick "Dubulah" Page, complains they have had to turn down concerts because the fees were insufficient to cover the cost of flights and visas for the Ethiopian members. So, for this show, Dub Colossus line up with only their British-based members present.The band's new album, Dub Me Tender, consists of songs from their… -
John Pizzarelli: Double Exposure – review
12 May 2012 | 6:03 pm(Telarc)This will come as a surprise to everyone who had John Pizzarelli tagged as a latter-day swing crooner who also plays some tasty guitar. Born in 1960, he is, in fact, a second-generation jazz guitarist, his father being the great Bucky P. This is a collection of 13 songs from his own generation, all given surprising new treatments. The Beatles meet Lee Morgan, Tom Waits meets Billy Strayhorn, James Taylor meets Joe Henderson and they both meet Lambert, Hendricks and Ross. The arrangements are sharp and witty, the singing deceptively easygoing, and the guitar playing just terrific. -
The week in music - in pictures
11 May 2012 | 8:51 amFrom Dexys to the Beasties, via Gaga and Macca, here are this week's most memorable moments in music -
John Abercrombie Quartet: Within a Song – review
10 May 2012 | 4:42 pm(ECM)This is an unusual ECM release – a journey back to guitarist's guitarist John Abercrombie's formative 1960s influences, in the music of Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, Miles Davis and Bill Evans. But the implications of the title, and a glance at a postbop superband lineup – saxophonist Joe Lovano, bassist Drew Gress and drummer Joey Baron complete the group – are the clues to its underlying contemporary strengths. Flamenco Sketches, from the Davis/Evans collaboration on Kind of Blue, joins sparing guitar and delicious tenor-sax tentativeness from Lovano.
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Business: John Lewis | guardian.co.uk
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Waitrose matches Tesco prices with 'never knowingly undersold' pledge
2 May 2012 | 2:36 pmThe grocer, part of staff-owned John Lewis Partnership, tries to win over budget-conscious shoppers by matching market leaderWaitrose has launched a "never knowingly undersold"-style pledge to match the price of branded groceries on the shelves of the market leader Tesco as it looks to win over budget-conscious shoppers.The grocer, part of the John Lewis Partnership, has been outperforming its larger rivals for several years and the managing director, Mark Price, said it was investing "tens of millions of pounds" to extend its existing "price match" guarantee. "This is our equivalent of John… -
Alice Temperley's new adventures
1 May 2012 | 3:00 pmBritish, bohemian and beaded, Alice Temperley's clothes are instantly recognisable – and now the designer is taking her brand to the high-street, in a collaboration with John LewisAssociations with the Alice Temperley name, in no particular order: the royal wedding (Pippa Middleton's green evening dress was by Temperley.) Barbour (Temperley designs a capsule collection for the brand.) Cider (the Temperley family own a cider farm at Burrow Hill in Somerset and Alice is currently campaigning for an exemption for traditional farmhouse scrumpy from the proposed minimum pricing law for alcohol.)… -
Store Wars: John Lewis and Debenhams
20 Apr 2012 | 4:27 amEach week we look at retailers competing in the same sector. This week we pitch John Lewis and Debenhams into battleEach week we are looking at two shops competing in the same sector and reviewing what they are offering customers: from how helpful the staff are, to the best bargains currently on offer.Our review will be based on a visit to stores on the same high street, or online, so it will be just a snapshot of how the retailer is performing.In order to get a better idea of which retailers are delivering and which are falling short, we would like you to tell us about your experiences of… -
Are we heading for full profit-making schools? | Ron Glatter
28 Mar 2012 | 3:00 amCosy mutual talk is just clouding the issue – if for-profit education is the goal, we should debate it directlyOne of the most contentious issues expected to be debated at the teacher conferences that begin next week is who should be owning and running our publicly funded schools. First we had academies, then free schools, and now so-called "John Lewis schools" are being put forward as the future delivery model.An educational group set up by two city financiers wants to run more than 2,000 schools along the lines of what it claims is the model championed by the John Lewis Partnership in… -
Spring weather boosts business at John Lewis and Waitrose
16 Mar 2012 | 12:07 pmDepartment store business has one of its best weeks in recent months, with revenues up 14.2% to nearly £60mJohn Lewis and Waitrose saw sales surge last week as customers welcomed the spring weather by splashing out on food and fashion.The department store business had one of its best weeks in recent months, with revenues up 14.2%, to nearly £60m, in the week to last Saturday.Waitrose, the supermarket arm of the John Lewis Partnership, saw sales rise 7.2%, to £105m. Strawberry sales were up 45% on the same week last year.At John Lewis, fashion sales rose 18%, including a 26% increase in…
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Politics: Boris Johnson | guardian.co.uk
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The 'leftwing bias' charge is distracting the BBC | James Macintyre
15 May 2012 | 12:41 pmThe idea there's bias one way or the other is a convenient myth, but paranoia about the issue runs through BBC executivesIt is no surprise that Boris Johnson, like many Conservatives before him, this week accused the BBC of an "overwhelming bias to the left". More surprising is that figures at the top of the BBC, including the director general who Johnson believes should be replaced with "a Tory", share the London mayor's concerns.In 2010, I interviewed Mark Thompson in Edinburgh, with the aim of tackling the myth of BBC leftwingery. The plan backfired. He argued against my assertion that… -
Blues versus blues: why is team Boris so opposed to Chelsea's Battersea power station plan?
15 May 2012 | 3:23 amThe west London club's imaginative idea for salvaging the capital's finest disused landmark has already met opposition from City HallChelsea FC's bid to buy the Battersea power station site with the aim of constructing, "one of the most iconic football stadiums in the world," there has divided opinion. Rowan Moore anticipates the same problems as previous schemes proposed for reviving London's most magnificent disused building:Gigantism, the destruction of the essential qualities of the old building, and rather obvious issues with transport and local residents. It is hard to see how dropping… -
Boris Johnson: two reasons why it suits him to attack the BBC
14 May 2012 | 6:52 amThe London mayor's extraordinary attack on the national broadcaster both feeds his Tory grassroots support and reveals his dislike of proper scrutiny.It was civil of Mayor Johnson to grant the Evening Standard an interview straight after his re-election, but then he does rather owe the one and only London regional newspaper for its almost entirely uncritical support for his cause ever since a friend of the Johnson family was installed as its editor in March. How terrific it must be having so many chums in positions of media power and influence: if they don't own Boris-supporting organs, they… -
Boris Johnson: next BBC boss must be Tory
14 May 2012 | 6:08 amLondon mayor calls BBC 'statist, corporatist, defeatist, anti-business, Europhile and overwhelmingly biased to the left'The next boss of the BBC must be a Tory, according to the mayor of London, Boris Johnson.Writing in the Daily Telegraph, he said the guarantee of funding from the licence fee left BBC staff with "an innocent belief that everything in life should be 'free'".He said: "No wonder – and I speak as one who has just fought a campaign in which I sometimes felt that my chief opponent was the local BBC news – the prevailing view of Beeb newsrooms is, with honourable exceptions,… -
Hideously diverse Britain: I know better. But we all make mistakes
13 May 2012 | 2:31 pmWhat is there to learn from inadvertent stereotyping during coverage of the London mayoral campaign?It's been an unsettling few days. Instructive, but unsettling. I subscribe to what Humphrey Bogart's detective says in The Maltese Falcon. "I don't mind a reasonable amount of trouble," he tells a would-be client. If you write this column, you make a few enemies. I just like them to be the right ones.It began with an article I wrote about the electoral demise of Ken Livingstone in the London mayoralty. I referred to a meeting Livingstone had with Jewish Labour activists who wanted to repair the…
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Art and design: Jonathan Jones on art | guardian.co.uk
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Our memories of Mike Kelley's art will be shaped by the manner of his death
16 May 2012 | 10:49 amThe late artist's unfinished replica of his childhood home, with its dark underground retreat, suggests parallels with his troubled lifeDoes Van Gogh's painting of crows over a wheat field, like black messengers of fate, presage his imminent death? However many art historians argue otherwise, it is always going to look like a painted suicide note. When an artist dies by suicide this has a deep effect on how we see that artist's work.While Van Gogh is written into history as "the man suicided by society", in Antonin Artaud's words, the place of American artist Mike Kelley in modern memory has… -
Anish Kapoor's Olympic Park sculpture sends public art into Orbit
15 May 2012 | 7:34 amThe Orbit tower does not deserve to be pilloried. It's everything that public art should be: wild, unexpected and not consensualSome of the greatest art in the world is public art, including Michelangelo's David, the fountains of Bernini and Rodin's Burghers of Calais. Those are lofty masterpieces. A few notches down in sublimity but beloved of locals and tourists alike are such icons as Eros at Piccadilly Circus, or the mermaid in Copenhagen harbour, or the Statue of Liberty.It is important to remember such triumphs as the debate over public art in Britain deepens. A few years ago, expensive… -
Richard Hamilton: the Duchamp-ion of intellectual art
14 May 2012 | 10:07 amThe father of pop art – who is to be the subject of a posthumous exhibition at the National Gallery – also rediscovered and popularised the once-neglected work of Marcel DuchampRichard Hamilton richly deserves his posthumous exhibition at the National Gallery. The artist, who died last year at 89, was a champion of the intellect in a country that often prefers blunt empiricism to vaulting ideas. If Hamilton helped to invent pop art, he was also a conceptual artist powerfully influenced by Marcel Duchamp, whose work he interpreted and popularised.It's amazing, given the fame of Duchamp… -
Beauty and the bin: why David Batchelor's Skip is not rubbish
10 May 2012 | 8:22 amCritics have been quick to trash Batchelor's glow-in-the-dark public work of art, but he's inviting us to see the beauty and magic of the discarded, to notice the wonder that children seeModern art is rubbish! Artist puts £95,000 skip in town centre! Cart this junk away!I summarise, but this is the general tenor of reports in certain sections of the press this week on David Batchelor's Skip, a temporary public work of art unveiled as the centrepiece of Brighton's 2012 House festival.Skip is a, well it's a skip, and it is illuminated by yellow fluorescent strips whose glow mystically… -
Whaam! Prepare to be hit by Roy Lichtenstein's finest comic book hour
9 May 2012 | 6:42 amThe retrospective of Lichtenstein's work at London's Tate Modern will display the wit and glorious contradictions of his worksRoy Lichtenstein's Whaam! is an eerie modern version of the battle paintings that once decorated European palaces and council chambers. It is on a grand scale, split across two panels that together measure more than four metres in width. An American fighter unleashes a spurt of fire that blows up an enemy plane, giving the pilot no chance of escape. It is a picture of violence, but the violence is experienced third hand. The painting is meticulously translated from a…
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World news: Kashmir | guardian.co.uk
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Bradford aid convoy to Palestine faces danger and controversy in Syria
10 May 2012 | 10:19 amAnne Czernik describes how Kashmir gives the Yorkshire city a particular feeling for Palestine. But this year's choice of aid route has been condemned by other supportersIn 2009, George Galloway told a meeting in London that he was going to fill his 4x4 with aid, drive to Palestine and 'break that siege'. Arshad Ali, a relationship counsellor, offered to lead a convoy from Bradford and the Yorkshire city has subsequently had the largest contingent on each of the 'Viva Palestina' missions. The plight of displaced people has a resonance in Bradford. The majority of the local Pakistani… -
Pakistani president visits Indian shrine after talks with PM
8 Apr 2012 | 10:53 amAsif Ali Zardari discusses trade, security and Kashmir with Manmohan Singh and spends an hour at saint's tombAsif Ali Zardari made a pilgrimage to a Muslim shrine on Sunday during the first visit by a Pakistani president to India for seven years.With his 23-year-old son Bilawal and a large entourage, Zardari spent an hour at the tomb of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, a 12th-century saint, in the desert city of Ajmer, 250 miles south-east of Delhi. He left draped in a red and gold tinsel cloak and turban.Hours earlier, over lunch in the capital, India's prime minister, Manmohan Singh, asked Zardari… -
Pakistani president in first visit to India in seven years
8 Apr 2012 | 4:14 amAsif Ali Zardari's trip raises hopes that long chill in relations between the two south Asian states could be close to endingAsif Ali Zardari, the Pakistani president, has landed in Delhi for the highest-level visit to India by an official from the neighbouring country for seven years.Zardari was on his way on Sunday to pray at the shrine of a famous Muslim saint 250 miles south-east of the Indian capital.Though originally mooted as a personal religious pilgrimage, the trip has now raised hopes that the long chill in relations between the two south Asian states could be close to ending.The… -
Plight of young brides in Kashmir, sold to older strangers for a pittance
15 Feb 2012 | 3:42 pmPoor men have been buying teenage brides from afar to dodge dowries, while Kashmir's destitute war widows are ignoredKnees pressed against her chest, Sakina huddles near the window of a sparsely furnished house. Her face is lit by a solitary ray of sunlight creeping into the cold room. It creates shadows around the petite woman who is wrapped in a ragged shawl.Sakina, 22, was a teenager when she was sold by her family for 1,200 rupees (£15) to a stranger over the age of 60. Her sister, who organised the deal, had duped Sakina by presenting a "young good-looking" chap before the marriage… -
Guardian Books podcast: First Book award
25 Nov 2011 | 9:38 amIn this week's podcast, we're celebrating the new, dedicating the whole programme to the books on the 2011 Guardian first book award shortlist. First up, and with the only non-fiction book in the running this year, is oncologist Siddhartha Mukherjee. His extraordinary biography of cancer, The Emperor of All Maladies, has been praised by reviewers, and has already won him a Pulitzer prize in his native US. He talks to us about why he felt he had a duty to write it, and what the reaction has been from the cancer community. Mirza Waheed's novel, The Collaborator, is a thriller about the tangled…
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World news: Kenya | guardian.co.uk
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Kenyan TV show ploughs lone furrow in battle to improve rural livelihoods
15 May 2012 | 8:08 amA reality TV programme is providing Kenya's farmers with vital tips; its creator wonders why rich countries aren't doing the sameGeorge Mungai is an unlikely TV star. The softly spoken farmer and father of six lives in a tidy compound of houses, all wood and corrugated iron, among the cool, misty hills outside Nairobi. But thanks to Shamba Shape-Up, a reality show that does for Kenyan farms what Extreme Makeover does for homes, Mungai is a minor celebrity here in Limuru."[The programme] has taught me to practise better farming," says Mungai, 54, during a break from filming on a damp May day. -
Flower power keeps Kenya's Lake Naivasha blossoming – video
15 May 2012 | 6:48 amThe export of flowers from Kenya's Lake Naivasha area has raised environmental concerns, but a WWF scheme is tackling the situationSimon RawlesNoah Payne-Frank -
To talk about British atrocities in Kenya during the Mau Mau era is nonsense | John Allen
9 May 2012 | 2:30 pmIt was the Mau Mau, not colonial officers like me, who terrorised ordinary Kenyans. We were looked on as protectorsGeorge Monbiot asserts that in Kenya's colonial era, the British detained almost the entire Kikuyu population in camps where thousands were beaten and abused (Deny the British empire's crimes? No, we ignore them, 24 April). It is a pity he did not seek out any of those who worked in Kenya in the years leading up to full independence.I first visited east Africa in 1951, finding a carefree and happy community where nobody needed to bolt their doors or lock their windows. I… -
Kenyan church hit by grenade
29 Apr 2012 | 4:25 amAt least one person killed and a dozen wounded in attack in NairobiAt least one person has been killed and a dozen wounded in a grenade attack at a church in the Kenyan capital, the latest in a series of attacks in the east African country since it sent troops into neighbouring Somalia.The blast on Sunday was in a working-class area of the city, police and Kenya Red Cross officials said."I can confirm that one person is believed to be dead," a police spokesman, Eric Kiraithe, said.There was no immediate claim of responsibility.The government has blamed previous attacks on the Somali-based… -
Kenyans with HIV join activists in call for unused US Aids money to be spent
27 Apr 2012 | 8:25 amNews that $500m of US Aids programme funding earmarked for Kenya is lying dormant has not gone down well in NairobiScores of Kenyans living with HIV sang and chanted outside a hotel in central Nairobi on Wednesday, demanding that $500m of unspent funds from the US government's Aids programme be freed to provide life-saving antiretroviral treatment in Kenya.The protesters' shouts were meant to reach the ears of US officials, including ambassador Scott Gration and the country head of the US President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (Pepfar), who were attending a conference at the hotel with…
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World news: Kosovo | guardian.co.uk
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European election weekend offers test for austerity and incumbents
1 May 2012 | 10:26 amEurope braces itself with the presidential runoff in France and important contests in Germany, Italy, Greece and SerbiaEurope is braced for a bumper crop of elections this weekend which will decide the politics for the increasingly contested campaign to save the single currency and to drag the EU out of the economic doldrums.The presidential runoff in France looks likely to turn Nicolas Sarkozy into a crushed one-term president. A crucial general election in Greece will offer the first popular verdict on its financial collapse. Italian local elections will gauge the climate facing the… -
Serbia wins support for joining EU
28 Feb 2012 | 12:53 pmEuropean foreign ministers back Balkan nation's candidacy despite resistance from neighbour RomaniaSerbia took a large step towards integrating with mainstream Europe on Tuesday when European Union foreign ministers called for the country to be made a candidate for union membership.The breakthrough came despite surprising resistance from neighbouring Romania, and followed a deal last week when Belgrade abandoned boycotting the attendance of Kosovo at regional and international meetings because it views Kosovo as part of Serbia and refuses to recognise its independence.The decision by the… -
24 hours in pictures
31 Dec 2011 | 8:13 amA selection of the best images from around the world -
Ante Markovic obituary
15 Dec 2011 | 12:06 pmLast prime minister of Yugoslavia, he failed to halt federal breakupThe former Yugoslav prime minister Ante Markovic, who has died at the age of 87, was the last politician of any stature to remain loyal to the idea of a community of genuinely equal Yugoslav republics. When Markovic took charge of the government of what was then the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in March 1989, much hope was invested in the ability of the astute former company director to apply the kind of technocratic remedies to his country's economic and political ills that he had successfully employed… -
Letters: Way to go in Serbia
14 Dec 2011 | 3:00 pmThe only thing I can praise Michael Meadowcroft's letter on Serbia (8 December) for is its naïve optimism. An outsider might be forgiven for thinking the current Serbian government is "progressive", but as a British-Serb businessman I see quite a different story. While the issue of Kosovo is important, the eurozone debt crisis highlights more than ever the need for stability and a strong rule of law in EU candidate countries. Yet recent reports from the World Bank and International Finance Corporation, UN Office of Drugs and Crime and UN Development Programme all highlight the crippling…
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World news: Kurds | guardian.co.uk
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In memory of Farzad Kamangar, Iranian Kurdish teacher
16 May 2012 | 10:01 amKamangar, a teacher in Iran's Kudistan region, was hanged in May 2010 for being "an enemy of God"This month marks the second anniversary of the execution of a primary school teacher, who paid with his life for refusing to make televised confession about a crime he didn't commit.Farzad Kamangar was 31 when he was detained by the security forces in July 2006 for allegedly collaborating with the Kurdish opposition groups. The government accused him of being "an enemy of god". His mother believes that her son's only crime was his 'Kurdishness' and his lawyer Khalil Bahramian maintained that… -
Corruption scandals threaten to destabilise Iraqi Kurdistan | Fazel Hawramy
10 May 2012 | 3:00 amKurdish president Masoud Barzani has won international recognition for the region but has forgotten about reform at homeLast month, Zana Salih, the mayor of Iraqi Kurdistan's second largest city, Sulaymaniah, was arrested on corruption charges relating to the embezzlement of close to half a billion dollars. One week later he was found dead in a police cell. While the Kurdistan regional government (KRG) maintains that the mayor hanged himself, the mayor's wife and many members of the public believe he was killed because he had threatened to name a number of powerful corrupt officials.The… -
Syria's Kurds: part of the revolution? | Thomas McGee
26 Apr 2012 | 3:30 amKurds are actively engaged in protests in Syria, despite claims to the contrary, and their voices should be heard more widelyReports on the Syrian revolution over the last year have often portrayed the country's Kurds as silent and inactive. The latest example comes from Michael Kennedy in the New York Times. His article places the Kurds on the "sidelines" of the revolution, where they are "hedging their bets as they watch to see who will gain the upper hand".It is with frustration that I read such accounts, as they minimise Kurdish participation in spite of an extensive YouTube archive… -
Turkish taboos perpetuate immaturity | Ayşe Kadıoğlu
18 Apr 2012 | 10:39 amThe protection of 'Turkishness' has gone too far. To heal the wounds of our dark past, we need debate and deliberationGrowing up under the spell of taboos is a debilitating experience. It can imprison one's mind in a state of infancy despite the inevitable physical growth of a person. As the Spanish-American philosopher George Santayana says: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." When I understood the magnitude of these words, I was already an adult enrolled in graduate school in the US.I grew up in Turkey, where the prevailing education system still conceals… -
Turkey's 1980 coup lives on its legal system | Firat Cengiz
11 Apr 2012 | 3:00 amThe trial of former general represents a historic opportunity for Turkey to face its past, but there are reasons to be cautiousLast week in Ankara, the trial began of former generals Kenan Evren and Tahsin Şahinkaya for their involvement in the 1980 Turkish coup. The coup traumatised Turkish society. An estimated 650,000 people were arrested, the vast majority of whom were tortured and tried before military courts; about 300 died under arrest. The protection of fundamental rights was reduced to a minuscule level with the 1982 constitution that has stayed in force ever since. The underlying…
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Politics: Labour | guardian.co.uk
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Labour reshuffles top jobs in House of Lords
16 May 2012 | 12:28 pmBaroness Thornton will move from health to equalities, with her role on the health portfolio being taken over by Lord HuntThe Labour party's reshuffle of top jobs has been extended to the House of Lords.Baroness Thornton, who played a high profile role in the Lords' strong opposition to the controversial NHS reform bill in the last session of parliament, will move from health to equalities.Her lead role on the health portfolio will be taken over by Lord Hunt, a former minister in several departments under the previous Labour government, now shadow deputy leader of the upper house and Labour's… -
David Cameron teased at PMQs over François Hollande - video
16 May 2012 | 10:15 amLabour leader Ed Miliband asks the prime minister about economic growth discussions he's had with the new French president -
Bradford Muslims must practice serious, mainstream politics to win effective change
16 May 2012 | 7:47 amThe city's former Lord Mayor Mohammed Ajeeb condemns both Labour's lacklustre politics and Respect's firebranding; and reveals how he warned his party's national executive in 1999 about the dangers of 'clan' politicsI first met Mohammed Ajeeb on an icy winter's day in 1975. Huddled over a one-bar electric heater in Shelter's Bradford office, we plotted a campaign which eventually saved three Victorian squares in Manningham – Peel, Hanover and Southfield, where I then lived. Ajeeb subsequently served for many years as a Labour councillor and was the city's first British Asian Lord Mayor in… -
Labour must show Cardiff credentials, says incoming shadow Welsh secretary
16 May 2012 | 6:25 amParty's rising star Owen Smith says Labour-led government in Wales is championing progressive policies to revive economyThe new shadow Welsh secretary has said it is "crucial" for his party that the Labour-led government in Cardiff shows the whole of the UK what a future Labour administration in Westminster could do.Owen Smith, who replaces Peter Hain, claimed the Labour government in Wales was championing progressive policies designed to create more jobs and business and protect the health service.Smith, regarded as a rising star of Labour, accepted it was important for the national party's… -
Unemployment benefit claimants constituency by constituency: full data
16 May 2012 | 5:20 amThe UK unemployment has fallen. These are the claimant numbers in each parliamentary constituencies. Get them where you live• Get the dataUnemployment is down - by 45,000 in the three months to March.The total number of jobless fell to 2.63 million, according to the Office for National Statistics, its lowest level since last summer. That brought the unemployment rate in the first quarter of 2012 down to 8.2%, from 8.4% in the last three months of 2011.The ONS said the more timely claimant count, which measures the number of people receiving jobseekers' allowance, had also fallen, by 13,700…
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Television & radio: Last night's TV | guardian.co.uk
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TV review: Sex, Lies and Rinsing Guys; Silk
15 May 2012 | 5:05 pm'Rinsing' means getting something for nothing – and Danica is rinsing royaltyI've just bought a gift on the internet for a woman named Danica Thrall. I got her a DVD of Crossroads – the 2002 film starring Britney Spears, I'm sorry to say, not the long-running ITV soap set in a motel near Birmingham, which wasn't on her Amazon gift list.How do I know Danica? Well, I don't really, to be honest, but I went to her official website after seeing her on Sex, Lies and Rinsing Guys (Channel 4). I'm not sure why the programme's called that – there's no sex involved, or lies, really. -
TV review: 56 Up; Chatsworth
14 May 2012 | 4:00 pmWe only get snapshots of lives in 56 Up – but it's more real than most reality TVSo we're reached 56 Up (ITV1) in Michael Apted's extraordinary, bold series of films that follows its characters throughout their lives and spans an entire generation.They're middle-aged now. Sue is happier, more confident and relaxed than she has been. She's got her Glen; she's got a job she loves at a university, though she never went to one herself; and now she's got amateur dramatics too.Paul, the little boy with the worried look who was in care at seven and then moved to Australia, did get married, despite… -
TV review: Coast; Indian Ocean with Simon Reeve
13 May 2012 | 4:00 pmAfter seven years, it's time for Coast to pack up – I'm starting to recognise the gannetsNow that the painting of the Forth bridge has been finished, thanks to a triple layer of special glass flake epoxy developed for the offshore oil industry, we need a new metaphor for things that never get completed. I'm thinking Coast (BBC2, Sunday) could be it, as in: "It's a bit like Coast" (of the Hoovering, or whatever it is). Because it seems that almost as soon as Nick Crane and Neil Oliver and all the rest of the enthusiastic cagoule wearers complete a circuit of our isles, they set off round… -
TV review: Episodes
12 May 2012 | 2:00 amEpisodes is still irritating, but the second series appears to be getting funnierI was totally prepared to hate the first episode of the second series of Episodes (BBC2). The good news is ... I was prepared. An exhausting rehash of knowing cliches about TV's obsession with itself, with celebrities playing parody versions of themselves and thinking it makes them less tedious and shallow ... it's hard to imagine how this show has been recommissioned.But no one cares about TV reviews. "Yeah, take that, Sam Wollaston of the Guardian, with your 'I don't know who this show's for,'"… -
TV review: Prisoners of War (Hatufim); Phil Spencer: Secret Agent
10 May 2012 | 4:36 pmFrom the Israeil slow-burning thriller that Homeland was based on to selling houses in ManchesterOh for God's sake. I'm pretty much fluent in Danish, can get by in Swedish, have a smattering of Arabic. Now I've got to learn Hebrew to get the most out of Prisoners of War or Hatufim (Sky Arts), the Israeli series that Homeland was based on. I have a headstart actually because I briefly attended a kindergarten in Israel. So if anyone says "Good morning children" ("Boker tov yeladim"), I'll be fine. Numbers to 10 also shouldn't be a problem.We're in the Middle East, obviously. Shlosha (three)…
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Editorials | guardian.co.uk
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In praise of … tweets | Editorial
15 May 2012 | 4:52 pmUK tweeters – and there are now 10 million – have discovered myriad ways in which less is more#JustSaying, but when we first hailed Twitter in 2007, many doubters were withering about another electronic outlet for compulsive communicators – with a 140-character limit to guarantee they could relay nothing tastier than what they'd had for breakfast. But UK tweeters – and there are now 10 million – have since discovered myriad ways in which less is more. "There's a plane in the Hudson", with a link to the photo, really was all that needed to be said when that occurred. Brevity brings… -
Defence spending: Hammond's military balance | Editorial
15 May 2012 | 3:01 pmEither the minister has managed something very important or he is deluding himself and the public on an absolutely heroic scaleRightly or wrongly – and we should be clear that it is sometimes the latter – voters think that all ministers are liars. That conviction makes it exceptionally difficult for any minister to make significant claims that voters can believe. There was a classic case of this bind this week, when the defence secretary Philip Hammond announced that his department had plugged the £38bn funding gap between what the Ministry of Defence spends on equipment and what it can… -
The euro: thunder and lightning | Editorial
15 May 2012 | 2:48 pmContinent-wide spending cuts are not about to be overturned in favour of a raft of policies designed to encourage growth – sadlyThanks must go to the gods of metaphor, for it was presumably they who sent the lightning that forced François Hollande's plane to turn back mid-journey to Berlin on Tuesday afternoon. This being rain-sodden reality rather than heightened drama, the French president had better luck on a second flight to meet chancellor Angela Merkel – but even so, you couldn't have asked for a more perfect omen. Because there are those who view any mission to save the euro as… -
In praise of … Valérie Trierweiler | Editorial
14 May 2012 | 5:21 pmWe wish luck to François Hollande's partner in her ambition to continue as normal as she enters the ElyséeAt the Leveson inquiry, Lord O'Donnell said he always advised ministers to err on the side of caution in relations with editors and journalists. Wise words in principle, but perhaps not always adequate to all situations. What might the man known as GOD have whispered in the ear of François Hollande, who becomes the president of France this morning, about his relationship with his partner Valérie Trierweiler? Ms Trierweiler has become not just the best-placed political journalist in… -
Germany: watching on the Rhine | Editorial
14 May 2012 | 4:50 pmElections in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia always carry special political resonance for GermanyElections in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia always carry special political resonance for Germany as a whole – and even for Europe. That's partly because NRW is the most populated of Germany's federal Länder, and partly because of the state's economic clout. The area was the home of the German industrial revolution of the 19th century and became the crucible of the postwar German industrial miracle. Even today, it is responsible for a quarter of Germany's GDP.But NRW also…
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The Guardian newspaper: Editorials & reply | guardian.co.uk
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Corrections and clarifications
16 May 2012 | 7:49 amPaying a bill with coppers | Heads of state | A4e | Art Fund museum prize | Steven Gaydos | Rebekah Brooks' law firm• A Shortcuts item said a man had been fined £1,118.62 after he settled an £804 debt to his accountant with five crates of mostly 1p and 2p coins. He was not prosecuted or fined, but sued by his accountant and then ordered by a judge to pay a total of £1,118.62, which included the original debt and interest (Can you pay an £800 bill with coppers? 16 May, page 2, G2).• A column commenting on what was revealed by the body language of François Hollande and Angela… -
In praise of … tweets | Editorial
15 May 2012 | 4:52 pmUK tweeters – and there are now 10 million – have discovered myriad ways in which less is more#JustSaying, but when we first hailed Twitter in 2007, many doubters were withering about another electronic outlet for compulsive communicators – with a 140-character limit to guarantee they could relay nothing tastier than what they'd had for breakfast. But UK tweeters – and there are now 10 million – have since discovered myriad ways in which less is more. "There's a plane in the Hudson", with a link to the photo, really was all that needed to be said when that occurred. Brevity brings… -
Defence spending: Hammond's military balance | Editorial
15 May 2012 | 3:01 pmEither the minister has managed something very important or he is deluding himself and the public on an absolutely heroic scaleRightly or wrongly – and we should be clear that it is sometimes the latter – voters think that all ministers are liars. That conviction makes it exceptionally difficult for any minister to make significant claims that voters can believe. There was a classic case of this bind this week, when the defence secretary Philip Hammond announced that his department had plugged the £38bn funding gap between what the Ministry of Defence spends on equipment and what it can… -
Letters: Review threatens quality of teaching in FE
15 May 2012 | 3:00 pmWe are gravely concerned about the Lingfield review panel's proposal to stop requiring further education college lecturers to be qualified as teachers. We fear this will lead to the de-professionalising of staff in colleges, work-based learning and private providers, undoing all gains made since 2001 when training became compulsory. We are also shocked and disturbed by the withdrawal of government support for the sector's professional body, the Institute for Learning. What is missing from the Lingfield interim report, Professionalism in Further Education,is consultation with students. Initial… -
Letters: Portsmouth fillers
15 May 2012 | 3:00 pmFurther to your letter from Annie Maccoby (12 May), who had been sitting with Bianca Jagger at the performance of Einstein on the Beach that Jagger seriously disrupted by frequently taking flash photography and after which I publicly confronted her, I would point out that Jagger's behaviour was both illegal (a breach of performance copyright), as well as potentially dangerous to the performers. My reprimand of Jagger, on the other hand, was timely and appropriate, and has, I hope, served as a useful message that people can and should stand up to selfish behaviour in the theatre from fellow…
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World news: Lebanon | guardian.co.uk
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Syria: UN monitors attacked - live updates
15 May 2012 | 11:00 am• Video shows UN monitors under fire north of Hama• Parliamentary election results announced in Syria• Palestinians and Israeli police clash on Nakba day• Read the latest summary5.00pm: Here's a summary of the latest developments:Syria• Video has emerged showing UN monitors under fire in Kham Sheikhoun, north of Hama. A member of the team has told Reuters that no monitors were injured, contrary to an earlier report from an activist (see 3.42pm).• Turnout in last week's parliamentary elections was more than 50%, according to election officials. The names of winning candidates have… -
Will secularists be given recognition and rights in Lebanon? | Nay El Rahi
6 May 2012 | 8:00 amActivists are marching again today for citizenship and law changes on domestic violence, rape and censorshipYou don't become a Lebanese citizen by being born in Lebanon. Nor is having a Lebanese mother enough – or even living in the country for your whole life. In fact, you're only recognised as a Lebanese citizen if you belong to one of the country's 18 legally recognised religious groups. Without belonging to one, you can't get married or divorced, or resolve child custody or inheritance issues.Back in 2010, a group of Lebanese friends who wished, they said on the group's Facebook page,… -
After the Arab spring, the sexual revolution?
27 Apr 2012 | 8:51 amMona Eltahawy's 'Arab men hate women' article sparks demands for a sea change in engagement between the sexesAn explosive call for a sexual revolution across the Arab world in which the author argues that Arab men "hate" Arab women has provoked a fierce debate about the subjugation of women in countries such as Egypt, Morocco and Saudi Arabia.Women are deeply divided over the article, entitled "Why do they hate us?", by the prominent American-Egyptian journalist Mona Eltahawy, which fulminates against "the pulsating heart of misogyny in the Middle East" and builds to an early crescendo by… -
Migrant domestic workers in Arab nations are dying – it's time to act | Layla Maghribi
27 Apr 2012 | 4:31 amThe suicide of an Ethiopian domestic worker in Lebanon highlights the abuse of migrants given no rights or safeguardsThe Lebanese Anti-Racism Movement is organising a "die-in" this Saturday in Beirut and London, with protesters lying in front of the Lebanese embassy to highlight the maltreatment of migrant domestic workers.While several local organisations have been working tirelessly for some years to bring attention to the plight of migrant workers, the aim of this protest is to push the Lebanese government into measureable positive action.The recent suicide of an Ethiopian domestic worker,… -
How to stop Syria's warring factions tearing the country apart | Mokhtar Benabdallaoui
24 Apr 2012 | 4:17 amLook at Lebanon – its delicate balance depends on there being confidence that no one particular group is dominating the systemThe likely failure of special envoy Kofi Annan's peace plan reflects a dire situation in Syria. To avert a dramatic escalation, the country needs a structured transition that will first halt the terrible bloodshed and then pave the way for a political process.Any solution should be tailored to the intricacies of Syria's diverse social tapestry, effectively address the claims of both the government and the insurgency, and heed the lessons of past regional political…
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Education: Lecturers' pay | guardian.co.uk
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Public sector protests spark government threat of legal action
10 May 2012 | 7:49 amPrison officers' union faces injunction as they join striking civil servants, teachers, health workers and police in day of actionPrison officers have been threatened with legal action for holding protest meetings as up to 400,000 public sector employees, including police officers, lecturers and border control staff, staged a day of action against the government austerity programme and pension changes.The Prison Officers Association (POA) said the meetings had been taking place at "80% of prisons" since staff began work on Thursday morning and would continue until they were called off by the… -
Public sector workers strike and police protest over cuts
10 May 2012 | 3:19 amDay of protest to include walkout by civil servants, health workers and teachers and demonstration by police officersUp to 400,000 public sector employees, including police officers, lecturers and border control staff, are staging a day of protest against the government austerity programme, with thousands of people expected to attend events in central London.About 20,000 off-duty police officers are due to march in the capital on Thursday and plan to wear a total of 16,000 black caps to mark projected job losses over the next four years.At the same time, public sector unions will hold their… -
Public sector workers prepare to strike over cuts and pension reforms
9 May 2012 | 11:30 amMore than 400,000 staff including police officers, health workers, teachers and lecturers could be involved in protests and walkoutHundreds of thousands of public sector employees, including police officers, lecturers and border control staff, will stage a day of protest against the government austerity programme on Thursday.About 20,000 off-duty police officers are expected to March in central London and plan to wear a total of 16,000 black caps to mark projected job losses over the next four years.At the same time public sector unions will hold their third one-day walkout in 12 months, led… -
The trainee teachers who are paying to work for nothing
26 Mar 2012 | 2:00 pmSome further education colleges are using unpaid lecturers, as trainees in need of work placements increasingly agree to work for free. Is it harming both trainees and qualified teachers?We're becoming depressingly familiar with the idea that to get work of any kind now, you must first work for free. Now, it seems, the trend has hit teaching. Education Guardian has been contacted by lecturers at three further education colleges that are using unpaid teachers to take classes. How widespread is this practice?The University and College Union (UCU) says some of its members have recently… -
University vice-chancellors take average £9,700 pay rise
16 Jan 2012 | 6:49 amHeads of elite universities' earnings exceed £333,000 on average, despite squeeze on institutions' overall budgetsThe heads of elite universities were awarded an average pay rise of £9,700 last year, taking their average earnings beyond £333,000, the Guardian can reveal.Analysis of 13 top university leaders' pay packets has prompted calls for the prime minister's clampdown on executive pay to reach beyond banks and big business to include universities as well, although the average rise of 3.9% is below the rate of inflation.An examination of the universities' most recent financial…
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Letters | guardian.co.uk
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Notes & Queries: How common were witch trials?
16 May 2012 | 11:00 amPlus: Which game is tougher – snooker, pool or billiards? Why the racing line won't help you on the M1 I keep hearing two opposing views on medieval and renaissance witch trials in Europe: the first, that many thousands of people (mostly women) were persecuted; the second, that this is a massive exaggeration. What's the truth?The truth is a more or less well-founded estimate, as there are no full records or statistics over many centuries (there were witch trials up to the end of the 18th century). And it is not very helpful, either, to remember that courts or justices were much less… -
Is it illegal to have two residential mortgages?
16 May 2012 | 12:30 amQ An off-the-cuff remark about mortgages has got me worried. My partner and I have a joint mortgage on our current home. I also have a 50% mortgage on a previous home, which I rent out. I obtained a consent-to-let form from my lender before doing this, but to date I have not changed to a buy-to-let mortgage and have not received any instruction from my mortgage provider to do so. A friend said it was illegal to have two residential mortgages so I would appreciate any advice you can provide. PWA Your friend is talking rubbish. It is not illegal to have two residential mortgages; you can have… -
Are there tax implications when buying a discounted property?
16 May 2012 | 12:30 amQ My mother and her two sisters inherited my grandmother's house when she passed away a few months ago. They intend to sell it to me and my partner for £100,000. The house has been valued by three different estate agents at between £110,000 and £125,000.What, if any, are the capital gains tax (CGT) or inheritance tax (IHT) implications of my girlfriend and I purchasing the property at a discount? MPA Buying the property at a discount shouldn't have any IHT implications. However, when calculating the CGT liability – which lies with your mother and aunts, not you – they must use the… -
Letters: Review threatens quality of teaching in FE
15 May 2012 | 3:00 pmWe are gravely concerned about the Lingfield review panel's proposal to stop requiring further education college lecturers to be qualified as teachers. We fear this will lead to the de-professionalising of staff in colleges, work-based learning and private providers, undoing all gains made since 2001 when training became compulsory. We are also shocked and disturbed by the withdrawal of government support for the sector's professional body, the Institute for Learning. What is missing from the Lingfield interim report, Professionalism in Further Education,is consultation with students. Initial… -
Letters: Portsmouth fillers
15 May 2012 | 3:00 pmFurther to your letter from Annie Maccoby (12 May), who had been sitting with Bianca Jagger at the performance of Einstein on the Beach that Jagger seriously disrupted by frequently taking flash photography and after which I publicly confronted her, I would point out that Jagger's behaviour was both illegal (a breach of performance copyright), as well as potentially dangerous to the performers. My reprimand of Jagger, on the other hand, was timely and appropriate, and has, I hope, served as a useful message that people can and should stand up to selfish behaviour in the theatre from fellow…
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Politics: Liberal Democrats | guardian.co.uk
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Home care, stealth tax and the elderly: which councils charge the most?
15 May 2012 | 6:01 pmA significant reduction in the number of older people getting care for free, or partly funded by the council means a vast difference in costs. Which councils charge the most and which have the lowest rate?• Get the data• More data journalism and data visualisations from the GuardianThe postcode lottery of social care has been exposed by a survey of local authories in England revealing big increases and wide variations in council charges for home care services that help frail and vulnerable older and disabled people, the Guardian can reveal.Freedom of information requests to 120 councils… -
William Hague tells ministers to help green industries boost economy
15 May 2012 | 4:05 pmDavid Cameron should speak about environment, he says in letter revealing frustration over UK's lack of low carbon strategyThe government should do more to help green industries boost economic growth, stop the UK falling behind international rivals, and avoid losing its global leadership on the environment, William Hague has told cabinet colleagues, in a private letter seen by the Guardian.The foreign secretary also warns in his letter to ministers that unless Britain takes stronger leadership on the green economy there is no hope of securing an international agreement on climate… -
Equality and Human Rights Commission has workforce halved
15 May 2012 | 10:58 amGovernment also removes equality watchdog's obligation to consider policy impact on poor and downgrades role of chairThe Equality and Human Rights Commission has been stripped of its duty to promote a society with equal opportunity for all and had its budget and workforce halved, the government has announced.The move comes days after the watchdog chided ministers for failing to consider how crucial policies would affect women, disabled people and ethnic minorities.The EHRC has long been a bugbear for the Tory right who see it as a relic of the past. It has also been criticised by MPs for… -
Andrew Lansley branded a liar as nurses give him a frosty reception
14 May 2012 | 7:09 pmRoyal College of Nursing conference delegates berate health secretary's claim of rise in number of clinical staff in NHSAndrew Lansley has been accused of lying about staffing levels in the NHS amid angry scenes at the Royal College of Nursing's annual congress.The health secretary's claim that the number of clinical staff in the NHS has increased since the 2010 election was greeted with derision by many delegates, with some heckling or laughing and others shouting "liar".The RCN has collected evidence, based on a variety of official sources, that 61,113 NHS posts across the UK have… -
Tory MPs quit 1922 committee executive in protest over 'factionalism'
14 May 2012 | 6:24 pmMove by Nicholas Soames and Tracey Crouch aimed at helping critics of Cameron targeted by 301 group in committee electionsSupporters of David Cameron hoping to oust members of the old guard from the executive of the Conservative 1922 committee have suffered a setback after two popular MPs turned against "factional" tactics.Nicholas Soames, the veteran Tory MP who is a grandson of Winston Churchill, and Tracey Crouch, a modernising MP elected in 2010, will stand down from the 1922 executive to boost the position of critics of Downing Street who have been targeted in committee elections.The row…
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World news: Libya | guardian.co.uk
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If there were global justice, Nato would be in the dock | Seumas Milne
15 May 2012 | 4:20 pmLiberia's Charles Taylor has been convicted of war crimes, so why not the western leaders who escalated Libya's killing?Libya was supposed to be different. The lessons of Iraq and Afghanistan had been learned, David Cameron and Nicolas Sarkozy insisted last year. This would be a real humanitarian intervention. Unlike Iraq, there would be no boots on the ground. Unlike in Afghanistan, Nato air power would be used to support a fight for freedom and prevent a massacre. Unlike the Kosovo campaign, there would be no indiscriminate cluster bombs: only precision weapons would be used. This would be… -
Nato must investigate the civilian casualties of its Libyan campaign | David Mepham
14 May 2012 | 2:15 pmThe alliance risks accusations of double standards if it does not urgently address the issue of civilians killed in its air strikesAt least 72 civilians, including 24 children, were killed by Nato air strikes during the alliance's military campaign in Libya last year. Human Rights Watch has issued a report, based on extensive on-the-ground research and multiple visits to bombing sites where civilians died, in which no clear evidence of a legitimate military target was found. Nato and the nations that participated in the air campaign – including the UK government – have refused even to… -
Syria and Middle East - Monday 14 May
14 May 2012 | 9:57 am• Fierce clashes reportedly kill more than 30 in Rastan, Syria• Syrian clashes spill over into Lebanon• Nato airstrikes killed 72 in Libya - Human Rights Watch• Talks in Cairo to end Palestinian prisoners' hunger strikeRead the latest summary3.57pm: Here's a summary of the main developments today:Syria• Forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad have clashed with the Free Syrian Army in the town of Rastan on Syria's main northern highway this morning. The FSA killed 23 soliders, according to the British-based Syrian Observatory of Human Rights. An FSA member told Reuters that nine… -
Philip Hammond, the man with the magic whiteboard
14 May 2012 | 6:30 amLiam Fox's successor as defence secretary is great at crunching the numbers. But can he keep the generals behind him?Philip Hammond lacks the boyish enthusiasm for defence possessed by his predecessor, Liam Fox, but he does have something more unusual for holders of his office: an accountant's attention to detail.Hammond is also a control freak, colleagues say, whose brain has proved big enough (so far) to absorb the myriad complexities of the Ministry of Defence budget.Both characteristics have helped him bring discipline to military finance, as has the introduction of his "magic… -
Nato killed 72 civilians in Libya air strikes, says Human Rights Watch
14 May 2012 | 1:12 amAlliance called on to compensate survivors and victims' families and explain attacks on 'military' sites that killed civiliansNato air strikes killed 72 civilians in Libya last year, Human Rights Watch has said, accusing the western alliance of failing to acknowledge the scope of collateral damage it caused during the campaign that helped to oust Muammar Gaddafi.In a report based on investigations at bombing sites during and after the conflict, the New York-based HRW said Nato strikes killed 20 women and 24 children. It called on the alliance to compensate civilian victims and investigate…
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Culture: Liverpool 2008: European capital of culture | guardian.co.uk
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Giant puppet 'wakes up' in Liverpool for spectacular parade
20 Apr 2012 | 10:21 amThe 50ft mechanical puppet, Little Girl Giant, will parade around the city this weekendThe long wait has ended; this morning a 50ft puppet 'woke up' in Stanley Park, Liverpool, and began parading around the city as part of a three-day spectacular.Thousands of people gathered in the park to watch the start of Sea Odyssey; for what is likely to be the biggest street theatre event of 2012 in the UK.The 30ft tall wooden puppet – known as Little Girl Giant – was woken by young musicians from the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra's In Harmony project. She will walk through the streets of… -
Sea Odyssey will parade through north Liverpool
27 Jan 2012 | 4:45 amIt is hoped huge crowds will gather to watch the free event - the largest ever to have taken place north of the city centreNorth Liverpool will play a major role in the Titanic-themed Sea Odyssey spectacular which it is hoped will bring huge crowds to the city's streets this spring.It is being described as the largest and most complex outdoor event to have ever taken place north of the city. A 30ft Little Girl Giant figure, created by Royal de Luxe, will tell a Titanic-themed story and will visit Anfield and Goodison and the city centre between April 20 and 22.The event echoes the giant… -
Cash for culture can boost UK economy, says arts alliance
25 Mar 2010 | 1:52 pmCultural Capital arts manifesto calls for a small but 'crucial' public investmentBritain should invest in culture to help economic recovery, says an alliance of arts leaders including the National Theatre artistic director, Sir Nicholas Hytner, and Neil MacGregor, director of the British Museum.Speaking at today's launch of the arts manifesto Cultural Capital, MacGregor said: "We want to give politicians the confidence to put on their CVs not what football team they support, but why life without Schubert is impossible."Culture works. This is a bit of national life that is extraordinarily… -
Culture Capital: how arts funding became a live issue | Lyn Gardner
25 Mar 2010 | 12:41 pmA new campaign aims to place the arts centre stage ahead of the general election – and not before timeIn an upcoming election in which every vote will count, the arts vote potentially takes on even greater significance. Given the way they've been courting the arts since the start of the year, it's clear that all three parties are aware of this. So far there are plenty of fine words but no promises. This is hardly surprising given the post-budget commentary, which maintains that if the books are to be balanced, whichever government is in power is going to have to find £30bn of cuts over the… -
Liverpool profited from year as capital of culture, says report
11 Mar 2010 | 5:37 pmDesignation brought in millions of extra visitors and pounds in 2008, says researchIt may not have been an unalloyed critical triumph, but Liverpool's year as European capital of culture earned the city bumper visitor numbers and a multimillion-pound boost to its economy, academics have found.A five-year research programme published today analysed the social, economic and cultural impact of the 2008 title and found that the festival year saw 9.7m visitors to the city, an increase of 34%, and generated £753.8m for the economy.Media coverage of Liverpool's cultural attractions doubled and for…
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Politics: Ken Livingstone | guardian.co.uk
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Hideously diverse Britain: I know better. But we all make mistakes
13 May 2012 | 2:31 pmWhat is there to learn from inadvertent stereotyping during coverage of the London mayoral campaign?It's been an unsettling few days. Instructive, but unsettling. I subscribe to what Humphrey Bogart's detective says in The Maltese Falcon. "I don't mind a reasonable amount of trouble," he tells a would-be client. If you write this column, you make a few enemies. I just like them to be the right ones.It began with an article I wrote about the electoral demise of Ken Livingstone in the London mayoralty. I referred to a meeting Livingstone had with Jewish Labour activists who wanted to repair the… -
Shorter cuts: news doesn't get any smaller
9 May 2012 | 2:00 pmKen Livingstone can't even win at Madame Tussauds, who does Tom Cruise think he's rocking, and how can Bob Geldof question his granddaughter's name?Rock god? Tom Cruise is the latest cover of W magazine, appearing in just leather trousers and lashings of eye makeup to promote his new movie Rock of Ages. The film trailer is as bad as this cover.Ken Livingstone: last year's modelThings are just going for bad to worse for Ken Livingstone. His wax work has already been removed from Madam Tussauds. A spokesman for the museum said it was 'unlikely to be seen again.'Don't be an ass, BobBob Geldof,… -
Ken Livingstone tells Ed Miliband not to pander to 'discredited Blairites'
8 May 2012 | 5:06 amDefeated mayoral candidate says Labour is getting economic strategy right but New Labour old guard is holding party backThe defeated Labour mayoral candidate, Ken Livingstone, has warned Ed Miliband he should stop trying to pander to the "discredited Blairite wing" of the party, which he accused of holding Labour back.The political veteran, who has already declared he will not be fighting another election after losing out to Boris Johnson for a second time in the London mayoral election, also ruled out a future as a Labour peer.But fresh from defeat, he highlighted the issue that he fears… -
Letters: Mayors make a mockery of our local democracy
7 May 2012 | 2:59 pmYour extensive coverage of last week's near unanimous rejection of elected city mayors in local referendums (Editorial, 5 May) missed the point made by Peter Latham in his authoritative book, The State and Local Government: "US-style directly elected mayors with cabinets are the optimal internal management arrangement for privatised local government services." As in the nationalised industries privatised by Thatcher, and now in what remain of the public services marketised by New Labour for privatisation by the coalition, not directly providing services absolves government of responsibility… -
Letters: So farewell then, Ken, as Boris triumphs
6 May 2012 | 2:59 pmI am glad your editorial (5 May) mentioned Ken Livingstone's contribution to the cause of civil partnerships and marriage for lesbians and gay men. It was public support for the London Civil Partnership Register, introduced by Ken, that gave the Labour government the confidence to introduce legislation. Now that Ken is bowing out, his legacy is an important reminder that local politics do matter and can lead the way. Angela MasonDirector, Stonewall 1992 -2003• Ken Livingstone did not poll significantly less well than Labour in London. He polled within 1%, 22,000 votes. He would have needed…
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Society: Local government | guardian.co.uk
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Bradford Muslims must practice serious, mainstream politics to win effective change
16 May 2012 | 7:47 amThe city's former Lord Mayor Mohammed Ajeeb condemns both Labour's lacklustre politics and Respect's firebranding; and reveals how he warned his party's national executive in 1999 about the dangers of 'clan' politicsI first met Mohammed Ajeeb on an icy winter's day in 1975. Huddled over a one-bar electric heater in Shelter's Bradford office, we plotted a campaign which eventually saved three Victorian squares in Manningham – Peel, Hanover and Southfield, where I then lived. Ajeeb subsequently served for many years as a Labour councillor and was the city's first British Asian Lord Mayor in… -
Campaigners block council's efforts to remove books from Kensal Rise library
16 May 2012 | 7:44 amProtesters gather outside 111-year-old library, which has been closed down by Brent councilAround 50 campaigners have gathered outside Kensal Rise library in north-west London after Brent council workers began removing books from the closed library, which has become a key battleground in the fight over local authority cuts.Although the campaigners lost their legal battle to save the library in February, local residents have refused to give up the struggle and are offering to run it voluntarily as a free community facility.At around 7.30 on Wednesday morning, three lorries and eight council… -
Video: Kate Watts shares her views on life as a local government manager
16 May 2012 | 3:10 amKate Watts, environmental health manager at Great Yarmouth borough council, talks to the Local Government Network about her unique management style -
Free home care available to fewer elderly people
15 May 2012 | 6:05 pmOlder and disabled people suffer postcode lottery over fees as numbers who have home care paid by local council fall 11%The number of vulnerable older and disabled people who had home care services fully paid by their local authority fell by 11% in England in the past two years, according to newly published figures.The data also reveals wide variations in council charges across England.Freedom of information requests to 120 councils revealed that home care services – which send carers to help vulnerable older and disabled people get up in the morning, and get washed, dressed and fed – are… -
Guardian Public Services Awards are open for entries
15 May 2012 | 6:03 pmInspirational ways to deliver excellent public services are needed more than ever, and we intend to recognise the very bestInnovation, and learning from others' innovations, have never been at a higher premium in Britain's public services. Many services will simply not survive the forecast five more years of austerity unless they do things differently.So the Guardian Public Services Awards, which are launched today for 2012, are changing too. In come new categories, placing the strongest emphasis on fresh ideas and techniques, and expanded online coverage of winning and shortlisted…
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UK news: Lockerbie plane bombing | guardian.co.uk
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Shukri Ghanem obituary
8 May 2012 | 7:48 amControversial Libyan oil minister during the Gaddafi eraShukri Ghanem, who has drowned in the Danube aged 69, was Libya's controversial Gaddafi-era oil minister. His key role in office was to try to modernise Libya's decayed economy. In May 2011, at the height of the revolution that overthrew the regime of Muammar Gaddafi, Ghanem defected to Rome, then Vienna. He described "unbearable violence" as the reason for his flight, which he managed by persuading Gaddafi he was going on a business trip. His close friendship with Gaddafi's second and favoured son, Saif al-Islam, had made him enemies… -
Al-Megrahi 'fighting for his life'
14 Apr 2012 | 7:02 amFamily of convicted Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi says his health has deteriorated rapidly after blood transfusionThe convicted Lockerbie bomber is fighting for his life after receiving a blood transfusion in hospital, his family has said.Former Libyan intelligence officer Abdelbaset al-Megrahi's health is said to have deteriorated quickly.Al-Megrahi's son, Khaled, said his father was taken to hospital for the second time in two days."My dad's health is very bad and has been worsening," Khaled said at the family home in Tripoli. "He is on his last breath. I don't think he can make it… -
Scottish paper publishes secret Lockerbie bombing report
25 Mar 2012 | 10:52 amScotland's Sunday Herald has published a report that was kept secret for years, which could have cleared the convicted Lockerbie bomber, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi.The Herald gave two reasons for publishing the full 821-page report, by the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission, on its website.First, it had obtained al-Megrahi's permission. Second, it believed publication was in the public interest.Though the Crown Office regards the publication of the document as unauthorised, there were prior indications from senior law officers that the paper would not be prosecuted for doing so.The Herald… -
Libya may bar UK police from visiting to investigate Lockerbie bombing
6 Mar 2012 | 12:20 pmInterior minister says Britain should answer questions about its relationship with Gaddafi before UK police are allowed to visitLibya has all but closed the door on allowing British police to travel to the country to investigate the Lockerbie bombing and the killing of the police officer Yvonne Fletcher.The interior minister, Fawzi Abdel A'al, said there was no treaty allowing UK police to visit Libya, and any agreement at some future date might depend on whether Britain answered questions about its past involvement with Muammar Gaddafi's regime."There is no treaty between Britain and Libya… -
Plume – review
5 Mar 2012 | 12:26 pmTron, GlasgowThe birds and the bees in JC Marshall's timely play signify not sex but death. In a poetic flourish, she pictures the victims of a mid-air terrorist atrocity being accompanied by an array of exotic birds. Down on the ground, meanwhile, a primary school pupil with a fatal allergy to stings deliberately grabs hold of a bee.It adds a metaphysical dimension to a story inspired by the case of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, the man convicted of the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 and later released on compassionate grounds. In Marshall's play, a Lockerbie-style explosion leaves behind…
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Politics: London politics | guardian.co.uk
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Blues versus blues: why is team Boris so opposed to Chelsea's Battersea power station plan?
15 May 2012 | 3:23 amThe west London club's imaginative idea for salvaging the capital's finest disused landmark has already met opposition from City HallChelsea FC's bid to buy the Battersea power station site with the aim of constructing, "one of the most iconic football stadiums in the world," there has divided opinion. Rowan Moore anticipates the same problems as previous schemes proposed for reviving London's most magnificent disused building:Gigantism, the destruction of the essential qualities of the old building, and rather obvious issues with transport and local residents. It is hard to see how dropping… -
Boris Johnson: two reasons why it suits him to attack the BBC
14 May 2012 | 6:52 amThe London mayor's extraordinary attack on the national broadcaster both feeds his Tory grassroots support and reveals his dislike of proper scrutiny.It was civil of Mayor Johnson to grant the Evening Standard an interview straight after his re-election, but then he does rather owe the one and only London regional newspaper for its almost entirely uncritical support for his cause ever since a friend of the Johnson family was installed as its editor in March. How terrific it must be having so many chums in positions of media power and influence: if they don't own Boris-supporting organs, they… -
Boris Johnson: next BBC boss must be Tory
14 May 2012 | 6:08 amLondon mayor calls BBC 'statist, corporatist, defeatist, anti-business, Europhile and overwhelmingly biased to the left'The next boss of the BBC must be a Tory, according to the mayor of London, Boris Johnson.Writing in the Daily Telegraph, he said the guarantee of funding from the licence fee left BBC staff with "an innocent belief that everything in life should be 'free'".He said: "No wonder – and I speak as one who has just fought a campaign in which I sometimes felt that my chief opponent was the local BBC news – the prevailing view of Beeb newsrooms is, with honourable exceptions,… -
Hideously diverse Britain: I know better. But we all make mistakes
13 May 2012 | 2:31 pmWhat is there to learn from inadvertent stereotyping during coverage of the London mayoral campaign?It's been an unsettling few days. Instructive, but unsettling. I subscribe to what Humphrey Bogart's detective says in The Maltese Falcon. "I don't mind a reasonable amount of trouble," he tells a would-be client. If you write this column, you make a few enemies. I just like them to be the right ones.It began with an article I wrote about the electoral demise of Ken Livingstone in the London mayoralty. I referred to a meeting Livingstone had with Jewish Labour activists who wanted to repair the… -
Olympic Park will reopen one year after London 2012 opening ceremony
11 May 2012 | 10:12 amNorth Park will open to public on 27 July 2013, with entire area to follow by Easter 2014, under plans unveiled by Boris JohnsonThe Olympic Park will begin reopening to the public exactly one year after the London 2012 opening ceremony under plans unveiled by the London mayor, Boris Johnson.Margaret Ford, the outgoing chair of the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), said the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park would be the capital's version of New York's Central Park."It will be a local park but also a London park that will be a magnet and a destination," she said. "It will do both and be…
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Life and style: Lost in showbiz blog | guardian.co.uk
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Come on, Clarkson. Have the guts to take on Cowell
10 May 2012 | 2:00 pmSo Jeremy Clarkson bows out of a ratings fight between Top Gear and The X Factor. But why is he so petulant?To Twitter, now, and an intriguing new direction in the shtick of Mr Jeremy Clarkson. This week, Jeremy was moved to take to his account to break some heartrending news to fans of his TV show."There's a rumour in internet land that there will be no more Top Gears this year," he declared. "I'm afraid that apart from an Xmas special, it's true. Would love to be back in the autumn but Sunday nights then will be full of fat people singing."The reference, obviously, is to Simon Cowell's… -
Holding out for a hero? Then look no further than your nearest plucky movie star
10 May 2012 | 2:00 pmIt's not just Dustin Hoffman who's prepared to save the world. There's a whole host of would-be celebrity superheroes out thereWelcome, civilians! Welcome, and take your seats for the news-o-tainment blockbuster A-List Assemble, in which a diverse team of celebrities is recruited to the cause of performing their basic civic duty if they encounter a human in a life-threatening situation.Its full-spectrum dominance means you will already be familiar with the tale of Dustin Hoffman, who saw a jogger collapse in London's Hyde Park and dialled an ambulance in a performance critics are… -
How Lee Ryan's horsing around deprived the court of a comedy mistrial
3 May 2012 | 2:00 pmBlue singer Lee Ryan was all excited about being in court, so why did the judge ask him to stand down from a jury?Lost in Showbiz has always had a soft spot for Blue singer Lee Ryan, ever since he reacted to the 9/11 attacks by inquiring of an interviewer: "Who gives a fuck about New York when elephants are being killed? … I'm not afraid to say this, it has to be said, and that's why I'm the outspoken one in the band."The subsequent furore reminded us that the terrorists hadn't won, because people still had both the time and the late-stage capitalist inclination to be massively outraged by… -
Alert! Alert! Humanoid bandbots the Wanted suffer malfunction as they pick on Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears
3 May 2012 | 2:00 pmThe Wanted have broken a golden rule by slagging off other stars in public. But it's child's play compared with the undisputed master, Bronson PinchotCross yourselves, stardustologists, for we begin with the mortal showbiz sins of the Wanted. If you're not familiar with the Wanted, they're the other UK boyband having reasonable success across the Atlantic, whose image is best summarised as "slightly more likely to give you a good seeing-to than One Direction". But only slightly.Created before Five Erections were even a glint in Simon Cowell's eye, the Wanted were conceived as a crack… -
First there was Justin Bieber's snake; now there's 'Jerry'
26 Apr 2012 | 2:30 pmFans have named Justin's penisAnother win for late-stage capitalism, finally, with news that the pet name for Justin Bieber's penis has spent much of the week trending on Twitter.A couple of years ago, Twitter updated the algorithm that dictates its trending topics to reflect what was "immediately popular" and "most breaking" – an update that stopped "Justin Bieber" being a permanently trending topic. Well, you don't vanquish the Beliebers that easily, and this week, fans of the wholesome teen idol contrived to get "Who is Jerry?" trending worldwide.As for the answer to that…
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Business: Market Forces blog | guardian.co.uk
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FTSE falls again on Greek woes but Croda and Aberdeen Asset buck the trend
16 May 2012 | 11:38 amChemicals group and asset manager benefit from inclusion in MSCI indexThe MSCI index may not be as immediately familiar as the FTSE, but investors in chemicals group Croda and Aberdeen Asset Management had cause to be grateful to it.On another volatile day on the markets, thanks of course to the continuing eurozone crisis, Croda climbed 63p to £21.82 and Aberdeen added 8.6p to 255.9p as their names were added to the MSCI UK index in its latest reshuffle. The Morgan Stanley Capital International indices, to give the full name, are widely followed by fund managers and banks around the world,… -
Kingfisher tipped for £600m cash return to shareholders
16 May 2012 | 6:21 amAnalysts at JP Morgan say DIY group has scope for share buybacks as cash builds up on balance sheetKingfisher, the owner of B&Q in the UK and Castorama in France, could afford to hand around £600m back to shareholders, according to analysts at JP Morgan Cazenove.Ahead of a company trading update due at the end of the month, the bank issued an overweight recommendation and 361p price target. Analyst Gillian Hilditch said the recent weakness in the shares- and they are down another 3.4p to 281.7p in the current market rout - was due to worries about the effect of the poor weather in the UK and… -
Oil contractor Lamprell slumps 60% on profit warning, days after directors sell shares
16 May 2012 | 4:05 amCompany blames delays in delivering equipment and receiving orders for shortfallNapoleon wanted lucky generals, and two bosses at oil rig contractor Lamprell would certainly fit the bill.The company has just issued a profit warning which has seen its shares slump nearly 60%, down 167.1p to 127.7p. But less than two weeks ago integration and development director Scott Doak sold 200,000 shares at 363.693p while vice president Kevin Isles sold 250,000 shares at 361.70p.In an emergency trading statement brought forward from tomorrow, the company said delays in delivering equipment and the award… -
FTSE slumps below 5400 on Greek fears but Barclays bucks the trend
16 May 2012 | 3:30 amBank lifted by recommendation by UBS, but investors still fearful of eurozone crisisAs leading shares slumped again on the growing prospect of Greece leaving the eurozone, the FTSE 100 fell below the 5400 level for the first time since mid-December.But with investors shying away from risk, one surprise was the emergence of Barclays as one of the biggest risers so far. The bank is up 2.55p at 188.65p after UBS raised its recommendation from neutral to buy, although it cut its price target from 272p to 215p. UBS analyst John-Paul Crutchley said:Barclays shares have fallen by around 20% since a… -
G4S leads FTSE risers on calmer morning in the City
15 May 2012 | 5:54 amOlympics deal helps push revenues at G4S higher, but British Airways parent company IAG has seen its rating cut by JP MorganA deal to protect visitors to the London Olympics has helped to push G4S to the top of the FTSE 100 risers, on a calmer morning in the City after yesterday's heavy selloff.G4S, the world's biggest security provider, reported a 7.5% jump in revenues for the first quarter of 2012. After ther the failed takeover of ISS last autumn, the company assured shareholders this morning that growth prospects remained good.Based on recent contract awards, outsourcing trends and the…
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World news: John McCain | guardian.co.uk
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Statesmen and stature: how tall are our world leaders? | Datablog
15 May 2012 | 4:20 amIt seems we like our political giants to be just that – giants – according to research. So how does France's new president François Hollande compare to past leaders?• Get the data• More data journalism and data visualisations from the GuardianFrançois Hollande will step into Nicolas Sarkozy's shoes today when he is sworn in at the Elysée palace, becoming France's first socialist leader in nearly 20 years. But how does he compare to the past leaders in terms of height?Last year we were told stature really does matter according to a scientific paper published in Social Science… -
Kofi Annan is right – negotiation is key for Syria | Patrick Seale
13 Apr 2012 | 2:45 pmSyria's transition from killing to talking will be messy, but it's the only way to avoid the horrors of civil warThe former UN secretary general Kofi Annan has reason to be proud of the Syrian ceasefire which, as a result of his persuasion and tireless travels to Moscow and Tehran, Turkey and Qatar, came into force on Thursday. It may well be breached here and there – the transition from killing to talking is bound to be messy; the violent emotions of a vicious year-long conflict will not easily be quelled – but it heralds, nevertheless, the beginning of a new political phase of the… -
What makes Rick run and keeps Newt in | Ana Marie Cox
30 Mar 2012 | 5:11 pmWith the GOP nomination all but locked up by Romney, what's keeping Santorum and Gingrich in the race? Pure venomAs he begins to drift further and further back in the polls, and as the delegate math becomes more and more insurmountable, one has to wonder: why is Rick Santorum still at it? Even more confoundingly, given his even greater obstacles: why is Newt? In a presidential contest that's been unprecedented in so many ways, add another first to the list: we are seeing a national political contest fueled, on the challenger side, almost entirely by spite.Neither Santorum nor Gingrich have… -
Rubio's Romney endorsement and the vice-presidential calculus | Harry J Enten
29 Mar 2012 | 3:16 pmThe Florida senator's endorsement intensifies speculation about him being a VP pick. But how much would Rubio help Romney?Marco Rubio officially endorsed Mitt Romney for president Wednesday night. The endorsement was in no way surprising; some might argue that Rubio had already given a tacit nod to Romney by defending him against Newt Gingrich's attacks ahead of the Florida primary. Now, though, the question that immediately arises is whether Romney will decide to pick Rubio as his vice-presidential candidate.The reasons to choose Rubio are easy to enumerate. Romney is older (he's just turned… -
Game Change's gift of an improbable dignity to Sarah Palin | Ana Marie Cox
11 Mar 2012 | 8:27 amHBO's Game Change brings more insight and sympathy to the McCain-Palin story than its real protagonists may have hadGame Change, the book, was an example of campaign journalism at its most crass: an inelegant hodge-podge of rumors and supposition threaded together with a thesaurus and gall. Game Change, the movie, is an example of what happens when you remove the journalists from journalism: you get a story. A pretty good one, in fact. By choosing to focus on the psychodrama behind and following John McCain's selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate, the makers of the movie picked out the…
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Media: Media business | guardian.co.uk
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Why Upfront needs to make drama out of a crisis | Caryn Mandabach
16 May 2012 | 11:47 amUpfront season sees frantic wooing between TV networks and advertisers. But without quality airtime, the relationship is brokenAfter the hectic and wasteful piloting process is over, it is once again Upfront season in NYC, which means it's time to trot out the goods in front of the television advertisers. As ever, they are meant to be impressed by the razzle-dazzle of the program presentation reels, and thus offer to pay more for the time and the privilege to have their clients be adjacent to the new magic. Alas, this moribund institution hasn't had any real purpose, apart from building up… -
Cineworld hopes films such as Prometheus will give summer boost
16 May 2012 | 6:13 amCinema chain looks to compete against Euro 2012 and Olympics as box office take rises 8.6% in first four months of the yearCineworld is banking on films including Ridley Scott's Prometheus to help maintain revenues against competing TV attractions including Euro 2012 football, after reporting an 8.6% increase in box office take in the first four months of the year.The UK's second-largest cinema chain behind Guy Hands's Odeon/UCI, Cineworld said in an interim management statement on Wednesday that total revenues increased 6.3% year on year in the 19 weeks to 10 May.Cineworld said box office… -
Perform buys data company RunningBall for £95m
16 May 2012 | 2:06 amSports rights company buys real-time data firm in deal worth up to £95mDigital sports rights company Perform has acquired real-time data firm RunningBall in a deal worth up to €120m (£95m).The deal is the largest ever struck by Perform, whose largest shareholder is US billionaire Leonard Blavatnik.The company spent £25m on acquisitions in 2011 including £18m on Goal.com.Under the terms of the deal Perform, which listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2011, will pay a minimum of €101m and a maximum of €120m.An initial consideration of €70m will consist of €20m in cash and €50m… -
Facebook: a tale of two media models | Michael Wolff
15 May 2012 | 4:12 pmThe irony of the Facebook epoch is that old media covets its IPO billions, while new social media envies the old's contentWhat is social media – I mean, as opposed to plain old media?That's the unexamined question that will only become more pressing – and less clear – when Facebook shortly completes its IPO, with more and more people in plain old media feeling they ought to be in social media. And with more and more people in social media, with a $100bn or so of new liquid currency in the market, feeling it is the future of media.As it happens, the dual media have almost nothing in… -
Leveson inquiry: Adam Boulton says Brown's pyjama party was 'bonkers'
15 May 2012 | 12:45 pmSky News presenter could not believe the then prime minister 'indulged' in such intimacy and it would 'end in tears'The "slumber party" the former prime minister's wife Sarah Brown hosted for guests including Wendi Deng and Rebekah Brooks was "completely bonkers", Sky News political editor Adam Boulton told the Leveson inquiry.The veteran TV journalist said during his appearance at the inquiry as a witness on Tuesday afternoon that he could not believe it when he heard about the party from a then cabinet minister in 2008."At the time I just thought this is completely bonkers that this sort of…
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Media news, UK and world media comment and analysis | guardian.co.uk
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Abuse of disabled children in Jordan's care homes - video
16 May 2012 | 1:26 pmThis film documents the shocking abuse of children with disabilities in Jordan's care homes using undercover filming and eyewitness testimony -
Amazon consumer book reviews as reliable as media experts
16 May 2012 | 12:03 pmStudy shows Amazon reviewers more likely to look favourably on debut authors, while professionals prefer prize winnersAmazon reviews are just as likely to give an accurate summary of a book's quality as those of professional newspapers, according to a study from Harvard Business School.Professor Michael Luca and his co-authors analysed the top 100 non-fiction reviews from 40 media outlets, including the New York Times, the Guardian and the Washington Post, between 2004 and 2007 for their paper What Makes a Critic Tick? The academics used data from reviews aggregator metacritic.com, which… -
Why Upfront needs to make drama out of a crisis | Caryn Mandabach
16 May 2012 | 11:47 amUpfront season sees frantic wooing between TV networks and advertisers. But without quality airtime, the relationship is brokenAfter the hectic and wasteful piloting process is over, it is once again Upfront season in NYC, which means it's time to trot out the goods in front of the television advertisers. As ever, they are meant to be impressed by the razzle-dazzle of the program presentation reels, and thus offer to pay more for the time and the privilege to have their clients be adjacent to the new magic. Alas, this moribund institution hasn't had any real purpose, apart from building up… -
Mad Men of reality TV: The Pitch is so boring it would drive Draper to drink
16 May 2012 | 11:14 amThe Pitch and Shark Tank are both trying to sell you something, but only one of them is really offering something worth buyingFive seasons into Mad Men and only now does someone come up with the idea of a reality show about advertising? The premise of The Pitch on AMC seems enthralling: two rival agencies. One massive client looking for a game-changing new campaign. One week to come up the perfect pitch. A decade wasted watching rival chefs, designers, artists, models, athletes, dancers and infant pageant queens slugging it out for the grand prize conditioned me to expect a fast-paced hour of… -
The 10 best Blue Peter clips
16 May 2012 | 10:46 amFrom John Noakes on a bobsleigh to Bacon's departure, here are 10 BP memories from the analogue daysBlue Peter is setting sail from BBC1, never to return. Fear not younger viewers, you'll be able to find it on your digital channel CBBC, where it will be permanent docked and not, it is to be hoped, holed beneath the waterline.But for older viewers it means they will never stumble across the programme again on BBC1 in the afternoon as they tune out of Deal or No Deal, or wait patiently for everyone's favourite tea-time quiz hosted by Alexander Armstrong, Pointless.Here are 10 BP memories from…
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Media: MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival | guardian.co.uk
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Charlie Brooker, Steven Moffat and Ruth Jones top bill in Edinburgh
9 May 2012 | 5:14 amElisabeth Murdoch to deliver MacTaggart lecture at MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television FestivalCharlie Brooker, Steven Moffat and Ruth Jones will be among the speakers at this year's MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival, where the MacTaggart lecture will be delivered by Elisabeth Murdoch.This year's festival will include appearances by the creative teams behind Call the Midwife, Scott and Bailey, Modern Family and the Israeli drama upon which Homeland was based.The traditional Edinburgh opener, in which delegates take part in a festival edition of a TV show,… -
Elisabeth Murdoch's MacTaggart lecture to be moved forward by a day
30 Jan 2012 | 6:20 amMediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival 2012 keynote speech will be delivered now on 23 AugustThe keynote MacTaggart lecture at this year's MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival, to be delivered by Elisabeth Murdoch, will switch from its long-standing Friday slot to Thursday.After running from Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon for many years, the 2012 festival will move forward a day, from Thursday to Saturday.The 37th Edinburgh TV festival will run from 23 August to 25 August, with confirmed sessions including a Sherlock masterclass featuring… -
Elisabeth Murdoch to deliver 2012 MacTaggart lecture
9 Jan 2012 | 3:14 amShine Group chairman Elisabeth Murdoch to give keynote address at this year's MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television FestivalElisabeth Murdoch – the founder of production company Shine, maker of shows such as Masterchef and Merlin – is to give the MacTaggart lecture at this year's MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival.Murdoch, who turned down a seat on the News Corporation board following the £415m buyout of Shine by Rupert Murdoch in February last year, pulled out of a speaking slot at the 2011 festival over fears the phone hacking furore would overshadow… -
Kenton Allen takes Edinburgh TV festival role
3 Oct 2011 | 1:53 amJoint chief executive of Rev and Friday Night Dinner producer Big Talk appointed advisory chair for 2012 eventKenton Allen, the joint chief executive of Rev and Friday Night Dinner producer Big Talk, has been appointed advisory chair for the 2012 MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival.Allen takes over from BBC Vision director George Entwistle, advisory chair of the festival for 2011.Allen's role for the 37th festival will involve commissioning session ideas and overseeing their production.The producer, whose credits include The Royle Family, That Mitchell and Webb Look and… -
Media Monkey's Edinburgh diary - part two
29 Aug 2011 | 4:47 am✒ Festival-goers in the George bar on Friday night had their eyes well and truly opened Monkey hears. Denise Welch was doing a good impression of Judy Finnigan during Judy's infamous National Television Awards bra debacle. Except Denise appeared to be less concerned at displaying her bra. Some nearby were moved to capture the moment for posterity on their camera phones. Monkey was, of course, appalled by the Loose Women jokes that promptly ensued.✒ Monkey's best excuse for not turning up to the festival? Apparently an international production executive was a no-show because he decided to…
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Media: Media Monkey | guardian.co.uk
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Hey Pudsey, throw the kid a bone | Media Monkey
15 May 2012 | 3:08 amWhat price talent? Ashleigh Butler was awarded £500,000 on Britain's Got Talent for training her dog Pudsey to do a few crowd-pleasing tricks. Meanwhile over on BBC2, a teenage cellist prodigy was awarded £2,000 after being named the BBC's Young Musician for 2012. According to the Daily Mirror, 15-year-old Laura van der Heijden was praised by viewers who couldn't help but point to the talent/pay disparity with Simon Cowell's ITV1 show. "A dog gets £500,000 and a cellist gets £2,000. What? Crazy."Britain's Got TalentTelevisionEntertainmentITVTelevision industryITV1Daily MirrorNewspapers &… -
Holly Willoughby nearly loses her Voice over producers watching rival | Media Monkey
14 May 2012 | 9:46 amAs if a humbling in the ratings battle with Simon Cowell's Britain's Got Talent is not embarrasing enough for the The Voice, some staff on working on the BBC1 talent show have been caught tuning in to its ITV1 rival to see who had won while they were working. The Voice co-host Holly Willoughby, reports the Sun, caught producers watching the ITV1 show when she overheard BGT presenters Ant and Dec through her earpiece to the production gallery. An audience member heard Willoughby say: "Gallery, I can't believe you've got that on up there!" BBCBBC1Television industryThe VoiceBritain's Got… -
Media Monkey's diary: the Barclays, the Sonys and the Spectator eyes Cole
13 May 2012 | 1:25 pm✒Why not take a boat trip to Brecqhou, the Barclay brothers' lair in the Channel Islands? Organised half-day tours to the island (inhabited only by the twins' staff) have just begun, and are free if you stay at one of the bashful billionaires' hotels on neighbouring Sark. You can savour their gardens and a chapel designed by Sir David, but the welcome has its limits. Their neo-gothic castle, Fortress Brecqhou, is off-limits, with "even photos of it forbidden and tourists watched by CCTV when in its vicinity".✒When the Spectator's already in the doghouse (it faces a charge of breaching… -
Not such high stakes for Mail man | Media Monkey
10 May 2012 | 6:05 amMail Online editor Martin Clarke laid himself open to an apparently expensive challenge during his Leveson inquiry appearance on Wednesday. Asked if a picture of a former star of The Only Way is Essex in Dubai was taken with her permission, he replied that he would "stake my year's salary on it being taken with her consent". Surely very risky of Martin, who went on to impress the inquiry with how he could spot consent from a few paces? Only it turns out it wasn't guesswork. Clarke's people had done their homework and had called picture agency Big Pictures for the answer before their man… -
Daily Mail misses a Tic Tac trick | Media Monkey
10 May 2012 | 3:30 amThe BBC's former head of corporate communications, Tina Stowell, looked very impressive in her ermine yesterday during the Queen's speech. But not so impressive is the Daily Mail for not spotting the BBC bashing opportunity on page 10 today where it pictures Baroness Stowell of Beeston (for it is she who is now a Tory peer) passing the Tic Tacs to her fellow peer in what has been widely reported as one of the dullest Queen's speeches for eons.BBCQueen's speechDaily MailNewspapers & magazinesNational newspapersMonkeyguardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated…
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Society: Mental health | guardian.co.uk
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Is Rikers Island jail with 'the Program'? | Sadhbh Walshe
16 May 2012 | 10:01 amAllegations that corrections officers are using youth offenders to control others may not be the most daunting of Rikers' problemsLast week, the Village Voice newspaper ran a cover story about an upsurge in violence at New York City's jail complex known as Rikers Island, complete with graphic photos of mostly young inmates with vicious-looking knife wounds on their faces and necks. The story was replete with horrific details of alleged beatings at the jail's adolescent facility (the RNDC), and concluded that violence at the adolescent complex was out of control. The Voice also claimed that… -
Care home criticised after mentally ill resident is jailed for killing schoolboy
16 May 2012 | 8:14 amJudge questions systems at Ashness House home after jailing resident Serif Aslan for murder of 15-year-old Kasey GordonA private care home has been criticised by a judge as he sentenced a mentally ill resident to life for killing a schoolboy.Serif Aslan had not been taking his anti-psychotic medication and said he had kept a knife in his room for about a week.As he walked past a school to go to his favourite cafe, Aslan made a remark about a girl and got into a fight with a schoolboy.Kasey Gordon, 15, went to help the boy and was stabbed through the heart and died on the pavement.Three other… -
Gene variant enhances memory and increases risk of PTSD | Mo Costandi | Neurophilosophy blog
15 May 2012 | 7:35 amThe downside to having a good memoryA genetic variant associated with an enhanced capacity for emotional memories is also linked to increased susceptibility to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to new research published yesterday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.The study, led by Dominique de Quervain of the University of Basel, used a combination of behavioural genetics and functional neuroimaging, and was carried out in three phases, two involving healthy European volunteers and the third involving Rwandan refugees who fled the 1994 civil war. I describe the… -
Joey Barton should take tips from Wayne Rooney
14 May 2012 | 2:00 pmAfter his sending off against Manchester City, the famously hot-headed footballer must finally learn to control his anger. Here are a few tips …Learn from Wayne Rooney." This is what Joey Barton – the famously hot-headed footballer sent off against Manchester City for hitting out at a rival player, then two more on his way to an early bath – should now be doing, according to Mike Fisher, director of the British Association of Anger Management and author of Mindfulness and the Art of Managing Anger.Rooney, says Fisher, "was a natural hot head exposed to the adrenalised, competitive… -
Police need training to section vulnerable people | Mark Brown
14 May 2012 | 11:00 amRestraining people with mental health problems is a delicate task – tactics used against criminals are not appropriateThe case of Peter Russell, a 58-year-old man with Alzheimer's, being repeatedly tasered by police officers as he resisted being taken into hospital under section, was horrifying. It's hard to imagine how it would feel looking on as a loved one was acted against in that way, but beyond the shock, it is always worth asking: what could be done instead? Why, in 2012, is our treatment of people with severe mental health or cognitive difficulties still so entwined with the…
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World news : Middle East and North Africa roundup | guardian.co.uk
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King of Jordan orders inquiry into claims of abuse in children's homes
16 May 2012 | 1:28 pmUndercover investigation by BBC Arabic reveals allegations of abuse of mentally and physically disabled childrenThe king of Jordan has ordered an inquiry into allegations of abuse in private children's homes that were made in an undercover investigation aired in the country this week.The BBC Arabic programme revealed allegations of abuse of children with mental and physical illnesses – some as young as seven or eight – that included sexual abuse, beatings, insults and swearing.It is common for wealthy parents from across the Middle East to send children to Jordan for treatment. But BBC… -
Abuse of disabled children in Jordan's care homes - video
16 May 2012 | 1:26 pmThis film documents the shocking abuse of children with disabilities in Jordan's care homes using undercover filming and eyewitness testimony -
Life of war correspondent Marie Colvin celebrated in London memorial
16 May 2012 | 10:44 amColvin was killed in the Baba Amr district of Homs in February after Syrian artillery fire struck the house she was staying inThe life of the Sunday Times war correspondent Marie Colvin was celebrated at a packed St Martin-in-the-Fields church in London on Wednesday by family, colleagues and friends, including the singer Cerys Matthews and former foreign secretary David Miliband.Colvin, who had reported from many of the world's most dangerous conflict zones, was killed in the Baba Amr district of Homs in February after Syrian artillery fire struck the hall of the house where she was staying. -
In memory of Farzad Kamangar, Iranian Kurdish teacher
16 May 2012 | 10:01 amKamangar, a teacher in Iran's Kudistan region, was hanged in May 2010 for being "an enemy of God"This month marks the second anniversary of the execution of a primary school teacher, who paid with his life for refusing to make televised confession about a crime he didn't commit.Farzad Kamangar was 31 when he was detained by the security forces in July 2006 for allegedly collaborating with the Kurdish opposition groups. The government accused him of being "an enemy of god". His mother believes that her son's only crime was his 'Kurdishness' and his lawyer Khalil Bahramian maintained that… -
Nakba Day clashes on West Bank between Palestinians and Israeli forces – video
16 May 2012 | 8:59 amPalestinian youths and Israeli security forces clash in the West Bank on Tuesday as Palestinians mark Nakba Day
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Politics: David Miliband | guardian.co.uk
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Jon Cruddas can start interesting arguments – but will they get Labour elected? | Gaby Hinsliff
16 May 2012 | 4:32 amAs Labour's new policy supremo, leftwinger Cruddas must formulate a coherent programme for the squeezed middleHe once described his current political agenda as seeking to "kick up a bit of dust, tip over a few tables", and force people out of their comfort zones. So it's no surprise that within hours of Jon Cruddas bagging a big role in Ed Miliband's mini-reshuffle, his previously declared support for a referendum on membership of the EU was headline news. It's a classic example of the bold brush strokes he favours: an idea big enough to catch the public imagination, mischievous… -
A wise reshuffle could leave Ed Miliband with a winning hand | Jackie Ashley
13 May 2012 | 2:30 pmTo revive David Cameron's fortunes will take more than musical chairs, but Miliband has a chance to truly invigorate his teamIt looks like reshuffle season. Labour's changes are coming soon, perhaps as early as this week, while the coalition is on alert for a shift of jobs if Jeremy Hunt fails to survive the increasingly poisonous-looking drip-drip of Murdoch revelations. Both sides want to freshen up their image before the political season closes; but for each, the risks and rewards are very different.Labour, at last, is on the up. Much better polling, following a strong local elections… -
Battered coalition partners begin to doubt strategy of compromise
5 May 2012 | 5:54 pmThe devastating cull experienced by the Conservatives and Lib Dems in the local elections is prompting sober reflection among their MPs and activists about where it has all gone wrongHarlow bus terminal's cafe, the Sandwich Bar, located in a small arcade of tatty fast-food outlets and betting shops, has been in business for 53 years. But it's struggling. The once bustling Barclays bank opposite closed down last year and the cafe's owner, Gasko Vatansever, a former folk musician from Turkey, maintains that the Tories "only care about billionaires".Despite this, Vatansever was one of the few… -
David Miliband: austerity measures put UK and Germany on the back foot
30 Apr 2012 | 1:42 pmFormer foreign secretary feels Labour is on verge of a breakthrough as austerity ethos weakens governmentsBritain and Germany, which have damaged economic growth across Europe by imposing "collective austerity", are being forced onto the "back foot" by the continuing downturn, the former foreign secretary David Miliband has said.As he announces a campaign for nursery staff, cleaners and kitchen assistants to be given the living wage of £7.20 an hour, Miliband expressed the hope Labour may be breaking through as the government's weaknesses are exposed."There is a feeling that the true face of… -
The 10 best political rivalries
14 Apr 2012 | 6:01 pmAs the London mayoral race hots up, Andrew Rawnsley revisits the fieriest feudsDavid OwenDavid SteelMichael HeseltineAndrew Rawnsley
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UK news: Military | guardian.co.uk
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Afghan detainee wins right to judicial review in torture case
15 May 2012 | 12:08 pmSerdar Mohammed says he was tortured by Afghan authorities after British forces captured him and handed him overAn Afghan detainee who says he was subjected to torture after being handed over to the Afghan authorities following capture by British forces has won permission to challenge the legality of his transfer.Serdar Mohammed, 24, was given leave to seek judicial review by Mr Justice Collins, sitting at the high court in London.His lawyers say that, after the transfer, he was tortured into confessing that he was a member of the Taliban by the national directorate of security, the… -
British dead and wounded in Afghanistan, month by month
15 May 2012 | 4:00 amWhat is the human cost of the war in Afghanistan for British forces? As British troop deaths reach 414, these are the latest figures - including the most recent wounded and amputation statistics• Get the data• Amputation statistics explainer• Afghanistan civilian casualties• Interactive guideWith the latest deaths caused by the war in Afghanistan, the total number of British troop fatalities during the conflict now stands at 414. The 400 mark was passed when six British soldiers were killed in an explosion on 6 March. Last month the MoD released the latest annual numbers on… -
Inquest opens into soldier's death in Afghanistan
14 May 2012 | 12:32 pmHearing will consider whether Lance Corporal Michael Pritchard was killed by friendly fire from a British sniperA soldier suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the side of the ribcage while deployed at an observation post to stop Afghan insurgents placing improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in the road, an inquest heard.Lance Corporal Michael Pritchard, 22, of the 4th Regiment, Royal Military Police, was killed in the Sangin area of Helmand province on 20 December 2009 while on secondment with 4th Battalion The Rifles.The soldier, from Eastbourne, East Sussex, had arrived at the observation post,… -
Defence cuts help MoD win war against 'woeful budget indiscipline'
14 May 2012 | 11:23 amDefence secretary Philip Hammond rules out review of redundancy scheme despite cuts filling £38bn funding gapPhilip Hammond has ruled out reviewing the armed forces redundancy programme after announcing the Ministry of Defence's budget is back in balance after a savage round of cuts.The defence secretary said the government had plugged a £38bn funding gap in military spending and had built in a small surplus to cover contingencies. But he said this reserve money would be used to pay for equipment and not save any of the 60,000 civilian and military posts being axed.Hammond insisted he would… -
A cultural revolution and UK defence budget miracle
14 May 2012 | 11:15 am• £38bn budget gap disappears as Hammond balances books• Military chiefs admit guilt• The triumph of hope over experience?There has been a cultural revolution in that most profligate of all government agencies, the Ministry of Defence."We have put the past behind us", said Philip Hammond, the defence secretary, with a hint of (perhaps understandable) smugness as he described the reputation of his department as being tarnished in the past by "woeful budget indiscipline"."It was a very big mess", he added, announcing how he had somehow, miraculously, balanced the MoD's books for the…
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UK news: Monarchy | guardian.co.uk
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Queen on tour: 'unofficial' exhibition of royal portraits arrives in London
16 May 2012 | 10:29 amExhibition of images of Elizabeth II, which has already visited Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff, arrives in capitalA fragile and rarely loaned portrait of the Queen has gone on public display for the first time in 26 years as part of an exhibition of portraiture that includes works that would not necessarily be of Her Majesty's choosing.The summer-long show arrived at the National Portrait Gallery in London ahead of the diamond jubilee weekend celebrations. But its curator, Paul Moorhouse, stressed: "The really important thing to say is that it is in no sense an official exhibition. It has not… -
Write for us about ... your jubilee celebrations | The people's panel
16 May 2012 | 8:06 amThe Queen's diamond jubilee is nearly here. Will you be joining in the celebrations or choosing to stay away?Celebrations for the Queen's diamond jubilee are around the corner, and events are currently being organised throughout the country for an extended weekend of street parties, games and even tasteless merchandising.As part of our people's panel series, we want your perspective. How will you celebrate, if at all? And more importantly, what will you celebrate exactly? Do you plan on taking part in a street party with your neighbours, will you attend the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant or… -
M&S diamond jubilee knickers? I can give you worse memorabilia | Stuart Jeffries
16 May 2012 | 6:04 amWash your Royal Wedding pizza down with some Jubilade and if it's all too much here's a diamond jubilee sick bagNever since Jeremy Paxman railed against the inadequacies of men's pants a few years ago has so much attention focused on Marks and Spencer's underwear output. This morning the high street retailer is launching in its (serious face) Marble Arch boardroom a new range of underwear (slightly less serious face), the M&S jubilee lingerie collection.Does anything express your patriotic royal pride than wearing royal knickers, ideally over your union flag leggings? The question was… -
Le Beau Sancy diamond sold for £5m
16 May 2012 | 1:40 amJewel that began 400-year journey through European royalty in the crown of Henri IV's second wife Maria Médicis sold for double the expected priceAs soon as she set eyes on the Beau Sancy diamond, Marie de Médicis, wife of the French king Henri IV, knew she wanted it, and she nagged her wayward husband until he bought it for her.It was to bring neither of them great pleasure. In 1610, a day after her coronation – for which the large pear-shaped gem was set atop her crown – Henri was assassinated, leaving six children under the age of nine.And so began the Beau Sancy's 400-year journey… -
Le Beau Sancy diamond up for auction
15 May 2012 | 10:06 amJewel which began 400-year journey through European royalty in the coronation crown of Henri IV's second wife Maria Médicis is expected to fetch £3mAs soon as she set eyes on the Beau Sancy diamond, Marie de Médicis, wife of the French King Henri IV, wanted it and nagged her wayward husband until he bought it for her.It was to bring neither of them great pleasure. In 1610, just a day after her coronation – for which the large pear-shaped gem was set atop her crown – Henri was assassinated, leaving her with six children under the age of nine.And so began Le Beau Sancy's 400-year journey…
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Education: Mortarboard blog | guardian.co.uk
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Revision playlist: can music boost your marks?
14 May 2012 | 4:04 amListen to Harry's top ten revision soundtracks – and add your ownThere are countless revision aids out there, but there's one that every student will turn to: music.It's certainly the most versatile. There's an ever-growing selection of artists and genres to pick from – and technology has made them pocket-sized and portable.Everyone loves music. But will it help or hinder your studies?The link between music and concentration has been well researched. Originally it was thought that our response to music was dictated by our personality type. This idea was based on the raunchy-sounding… -
First year students: our time is nearly over
11 May 2012 | 5:08 amYou can't be carefree forever, but when should first years start planning for the future?It's May and the end of first year is fast approaching. With new acquaintances and relationships, essay deadlines and exams, it's hardly surprising that your first year as a student flies by.You begin the year telling yourself – it's fine, I'm only a fresher. There's loads of time to get a good grade, build up a CV and become an excellent job applicant. No need to worry.First year is about finding your feet and getting to grips with a new-found independence. There were times when I wanted to go home… -
Procrastination: a student's worst enemy?
9 May 2012 | 4:13 amStudents are hardwired to waste time – and temptations aboundWe all know the feeling. Staring at the cursor blinking away on a blank Word document, desperately wishing you were somewhere else. But no, until the word count hits 3,000 you're staying put… Just need to make a cup of tea first. Before you know it, "a cup of tea'" has turned into a Lord of the Rings marathon, and the word count remains at zero.Procrastination is the disease eating away at student productivity – and with exam season upon us, we're facing an epidemic. An American study estimates that over 70% of students… -
Mature students: would you consider living in halls?
4 May 2012 | 4:12 amHalls of residence are home to all-night parties and messy kitchens. What happens when a mature student moves in?Arriving at university straight out of sixth-form, I was one of a thousand fresh faces. But amid that sea of raucous teenagers there were a few older figures, sporting grey hairs and creeping crows-feet. In the flat next door to me, there lived an older man – we're talking late thirties, early forties. It seemed a bit strange at the time.University halls are a place to live out your first year in style: drink all night, sleep all day and do things you'll regret when you awake… -
Ten things I wish I'd known before I started my dissertation…
2 May 2012 | 4:12 amAre you putting the final touches to a dissertation? Let's pass on some tips to those who'll be doing them next yearToday is D-Day. Dissertation hand-in day.The 10,000-word spiral-bound paper that's been squatting on my desk in various forms of completion since September is my Allied forces; the history department in-tray is my Normandy. And when Eisenhower talked about a "great crusade toward which we have striven these many months", he was bang on.It's been more than a year since I first encountered the Undergraduate Dissertation Handbook, felt my heart sink at how long the massive file…
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Society: MRSA and superbugs | guardian.co.uk
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Cameras to monitor hospital staff
8 May 2012 | 11:00 amEmployees concerned as NHS trusts opt to trial US surveillance technology in a bid to cut superbug infectionsThe NHS is set to start using cameras in hospital wards to monitor staff behaviour in a bid to reduce hospital-acquired infections, drive up the quality of care and improve patient safety.Two hospital trusts have agreed to introduce the technology, which has triggered concern among staff about being constantly watched as they work, and raised issues about how to protect patients' confidentiality.The Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen university hospitals NHS trust will become the first NHS… -
Hospital hygiene drive 'saved 10,000 lives'
4 May 2012 | 2:06 am'CleanYourHands' campaign has led to significant fall in MRSA and other superbug infections, says BMJ reportThe government-funded campaign to improve hand hygiene at hospitals across England and Wales led to a significant fall in the rates of superbug infections, a report has revealed.After the "CleanYourHands" campaign was rolled out in 2004, the amount of soap and alcoholic hand rub bought by NHS trusts almost tripled, according to a study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ).Over the same period, MRSA rates in hospitals were slashed by more than half, while there was a… -
Open hospital windows to stem spread of infections, says microbiologist
20 Feb 2012 | 1:00 amAAAS meeting told to take a leaf out of Florence Nightingale book and allow in air, and microbes, to control nasty pathogensHospitals might thwart the spread of dangerous infections by taking a tip from Florence Nightingale and throwing open their windows. But while the Victorian nurse championed fresh air and cleanliness as a defence against infections, the incoming air might help control nasty pathogens by letting more microbes inside.Jack Gilbert, a microbiologist at the US government's Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois, offers the unconventional view that unwanted microbes might… -
Harvey Boulter: I assumed Adam Werritty was an MoD man
10 Oct 2011 | 10:34 amDubai-based businessman says Liam Fox's friend discussed potential defence contracts and legal issues with himSipping jasmine tea in the spectacular atrium of Dubai's five-star Shangri-La hotel, British businessman Harvey Boulter reflected on just how convincing Adam Werritty was in the role of Liam Fox's gatekeeper. "I assumed an adviser to Dr Fox would be an MoD adviser," said Boulter, gesticulating to the window table where he first met Werritty in April, as he sought access to the British secretary of state for defence."When he came, he presented me his card, which said he was an adviser… -
How Liam Fox was chased from denials to an embarrassing climbdown
9 Oct 2011 | 3:56 pmDefence secretary left with questions to answer over nature of meeting in Dubai with investment fund managerLiam Fox's political hero, Margaret Thatcher, was famous for her loathing of the U-turn, but the defence secretary's public handling of mounting questions concerning his relationship with close friend, former flatmate, best man and political ally Adam Werritty, has been littered with embarrassing corrections and clarifications that have left his position in doubt.On 12 June, Fox may well have glossed over a small report in the Observer concerning a £41m-plus legal claim being brought…
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Music news, reviews, comment and features | guardian.co.uk
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Magdalena Kožená: 'I'm not scared of the big maestro'
16 May 2012 | 1:00 pmWhat's it like to sing Carmen when your husband is the conductor? Magdalena Kožená (aka Lady Simon Rattle) reveals all to Kate ConnollyMagdalena Kožená believes musicians fall into two categories. "There are people who love to work with their partners and those who simply can't," she says. It is, she admits, "fortunate that I'm the first case": the celebrated Czech mezzo-soprano's husband happens to be conductor Simon Rattle.What's the main advantage of being married to the conductor? "You can say, 'I'm sorry, darling, you know today my voice is just not in a very good… -
LSO/Gergiev – review
16 May 2012 | 12:13 pmBarbican, LondonValery Gergiev's Stravinsky retrospective with the LSO continued with a pair of concerts in which the Russian maestro's erratic variability was much in evidence. The programme for each consisted of two stage works, and the first – a chamber concert juxtaposing Renard with The Soldier's Tale – showed Gergiev's Stravinsky at its finest.Both works are difficult, complex and austere. Renard – dramatising traditional cock and fox tales for four male singers who swap roles throughout – is a modernist masterpiece that can seem forbidding. The Soldier's Tale, in which a… -
Jupiter (No 1,269)
16 May 2012 | 11:11 amWhen Jupiter say they're disco, they mean the cheesiest end of it – all Moog bursts and cosmic funk bass. They really should have been on the Boogie Nights soundtrackHometown: Paris.The lineup: Amélie and Quarles.The background: There have probably been as many disco revivals over the years as there have been punk ones. Well, here comes a duo who, although they may not be intent on kickstarting a full-scale comeback, are certainly helping keeping disco's sound and spirit alive. Jupiter are a couple from France who met in a London club one night as the DJ "span" Mama Used to Say, the… -
A new theatre and arts centre opens in Liverpool
16 May 2012 | 10:35 amThe Epstein theatre - named after the Beatles' manager - opened last week after a £1.2m refurbishmentA newly opened Liverpool theatre and arts centre named after the Beatles' manager Brian Epstein is to feature a play about his life later this year.The Neptune Theatre, a cultural gem in Hanover Street, has been renamed following a £1.2m refurbishment and is now called the Epstein Theatre. More than just a theatre, it will host live music, dance, exhibitions and comedy.In November, a play celebrating the life of Epstein opens at the venue for a short run until 1 December. It is a fitting… -
Pop at the pictures: Teenage flicks
16 May 2012 | 10:13 amIn 1958, the American idea of the teenager hit Britain. Pathé News caught early examples of this strange new breed at large in London's SohoThis may seem very familiar. That's because it's been chopped and edited into dozens of historical documentaries, as a seminal piece of documentary footage. And rightly so: although burdened with the customary, clunky voiceover that Pathé reserved for youth in this period – all that tired "hepcat" jabber – it gives a clear overview, and some fabulous shots, from the dawn of British pop culture.Journalistically, Pathé was right on time: 1958 was the…
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Music: Music blog | guardian.co.uk
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Pop at the pictures: Teenage flicks
16 May 2012 | 10:13 amIn 1958, the American idea of the teenager hit Britain. Pathé News caught early examples of this strange new breed at large in London's SohoThis may seem very familiar. That's because it's been chopped and edited into dozens of historical documentaries, as a seminal piece of documentary footage. And rightly so: although burdened with the customary, clunky voiceover that Pathé reserved for youth in this period – all that tired "hepcat" jabber – it gives a clear overview, and some fabulous shots, from the dawn of British pop culture.Journalistically, Pathé was right on time: 1958 was the… -
Take five: John Fordham's month in jazz – May
16 May 2012 | 9:10 amContinuing our series of monthly columns, John Fordham picks out his musical milestones from the past few weeks. Tell us in the comments section below if there's things we've missed, plus what you'd like to see John covering in next month's column1) An anniversary: Herbie Hancock's Takin' OffThanks to those who posted comments on last month's Take Five – including nilpferd's suggestion that Herbie Hancock's 1962 Blue Note debut Takin' Off would make a fitting 50th anniversary classic for May. I couldn't agree more.Chicago-raised Hancock was just 22 when he made this astonishingly mature… -
Now listening: reader playlist
16 May 2012 | 8:04 amEvery week we invite a reader to share with us some of the songs they've been listening to recently. This week's selection features the Beatles, Indian Summer and Manfred MannEach week, we invite someone to share a playlist of songs they've been listening to recently. This week it's the turn of Pete Clemons, who says: "I am in my mid-50s and have been a music fan for as long as I can remember. I write an occasional article for my local newspaper, the Coventry Telegraph, on gigs from the last 50 years in the Coventry area."Pink Floyd – EchoesFirst heard this in 1972, seen them play it live,… -
New music: Radioblue – Take Me Home
16 May 2012 | 7:07 amHere's a pair of Poles whose music cuts like the KnifeYou get the impression that Polish siblings Radioblue, aka Sylwia van der Wonderland and Rob Kubicki, spend a long time perfecting their slowburn electronica. Sylwia lists her influences as soft electronica, new disco and space disco, while Rob calls himself a "sound designer" influenced by Tibetan Buddhist chants. This attention to detail is evident on their debut release, Take Me Home, which certainly has the otherworldly feel you'd expect from something that proclaims itself to be space disco. There's an intricacy to how the soft beats… -
Old music: David Bowie – Changes
16 May 2012 | 6:53 amIt's 1972, and Greg Freeman's friends don't rate this curious young singer. In fact, he's as bad as Bob DylanMy mates were as dismissive of David Bowie as they were of Bob Dylan. This was 1972, before he was quite as chameleonic as he would soon become. Maybe it was to do with Bowie sometimes wearing dresses, or simulating fellatio on his lead guitarist's instrument. Whatever their reason, their hostility was reason enough for me to turn to his music as I sought to rethink my own persona, and searched for a new hero.In 1971, I had half-listened to tracks from The Man Who Sold the World on Bob…
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Art and design: My best shot | guardian.co.uk
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Justin de Villeneuve's best photograph: David Bowie and Twiggy
16 May 2012 | 8:54 am'I photographed Bowie with Twiggy for Vogue. But he ended up taking it for the cover of Pin Ups'I started going out with Twiggy in 1965. She wanted to become a model, so we arranged meetings with fashion editors, but they all said she looked too young. Eventually she got her break, and the whole look of the era changed: all the girls wanted hair and eye makeup like hers.By 1973, we were no longer a couple, but I remained her manager. David Bowie's Aladdin Sane had just come out, and we loved the line: "Twig the wonder kid." We met Bowie a few times socially, and he mentioned that he wanted to… -
Photographer Richard Mosse's best shot
9 May 2012 | 1:30 pm'This is a pool at one of Saddam's old palaces. I had 14 minutes, then they barked at me to pack up'I wanted to document the US troops stationed inside some of Saddam Hussein's old family palaces. There are 84 dotted around Iraq, but it was 2009, and the clock was ticking as soldiers were being withdrawn. You need media accreditation to get embedded with the US military and, although editors liked my idea, no one was willing to take responsibility for my safety. Eventually, the Yale Daily News agreed. It became a running joke among journalists in Iraq that I had a press card from my old… -
Photographer Mitch Dobrowner's best shot
2 May 2012 | 12:12 pm'We chased the storm for 40 miles. Then, 15 seconds after I took this, the tornado was gone'I'd seen some pictures taken in Tornado Alley, in the US midwest, and wanted to go there – to see its big supercell motherships for myself. So in 2009, I started going out on road trips with Roger Hill, who's been a stormchaser for 30 years. We used Rapid City in South Dakota as a base, then drove to Minnesota, Colorado and Texas, seeing some amazing phenomena along the way.This shot was taken in North Dakota in 2011. That morning, the temperature was 90 degrees, the humidity 70% and it was extremely… -
Photographer Natacha Merritt's best shot
25 Apr 2012 | 12:00 pm'This is a spider's erection. I boiled it in acid then added extra lighting for a romantic feel'Spiders have fantastic genitals, even in their non-extended state. Few people have ever seen an erect spider penis, though. Actually, their penises come in pairs called pedipalps: the males ejaculate onto a silk web and suck up the sperm with their pedipalps. Then they try to mate with females, a complex process that often involves a sort of high-speed dance since the females are usually twice their size – at least – and very likely to attempt to eat them.It's a great mystery what turns a… -
Photographer Sophie Calle's best shot
18 Apr 2012 | 12:46 pm'He was from Istanbul but had never seen the sea. I made him cover his eyes until he got to this spot'This image is from my work Voir la Mer, meaning "to see the sea". I found people in Istanbul who had never seen the sea before, despite living in a city surrounded by it. Then I took 15 people of all ages, from kids to one man in his 80s, to see it for the first time.I went with each person individually, such as this man in his 30s. Before we arrived I made him cover his eyes. Once we were safely by the sea, I instructed him to take away his hands…
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UK news: National Lottery | guardian.co.uk
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Ashmolean museum receives £5.9m grant from lottery fund for painting
6 May 2012 | 10:03 amDecision means Oxford museum needs to raise further £908,000 to acquire Édouard Manet portrait of woman in white dressA grant of £5.9m from the Heritage Lottery Fund has brought the Ashmolean museum a step closer to owning a painting of a wistful young woman in a shimmering white dress by Édouard Manet.The Oxford museum now needs to raise a further £908,000 by the 7 August deadline.The portrait of the violinist Fanny Claus, who would die eight years later of tuberculosis at the age of 30, is a study for Manet's more famous painting Le Balcon, now in the Musée d'Orsay collection in Paris… -
A great future beckons for the arts
3 Apr 2012 | 1:30 amFollowing shadow culture secretary Harriet Harman's accusation in her article for the Guardian Northerner on Friday that "this Tory-led government doesn't understand the arts", culture minister Ed Vaizey replies. The future is bright, he says.2012 will be an amazing year for the arts. The London Festival 2012 will see 1000 arts and cultural events throughout Britain, with leading artists at home and from abroad showcasing their work to millions of people.I'm pleased we and the cultural sector found the money to make this happen, and for the support we have given the arts since 2010. Taking… -
Halifax's Square Chapel wins hefty Arts Council support
2 Apr 2012 | 9:00 amPerformance centre is one of three successful applicants in Yorkshire. It's much-praised, though John Wesley preferred to preach in the cattle market because more people could cram inSupporters of Halifax's Square Chapel Centre for the Arts are celebrating the news that they have been successful in their first round application to the Arts Council's new capital investment programme. The Square Chapel is one of Halifax's over 600 listed buildings – one of the largest concentrations of any town in the country – and dates from 1772. Its architect was the 18-year-old Thomas Bradley (who, it… -
13,983,816 and the Lottery [video] | GrrlScientist
2 Apr 2012 | 2:00 amIn the national lottery, everyone is a winner -- until the drawing occursDo you buy lottery tickets? After you've purchased your tickets, do you find yourself daydreaming about what you'll do with the money if you win whilst you await the drawing? But what are the odds of winning the jackpot? A quick look at the maths shows that the chance of picking the six winning numbers from the 49 balls in the UK National Lottery is one in 13,983,816 -- basically, you've got a seven times greater probability of being struck by lightning, an event that most people don't think is likely to happen to them. -
What's your most dishonest moment? | Open thread
21 Mar 2012 | 6:47 amA couple have been jailed after claiming another man's lottery win. Tell us the most dishonest thing you've ever doneShopkeepers Alfred Jeevarajah and his wife, Anne have been jailed for 14 months after falsely claiming another man's lottery win. Anne stole Gwyn Badham-Davies's ticket in July 2011 and told him he had only won £10. Mr Jeevarajah then tried to claim Badham-Davies's £156,659 winning lottery ticket but they were caught after the lottery operator, Camelot, was suspicious and police proved that Jeevarajah had not bought the original ticket.It's time to confess to your fellow…
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World news: Nato | guardian.co.uk
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Nato summit in Chicago and G8 at Camp David – live build-up
16 May 2012 | 1:47 pmProtesters will gather at the Nato summit in Chicago, while demonstrations are also planned close to the G8 summit• Follow updates here and tweet me @AdamGabbatt2.30pm: Law enforcement in Chicago will be on "high alert" to stop sex trafficking during the Nato summit, according to Illinois state attorney Anita Alvarez.Alvarez told WLS that trafficking can increase during conventions or significant events, but police will be monitoring sites which are known to have featured adverts for trafficked persons. "The sexual services of children, and young men and women are not for sale here in… -
A Sceptic's Guide to the Nato Summit
16 May 2012 | 10:37 amA quick route through the Chicago agendaFour main issues: Afghanistan, Nuclear Weapons, Russia, Burden-sharingThousands of words will be written about the many more thousand that will be spoken during the Nato summit on 20 and 21 May in Barack's adopted home city of Chicago.The test facing leaders of the 28 members of the world's most powerful military alliance, established in the early years of the cold war, is how they will make concrete progress on these important issues:1. Afghanistan.Afghan president Hamid Karzai has been invited. So, too, has the Pakistan president, Asif Ali Zardari. -
If there were global justice, Nato would be in the dock | Seumas Milne
15 May 2012 | 4:20 pmLiberia's Charles Taylor has been convicted of war crimes, so why not the western leaders who escalated Libya's killing?Libya was supposed to be different. The lessons of Iraq and Afghanistan had been learned, David Cameron and Nicolas Sarkozy insisted last year. This would be a real humanitarian intervention. Unlike Iraq, there would be no boots on the ground. Unlike in Afghanistan, Nato air power would be used to support a fight for freedom and prevent a massacre. Unlike the Kosovo campaign, there would be no indiscriminate cluster bombs: only precision weapons would be used. This would be… -
Nato summit in Chicago and G8 at Camp David – live build up Tuesday 15 May
15 May 2012 | 4:12 pmProtesters will gather at the Nato summit in Chicago, while demonstrations are also planned close to the G8 summit• Follow updates here and tweet me @AdamGabbatt5pm: That's it for today, thanks for reading. We'll be back tomorrow with continuing coverage of the build-up to the Nato and G8 summits.4.40pm: Occupy Wall Street live streamer Tim Pool is in Chicago and has been checking out McCormick place, where the Nato summit will be held and the destination of protesters' march on Sunday 20 May. He posted the photographs below from his @Timcast Twitter feed.What seems like stacks of solid… -
Afghanistan hopeful of extra US cash to fund security
15 May 2012 | 12:47 pmOfficials believe Washington will pay more on top of lion's share of expected $4.1bn annual budget after foreign troops leaveAfghanistan is confident the US will stump up billions of extra dollars for its army and police on top of the main chunk of a $4.1bn (£2.6bn) annual budget that is expected to be sealed at a Nato summit this month, an Afghan diplomat has said.With foreign combat troops already heading home, and all due to be all gone by the end of 2014, there is little hope the impoverished country will be able to hold off the hardened Taliban insurgents without outside financial…
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World news: Natural disasters and extreme weather | guardian.co.uk
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Geoengineering experiment cancelled due to perceived conflict of interest
16 May 2012 | 8:13 amTwo scientists involved in Spice project to simulate the cooling effect of volcanoes had submitted patents for similar technologyA controversial geoengineering experiment to simulate the cooling effect of volcanoes has been cancelled due to concern over a perceived conflict of interest with some of the researchers.The experiment would have injected 150 litres of water into the atmosphere from a weather balloon via a 1km pipe tethered to a ship as part of the Spice project (Stratospheric Particle Injection for Climate Engineering).Matthew Watson, a scientist at Bristol University and the… -
Arizona wildfires: early start to season stokes fears across south-western US
14 May 2012 | 12:54 pmAfter especially destructive 2011, fire experts warn extreme droughts and warm temperatures may make 2012 just as badAuthorities across the south-western United States were braced for a summer season of wildfire destruction on Monday after an outbreak of five serious blazes in Arizona.In the first serious wildfires of the 2012 season, hundreds of firefighters, backed up by air support, struggled to contain five separate blazes in northern Arizona.The authorities ordered 300 homes evacuated in the historic mining town of Crown King, said Cliff Pearlberg, a spokesman for the state's forestry… -
North-west China lashed by rain and deadly hail storm – video
13 May 2012 | 12:36 pmTorrential rain and hail storms have killed 37 and left 19 people missing in Minxian, in the north-western Chinese province of Gansu -
Car parks and playgrounds to help make Rotterdam 'climate proof'
11 May 2012 | 4:58 amThe Dutch city is pioneering new ways of dealing with water as climate change brings with it heavier rains and rising tidesWindmills that feature in the landscapes painted by the Dutch old masters are a reminder that the low-landers of this nation are past masters at keeping the tide at bay.Along with dykes, the first of which were built about 1,000 years ago, drainage mills have been effective at keeping water out of a land where 60% of its inhabitants live below sea level.But new ways of dealing with water need to be found as climate change brings with it heavier rains and rising tides,… -
Top scientists urge governments to solve environmental 'dilemmas'
10 May 2012 | 7:02 amDemand for water and energy, natural disasters and measuring carbon dioxide must be prioritised, leading institutions sayThe world's leading scientific institutions have urged governments to focus on three "global dilemmas": growing demands for water and energy, natural disasters and measuring carbon dioxide.In a series of statements, the scientists recommended that governments should "engage the international research community in developing systematic, innovative solutions" to these pressing problems.The heads of the national science academies of 15 countries, including the UK, the US,…
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Society: NHS | guardian.co.uk
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Today in healthcare: Wednesday 16 May
16 May 2012 | 11:31 amNews, comment, blogposts and tweets across the sector5.31pm: Jessica Fuhl writesBefore we go this afternoon, here's a round up of comment, news and analysis from around the web...BBC: Nurses' compassion 'as important as skills'GP Online: NHS Commissioning Board chairman rebuked for 'golf-playing GPs' jibeDepartment of Health: NHS Patient Feedback Challenge uses online crowdsourcing to collect ideas and support projects3.04pm: Jessica Fuhl writesThe King's Fund's Chris Ham has blogged today on integrated care and why the NHS needs more deviant leaders. It follows a piece on the network today… -
Mothers to get 'named midwife' under plan to combat postnatal depression
16 May 2012 | 2:04 amOne-to-one care during labour and birth part of government strategy to tackle condition that affects 10-15% of mothersMothers will receive one-to-one care from a named midwife during labour and birth as part of government plans to combat postnatal depression.Women who have a miscarriage or stillbirth and parents who are forced to cope with the death of a baby will also be offered increased support from the NHS.Under the plans, health workers will be given enhanced training so they can spot the early signs of postnatal depression.The move was welcomed by the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) and… -
Cuts putting lives of learning disabled at risk, say nurses
15 May 2012 | 6:03 pmInconsistent levels of care are putting patients in danger, and are being exacerbated by budget cuts, survey revealsWhen the abuse of adults at Winterbourne View hospital near Bristol hit the headlines earlier this year it catapulted the mistreatment of people with learning difficulties in residential settings into the headlines, and prompted calls for immediate reforms to protect vulnerable people. However, if advocates for change had hoped that the revelation would be the final alarm raised about poor care for people with learning disabilities, then a new report from the Royal College of… -
Nurses fear spending cuts will put people with learning disabilities at risk
15 May 2012 | 6:03 pmThree in four nurses have seen cuts to services in their area in the past year, survey revealsNurses who work with people with learning disabilities have "real concerns" about the safety of their clients because of cuts in services, according to a study published on Wednesday.A survey of 500 nurses revealed that three out of four saw spending cuts to services in their area in the past year. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said its survey also uncovered cuts in the range of services offered, such as health education and personal care packages.Almost 1.5 million people in the UK have a… -
Today in healthcare: Tuesday 15 May
15 May 2012 | 9:36 amNews, comment, blogposts and tweets across the sector5.14pm: Lizzi Easterbrook writesThat's all from the blog today. We're just preparing our newsletter for tomorrow morning so if you want to receive it, just sign up for free here. As always, we hope you have found it useful and if there is anything you want us to include tomorrow, let us know by commenting below or getting in touch on twitter @GdnHealthcare4.54pm: Lizzi Easterbrook writesAhead of his speech to the RCN congress tomorrow, Sir Keith Pearson has spoken to Nursing Times and said that nurses should be recruited on values which…
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UK news: Northern Ireland | guardian.co.uk
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Derry: fear and republican vigilantes stalk new city of culture
13 May 2012 | 4:40 pmExclusive: at least 85 people have been shot in escalating campaign of shooting and beatingsRepublican vigilantes conducting a campaign of shootings and beatings have in the past year forced more than 200 young men out of Derry, which will become Britain's City of Culture in 2013, the Guardian can reveal.At least 85 men have been shot over the past three years in "punishment" attacks by Republican Action Against Drugs (RAAD), according to community groups researching the vigilante violence.In some instances those targeted, mostly in their teens or early 20s, have been forced to turn up with a… -
Derry: city of culture, city of fear
13 May 2012 | 4:03 pmHardline republicans feel supported in meting out bloody 'justice' in areas where the 'peace dividend' fails to pay outWhen the fatal bullets pierced the window of the living room, Andrew Allen was in the Irish Republic playing an Xbox football game online with a nephew back in Derry.The match, featuring avatars of Wayne Rooney and Lionel Messi, came to an abrupt and bloody end when Allen fell to the floor inside his relative's house just across the border in Buncrana, County Donegal.Uncle and nephew were pitted against each other in cyberspace because Allen had been warned just a few weeks… -
The young men of Derry living in fear - video
13 May 2012 | 3:53 pmHenry McDonald investigates how a new generation of young men in Derry are living in fear for their lives once they are branded drug dealers or criminalsLaurence TophamHenry McDonald -
Trapped in a hardline | Simon Hoggart
11 May 2012 | 3:00 pmWhy do rightwing Tories think so many people share their views on gay marriage?✒ Gay marriage is responsible for so much. Back in 2007, when we last had serious floods, some bonkers bishop in the north said they were God's punishment. Rightwing Tory MPs have blamed the party's failures in local elections on gay marriage and Lords reform, as if voters were saying, "Hmm, my children are out of work, and I could be made redundant any day, but that's nothing compared with Cameron's assault on marriage as a sacrament between a man and a woman!"The fact is that hardliners of all kinds tend to… -
Woman arrested over 'false report' of baby fall from ferry
10 May 2012 | 1:14 pmBelfast woman held on suspicion of wasting police time after allegedly claiming that baby fell overboard with herA 37-year-old woman has been arrested in connection with reports that a baby fell overboard from a Stena Line ferry into Belfast Lough, the Police Service of Northern Ireland has said.A PSNI spokesperson said the woman had been detained on suspicion of wasting police time.After interviewing the woman, officers had concluded that reports of the baby falling from the ferry on Wednesday night were false.The woman herself, believed to be from east Belfast, fell from the ferry into the…
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Politics: Northern Irish politics | guardian.co.uk
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Trapped in a hardline | Simon Hoggart
11 May 2012 | 3:00 pmWhy do rightwing Tories think so many people share their views on gay marriage?✒ Gay marriage is responsible for so much. Back in 2007, when we last had serious floods, some bonkers bishop in the north said they were God's punishment. Rightwing Tory MPs have blamed the party's failures in local elections on gay marriage and Lords reform, as if voters were saying, "Hmm, my children are out of work, and I could be made redundant any day, but that's nothing compared with Cameron's assault on marriage as a sacrament between a man and a woman!"The fact is that hardliners of all kinds tend to… -
Republican dissidents blamed for planting bombs in Northern Ireland
28 Apr 2012 | 2:13 pmArmy disposal teams defuse 600lb device in Newry and car bomb in Belfast while up to 70 homes were evacuatedDissident republican paramilitaries left a bomb in Newry that was bigger than the device used in the Omagh massacre, the Police Service of Northern Ireland has confirmed.The device left on Thursday near Newry Canal in south Armagh was a 600lb bomb – 200lb bigger than the air-fuel explosive device that devastated Omagh, causing the biggest single atrocity of the Troubles with the deaths of 29 men, women and children. The Newry bomb was meant to kill members of a passing police patrol,… -
Ulster Unionists' Mr Burns should take a look at Rab C Nesbitt | Henry McDonald
3 Apr 2012 | 9:16 amMike Nesbitt's early gaffe suggests he could use a lesson from his namesake to avoid becoming a real comedy characterSnake-eyed, misanthropic, cartoon Republican party reptile Monty Burns decides to run for office in Springfield.In a memorable episode of The Simpsons, Mr Burns deploys an army of PR advisers and spin doctors to ensure he gets elected to Congress.The personification of predatory American capitalism is shocked to find how bad his public image is among the "Joe Six-packs" of the fictional town. He is even more shocked when his election team suggest the best way to portray him as… -
Ulster Unionists' new leader seeks poor family 'to adopt me'
2 Apr 2012 | 5:58 amMike Nesbitt's plan to spend 24 hours with a struggling family condemned as 'crass and patronising' by rivalsThe Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt has sparked controversy during his first week in the post by offering to live with a poor family for 24 hours.The rival Democratic Unionist party branded Nesbitt's offer as "crass and patronising".The former Ulster Television presenter, who was elected UUP chief on Saturday, said he wanted to be "adopted" by a family struggling on the breadline in Northern Ireland in order for him to better understand the plight of people surviving in the… -
Ulster Unionist party elects Mike Nesbitt as leader
31 Mar 2012 | 9:33 amFormer Ulster TV anchor beats John McCallister by 407 votes to become leader at party's annual general meeting in BelfastThe former TV news anchor Mike Nesbitt has been elected as the new leader of the Ulster Unionist party.The ex-Ulster Television news reader won a decisive victory on Saturday at the party's annual general meeting in Belfast over his only rival for the post, John McCallister.Nesbitt won 536 of the delegates' votes, as opposed to 129 for McCallister. The defeated candidate had promised to pull the UUP out of the five-party power sharing coalition at Stormont and provide an…
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World news: Barack Obama | guardian.co.uk
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Obama campaign raises $43m in April – US politics live
16 May 2012 | 1:29 pmObama's re-election campaign raises $43m in April, while Karl Rove's super Pac plans a huge attack ad spree - live2.18pm: The Federal Reserve's interest rate-setting committee has released the minutes of its last meeting, at the end of last month. Amidst all the talk about the economy, there was also this discussion about the impact of the political battle over the federal budget:Participants expected that the government sector would be a drag on economic growth over coming quarters. They generally saw the US fiscal situation also as a risk to the economic outlook; if agreement is not reached… -
G8 summit: Obama to press Angela Merkel on eurozone growth package
16 May 2012 | 7:47 amFearing the euro crisis could be bad for his re-election, Obama will appeal to leaders, but analysts say his leverage is minimalBarack Obama is to press German chancellor Angela Merkel to support a growth package to help bail out Europe at the G8 summit this weekend amid fears in the White House that the eurozone crisis could damage the president's re-election chances.Obama is scheduled to meet Merkel, the new French president François Hollande, the Italian prime minister Mario Monti and British prime minister David Cameron at Camp David on Friday evening.But foreign affairs analysts said… -
Barack Obama teases David Beckham over underwear – video
16 May 2012 | 3:41 amThe US president, Barack Obama, welcomes the Los Angeles Galaxy to the White House celebrating their 2011 Major League Soccer cup victory -
Barack Obama's financial assets revealed
15 May 2012 | 5:25 pmUS president's approximate wealth revealed in financial disclosure forms made public by the White HouseBarack and Michelle Obama have assets worth up between $2.6m and $8.3m, according to financial disclosure forms for 2011 made public by the White House.Under the disclosure rules, the Obamas do not have to specify how much they are worth, just the broad range.Although Obama's assets show he is far from being an average American, the family still falls well short of the wealth of his Republican opponent Mitt Romney, estimated at over $200m.Much of the president's money has come from his… -
Obama stops by The View to talk about the economy – US politics live
15 May 2012 | 4:37 pmObama appears on The View while Mitt Romney goes on the attack in Iowa5.15pm: Finally: this really happened. Simon & Schuster is publishing Dog on the Roof! On the Road with Mitt and the Mutt –Now for the first time, here is the completely true – and only mildly embellished – shaggy-dog story of Seamus Romney, the famously fetching Irish setter whose master, future presidential candidate Mitt Romney, plopped him atop the family station wagon for that infamous 1983 car trip.4.45pm: The Club for Growth – the tax-cutting, regulations-bonfiring lobby group – is not happy with the batch…
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The Guardian World News
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Teenager found guilty of murder after conkers row
16 May 2012 | 12:11 pmBoy, 15, faces life sentence for fatally stabbing Steven Grisales, 21, who had remonstrated with group about throwing conkersA 15-year-old boy is facing a life sentence after being found guilty of stabbing a student to death in a row over conkers.The teenager was found guilty at the Old Bailey in London of murdering architecture student Steven Grisales, 21.Grisales died last August after he went over to remonstrate with a group of young people throwing conkers still in their spiky husks. He was walking to Silver Street station, Edmonton, north London, when he was attacked.The teenager, who… -
London Olympics stadium disappoints architects, but supporting cast save day
16 May 2012 | 11:31 amVelodrome and aquatics centre are the stars of Olympic park, according to a panel of architects convened by the Guardian"That's as dull as ditchwater," said architect Piers Gough as the organising committee's minibus skirted the copper-clad Olympic handball arena. Amanda Levete, Stirling prize-winning designer, craned her neck to take a look. "Do you think it is deliberately banal?" she asked. "Shocking. The electricity substation is better."It was a tough start for the architecture of the Olympic park, which was being put to the test by a panel of leading architects and critics convened by… -
Macedonia on trial for human rights abuses in US post-9/11 rendition case
16 May 2012 | 11:07 amEuropean court of human rights hears case of Khaled el-Masri, detained in Skopje before alleged torture in Afghanistan by CIAEurope's human rights court began hearing the first case arising from the US's post-9/11 rendition programme on Wednesday, when the government of Macedonia went on trial accused of multiple human rights abuses of a German citizen.Khaled el-Masri, 48, a car salesman of Lebanese descent, was detained in Macedonia in December 2003 and held for more than three weeks in Skopje, before being handed to CIA officers who flew him to Afghanistan, where he was allegedly tortured… -
Michael Caine trapped in dressing room
16 May 2012 | 10:25 amThe actor, who was filming Now You See Me in a disused theatre, was accidentally locked in a makeshift dressing area overnight before being set free the next morningNo tabloid story about Michael Caine is complete without a headline referencing his famous line from The Italian Job: "You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!" Sub-editors at the Mirror must have thought all their Christmasses had come at once yesterday after the unfortunate 79-year-old actor was locked in his dressing room overnight while taking a nap.According to the newspaper, Caine was on a break earlier this… -
Michael Gove proposes that schools set own teachers' pay
16 May 2012 | 10:10 amEducation secretary Michael Gove's suggestion would lead to the end of a national pay scale for the professionEngland's state schools could be allowed to set their teachers' salaries themselves, the education secretary has proposed, leading to the end of a national pay scale for the profession.Michael Gove made the suggestion in a submission to a review on teachers' pay due to report this autumn.His idea would trigger one of the biggest shakeups in teachers' working conditions for a generation and was deeply unpopular with trade unions.Gove said the current national pay scale for the…
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Media: Ofcom | guardian.co.uk
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ISPs told to come clean on broadband speeds
16 May 2012 | 4:45 amTalkTalk and BT the worst offenders in mystery shopping exercise that showed broadband companies often fail to offer a speed quote to potential customersBroadband companies are failing to offer a speed quote to potential customers in 41% of their sales calls, in breach of a code introduced last year to protect consumers.A mystery shopping exercise carried out for telecoms watchdog Ofcom tested how many broadband providers followed the rules by offering an estimated speed without prompting by the customer.TalkTalk was the worst offender, offering an unprompted quote in just 47% of cases,… -
In the post-Murdoch era, we must reform media ownership | Norman Fowler
11 May 2012 | 6:02 amThe Leveson inquiry means no one should hold sway as Murdoch did. But reform must remove politicians' final say on ownershipA friend of mine who became chairman of a media company in the 1980s found that the appointment brought with it one unexpected privilege. Periodically he was invited into Downing Street for a private talk with the prime minister, Margaret Thatcher. At one such meeting the issue of Murdoch arose. "Why are you so opposed to Rupert?" the Iron Lady asked. "He is going to get us in."It says it all. It explains why Tony Blair went to the other side of the globe to woo Murdoch… -
Ofcom invites bids to run local TV services in 21 towns and cities
10 May 2012 | 8:06 amMeanwhile BBC Trust reveals how £25m of licence fee money will help the local TV multiplex licensee with set-up costsOfcom has invited bidders to submit applications for licences to run local TV services in 21 cities and towns, including Belfast, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh.The media regulator is also seeking bidders for a 12-year licence to run a local TV multiplex, managing the digital terrestrial television spectrum used by the operators of the services in the 21 locations.Separately on Thursday, the BBC Trust published details of how it plans to allocate up to £25m in… -
Matthew Wright investigated over disability slurs in TV poll
10 May 2012 | 6:46 amChannel 5 poll asked viewers whether 'mong', 'spaz' or 'retard' was the most offensive term relating to learning difficultiesMatthew Wright's Channel 5 daytime show is being investigated by Ofcom over a survey that used the words "mong", "spaz" and "retard".The Wright Stuff, which holds the dubious honour of airing the item which attracted the most complaints to Ofcom in 2011, is being investigated by the media regulator to see if the poll was a breach of broadcasting rules relating to harm and offence.The 26 April edition of the show featured Wright discussing the comment made by Rupert… -
Ofcom may close TV station over show condoning murder for blasphemy
9 May 2012 | 11:31 amWatchdog rules DM Digital lecture, citing a 'duty' to kill those who insult prophet, broke several broadcasting codesA British TV channel that aired a lecture saying it is acceptable to murder someone who has shown disrespect to the prophet Muhammad is facing a significant fine or potentially even closure by Ofcom.Ofcom has taken the unprecedented step of ruling that DM Digital, which targets the Asian market with programming in languages including English, Punjabi, Urdu, Kashmiri and Hindi, is the first UK broadcaster to break the broadcasting code for airing material "likely to encourage or…
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Education: Ofsted | guardian.co.uk
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The Stalinism of Tory small-staters | John Harris
14 May 2012 | 8:05 amIncreasingly heavy-handed Ofsted inspections offer a window on the government's anachronistic love affair with centralism"Truancy crackdown to include children aged four" was the Guardian's headline, flagging up a story about Michael Gove's national crusade against truancy and tardiness, and the clunking fist of central diktat. Education may not actually be compulsory until five, but his department is to insist that schools compile attendance figures for reception class – even nurseries, it seems, may have to follow suit – and ready them for publication and perusal by Ofsted. Such is one… -
'Give us a little more respect,' demand stressed-out teachers
12 May 2012 | 3:55 pmNew Ofsted head stands accused of taking a confrontational approach with state school teachers over standardsWhen Sir Michael Wilshaw took up his role as the head of Ofsted in January, he made it clear he had no intention of softening the combative style that marked his spell as head of the high-achieving Mossbourne Academy in Haringey."If anyone says to you that 'staff morale is at an all-time low', you know you are doing something right", the chief inspector of schools said shortly after he took up his position.Four months later, the hardline rhetoric shows no sign of abating. Last week Sir… -
Schools 'face talent drain' as morale of teachers dives
12 May 2012 | 3:30 pmPoll shows thousands are thinking of quitting as former Ofsted chief warns of widespread disillusionmentMorale among state school teachers is at "rock bottom", according to a former chief inspector of schools, who speaks out as unions warn that a "perfect storm" of government meddling threatens an exodus of talent from the profession.Christine Gilbert, who resigned as head of Ofsted last year, said there was evidence of widespread disillusionment in schools despite the level of teacher professionalism being "better than ever".Her comments come as a survey from the biggest teaching union, the… -
We work harder than ever before, so don't tell us we don't know what stress is... a teacher responds to the Ofsted chief
11 May 2012 | 4:32 amMichael Wilshaw's comments at the Brighton Conference have alienated teachers across the country, for Mikey Matthews the call to ban mobiles was the straw that broke the camel's backIn the few short months since Michael Wilshaw left Mossbourne for Ofsted, he has managed to alienate almost the entire teaching profession by showing himself to be wildly out of touch with teaching today.So much so in fact, that he chose to visit a £30k a year public school yesterday to deliver another statement designed to anger the teaching profession. Dare I say that if he went elsewhere he may not have been… -
Should mobile phones be banned in schools? | Poll
10 May 2012 | 6:30 amOfsted chief Michael Wilshaw wants to stop pupils bringing phones to school. Is he right?
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Business: Oil | guardian.co.uk
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Oil rig firm Lamprell shares slump after profit warning
16 May 2012 | 11:33 amMore than £500m was wiped off the value of Lamprell this morning when the group put out a statement saying it had run into equipment problems on some of the rigsLondon-listed oil rig builder, Lamprell, has issued a profit warning just a fortnight after two of its senior executives sold a substantial number of shares in the business.More than £500m was wiped off the value of Lamprell on Wednesday morning when the group put out a statement saying it had run into equipment problems on some of the rigs.The company, which operates fabrication yards in the Middle East, blamed a failure by… -
Perenco's environmental consultancy buried evidence of Amazon tribe
16 May 2012 | 7:01 amDaimi Peru withheld evidence found by anthropologists for indigenous people living near the oil company's operations, a leaked report revealsAn environmental consultancy working for an oil company withheld evidence of an "uncontacted tribe" where the company is operating in Peru's Amazon, a leaked report obtained by the Guardian reveals.The leak is acutely embarrassing for Perenco, based in London and Paris, because it has consistently claimed there is no evidence for indigenous people living without contact with the outside world near its operations and cites research by the consultancy,… -
Oil prices could double by 2022, IMF warned
13 May 2012 | 1:37 pmGlobal trade would be profoundly affected if crude prices permanently doubled from current historic high of $113 a barrelThe International Monetary Fund (IMF) has been warned by its internal research team that there could be a permanent doubling of oil prices in the coming decade with profound implications for global trade."This is uncharted territory for the world economy, which has never experienced such prices for more than a few months," the report warns.The new IMF "working paper" come as the value of crude on world markets remains at the historically high level of $113 a barrel and just… -
Shell shares up after Qatar wealth fund buys stake
11 May 2012 | 6:42 amShares in Shell rise nearly 1% amid further speculation that Middle East state is in 'very advanced talks' to buy an even bigger stakeA sovereign wealth fund from the oil-rich Gulf state of Qatar has added Shell to its growing roster of western investments by buying a holding in the company.Shares in Shell were up by nearly 1% amid further speculation that the Middle East state was in "very advanced talks" to buy an even bigger stake – as much as 3%-5%."We are delighted to welcome the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) as a long-term and major shareholder in Shell, particularly given our… -
Pirates hijack Greek oil tanker in Arabian Sea
11 May 2012 | 5:55 amMT Smyrni seized off Oman in first successful attack on an oil tanker in Horn of Africa in a yearPirates have hijacked a Greek-owned oil tanker carrying 135,000 tonnes of crude oil in the Arabian Sea, the first successful attack on an oil tanker off the Horn of Africa in more than a year.The vessel's manager, Dynacom Tankers Management, said it had lost contact with the crew of the MT Smyrni, a Suezmax-class tanker, following the attack off Oman at 11.15 GMT on Thursday."The Liberian-flagged tanker, the MT Smyrni, is carrying a cargo of 135,000 tonnes of crude oil," it said.Suezmax tankers…
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Sport: Olympic Games 2012 | guardian.co.uk
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Olympic Games will boost UK economy, predicts Bank of England
16 May 2012 | 1:45 pmLondon 2012 will bring tourist boom and extra public spending that may see off double-dip recession, says Threadneedle StreetBritain's struggling economy will receive a much-needed boost from the Olympic Games this summer as more tourism and extra public spending lead to increased activity that could spell the end of the double dip recession, the Bank of England said.In its assessment of the likely impact of hosting the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, Threadneedle Street said it expected output to be around 0.2% higher in the third quarter than it otherwise would have been.After the… -
David Beckham flies out to Greece to meet Olympic torch
16 May 2012 | 1:00 pmBeckham's arrival for ceremony will increase speculation he will be part of the Great Britain football team at the OlympicsDon't bother trying to keep David Beckham out of the news. Two and a half hours before Roy Hodgson revealed the composition of his party for the Euro 2012 finals – the first major tournament for which England have qualified since 1998 in which Beckham will take no part – came the announcement that Goldenballs will be arriving in Athens to observe Thursday's ceremony at which the Olympic flame will be handed over to the representatives of London 2012.Beckham, who… -
London 2012 Olympic torch: keeping the flame alive
16 May 2012 | 12:50 pmSingle flame will be visible to public at any one time, but other 'iterations' will step up should torch be extinguishedThere is, officials stress repeatedly, only one London 2012 Olympic flame. But when it begins its 70-day, 8,000-mile relay across the UK this weekend, such are the complex logistics that a single flame will, in fact, be in several places at once.The flame was lit last week after an actor dressed as an ancient priest caught the sun's rays in a parabolic mirror in Olympia, Greece. This source will in turn ignite every one of the 8,000 three-sided aluminium alloy torches… -
London 2012: David Beckham, Ryan Giggs and Joe Cole set for Team GB | Owen Gibson
16 May 2012 | 12:10 pmStuart Pearce can now concentrate on selecting his squad for the London Olympics – and it may be wise to wait so he can use Roy Hodgson's England standby playersWithin minutes of Roy Hodgson announcing his Euro 2012 squad, the former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler had tweeted: "Ah well, there's always the Olympics squad … I'll keep soldiering on." But, joking aside, the point at which the 23-man squad was named was the point at which speculation about Euro 2012 stopped and conjecture about the Olympics lineup started.Now relieved of one of the three hats he was wearing before the… -
London 2012 Olympic Park site architecture - video
16 May 2012 | 11:35 amArchitects Amanda Levete and Piers Gough and critic Charles Jencks give their verdict on the key venues of the London Olympic siteRobert BoothGuy GrandjeanJosh Strauss
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Politics: Opinion polls | guardian.co.uk
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Boris Johnson eight points ahead of Ken Livingstone in latest opinion poll
26 Apr 2012 | 5:07 amComRes survey puts Tory mayoral candidate well ahead of Labour rival days after YouGov poll said two were neck and neckBoris Johnson is on course to be re-elected as London mayor on 3 May, according to the latest ComRes poll giving the Conservative candidate a clear lead over his Labour rival, Ken Livingstone.The poll shows Johnson enjoying an eight-point lead, just three days after a YouGov poll put the two candidates virtually neck and neck. The latest snapshot will make sober reading for Livingstone as he seeks to woo voters in the last week of his campaign to oust Johnson on May 3.The… -
George Osborne's budget undermining Tories, according to new poll
23 Apr 2012 | 6:06 pmThe chancellor's claim on budget austerity that 'we're all in this together' is widely rejected, a Guardian/ICM poll showsA month on from his budget, George Osborne is emerging as a drag on his party's popularity, according to Tuesday's Guardian/ICM poll. Voters regard the chancellor as less competent in a crisis, less empathetic and less fair than the prime minister, who is himself now rating badly on all three counts.After rows over the budget's income tax cut for top earners and its new levies on pensioners, pasties and charity donations, 54% of the public dismisses the idea that the… -
Is the government dragging Boris Johnson down?
23 Apr 2012 | 3:18 pmThe new YouGov finding that Ken Livingstone has pared Boris Johnson's head-to-head lead back from six points to two in the space of a week will cheer up Team Ken and remind Team Boris, should this remotely be required, that the race for City Hall is not yet lost or won. One poll is just one poll, of course, though this latest one continues a trend towards Ken in YouGov's three most recent surveys.Ken had a two point lead in January, and Boris a lead of the same distance in February. Then came Boris's surge to an eight-point lead in March, followed by that small slip to six and now the larger… -
Guardian/ICM polls: every one since 1984
23 Apr 2012 | 12:07 pmFull results on voting intentions going back to the beginning of our polling• Get the dataThe Guardian and ICM have been conducting monthly polls since 1984. Here is the full data going back to then. Plus we can bring you the trends in the big questions and how they've changed over time.Just click on the tabs on the spreadsheet to see how people's views of leader competence have changed over time. Can you do something with this data?You can see from the chart below how each party's position has changed.Download the full data• DATA: download the full ICM poll results• VISUALISATION: see… -
Conservatives turn three-point opinion poll lead into eight-point deficit
23 Apr 2012 | 12:00 pmLatest Guardian/ICM poll sees the Tories slumping to 33%, after registering 39% last month, with Labour rising from 36% to 41%See every Guardian/ICM poll since 1984 hereSupport for the Conservative party has plunged since the budget according to the findings of a new Guardian/ICM poll that gives a resurgent Labour its best score in almost nine years.The three-point lead David Cameron was enjoying over Labour immediately before George Osborne's budget has now given way to an eight-point deficit.Tory support has plunged by six points in a single month, down from 39% to 33%. Meanwhile, Labour…
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Books: Orange prize for fiction | guardian.co.uk
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Out in paperback: May fiction
8 May 2012 | 11:35 amSome prize picks appear this month, including Madeline Miller's intricate The Song of Achilles, Georgina Harding's Painter of Silence and Erin Morgenstern's enchanting The Night CircusTwo Orange prize-shortlisted novels appear in paperback this month. Madeline Miller's The Song of Achilles goes behind the scenes of the Iliad, and back into the childhoods of Achilles and Patroclus. "She is a respectful and clearly loving reader of Homer," wrote Charlotte Higgins. "Nothing strikes a false note in her intricately created world ... where ordinariness and wonder (centaurs, goddesses) are woven… -
Paperback Q&A: Madeline Miller on The Song of Achillles
1 May 2012 | 6:08 amThe author and classicist describes the inspiration behind her Orange prize-shortlisted first novel, which unravels the mysteries of the IliadHow did you come to write The Song of Achilles?Almost accidentally. Although I'd always loved writing and Classics, it never crossed my mind to combine the two until my senior year of college. A friend asked me to codirect a production of Troilus and Cressida, Shakespeare's Trojan War play, and the experience was a complete revelation. I realised that I wanted not just to read these ancient texts, but to participate in telling them.At the same time I… -
The sound and fury of book-prize brouhaha leaves literature nowhere
26 Apr 2012 | 6:52 amAs the fuss surrounding the Pulitzer and Orwell prizes shows, book awards are increasingly more about hype than substanceThe great literary boom of 1980 to 2010 is over, but its glittering prizes still linger, like discarded party favours the morning after the night before. Hardly a day goes by without some new titbit of literary prize gossip, or speculation.Last week, it was the brouhaha over the news that this year's Pulitzer prize, one of the premier US literary trophies, would not be awarded in the fiction category.Then came crowd-pleasing advance publicity for the People's book prize… -
Paperback Q&A: Cynthia Ozick on Foreign Bodies
24 Apr 2012 | 6:25 amThe 84-year-old author reveals the highs and lows of writing the novel which has been shortlisted for the Orange prize 2012How did you come to write Foreign Bodies? A novel can be set in motion by an incident, a character, a location, a mood – by anything at all. Sometimes the stimulus can be an idea, which will rapidly clothe itself in character and incident. Foreign Bodies came about through the contemplation of the contrast between post-second world war America and Europe. In 1952, I had gone to England on a literary pilgrimage, but what I also saw, even at that distance from the blitz,… -
Should judges always pick a winner?
21 Apr 2012 | 6:03 pmThe Pulitzer prize for fiction will not be awarded this year after the jury couldn't raise a majority for any of the candidates. But is this such a bad thing?Alex Clark: Observer writer and former Booker prize judgeJust what the literary world needs – another judging spat! I confess that when I heard that the Pulitzer prize for fiction, due to be awarded to the best American novel of last year, was being kept in its cupboard because the committee couldn't reach a majority verdict about any one of the three finalists, my first thought was – good on them. Why do prize juries insist on…
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Media: Organ Grinder | guardian.co.uk
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ITV could have made even bigger history
23 Apr 2012 | 1:30 amMemories of veteran Andy Allan point to the creativity – and ruinous divisions – that emerged from its network structureLast week saw a memorial service for an ITV legend. Andy Allan, formerly of Thames, Tyne Tees, Central and Carlton, died relatively young – he was only 68 – but to say he lived life to the full rather understates the case. Speakers queued up to pay tribute to his warmth and humanity as well as his taste for Sancerre and cream sauces. But above all hearing tell of some of his escapades with programmes – The Tube and Inspector Morse to name but two – was to be… -
TV production: 'clear evidence' of gender pay gap
11 Apr 2012 | 9:28 amSurvey reveals polarised industry in which women have lower average salaries – and pay declines as staff pass age of 45There is "clear evidence" of a pay gap between men and women working in the television production industry, according to the latest annual survey carried out by trade magazine Televisual.Based on 611 responses – 63% male, 37% female – the survey shows that the average salary of men responding is £56,000 a year, while for women it is £49,000. The differential is noted by a number of women. "It would appear there is still a pay gap between men and women, doing the same… -
The Leveson inquiry is a high-court conflict between celebrities and tabloids
20 Nov 2011 | 2:33 pmAs Hugh Grant and Milly Dowler's family give evidence, we must remember it is the courts who mete out justice, not the pressMagna Carta, Ken Clarke observed to the press types assembled at last week's Society of Editors conference, was a pretty conservative document: the product of a baronial revolt against monarchical excess. Given the document's influence, it might have appeared somewhat bold for the Society to bill its conference as Magna Carta II, though the venue did happen to be in Runnymede 800 years on. Yet the comparison may not be quite so unlikely, given what is about to happen in… -
Poster notes: Another Earth
16 Nov 2011 | 9:40 amPaul Owen interviews director Mike Cahill about the poster for his new movie – and what it's like to discover that you and Lars von Trier have had almost the same ideaDirector Mike Cahill was on his way to show his new movie, Another Earth, at the Sundance film festival earlier this year when he heard that its central image – the appearance of an enormous planet in the sky above ours – had effectively been scooped by another film. "I was like, 'Whaaaat, Lars von Trier is doing a science fiction movie with another planet?'" Cahill told the Guardian. "I couldn't believe it. It was… -
It's time for Leveson to tackle the corrosive faults of the media
6 Nov 2011 | 3:47 pmNew book highlights how policy and politics are being distortedIn 2004, the Guardian's editor, concerned by the media's standards, wrote to 50 people in high-profile positions – in Westminster, Whitehall, the judiciary, City and NHS, industry, science, academia and the Church – asking them to evaluate coverage of their work. The responses were a devastating catalogue of destructive, disparaging and subversive coverage, the most persistent criticism being the media's concentration on the negative. The responses were published in two successive editions of MediaGuardian in January…
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Film: Oscars | guardian.co.uk
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How 48 hours at large in LA turned Fellini into a maestro
12 May 2012 | 7:36 amA new film will suggest what happened when director Federico Fellini vanished for two days in 1957It is a cinematic mystery surrounding the disappearing act of one of the greatest names in the history of film.A new movie is set to explore what may have happened when the celebrated Italian film director Federico Fellini disappeared for 48 hours on his first visit to America, where he was due to attend the Oscar awards.Instead of a smooth trip to the 1957 ceremony, the man who was to make such classics as La Dolce Vita and 8½ almost missed the awards gala after going missing for two days… -
Oscars to stay in Hollywood for next 20 years at Dolby theatre
2 May 2012 | 4:36 amAcademy signs deal with new sponsors Dolby to keep Oscars ceremony at former Kodak theatreThe Oscars are to remain in Hollywood for the next 20 years at the newly renamed Dolby theatre.The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which organises the annual film awards, had briefly considered shifting to a new venue away from the district which is synonymous with US movie glitz and glamour, according to the LA Times. The situation was compounded earlier this year when the iconic Kodak theatre in the plush Hollywood & Highland complex on Hollywood Boulevard lost its sponsorship deal when… -
Should judges always pick a winner?
21 Apr 2012 | 6:03 pmThe Pulitzer prize for fiction will not be awarded this year after the jury couldn't raise a majority for any of the candidates. But is this such a bad thing?Alex Clark: Observer writer and former Booker prize judgeJust what the literary world needs – another judging spat! I confess that when I heard that the Pulitzer prize for fiction, due to be awarded to the best American novel of last year, was being kept in its cupboard because the committee couldn't reach a majority verdict about any one of the three finalists, my first thought was – good on them. Why do prize juries insist on… -
Film festivals: which is top dog?
19 Apr 2012 | 2:00 pmCannes, which has announced its 2012 line-up, has some serious competition. As Tribeca begins and ahead of Sundance London, our critics examine the big hitters on the film festival circuitIt has been a quiet few months on the film festival front. The last two biggies, Sundance and Berlin, were back in the depths of winter; but now things are suddenly getting interesting. Tribeca, the New York trendoid-magnet, has just started, and Cannes, the swanky Cote d'Azur schmoozathon, has reared its finely contoured head on the horizon. The UK is even getting in on the action, with the much-anticipated… -
A Cat in Paris: 'Part childlike fable, part old-fashioned cops and robbers' - video review
6 Apr 2012 | 3:37 amJean-Loup Felicioli and Alain Gagnol's charming Oscar-nominated animation has been described as 'Hitchcock for middle-schoolers'. It's not quite that purrfect, says Andrew Pulver, but is charming and engagingAndrew PulverHenry Barnes
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Education: Oxbridge and elitism | guardian.co.uk
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Schooldays rule your destiny long before first job interview, say MPs
28 Apr 2012 | 6:06 pmCross-party committee on mobility says gap between the wealthy and the underprivileged starts young and continues growing into adulthoodLong before you apply for a job or university place, your prospects in life have all too often been set, claims a cross-party committee of MPs.Britain is far behind the rest of the developed world in terms of social mobility and studies show that today's 40-somethings have even less mobility then those who were born in the 1950s. Denmark, Canada, Australia and Germany all have better records.In their interim report, Seven Truths About Social Mobility, to be… -
Fewer than half of state school teachers encourage Oxbridge applications
27 Apr 2012 | 4:32 amJust 44% of secondary school teachers say they encourage gifted students to consider Oxford or Cambridge, study findsFewer than half of state school teachers would advise bright pupils to apply to the UK's top universities, and the numbers are falling, research suggests.The Sutton Trust, which commissioned the study, said it was deeply concerning that the majority of teachers would not encourage gifted students to apply to Oxford and Cambridge.It said more needed to be done in schools to "dispel the myths" about the two elite institutions and other leading universities.The study, which… -
Calling all teachers - Cambridge is for your pupils too!
25 Apr 2012 | 3:57 amCambridge University's student union access officer is working hard to dispel the myths that act as barriers to state school children applying to top universities, but she needs your helpSo many column inches are wasted on pupils applying to Oxford and Cambridge.I wish there were a silver bullet to the problem of accessibility to narrowly academic universities, but we're embedded so much into our own institutions it's difficult to have a clearer strategy or more co-ordinated approach.For the moment, different institutions are working to improve access to "top" universities in very good, but… -
How do you acquire and keep rich friends? I suggest dinner | Andrew Martin
30 Mar 2012 | 2:01 pmThere must be a cautionary note in one of those etiquette guides about offering 250 grand to your hostDavid Cameron does a lot of running, yet has a persistent paunch. Why? Dinner or rather, dinners. The running he wants us to know about, the dinners he does not. Here is a man who refuses to be photographed in a dinner jacket, and tries to suppress mention of his membership while at Oxford of that dining/window smashing club, the Bullingdon. In making this week's statement about entertaining at his private Downing Street flat, you could tell he loathed saying that incriminating "D" word. Yes,… -
Why I sent Oxford a rejection letter | Elly Nowell
19 Jan 2012 | 9:00 amWithdrawing my application to the university makes perfect sense – it's a symbol of unfairness in our education systemA little over a month ago, I sent Oxford a rejection email that parodied the thousands that they send each year. Much to my surprise, it has become a bit of an internet hit, and has provoked reactions of both horror and amusement.In it, I wrote: "I have now considered your establishment as a place to read Law (Jurisprudence). I very much regret to inform you that I will be withdrawing my application. I realise you may be disappointed by this decision, but you were in…
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World news: Pakistan | guardian.co.uk
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Afghanistan hopeful of extra US cash to fund security
15 May 2012 | 12:47 pmOfficials believe Washington will pay more on top of lion's share of expected $4.1bn annual budget after foreign troops leaveAfghanistan is confident the US will stump up billions of extra dollars for its army and police on top of the main chunk of a $4.1bn (£2.6bn) annual budget that is expected to be sealed at a Nato summit this month, an Afghan diplomat has said.With foreign combat troops already heading home, and all due to be all gone by the end of 2014, there is little hope the impoverished country will be able to hold off the hardened Taliban insurgents without outside financial… -
How CIA blood money led to family killing in Pakistan
15 May 2012 | 6:50 amMan suspected of shooting wife and daughter dead linked to US payout for Raymond Davis killingsIn a neighbourhood where houses can cost up to £70,000, Shehzad Butt and his family stuck out from the moment they moved in. Unlike the privately educated children who spoke flawless English with American accents, Butt's seven children spoke only Urdu. Butt himself – a former mechanic living alongside doctors and lawyers – would occasionally startle the Johar Town neighbourhood, in the south of Lahore, by climbing on to his roof and firing guns into the air.But one thing the Butts did have in… -
Pakistani journalist killed by kidnappers
14 May 2012 | 1:49 amThe bullet-riddled body of Pakistani journalist Tariq Kamal, a Karachi-based reporter for a local Sindhi newspaper, was found last Wednesday (9 May). His body showed signs of severe torture.He had been kidnapped three days before along with his friend, Fawad Sheikh, who was also murdered.Kamal was on a visit to a dangerous area of Balochistan to work on an exclusive report. His family received a call from him in which he said he was about to be killed by his captors. The family were also informed by the kidnappers that the two men were being killed because they were police informants.Sources:… -
Drone strikes in Yemen: US expert warns of anti-western sentiment
11 May 2012 | 4:59 pmFormer CIA counter-terrorism chief says US military strategy in the region is forcing Yemenis into violent extremismThe former head of the CIA's counter-terrorism centre has warned that the use of drone strikes in Yemen risks turning militants into "dedicated enemies of the west".Robert Grenier, who was director of the intelligence agency's counter-terrorism unit from 2004 to 2006, said the US risked turning Yemen into the "Arabian equivalent of Waziristan", a reference to the strife-torn Pakistani region.His comments came after the resignation of the US ambassador to Pakistan, Cameron… -
Pakistan's PM denies authorities knew Osama bin Laden was living in country
9 May 2012 | 1:26 pmGlobal 'intelligence failure' to blame for al-Qaida leader going undetected for so long, says Yousaf Raza GilaniPakistan's prime minister has insisted his country had not been "complicit" in sheltering Osama bin Laden and said the fact the late al-Qaida leader was able to live undetected for so long in Pakistan was down to a universal "intelligence failure".Speaking after the one-year anniversary of Bin Laden's killing, Yousaf Raza Gilani rejected claims Pakistan had secretly known he was living in the garrison city of Abbottabad. US special forces killed Bin Laden on 5 May last year during a…
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Media: PDA | guardian.co.uk
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Guardian Viral Video Chart: a cornucopia of cuteness. And robots
11 May 2012 | 8:37 amWatch Prince Charles try out for a new job, a zoo full of babies and a tribute to Beastie Boy Adam YauchAs regular readers of the Viral Video Chart will be aware, it's not a proper chart without at least one cute animal video. Well, you're in luck this week because we have FOUR of them for you. Let's kick off the cute-fest with something from the archives – British Pathe newsreel footage, taken at Brooksville Zoo in the US in 1941, of some baby animals.Elsewhere, a poor hungry lioness is perplexed by a glass wall that stops her getting hold of a tasty treat; some funky baby bears form a… -
Guardian Viral Video Chart: Imperial penguins and kiddie Queens
4 May 2012 | 7:41 amWatch the president joshing, kids headbanging and animals quarrelling in this week's rundown of the top online clipsAs any self-respecting geek knows, today is Star Wars Day (May the 4th be with you). And what better way to enjoy the day than by watching a bunch of penguins waddling along to the Imperial March music from the Star Wars films. The only problem: how do you tell which one is supposed to be Darth Vader?Elsewhere, the battle for the biggest summer blockbuster crown is hotting up with the release of new trailers this week for both Prometheus and The Dark Knight Rises. (Our money is… -
Why Twitter put me on the naughty step
2 May 2012 | 9:00 amWatch out where you click and tame your enthusiasm – or you may get booted out of the twittersphereUntil recently, I was a Twitter refusenik. I've been on Facebook five years and built up a nice array of friends, family, colleagues and acquaintances. I'm also on LinkedIn and several online forums. Who needs Twitter? Who has time? There are only so many hours in the day and if you're not careful, attending to your social media presence can become a full-time job – an easy hole to fall into when you're self-employed and working from home. That virtual watercooler becomes a day-long watering… -
Guardian Viral Video Chart: One froggy morning, Cage does Cage
27 Apr 2012 | 6:17 amWatch a frog doing nothing, Nic Cage saying nothing and water doing something amazing in our rundown of the top online clipsHe has no banjo and doesn't sing Rainbow Connection, but this frog sitting on a bench is about as close as we'll get to ever seeing a flesh-and-blood Kermit. (Yes, sorry to shatter any illusions, but Kermit the Frog is only a puppet.)Meanwhile, Nicolas Cage fans are in for a treat as the great man himself gives us the silent treatment. He's truly never been better. And prepare to be stunned and amazed by an experiment involving a speaker and some water. It's mindblowing… -
Guardian Viral Video Chart: Michael Jordan, a quizzical cat and a hungry eel
20 Apr 2012 | 7:07 amFrom YouTube's closedown to Henry's musical awakening, we've got round-the-clock action for you this weekWho the slamdunk was that? The curse of having a famous name is explored in our ESPN video about a man called Michael Jordan. Check out the disappointed expressions of the people who prepare and expect to be meeting the former basketball superstar – zone defence doesn't come into it.Meanwhile, as some TV viewers get over the shock of the demise of Ceefax, there's a wonderful spoof on closedown at YouTube, with a handover to "pages from Google" to get you snoring through the night.
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Art and design: Photography | guardian.co.uk
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Guardian Camera Club: Andrew Smith on conceptual photography
16 May 2012 | 9:46 amAndrew Smith participates in the conceptual photography assignment -
Guardian Camera Club: Yebsiu1's portfolio
16 May 2012 | 9:42 amA review of Yebsiu1's portfolio -
Guardian Camera Club: Lee Welton's portfolio
16 May 2012 | 9:41 amA review of Lee Welton's portfolio -
Justin de Villeneuve's best photograph: David Bowie and Twiggy
16 May 2012 | 8:54 am'I photographed Bowie with Twiggy for Vogue. But he ended up taking it for the cover of Pin Ups'I started going out with Twiggy in 1965. She wanted to become a model, so we arranged meetings with fashion editors, but they all said she looked too young. Eventually she got her break, and the whole look of the era changed: all the girls wanted hair and eye makeup like hers.By 1973, we were no longer a couple, but I remained her manager. David Bowie's Aladdin Sane had just come out, and we loved the line: "Twig the wonder kid." We met Bowie a few times socially, and he mentioned that he wanted to… -
'Backwards' Abbey Road Beatles photo up for auction
15 May 2012 | 8:22 amRare picture shows Fab Four walking over pedestrian crossing opposite way to image used on famous album coverA rare photograph showing the Beatles walking the "wrong way" across the Abbey Road pedestrian crossing is expected to fetch up to £9,000 at auction.The version that found its way on to the 1969 Abbey Road album has the band walking from the photographer's left to right.In the version up for sale John Lennon, splendid in white suit and shoes, leads the group from right to left.Other differences are likely to tantalise Beatles fans, particularly Paul McCartney's footwear. On the album…
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Global: Gallery | guardian.co.uk
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Cannes 2012: day one - in pictures
16 May 2012 | 11:50 amHighlights from the opening day of the film festival include the photocall for Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom, while Sacha Baron Cohen stages a grand entrance for The Dictator -
Guardian Camera Club: Andrew Smith on conceptual photography
16 May 2012 | 9:46 amAndrew Smith participates in the conceptual photography assignment -
Guardian Camera Club: Yebsiu1's portfolio
16 May 2012 | 9:42 amA review of Yebsiu1's portfolio -
Guardian Camera Club: Lee Welton's portfolio
16 May 2012 | 9:41 amA review of Lee Welton's portfolio -
24 hours in pictures
16 May 2012 | 8:39 amA selection of the best images from around the world
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Global: Audio | guardian.co.uk
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Rebekah Brooks: 'I'm baffled by the decision to charge me' – audio
15 May 2012 | 12:25 pmRebekah Brooks and her husband, Charlie Brooks, deliver statements outside the offices of their lawyer in central London -
Silicon Valley legend John Sculley on cloud computing
15 May 2012 | 7:56 amIn this edition of Tech Weekly with Aleks Krotoski and Guardian Technology editor Charles Arthur, we look at the plight of Yahoo as turmoil at the top begs the question: what is Yahoo for?Telecoms correspondent Juliette Garside discusses a Guardian survey of UK broadband speeds and why it appears that we are falling behind in the global rankings.And Charles speaks to former Apple chief executive and Silicon Valley legend John Sculley about cloud computing, and why it will change health care provision in the US and innovate state services around the world.Don't forget to...• Comment below•… -
Football Weekly: Manchester City crowned champions
14 May 2012 | 6:51 amThere's only one word to describe all of that - Woof!On today's Football Weekly, James Richardson's joined by Barry Glendenning, Rafa Honigstein and Paolo Bandini to look back on a quite extraordinary end to the Premier League season. While we try and make sense of it all, proper journalist David Conn is on hand to give us his view on Manchester City's last-gasp title triumph.Plus, we turn our attention to Europe, where Alessandro Del Piero bowed out at Juventus, Bayern Munich got a spanking in the German Cup, and Villarreal were relegated from La Liga.We're back on Thursday with Paul Doyle… -
Science Weekly podcast: Time warped – unlocking the mysteries of time perception
13 May 2012 | 6:05 pmThis week on Science Weekly, Claudia Hammond talks to Ian Sample about how we perceive the passage of time, the subject of her new book Time Warped: Unlocking the Mysteries of Time Perception. From body temperature to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Claudia reveals how our calculation of time can be affected by a range of physical and mental conditions.Alok Jha is joined by two fans of science geekdom, Mark Henderson author of The Geek Manifesto: Why Science Matters, and Angela Saini, author of Geek Nation: How Indian Science is Taking Over the World. Angela and Mark discuss… -
Robert Carsen: 'Verdi's Falstaff is a joyous and rich work' – audio
11 May 2012 | 4:55 pmOpera director Robert Carsen talks about the challenges of staging Verdi's Falstaff at the Royal Opera House in LondonTim Maby
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Politics news, UK and world political comment and analysis | guardian.co.uk
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Passport row sapped Home Office staff morale, survey finds
16 May 2012 | 1:30 pmDepartment responsible for law and order, immigration and security is most demoralised in governmentThe Home Office is Whitehall's most demoralised and discontented department, the first independent survey of civil servants' views of reforms has found.More employees in the department responsible for Britain's law and order, immigration and security said their organisation was poorly equipped to cope with the uncertainties and challenges of the future compared with elsewhere in government.They were also highly critical of colleagues they said were "incompetent". Two-thirds of the civil… -
Miliband sets the goad standard
16 May 2012 | 1:11 pmLabour has decided that Cameron's weak spot is his temper, and tried everything to make him lose it at PMQs"Calm down, calm down!" said Ed Balls to David Cameron as he was banging on about police budgets at prime minister's questions. Labour has decided it has found Cameron's weak spot – his temper. I assume they hope to goad him into losing it again. With any luck, they might get a real spittle-filled, face-purpling outburst, which would get a million hits on YouTube."I am extremely calm," the PM replied, but he said it like Herbert Lom as Inspector Clouseau's boss. You may recall the… -
Labour reshuffles top jobs in House of Lords
16 May 2012 | 12:28 pmBaroness Thornton will move from health to equalities, with her role on the health portfolio being taken over by Lord HuntThe Labour party's reshuffle of top jobs has been extended to the House of Lords.Baroness Thornton, who played a high profile role in the Lords' strong opposition to the controversial NHS reform bill in the last session of parliament, will move from health to equalities.Her lead role on the health portfolio will be taken over by Lord Hunt, a former minister in several departments under the previous Labour government, now shadow deputy leader of the upper house and Labour's… -
If Sumption has his way, courts will hold the foreign secretary to account | Joshua Rozenberg
16 May 2012 | 11:40 amSupreme court justice's speech heralds the growing self-confidence of judges when addressing foreign policy issuesCourts will continue to scrutinise the government's foreign policy decisions in ways that would have been unthinkable not long ago, Lord Sumption said this week. The recently-appointed supreme court justice predicted that the state would escape from the "spider's web" of the law less often than before.His assessment - in a lecture at the London School of Economics - is important because judges sitting at the highest level have every opportunity to influence the way the law… -
David Cameron briefed on concerns over green deal for homeowners
16 May 2012 | 10:43 amImpact assessment shows loft insulations and cavity wall insulations are set to fall dramatically under current plansDeep concerns over the government's flagship policy to make 14m homes warmer and cheaper to heat have reached the top of government, with prime minister David Cameron and deputy prime minister Nick Clegg receiving a personal briefing on its troubles.The green deal aims to provide "pay as you save" loans to homeowners to improve their energy efficiency and cut bills. It is due to launch in October but has faced widespread criticism from energy companies, the building industry,…
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Politics: Politics blog | guardian.co.uk
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Politics live blog + PMQs: Wednesday 16 May 2012
16 May 2012 | 8:06 am• Unemployment falls by 45,000• Bank of England lowers 2012 growth forecast to 0.8%• My PMQs verdict• Lunchtime summary2.00pm: Here's a lunchtime summary.• David Cameron has suggested the Greece leaving the euro could be a possible solution to the Eurozone crisis. He made the comment during PMQs in response to a question from the Tory MP Sir Peter Tapsell.It either has to make up or it is looking at a potential break up. That is the choice they have to make.He made the comment even though George Osborne said only yesterday that "open speculation" about Greece leaving the euro was… -
Bradford Muslims must practice serious, mainstream politics to win effective change
16 May 2012 | 7:47 amThe city's former Lord Mayor Mohammed Ajeeb condemns both Labour's lacklustre politics and Respect's firebranding; and reveals how he warned his party's national executive in 1999 about the dangers of 'clan' politicsI first met Mohammed Ajeeb on an icy winter's day in 1975. Huddled over a one-bar electric heater in Shelter's Bradford office, we plotted a campaign which eventually saved three Victorian squares in Manningham – Peel, Hanover and Southfield, where I then lived. Ajeeb subsequently served for many years as a Labour councillor and was the city's first British Asian Lord Mayor in… -
David Cameron braced for setbacks in elections to 1922 committee
16 May 2012 | 6:07 amSenior Tories say prime minister needs to rethink relations with Conservative backbenchersDavid Cameron has an unfortunate history with the Conservative 1922 committee which has historically acted as a forum for backbench MPs to vent their frustration with the party leadership.Mindful of the way in which the 1922 helped destabilise the leadership of Sir John Major, Cameron tried to abolish the committee after the 2010 election by allowing frontbenchers to vote in its elections. Paul Goodman writes on ConservativeHome today that Cameron won the vote but backed off after it became clear that… -
Peter Tatchell's right, we don't need a law against hurt feelings
16 May 2012 | 5:56 amOffensive comments are the price we pay for free speech so Tatchell is right to back campaign to reform Public Order ActWhat a pleasure to wake up, not only to find the sun shining on the kitchen again but to hear Peter Tatchell on the radio defending free speech in wise and generous terms worthy of the national treasure which the legendary gay rights activist has gradually become.What was Tatchell on about? The campaign which has united diehard rivals such as the National Secular Society and the Christian Institute, not to mention loads of MPs and even peers, to amend the 1986 Public Order… -
Weeks to wait for full figures on council elections turnout
15 May 2012 | 11:28 amIn England and Scotland, there are long delays in getting official figures on what proportion of voters turned out for the council elections, despite widespread anxieties about voter apathyThere are still several months to wait until there is any official clarity on precisely how low the turnout was in the English and Scottish local elections eleven days ago; tackling voter apathy, it seems, is a slow process. We may fear it was as low as 32% in England or down to 38% in Scotland, but it will be at least two months before the final figures start to emerge, with the English results due…
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World news: Race issues | guardian.co.uk
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Dropping Rio Ferdinand for Euro 2012 sends out the wrong message | Rodney Hinds
16 May 2012 | 1:05 pmIt's hard to believe this happened for footballing reasons. It's John Terry who should be dropped until he's cleared his nameRio Ferdinand has surely played his last game for England. After 81 games for the national side, the central defender has been axed from the Euro 2012 squad by new England manager Roy Hodgson. Ferdinand's omission has had many in and outside of the game scratching their heads. Is it a football decision, or a political decision?One of Hodgson's first tasks as the England chief was to address the impasse between Ferdinand and fellow central defender John Terry, whose seat… -
NYPD stop-and-frisk lawsuit now class action in victory for civil rights groups
16 May 2012 | 12:59 pmFederal judge grants class action status to lawsuit alleging the NYPD's controversial programme amounts to racial profilingA federal judge has granted class action status to a lawsuit that alleges the New York police department's controversial stop-and-frisk policy is unconstitutional and amounts to systemic racial discrimination.Barring an effective appeal on behalf of the city, the decision paves the way for a trial that would require the department to defend before a jury its policy of stopping hundreds of thousands of minority New Yorkers each year.The decision comes less than a week… -
The NYPD's criminal stop-and-frisk record | Darius Charney
15 May 2012 | 12:43 pmThe police department's policy amounts to racial profiling and the illegal harassment of thousands of New Yorkers a dayLast week, the New York Police Department released quarterly data on its stop-and-frisk program. The numbers are worse than ever, and they confirm everything that is wrong with this practice. From January through March 2012, 203,500 New Yorkers were stopped and frisked. That's an average of 2,200 people per day. Twenty-two hundred people a day, many of whom are stopped for no reason – or the wrong reason, like the color of their skin, or their age, or their gender… -
Black players reluctant to complain about racism 'for fear of abuse'
15 May 2012 | 10:41 am• PFA chief: 'Backlash could set back process of complaining'• Gordon Taylor tells MPs he received abuse for speaking outThe head of the Professional Footballers' Association raised concerns on Tuesday that black players are reluctant to complain about racism in the wake of the rows about John Terry and Luis Suárez.The PFA chief executive, Gordon Taylor, said those standing up against racist abuse risked a "torrent of abuse", particularly on social media websites.Taylor cited the Manchester United defender Patrice Evra's complaints about Suárez, who served an eight-match ban, and the… -
Hidden America: Danny Lyon's photography – in pictures
15 May 2012 | 4:01 amMagnum photographer Danny Lyon has spent 40 years documenting American counter-cultures, from biker gangs to civil rights protesters and most recently to Occupy activists across the US. Here is a selection of his seminal snaps
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Television & radio: Radio | guardian.co.uk
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Chris Moyles eyes up Radio 2 show
15 May 2012 | 1:10 pmPresenter of Radio 1 breakfast show approached about 1980s pop music project which would be his first Radio 2 outingChris Moyles has had talks about presenting a show on BBC Radio 2 in a move that is likely to prompt further speculation about his departure from the Radio 1 breakfast show.Radio 2 executives are understood to have approached Moyles about the project, which would explore his interest in 1980s pop music.Industry sources said he would continue to present the breakfast show on Radio 1, in addition to the new Radio 2 series, if it goes ahead.However, it would be his first show for… -
Huey Morgan sours 6 Music Sony award with Twitter rant
15 May 2012 | 5:55 amBBC Radio 6 Music DJ apologises after criticising station's morning presenter Lauren Laverne and Radio 1's Fearne CottonBBC Radio 6 Music's triumph at the Sony Radio Academy Awards was soured by a string of abusive tweets by one of the station's DJs, Huey Morgan.Morgan, who was at the ceremony on Monday night, was critical of the station's morning presenter Lauren Laverne and also took aim at another BBC DJ, Radio 1's Fearne Cotton.He later apologised and deleted the offensive tweets, but not before they had been recorded elsewhere.A BBC spokesman said on Tuesday that management would be… -
Betty and Beryl of Humberside are northern - and local - stars
15 May 2012 | 3:47 amLast year the BBC proposed cutting local radio to the bone. After last night's Sony Awards, they must be glad they changed their mindsLocal radio, which is one of the Guardian Northerner's favourite things and the subject of one of our recent campaigns, has covered itself in glory at the Sony Awards, especially in the sprightly persons of BBC Humberside's Beryl and Betty.Their joint age may be 176 (Betty Smith has 90 of those years; her friend Beryl Renwick who she met at a lunch club has 86), but they are every bit as lively as Radio 1 DJs, far less solemn than Radio 4 presenters, and a good… -
Sony Radio Academy awards winners
15 May 2012 | 3:26 amThe full list of winners from the 30th Sony Radio Academy awardsThe Sony DAB Rising Star AwardGold: Luke Franks (Fun Kids)Station of the Year (under 300,000)Gold: KL.FMNominee: Moray Firth RadioNominee: Garrison FMBest Breaking News Coverage Gold: PM – BBC Radio 4Silver: August Riots – BBC News for BBC Radio 5 liveBronze: Gary Speed's Death – Somethin' Else & BBC Radio Sport for BBC Radio 5 liveNominee: The Riots – GMG Radio North West News Team for Real Radio North WestNominee: Birmingham Riots – Free Radio Birmingham (brmb)Best Community Programming Gold: Face To Face – Prison… -
Dick Hatch obituary
14 May 2012 | 7:28 amWhen my friend Dick Hatch, eccentric BBC broadcaster, Anglican vicar, lover of John Smith's bitter, Wigan and the Muppet Show, went to meet his maker, his coffin was transported in the back of a VW camper van (his preferred mode of transport) stuffed with helium-filled Kermit the Frog balloons. It was a fitting send-off for Dick, who has died aged 75. He was a flamboyant character, whose religious and secular broadcasts, not to mention his extravagant sideburns, earned him a following in the north-west in the 1970s and 80s.The son of the Rev Raymond Hatch, and his wife, May, Dick was born in…
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Television & radio: TV and radio blog | guardian.co.uk
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Mad Men of reality TV: The Pitch is so boring it would drive Draper to drink
16 May 2012 | 11:14 amThe Pitch and Shark Tank are both trying to sell you something, but only one of them is really offering something worth buyingFive seasons into Mad Men and only now does someone come up with the idea of a reality show about advertising? The premise of The Pitch on AMC seems enthralling: two rival agencies. One massive client looking for a game-changing new campaign. One week to come up the perfect pitch. A decade wasted watching rival chefs, designers, artists, models, athletes, dancers and infant pageant queens slugging it out for the grand prize conditioned me to expect a fast-paced hour of… -
ABC upfronts: a network in search of hit shows and a much-needed identity
16 May 2012 | 10:27 amNear the bottom of the network heap, ABC's new lineup is heavy on big stars but seems light on groundbreakingly good scriptsABC was the third of the big four networks to present its roster of new shows to advertisers this week. Here's our guide to the potential hits and misses.What ABC needs ABC is good at creating buzz around its shows, which often makes it seem that the network is doing better than it is. In fact, ABC was easily beaten into third place in the ratings last year, and if you count the Super Bowl ratings (which I always think is a little unfair as it skews things) then it… -
Blue Peter: has the BBC made the right decision to drop it from BBC1?
16 May 2012 | 7:22 amIt's arguably sensible to put all children's output in one place but will this bring an end to family viewing?Children's programmes are to be entirely expunged from the BBC1 and BBC2 schedules as soon as digital switchover is complete – to roars of knee-jerk disapproval from many. In particular, the news that Blue Peter will be shipped off to the CBBC channel has infuriated several generations of adults who have grown up with the show since its launch in 1958.It was bad enough when they moved Blue Peter out of Television Centre to its new home in Salford and uprooted Percy Thrower's lovely… -
Mad Men: season five, episode nine - Dark Shadows
15 May 2012 | 4:00 pmThe miseducation of Sally Draper continues, as Pete gets steamed up and Mike gets screwed again by DonSPOILER ALERT: This blog is for those who are watching season five of Mad Men on Sky Atlantic. Don't read on if you haven't seen episode ninePaul MacInnes' episode eight blogThe miseducation of Sally Draper continues. So pressing, it appears, is the need to drag the soul of the eldest Draper in various directions at once that even her mother is brought into proceedings this week. Betty, since last we saw her, has stopped wearing a ton of prosthetics and is now just an identifiably overweight… -
Fox upfronts: network banks on ageing Idol and plays it safe with new scripts
15 May 2012 | 3:19 pmWith House checking out and Glee in a talespin, last year's New Girl is the one everyone is looking up to (plus: Kevin Bacon!)Fox was the second of the big four networks to present its roster of new shows to advertisers this week. Here's our guide to the potential hits and misses.What Fox needs Fox is in pretty good shape even if that's largely down to the unholy combination of The X Factor and American Idol. That said, Idol's ratings are in decline and, after a so-so performance in its first US season, X Factor is being completely overhauled with new judges (Britney! Demi Lovato!) and…
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World news: Religion | guardian.co.uk
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How filthy lucre could subvert the Church of England
16 May 2012 | 12:17 pmConservative evangelical churches threaten to withhold cash from pro-gay and liberal 'heretics'The Rev Paul Perkin seemed bewildered by the question: what was his take on the latest scheme for conservative evangelical churches to withhold money from the rest of the Church of England in order to keep it out of the hands of liberals, gay people or women priests?"I can't talk about that," he said. "You'll have to ask James Paice." Both men are vicars in south London. And both are directors of the company set up last month to implement this scheme, the Southwark Good Stewards Company. It is the… -
The Rev Alex Leckey obituary
16 May 2012 | 7:33 amMy father, Alex Leckey – who has died of pneumonia, a complication of Parkinson's, aged 69 – left school without qualifications, but in the 1970s, answering a call to ministry, studied for O-levels and went to Queen's theological college in Edgbaston, Birmingham, where he was ordained in 1984 into the Methodist church.He was born in Southport, Merseyside, to Elsie Norman, an unmarried mother. He was always very proud of her and the courage she showed in resisting pressure to give him up for adoption. His father, Eric, died during the second world war. After leaving Christ Church school,… -
I'd rather be a Catholic than be 'respectable' | Catherine Pepinster
16 May 2012 | 7:27 amHilary Mantel says the Catholic church is no longer a place for 'respectable people'. But respectability is a problematic notion One of the heartaches of being a Roman Catholic in recent years has been the clerical abuse scandal. No pain that any of us suffers from discovering that some of our priests abused children – and even worse – that senior clergy covered up their crimes – can compare with the victims' plight, of course, but it has knocked for six many devout Catholics' faith. Some have left the church because of it; others are certainly more sceptical, or even more cynical about… -
Lady Gaga denied permit for Indonesia concert after religious protests
16 May 2012 | 5:19 amPolice refuse to license Jakarta gig, saying they are unable to guarantee singer's safety following protestsLady Gaga's show in Jakarta next month looks certain to be cancelled. The Indonesian authorities have refused to grant a permit for the concert on 3 June, citing security concerns following protests by conservative Muslim groups. "She's a vulgar singer," said Salim Alatas, from the Islam Defenders Front. "[She] wears only panties and a bra when she sings and she stated she is the envoy of the devil's child and that she will spread Satanic teaching."Local and national police were unable… -
Michael Gove's Bibles: good for schools? | Poll
16 May 2012 | 3:30 amThis week, copies of the King James Bible were sent out to every state school in the country, courtesy of the education secretary Michael Gove. They were paid for by donations, not from the public purse. Tell us if you think the scheme is a good idea – or suggest books that could have been donated instead
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Environment: Renewable energy | guardian.co.uk
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Only biofuels will cut plane emissions | Ben Caldecott
16 May 2012 | 6:02 amWe need something that can deliver emission reductions from existing fleets of planes – and the solution already existsAs a small, maritime trading nation Britain has always been some distance from big international markets. Our ability to visit far-off places and people, and their access to us, has always been at the heart of our ability to punch above our weight in the world, whether that's commercially, culturally or diplomatically.In the past we were dependent on ships, now we are reliant on commercial airlines, as well as the Channel Tunnel and secure data networks. This infrastructure… -
Should a tidal barrage be built across the Severn estuary? | Leo Hickman
16 May 2012 | 3:19 amPeter Hain has stepped down from the shadow cabinet to launch a campaign to build the Severn barrage. But what would its impact be on the environment? Leo Hickman, with your help, investigates. Post your views below, email leo.hickman@guardian.co.uk or tweet @LeoHickman9.24am: Peter Hain, the shadow Welsh secretary, quit front-bench politics yesterday to focus on launching a campaign to build a tidal barrage across the Severn estuary. In a statement on his website, Hain said he hoped "to help secure Wales the biggest infrastructure project it has ever seen":This will require a private Bill,… -
Google's offshore wind cable moves forward
15 May 2012 | 7:47 amThe proposed $5bn transmission line connecting windfarms off the east coast of the US would stretch from New Jersey to VirginiaA proposed $5bn transmission line connecting wind farms off the East coast of the US to the mainland is on track to come online by 2017, after the Google-backed project cleared another regulatory hurdle.The Department of the Interior said on Monday there was "no overlapping competitive interest" in the areas earmarked for building the line (see map), which clears the way for an environmental review.However, the review of impacts on fishing, marine life and other… -
Plans to reform electricity market 'unworkable', say green businesses
15 May 2012 | 6:57 amUK's leading renewable energy companies warn that changes will deter investment and expose consumers to price volatilityGovernment plans to reform the electricity market to favour low-carbon power are "unworkable" and will lead to "a train wreck" in the sector, and higher and more volatile energy prices for consumers, according to a group of the UK's leading renewable energy companies.Instead of promoting low-carbon electricity, as ministers have claimed, the reforms – which will scrap current subsidies and replace them with long-term contracts – will deter investment and make it harder… -
The Figueres family led Costa Rica's revolution, and now its green revolution
14 May 2012 | 6:41 amAs the Bonn climate talks begin, John Vidal speaks to former president José María Figueres about Costa Rica's journey towards sustainabilitySay the name Figueres in Costa Rica and it's bound to get a reaction. José "Don Pepe" Figueres led the 1948 revolution, was president three times, nationalised the banks and gave women and black people the vote. His daughter Christiana is the UN's climate chief trying to steer almost 200 countries through the most complex international negotiations ever attempted; and her brother José María was one of Latin America's youngest ever presidents at the…
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Education: Research | guardian.co.uk
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A mock funeral is not the right way to make scientists' voices heard | Mark Henderson
15 May 2012 | 12:23 pmScience for the Future has won extensive media coverage with its stunt, but hyperbole has damaged its causeWhen Vince Cable made his first major speech on science in September 2010, it was too much for Jenny Rohn, a cell biologist at University College London. Stung by the business secretary's implication that "mediocre" British science deserved significant cuts in the forthcoming comprehensive spending review, she blogged: "Sod it. Let's march on London … Who's in?"She got a surprising answer. A month later, more than 2,000 people gathered outside the Treasury at the Science is Vital… -
Scientists stage mock funeral outside parliament in funding protest
15 May 2012 | 11:40 amScience for the Future claims funding policies risk plunging British science and industry 'back into the Dark Ages'More than 100 scientists took part in a mock Victorian funeral procession in Westminster on Tuesday morning to protest against a science funding policy they claim "puts the future of British science in mortal danger".The scientists staged a rally outside parliament before delivering a petition in a coffin to Downing Street. Around 25 scientists also met their MPs to ask them to sign an early day motion about their concerns.Most of the protesters were organic chemists, but there… -
Universities need a united voice
14 May 2012 | 1:00 pmThe UK higher education sector is admired around the world, and will remain so, says David Bell, if universities emphasise their strengths rather than their differencesThe recent changes in membership of higher education sector groups, and the associated internal commentary, brings back memories of my previous life in government. Denizens of the Westminster village would chew over the minutiae of every pronouncement as if lives depended on it. Meanwhile, normal people carried on … well, as normal.I confess to being a relative newcomer to the higher education sector, but I bring plenty of… -
Spotting nervousness in the voice of a telephone user could uncover fraud
14 May 2012 | 10:30 amA system for 'detecting emotion in voice signals in a call centre' could be useful for anything from contract negotiations to law enforcement, claims its inventorBusinesses need a way to detect nervousness on the telephone, says a recent patent, which offers a computerised means of accomplishing this.Inventor Valery Petrushin obtained his doctorate in computer science from the Glushkov Institute for Cybernetics, Kiev, and now works in Illinois in the US. His patent, granted last year, is for "detecting emotion in voice signals in a call centre".A simple flow chart illustrates "a method for… -
This path-breaking religious research – can we have no more like it? | Lois Lee
12 May 2012 | 4:00 amBy excluding the non-religious and secular, the Religion & Society programme shows how such studies must changeIf the greatest achievement of a major study of religion is to bring the curtain down on purely religious research, it really will have done a valuable service.This month the door closes on a path-breaking research initiative investigating contemporary religion. With £12m and the clout of two research councils behind it, the Religion & Society research programme marks a sea change in how we think about religion: in short, for the first time in a long time lots of us think that…
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Travel: Restaurants | guardian.co.uk
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Blog: Aperitivo time in Bologna
10 May 2012 | 10:37 amIn Bologna the aperitivo is almost as important as lunch and dinner. City resident Martin Yarnit chooses his three favourites, from the grand to the rough and readyThis blogpost first appeared on the Taste for Bologna blogKnow a great place for an aperitivo in Bologna? Add a commentEven during the depths of winter, when a biting wind sweeps in from the plain of the River Po, people can be seen huddled around the doors of bars all over the city, a calice (champagne glass) of prosecco or pignoletto in one hand and a cigarette in the other. In summer it is a more relaxed affair, extending… -
Restaurant review: Dabbous
5 May 2012 | 6:09 pmOliver Dabbous is being hailed as the next big thing. There's only one problem: you'll never taste his cooking39 Whitfield Street, London W1 (020 7323 1544). Meal for two, including wine and service, £140This review is of no use to you. Oh sure, it might gift you vicarious pleasure. But if you're here looking for tips on where to eat well, give it up. Go clean the fish tank. Turn the page and have a look at what Dan thinks you should be doing in the garden this week. The fact is that, unless you are stupidly stubborn or absurdly flexible, getting a table at Dabbous will prove tougher than… -
North Yorkshire holiday guide: hotels, B&Bs, cheap eats, walks and days out
2 May 2012 | 11:40 amBrowse more than 100 tips, from elegant seaside B&Bs to cosy pubs with rooms; find out where to eat in the most popular tourist spots for under £10 and the best family days outIsabel ChoatGavin McOwanGeorgia BrownBenji LanyadoGuardian Interactive team -
10 of the best budget restaurants in Harrogate, North Yorkshire
2 May 2012 | 5:45 amThe sedate spa town of Harrogate is one of the jewels in Yorkshire's crown, but do you need to be minted to eat well there? Tony Naylor goes beyond Bettys Tea Rooms in search of the best places to eat for under £10 a head• As featured in our holiday guide to North Yorkshire• What do you think of the list? Have your say on our blogWeeton'sWithin this posh Yorkshire food store, there is also a cafe which knocks out locally sourced breakfasts, sandwiches and appetising lunch dishes, such as smoked duck potato cakes. It is popular if lacking in atmosphere: you sit serenaded by the background… -
Restaurant review: James Street South Bar and Grill, Belfast
28 Apr 2012 | 6:05 pmJay's last trip to Belfast went badly wrong, but a new bar and grill has tempted him back across the water21 James Street South, Belfast (028 9560 0700). Meal for two, including wine and service, £100 You can eat well in Belfast. You can also eat badly. I've done both. As a result I can tell you that eating badly in Belfast really sucks. The last time I was there, in October, something went wrong. It may have been my judgment, but I'm pretty sure it was the restaurant. Made in Belfast was that special kind of shabby which makes you want to kick cats, write angst-ridden letters to…
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Life and style: Restaurants + Reviews | guardian.co.uk
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Restaurant review: Market Café, London E8
12 May 2012 | 6:07 pmNeighbourhood restaurant Market Café serves the residents of Hackney from early morning right through to supper2 Broadway Market, London E8 (020 7249 9070). Meal for two, including wine and service, £80 Every restaurant in Hackney serves breakfast. It's the law. They just have to, because without it the vanguard of our creative industries would have nowhere to go to eat off their negroni-induced hangovers. The fonts on our magazine spreads would be gauche. The copywriting on our adverts would be shamefully free of achingly clever neologisms. Our chairs would be overly functional, our… -
Restaurant: The Granville, Lower Hardres, near Canterbury, Kent
11 May 2012 | 4:59 pmWhile the cooking at this country pub may not match that at The Sportsman, its big brother up on the north Kent coast, there's still a lot to recommend itSome things get clearer as you look back on them. It's more than a year since I ate at the Sportsman near Whitstable, and my opinion of the place has only gone up since. Looking back, and looking at the competition, it's evident that it's one of the very best restaurants in the UK. The Sportsman also does exactly my kind of cooking, emphasising flavour and oomph without unnecessary floofiness in presentation, service or set-up.The Terry… -
Restaurant review: Dabbous
5 May 2012 | 6:09 pmOliver Dabbous is being hailed as the next big thing. There's only one problem: you'll never taste his cooking39 Whitfield Street, London W1 (020 7323 1544). Meal for two, including wine and service, £140This review is of no use to you. Oh sure, it might gift you vicarious pleasure. But if you're here looking for tips on where to eat well, give it up. Go clean the fish tank. Turn the page and have a look at what Dan thinks you should be doing in the garden this week. The fact is that, unless you are stupidly stubborn or absurdly flexible, getting a table at Dabbous will prove tougher than… -
Restaurant: Ceviche, London W1
4 May 2012 | 4:59 pmThere's a whole lot more to Peruvian cuisine than roasted guinea pig The Tintin books have a running gag in which Captain Haddock picks up a glass of the local firewater, overconfidently chugs it and then almost chokes to death from the strength of the hooch. He does it with aguardiente, with spadj (a Balkan loony juice, which, I think, Hergé made up) and with the national drink of Peru, pisco. That happens in Prisoners Of The Sun, and as a result I've been mildly curious about pisco since before I was old enough to drink. I stress "mildly" – after all, the stuff does make… -
Restaurant review: James Street South Bar and Grill, Belfast
28 Apr 2012 | 6:05 pmJay's last trip to Belfast went badly wrong, but a new bar and grill has tempted him back across the water21 James Street South, Belfast (028 9560 0700). Meal for two, including wine and service, £100 You can eat well in Belfast. You can also eat badly. I've done both. As a result I can tell you that eating badly in Belfast really sucks. The last time I was there, in October, something went wrong. It may have been my judgment, but I'm pretty sure it was the restaurant. Made in Belfast was that special kind of shabby which makes you want to kick cats, write angst-ridden letters to…
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Business: Royal Bank of Scotland | guardian.co.uk
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FTSE falls again on Greek woes but Croda and Aberdeen Asset buck the trend
16 May 2012 | 11:38 amChemicals group and asset manager benefit from inclusion in MSCI indexThe MSCI index may not be as immediately familiar as the FTSE, but investors in chemicals group Croda and Aberdeen Asset Management had cause to be grateful to it.On another volatile day on the markets, thanks of course to the continuing eurozone crisis, Croda climbed 63p to £21.82 and Aberdeen added 8.6p to 255.9p as their names were added to the MSCI UK index in its latest reshuffle. The Morgan Stanley Capital International indices, to give the full name, are widely followed by fund managers and banks around the world,… -
Selling taxpayer stakes in RBS and Lloyds 'could take years'
15 May 2012 | 8:10 amBanker bashing is hurting share prices of bailed out banks, financial experts also tell Treasury select committeeSelling off the taxpayer stakes in Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group could take years, according to financial experts who also told a committee of MPs that banker bashing needed to stop to help the shares prices recover.The experts – including investment bankers and senior fund managers – said that attempts to break up RBS might reduce the amount that taxpayers receive for their stakes.With the share prices of both banks trading at less than half the £65bn that… -
FTSE drops nearly 2% on fears of Greek euro exit, but Invensys climbs on renewed bid talk
14 May 2012 | 11:16 amLeading shares under pressure as Greek turmoil continues, with £28.5bn wiped off value of UK's top companiesAs markets plunged around the world on the escalating crisis in Greece, there were few bright spots for investors.One was Invensys, the engineering group, which added 6.5p to 209p as takeover speculation refused to die down. The list of potential suitors for the business has been growing over the past few days, with Siemens, ABB, General Electric and China's CSR all mentioned. Reports over the weekend suggested there could have been informal approaches, but there has been no comment… -
Banks and mining shares send FTSE down nearly 2% on fears of Greek euro exit and China slowdown
14 May 2012 | 3:48 amInvestors unsettled by growing concerns about Greek euro exit and future growth in ChinaBanks and mining companies are leading the fallers in a slumping market, amid growing uncertainty about Greece's future in the eurozone and worries about China's economy.As the political impasse continues in Greece, with the prospect of new elections looming, the idea that the country could exit the eurozone is gaining currency, especially as members of the European Central Bank's governing body have been openly talking about the possibility. Any Grexit would inevitably lead to speculation about the next… -
MPs consider RBS and Lloyds options
13 May 2012 | 1:00 pmCommittee will take evidence from experts including investment banks and institutional investors on what to do with stakesAn influential committee of MPs will on Tuesday hold a hearing into the potential sale of the taxpayers' stakes in Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group, as fears grow that the public could be left with a multibillion-pound loss on the shares.The Treasury select committee will take evidence from City experts, including investment banks and institutional investors, as it attempts to establish that all options for the future of the two banks are being considered by…
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Business: Royal Dutch Shell | guardian.co.uk
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Marks & Spencer leads FTSE higher but investors still nervous after Spain, Greece, China and JP Morgan
11 May 2012 | 11:35 amRetailer benefits from broker recommendations ahead of forthcoming figuresLeading shares suffered another volatile day, with investors unnerved by the continuing eurozone crisis, signs of a slowdown in China and JP Morgan's shock $2bn loss.But with a better than expected US consumer confidence figure and some bargain hunting after recent falls, the index recovered from early falls.Retailers were in the spotlight, with Marks & Spencer the biggest riser in the FTSE 100. Its shares rose 12.1p to 360p as it launched a revamp of its own label brands and benefitted from recommendations by Shore… -
Shell shares up after Qatar wealth fund buys stake
11 May 2012 | 6:42 amShares in Shell rise nearly 1% amid further speculation that Middle East state is in 'very advanced talks' to buy an even bigger stakeA sovereign wealth fund from the oil-rich Gulf state of Qatar has added Shell to its growing roster of western investments by buying a holding in the company.Shares in Shell were up by nearly 1% amid further speculation that the Middle East state was in "very advanced talks" to buy an even bigger stake – as much as 3%-5%."We are delighted to welcome the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) as a long-term and major shareholder in Shell, particularly given our… -
Shell shares jump on reports Qatar may take a stake in the oil group
11 May 2012 | 3:35 amMiddle Eastern reports say Qatari's want to buy up to 5% of the Anglo-Dutch groupRoyal Dutch Shell has moved higher following reports that Qatar's sovereign wealth fund wants to take a stake in the business.The Anglo-Dutch group's A shares are up 27.5p at £20.78, a rise of 1.3%, as the Middle East Economic Survey said Qatar was in advanced talks to buy a 3% to 5% shareholding, worth up to £6.5bn. The report also said the Qatari fund wanted to take a stake in Italy's ENI. Shell has told Reuters it has no comment on the story.Earlier JP Morgan Cazenove analysts raised their price target on… -
MPs to ask firms to explain how UK taxes helped dictators build arsenals
7 May 2012 | 1:39 pmAmong questionable ethical deals was £35m lent to Robert Mugabe and spent on BAE's Hawk fighter jetsBritain's arms industry and other companies are to be called before MPs to explain why taxpayer funds ended up helping Robert Mugabe to buy five Hawk fighter jets and 1,030 police Land Rovers which he later used to suppress dissent.The bosses of the world's biggest multinational defence and oil companies, including BAE Systems and BP, will be asked to account for why hundreds of millions of pounds of government money was used to help military dictators build up their arsenals, and facilitated… -
Shell's stance on wind power reveals a profound truth of capitalism | Andrew Simms
1 May 2012 | 9:52 amWhen pushed to choose between profit and survival, the oil giant chooses profit – irrespective of collective consequenceThey couldn't "make the numbers work". There's something so blithe – and enormously telling - about the excuse offered by the oil company Shell to explain why they were not investing in wind power in Britain.Presented with an accounting fact – that, on Shell's terms, wind power is deemed insufficiently profitable – observers are expected to automatically understand their logic, nod in agreement and move on.With the Conservative party casting aside its green overcoat,…
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Sport: Rugby league | guardian.co.uk
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Super League Set of Six: High Wire act leaves Perpignan dizzy | Andy Wilson
14 May 2012 | 10:05 amWarrington did it the hard way in Perpignan but their Challenge Cup win in France was inspirational1) Well done WireTo beat Catalan Dragons in Perpignan takes some doing these days, never mind for a team without such key figures as Adrian Morley and Michael Monaghan. So although Warrington showed a Manchester City-style determination to do things the hard way with some of their crazy offloads, their 32-22 win was the most notable result of the weekend's Challenge Cup quarter‑finals.2) Centres of successionThat is not to run down Wigan's latest derby triumph against St Helens, which has… -
Tony Smith is delighted as Warrington withstand Catalan fightback
13 May 2012 | 3:33 pm• Wolves settle league score to reach cup semi-finals• Huddersfield demolish Broncos for place in last fourWarrington's coach, Tony Smith, was delighted after his side withstood a second-half fightback to inflict a first home defeat of the season on Catalan Dragons and book their place in the last four of the Challenge Cup.Wolves led 20-6 at the interval but were pegged back to 20-18 at one point in the second half before securing the 32-22 win. Smith, whose side were beaten 44-16 in France in Super League on Easter Monday, said: "It was a tough win and coming here is a tough thing to do,… -
Wigan 18-4 St Helens | Challenge Cup quarter-final match report
12 May 2012 | 10:57 amWigan 18-4 St HelensWigan remain on course to defend the Carnegie Challenge Cup after grinding out a victory over their nearest rivals in a scrappy quarter-final.Saints led 4-0 early on but were gradually overpowered by the Wigan pack as they failed for the first time for 12 years to reach the last four, leaving the Warriors to join last year's runners-up Leeds in the hat for semi-final draw that will be made after the match between Catalan Dragons and Huddersfield."We ran harder and showed more desire in defence," said the Wigan coach, Shaun Wane. "I'm not often chilled at half-time but… -
Leigh 12-60 Leeds | Challenge Cup quarter-final match report
11 May 2012 | 5:07 pm• Leigh 12 Leeds 60• Leeds through to Challenge Cup semi-finalThe Leeds assistant coach, James Lowes, paid tribute to his captain, Kevin Sinfield, after his 28-point tally helped the Rhinos to a 60-12 victory against Leigh Centurions in the quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup.Sinfield scored two of his side's 10 tries and kicked all 10 conversions as the Rhinos, runners-up for the last two years, moved to within 80 minutes of a third consecutive Wembley appearance."He's fantastic," said Lowes. "He's been really good all season. He picked up a couple of tries as well which is good to see. -
Wigan stand in the way of St Helens and 12th successive semi-final
11 May 2012 | 9:33 am• Saints travel to Wigan looking to get better of rivals• Huddersfield host Broncos, Warrington at Catalan DragonsIn the few months since he was promoted to the head coach's role of his hometown Wigan, Shaun Wane has made it clear that there is nothing he enjoys more than beating St Helens. So it would be a brave man who pointed out to the gruff former prop in the build-up to Saturday's mouthwatering Challenge Cup quarter-final at the DW Stadium that since the switch to a summer Super League season in 1996, Wigan have been usurped by their fierce rivals as the Challenge Cup…
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Sport: Rugby union | guardian.co.uk
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Tim Visser one of five uncapped players in Scotland summer tour squad
16 May 2012 | 6:17 am• 28-man squad named for tour to Australia, Fiji and Samoa• Visser, Brown, Grant, Harley and Ryder are new facesThe Holland-born Edinburgh wing Tim Visser is one of five uncapped players included in Scotland's summer tour squad.Visser has been selected alongside his Edinburgh team-mate Tom Brown, who plays full-back, and three Glasgow Warriors: the prop Ryan Grant, the back-row/lock Robert Harley and the lock Tom Ryder.Injuries and suspensions have hit the Scotland squad ahead of the Tests with Australia (5 June), Fiji (16 June) and Samoa (23 June) and the cancellation of the non-Test… -
Italy lock Carlo Del Fava in move to Newcastle
16 May 2012 | 5:14 am• Newcastle's Premiership fate still in the balance• 'Falcons are a club on the up,' says 30-year-oldNewcastle have signed the Italy lock Carlo Del Fava. The 30-year-old, who has won 54 caps and appeared in the last two World Cups, joins the Falcons after his previous club Aironi had their licence revoked by the Italian Rugby Federation on financial grounds.Del Fava, who has also had spells with Natal, Parma, Bourgoin, Ulster and Viadana, is the second lock to join Newcastle this week following the capture of Scotland international Scott MacLeod from Japanese club Kobe.The Falcons are… -
Steven Shingler ineligible for Scotland as IRB ties fly-half to Wales
16 May 2012 | 4:44 am• Shingler represented Wales in Under-20 international in 2011• Row sparked by inclusion in Scotland Six Nations squadSteven Shingler is tied to Wales and ineligible to play Tests for Scotland, the International Rugby Board's council ruled in a unanimous decision.London Irish's Shingler was judged by the IRB to have been "captured" by Wales after playing in an Under-20 international against France in 2011. The eligibility row was sparked when 20-year-old Shingler, a fly-half or centre, was included in Scotland's Six Nations squad earlier this year.The Scottish Rugby Union appealed against… -
Stuart Lancaster gives Toby Flood warning on England fitness concerns
15 May 2012 | 4:27 pm• Leicester fly-half to have injured ankle tested on Wednesday• Coach warns wing Chris Ashton over 'selfish' playersEngland expect to find out on Wednesday if the Leicester fly‑half Toby Flood will be fit to tour South Africa this summer. Flood has an ankle problem which is also threatening to rule him out of the Premiership final next week and he will be examined by England's medical team to establish the full extent of the injury.Stuart Lancaster, the England head coach, has other fly-half options in Owen Farrell and Charlie Hodgson but accepts Flood is in danger of missing the entire… -
Leinster's Jonathan Sexton stresses quality control in Euro cup final
15 May 2012 | 12:01 pmJonathan Sexton has learned from his mixed experiences with his province and country and is happy to make the big calls in the Heineken Cup final against UlsterJonathan Sexton came of age during last year's Heineken Cup final in Cardiff. Leinster trailed Northampton by 16 points at the interval and it was the fly-half, not the more experienced players in the side, who plotted the course for victory in a shocked dressing room.The upshot was 27 unanswered points in the second half, all but five of them scored by Sexton whose haul included two tries in the first 12 minutes following the break.
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UK news: Rural affairs | guardian.co.uk
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Country diary: Wenlock Edge: The willy lily on the wild side of the fence
15 May 2012 | 2:59 pmWenlock Edge: This extraordinary plant's erotic reputation was enhanced in a 1655 translation of Dioscorides, which claimed it 'stirrs up affections to conjugation being dranck with wine'My lords-and-ladies, I am the vulgar spirit of rustic insolence hiding in the bushes who calls you cuckoo pintle, Jack-in-the-pulpit, willy lily; I am the ribald namer of wild things to embarrass you toffs who decide which side of the fence I'm on; I am the fly in the ointment. So might say the fly, dancing around the erect spadix-maypole-phallic-thing as a burst of May sunlight shines through the spathe and… -
Country diary: Chilthorne Domer, Somerset: Taking a chance on water buffalo
14 May 2012 | 2:59 pmChilthorne Domer, Somerset: Each animal has its own distinct personality, no two faces are alike, and they have a way of looking you directly in the eyeWhen I bought some water buffalo burgers at Sherborne farmers' market, I asked where the animals were farmed, and a few days later found my way to Chilthorne Domer, near Ilchester, where the river Yeo was overflowing its banks. The way to Lower Oakley farm runs three-quarters of a mile from the road between wide, flat fields. Swans were gliding on sheets of water where cattle would normally have been grazing. But the water buffalo, though… -
Fears alpacas could spread bovine TB
14 May 2012 | 1:10 pmCalls for compulsory tests after first human infection from cuddly but potentially contagious animalsExotic and inquisitive, alpacas are charismatic pets and are prized for their luxurious fleeces. But an owner has warned that many alpaca keepers are in denial about the risk of bovine TB after she caught the potentially fatal disease from one of her animals.Dianne Summers, a 51-year-old owner of 20 alpacas from Cornwall, warned that without the compulsory testing of alpacas bovine TB would "spread among our animals like wildfire".The first known person in Britain to contract bovine TB… -
Yorkshire aims at youth with its cannibalistic anthem
14 May 2012 | 5:29 amJolliest version yet is recorded in the sunshine of the grisly tale of the Ilkley lover whose remains...well, best to check out the lyrics for yourselfYorkshire is going through a period of extreme Yorkshireness at the moment, with a contest over the geographical centre of the county and a vast exercise in reworking the county anthem, On Ilkla Moor Baht 'At.The first issue is one we'd best transfer to our distinguished, mathematical guest-blogger Professor S.Barry Cooper of Leeds University, whose series of posts about the Alan Turing Centenary Year for the Northerner is doing very well on… -
Archive 14 May 1912: Surprise lodgers move into nesting boxes
13 May 2012 | 4:30 pmAn English-made box has two different sets of tenants: a great tit and an enterprising queen waspMany people now tempt birds by placing nesting-boxes on their trees, and are delighted when the attention is appreciated. Birds, however, are not the only occupants of these shelters, at least they are not in a garden at Duffield, I am told. Last year three of the German boxes, usually the better type, had no avian inhabitants, but they were often used as day bedrooms by long-eared and other bats. This season an English-made box has two different sets of tenants. A great tit, now busily engaged in…
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World news: Russia | guardian.co.uk
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A Sceptic's Guide to the Nato Summit
16 May 2012 | 10:37 amA quick route through the Chicago agendaFour main issues: Afghanistan, Nuclear Weapons, Russia, Burden-sharingThousands of words will be written about the many more thousand that will be spoken during the Nato summit on 20 and 21 May in Barack's adopted home city of Chicago.The test facing leaders of the 28 members of the world's most powerful military alliance, established in the early years of the cold war, is how they will make concrete progress on these important issues:1. Afghanistan.Afghan president Hamid Karzai has been invited. So, too, has the Pakistan president, Asif Ali Zardari. -
Russian police break up anti-Putin protest in Moscow park
16 May 2012 | 2:50 amAt least 14 people reportedly arrested as riot police carry out court order to clear Occupy-style demonstrationRussian riot police have broken up an Occupy-style protest against President Vladimir Putin, forcing dozens of people out of a central Moscow park where they had staged a sit-in for a week and detaining at least 15.The dispersal of the makeshift encampment is the latest step in a government crackdown on protests over Putin's return to the presidency on 7 May for a six-year term following four years as prime minister.Police converged on the site at Chistye Prudy park at about 5.30am… -
Russian Superjet crash: Indonesian searchers find black box
15 May 2012 | 10:39 pmSukhoi Superjet 100 crashed into Mount Salak during demonstration flight, killing all 45 people on boardIndonesian special forces have found the black box voice and data recorder of a new Russian passenger jet that crashed into a dormant volcano, killing all on board.The recorder could help explain the cause of the crash of the Sukhoi Superjet 100, which had been on a short demonstration flight for potential buyers. Indonesian search and rescue agency spokesman Gagah Prakoso said it was found near the tail of the shattered wreck at the bottom of a 500-metre ravine.The device was delivered to… -
Russian court orders removal of Putin protest camp from park
15 May 2012 | 11:03 amMoscow police told to immediately break up Occupy-styled demonstration against Vladamir Putin's return to presidencyA Russian court has ordered police to break up an Occupy-style encampment in a Moscow park where people are protesting against Vladimir Putin's return to the presidency.The court ruling on Tuesday was the authorities' latest move against Russia's protest movement, a week after police detained hundreds of people at a rally that turned violent.The court order, in response to complaints by residents near the protest site at Chistye Prudy park, obliged police to "take measures to… -
Russia's Occupy movement is not up to the task | Andrew Ryvkin
15 May 2012 | 9:44 amIt may be fun, but it's ultimately futile. Trying to copy New York under this authoritarian and repressive regime won't workAmerican cuisine is becoming more and more popular in Moscow, with burgers, cupcakes and New York-style pizza taking over the cosmopolitan restaurant scene. A good example of this Americanisation is Corner Burger on Bolshaya Gruzinskaya or CBBG, as it's known among the hip crowd. It's one of many venues that provide an "authentic" New York culinary experience – steaks, salads and, of course, burgers of all sorts, at $15-25 a piece. It is popular among the upper middle…
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World news: Rwanda | guardian.co.uk
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Climbing beans improve life for Rwandan farmers – in pictures
27 Apr 2012 | 10:10 amNew varieties of climbing beans, developed by the Rwandan Agricultural Research Institute in collaboration with the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture, have been introduced to Rwanda and are being grown in place of traditionally grown bush beans -
UN-backed Congolese army drive could displace 100,000 people, analysts warn
16 Mar 2012 | 10:12 amPush by 5,400 DRC troops into remote areas targets Rwandan Hutu rebel group and remnants of Joseph Kony's LRAUN peacekeeping troops are backing a Congolese army drive against jungle-based rebel groups that is expected to displace at least 100,000 people and trigger a new wave of instability and human rights abuses across war-ravaged eastern Congo, aid workers and independent analysts have warned.The new offensive by 5,400 troops of the Democratic Republic of Congo army (FARDC), largely unreported until now, began in South Kivu province, bordering Rwanda and Burundi, on 15 February and is… -
East Africa internet access slows to a crawl after anchor snags cable
28 Feb 2012 | 7:07 amDamage, which may not be fixed for three weeks, caused 20% slowdown in countries including Kenya, Rwanda and EthiopiaThe old theory that a butterly flapping its wings can cause a hurricane on the other side of the world may be somewhat far-fetched. But that a ship dropping anchor can disrupt the lives of millions has become painfully evident.That is what happened off the Kenyan coast when, by unlucky chance, an anchor scored a direct hit on an underwater fibre-optic cable.The knock-on effect is a predicted 20% slowdown in internet speeds in Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Ethiopia and South… -
The impact of malnutrition on Rwanda - video
23 Feb 2012 | 10:08 amMore than 2.6 million children worldwide die each year from undernourishment. Jay Rayner reports on efforts to cut child mortality in Rwanda, examining how, even in such a fertile country, poverty and high prices are a fatal combinationJay Rayner -
Malnutrition: the scourge of Rwanda's children
18 Feb 2012 | 6:06 pmMore than 2.6 million children worldwide die each year from undernourishment. As a campaign to cut child mortality is launched, Jay Rayner in Rwanda reports on how, even in such a fertile country, poverty and high prices are a fatal combinationHer name is Masezeno and she is 12, though you wouldn't know it to look at her: seven, or perhaps eight, at best. She sits by herself on her bed in her blue hospital gown, her knees pulled up to her chest, eyes wide, watching the room. She has little hair. She is in the children's ward of the new Butaro district hospital in northern Rwanda and it is…
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Business: J Sainsbury | guardian.co.uk
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FTSE falls again on Greek woes but Croda and Aberdeen Asset buck the trend
16 May 2012 | 11:38 amChemicals group and asset manager benefit from inclusion in MSCI indexThe MSCI index may not be as immediately familiar as the FTSE, but investors in chemicals group Croda and Aberdeen Asset Management had cause to be grateful to it.On another volatile day on the markets, thanks of course to the continuing eurozone crisis, Croda climbed 63p to £21.82 and Aberdeen added 8.6p to 255.9p as their names were added to the MSCI UK index in its latest reshuffle. The Morgan Stanley Capital International indices, to give the full name, are widely followed by fund managers and banks around the world,… -
FTSE slumps below 5400 on Greek fears but Barclays bucks the trend
16 May 2012 | 3:30 amBank lifted by recommendation by UBS, but investors still fearful of eurozone crisisAs leading shares slumped again on the growing prospect of Greece leaving the eurozone, the FTSE 100 fell below the 5400 level for the first time since mid-December.But with investors shying away from risk, one surprise was the emergence of Barclays as one of the biggest risers so far. The bank is up 2.55p at 188.65p after UBS raised its recommendation from neutral to buy, although it cut its price target from 272p to 215p. UBS analyst John-Paul Crutchley said:Barclays shares have fallen by around 20% since a… -
Potato company boss faces jail over Sainsbury's scam
15 May 2012 | 12:54 pmAndrew Behagg was part of gang that overcharged Sainsbury's by nearly £9mA former potato firm director has been told he faces a significant jail term for his role in a bribery scam with a buyer at Sainsbury's.Andrew Behagg, 60, from the food supplier Greenvale, was found guilty at Croydon crown court of authorising payments in return for lucrative contracts. He was part of a gang of white-collar criminals who overcharged the supermarket by nearly £9m and channelled money back to a senior buyer, John Maylam.The scam – described by Sainsbury's as the biggest ever crime against it – was… -
Marks & Spencer leads FTSE higher but investors still nervous after Spain, Greece, China and JP Morgan
11 May 2012 | 11:35 amRetailer benefits from broker recommendations ahead of forthcoming figuresLeading shares suffered another volatile day, with investors unnerved by the continuing eurozone crisis, signs of a slowdown in China and JP Morgan's shock $2bn loss.But with a better than expected US consumer confidence figure and some bargain hunting after recent falls, the index recovered from early falls.Retailers were in the spotlight, with Marks & Spencer the biggest riser in the FTSE 100. Its shares rose 12.1p to 360p as it launched a revamp of its own label brands and benefitted from recommendations by Shore… -
Utilities benefit as investors seek havens, but banks and miners drag FTSE lower
11 May 2012 | 3:28 amWater companies among the largest risers as shareholders shy away from riskier assetsInvestors are seeking shelter from the storms blowing through global markets, backing utilities and shunning mining companies and banks.Severn Trent is up 48p at 16.90, the biggest riser in a falling FTSE 100, with United Utilities up 8p at 638p and National Grid 5.5p better at 675.5p. Centrica climbed 1.8p to 312p as the British Gas owner issued an upbeat trading statement, although it cautioned about rising wholesale energy costs. It could also face a pay protest at its annual meeting.J Sainsbury was also…
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Education: Sats | guardian.co.uk
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'Give us a little more respect,' demand stressed-out teachers
12 May 2012 | 3:55 pmNew Ofsted head stands accused of taking a confrontational approach with state school teachers over standardsWhen Sir Michael Wilshaw took up his role as the head of Ofsted in January, he made it clear he had no intention of softening the combative style that marked his spell as head of the high-achieving Mossbourne Academy in Haringey."If anyone says to you that 'staff morale is at an all-time low', you know you are doing something right", the chief inspector of schools said shortly after he took up his position.Four months later, the hardline rhetoric shows no sign of abating. Last week Sir… -
The Secret Teacher: performance-related pay will force teachers to avoid A* pupils like clever lepers
12 May 2012 | 2:15 amOur anonymous blogger is incredulous at the suggestion of paying teachers on how well their pupils meet their estimated targets – back in the real world, this just won't workIt is with incredulity and great mirth that I read the recommendation that "a group of MPs" are recommending performance-related pay for teachers. To give them credit, they at least want to tie it to value added, rather than the number of As the teacher gets. For the uninitiated, value added (VA) is the scoring system that schools use, based on tracking data from key stage 2 to determine if they have achieved past their… -
Dear Mr Gove: Michael Rosen's letter from a curious parent
2 Apr 2012 | 1:15 pmThe author has some questions for the education secretaryExciting news: it seems as if you've become my neighbour. Not where you've chosen to live, I hasten to add, but because I see you're taking over a school near where I live in Haringey, north London. You've noticed that scarcely anyone round here thinks this is a good idea – not the council, the head, the staff or the governors. Apparently, you think that this doesn't matter. I find this curious, because your party has often claimed that it is in favour of local people deciding things and, after all, the strong presence of parents and… -
How the Ofsted chief got his maths wrong on Sats
15 Mar 2012 | 7:03 amSir Michael Wilshaw last night condemned the failure of some children to achieve the national average in English Sats aged 11. Today his office admits that was a "slip of the tongue" – the average is a mathematical calculation rather than a "target". But what does his error tell us about the Sats system? Polly Curtis, with your help, finds out. Get in touch below the line, Tweet @pollycurtis or email polly.curtis@guardian.co.uk.Last night on Newsnight Sir Michael Wilshaw, the chief inspector of schools and head of Ofsted, condemned the fact that one in five pupils are leaving primary school… -
Primary school Sats results on the rise
2 Aug 2011 | 12:55 pmMarked increase in 3Rs attainment for level 4 pupils but worries persist at level 5, particularly in reading abilityPrimary school children made further progress in the basic curriculum subjects last year, but figures show that a third still leave school without sufficient grasp of reading, writing and maths.The figures show a rise of three percentage points to 67%from last year in the number of children reaching level 4, the benchmark for this age group, in all three tests in reading, writing and maths.The remaining third – a total of around 183,000 – included pupils who reached the…
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World news: Saudi Arabia | guardian.co.uk
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Syria: UN monitors attacked - live updates
15 May 2012 | 11:00 am• Video shows UN monitors under fire north of Hama• Parliamentary election results announced in Syria• Palestinians and Israeli police clash on Nakba day• Read the latest summary5.00pm: Here's a summary of the latest developments:Syria• Video has emerged showing UN monitors under fire in Kham Sheikhoun, north of Hama. A member of the team has told Reuters that no monitors were injured, contrary to an earlier report from an activist (see 3.42pm).• Turnout in last week's parliamentary elections was more than 50%, according to election officials. The names of winning candidates have… -
Gulf unity plan on hold amid Iranian warning
14 May 2012 | 1:12 pmNo deal between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain at summit, casting doubt on plan for deeper regional integrationSaudi-led plans for deeper Gulf Arab regional integration to challenge Iran are in doubt after the failure to announce an expected unity deal between Saudi Arabia and neighbouring Bahrain.Expectations had been running high ahead of a special summit of the six-member Gulf Co-operation Council in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, but a decision was put off until the GCC next meets, in December. Iranian MPs warned that the plans were likely to increase insecurity in the Gulf.As an initial step,… -
Underwear bomb plot: British and US intelligence rattled over leaks
11 May 2012 | 1:26 pmLeak about UK involvement described as despicable by CIA as anger turns to Obama administration for compromising missionDetailed leaks of operational information about the foiled underwear bomb plot are causing growing anger in the US intelligence community, with former agents blaming the Obama administration for undermining national security and compromising the British services, MI6 and MI5.The Guardian has learned from Saudi sources that the agent was not a Saudi national as was widely reported, but a Yemeni. He was born in Saudi Arabia, in the port city of Jeddah, and then studied and… -
Yemenis choose jihad over Iranian support
10 May 2012 | 3:10 pmThe 'Guevara of south Yemen' describes how activists fighting for independence have become pawns in a larger power struggleJemajem is a young, dark-eyed militant leader who bears the self-important nom de guerre of "the Guevara of south Yemen". Based in the impoverished port of Aden, he belongs to the Hirak group of activists, who have been calling for south Yemen to be allowed to secede from the north for half a decade.It's not hard to see why he thinks an independent future for the south would be better than its current situation. Sadness and poverty settled on Aden many decades ago. The… -
Sting operation secures al-Qaida bomb, but questions persist
9 May 2012 | 11:17 amMore details emerge of undercover operation, but success carries dangersWhile serious questions remain about the origins and source of the Yemeni "bomb plot", a clearer picture is emerging of an audacious and, as far as the CIA is concerned, a successful sting operation. Sources familiar with the operation suggest that a CIA informant and putative suicide-bomber originally recruited by Saudi intelligence infiltrated al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsular (AQAP) and said he wanted a bomb in order to explode an aircraft bound for the US.The double agent was handed the latest bomb devised by AQAP…
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Education: Schools | guardian.co.uk
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Michael Gove proposes that schools set own teachers' pay
16 May 2012 | 10:10 amEducation secretary Michael Gove's suggestion would lead to the end of a national pay scale for the professionEngland's state schools could be allowed to set their teachers' salaries themselves, the education secretary has proposed, leading to the end of a national pay scale for the profession.Michael Gove made the suggestion in a submission to a review on teachers' pay due to report this autumn.His idea would trigger one of the biggest shakeups in teachers' working conditions for a generation and was deeply unpopular with trade unions.Gove said the current national pay scale for the… -
The case for agile pedagogy
16 May 2012 | 4:28 amLearning to program computers can bring unique insights to other fields for both pupils and teachers – Miles Berry on how computational thinking can revolutionise the way we teach and learnPolicy makers, industry and many teachers are eager that pupils should learn more about computing. This includes learning how to write computer programs, but also "computational thinking", a transferable way of solving problems and exploring situations, which has wide applications across and beyond the curriculum. In short, as pupils learn to program computers and the principles of computer science they… -
Michael Gove's Bibles: good for schools? | Poll
16 May 2012 | 3:30 amThis week, copies of the King James Bible were sent out to every state school in the country, courtesy of the education secretary Michael Gove. They were paid for by donations, not from the public purse. Tell us if you think the scheme is a good idea – or suggest books that could have been donated instead -
Michael Gove's King James Bible plan rescued by millionaire Tory donors
15 May 2012 | 11:39 amEducation secretary will send a copy of the Bible to every state school after donors club together to save £370,000 initiativeMillionaire Conservative party donors have clubbed together to rescue a plan by the education secretary, Michael Gove, to send a copy of the King James Bible to every state school in the country.Gove hoped to mark the 400th anniversary of the Bible's completion by donating a leather-bound copy, written in 17th-century English, to all primary and secondary schools by Easter.However, his plans were said to have run into trouble in January when government sources… -
The special needs system is open to abuse | Francis Gilbert
15 May 2012 | 11:24 amAssessment of educational needs should be overhauled, as parents may be encouraging misdiagnosis to access resourcesPlans to change the "special needs" system in schools will have a big impact upon teachers like me, as well as millions of pupils and their parents. That said, the system does need an overhaul.Far too many pupils are judged as having "special educational needs" (SEN). Last year, an Ofsted investigation found that one in five pupils is judged as SEN – a whopping 1.7 million children – and suggested that possibly 450,000 had been misdiagnosed. The latest policy initiative is…
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Education: School admissions | guardian.co.uk
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Should we allow faith schools at all? | Andrew Copson
1 May 2012 | 4:30 amDiscriminatory state-funded faith schools are on the increase – receiving preferential treatment with little scrutinyWith all the controversy in the last year or two over the government's free schools programme, the issue of state-funded faith schools has been somewhat eclipsed. This isn't because their expansion has been at all reduced – if anything it has been accelerated – but public attention has shifted. Events of the past few weeks should reignite the debate, as a fuller picture emerges than ever before of just how our education system is manipulated, and the rights of children… -
One in five London children misses out on first-choice primary school
19 Apr 2012 | 2:07 amUp to a third of children in parts of the capital fail to secure preferred primary school, according to admissions board• Did your child get their first choice of school? Tell us what happened with admissions in your area by leaving a commentUp to a third of children in some parts of London have missed out on their first choice of primary school this year, figures show.Statistics published by the Pan-London Admissions Board revealed that across the capital more than one in five youngsters did not get a place at their preferred school.But the figures also reveal differences across the city,… -
Half of free schools still negotiating sites for autumn opening, minister says
12 Apr 2012 | 6:02 pmLabour attacks gamble with education as supporters urge rethink of way 'hundreds coming forward' will find premisesHalf of the free schools opening this autumn are still negotiating over premises, an education minister has admitted. Despite many having made provisional offers of places for September, only about 35 of the 70 schools have written confirmation from the land or lease owner that they can use their proposed building, and a few have yet to find a site.The information was divulged by Nick Gibb, the schools minister, in response to a parliamentary question by Stephen Twigg, the shadow… -
Education in London: pupils by race, poverty and language for every local authority
12 Apr 2012 | 9:57 amWhat kinds of children attend London's state schools? See how key education indicators differ by local authority• Get the data• Interactive mapThe make up of London's schools is a great measure of how diverse the city has become. As part of our examination of London's key datasets, we've looked at figures published by the Department for Education to see how it breaks down by key educational indicators.From the figures we can see which education authority has the highest percentage of independent schools alongside other indicators such as the numbers on free school meals in primary and… -
What's wrong with education? Teachers reveal all
2 Apr 2012 | 7:01 pmAs the teaching union conference season gets under way, we ask what the everyday worries are in schools todayPhillip Smith, secondary school English teacher and assistant head, West MidlandsThe downgrading of BTecs in league tables affects us massively. As an early academy – we converted in 2009 – with a large intake from socially deprived areas, we've had a lot of success offering pupils a personalised curriculum. To be told now that you can teach whatever you like, but only some things will count in the tables, leaves you in a catch-22 situation. There were some Mickey Mouse…
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Science news, comment and analysis | guardian.co.uk
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Brain implant allows paralysed woman to control a robot with her thoughts
16 May 2012 | 12:00 pmThe BrainGate implant can decode a patient's brain signals and instruct a robotic arm to reach and grasp objectsA woman who lost the use of her limbs after a devastating stroke nearly 15 years ago has taken a sip of coffee by guiding a robotic arm with her thoughts.The 58-year-old used a brain implant to control the robot and bring a flask of the coffee to her lips, the first time she had picked up anything since she was paralysed and left unable to speak by a catastrophic brain stem stroke.Doctors hailed the feat as the first demonstration of an implant that directly controls a reaching and… -
Mind-controlled robotic arm – video
16 May 2012 | 12:00 pmResearchers have reached a milestone in 'mind control' by creating a robot arm that can be controlled by a brain implant. A woman paralysed for the past 15 years has learned to use the system to serve herself coffee -
That Science for the Future protest: A view from a participant
16 May 2012 | 10:24 amCyrus Hirjibehedin: The new disconnect between EPSRC research studentships and research grants is potentially catastrophic. And perhaps more constructive than the coffin is the fact that many scientists talked directly to their MPsApproximately 100 scientists from the group "Science for the Future" gathered at Parliament on Wednesday, 15 May as part of efforts to overturn a series of changes in the way research funds are allocated by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Council (EPSRC), the primary government funding body for these disciplines in the UK. This follows the publication of a… -
Tyrannosaurus skeleton to be auctioned in New York
16 May 2012 | 9:20 amNearly complete skeleton of 2.5-metre tall and 7-metre long Tyrannosaurus bataar expected to fetch up to £1mA magnificent dinosaur skeleton that was stored – in its constituent bits – in a warehouse in Dorset is expected to fetch up to £1m at auction.The skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus bataar, a cousin of T rex, was acquired by an unnamed British collector seven years ago after being discovered in the Gobi desert in Mongolia.He stored the bones in a warehouse near his home until beginning the tricky task of piecing the skeleton together. He half-completed the project before shipping the… -
Stone carvers defy Taliban to return to the Bamiyan valley
16 May 2012 | 9:02 amAfghan students learn the centuries-old skills that carved out the giant buddhas blown up by extremistsUnder perfectly carved niches that once held dozens of small buddha statues, the purposeful tap of chisel on stone echoed over the Bamiyan valley for the first time in centuries.Twelve young Afghans had gathered to take the first tentative steps back towards a stone-working tradition that once made their home famous, at a workshop in a cave gouged out as a monastery assembly hall more than 1,000 years ago.The cave-hall was part of a complex built around two giant buddhas that loomed serenely…
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Science: Science blog | guardian.co.uk
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I can no longer work for a system that puts profit over access to research | Winston Hide
16 May 2012 | 6:34 amThe associate editor of Genomics says its publisher Elsevier effectively denies developing world access to research findingsToday I resigned from the editorial board of a well respected journal in my field – Genomics. No longer can I work for a system that provides solid profits for the publisher while effectively denying colleagues in developing countries access to research findings.It has not been an easy decision. Some may feel that I'm grandstanding or making a futile gesture. And it may be a toxic career move. Scientists are expected to contribute to the community by reviewing… -
A play about astronomer Caroline Herschel sets the record straight | John Vidal
14 May 2012 | 9:37 amThe history books are full of William Herschel's achievements, but say little about his sister. Stella tells a different storyOne of the least expected successes in London's West End last week was Stella by the Take the Space theatre company. The three actors wore their own clothes, hadn't learned any lines, and there were only about 20 people in the invited audience who met in a circular room high above the Aldwych.Moreover, the show was hardly a barrel of laughs, being about female astronomers – notably the tiny, forgotten, angry 18th century Caroline Herschel. But I have to admit, the… -
John Beddington: Our network of chief scientific advisers has never been stronger
14 May 2012 | 6:34 amMost of the work of the UK government's scientific advisers goes on behind the scenes, and the system is working wellOn Friday the government's response to the House of Lords report on the role of chief scientific advisers (CSAs) was published.When the findings of the Science and Technology Select Committee were made public in February, coverage in the Guardian focused on a number of perceived weaknesses in the network of government science advisers. A key point was missed, however: that despite any imperfections, the committee clearly recognises the critical role that CSAs play and the… -
Calling all amateur sleuths: hi-tech forensic gadgets up for auction
11 May 2012 | 12:19 pmThere are bargains aplenty as the government sells off equipment from its defunct Forensic Science ServiceYou might have heard that Britain's Forensic Science Service shut up shop this year. The organisation handled 60% of the nation's forensic work, held vast archives of old case work, and employed hugely experienced scientists who specialised in areas like gunshot residues, tool markings, DNA fingerprinting – you name it.The closure of the FSS saw some forensic work brought in house by police forces, and plenty of contracts have gone to private companies, including LGC Forensics and… -
Sci-Fi London: Ghosts With Shit Jobs – and a new way to make movies | Carole Jahme
10 May 2012 | 6:15 amIt's 2040 and North Americans are a cheap labour pool for wealthy Asian markets. A Chinese documentary show focuses on the 'ghosts' (Cantonese slang for white people) unlucky enough to have been born into the slums of TorontoSci-Fi London kept the best for last. As soon as the title sequence began (by Beehive Design) I knew I was in for a treat. Ghosts With Shit Jobs, from auteur Jim Munroe – a groundbreaking creator of "indie culture alternatives" – was sheer delight. Munroe writes graphic novels and comics (he has been compared to Philip K Dick) and makes video games and movies. His…
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World news: Second world war | guardian.co.uk
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War criminal Charles Taylor appeals for 'reconciliation not retribution'
16 May 2012 | 6:35 amEx-Liberian president shows no contrition or remorse as he addresses judges at Hague sentencing hearingThe convicted war criminal and former Liberian president Charles Taylor has told judges at his sentencing hearing he sympathises with victims of the civil war in Sierra Leone he helped foment, and urged them to decide their sentence against him in a spirit of "reconciliation, not retribution".However, he stopped short of admitting any wrongdoing, apologising for his actions, or expressing remorse.In a landmark ruling in April, judges at the special court for Sierra Leone found Taylor guilty… -
HHhH by Laurent Binet – review
16 May 2012 | 3:00 amDoes its po-mo surface diminish this true story?A breezily charming novel, with a thrilling story that also happens to be true, by a gifted young author amusingly anguished over the question of how to tell it … In principle there's nothing not to like about Laurent Binet's acclaimed debut, and HHhH is certainly a thoroughly captivating performance. Whether you find it something more than that will depend on how you feel about the application of breezy charm and amusingly anguished authorial self-reflexiveness to a book about the Nazi security chief Reinhard Heydrich, who must be one of the… -
Want a bestseller? Write about Henry or Hitler…
12 May 2012 | 6:05 pmFrom Tudor England to the Third Reich, history's megalomaniacs continue to make great literary fodderWhat is it about Henry VIII? Shakespeare tiptoed warily round the subject but English writers and readers ever since have been addicted to his charismatic reign, especially the extraordinary years from 1525 to 1540.For some, the stories surrounding Cardinal Wolsey, Thomas More, Anne Boleyn and Thomas Cromwell are more vivid than everyday life itself. On the internet you'll find that these Tudor sagas of greed, lust and ambition, punctuated by violent death, get hashed over as if they happened… -
The Girl Who Fell from the Sky by Simon Mawer – review
11 May 2012 | 4:55 pmSimon Mawer, Booker shortlisted for The Glass Room, turns his attention to wartime FranceSimon Mawer's last novel, The Glass Room, was shortlisted for the Booker prize in 2009. What made it work so well was the haunting conceit at its centre: the "glass room" of the title, based on Mies van der Rohe's Tugendhat House near Brno in what is now the Czech Republic. Mawer did more than evoke the translucent beauty of this masterpiece of modernist architecture. He made the house itself almost a character in its own right. It became an eye-witness to the deepest traumas of 20th-century European… -
Russia's Victory Day parade in Moscow's Red Square – video
9 May 2012 | 9:39 amRussia shows off its tanks, troops and heavy weaponry at the Victory Day parade in the Red Square in Moscow
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World news: September 11 2001 | guardian.co.uk
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Macedonia on trial for human rights abuses in US post-9/11 rendition case
16 May 2012 | 11:07 amEuropean court of human rights hears case of Khaled el-Masri, detained in Skopje before alleged torture in Afghanistan by CIAEurope's human rights court began hearing the first case arising from the US's post-9/11 rendition programme on Wednesday, when the government of Macedonia went on trial accused of multiple human rights abuses of a German citizen.Khaled el-Masri, 48, a car salesman of Lebanese descent, was detained in Macedonia in December 2003 and held for more than three weeks in Skopje, before being handed to CIA officers who flew him to Afghanistan, where he was allegedly tortured… -
The Avengers: why Hollywood is no longer afraid to tackle 9/11
11 May 2012 | 4:55 pmThe Avengers, which has had the biggest US opening in history, climaxes with towers crumbling and mayhem in Manhattan. Squeamishness, it seems, is shortlived in HollywoodMad terror in the streets as flying whatsits and killer robots from outer space ricochet off and, more often, crash through 70-story skyscrapers. Mighty towers crumble; concrete chunks spray from the screen. Total Sensurround: the theatre itself shakes as the non-stop cosmic battle-cum-pinball game that is The Avengers reaches its climax in a digital midtown Manhattan.It's complete mayhem and, reader, I confess that I enjoyed… -
The takeaway from the Yemeni 'underwear bomber' plot | Karen Greenberg
9 May 2012 | 2:53 pmCounterterror policy since 9/11 has often been ineffective, even illegal. At last, trusted traditional methods are paying offAs the news of this week's intelligence sting against al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula became public, there was a seemingly odd contradiction. On the one hand, the president, speaking from Afghanistan, had just announced that, thanks to US military action, al-Qaida was "on the path to defeat". In the words of John Brennan, "In short, al-Qaida is losing badly." On the other hand, there was news of a new and potentially lethal plot – a perhaps undetectable bomb aimed… -
Guantánamo's 9/11 show trials | Anthony Romero
7 May 2012 | 3:08 pmWhen evidence about torture is suppressed as 'contraband information', let's not pretend that the US is dispensing justiceI have been going to Guantánamo Bay since 2004 to observe the military commissions originally established by the Bush administration to try accused terrorists. It was painfully apparent on Saturday that despite some improvements, not enough has changed.The commissions remain a cynical tool to obfuscate the fact that the US sanctioned the use of torture at the highest level of government. The world knows the CIA subjected the 9/11 defendants to years of shameful abuse,… -
EPA scientist who warned of caustic dust from Ground Zero wins job back
7 May 2012 | 12:03 pmCate Jenkins was fired from job as chemist after accusing EPA of deliberately covering up dangers of 9/11 wreckage dustA government scientist sacked for exposing the dangers to firefighters from the caustic air at Ground Zero in the days after 9/11 got her job back on Monday.A federal court ordered that Cate Jenkins, a chemist at the Environmental Protection Agency, be reinstated to her job with back pay.Her lawyer said the decision, although based on matters of legal process, amounted to vindication for Jenkins's claims that the EPA had covered up the danger posed to first responders and…
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Education: Sex education | guardian.co.uk
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Are parents to blame if kids view pornography?
5 May 2012 | 6:05 pmChildren should be protected from inappropriate material on the internet, but does responsibility lie solely with their parents?Luisa Dillner: writer and parent Who's to blame if your child watches porn? It's the greedy internet service providers, say MPs from an all-party committee, who want ISPs to apply automatic filters to prevent access to adult material. To access porn, you would have to opt out. But before you think, "Phew, job done", Naomi Gummer, a Google executive, said last week that technology moves too fast for filters to work and that parents are to blame if their children watch… -
Giving girls access to the pill over the counter is the least we can do | Dawn Foster
27 Apr 2012 | 9:18 amThe contraceptive won't be handed over like aspirin – pharmacists will be able to offer teens much-needed adviceOne of the things I've learned as I've grown older is how little I know about pretty much everything. Every birthday brings to my attention new gaps in my knowledge, and the yawning embarrassment of realising just how immature some of my past actions have been. Conversely, when I was 13, I was pretty certain I knew far more then my peers and elders. I held a steely conviction that I was an adult in all but the eyes of the law. So having sex at 13 seemed completely sensible, and if… -
Contraception study says 13-year-olds should get the pill in certain scenarios
25 Apr 2012 | 10:30 amReport says pharmacists should be able to use their judgment, as alternative is youths will have sex without any protectionGirls as young as 13 should be able to walk into a high-street chemist and get the contraceptive pill if they want it, an evaluation of an NHS pilot scheme has concluded.The pilot in south-east London was designed to offer the pill to women and girls over the age of 16 without the need to see a GP. Some young women might hesitate to visit the family doctor for contraception and might feel more comfortable at a pharmacy, where they would be less likely to meet somebody… -
Britain has world's third highest proportion of sexually active teens
24 Apr 2012 | 6:10 pmUK also ranks badly among high-income nations for harmful teenage drinking, according to study in Lancet medical journalBritain has the third-highest proportion of teenagers who are sexually active at an early age and also ranks badly among high-income nations for harmful teenage drinking, according to a series of studies published in the Lancet medical journal on Tuesday.The research, plus a report by Unicef, call for more attention to be paid to the changing needs of the young, warning they are at risk of mental and physical illness, vulnerable to unhealthy product marketing and that too… -
Sexual health services hit by cuts
23 Apr 2012 | 7:00 amProjects for vulnerable, hard-to-reach teenagers and those at risk of being sexually exploited affected as cuts start to take holdCuts are taking hold in the sexual health sector as in so many others. This year, for the first time in their recent history, sexual health organisations like FPA and Brook — the two biggest players in the field — have no core funding from the Department of Health. Money from local authorities — themselves the victims of huge cuts — and charitable trusts, which have lower returns on their investments and higher demand for their remaining resources, has…
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Life and style: Shopping | guardian.co.uk
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Bicester Village: why you should go. Like, now.
2 May 2012 | 6:06 amThere's one week left to find London fashion week bargains at Bicester Village. Despite my hatred of shopping, I urge you to go, says Jess Cartner-MorleyI don't actually like shopping. At all. I get no more free time than any of you, and, when I do, there are a thousand things I'd rather do than go shopping for clothes. So I shop online (a lot) or I do a swoop-raid if I happen to be passing a shop I like and I'm not late for wherever I'm going.But on Monday, I did something I almost never do, and went on an actual shopping trip. To Bicester Village ("chic outlet shopping") with my mum and my… -
Meeting calls for public trust to run Europe's biggest indoor market
18 Apr 2012 | 1:30 amSupporters say: Hands off people's market as council considers £30 million partnership with private developersIt was standing room only as a couple of hundred shoppers and traders gathered at a Leeds city centre church to discuss the uncertain future of Europe's largest indoor market.The public meeting was called by the Friends of Kirkgate Market group, made up of market supporters. It says that the facility, which employs 2,000 people on 600 stalls and generates £2m profit a year, needs major investment after years of neglect.The Friends group revealed ideas including setting up a public… -
Why I love stationery
29 Feb 2012 | 12:50 pmThe digital age was meant to put an end to paper – but we still can't get enough of pens, notebooks and, erm, fancy rubber band holders. One fan thinks she knows whyExercise and memo books, writing sets and endless rubbers, coloured pens and propelling pencils, Post-it Notes and fountain pens, highlighters in different hues, markers – great, galumphing things – and tiny fibre-tips, envelopes all shapes and sizes, notebooks stapled (spiral-bound or sewn-spined) – I own and love them all.I am not alone, of course. John Lewis saw a 177% rise last year in its sales of premium… -
Insiders' guide to the world's best shops
9 Dec 2011 | 4:45 pmParis chic, a Delhi bazaar, Tokyo gadgets … experts in fashion, food, music and more tell us about their favourite fabulous shops, where the experience is as important as what's on saleKiki de Montparnasse, New York"When an erotic boutique is named after Man Ray's muse, you know it's going to be classy," says Juliet Kinsman of Mr & Mrs Smith. "There's not a whiff of Ann Summers tackiness – this sexy salon is in fact perfumed with Kiki's own seductive scents." Decked out with moody lighting, cabinets of beautiful luxury lingerie and "some 'instruments of pleasure' that might make your… -
Doncaster has no need for 'retail therapy'
8 Dec 2011 | 5:00 amYorkshire may be the UK's capital of empty shops, but Doncaster is bucking the trend. So says the town's elected mayor, Peter Davies in this guest blog.We have the fourth most resilient high street in the country, are second only to Harrogate for the number of shops opening in Yorkshire and are home to Britain's best market of 2011. Doncaster town centre is buzzing. It came as a surprise to me then, when I discovered from the Guardian Northerner that 'retail experts' from the Town Centre Rejuvenation Campaign will be visiting Doncaster to aid faltering businesses. Thanks, but no thanks. What…
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Sport: Snooker | guardian.co.uk
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Notes & Queries: How common were witch trials?
16 May 2012 | 11:00 amPlus: Which game is tougher – snooker, pool or billiards? Why the racing line won't help you on the M1 I keep hearing two opposing views on medieval and renaissance witch trials in Europe: the first, that many thousands of people (mostly women) were persecuted; the second, that this is a massive exaggeration. What's the truth?The truth is a more or less well-founded estimate, as there are no full records or statistics over many centuries (there were witch trials up to the end of the 18th century). And it is not very helpful, either, to remember that courts or justices were much less… -
Notes & Queries: Are snooker players more skilful than pool players?
9 May 2012 | 11:29 amPlus: Austerity philosophy – Popper or Socrates? Life-cycle of a tree; Formula One on the M1Snooker tables are much bigger than pool tables, so are snooker players much more skilful than pool players?The best pool players are very skilful but I'd argue that snooker is harder, given the size of the table. On a pool table the smaller surface area and closer proximity of the pockets means good eyesight is seldom an issue. Even an average player might rattle the jaws with a loose shot, where a similar mishit shot in snooker could miss by feet and make you look silly. There's also a hell of a… -
Ronnie O'Sullivan, enfant terrible turned role model – except in China | Barney Ronay
8 May 2012 | 12:45 pmThe oldest world champion for 34 years is central to snooker's future despite wariness in the key Asian market about this unconstrained talentThere was a funny moment at the end of Ronnie O'Sullivan's victory press conference at the Crucible on Monday night. O'Sullivan had talked fluently, honestly and even meanderingly around the usual pet topics: his mental state, his plans to retire or otherwise (this is a man who first threatened to quit the game aged 18), the fulfilment of his grand talent and his less than enthusiastic reaction to the extreme demands of the new commercial era under… -
Ronnie O'Sullivan defeats Ali Carter in world championship final
7 May 2012 | 5:12 pm• O'Sullivan takes final 18-11 to claim fourth world title• Englishman adds to Crucible wins in 2001, '04 and '08In the end it was an early-evening procession for Ronnie O'Sullivan, whose progress towards a fourth world championship title was welcomed by the increasingly rowdy full-house Crucible crowd. Leading Ali Carter by five frames going into the final session, snooker's most compelling talent eased his way to an 18-11 defeat of the barnacle-like outsider in a final that simmered and sputtered without ever boiling over into the compelling clash of styles some had foreseen.O'Sullivan… -
Ronnie O'Sullivan leads Ali Carter 10-7 in the world snooker final
6 May 2012 | 5:41 pm• O'Sullivan hits two centuries and a 92 in first eight frames• Carter recovers from 9-5 to stay in touch for the final dayA world championship final of two intriguingly polarised snooker talents looked to have swung – if not decisively, then persuasively – the way of Ronnie O'Sullivan at its halfway point. The solid pre-match favourite in both senses of the word, O'Sullivan sputtered, sparked and occasionally fizzed into a solid but not insurmountable 10-7 lead over the estimable outsider Ali Carter.A roundhead to O'Sullivan's cavalier, Carter's chances of victory at The Crucible…
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Society: Social care | guardian.co.uk
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King of Jordan orders inquiry into claims of abuse in children's homes
16 May 2012 | 1:28 pmUndercover investigation by BBC Arabic reveals allegations of abuse of mentally and physically disabled childrenThe king of Jordan has ordered an inquiry into allegations of abuse in private children's homes that were made in an undercover investigation aired in the country this week.The BBC Arabic programme revealed allegations of abuse of children with mental and physical illnesses – some as young as seven or eight – that included sexual abuse, beatings, insults and swearing.It is common for wealthy parents from across the Middle East to send children to Jordan for treatment. But BBC… -
Care home criticised after mentally ill resident is jailed for killing schoolboy
16 May 2012 | 8:14 amJudge questions systems at Ashness House home after jailing resident Serif Aslan for murder of 15-year-old Kasey GordonA private care home has been criticised by a judge as he sentenced a mentally ill resident to life for killing a schoolboy.Serif Aslan had not been taking his anti-psychotic medication and said he had kept a knife in his room for about a week.As he walked past a school to go to his favourite cafe, Aslan made a remark about a girl and got into a fight with a schoolboy.Kasey Gordon, 15, went to help the boy and was stabbed through the heart and died on the pavement.Three other… -
Free home care available to fewer elderly people
15 May 2012 | 6:05 pmOlder and disabled people suffer postcode lottery over fees as numbers who have home care paid by local council fall 11%The number of vulnerable older and disabled people who had home care services fully paid by their local authority fell by 11% in England in the past two years, according to newly published figures.The data also reveals wide variations in council charges across England.Freedom of information requests to 120 councils revealed that home care services – which send carers to help vulnerable older and disabled people get up in the morning, and get washed, dressed and fed – are… -
Cuts putting lives of learning disabled at risk, say nurses
15 May 2012 | 6:03 pmInconsistent levels of care are putting patients in danger, and are being exacerbated by budget cuts, survey revealsWhen the abuse of adults at Winterbourne View hospital near Bristol hit the headlines earlier this year it catapulted the mistreatment of people with learning difficulties in residential settings into the headlines, and prompted calls for immediate reforms to protect vulnerable people. However, if advocates for change had hoped that the revelation would be the final alarm raised about poor care for people with learning disabilities, then a new report from the Royal College of… -
Guardian Public Services Awards are open for entries
15 May 2012 | 6:03 pmInspirational ways to deliver excellent public services are needed more than ever, and we intend to recognise the very bestInnovation, and learning from others' innovations, have never been at a higher premium in Britain's public services. Many services will simply not survive the forecast five more years of austerity unless they do things differently.So the Guardian Public Services Awards, which are launched today for 2012, are changing too. In come new categories, placing the strongest emphasis on fresh ideas and techniques, and expanded online coverage of winning and shortlisted…
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SocietyGuardian - news, comment and analysis on the public and voluntary sectors | guardian.co.uk
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King of Jordan orders inquiry into claims of abuse in children's homes
16 May 2012 | 1:28 pmUndercover investigation by BBC Arabic reveals allegations of abuse of mentally and physically disabled childrenThe king of Jordan has ordered an inquiry into allegations of abuse in private children's homes that were made in an undercover investigation aired in the country this week.The BBC Arabic programme revealed allegations of abuse of children with mental and physical illnesses – some as young as seven or eight – that included sexual abuse, beatings, insults and swearing.It is common for wealthy parents from across the Middle East to send children to Jordan for treatment. But BBC… -
Abuse of disabled children in Jordan's care homes - video
16 May 2012 | 1:26 pmThis film documents the shocking abuse of children with disabilities in Jordan's care homes using undercover filming and eyewitness testimony -
Queen gets some bargeing practice, in Burnley
16 May 2012 | 12:07 pmNorthern narrowboat is a modest prelude to the Thames flotilla. And we want their flag.When you've got a socking great ceremonial barge to sail in on the river Thames, you need a bit of practice. Where better than on the Leeds-Liverpool canal in Burnley?That's what the Queen decided. Maybe she was advised, rather than making up her own mind; but she's always said to want to retire to the Trough of Bowland, should that ever be possible, and to share Alistair Campbell's famous devotion to the Clarets. So I think she decided.Whatever, Burnley got the full sunshine of the Diamond Jubilee tour of… -
Mind-controlled robotic arm – video
16 May 2012 | 12:00 pmResearchers have reached a milestone in 'mind control' by creating a robot arm that can be controlled by a brain implant. A woman paralysed for the past 15 years has learned to use the system to serve herself coffee -
Brain implant allows paralysed woman to control a robot with her thoughts
16 May 2012 | 12:00 pmThe BrainGate implant can decode a patient's brain signals and instruct a robotic arm to reach and grasp objectsA woman who lost the use of her limbs after a devastating stroke nearly 15 years ago has taken a sip of coffee by guiding a robotic arm with her thoughts.The 58-year-old used a brain implant to control the robot and bring a flask of the coffee to her lips, the first time she had picked up anything since she was paralysed and left unable to speak by a catastrophic brain stem stroke.Doctors hailed the feat as the first demonstration of an implant that directly controls a reaching and…
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World news : South and Central Asia roundup | guardian.co.uk
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A Sceptic's Guide to the Nato Summit
16 May 2012 | 10:37 amA quick route through the Chicago agendaFour main issues: Afghanistan, Nuclear Weapons, Russia, Burden-sharingThousands of words will be written about the many more thousand that will be spoken during the Nato summit on 20 and 21 May in Barack's adopted home city of Chicago.The test facing leaders of the 28 members of the world's most powerful military alliance, established in the early years of the cold war, is how they will make concrete progress on these important issues:1. Afghanistan.Afghan president Hamid Karzai has been invited. So, too, has the Pakistan president, Asif Ali Zardari. -
Stone carvers defy Taliban to return to the Bamiyan valley
16 May 2012 | 9:02 amAfghan students learn the centuries-old skills that carved out the giant buddhas blown up by extremistsUnder perfectly carved niches that once held dozens of small buddha statues, the purposeful tap of chisel on stone echoed over the Bamiyan valley for the first time in centuries.Twelve young Afghans had gathered to take the first tentative steps back towards a stone-working tradition that once made their home famous, at a workshop in a cave gouged out as a monastery assembly hall more than 1,000 years ago.The cave-hall was part of a complex built around two giant buddhas that loomed serenely… -
Russian police break up anti-Putin protest in Moscow park
16 May 2012 | 2:50 amAt least 14 people reportedly arrested as riot police carry out court order to clear Occupy-style demonstrationRussian riot police have broken up an Occupy-style protest against President Vladimir Putin, forcing dozens of people out of a central Moscow park where they had staged a sit-in for a week and detaining at least 15.The dispersal of the makeshift encampment is the latest step in a government crackdown on protests over Putin's return to the presidency on 7 May for a six-year term following four years as prime minister.Police converged on the site at Chistye Prudy park at about 5.30am… -
UK hedge fund's India tussle puts unfair bilateral trade in spotlight
16 May 2012 | 1:00 amActivists say global trade rules increase corporate power at the expense of developing countries, a claim highlighted by TCI's plan to sue the Indian governmentThe threat by a UK-based hedge fund to sue Coal India, one of the world's largest coalmine operators, has thrown into sharp relief the crucial question of whether the terms of trade and investment are skewed in favour of rich countries and multinational companies.The Children's Investment Fund (TCI), a British hedge fund run by Christopher Hohn, is a minority shareholder in Coal India after acquiring a 1.01% stake when the Indian… -
Russian Superjet crash: Indonesian searchers find black box
15 May 2012 | 10:39 pmSukhoi Superjet 100 crashed into Mount Salak during demonstration flight, killing all 45 people on boardIndonesian special forces have found the black box voice and data recorder of a new Russian passenger jet that crashed into a dormant volcano, killing all on board.The recorder could help explain the cause of the crash of the Sukhoi Superjet 100, which had been on a short demonstration flight for potential buyers. Indonesian search and rescue agency spokesman Gagah Prakoso said it was found near the tail of the shattered wreck at the bottom of a 500-metre ravine.The device was delivered to…
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Science: Space | guardian.co.uk
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Soyuz spaceship blasts off for ISS mission
15 May 2012 | 1:22 amSince the retirement of the space shuttles, the US is dependent on Russia to fly astronauts to the space station, at £37m eachA Soyuz spaceship carrying two Russians and one American astronaut has blasted off for the International Space Station (ISS) after more than a month's delay over a problem with the hull of the Russian-built capsule.Nasa astronaut Joseph Acaba, veteran cosmonaut Gennady Padalka and Sergei Revin, who is departing on his first space flight, launched in clear skies aboard the Soyuz TMA-04M rocket from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Tuesday.The trio will berth… -
A play about astronomer Caroline Herschel sets the record straight | John Vidal
14 May 2012 | 9:37 amThe history books are full of William Herschel's achievements, but say little about his sister. Stella tells a different storyOne of the least expected successes in London's West End last week was Stella by the Take the Space theatre company. The three actors wore their own clothes, hadn't learned any lines, and there were only about 20 people in the invited audience who met in a circular room high above the Aldwych.Moreover, the show was hardly a barrel of laughs, being about female astronomers – notably the tiny, forgotten, angry 18th century Caroline Herschel. But I have to admit, the… -
Starwatch: Transit of Venus
13 May 2012 | 4:30 pmBritain is poorly placed for views of the astronomical highlight of 2012, but the situation is not hopeless. To see the whole of the transit of Venus across the Sun's disc on June 5-6, though, it is not too late to travel eastwards, perhaps to areas around the W Pacific. If we are quick enough, we could even take in the annular eclipse of the Sun which begins over E China and Hong Kong next Monday morning, local time, and ends (after crossing the date line) on Sunday evening over the SW USA.Venus is an outstanding evening star to the N of W at nightfall tonight, its altitude at sunset falling… -
In praise of … The Antikythera clock | Editorial
10 May 2012 | 3:50 pmThe secrets of the world's oldest computer have been unlocked by X-ray imagingTwenty-one centuries after it sank under water, and one after it was brought back to the surface, the secrets of the world's oldest computer have been unlocked by X-ray imaging. Sponge divers off the Greek island of Antikythera found relics from an ancient ship in 1901. Among them was a calcified lump shot through with gearwheels. Erudite guesswork and microscopic inspection identified these as parts of a complex classical clock. The mechanical engineering compared with a good Victorian timepiece. The ambition was… -
Heroes battle space cadets at Sci-Fi London | James Kingsland
8 May 2012 | 8:23 amTwo UK premieres at Sci-Fi London – The Last Push and Sol – embody the best and worst of the genreThe credits rolled on the excellent Sci-Fi London film festival on Monday. In the best tradition of niche film festivals, the awful and awesome extremes of low-budget filmmaking were showcased. So on Friday and Sunday we got the first UK screenings of The Last Push (written and directed by Eric Hayden), and on Saturday there was Sol. In The Last Push, an unmanned probe has spotted whale-like shapes gliding beneath the ice of Jupiter's moon Europa and a private space enterpreneur, Walter…
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World news: Spain | guardian.co.uk
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Youth unemployment across the OECD: how does the UK compare?
16 May 2012 | 2:00 amNearly 11m young people are out of work across the OECD. How has youth unemployment changed and which countries are experiencing the worst rates?• Get the data• More data journalism and data visualisations from the GuardianYouth unemployment across the OECD has risen alarmingly with nearly 11m 15-24 year olds out of work, according to latest figures.The statistics published by the OECD, show youth unemployment reached a rate of 17.1% in March 2012, more than double the unemployment rate affecting the general population. Greece and Spain have fared worst with both reporting youth… -
Eurozone avoids double-dip recession as Germany makes up for losses
15 May 2012 | 1:16 pmUnexpectedly strong performance by Europe's biggest economy helps compensate for weaker output in Greece, Italy and SpainThe crisis-hit eurozone avoided a double-dip recession by the narrowest of margins in the first three months of 2012 as an unexpectedly strong performance by Germany compensated for plunging activity in countries wilting from tough austerity programmes.Underlining the two-speed nature of the 17-nation single currency area, the 0.5% expansion in Europe's biggest economy helped to compensate for weaker output in Greece, Italy and Spain.Growth in the eurozone stagnated in the… -
German voters must break the Merkel mindset that got them into this | Robin Wells
14 May 2012 | 1:49 pmGreece's euro membership was as much the German elite's fault as anyone's. Can it find the leadership to resolve the crisis?Sometimes, just sometimes, economics and politics are like physics – one can recognize immutable forces. One of those times is now, as Greece is inexorably pushed out of the euro. It took no particular talent to have seen this coming, just the recognition that it has always been a fantasy to believe that the Greeks would democratically choose to destroy their economy for the better part of a decade in order to pay foreign creditors. The fact is that Greece never was a… -
François Hollande faces a baptism of fire in Berlin
14 May 2012 | 11:35 amAngela Merkel's electoral defeats at home and increasing isolation in Europe may allow more room for compromise at first meeting with French presidentFresh from the Parisian pomp of a presidential inauguration, François Hollande speeds to Berlin on Tuesday for a baptism of fire in Europe's crisis. It's about getting to know one another, Hollande said on Monday of his first ever meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel. There will be much more besides.The pressing issue of Greece, for example, as weeks of a power vacuum fuel German exasperation and add to the sense that enough is enough – time… -
EU leaders set for showdown on fate of euro as crisis deepens
13 May 2012 | 7:01 pmAngela Merkel and François Hollande to have first face-to-face talks in Berlin after eurozone finance ministers meet in BrusselsEurope is braced for a crucial 48 hours of high-stakes summitry likely to decide whether Germany and France can strike a grand bargain aimed at dispelling growing pessimism over the chances of the single currency surviving in its current form.While eurozone finance ministers are to meet on Monday in Brussels, apparently at a loss over how to respond to political paralysis in Greece and a worsening crisis in Spain, all eyes are on François Hollande, the new French…
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Sport news, comment and results | guardian.co.uk
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Dante rivals may find that Derby prospect Bonfire is hard to control
16 May 2012 | 1:29 pmAndrew Balding should prove justified in hoping that he has a live Epsom contender in this colt who was last seen in OctoberBonfire (2.30) can confirm his Derby credentials with victory in York's Betfred Dante Stakes, the highlight of Thursday's televised action on The Knavesmire. Having bypassed a couple of alternative engagements, time is running out for his trainer, Andrew Balding, to get a run into the colt, with Epsom fast approaching.But this looks the ideal opportunity for Bonfire to dispel doubts over what he actually achieved when third in a French Group One on his most appearance… -
Heads Up: Dark Ranger too big at 11-1 for staying handicap at York
16 May 2012 | 1:24 pmHorse's consistency makes him a fine each-way bet, while Mandaean must be opposed in the DanteDark Ranger (4.45) is over-priced at 11-1 to repeat his victory of 12 months ago in the concluding two-mile two-furlong handicap at York on Thursday.The winner of two valuable handicap hurdles at Cheltenham and Aintree on his most recent starts, Cape Tribulation comes into the contest arguably in the form of his life. But transferring that sort of form to the Flat will be a very different ball game and bookmakers may have over-reacted in installing him as short as 4-1 to maintain the winning run.Dark… -
David Beckham flies out to Greece to meet Olympic torch
16 May 2012 | 1:00 pmBeckham's arrival for ceremony will increase speculation he will be part of the Great Britain football team at the OlympicsDon't bother trying to keep David Beckham out of the news. Two and a half hours before Roy Hodgson revealed the composition of his party for the Euro 2012 finals – the first major tournament for which England have qualified since 1998 in which Beckham will take no part – came the announcement that Goldenballs will be arriving in Athens to observe Thursday's ceremony at which the Olympic flame will be handed over to the representatives of London 2012.Beckham, who… -
Barton accepts one of two charges
16 May 2012 | 12:57 pm• Midfielder accepts charge he kicked Sergio Agüero• Barton denies charge he headbutted Vincent Kompany• QPR announce internal investigation into captain's behaviourJoey Barton has accepted a charge of violent conduct against Manchester City's Sergio Agüero but denied the same charge for his confrontation with Vincent Kompany.The 29-year-old's future at Queens Park Rangers is in doubt after he elbowed Carlos Tevez, kicked Agüero and appeared to headbutt Kompany during their 3-2 defeat at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.Barton, the QPR captain, was given further time to respond to the… -
London 2012 Olympic torch: keeping the flame alive
16 May 2012 | 12:50 pmSingle flame will be visible to public at any one time, but other 'iterations' will step up should torch be extinguishedThere is, officials stress repeatedly, only one London 2012 Olympic flame. But when it begins its 70-day, 8,000-mile relay across the UK this weekend, such are the complex logistics that a single flame will, in fact, be in several places at once.The flame was lit last week after an actor dressed as an ancient priest caught the sun's rays in a parabolic mirror in Olympia, Greece. This source will in turn ignite every one of the 8,000 three-sided aluminium alloy torches…
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Sport: Sportblog | guardian.co.uk
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England have same old faces apart from the new assertive Roy Hodgson | Barney Ronay
16 May 2012 | 12:14 pmRoy Hodgson stands for no nonsense as he faces the press to announce his England squad for Euro 2012So, here they come again. You know: them. In the end Roy Hodgson's squad for Euro 2012 contained no great surprises, essayed no era-defining shifts and remains a group of men very similar to every other group of men assembled in recent years to sally forth in slim-fit suits and pointy shoes to sweat and snarl and grimace on some humid foreign field. In fact, the only real note of difference on the day was Roy himself. Paradoxically amid all this unremarkable continuity, it was a subtly… -
London 2012: David Beckham, Ryan Giggs and Joe Cole set for Team GB | Owen Gibson
16 May 2012 | 12:10 pmStuart Pearce can now concentrate on selecting his squad for the London Olympics – and it may be wise to wait so he can use Roy Hodgson's England standby playersWithin minutes of Roy Hodgson announcing his Euro 2012 squad, the former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler had tweeted: "Ah well, there's always the Olympics squad … I'll keep soldiering on." But, joking aside, the point at which the 23-man squad was named was the point at which speculation about Euro 2012 stopped and conjecture about the Olympics lineup started.Now relieved of one of the three hats he was wearing before the… -
Kenny Dalglish farewell: no more excuses for John W Henry at Liverpool | Andy Hunter
16 May 2012 | 11:37 amOne wonders what will happen to Kenny Dalglish's successor should Liverpool endure another tough season outside the top four of the Premier LeagueThe wheel has turned full circle for John W Henry at Liverpool. His game-plan to gain control of the club was formulated at the London offices of the law firm Slaughter and May and, 19 months on, slaughter in May has cleared the way for Fenway Sports Group to implement its Anfield vision. Having added Kenny Dalglish to its cull, the demand will be intense upon Liverpool's owners to finally demonstrate they possess one.Dalglish has gone, prematurely… -
Why Scotland, Wales and Ireland must follow through on Euro 2020 bid | Ewan Murray
16 May 2012 | 9:12 amThe impact and monetary worth of such a major tournament would be keenly felt in all three countriesThe joke was doing the rounds right away: Scotland and Wales are turning to their only hope of qualifying for a major tournament by trying to host the 2020 European Championship. The Republic of Ireland, who are in partnership with their Celtic neighbours, will of course compete in this summer's Euros and are therefore exempt from such jibes. Uefa is in danger of ruining an excellent event by extending the competing number from 16 to 24, even if that move will offer an element of future… -
LA could soon be out of the playoffs, Miami Heat miss Chris Bosh, and Spurs win 15 straight
16 May 2012 | 8:55 amLA Lakers and Clippers trounced by Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs, who are on a 15-game winning streak; Miami Heat need LeBron James with Chris Bosh injuredThe last two nights of the NBA Playoffs contained a certain amount of unintended symmetry. While the two Eastern Conference Semi-Finals games featured superstar-driven teams losing in ways that spurred media debates, the two Western Conference Semi-Finals games featured the favored teams blowing out their L.A.-based opponents. It's almost as if the Basketball Gods got lazy and decided to rely on their copy-and-paste shortcuts.
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Stage news, reviews, comment and features | guardian.co.uk
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Rambert Dance Company – review
16 May 2012 | 12:32 pmSadler's Wells, LondonThe beating heart of Rambert's new programme is L'Après-Midi d'un Faune – the ballet of dappled, feral eroticism that launched Nijinsky's choreographic career. Rambert acquired Faune in 1931 and today's revival goes a long way to reminding us how sexy, touching and strange it must have originally seemed.Stripped of the monumental Bakst backdrop that usually frames it (too large, too unaffordable for 1930s Rambert) and performed by a wonderfully alert cast, this Faune has an entrancing intimacy. Dane Hurst in the title role does vivid justice to the choreography's… -
Laura Wade: return of the thugs
16 May 2012 | 12:30 pmHer play Posh was inspired by the violent antics of the Bullingdon Club. Laura Wade tells Kira Cochrane why she has updated it for a post-riot, Tory-led, bankrupt BritainOne evening during the first run of her play Posh, the writer Laura Wade was drawn into a heated argument in the interval. An audience member demanded to know just why she hated Old Etonians. The person was very cross, she says, and asked "what [Old Etonians] had ever done to me. As if I was enacting some sort of dreadful personal slight against an ex-boyfriend or something."The argument was misdirected for several reasons. -
Detroit – review
16 May 2012 | 12:24 pmCottesloe, LondonThere's room for more than one play about American suburbia. But, after the brilliance of Bruce Norris's Clybourne Park at the Royal Court, which dealt with the intersection of property and race, this 2010 piece by Lisa D'Amour, originally seen at Chicago's Steppenwolf theatre, seems familiar stuff: a spasmodically amusing variation on the theme of the disruptive newcomers who overturn existing order.The newcomers in D'Amour's typical innercity suburb are Sharon and Kenny: two broke kids just out of drugs rehab who take over an empty house that once belonged to the latter's… -
Toujours et Près de Moi – review
16 May 2012 | 12:21 pmPrint Room, London"Don't box me in" is the cry of many lovers, but it takes on new meaning in this fascinating but insufficiently meaty piece from Opera Erratica. The show puts a modern twist on the Victorian stage effect called Pepper's ghost, an illusion in which a piece of glass is suspended at an angle at the front of the stage to throw an image from below back on to the stage.Here, watched over by their older, wiser selves, two tiny hologram figures emerge from boxes on a table and act out a doomed love affair. There is something magical about the way the effect is used to allow the past… -
What makes the ideal theatre?
16 May 2012 | 10:49 amThe mindblowing view from Cornwall's Minack and the intimacy of Bristol's Tobacco Factory make for some of my favourite haunts. Which are your perfect playhouses?There's been an outbreak of critics writing about their favourite theatres. Michael Coveney's top 10 includes London's Wyndhams, the Theatre Royal in Brighton, and the King's in Edinburgh – the latter is truly beautiful, but was apparently designed for people with no knees. The Stage's Mark Shenton says his heart soars at a glimpse of the National in London, a building that many think resembles a concrete bunker, while in the…
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Education: Students | guardian.co.uk
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Student visa rules cost universities millions, MPs told
14 May 2012 | 1:40 pmUniversities say they are struggling to navigate 'Kafkaesque' rules governing entry of non-EU studentsUniversities and colleges are spending millions of pounds to navigate the government's "Kafkaesque" new student visa rules, a committee of MPs has been told.An institution such as the London School of Economics spends £250,000 a year trying to understand regulations governing the entry of non-European Union students, the public accounts committee heard.Medium-sized colleges have had to recruit more than a dozen members of staff each to ensure they are correctly complying with the rules,… -
Universities need a united voice
14 May 2012 | 1:00 pmThe UK higher education sector is admired around the world, and will remain so, says David Bell, if universities emphasise their strengths rather than their differencesThe recent changes in membership of higher education sector groups, and the associated internal commentary, brings back memories of my previous life in government. Denizens of the Westminster village would chew over the minutiae of every pronouncement as if lives depended on it. Meanwhile, normal people carried on … well, as normal.I confess to being a relative newcomer to the higher education sector, but I bring plenty of… -
Ministers 'playing immigration numbers game' by including students
14 May 2012 | 7:20 amThinktank says government is refusing to exclude overseas students from figures so it can appear to show fall in immigrationMinisters have included overseas students in the government's net migration count because they are more interested in playing the numbers game than with long-term migration, a leading thinktank has claimed.The Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR) report says the refusal to exclude international students from the government's drive to reduce net migration to the tens of thousands is damaging British education and putting at risk £4bn to £6bn a year in benefits to… -
Revision playlist: can music boost your marks?
14 May 2012 | 4:04 amListen to Harry's top ten revision soundtracks – and add your ownThere are countless revision aids out there, but there's one that every student will turn to: music.It's certainly the most versatile. There's an ever-growing selection of artists and genres to pick from – and technology has made them pocket-sized and portable.Everyone loves music. But will it help or hinder your studies?The link between music and concentration has been well researched. Originally it was thought that our response to music was dictated by our personality type. This idea was based on the raunchy-sounding… -
Treasury failed to test fairness of spending cuts, equality watchdog finds
13 May 2012 | 6:05 pmDuty to women, disabled people and ethnic minorities ignored in coalition zeal, says Equality and Human Rights CommissionThe Treasury failed to consider how crucial policies would affect women, disabled people and ethnic minorities before the 2010 spending review, according to a report by the equality watchdog.The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said it was "unable to establish" whether government had checked how its flagship schemes would hit vulnerable people – despite this being a legal necessity.In key areas of policy, the government appeared to set aside equality…
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Business: US housing and sub-prime crisis | guardian.co.uk
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Holding Bank of America to account | Amy Goodman
9 May 2012 | 5:56 pmA wave of shareholder activism is shining light on the shabby role of banks in the subprime crisis and financing dirty coalShareholder meetings can be routine, unless you are Bank of America, in which case it may be declared an "extraordinary event". That is what the city of Charlotte, North Carolina called the bank's shareholder meeting this week. Bank of America is currently the second largest bank in the US (after JP Morgan Chase), claiming more than $2tn in assets. It is also the "too big to fail" poster child of Occupy Wall Street, a speculative banking monstrosity that profits from,… -
Outcasts of the American dream
8 May 2012 | 10:30 amHomeowners in Florida try to stay afloat when bankruptcies, foreclosures and repossessions are the highest in the USWith Bank of America set to auction their dream home for 40% of its purchase price, they are "devastated" at not being able to afford birthday gifts for their two boys and wonder who will ever rent them property.But as they describe this "disaster", Kate and Marcus Freeman keep smiling and exchanging knowing looks. "I was beaten as a kid but this time they're not going to get me," says Freeman, 38. "I've been happily married for 15 years and I'll stand up for my family. 'They'… -
Fed chairman Ben Bernanke strikes cautious note on US economy
25 Apr 2012 | 12:23 pmBernanke says economy is 'expanding moderately', but housing sector remains depressed and threat of inflation still a concernThe US economy is "expanding moderately", but there are still clouds on the horizon, Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke said in his latest statement on America's financial health.In a cautious statement after a two-day meeting of the federal open market committee (FOMC), Bernanke said: "Labour market conditions have improved further; the unemployment rate has declined notably in recent months but remains elevated. Household spending and business fixed investment have… -
The lesson for Obama of Europe's failed austerity | Robert Reich
23 Apr 2012 | 4:13 pmWith the US economy still vulnerable to shocks, Obama's re-election prospects are fragile. He must offer a bold alternativeSo far, President Obama's election strategy can best be summed up as: "We're on the right track, my economic policies are working, we still have a long way to go, but stick with me and you'll be fine."This won't be enough to win him the election. The US recovery is too anaemic, and the chance of an economic stall between now and election day far too high.Even now, Mitt Romney's empty "I'll do it better" refrain is attracting as many voters as Obama's "we're on the right… -
Paul Ryan's deficit-cutting mania: the real agenda | Dean Baker
20 Mar 2012 | 11:43 amTax cuts for corporations and the super-rich; budget cuts for Medicare and Medicaid – how cynical can the congressman be?If you want to see House budget committee chairman Paul Ryan sanctimoniously excuse himself and his friends for missing the most predictable economic crisis in the history of the world, you now have the opportunity. In a YouTube video produced by his staff, Ryan tells viewers that the crisis called by the collapse of the housing bubble caught "us" by surprise.Well, it didn't actually catch us by surprise. Some of us had been warning about the potential damage caused by…
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World news: Sudan | guardian.co.uk
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Journalism Foundation throws a party to raise funds
15 May 2012 | 7:30 amThe Journalism Foundation is hosting a gala event to raise funds to continue its support for free and ethical journalism around the world.Among the beneficiaries will be the foundation's global projects, including the establishment of a college of journalism in Tunisia and a programme to train journalists in South Sudan. Broadcaster Richard Bacon will host the evening, which will also feature Alexander Armstrong, Tim Minchin and ventriloquist Paul Zerdin. Mark Hix will be doing the cooking.The event, billed as A Priceless Evening, will take place next Tuesday (22 May) at the London auction… -
Sudan and South Sudan fighting risks children being sucked into conflict
4 May 2012 | 9:25 amSave the Children says displaced children are at risk of harm and could be sucked into the conflict as child soldiersChildren face increasing risk of death, injury and recruitment by armed groups in an upsurge of fighting between Sudan and South Sudan that has forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes, a charity said on Friday.Save the Children said up to 60% of the displaced are children, who may again be sucked into the conflict as they were during the two decades of civil wars, when they were recruited as child soldiers. The dangers posed to children were highlighted last… -
UN threatens Sudan and South Sudan with sanctions over border conflict
2 May 2012 | 1:36 pmUN security council unanimously backs resolution threatening non-military sanctions if countries do not halt violenceThe UN security council has unanimously approved a resolution threatening non-military sanctions against Sudan and South Sudan if they do not stop the escalating violence on their border and return to negotiations.China, which is a major oil buyer from both countries, and Russia traditionally oppose sanctions but voted in favour of the US-drafted resolution on Wednesday.It endorses an African Union plan aimed at getting the two countries to step back from conflict and resolve… -
Sudan arrests British man for 'military activity'
29 Apr 2012 | 9:31 amBriton among three foreigners held near disputed border with South Sudan as NGO says group were clearing minesA Briton is among three foreigners arrested with a South Sudanese national in the oil-rich region of Heglig in a disputed area on the border of recently created South Sudan.Authorities claim the group – a Briton, a Norwegian and a South African – had military hardware and an armoured vehicle, but representatives of two of those detained said they were on a mine-clearing mission.A Sudanese army spokesman, Col Sawarmi Khalid Saad, said on state television on Saturday that the four… -
Sudan arrests foreigners in disputed border region
28 Apr 2012 | 7:27 pmBriton, Norwegian and South African accused of doing military work and illegally entering disputed territorySudan says it has arrested a Briton, a Norwegian and a South African, accusing them of illegally entering a disputed oil-producing border area to spy for its enemy South Sudan.South Sudanese officials denied the allegations and said the men were working with the United Nations and aid groups clearing mines and had got lost in the remote territory close to the boundary between the two countries.A Sudanese army spokesman said the three were arrested in Heglig - the scene of recent…
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Life and style: Sudoku | guardian.co.uk
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Sudoku 2,188 medium
15 May 2012 | 6:01 pmFill the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 to 9.For a helping hand call our solutions line on 09068 338 228. Calls cost 60p per minute at all times. Service supplied by ATS.Buy the next issue of the Guardian or subscribe to our Digital Edition to see the completed puzzle.guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds -
Sudoku 2,187 medium
14 May 2012 | 6:01 pmFill the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 to 9.For a helping hand call our solutions line on 09068 338 228. Calls cost 60p per minute at all times. Service supplied by ATS.Buy the next issue of the Guardian or subscribe to our Digital Edition to see the completed puzzle.guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds -
Sudoku 2,186 easy
13 May 2012 | 6:01 pmFill the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 to 9.For a helping hand call our solutions line on 09068 338 228. Calls cost 60p per minute at all times. Service supplied by ATS.Buy the next issue of the Guardian or subscribe to our Digital Edition to see the completed puzzle.guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds -
Observer sudoku
12 May 2012 | 6:01 pmFill the grid using the numbers 1 to 9. Each number must appear just once in every row, column and 3x3 box.For a helping hand call our solutions line on 09068 338 228. Calls cost 60p per minute at all times. Service supplied by ATS. Buy next week's Observer Digital Edition to see the completed puzzleguardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds -
Observer killer sudoku
12 May 2012 | 6:01 pmNormal Sudoku rules apply, except the numbers in the cells contained within grey lines add up to the figures in the corner. No number can be repeated within each shape formed by grey lines. For a helping hand call our solutions line on 09068 338 228. Calls cost 60p per minute at all times. Service supplied by ATS. Buy the Observer or subscribe to our Digital Edition to see the completed puzzle.guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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Business: Supermarkets | guardian.co.uk
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Potato company boss faces jail over Sainsbury's scam
15 May 2012 | 12:54 pmAndrew Behagg was part of gang that overcharged Sainsbury's by nearly £9mA former potato firm director has been told he faces a significant jail term for his role in a bribery scam with a buyer at Sainsbury's.Andrew Behagg, 60, from the food supplier Greenvale, was found guilty at Croydon crown court of authorising payments in return for lucrative contracts. He was part of a gang of white-collar criminals who overcharged the supermarket by nearly £9m and channelled money back to a senior buyer, John Maylam.The scam – described by Sainsbury's as the biggest ever crime against it – was… -
Tesco chief's Big Bonus Drop angers store managers
15 May 2012 | 12:10 pmPhil Clarke has chopped bonuses for 5,000 middle managers by 80% – but apply the ratio to his award and he could still pocket £465,000This may not be what Tesco's store managers were expecting when their chief executive called for a "step change" to correct years of under-investment. Phil Clarke has chopped bonuses for 5,000 middle managers by 80%.The recipients are said to be enraged and one can't blame them. Most of Tesco's woes in the UK can be traced to decisions taken at head office, rather than in the stores. It was Cheshunt that chose to "drive productivity a bit too hard", as… -
Breakthrough in mixed plastics recycling as new plant opens
10 May 2012 | 9:42 amThe £15m facility in north Lincolnshire will use advanced technology to integrate the processing of both plastic bottles and polymersA major breakthrough in the challenge of recycling mixed plastics - a long-standing issue for consumers - has been made with the opening of a new national recycling plant.The £15m facility in north Lincolnshire - a joint venture recycling operation between Coca-Cola Enterprises and ECO Plastics - was opened on Thursday by environment minister Lord Taylor, and will be one of the first to use advanced technology to integrate the processing of both plastic… -
Sainsbury's ends store space race
9 May 2012 | 1:42 pmSupermarket joins rival Tesco in slowing pace of store openings this year despite upbeat annual profitsSainsbury's has signalled the end of the space race as it joined rival Tesco in announcing a slower pace of supermarket openings in the coming year.Its chief executive, Justin King, said it would expand its store space by just 5%, around 1m sq ft, this year, against the 1.4m sq ft, or 7%, it added in the financial year which has just ended. King denied the retailer had called the top of the market. He said its growth rate was returning to "normal" after three years in which it had grown in… -
Sainsbury's slower expansion signals end of supermarket space race
9 May 2012 | 3:04 amUK's third largest supermarket reports profits increased 7.1% to £712m last year – but slows rate of store expansionSainsbury's has hailed the success of its price-matching scheme as it delivered a better than expected rise in annual profits.The UK's third largest supermarket, which has more than 1,000 stores, said on Wednesday underlying profits increased 7.1% to £712m in the year to 17 March, beating City forecasts for a 5% rise.The group said overall sales excluding VAT rose 5.6% to £22.3bn, taking its market share to the highest level for nearly a decade at 16.6%. It was helped by…
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World news: Tanzania | guardian.co.uk
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Delivering midwives to save lives in Tanzania
4 May 2012 | 6:18 amFor the International Day of the Midwife, campaigners have made a film to highlight the need for proper healthcare for pregnancy and childbirth – and to encourage more women into the professionFor every 100,000 women who give birth in Tanzania, almost 800 die – making it one of the most dangerous places in the world to have a baby. The comparative figure in the UK is just 8.2.The main reason for this high risk is the lack of skilled health workers and facilities for pregnant women in Tanzania. Tomorrow, as part of celebrations for the International Day of the Midwife, a campaign will be… -
Tax avoidance uproots vine from which Tanzania's development could spring | Aida Kiangi
16 Apr 2012 | 8:54 amBoth the Tanzanian and British governments must urgently review tax policies that deny Tanzania much-needed incomeIf you look at any industry in Tanzania, be it mining, agriculture or the hotels gracing the beachfronts of Zanzibar, UK businesses are well represented. The country continues to be an important market for big, familiar brands. UK visitors are often comforted by the ubiquitous presence of companies like Barclays, Vodafone (or Vodacom as it is known here) and Shell.However, there is a growing awareness among Tanzanians that foreign companies often contribute little to the… -
Greater transparency can shed light on the murky world of resource corruption
30 Mar 2012 | 1:00 amThe EU needs to introduce robust transparency laws if Europe is serious about improving the lives of the world's poorestAfrica is considered to be the most economically underdeveloped continent. It holds significant reserves of natural resources: 75% of global cobalt and platinum, 50% of diamonds, 47% of phosphate, and 30% of the world's gold. Tanzania, where I come from, has always been ranked among the world's 10 poorest countries, and lately among the three poorest. Yet it is rich in natural resources, so how can this be?In Tanzania, corruption is common. The resulting economic losses are… -
BAE payment to Tanzania undermines justice and accountability
20 Mar 2012 | 9:03 amBAE's £29.5m for education is an unsatisfactory conclusion to a case with much wider significance for the people of TanzaniaSo BAE has finally paid out £29.5m for education projects in Tanzania. The payment was agreed two years ago, as part of a settlement with the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) that brought to an end the SFO's investigation into a sale in 2002 of a $40m (£25m) military radar to the Tanzanian government. BAE admitted a failure to keep proper accounting records, relating in particular to a $12.4m payment to a Tanzanian middleman for "marketing" purposes, but avoided any… -
BAE finally pays out £29.5m for educational projects in Tanzania
15 Mar 2012 | 10:35 amBritish firm belatedly agrees terms on payment for textbooks and other school materials in line with SFO settlementAll of Tanzania's primary schools are to receive textbooks to be paid for by BAE Systems under a memorandum of understanding signed by the Tanzanian government, BAE and the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) on Thursday.In all, BAE will pay £29.5m plus accrued interest for educational projects in Tanzania, following a settlement between the defence contractor and the SFO for concealing payments in connection with the sale of an air traffic control system to the east African country in…
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Technology news, comment and analysis | guardian.co.uk
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Five reasons not to buy Facebook shares
16 May 2012 | 1:22 pmThe sale will likely generate billions, but hidden just beneath the buzz are signs that not all is well for Silicon Valley's starOn Friday, Facebook will finally become a public company. The hotly anticipated initial public offering (IPO) will be the largest tech company share sale ever and is expected to value the social network at over $100bn – more than the combined value of Nike and Goldman Sachs. But not everyone is cheering Facebook on. Ahead of the sale of the century, here are five signals that suggest there may be choppy days ahead for Facebook's investors. A lot of smart guys just… -
Amazon consumer book reviews as reliable as media experts
16 May 2012 | 12:03 pmStudy shows Amazon reviewers more likely to look favourably on debut authors, while professionals prefer prizewinnersAmazon reviews are just as likely to give an accurate summary of a book's quality as those of professional newspapers, according to a study from Harvard Business School.Professor Michael Luca and his co-authors analysed the top 100 non-fiction reviews from 40 media outlets, including the New York Times, the Guardian and the Washington Post, between 2004 and 2007 for their paper What Makes a Critic Tick? The academics used data from reviews aggregator metacritic.com, which… -
Mind-controlled robotic arm – video
16 May 2012 | 12:00 pmResearchers have reached a milestone in 'mind control' by creating a robot arm that can be controlled by a brain implant. A woman paralysed for the past 15 years has learned to use the system to serve herself coffee -
Brain implant allows paralysed woman to control a robot with her thoughts
16 May 2012 | 12:00 pmThe BrainGate implant can decode a patient's brain signals and instruct a robotic arm to reach and grasp objectsA woman who lost the use of her limbs after a devastating stroke nearly 15 years ago has taken a sip of coffee by guiding a robotic arm with her thoughts.The 58-year-old used a brain implant to control the robot and bring a flask of the coffee to her lips, the first time she had picked up anything since she was paralysed and left unable to speak by a catastrophic brain stem stroke.Doctors hailed the feat as the first demonstration of an implant that directly controls a reaching and… -
John Sculley: future of health is in the cloud
16 May 2012 | 9:51 amThe Newton was two decades ahead of its time, says the former Apple chief executive – and the future of healthcare will be driven by cloud computingJohn Sculley – the man who as Apple chief executive gave the world the Newton, which was the first glimpse of the "personal digital assistant" in the 1980s – can see a number of possibilities opening up before us.A world without work for millions who want it? A world where we can diagnose strokes or heart attacks well before they happen? A world of machines talking to machines? All are possible, even likely, because of cloud computing, which…
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Technology: Technology blog | guardian.co.uk
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Five reasons not to buy Facebook shares
16 May 2012 | 1:22 pmThe sale will likely generate billions, but hidden just beneath the buzz are signs that not all is well for Silicon Valley's starOn Friday, Facebook will finally become a public company. The hotly anticipated initial public offering (IPO) will be the largest tech company share sale ever and is expected to value the social network at over $100bn – more than the combined value of Nike and Goldman Sachs. But not everyone is cheering Facebook on. Ahead of the sale of the century, here are five signals that suggest there may be choppy days ahead for Facebook's investors. A lot of smart guys just… -
Boot up: Skylanders v Angry Birds, smart TV analysed, Facebook swallows Lightbox and more
16 May 2012 | 2:30 amPlus Steve Ballmer considered, Robbie Bach on the lessons from Xbox and Zune, Microsoft analyses Mac malware and moreA quick burst of 8 links for you to chew over, as picked by the Technology teamWhat's the best cellphone ever >> Wolfram|AlphaChanged since last week.The Immobile Web >> Jason GrigsbySlides from a presentation by Jason Grigsby about smart TV. The key problem with Smart TV right now: you can't know whether or what you're supplying content to.An interesting case of Mac OSX malware >> Microsoft Malware Protection CenterIn June 2009, Microsoft issued security update MS09-027, which… -
How Facebook became the world's biggest social network - animation
15 May 2012 | 6:55 amHow did the social network get so big - and can it possibly get any bigger?Mariana SantosSimon RogersGuardian Interactive team -
Live webchat: Francesco Caio on BT and Britain's broadband future
15 May 2012 | 5:47 amFrancesco Caio, a former chief executive of Cable & Wireless and one of the architects of the government's existing broadband strategy, will be here on Wednesday 16 May between 11.45am and 12.45pm (BST) to take part in a live Q&A. Post your questions nowFrancesco Caio, a former chief executive of Cable & Wireless, shied away from recommending the break up of BT Group when he was advising the government three years ago, but now believes this may be one way to ensure Britain gets the broadband network it needs.Caio says the only truly future proof network is a point-to-point fibre… -
Boot up: Nokia's challenge, Android's margins, Toy Story 2's narrow escape and more
15 May 2012 | 2:30 amPlus Xbox for video?, sexism in tech (with examples!), the $144m button, Google takes the First, and moreA quick burst of 11 links for you to chew over, as picked by the Technology teamNokia's last stand: can the 147-year-old company design its way back? >> Wired UKLengthy writeup of where Nokia is at the moment. We would humbly submit that if you've read our interview with Marko Ahtisaari, and other Nokia coverage, you know most of this already. But read it and see what else you get.Apple OS "really vulnerable", claims Kaspersky Lab CTO (UPDATED) >> Computing News[Kaspersky CTO Nikolay]…
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Sport: Tennis | guardian.co.uk
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Andy Murray enjoys happy returns as he survives Nalbandian dog-fight
15 May 2012 | 2:17 pm• Briton shows fighting spirit to win 6-1, 4-6, 7-5 in Rome• Murray will now face Richard Gasquet or Paolo LorenziIf Andy Murray had a birthday wish as he turned 25 on Tuesday, it is probably a fair bet that it was along the lines of a straightforward, convincing passage through his first test here at the Rome Masters. David Nalbandian has rarely been an accommodating opponent in his long career, however, and it took more than two and a half hours and all of Murray's fighting spirit to earn a place in the third round with a 6-1, 4-6, 7-5 victory.After romping through the first set it… -
Roger Federer aims to reclaim world No1 spot after win in Madrid Open
13 May 2012 | 6:22 pm• Federer came from set down to beat Tomas Berdych • Victory in Spain is Swiss's fourth title of the yearRoger Federer has set his sights on reclaiming the top ranking after capturing the Madrid Open title and knowing he will climb back above Rafa Nadal to No2 in the world. The resurgent 30-year-old Swiss came from a set down to beat Tomas Berdych 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 in the Madrid final on Sunday, his fourth title of the year and a third in the Spanish capital that put him level on 20 Masters titles with Nadal.Success in one of the upcoming grand slams could catapult him above Novak Djokovic to… -
Serena Williams to face Victoria Azarenka in Madrid Open final
12 May 2012 | 9:02 am• Both players win semi-finals in straight sets• Williams holds 6-1 record over world No1Serena Williams will meet the world No1, Victoria Azarenka, for the Madrid Open title after both players won their semi-finals in straight sets. Williams beat Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic 7-6 (7-5), 6-0, while Azarenka ousted the fourth seed, Agnieszka Radwanska, 6-2, 6-4.The ninth-ranked Williams will play for her second title of the year. Azarenka has won four tournaments so far this season. Williams holds a 6-1 head-to-head record against Azarenka, whose only win came in 2009. This will be… -
Novak Djokovic slams blue surface after Madrid Open exit
11 May 2012 | 4:03 pm• World No1 loses 7-6, 6-3 to fellow Serb Janko Tipsarevic• 'I want to forget this week and move on to the real clay'The world No1, Novak Djokovic, followed the No2, Rafael Nadal, out of the Madrid Open when he lost to his Serbian compatriot Janko Tipsarevic 7-6, 6-3 in the quarter-finals on the heavily criticised blue clay courts on Friday.The top-ranked pair have complained bitterly about the slippery nature of the show court surface at the Masters event and Djokovic again looked ill at ease as his attempt to retain the title he won in 2011, when he beat Nadal, ended with a… -
Serena Williams sweeps aside Maria Sharapova at Madrid Open
11 May 2012 | 9:58 am• Williams opens with six aces to book place in semi-finals• Victoria Azarenka adds to criticism of blue clay courtSerena Williams brushed aside Maria Sharapova 6-1, 6-3 to advance to the Madrid Open semi-finals along with the top-ranked Victoria Azarenka.Williams sealed her seventh straight win over Sharapova on the tournament's controversial blue clay court. The American No9 seed opened strongly, hitting six aces and earning two early breaks to take the first set against the No2 ranked Sharapova.The Russian showed some fight and broke for love to even the score at 2-2 in the second set…
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World news: Global terrorism | guardian.co.uk
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Macedonia on trial for human rights abuses in US post-9/11 rendition case
16 May 2012 | 11:07 amEuropean court of human rights hears case of Khaled el-Masri, detained in Skopje before alleged torture in Afghanistan by CIAEurope's human rights court began hearing the first case arising from the US's post-9/11 rendition programme on Wednesday, when the government of Macedonia went on trial accused of multiple human rights abuses of a German citizen.Khaled el-Masri, 48, a car salesman of Lebanese descent, was detained in Macedonia in December 2003 and held for more than three weeks in Skopje, before being handed to CIA officers who flew him to Afghanistan, where he was allegedly tortured… -
Anders Behring Breivik trial: survivors tell of hiding under bodies
16 May 2012 | 7:06 amOslo court hears testimony from three who escaped gunman in Utøya massacre by lying motionless among dead and dyingThree survivors of Anders Behring Breivik's Utøya island massacre have described how they clung on to life in a room filled with death.Seven teenagers were killed in the Little Hall of the island's cafe on 22 July last year. Ingvild Leren Stensrud survived only because another girl, Ronja Søttar Johansen, fell on top of her.Stensrud had been shot twice in the knee and shoulder. As the life ebbed out of Johansen, Stensrud played dead underneath her, trying not to breathe."I was… -
Bogota bomb kills two of ex-minister's bodyguards
16 May 2012 | 1:28 am39 people injured in attempt to kill former interior minister Fernando Londono, a vocal critic of rebel group the FarcA bomb targeting a hardline Colombian former interior minister has killed two of his bodyguards and injured at least 39 people in Bogota.The former minister and morning radio host, Fernando Londono, sustained minor wounds and was out of danger after being operated on to remove glass shards from his chest, authorities said. Video footage showed a stunned Londono, his face bruised, being led from the wreckage in a dark suit and red tie.The Bogota mayor, Gustavo Petro, said a… -
David Davis says case for secret courts based on a 'falsehood'
15 May 2012 | 1:48 pmFormer shadow home secretary says government's argument 'blown out of water' following US leak about British double agentThe government's central argument for the creation of new generation of secret courts has been "blown out of the water" by the leak of highly sensitive British intelligence in the US, according to former shadow home secretary David Davis.Ministers are stepping up plans to expand secret hearings into civil courts at the behest of MI5 and MI6, amid concerns that the US authorities will cut off the flow of intelligence if details emerge in open court.But in a Guardian article,… -
Bogota hit by fatal bomb attack
15 May 2012 | 12:36 pmColombian president says former interior minister was target of attack in crowded streetThe Colombian president, Juan Manuel Santos, says two people have been killed in a bomb attack on a crowded Bogota street that he says targeted a former interior minister.Santos said the former minister, Fernando Londono, was hurt but out of danger.He said in a brief televised declaration that the driver and a police escort of Londono had been killed in the bombing, which occurred just before midday on Tuesday in the heart of Bogota's commercial district at Calle 74 and Caracas Avenue.The city's health…
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Business: Tesco | guardian.co.uk
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Tesco chief's Big Bonus Drop angers store managers
15 May 2012 | 12:10 pmPhil Clarke has chopped bonuses for 5,000 middle managers by 80% – but apply the ratio to his award and he could still pocket £465,000This may not be what Tesco's store managers were expecting when their chief executive called for a "step change" to correct years of under-investment. Phil Clarke has chopped bonuses for 5,000 middle managers by 80%.The recipients are said to be enraged and one can't blame them. Most of Tesco's woes in the UK can be traced to decisions taken at head office, rather than in the stores. It was Cheshunt that chose to "drive productivity a bit too hard", as… -
Marks & Spencer leads FTSE higher but investors still nervous after Spain, Greece, China and JP Morgan
11 May 2012 | 11:35 amRetailer benefits from broker recommendations ahead of forthcoming figuresLeading shares suffered another volatile day, with investors unnerved by the continuing eurozone crisis, signs of a slowdown in China and JP Morgan's shock $2bn loss.But with a better than expected US consumer confidence figure and some bargain hunting after recent falls, the index recovered from early falls.Retailers were in the spotlight, with Marks & Spencer the biggest riser in the FTSE 100. Its shares rose 12.1p to 360p as it launched a revamp of its own label brands and benefitted from recommendations by Shore… -
M&S launches new budget food range
11 May 2012 | 11:06 am'Retailer for the wealthy' attempts to shed image by taking on Waitrose and Tesco with Simply M&S budget rangeMarks & Spencer is attempting to shed its image as a retailer for the wealthy by launching a budget-brand range of everyday food products.Simply M&S will feature 500 items, ranging from sausage rolls to whole chickens, and will increase to 800 lines in the autumn.The supermarket said it has cut hundreds of prices on existing products and replaced its current Wise Buys stickers, previously used to label food items on special offer, with the Simply M&S label.The new budget line will… -
Waitrose matches Tesco prices with 'never knowingly undersold' pledge
2 May 2012 | 2:36 pmThe grocer, part of staff-owned John Lewis Partnership, tries to win over budget-conscious shoppers by matching market leaderWaitrose has launched a "never knowingly undersold"-style pledge to match the price of branded groceries on the shelves of the market leader Tesco as it looks to win over budget-conscious shoppers.The grocer, part of the John Lewis Partnership, has been outperforming its larger rivals for several years and the managing director, Mark Price, said it was investing "tens of millions of pounds" to extend its existing "price match" guarantee. "This is our equivalent of John… -
Tesco Bank offers savings bonds with 5% yield
2 May 2012 | 2:30 pmCompany hopes deal with prove a hit with customers, as it seeks out further ways to fund its operationsTesco Bank is issuing savings bonds offering an attractive 5% annual interest rate as it attempts to seek out ways to fund its operations.Two bonds were issued last year raising £185m, although the bank stressed that any savings, as was the case with previous issues, will not be covered by the financial services compensation scheme, which covers £85,000 in the event that a bank collapses.Benny Higgins, chief executive of Tesco Bank, said: "Retail bonds form an important part of our funding…
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Politics: Margaret Thatcher | guardian.co.uk
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François Hollande's brutal baptism into the summit club
15 May 2012 | 9:46 amBerlin, Washington, Chicago: and that's just the first week. Pity the novice French president, thrust into a high-stakes gameAs François Hollande spends most of his first week as president of France flying from one important summit to another – from Berlin to Washington and on to Chicago – he will start to feel the immense pressure of high office, which he has previously been able only to imagine.His brutal baptism of fire, with the eyes of the world upon him, initiates the newcomer into a small club with a high casualty rate and, in 2012, the highest stakes since the end of the cold… -
Statesmen and stature: how tall are our world leaders? | Datablog
15 May 2012 | 4:20 amIt seems we like our political giants to be just that – giants – according to research. So how does France's new president François Hollande compare to past leaders?• Get the data• More data journalism and data visualisations from the GuardianFrançois Hollande will step into Nicolas Sarkozy's shoes today when he is sworn in at the Elysée palace, becoming France's first socialist leader in nearly 20 years. But how does he compare to the past leaders in terms of height?Last year we were told stature really does matter according to a scientific paper published in Social Science… -
The Margaret Thatcher unlookalike!
15 May 2012 | 1:54 amStart the day with a smile... move over Meryl Streep and make way for this very different impersonation of Margaret Thatcher. Britain's former prime minister is portrayed by a man called Shu Jya Wei, a comic actor famous in Taiwan for his lookalike roles. Or should that be unlookalike roles?For the record, the other characters in the advert - evidently for a Taiwanese electrical chain store selling air conditioning units - represent an ancient Chinese king and Sisy Chen, a popular TV talk show celebrity. Enjoy!Source: YouTubeMargaret ThatcherTaiwanMeryl StreepYouTubeRoy… -
NI denies Murdoch had 'selective amnesia' about Thatcher meeting
14 May 2012 | 5:38 amStatement read out at Leveson inquiry from counsel for Times publisher claims media baron 'has nothing to lie about'News International has hit back at suggestions that Rupert Murdoch suffered "selective amnesia" regarding a lunch at Chequers with Margaret Thatcher to discuss his proposed purchase of the Times and Sunday Times in 1981.In a strongly worded statement to the Leveson inquiry on Monday morning, Rhodri Davies QC, counsel for the Times and Sunday Times publisher, said "Mr Murdoch has nothing to lie about".Davies said the papers would have been shut down by the owners, Thomson, had… -
Murdoch may have had 'selective amnesia' over Thatcher meeting
10 May 2012 | 9:02 amCounsel for Leveson inquiry questions how News Corp chief could have forgotten lunch to discuss Times purchaseRupert Murdoch's lack of recollection of a meeting with Margaret Thatcher over his proposed acquisition of the Times in 1981 may have been a case of "selective amnesia", the Leveson inquiry has heard.The News Corporation founder, chairman and chief executive asked the former prime minister for the private lunch meeting to discuss the purchase of the newspaper, but evidence of the encounter did not emerge until March this year when the relevant papers were released by the Thatcher…
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Stage: Theatre | guardian.co.uk
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Laura Wade: return of the thugs
16 May 2012 | 12:30 pmHer play Posh was inspired by the violent antics of the Bullingdon Club. Laura Wade tells Kira Cochrane why she has updated it for a post-riot, Tory-led, bankrupt BritainOne evening during the first run of her play Posh, the writer Laura Wade was drawn into a heated argument in the interval. An audience member demanded to know just why she hated Old Etonians. The person was very cross, she says, and asked "what [Old Etonians] had ever done to me. As if I was enacting some sort of dreadful personal slight against an ex-boyfriend or something."The argument was misdirected for several reasons. -
Detroit – review
16 May 2012 | 12:24 pmCottesloe, LondonThere's room for more than one play about American suburbia. But, after the brilliance of Bruce Norris's Clybourne Park at the Royal Court, which dealt with the intersection of property and race, this 2010 piece by Lisa D'Amour, originally seen at Chicago's Steppenwolf theatre, seems familiar stuff: a spasmodically amusing variation on the theme of the disruptive newcomers who overturn existing order.The newcomers in D'Amour's typical innercity suburb are Sharon and Kenny: two broke kids just out of drugs rehab who take over an empty house that once belonged to the latter's… -
Toujours et Près de Moi – review
16 May 2012 | 12:21 pmPrint Room, London"Don't box me in" is the cry of many lovers, but it takes on new meaning in this fascinating but insufficiently meaty piece from Opera Erratica. The show puts a modern twist on the Victorian stage effect called Pepper's ghost, an illusion in which a piece of glass is suspended at an angle at the front of the stage to throw an image from below back on to the stage.Here, watched over by their older, wiser selves, two tiny hologram figures emerge from boxes on a table and act out a doomed love affair. There is something magical about the way the effect is used to allow the past… -
What makes the ideal theatre?
16 May 2012 | 10:49 amThe mindblowing view from Cornwall's Minack and the intimacy of Bristol's Tobacco Factory make for some of my favourite haunts. Which are your perfect playhouses?There's been an outbreak of critics writing about their favourite theatres. Michael Coveney's top 10 includes London's Wyndhams, the Theatre Royal in Brighton, and the King's in Edinburgh – the latter is truly beautiful, but was apparently designed for people with no knees. The Stage's Mark Shenton says his heart soars at a glimpse of the National in London, a building that many think resembles a concrete bunker, while in the… -
A new theatre and arts centre opens in Liverpool
16 May 2012 | 10:35 amThe Epstein theatre - named after the Beatles' manager - opened last week after a £1.2m refurbishmentA newly opened Liverpool theatre and arts centre named after the Beatles' manager Brian Epstein is to feature a play about his life later this year.The Neptune Theatre, a cultural gem in Hanover Street, has been renamed following a £1.2m refurbishment and is now called the Epstein Theatre. More than just a theatre, it will host live music, dance, exhibitions and comedy.In November, a play celebrating the life of Epstein opens at the venue for a short run until 1 December. It is a fitting…
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Stage: Theatre blog | guardian.co.uk
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What makes the ideal theatre?
16 May 2012 | 10:49 amThe mindblowing view from Cornwall's Minack and the intimacy of Bristol's Tobacco Factory make for some of my favourite haunts. Which are your perfect playhouses?There's been an outbreak of critics writing about their favourite theatres. Michael Coveney's top 10 includes London's Wyndhams, the Theatre Royal in Brighton, and the King's in Edinburgh – the latter is truly beautiful, but was apparently designed for people with no knees. The Stage's Mark Shenton says his heart soars at a glimpse of the National in London, a building that many think resembles a concrete bunker, while in the… -
Three Kingdoms: the shape of British theatre to come?
16 May 2012 | 8:35 amThe play has split critics. But between rankled newspaper reviewers or enthusiastic bloggers, who is right?There are plays that divide critics, and then there is Three Kingdoms. Depending on who you read, this collaboration between British playwright Simon Stephens, German director Sebastian Nübling and Estonian designer Ene-Liis Semper, at the Lyric Hammersmith in London, is either self-indulgent, overstated, too enigmatic by half, or one of the best pieces of theatre you will see this year, a joyride, a captivating dream.What's fascinating about this dichotomy is how clearly it's split… -
Time to give props to theatre props
15 May 2012 | 9:36 amHow different would stage history be without Desdemona's handkerchief? These uncredited accomplices are a vital part of the theatre experienceIn Nassim Soleimanpour's White Rabbit, Red Rabbit, which has just finished its run on the Brighton fringe festival, a new actor, fresh to the script each night, walks on stage with a small glass vial. During the course of the play, its contents are emptied by an audience member into one of two glasses of water, which the actor will soon be asked to choose between and drink. Someone from the theatre venue has been asked to fill the vial with poison, we… -
Lyn Gardner's theatre roundup: one way to deal with bad reviews
14 May 2012 | 9:27 amBabel's producers talk their way out of a tight corner, the loss of support for public subsidy – plus is political theatre really a total waste of time?Babble around BabelBabel, the centrepiece of the World Stages London season, turned out to be a towering disappointment. The Telegraph's Charles Spencer, the Times's Libby Purves, myself in the Guardian and other critics were all pretty unequivocal about that in their reviews.But, amusingly, a full page advert in today's G2 headlined "The People Have Spoken!" offers a series of quotes from people called Nisha, Kyle and Ambra (no surnames… -
What to see: Lyn Gardner's theatre tips
11 May 2012 | 10:49 amDreamthinkspeak's 'meditation on Hamlet' triumphs at the Brighton festival and there's a last chance to see Swallows and Amazons in CardiffNorth and WalesPhilip Ridley's Tender Napalm heads to Northern Stage next week. Unfolding Theatre's Best in the World, which focuses on darts championships, is at Harrogate Theatre this weekend and at the Arc in Stockton on Tuesday. Analogue's 2401 Objects may not be this terrific company's best show, but it's still worth seeing at the Dukes in Lancaster tomorrow night. John Simm stars in Pinter's Betrayal at the Sheffield Crucible from next Thursday.
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World news: Tibet | guardian.co.uk
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China unhappy at Cameron's meeting with Dalai Lama
15 May 2012 | 6:24 amThe PM's contact with the Tibetan spiritual leader 'hurts the feelings of the Chinese people and meddles in its affairs'China has criticised the UK's prime minister, David Cameron, for meeting the Dalai Lama, saying it amounts to support for Tibet's independence from Chinese rule.The British government ignored Beijing's objections in going ahead with Monday's meeting in London, and doing so "hurts the feelings of the Chinese people", meddles in China's affairs and harms Chinese-British relations, said the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei. He said Britain now needed to take action… -
Dalai Lama's message found in translation at St Paul's prizegiving
14 May 2012 | 7:52 pmThe Tibetan spiritual leader received the Templeton prize with a speech mixing laughter and profundityMany spiritual leaders can sound obscure and platitudinous at once, as if they were simultaneously translating their message from some inner Tibetan original – the Dalai Lama really is. Perhaps that accounts for his status as a global icon of peace and spiritual progress.On Monday, he became the second person after Mother Teresa to be honoured with both the Nobel prize for peace, which he received in 1989, and the Templeton prize for progress in religion.Though the Templeton prize is less… -
Dalai Lama speaks out over UK riots
14 May 2012 | 6:09 amTibetan spiritual leader, in London to collect £1.1m Templeton prize, says young people wrong to believe life would be easyThe Dalai Lama has said that last summer's riots were the fault of a generation brought up to believe life would be easy.Speaking in the crypt of St Paul's Cathedral on Monday, where he was presented with the £1.1m Templeton prize for spiritual progress, he said: "I have the idea of Englishmen as mature, sensible, law-abiding people, If [riots] happen in England, it is a shock."I sent a letter to the prime minister in which I expressed sadness and urged to him to think… -
Dalai Lama: national service | Editorial
13 May 2012 | 2:41 pmHe has established that Tibet is no longer merely a country, still less a region of China. It now seems more like a nationThe Chinese occupation of Tibet has been the most successful colonisation in the last 60 years. At a time when the old empires were everywhere in retreat, the Chinese army seized Tibet and held it. The occupiers are confident of their manifest destiny there. They are filling the country with Han immigrants. Tragically and horribly, some Tibetans have set themselves on fire in protest over the past year since all other forms of rebellion have been crushed. Even the… -
Dalai Lama fears Chinese poison plot
12 May 2012 | 8:59 amBuddhist leader believes Chinese agents may have trained fake female followers to kill him when seeking blessingsThe Dalai Lama has revealed he fears Chinese agents have trained bogus female devotees to kill him with poison while seeking blessings.The Tibetan Buddhist leader told the Sunday Telegraph that he had been passed reports from inside Tibet warning of the plot, using Tibetan women.The 76-year-old Nobel laureate said he now lives in a high security cordon in his temple palace grounds in Dharamsala, in the Himalayan foothills, on the advice of Indian security officials.His aides had…
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Music: Tom Service on classical music | guardian.co.uk
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A guide to Harrison Birtwistle's music
14 May 2012 | 9:48 amIn the third of our new series, Tom Service writes about Harrison Birtwistle, whose elemental and powerful music feels both ancient and modernThere's one simple way to approach Harrison Birtwistle's music, one crucial maxim I want to give you above all others: Don't Panic! I refer, naturally, to the notorious premiere of Birtwistle's Panic, for solo saxophone, drum kit and ensemble, which wowed, shocked, and flabbergasted the Last Night of the Proms audience in 1995; but what I mean is not that you shouldn't listen to Panic (it's one of the most dazzling and dynamic pieces written in the last… -
The galactic disco genius of Meco!
11 May 2012 | 9:32 amTwenty-five years ago, in a galaxy far, far away, disco producer Meco gave the Star Wars soundtrack an astronomical twist. Feast your ears on the cosmic funkQuelque chose d'un wee bit différent this Friday, but bear with me: nearly 25 years ago, something momentous in world culture happened, an event that would sear the imaginations of every creative artist who has gone since, and if it didn't, well, it should have done. I refer not to the premiere of George Lucas's Star Wars, on 25 May 1977, but to the work of musical genius that the film inspired. John Williams's score? Only partly. Much,… -
A guide to Pauline Oliveros's music
7 May 2012 | 9:30 amIn the second of our new series, Tom Service writes about Pauline Oliveros, whose sonic explorations take on life, the universe and everythingNearly sixty years ago, Pauline Oliveros found her mantra. "Listen to everything all the time and remind yourself when you are not listening". This simple but transformative thought has filled her life in music.Oliveros (born in 1932), then in her early 20s and living in San Francisco, turned a tape recorder on, and, listening back to the sounds she had preserved, heard things that she had not realised were happening in real time – and a philosophy of… -
Hug a hub: music education heralds a new era of partnership
4 May 2012 | 7:19 amArts Council England has announced the winners of bids to run each hub across nearly every local authority area in the country. But this is only the beginning for musical provision ...All hail the hubs! Well, that will be the hope, if you've anything to do with music education in England. Today, Arts Council England announced who has won the bids to run each hub across nearly every local authority area in the country. A quick recap: after last November's National Plan for Music Education, music educationalists the length and breadth of England had a pretty tight timetable to come up with a… -
A guide to Elliott Carter's music
30 Apr 2012 | 9:12 amTom Service has explored the myths surrounding contemporary music – and now, in part one of a new series, he takes a close listen to the amazing work of the 103-year old Elliott CarterIf there are any composers writing more profoundly joyful, or youthful, music than the American Elliott Carter, I've yet to discover them. He's the closest any of us will probably ever experience to new music's Haydn. He's also, incidentally, 103: old enough to have become his own style, his own musical world. Carter's recent music – and there's a truly astonishing amount that he's written since his 80th,…
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Books: Top 10s | guardian.co.uk
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Fred Pearce's top 10 eco-books
16 May 2012 | 5:14 amFrom the despair of nuclear bombs to the hope of nuclear technology, the environment journalist picks out green books that are both positive and negative about our planet's futureI am not a tree hugger. Nor a people hater. For me, as an environment journalist for 30 years, the story is about people and how they work, live and dream on planet Earth. And how we – seven billion of us, and counting – can keep up the mad dance of civilisation in an ever more crowded and resource-depleted world. Luckily, I am an optimist. These books contain some stories of potential horrors ahead, like Bill… -
Josh Lacey's top 10 pseudonymous books
11 May 2012 | 6:43 amA surprising number of authors choose not to use their real name when they publish their books. Josh Lacey, who has written a series of books under the name Josh Doder, picks his favourite writers with pen names"When I was wrote my first book, A Dog Called Grk, I was working for this very newspaper, writing and editing reviews for the books pages. I didn't want people to get confused about who I was or what I did, so I thought it would be sensible to have two different names, one for books and the other for journalism. I invented a new name for myself: a pen name, a nom de plume, a pseudonym. -
Shehan Karunatilaka's top 10 cricket books
2 May 2012 | 6:57 amFrom Don Bradman's classic memoir to Imran Khan's musings on Sri Lankan chicanery, 10 first-class literary deliveriesIt isn't surprising that a sport that goes on for days, often without result, inspires this much writing. There are as many tomes on cricket as there are dot balls in a Test series.Some examine the game's history, wallow in its scandals, or bask in its Zen-like aura. Others fetishise stats, turn players into gods or use cricket as a canvas for socio-political philosophiing.This isn't a list of the greatest cricket tales of all time. Rather, it's a list of the 10 most… -
Ewan Morrison's top 10 books about shopping malls
25 Apr 2012 | 5:40 amFrom fin-de-siecle arcades to 21st-century consumerist temples, the writer fills his shopping basket with books about mallsThere are, it turns out, few works of fiction set in shopping malls, or for that matter, about that subject in non-fiction. A disturbing omission in literary history given we live in a world that is being rapidly homogenised by these structures. There only 10 or so books I could find that, in any serious way, dealt with a world that has become "malled".Please, dear reader, help prove this is not the case and add your mall books to my list. Otherwise, I fear we may be… -
Bryan and Mary Talbot's top 10 graphic memoirs
18 Apr 2012 | 11:04 amFrom Palestine to Persepolis, the comics creators pick the best examples of the medium as a vehicle for autobiographyBryan Talbot has written and drawn comics and graphic novels for more than 30 years and is currently working on his Grandville series of anthropomorphic steampunk detective thrillers. Dotter of Her Father's Eyes is Mary Talbot's first graphic novel. Among her eight academic books are Language and Gender and Media Discourse: Representation and Interaction. Dotter of Her Father's Eyes, their first collaboration recently published by Jonathan Cape, is a combination of personal…
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Travel news, travel guides and reviews | guardian.co.uk
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Luxembourg by e-bike: a natural high | Frederika Whitehead
16 May 2012 | 11:50 amThe ability to flick a switch and top up pedal power with battery power gives me the extra push I need to master the ArdennesGust Muller, president of Luxembourg's cycling advocacy group LVI, promised me that "hills will just melt away" if I used an e-bike to tour Luxembourg. And this wasn't far from the truth.Although it has many miles of extremely pretty, pancake-flat leisure routes that follow old tram lines or run alongside its rivers, Luxembourg can also be hilly, particularly in the north of the country around the Ardennes.Using an e-bike, Muller assured me, would mean that I – and… -
How Greece's exit from the euro would affect UK consumers
16 May 2012 | 10:13 amAs the eurozone crisis intensifies, we look at the impact a Greek exit would have on savers, spenders and speculatorsThe experts agree: it's not a matter of if but when Greece will leave the euro. We've covered how this will affect people planning to take holidays in Greece, but what does the eurozone crisis mean for the rest of us?What effect will this have on the cost of borrowing?Banks worldwide, including British ones, have lent $167.7bn to Greece, according to the Bank for International Settlements quarterly review. This will result in banks either suffering because they have lost money… -
Top 10 swimming holidays
16 May 2012 | 9:51 amLong-distance outdoor swimming was once the preserve of elite athletes or eccentrics such as 'Big River Man' Martin Strel, but a growing number of us are making swimming the focus of a holiday, be it by joining a boat-supported tour of lakes and coasts, or entering a race abroad. Here's our pick of swim trips to suit all levelsFOR NEWCOMERS'Short Swim' trip, CroatiaThe range of trips offered by SwimTrek – founded by coach and Channel swimmer Simon Murie in 2003 – already dwarfs those of its competitors, and the company's roster continues to grow. This year sees the introduction of a new… -
Prince Charles' favourite sport, polo, flourishes in the northern recession
16 May 2012 | 1:00 amLondoners are fleeing the crowded south for the season, says the White Rose polo club, and bringing their mallets northThe recession works in curious ways and one feature of northern life which has yet to be affected is polo-playing. The sport made familiar by Prince Charles and his coterie is even enjoying a mild northern fillip.The White Rose polo club based at North Cliffe between Market Weighton and the M62's last stretch towards Hull, says that:Londoners are looking to the north for an alternative to the maddening crowds of the City during this Jubilee and Olympic year.They actually call… -
Ask Tom: Live Q&A
15 May 2012 | 9:18 amTom Hall of Lonely Planet was online earlier today answering your travel queries. Scroll down to comments to to see his holiday adviceWith half-term just around the corner, Tom Hall will be kicking off this week's Q&A with a few tips on where to take the kids for the week – and the long jubilee weekend. And with Greece in the news, he will also be giving valuable advice for anyone planning a trip to the country this summer – including currency (which one to take?), whether to book, and the general lie of the landAfter that, it's anything goes – so if you have a travel query for him,…
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Travel: Travel blog | guardian.co.uk
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Ask Tom: Live Q&A
15 May 2012 | 9:18 amTom Hall of Lonely Planet was online earlier today answering your travel queries. Scroll down to comments to to see his holiday adviceWith half-term just around the corner, Tom Hall will be kicking off this week's Q&A with a few tips on where to take the kids for the week – and the long jubilee weekend. And with Greece in the news, he will also be giving valuable advice for anyone planning a trip to the country this summer – including currency (which one to take?), whether to book, and the general lie of the landAfter that, it's anything goes – so if you have a travel query for him,… -
Ask Tom: Live Q&A
24 Apr 2012 | 10:55 pmDo you have a travel dilemma or need some holiday advice? Tom Hall of Lonely Planet will be here at 1pm (BST) to answer your questions in our live online travel clinicIt's less than 100 days until the start of the Olympics … and if that thought fills you with dread, fear not! Tom Hall is the man to give advice on escaping these shores while the Games are on. He'll be kicking off Wednesday's live Q&A by looking at summer hotspots and Olympic escapes, before moving on to tackle any other travel dilemmas you can throw at him – whether it's on a specific place or you are just looking for… -
Berlin in miniature: a model city – in pictures
17 Apr 2012 | 6:06 amThe Loxx miniature railway is one of our favourite things in Berlin. The attention to detail and sense of humour are amazing – it features everything inside the Ringbahn and then some, including vehicles that wait at the functional traffic lights, naked sunbathers, a drunk Santa and a Tina Turner concert. There's even a "working" airport with planes that take off and land -
The best Mumbai bars to watch IPL Twenty20 cricket
12 Apr 2012 | 6:16 amThe Indian Premier League's Twenty20 cricket, which started it's fifth season last week, is the new religion in India. The bars of Mumbai are a great place to soak up the atmosphere, grab a cold beer and watch the game in (relative) peace This blogpost first appeared on the Mumbai Boss blogBora BoraWhen we reviewed Bora Bora back in November, we remarked about the inordinate number of television viewing options. There are no less than 14 TVs plus one projector and another giant, six-panel LED screen. Bora Bora is an 80-seater bar, so that's one TV for every five people. While they don't have… -
Blog: Charonne, the last authentic village in Paris
4 Apr 2012 | 11:05 amIn 1860, the city of Paris extended its boundaries by annexing 11 surrounding communities. Only one of these, Charonne, has truly kept the soul of a villageThis blogpost first appeared on the Invisible Paris blogAnyone who has visited Paris's Père Lachaise cemetery has already visited the village of Charonne. The best known of the city's graveyards was opened in 1804, technically within the limits of Charonne, but officially to serve the needs of Paris. Beyond this megalopolis of the dead, though, is the true village cemetery, a pocket-sized burial ground situated – curiously for Paris –…
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World news: Turkey | guardian.co.uk
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Turkey to renew talks over European Union membership
16 May 2012 | 12:37 pmWith key opponent of Turkey's membership, Nicolas Sarkozy, no longer in office, EU commissioner to visit Ankara over policiesTurkey is showing renewed interest in reviving its stalled bid to join the European Union, now that one of its key opponents is no longer the president of France.Turkey began its EU accession negotiations in 2005 but made little progress in its candidacy, thanks to a dispute with EU-member Cyprus and opposition from the then French president, Nicolas Sarkozy. Sarkozy argued that the predominantly Muslim country was not a part of Europe and wanted Turkey to accept a form… -
From the archive, 14 May 1956: Terrorists are disguising themselves as priests, claim forces in Cyprus
14 May 2012 | 1:30 amArmed forces on high alert after a series of separate violent incidentsSteps are being considered by the security authorities in Cyprus to prevent terrorists from operating in the disguise of priests, it was authoritatively learned tonight. They have suggested to the Greek Church leaders that all priests should carry identity cards.If this proposal is rejected, it is planned to compile a list of "legitimate" priests in raids such as that which was made on the Kykkos monastery, near Nicosia, on Friday. While a search was being made in the monastery, troops took the names and photographs of all… -
Turkish football fans clash with police over Fenerbahçe loss – video
13 May 2012 | 12:07 pmPolice in Istanbul clash with football supporters after Galatasaray won the Turkish league for the 18th time on Saturday, with a 0-0 draw against rivals Fenerbahçe -
Corruption scandals threaten to destabilise Iraqi Kurdistan | Fazel Hawramy
10 May 2012 | 3:00 amKurdish president Masoud Barzani has won international recognition for the region but has forgotten about reform at homeLast month, Zana Salih, the mayor of Iraqi Kurdistan's second largest city, Sulaymaniah, was arrested on corruption charges relating to the embezzlement of close to half a billion dollars. One week later he was found dead in a police cell. While the Kurdistan regional government (KRG) maintains that the mayor hanged himself, the mayor's wife and many members of the public believe he was killed because he had threatened to name a number of powerful corrupt officials.The… -
Interpol calls for help in arrest of fugitive Iraqi vice-president
8 May 2012 | 5:21 amTareq al-Hashemi, who is thought to be in Istanbul, is subject to red notice issued at request of Iraq over death squad claimsInterpol has called for help in arresting fugitive Iraqi vice-president Tareq al-Hashemi on suspicion of planning and funding attacks in Iraq.Hashemi, a leading Sunni Muslim politician, fled Baghdad in December when the Shia-led government accused him of running death squads.The vice-president, who is thought to be in Istanbul, has denied the charges, saying they are politically motivated. He has refused to stand trial in Baghdad.Interpol, which is based in France,…
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World news: Uganda | guardian.co.uk
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Ugandan forces capture Kony's top LRA commander
14 May 2012 | 4:49 amCaesar Acellam is a known military strategist for Joseph Kony, whose forces are being increasingly degraded, say UgandansUgandan forces have captured a senior commander in Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army after a brief fight with rebels near the Congo-Central African Republic border, according to an army official, in what an analyst described as an "intelligence coup" for forces hunting Kony.Lieutenant Colonel Abdul Rugumayo, intelligence chief for Uganda's military operation against the LRA, said on Sunday that Caesar Acellam was captured on Saturday with two other rebel fighters as they… -
Uganda threatens to expel Oxfam and NGOs over land-grabbing claims
10 May 2012 | 11:16 amOxfam and the Uganda Land Alliance have been threatened with deregistration by Uganda's internal affairs minister Hilary OnekThe Ugandan government has told Oxfam and a group of 60 local and international NGOs working on food and land reform to formally apologise for "inciting violence" over alleged land-grabbing or face being thrown out of the country.In the clearest signal yet that allegations of government involvement in the allocation of land to large commercial enterprises are embarrassing President Yoweri Museveni and government elites, Oxfam and the Uganda Land Alliance (ULA) were… -
Kenyans allege British involvement in rendition and torture in Uganda
24 Apr 2012 | 4:34 pmClaims by two Muslims accused of role in bomb attack during 2010 World Cup date from after coalition came to powerTwo men facing terrorism charges in east Africa are accusing the British government and its intelligence agencies of being involved in their abduction, unlawful rendition and torture.The allegations by Habib Suleiman Njoroge and his brother Yahya Suleiman Mbuthia closely echo those reported in the Guardian last year by a third terrorism suspect, Omar Awadh Omar.The high court in London has given all three men permission to seek disclosure of British government documents that would… -
How to teach... Kony 2012
23 Apr 2012 | 1:00 pmThis week the Guardian Teacher Network has resources to help pupils explore the issues behind the recent viral video about Ugandan warlord Joseph KonyMany of your pupils will have heard of Kony 2012, and may be among the 90 million viewers of the YouTube video posted by the US charity Invisible Children calling for the arrest of the Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony after it went viral on Facebook. The idea behind the social media campaign is to make Joseph Kony "famous" so he can be captured and tried for crimes against humanity.Last Friday, the campaign took to the streets as thousands of people… -
Kony 2012 Cover the Night fails to move from the internet to the streets
21 Apr 2012 | 4:11 pmFew heed campaign's call to cover cities across the world with posters and murals of wanted Ugandan warlordThe Kony 2012 Cover the Night campaign woke up to awkward questions on Saturday after activists failed to blanket cities with posters of the wanted Ugandan warlord, Joseph Kony.The movement's phenomenal success in mobilising young people online, following last month's launch of a 29-minute documentary which went viral, flopped in trying to turn that into real world actions.The campaign aimed to plaster "every city, on every block" around the world with posters, stickers and murals of…
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Latest UK news and comment | guardian.co.uk
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Passport row sapped Home Office staff morale, survey finds
16 May 2012 | 1:30 pmDepartment responsible for law and order, immigration and security is most demoralised in governmentThe Home Office is Whitehall's most demoralised and discontented department, the first independent survey of civil servants' views of reforms has found.More employees in the department responsible for Britain's law and order, immigration and security said their organisation was poorly equipped to cope with the uncertainties and challenges of the future compared with elsewhere in government.They were also highly critical of colleagues they said were "incompetent". Two-thirds of the civil… -
Miliband sets the goad standard
16 May 2012 | 1:11 pmLabour has decided that Cameron's weak spot is his temper, and tried everything to make him lose it at PMQs"Calm down, calm down!" said Ed Balls to David Cameron as he was banging on about police budgets at prime minister's questions. Labour has decided it has found Cameron's weak spot – his temper. I assume they hope to goad him into losing it again. With any luck, they might get a real spittle-filled, face-purpling outburst, which would get a million hits on YouTube."I am extremely calm," the PM replied, but he said it like Herbert Lom as Inspector Clouseau's boss. You may recall the… -
David Beckham flies out to Greece to meet Olympic torch
16 May 2012 | 1:00 pmBeckham's arrival for ceremony will increase speculation he will be part of the Great Britain football team at the OlympicsDon't bother trying to keep David Beckham out of the news. Two and a half hours before Roy Hodgson revealed the composition of his party for the Euro 2012 finals – the first major tournament for which England have qualified since 1998 in which Beckham will take no part – came the announcement that Goldenballs will be arriving in Athens to observe Thursday's ceremony at which the Olympic flame will be handed over to the representatives of London 2012.Beckham, who… -
London 2012 Olympic torch: keeping the flame alive
16 May 2012 | 12:50 pmSingle flame will be visible to public at any one time, but other 'iterations' will step up should torch be extinguishedThere is, officials stress repeatedly, only one London 2012 Olympic flame. But when it begins its 70-day, 8,000-mile relay across the UK this weekend, such are the complex logistics that a single flame will, in fact, be in several places at once.The flame was lit last week after an actor dressed as an ancient priest caught the sun's rays in a parabolic mirror in Olympia, Greece. This source will in turn ignite every one of the 8,000 three-sided aluminium alloy torches… -
Labour reshuffles top jobs in House of Lords
16 May 2012 | 12:28 pmBaroness Thornton will move from health to equalities, with her role on the health portfolio being taken over by Lord HuntThe Labour party's reshuffle of top jobs has been extended to the House of Lords.Baroness Thornton, who played a high profile role in the Lords' strong opposition to the controversial NHS reform bill in the last session of parliament, will move from health to equalities.Her lead role on the health portfolio will be taken over by Lord Hunt, a former minister in several departments under the previous Labour government, now shadow deputy leader of the upper house and Labour's…
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Education: University funding | guardian.co.uk
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So you want to be the new Brian Cox? … How to become a celebrity academic
14 May 2012 | 1:45 pmBroadcasters are looking for academics who can fascinate and sparkle. How do you get in on the action?Deep in the bowels of BBC White City, a group of 20-odd clever and personable academics are energetically debating whether life is a comedy or a tragedy. They've been at it for half an hour before their conclusions begin to sound much less erudite, and the room collapses into laughter.These are post-doctoral researchers in the early stages of their academic careers, and they're being auditioned to see whose broadcast personality shines the brightest. A panel of BBC Radio 3 Night Waves… -
Patrick McGhee, new chair of Million+ thinktank, is trending nationally
7 May 2012 | 1:30 pmThe new chair of the Million+ thinktank intends to make the voice of the post-1992 universities heardFrom his Twitter pic, it is difficult to gauge much about Professor Patrick McGhee, newly elected chair of the university thinktank Million+. Taken with his face right up against the camera, it gives away nothing in the way of facial expression, sartorial quirks, age or build.In fact, at 50, McGhee, vice-chancellor of the University of East London for the past two years, is one of the youngest vice-chancellors in the UK and one of his most striking features is that he has a Twitter pic at… -
15 tips to increase charitable giving in higher education
27 Apr 2012 | 9:20 amOur live chat on 'the future of philanthropy in higher education' covered the ways fundraising can contribute to university funding. Here, we sum up the advice from our panelSteven Tall, development director of Education Endowment FoundationGet your fundraising email requests right:1) The opening line has to ask the recipient for a financial gift. This may sound obvious, but you would be amazed how long it can take 'ask' letters to get to the point. It's not rude to ask someone for a donation but it is disrespectful to waste their time doing so.2) You must, absolutely must, have a P.S. -
Could universities be sold off?
23 Apr 2012 | 1:45 pmThe sale of the College of Law, a private education provider, to an equity firm has raised questions about the future funding of universitiesAfter months of speculation, the College of Law was sold last week to a private equity firm with no experience of education.At first sight, it seems a mere footnote to the main fees and funding story dominating UK higher education.But the sale to Montagu Private Equity, for around £200m, is being seen as a possible model for growing involvement in higher education by for-profit companies.While legal and education policy experts think it unlikely that… -
Lecturers should need a teaching qualification, says NUS president
21 Apr 2012 | 6:06 pmLiam Burns says the law should require academics to be qualifiedLiam Burns, the president of the National Union of Students, is calling for university lecturers to be forced to acquire teaching qualifications to ensure that students paying tuition fees are getting the most out of their degrees.With three-year courses now costing up to £27,000 in fees, Burns says universities should recognise that they need to improve the standards of teaching in seminars and lectures, including those delivered by postgraduate students, who are increasingly used as a cheap alternative to professional…
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Education: University guide | guardian.co.uk
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Music
15 May 2012 | 7:10 pmThe study of creative expression through sound, including performance, technique, composition and various stylesWhat will I learn?Music degrees can vary enormously, depending on where you study (university or conservatoire) and the course you choose. For example, some degrees focus purely on the music, while others allow students to take modules in other subjects, such as English, a language or education studies. Some degree courses do not even require students to have any practical music skills. Some institutions give a thorough education in traditional classical music areas along with… -
Sociology
15 May 2012 | 7:09 pmThe study of human societies and how they interactWhat will I learn?Academics claim sociology is more than a subject – it's a whole way of seeing the world. From the topics studied on sociology degrees, they may just be right.Sociology is the study of human societies and how they interact to shape people's beliefs, behaviours and identity. The subject is the academic cousin to the more practical social policy, so you will examine different social theories and models (expect mention of Karl Marx at least). You will also explore how society has changed over time, touching on subjects such as… -
Computer science and IT
15 May 2012 | 7:09 pmThe study of the design, exploitation and technology surrounding computing - includes information systems, software engineering, programming and artificial intelligenceWhat will I learn?Taking a computer science course will mean you will be studying a subject at the very forefront of technology and innovation. Computers are everywhere, and the demand to make them smaller, work more quickly, and be fitted with new and exciting software has never been greater. Most computing courses tend to focus on software engineering - things like database design, network systems, computer hardware, the… -
Building and town and country planning
15 May 2012 | 7:09 pmAll aspects of buildings (except design), from construction to location – includes urban, rural and regional planningWhat will I learn?Building and town and country planning are two quite distinct areas or study, although their application is closely tied.Building studies, or the built environment, focuses on all aspects of building except their design, which is the job of architects. Expect to cover all things related to construction – management and techniques – infrastructure, planning for new developments, and elements of structural and civic engineering. Building courses have a… -
Physics
15 May 2012 | 7:05 pmThe study of the universe - includes astrophysics, space science, applied physics, medical physicsWhat will I learn?Physics is a course for those who want to explore nature's secrets. It's basically the study of the universe - how it was formed, what a black hole consists of and what goes on in a parallel universe? It also investigates atoms - what happens if you split them and how can an atom be in two places at once?Physics is a subject that requires good maths knowledge, as you will be expected to be able to explain the physical world in terms of maths. You will also get the chance to…
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World news: United States | guardian.co.uk
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Nato summit in Chicago and G8 at Camp David – live build-up
16 May 2012 | 1:47 pmProtesters will gather at the Nato summit in Chicago, while demonstrations are also planned close to the G8 summit• Follow updates here and tweet me @AdamGabbatt2.30pm: Law enforcement in Chicago will be on "high alert" to stop sex trafficking during the Nato summit, according to Illinois state attorney Anita Alvarez.Alvarez told WLS that trafficking can increase during conventions or significant events, but police will be monitoring sites which are known to have featured adverts for trafficked persons. "The sexual services of children, and young men and women are not for sale here in… -
Facebook IPO: commentary and analysis from around the web
16 May 2012 | 1:40 pmAn ongoing collection of commentary and analysis on Facebook's upcoming IPOThe nearly $100bn valuation of Facebook in the lead up to the company's much-anticipated public offering Friday has many people talking and some investors reeling. The eight-year old company has an unprecedented 900 million users worldwide, and its COO is none other than Sheryl Sandberg, the former Google executive whose management of Google's ad sales department generated billions in revenue. The questions is, is Facebook worth almost $100bn? Is it here to stay? Will it follow the path of MySpace or Google? Nearly 80%… -
Obama campaign raises $43m in April – US politics live
16 May 2012 | 1:29 pmObama's re-election campaign raises $43m in April, while Karl Rove's super Pac plans a huge attack ad spree - live2.18pm: The Federal Reserve's interest rate-setting committee has released the minutes of its last meeting, at the end of last month. Amidst all the talk about the economy, there was also this discussion about the impact of the political battle over the federal budget:Participants expected that the government sector would be a drag on economic growth over coming quarters. They generally saw the US fiscal situation also as a risk to the economic outlook; if agreement is not reached… -
Five reasons not to buy Facebook shares
16 May 2012 | 1:22 pmThe sale will likely generate billions, but hidden just beneath the buzz are signs that not all is well for Silicon Valley's starOn Friday, Facebook will finally become a public company. The hotly anticipated initial public offering (IPO) will be the largest tech company share sale ever and is expected to value the social network at over $100bn – more than the combined value of Nike and Goldman Sachs. But not everyone is cheering Facebook on. Ahead of the sale of the century, here are five signals that suggest there may be choppy days ahead for Facebook's investors. A lot of smart guys just… -
NYPD stop-and-frisk lawsuit now class action in victory for civil rights groups
16 May 2012 | 12:59 pmFederal judge grants class action status to lawsuit alleging the NYPD's controversial programme amounts to racial profilingA federal judge has granted class action status to a lawsuit that alleges the New York police department's controversial stop-and-frisk policy is unconstitutional and amounts to systemic racial discrimination.Barring an effective appeal on behalf of the city, the decision paves the way for a trial that would require the department to defend before a jury its policy of stopping hundreds of thousands of minority New Yorkers each year.The decision comes less than a week…
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Business: US economy | guardian.co.uk
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Facebook: a tale of two media models | Michael Wolff
15 May 2012 | 4:12 pmThe irony of the Facebook epoch is that old media covets its IPO billions, while new social media envies the old's contentWhat is social media – I mean, as opposed to plain old media?That's the unexamined question that will only become more pressing – and less clear – when Facebook shortly completes its IPO, with more and more people in plain old media feeling they ought to be in social media. And with more and more people in social media, with a $100bn or so of new liquid currency in the market, feeling it is the future of media.As it happens, the dual media have almost nothing in… -
JP Morgan trading loss plays into critics' hands
15 May 2012 | 12:39 pmLoss racked up in division of bank supposed to reduce risk will hinder boss Jamie Dimon's ability to water down Volcker ruleJamie Dimon has been quick to admit that the stunning $2bn (£1.2bn) trading loss racked up in a division of the bank that is supposed to reduce risk "plays right into the hands of a bunch of pundits out there".Until last Thursday, Dimon had been able to use his position as chief executive of the biggest bank in the US to argue against proposed changes to regulation that would stop banks like JP Morgan using their own cash to take bets on financial markets through… -
JP Morgan boss Jamie Dimon faces shareholders – as it happened
15 May 2012 | 11:38 am• Dimon: huge losses happened when hedge position 'morphed'• Dimon: we've always favored regulation • Join our Q&A session on JP Morgan and Jamie Dimon at 2pm ET / 19.00 GMT10.00am: Jamie Dimon, JP Morgan's embattled boss, is about to face off with shareholders in Tampa, Florida this morning. It's Tom McCarthy here in New York with live blog coverage.Last week the bank boss revealed JP had lost $2bn and counting on risky bets made from its London office. The loss has wiped $19bn off JP's share price in just a few days. Weeks earlier Dimon had described concerns about the size of those… -
Let's not hedge about JP Morgan's losses | Charles Geisst
15 May 2012 | 10:33 amThis wasn't hedging; it was a huge bet. Wall Street's titans just hope we and regulators are too mystifed by high finance to knowThe recent revelations by JP Morgan Chase of large hedging losses ultimately bring too big to fail to the forefront once again. But the issue needs to be rephrased in a slightly different context. Is an institution's exposure to the markets actually too big to hedge?The term "hedging" is a red herring in banking. Banks regularly hedge foreign exchange exposure and bond exposure by taking opposite positions to offset potential losses. The hedge positions usually are… -
Avon shuns suitor Coty after 'total lack of engagement'
15 May 2012 | 7:57 amAvon – best known for its 'ding dong, Avon calling' ads of the 1950s and 60s – had previously refused to enter into talks with CotyThe mass-market perfume maker Coty has dropped its $10.7bn (£6.65bn) takeover bid for Avon Products, saying the US beauty company missed a deadline to respond to its offer.Coty had been stalking the cosmetics company since March, when it made an unsolicited bid of $10bn which had the financial backing of the veteran US investor Warren Buffett. It improved its offer last week, but warned it would withdraw if Avon did not respond by Monday night.Avon – best…
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World news: US elections 2008 | guardian.co.uk
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John Edwards' mistress given a $9,000 monthly cash allowance, records show
15 May 2012 | 2:44 pmEdwards' political supporters gave nearly $1m to help hide the former presidential candidate's pregnant mistressRecords introduced Tuesday at John Edwards' corruption trial show his campaign finance chairman paid the former US presidential candidate's mistress a $9,000 monthly cash allowance, on top of living and travel expenses.Wealthy Texas lawyer Fred Baron is one of two political supporters who, combined, gave nearly $1m to help hide Edwards' pregnant mistress Rielle Hunter as the politician sought the White House in 2008. Evidence introduced at the trial showed Baron, who died that year,… -
John Edwards' daughter to take the stand in corruption trial
15 May 2012 | 8:50 amFormer US presidential contender's daughter is set to testify in case accusing her father of campaign finance violationsThe eldest daughter of John Edwards is set to take the stand in the former US presidential contender's defense.Cate Edwards is a 30-year-old lawyer who has sat behind her father nearly every day of his corruption trial. She's expected to testify Tuesday.Edwards is accused of masterminding a plan to use nearly $1 million from two donors to help hide his pregnant mistress as he sought the White House in 2008. He has pleaded not guilty to six counts related to campaign finance… -
Five US election game-changing moments that weren't | Harry J Enten
3 May 2012 | 5:05 pmBeware when the media declare a critical campaign disaster or triumph. In fact, such incidents often don't count for muchDid you know that a girlfriend in President Obama's book Dreams from My Father was a composite character? Did you know that Mitt Romney handed pizzas he was carrying to a New York Fire Department house off to an aide, believing he was out of sight of the cameras?Most of us understand that these types of insignificant events provide fodder to the press's appetite for news bites, but little else. I doubt many swing voters have actually or will be reading Dreams from My… -
Mitt Romney, retro-conservative | Michael Cohen
30 Apr 2012 | 10:19 amIn 2008, Obama won the presidency on the promise of 'change'. Romney hopes to win 2012 promising the reverse. Can it work?Four years ago, when a young upstart US senator from Illinois sought the presidency, there was one overarching idea that defined his campaign: change. That single, all-purpose word emblazoned iconic T-shirts and simple lawn signs; it represented the rhetorical high point of campaign speeches ("we are the change we've been waiting for"); and was even used as the domain name for the president-elect's transition – change.gov. In Barack Obama's very visage – as the first… -
Obama's healthcare Catch 22 | Jim Geraghty
30 Mar 2012 | 5:38 pm'Obamacare' is an electoral liability for the president if upheld by the supreme court. But if struck down, there's still no upsideAfter the second day of oral arguments went quite badly for the Obama administration, Democratic Senate majority leader Harry Reid argued that a supreme court decision finding the president's healthcare law unconstitutional would be a political benefit to his party. "There's a significant school of thought that the administration is – puts them in a better position for the election if it's turned down," Reid told reporters Tuesday.One can forgive a bit of…
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World news: Venezuela | guardian.co.uk
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Chávez's economics lesson for Europe | Richard Gott
16 May 2012 | 3:00 amHugo Chávez's rejection of the neoliberal policies dragging Europe down sets a hopeful example to Greece and beyondSome years ago, travelling on the presidential plane of Hugo Chávez of Venezuela with a French friend from Le Monde Diplomatique, we were asked what we thought was happening in Europe. Was there any chance of a move to the left? We replied in the depressed and pessimistic tones typical of the early years of the 21st century. Neither in Britain nor France, nor anywhere in the eurozone, did we see much chance of a political breakthrough.Then maybe, said Chávez with a twinkle, we… -
Venezuela prepares for life after Chávez
15 May 2012 | 7:59 amCancer-stricken president insists he will be candidate for re-election in October, but many doubt his futureLast month the Venezuelan president, Hugo Chávez, convened the first session of the council of state. Opposition parties are convinced the aim is to avoid a power vacuum. The decision certainly confirms the impression that the transition process is under way.The first topic on the council's agenda is Venezuela's withdrawal from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, which Chávez condemns as a tool of "US imperialism".The president, who has cancer, returned to Cuba to continue… -
Hugo Chavez says Cuba cancer treatment a success
12 May 2012 | 1:25 amSocialist leader looked energetic and seemed to be in good spirits, breaking out in song before finishing his addressVenezuelan President Hugo Chavez has returned home after 11 days of cancer treatment in Cuba, saying his latest round of radiation therapy was successful."I should say that we have successfully completed the medical treatment," the socialist leader said as dozens of uniformed soldiers holding assault rifles stood in formation along a red carpet on the tarmac at Simon Bolivar International Airport."Of course, I must rigorously follow the medical advice in these coming days in… -
Hugo Chávez dismisses health rumours on Venezuelan TV
24 Apr 2012 | 2:22 amPresident blames 'dirty war laboratories' for rumours after eight-day silence while undergoing cancer treatment in CubaThe Venezuelan president, Hugo Chávez, has reappeared on television after an eight-day silence, scoffing at rumours that his health had taken a turn for the worse.In a live phone call on state television on Monday, he also said he planned to be back home on Thursday after his latest round of cancer treatment in Cuba."We'll have to get used to living in the coming days and weeks and months among those rumours, and well, when necessary come out to make them crumble," Chávez… -
Venezuela's turning point | Samuel Moncada
10 Apr 2012 | 3:00 pmDefeating Venezuela's 2002 coup sent a message to the world: under Hugo Chávez we are in charge of our own affairsTen years ago Latin American history reached a turning point. In Venezuela, a US-backed military coup against the elected government of Hugo Chávez was stopped dead in its tracks after just a few days. It marked a clear break from the coups and subsequent dictatorships installed to defend economic elites that had cast a long shadow across Latin America. (Indeed, Pinochet's 1973 coup in Chile shows what could have happened in Venezuela.) A tide of progressive governments across…
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Society: Voluntary sector | guardian.co.uk
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Why charities must collaborate to maximise limited resources
16 May 2012 | 12:30 amIn hard times, organisations should seek collaborative answers to meeting the needs of service-usersAs resources become more scarce, the need for organisations to avoid duplication of work becomes ever more pressing. When should organisations look beyond their own capacity to deliver and seek collaborative answers? And when is it right to step back and let others cater for your service-users' needs?These are the questions recently faced by Just for Kids Law. As an organisation that works with young people in London, we have a keen interest in the police use of stop and search. Our clients… -
Guardian Public Services Awards are open for entries
15 May 2012 | 6:03 pmInspirational ways to deliver excellent public services are needed more than ever, and we intend to recognise the very bestInnovation, and learning from others' innovations, have never been at a higher premium in Britain's public services. Many services will simply not survive the forecast five more years of austerity unless they do things differently.So the Guardian Public Services Awards, which are launched today for 2012, are changing too. In come new categories, placing the strongest emphasis on fresh ideas and techniques, and expanded online coverage of winning and shortlisted… -
10 of the best … ways to give to charity without donating money
15 May 2012 | 5:03 amMoney isn't the only thing charities require: from learning to sign to giving blood, you can still make a differencePeople are still giving money to charity – a survey by Foresters shows 90% donated cash in 2011 – but times are tough, and increasing numbers of people are preferring to find other ways to help others.Foresters found that 57% of those questioned like to donate old items to their local charity shop, while 43% prefer to volunteer their time. But if you have already ransacked your home for goods to donate, you may find inspiration in this list of ways you can support other… -
Why charities need to make giving fun
15 May 2012 | 12:30 amBehavioural economics proves that people find it easier to do things they enjoy rather than considering it a dutyWhat is it about prime ministers and cash machines? A decade ago Tony Blair was hyping up the idea of police officers frogmarching thugs to an ATM to pay on-the-spot fines for their antisocial behaviour.Last year David Cameron offered a more optimistic vision – that ATMs would become terminals for philanthropy. Cameron, at least, is getting his way, with the announcement that 12,000 cash machines across the country will soon be inviting you to give as well as receive. Whether… -
How to adapt to the 'new normal' in the voluntary sector
14 May 2012 | 12:30 pmResearch shows that charities are expecting more economic challenges. Here are some tips on how charities can adaptIt's no longer breaking news that the charity sector is in the midst of a radical upheaval. Reports of charities facing a 'financial cliff edge' or a 'perfect storm', with a 'triple whammy' of reduced income streams, rising costs and growing demand for services, are commonplace. Our latest instalment in the Managing in a Downturn (MIAD) survey series, carried out in partnership with Institute of Fundraising (IoF) and PwC, adds further weight to the growing body of evidence.This…
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Business: Walmart | guardian.co.uk
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Walmart shares tumble amid allegations of Mexican bribery cover-up
23 Apr 2012 | 1:01 pmFirm faces lengthy investigation of all its foreign subsidiaries over possible violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices ActWalmart faces years of litigation and regulatory scrutiny after revelations that the firm may have covered up a bribery scandal at its Mexican subsidiary, according to legal experts.Shares in the world's largest retailer tumbled on Monday after the company confirmed it was investigating possible violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), which prohibits acts of bribery in foreign countries.The company has yet to comment on allegations, first made by the… -
Walmart investigates claims of cover-up over $24m in Mexican bribes
22 Apr 2012 | 10:33 amNew York Times claims the retailer's senior executives hushed up an internal report into bribery allegationsWalmart is investigating claims that its executives hushed up an internal report that found it paid $24m (£14.8m) in bribes to Mexican officials.The world's largest retailer said it was aggressively looking into allegations that it bribed officials in virtually every corner of Mexico as it fought to build up its empire in the country.The New York Times claimed that senior Walmart executives, including the CEO, Michael Duke, were made aware of the bribery claims in 2005 but hushed up an… -
Tesco shake-up after £5bn battering
12 Jan 2012 | 3:02 pmSupermarket giant vows to transform stores after dismal Christmas sales dent company's stock market valueTesco is to launch a complete overhaul of its supermarkets, including radical curbs on the opening of giant out-of-town superstores, after suffering its worst Christmas in decades.Nearly £5bn was wiped off the company's stock market value on Thursday after the supermarket juggernaut hit the wall during the peak selling season. The firm has broken 30 years of unchecked financial success with the shock warning that UK profits could fall in the coming year.The humbling of the supermarket… -
India postpones plan to allow in Walmart and Tesco
5 Dec 2011 | 8:53 amPolitical opposition forces Indian government to postpone allowing international supermarkets to invest in retail marketThe beleaguered Indian government has been forced to suspend its decision to allow international supermarkets to invest in India's £300bn retail market in the face of political opposition.Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, one of the most senior members of the ruling centre-left Congress party, was reported on Monday to have told leaders of both rightwing and communist opposition parties that the government would postpone the implementation of the move to allow global… -
UK climate aid 'helps Walmart get cheap wind power'
5 Dec 2011 | 7:56 amWDM report, 'Power to the people?', details how money from the UK aid budget has been used by the World Bank to finance a Mexican wind park that provides cheap electricity to WalmartUK climate aid is being used to produce cheap electricity for the US multinational Walmart, according to the World Development Movement, prompting the UK government to respond that it had not seen "any evidence" to justify the claim.A WDM report, 'Power to the people?', details how money from the UK aid budget has been used by the World Bank to finance the La Mata and La Ventosa wind park in the Mexican state of…
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Law: War crimes | guardian.co.uk
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Charles Taylor speaks at sentencing for Sierra Leone war crimes – video
16 May 2012 | 10:03 amThe former Liberian president at the special court for Sierra Leone in Leidschendam, outside The Hague -
Ratko Mladic goes on trial for Bosnia war crimes
16 May 2012 | 9:09 amFormer Serb general gives truculent display at Hague court as prosecution outlines case including 1995 Srebrenica massacreRatko Mladic, the Serb military commander in the Bosnian war, has gone on trial for the worst crimes against humanity that Europe has witnessed since the second world war.Facing 11 charges including two counts of genocide, the 70 year-old former general appeared unrepentant on Wednesday. When he entered the courtroom at a war crimes tribunal in The Hague, he gave a sarcastic thumbs-up and a slow handclap to the public gallery. At one point, he looked directly at a survivor… -
War criminal Charles Taylor appeals for 'reconciliation not retribution'
16 May 2012 | 6:35 amEx-Liberian president shows no contrition or remorse as he addresses judges at Hague sentencing hearingThe convicted war criminal and former Liberian president Charles Taylor has told judges at his sentencing hearing he sympathises with victims of the civil war in Sierra Leone he helped foment, and urged them to decide their sentence against him in a spirit of "reconciliation, not retribution".However, he stopped short of admitting any wrongdoing, apologising for his actions, or expressing remorse.In a landmark ruling in April, judges at the special court for Sierra Leone found Taylor guilty… -
Ratko Mladic war crimes trial begins
16 May 2012 | 4:08 amSerbian commander and others divided Yugoslavia on ethnic lines and instituted extermination of non-Serbs, court toldRatko Mladic, the former Serb military commander during the Bosnian war, has gone on trial for crimes against humanity, 17 years after the conflict came to an end.Mladic faces 11 charges including two counts of genocide, extermination, murder inhumane acts and deportation in connection with the worst atrocities Europe has seen since the Nazi era. More than 100,000 people died, mostly Muslim and Croat civilians.Prosecutor Dermot Groome said Mladic and other Bosnian Serbs had… -
Ratko Mladic trial for Bosnian war crimes begins in The Hague
15 May 2012 | 9:19 pmSerbian general goes on trial at international criminal court accused of atrocities during 1992-95 war, in which 100,000 diedRatko Mladic goes on trial in The Hague on Wednesday charged with masterminding atrocities in Bosnia during the 1992-95 war.Twenty years after Serbian forces unleashed their campaign, Mladic will enter the international criminal court's Yugoslav war crimes tribunal as a frail 70-year-old, a far cry from the swaggering general who commanded Serb forces during a war that left 100,000 dead."I don't have to tell you how important it is that finally this trial can start, 17…
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Environment: Waste | guardian.co.uk
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EU is investing in toxic waste projects in developing world, GAIA claims
16 May 2012 | 9:08 amThe EU is threatening waste-pickers' livelihoods and backing projects that may actually increase emissions, says reportThe EU's clean development mechanism (CDM) is supporting waste projects in developing countries that threaten livelihoods and cause toxic emissions, according to a report by the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA).The study, published on Tuesday in Brussels and entitled The European Union's double standards on waste management and climate policy (pdf), claims the EU is funding waste-to-energy methods that violate its own guidelines and would be illegal in its… -
Breakthrough in mixed plastics recycling as new plant opens
10 May 2012 | 9:42 amThe £15m facility in north Lincolnshire will use advanced technology to integrate the processing of both plastic bottles and polymersA major breakthrough in the challenge of recycling mixed plastics - a long-standing issue for consumers - has been made with the opening of a new national recycling plant.The £15m facility in north Lincolnshire - a joint venture recycling operation between Coca-Cola Enterprises and ECO Plastics - was opened on Thursday by environment minister Lord Taylor, and will be one of the first to use advanced technology to integrate the processing of both plastic… -
Pacific 'garbage patch' changing insect mating habits
9 May 2012 | 6:40 amStudy on vast area of rubbish in north Pacific ocean finds it is beginning to impact on ecosystemMarine insects in the Pacific Ocean are changing their reproduction habitats in response to environmental changes from the accumulating amount of rubbish in the north Pacific subtropical gyre, also known as the great Pacific garbage patch, according to researchers.The patch has increased in size 100 times since the 1970s, including its swath of microplastic particles of less than 5mm diameter. The marine insect Halobates sericeus, a species of water skater, is now using the microplastic debris as… -
Inside the shipbreaking yards of Chittagong - in pictures
5 May 2012 | 6:01 pmThe shipbreaking industry in Bangladesh has been condemned for exposing low-paid workers to asbestos and polluting the environment -
Bangladeshi workers risk lives in shipbreaking yards
5 May 2012 | 7:25 amEU safety rules for recycling yards could save hundreds from injury and poisoning but pose dangers for south Asian economiesWhen the rusty, old supertanker Lara 1 reached Bangladesh two weeks ago, the captain stoked up its engines for the last time and rammed it as far up the beach at Chittagong as possible. The 70-metre tall, 400-metre long iron colossus now squats in the mud in the Rising Steel ship breaking yard, waiting to be picked over by an army of young men risking their lives for little more than £1 a day.The Lara 1 is one of the largest corpses in the world's biggest graveyard of…
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Environment: Water | guardian.co.uk
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Water policy needs 'radical' change to protect people and environment
16 May 2012 | 7:00 amAhead of Rio+20, a report is calling for a joined-up approach to managing the world's water, land and energy demandsThe international community needs to "radically transform" the way it manages water, energy and land to ensure the needs of the poorest people are met and the environment is protected, according to the European Report on Development, published on Wednesday.The flagship report, Confronting scarcity: managing water, energy and land for inclusive and sustainable growth, calls on the EU to adopt an integrated approach to managing the three elements to achieve universal access to… -
Number of English beaches gaining Blue Flag awards rises
15 May 2012 | 12:00 amMore beaches judged good for cleanliness, but tougher standards mean fewer are likely to make the grade next yearThe number of England's beaches gaining Blue Flag awards for cleanliness has increased in 2012. But about 30% of the beaches might not reach tougher water quality standards being introduced next year, said Blue Flag scheme organisers Keep Britain Tidy.For 2012, a total of 79 English beaches have received blue flag awards – nine more than in the previous year.The total puts England in the world's top 10 countries for having the most Blue Flag beaches, out of the 46 countries… -
Are you a gardening good samaritan? | Open thread
14 May 2012 | 9:30 amIslington council wants locals to use their bathwater to water street trees. Tell us how you've helped improve public spacesSometimes the simplest things can brighten your rainy commute to work. To wit: as I was making my way to the Guardian's offices this morning, I noticed that each of the small trees growing along York Way had been adorned with a small laminated public notice, presumably put there by Islington council. It said:"In this time of drought, there is a real risk that some of our trees will suffer greatly if they do not receive enough water. When water is scarce, residents can… -
Letters: Water customers pay for weak regulation
13 May 2012 | 3:00 pmYour report on the shameful situation in the UK's water industry (Forget about leaks until 2015, water firms told, 8 May) contains several twists that serve to reduce the enormity of the outrageous state of affairs that is now apparently being justified, 20 years after the privatisation of this sector. It is significant that the good performance in the early years has ceased over the past 12 years.If a quarter of our water is being wasted, the sector as a whole is incurring production costs that are more that 30% higher than they should be. As private monopolies, within a weak regulatory… -
Parts of England no longer in drought
11 May 2012 | 7:28 amThe Environment Agency has removed drought status in 19 counties, but a hosepipe ban remains in some areasLarge parts of England are no longer in drought, after the wettest April since records began in 1910 and continuing rain this month.The Environment Agency has removed drought status in 19 counties in the south-west, Midlands and Yorkshire, meaning hosepipe bans are unlikely in those areas this summer.Hosepipe bans, imposed by seven water companies, remain in force in London, the south-east and parts of East Anglia. However, Thames Water, the biggest supplier with 8.8 million customers,…
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Politics: Welsh politics | guardian.co.uk
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Labour must show Cardiff credentials, says incoming shadow Welsh secretary
16 May 2012 | 6:25 amParty's rising star Owen Smith says Labour-led government in Wales is championing progressive policies to revive economyThe new shadow Welsh secretary has said it is "crucial" for his party that the Labour-led government in Cardiff shows the whole of the UK what a future Labour administration in Westminster could do.Owen Smith, who replaces Peter Hain, claimed the Labour government in Wales was championing progressive policies designed to create more jobs and business and protect the health service.Smith, regarded as a rising star of Labour, accepted it was important for the national party's… -
Wales gets tough over green travel
9 May 2012 | 3:00 amWhite paper proposes making it compulsory for local authorities to provide safe and integrated routes for walking and cyclingWales is set to become the first country in the world to make it compulsory for local authorities to provide safe and integrated routes for walking and cycling as part of an ambitious plan to boost green travel and end the hegemony of the car.A white paper launched on Wednesday morning by the Labour-led government in Cardiff will oblige Welsh councils and other authorities to identify, plan and implement walking and cycling routes, and how they can be integrated. The… -
London mayor and local election results - Friday 4 May
4 May 2012 | 1:56 pmLive coverage as results come in from local elections across England, Wales and Scotland – and Boris Johnson and Ken Livingstone find out who will be the next mayor of London• Live results dashboard• Full results: England | Scotland | Wales | London assembly• Read the latest summary of key points• Labour win more than 700 seats6.34am: Good morning and welcome to today's live coverage of the local election results in England, Wales and Scotland and the London mayoral contest. Many thanks to Andrew Sparrow, who has been covering events live overnight.Here's an early morning… -
Wales has delivered a damning verdict on the coalition | Laura McAllister
4 May 2012 | 1:40 pmLabour gave Welsh voters an opportunity to express frustration at the coalition agenda – one that Plaid Cymru could not matchIn this election we've really seen the multi-levelled nature of devolved politics play out fully. It's the first time the Westminster government has been of a different complexion to the Welsh assembly. And the clear headline in Wales is a resounding success for Labour – just as it has been across England too.Labour conducted a clever campaign – making sure this was a Westminster-orientated vote. The party motivated voters by saying: this is an opportunity to give… -
Council elections in Wales: full list of summary results
4 May 2012 | 1:30 pmResults from every Welsh council holding local elections on May 3 2012, as they are announced. All are for the full council.Results at 19:30 BST Blaenau Gwent Lab gain from IndParty and seats won (seats on new council, change) Conservative 0 (0) Labour 33 (33, 17) British National Party 0 (0) Plaid Cymru 0 (0) Independent/Other 9 (9, -17) Bridgend Lab gain from NOCParty and seats won (seats on new council, change) Conservative 1 (1, -5) Labour 39 (39, 12) Liberal Democrat 3 (3, -3) Plaid Cymru 1 (1) Green 0 (0) Independent/Other 10 (10, -4) Caerphilly Lab gain from NOCParty and seats won…
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Politics: Michael White's political briefing | guardian.co.uk
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Peter Tatchell's right, we don't need a law against hurt feelings
16 May 2012 | 5:56 amOffensive comments are the price we pay for free speech so Tatchell is right to back campaign to reform Public Order ActWhat a pleasure to wake up, not only to find the sun shining on the kitchen again but to hear Peter Tatchell on the radio defending free speech in wise and generous terms worthy of the national treasure which the legendary gay rights activist has gradually become.What was Tatchell on about? The campaign which has united diehard rivals such as the National Secular Society and the Christian Institute, not to mention loads of MPs and even peers, to amend the 1986 Public Order… -
François Hollande's brutal baptism into the summit club
15 May 2012 | 9:46 amBerlin, Washington, Chicago: and that's just the first week. Pity the novice French president, thrust into a high-stakes gameAs François Hollande spends most of his first week as president of France flying from one important summit to another – from Berlin to Washington and on to Chicago – he will start to feel the immense pressure of high office, which he has previously been able only to imagine.His brutal baptism of fire, with the eyes of the world upon him, initiates the newcomer into a small club with a high casualty rate and, in 2012, the highest stakes since the end of the cold… -
Conservative 1922 committee votes as Europe burns
15 May 2012 | 7:07 amThe protracted recession is unsettling politics-as-usual but how will this affect the Tory backbench factions battling for power?The eurozone totters amid familiar predictions from Athens to Madrid that the old politics is dead. Meanwhile Britain's Conservative party, as enduring a three-century symbol of the old politics as you could hope to find, is engaged in what it regards as a titanic struggle for its future: the new session's elections to the executive of the backbench 1922 committee.The '22 is the Tory equivalent of the Parliamentary Labour party (PLP), the elected members' trade… -
To be a Tory, or not a Tory - that is the question | Michael White
10 May 2012 | 5:14 amConservative MP for Stratford-upon-Avon Nadhim Zahawi posited during the Queen's Speech debate that William Shakespeare was a natural Tory. Maybe, maybe not …The Tory MP Nadhim Zahawi made a witty contribution to Wednesday's Commons debate on the Queen's speech programme, one in which he defended the coalition's economic strategy, attacked the greedy habits of fat cat bankers and ended with an even more controversial assertion: that a former constituent in Stratford-upon-Avon "was in his soul and actions a natural Tory".His name? William Shakespeare. It's a familiar thesis, based both on… -
Coalition duo out of the rose garden and into the tractor factory
8 May 2012 | 4:07 pmThe macho backdrop for the Cameron-Clegg anniversary speech was strangely evocative of Soviet era of five-year plansAlmost exactly two years after their fateful tryst in the Downing Street rose garden, David Cameron and Nick Clegg are sick and tired of people likening their coalition knee-trembler to a marriage. Politically speaking, they're not even engaged. And, if they were, they'd be dividing up the CDs after last week's election battering.Where better to shake off the taint of matrimonial metaphor and renew their alliance on a more business-like footing than in Basildon? No one goes on…
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Environment: Wildlife | guardian.co.uk
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American rivers under threat - interactive
16 May 2012 | 8:26 amThe America's Most Endangered Rivers report highlights 10 rivers whose fate will be decided in the coming year, and encourages decision-makers to protect them and the communities they supportEric HilaireToby ChasseaudPaddy Allen -
Charles Rothschild's incredible legacy on the Wildlife Trust's 100th birthday | Tony Juniper
16 May 2012 | 6:01 amA hundred years ago today, Rothschild created the first organisation committed to protecting the UK's wildlife areasSome ideas are so self-evident they barely require explanation. One such concept is that of nature reserves. Most countries have them and today they cover more than 13% of the world's land area.But 100 years ago things were different. There were very few nature reserves of any kind, and in the face of an onslaught unleashed by modern farming and industry natural areas rich in wildlife were disappearing fast. This was especially the case in industrialised countries such as Great… -
Free guide to spotting urban wildlife, this Saturday with the Guardian
15 May 2012 | 11:14 amGet out and about this weekend with our free guide to discovering animals in your cityYou might think that our towns and cities are so jam-packed with human inhabitants, that there's little room for the rest of the animal kingdom. Yet nothing could be further from the truth. Our cities are a mosaic of "micro-habitats" providing food, water, green spaces and places to breed – the natural equivalent of a five-star hotel. Hence the presence of a huge range of animals, from badgers to bats, hawkmoths to herons, and sparrows to seals..This Saturday, we aim to prove that wildlife doesn't simply… -
WWF Living Planet Report: Monitoring Global Biodiversity
15 May 2012 | 5:34 amAround the world, WWF helps to monitor changes in the size of wildlife populations to indicate trends in global biodiversity -
Behind the scenes at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology hawk cam | video | GrrlScientist
15 May 2012 | 2:00 amThis video captures the time and effort it took to mount a birdcam on a light tower overlooking Cornell University's athletic fieldOne of the many things that I love about all this newly affordable miniaturised technology is the astonishing number of birdcams that are sprouting up all around the world. These birdcams are providing the general public with an unprecedented "bird's eye view" of a growing number of animal species for the first time in the history of mankind. This can only be good for animals and for conservation. This video provides a behind-the-scenes look at the expertise and…
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Sport: Wimbledon | guardian.co.uk
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Increase in Wimbledon prize money benefits lower-ranked players
24 Apr 2012 | 9:42 am• Leading players called for recognition of rising costs• Players losing in qualifying and first round to receive £14,500Wimbledon officials have agreed to a substantial increase to the prize money for the 2012 Championships following talks with Andy Murray and the world's leading players.The All England club chairman, Philip Brook, met Murray, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer at Indian Wells in March to discuss the increasingly thorny issue. As a result, the total fund for 2012 will increase by 10% to £16.1m with the men's and women's champions receiving an extra £50,000… -
Andy Murray targets grass court double at Wimbledon and London 2012
10 Apr 2012 | 11:26 am• Olympic tournament is the fifth grand slam, says Murray• Scot to defend Aegon Championship title at Queen's ClubAndy Murray is chasing a dream double this summer – his first Wimbledon title and an Olympic gold medal for Great Britain. The world No4 considers the Olympic tennis tournament, which this summer will be held at SW19, to be tennis's fifth grand slam and he is relishing the opportunity of competing at London 2012.Murray was a first-round loser in the singles competition at the Beijing Olympics but the experience in 2008 left a lasting impression on him. "This summer coming up… -
Richard Lewis to become new chief executive at Wimbledon
10 Apr 2012 | 6:50 am• Lewis leaves post of chairman at the Rugby Football League• Prospect of helping shape Wimbledon 'one to be relished'Richard Lewis will swap one crisis-hit sport for another when he leaves the Rugby Football League at the end of the month to return to his first love of tennis as the chief executive of the All England Club, which runs Wimbledon.However, unlike in league, where his position as the chairman of the governing body left him at the sharp end of growing criticism from the Super League clubs over the financial state of the game, Lewis will be a comfortable distance away from the… -
Dan Evans aims for Wimbledon wild card after heartening Davis Cup
9 Apr 2012 | 1:49 pm• Good results in challengers may seal place in top 250• British captain hopes Andy Murray will play next seasonDan Evans has set his sights on earning a Wimbledon wild card after giving another glimpse of his potential in the Davis Cup defeat by Belgium at the weekend.Britain were underdogs for the Europe/Africa Zone Group I tie and the 4-1 defeat in Glasgow was no surprise but Josh Goodall and Evans were far from disgraced against much higher-ranked opponents in the singles.At 253 in the world Goodall was giving away at least 100 places to all four of Belgium's team while for… -
Tennis is cheap, friendly and thrilling – so why are so few of us playing it? | Simon Hattenstone
5 Apr 2012 | 9:59 amA lack of winning stars shouldn't put us off this wonderful game – we may not have a Fed or Venus, but we'll always have VirginiaI'm a tennis bore. Just mention the game, and I come out with the same thing. "Ah wonderful game, play every Sunday, do you know my tennis partner is 81 years old. Great man – got the choppiest wrists in Britain." Zzzzzzzz.But I am inordinately proud of my Sunday tennis game – partly because, at 49 years old, I am the baby (the other two are 67 and 74) of the bunch, and partly because it is so invigorating, inclusive and life-affirming. Which makes it…
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Life and style: Women | guardian.co.uk
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Skinny white models could be bad for business
16 May 2012 | 6:52 amA new study shows women are more likely to buy clothes if the models look like themDebate around skinniness in fashion is not new. From blogs to magazine editors to parliament, the issue of abnormally thin models comes up again and again, whether it's Lib Dem MP Jo Swinson calling for airbrushing to be banned in advertising or Vogue Italy's Franca Sozzani admitting that "the current inclination to embrace a female beauty standard that exalts thinness has devastating consequences on many adolescents' eating habits."But despite the chorus of protest, alarm and disgust, nothing ever really seems… -
From the archive, 16 May 1929: The Woman's Alternative: Tired feminist or helpless parasite?
16 May 2012 | 1:30 amMan has been only too ready to allow feminist doctrines to work out to his own advantageIn the May number of "Harper's Magazine" Miss Lillian Symes writes that she is growing weary of the losing game played by the modern woman. Man, she complains, has been only too ready to allow feminist doctrines to work out to his own advantage, and complacently to watch his wife assume the double burden of domestic responsibility and financial contribution to the household while thankfully cutting down by half his old economic obligations.Miss Symes has plenty of concrete cases to submit in support of her… -
Shorter cuts: news doesn't get any smaller
15 May 2012 | 2:00 pmHow Britney Spears came out on top, mobile phones on planes and why the recession is bad for your love lifeBested by BritneyUS singer Demi Lovato (nope, we hadn't either) must have been miffed to discover the other new American X Factor judge is world-famous pop star Britney Spears. Thunder promptly stolen.Payback timeSixty years ago the House of Commons agreed equal pay for women doing the same jobs as men. But, according to the Fawcett Society, women working full-time are still on average paid 14.9 % less.I'm on the plane!Virgin Atlantic has just ruined one of the greatest pleasures of air… -
Aishwarya Rai's post-baby body forces India to confront its attitude to women
15 May 2012 | 11:00 amThe former Miss World is due to appear at the Cannes festival as a debate about her weight rages in her home countryAishwarya Rai is no stranger to Cannes. The Bollywood actor and former Miss World has attended the film festival 10 times, but her appearance on the red carpet next week is set to be her most talked about. The cause of a controversy raging in India lies not with her latest film – Rai is there to promote a cosmetic brand rather than a new movie – but instead, bewilderingly, with recent photographs which suggest that, six months after giving birth to a baby girl, Rai has… -
Men of the Cannes film festival, keep defending those masculine values | La Barbe
15 May 2012 | 9:17 amOpen letter: Women may adorn the awards ceremony and prettify the posters, but, mon dieu, don't let them behind the camera"What has changed in cinema? Everything has changed!" exclaimed Gilles Jacob, president of the Cannes film festival, during the presentation of the 65th Cannes festival film nominations. Everything?! For one second, we trembled. But for no reason, it turned out, as the 22 officially selected movies – happy coincidence – were directed by 22 men. This 65th festival will end up giving the precious award to a male director for the 63rd time, defending the masculine values…
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Football: Women's football | guardian.co.uk
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London 2012: Stuart Pearce's Team GB to face Brazil in July friendly
26 Apr 2012 | 6:46 am• Men's team to play Brazil at Middlesbrough on 20 July• Women's team face Sweden as part of double-headerThe first match involving a Great Britain men's team for 41 years will be an Olympic warm-up against Brazil at Middlesbrough on 20 July, the Football Association has confirmed.The match will put Stuart Pearce's side up against one of the favourites for the competition, and will be part of a double-header at the Riverside Stadium, with the Team GB women's team, coached by Hope Powell, taking on Sweden beforehand.A Great Britain team last played an international in an Olympic qualifier… -
Women's Super League on the rise and geared up for year of opportunity
7 Apr 2012 | 4:55 pmAttendances increased last year and now talented homegrown players are returning from the United States in a pivotal year when the Olympics will also lift the English top flightThe experience of Karen Carney suggests that times are changing. "At school I was bullied because I played football," the Birmingham City and England striker says. "But now I meet the same people and they can't speak highly enough of the women's game. It's been crazy finding out how many guys in their 20s now watch women's football and absolutely love it. But we still need to change perceptions of the older men, who… -
Women footballers bring new life to the beautiful game and score with Twitter
7 Apr 2012 | 9:22 amAs the new season kicks off, social networking is propelling a game long ignored by pundits from the sidelines to the pitchAfter years of feeling underrated and overlooked by mainstream football pundits and press, women's football is coming into its own this season thanks to social media.New research shows that the women's version of the game is now the third biggest team sport in the UK in terms of participation, behind only men's football and cricket.Its previous lack of recognition is being overcome by fans turning to social networking to follow the sport. The second ever season of the… -
Players take to Twitter in bid to boost Women's Super League
4 Apr 2012 | 2:30 pm• Second Women's Super League season kicks off on Sunday• World Cup final between USA and Japan set Twitter recordEight of England's top female footballers will take the unprecedented step of displaying their Twitter account name on their jerseys in an effort to increase interest in the women's game.The second Women's Super League season kicks off on Sunday and one player from each club will wear the social network handle on a shirt sleeve to encourage supporters to get in touch.Last year's World Cup final between the USA and Japan set a worldwide record for the number of tweets per… -
Croatia 0-6 England | Women's European qualifying match
31 Mar 2012 | 1:53 pmCroatia 0 England 6 (R Williams 4, Clarke 15, Unitt 18, White 35, Houghton 45, 68)The Birmingham City left-back Rachel Unitt celebrated her 100th England cap with a goal as Hope Powell's team, despite being well below full strength, boosted their Euro 2013 qualifying hopes with a comfortable victory over Group Six's bottom team.Minus the Arsenal trio of Kelly Smith, Rachel Yankey and Faye White plus the Lincoln team-mates Casey Stoney and Sophie Bradley, England might have been tested against sterner opposition. But from the moment that the Birmingham striker Rachel Williams headed home from…
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Life and style: Word of Mouth blog | guardian.co.uk
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Street food: a bit of a performance
16 May 2012 | 3:50 amSuccessful street traders have always understood that a little theatre brings in the punters, and the new generation is no exceptionOn my first day selling fruit and veg down the market, the boss entrusted me with my own costermonger's cry – "new potaters, easy scrapers, all the way from En-ger-land." I was studying drama for A-level (and, to be honest, had rather wowed in the school's production of The Italian Straw Hat) and was happy to try channelling a time when food on the street was all "cried" or "hawked". Yes, a bit too Dick Van Dyke, but I put a smile on people's faces. And I sold. -
Rise of the single dish restaurant
15 May 2012 | 4:10 amFrom mango monomania to the meatball menu, restaurants offering Hobson's choice are appearing everywhereIt's often said that less is more, and the restaurant industry has taken this literally with a flurry of single and dual dish restaurants opening lately. Like the trend for shorter wine lists, menus are becoming pared down with just a handful of options. But are simple menus here to stay? Or are these restaurants just one, or two, hit wonders?Dual dish restaurants are having a bit of a moment right now. The folk behind Goodman opened Burger & Lobster in December last year to rapturous… -
Lancashire marches on East Anglia, armed with cheese
14 May 2012 | 11:35 amCorrie's Martin Platt leads a pongy invasion with a truck full of Smelly Apeth, How's Your Father and Mouth Almighty. Rebecca Smithers is clearing room in her fridgeAs 'cheeky chappy' Martin Platt he was the father of the deeplyirritating David Platt and the hapless husband of the equally annoyingGail.But since leaving the cobbles of Coronation Street seven years ago,actor Sean Wilson has swapped his nurse's uniform for a catering hat and overalls and turned his attention to a different art - that of artisan cheese making.Food fanatic Wilson (who claims to have 300 cookbooks groaning on… -
For the love of sausages
14 May 2012 | 4:30 amAll over the world the sausage is the embodiment of comfort food. What's your favourite?• Quiz: test your sausage knowledge• In pictures: 10 interesting sausagesWhile I've been writing this guide I've found that sausages hold a special place in people's affections. With little prompting, friends, acquaintances and strangers would invariably smile and tell me about their favourite type or a fond memory. For everyone loves sausages; even the most sophisticated gourmet finds them nigh irresistible. That's probably down to the fact that they evoke just the right sort of childhood memories: of… -
The powdered mini hamburger meal
11 May 2012 | 4:40 amWhat's the attraction of a miniature hamburger meal painstakingly assembled entirely from packets of dried ingredients?The packet came, with its unmistakeably Japanese garishness, its jarring colours, fonts, slashes and squiggles. Inside it lay the Kracie Happy Kitchen powdered hamburger meal: a new and unsettling miniature. Six foil sachets filled with powders, some plastic cutlery and plastic tubs. You open the box, slice along dotted lines, cut out the plastic tubs, get some water, mix the powders separately, spread stuff, microwave stuff, and gradually assemble a fast food lunch, or what…
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Business: World Bank | guardian.co.uk
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World Bank calls on countries to take urgent steps to protect 'natural capital'
9 May 2012 | 5:00 amPutting a monetary value on natural ecosystems is a key step on the road to 'green' economic growth, report saysCountries must take urgent steps to value their natural capital – such as forests, peatlands and coastal areas – as part of their economic development, the World Bank has urged.Placing a monetary value on natural ecosystems is a key step on the road to "green" economic growth, according to the World Bank, which published a report on green growth on Wednesday at a conference in Seoul, Korea.By making such estimates, countries can develop policies that ensure the pursuit of… -
Imperialism didn't end. These days it's known as international law | George Monbiot
30 Apr 2012 | 2:30 pmA one-sided justice sees weaker states punished as rich nations and giant corporations project their power across the worldThe conviction of Charles Taylor, the former president of Liberia, is said to have sent an unequivocal message to current leaders: that great office confers no immunity. In fact it sent two messages: if you run a small, weak nation, you may be subject to the full force of international law; if you run a powerful nation, you have nothing to fear.While anyone with an interest in human rights should welcome the verdict, it reminds us that no one has faced legal consequences… -
Unctad is astute and progressive – so why don't developed countries like it? | Jayati Ghosh
30 Apr 2012 | 1:00 amEfforts to limit an agency that delivers sound advice based on solid research suggest a reductive approach to economicsFor those who believed that the north-south divide is history, the goings on before and during the 13th UN Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad) must have come as a surprise. For some time before the conference took place in Doha, Qatar, in late April, there were rumblings from representatives of certain countries the organisation classifies as developed about the work done at Unctad. During the conference itself, negotiations about what to put in the document defining… -
Selection of Jim Yong Kim to lead the World Bank inspires foreboding | Jagdish Bhagwati
27 Apr 2012 | 9:22 amThe rejection of Nigeria's finance minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, puts the unfinished task of development in serious dangerThe selection of the American nominee Jim Yong Kim as president of the World Bank over Nigeria's finance minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who was overwhelmingly regarded as a vastly superior candidate, is impossible to condone but easy to explain. It also points to serious dangers for the unfinished task of development.The selection process suffered from several iniquities and non-transparent features that undermined US claims to the contrary.Indeed, those claims were of a… -
Campaigners claim World Bank helps facilitate land grabs in Africa
23 Apr 2012 | 9:00 amFood shortages and rural deprivation exacerbated by World Bank policy, says NGO ahead of land and poverty conferenceThe World Bank is helping corporations and international investors snap up cheap land in Africa and developing countries worldwide at the expense of local communities, environment and farm groups said in a statement released on Monday to coincide with the bank's annual land and poverty conference in Washington DC.According to the groups, which include NGO Friends of the Earth International (FOEI) and international peasants' group La Via Campesina, decades of World Bank policies…
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World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk
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Obama campaign raises $43m in April – US politics live
16 May 2012 | 1:29 pmObama's re-election campaign raises $43m in April, while Karl Rove's super Pac plans a huge attack ad spree - live2.18pm: The Federal Reserve's interest rate-setting committee has released the minutes of its last meeting, at the end of last month. Amidst all the talk about the economy, there was also this discussion about the impact of the political battle over the federal budget:Participants expected that the government sector would be a drag on economic growth over coming quarters. They generally saw the US fiscal situation also as a risk to the economic outlook; if agreement is not reached… -
King of Jordan orders inquiry into claims of abuse in children's homes
16 May 2012 | 1:28 pmUndercover investigation by BBC Arabic reveals allegations of abuse of mentally and physically disabled childrenThe king of Jordan has ordered an inquiry into allegations of abuse in private children's homes that were made in an undercover investigation aired in the country this week.The BBC Arabic programme revealed allegations of abuse of children with mental and physical illnesses – some as young as seven or eight – that included sexual abuse, beatings, insults and swearing.It is common for wealthy parents from across the Middle East to send children to Jordan for treatment. But BBC… -
Abuse of disabled children in Jordan's care homes - video
16 May 2012 | 1:26 pmThis film documents the shocking abuse of children with disabilities in Jordan's care homes using undercover filming and eyewitness testimony -
Five reasons not to buy Facebook shares
16 May 2012 | 1:22 pmThe sale will likely generate billions, but hidden just beneath the buzz are signs that not all is well for Silicon Valley's starOn Friday, Facebook will finally become a public company. The hotly anticipated initial public offering (IPO) will be the largest tech company share sale ever and is expected to value the social network at over $100bn – more than the combined value of Nike and Goldman Sachs. But not everyone is cheering Facebook on. Ahead of the sale of the century, here are five signals that suggest there may be choppy days ahead for Facebook's investors. A lot of smart guys just… -
Dropping Rio Ferdinand for Euro 2012 sends out the wrong message | Rodney Hinds
16 May 2012 | 1:05 pmIt's hard to believe this happened for footballing reasons. It's John Terry who should be dropped until he's cleared his nameRio Ferdinand has surely played his last game for England. After 81 games for the national side, the central defender has been axed from the Euro 2012 squad by new England manager Roy Hodgson. Ferdinand's omission has had many in and outside of the game scratching their heads. Is it a football decision, or a political decision?One of Hodgson's first tasks as the England chief was to address the impasse between Ferdinand and fellow central defender John Terry, whose seat…
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World news: Yemen | guardian.co.uk
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Yemeni troops kill al-Qaida militants
14 May 2012 | 12:43 pmMilitary officials say 10 killed in air strike on hideout and six killed in missile attack on vehicle in troubled southern regionYemeni troops have killed at least 16 militants in the troubled south where the army is trying to uproot al-Qaida, military officials say.In one attack, Yemeni warplanes struck an al-Qaida hideout about 45 miles (70km) from Zinjibar, the provincial capital of Abyan, killing at least 10 militants. The army also fired missiles at a moving vehicle on the outskirts of Lawder, killing six militants, the officials said.The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because… -
Yemen says US drone strikes have killed 11 al-Qaida militants in two days
13 May 2012 | 7:49 amIncreasing pace of US strikes against al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula comes as US expert warns of anti-western sentimentSuspected US drones have killed 11 alleged al-Qaida militants in a strike in southern Yemen, local military authorities have said.The first of the two attacks took place on Saturday near the border of Marib and Shabwa provinces southeast of the capital, Sana'a, killing six militants, including one Egyptian national, the Yemeni officials said. A second strike hit two cars in Marib, killing a further five al-Qaida-linked fighters.The air strikes come a week after the US took… -
Drone strikes in Yemen: US expert warns of anti-western sentiment
11 May 2012 | 4:59 pmFormer CIA counter-terrorism chief says US military strategy in the region is forcing Yemenis into violent extremismThe former head of the CIA's counter-terrorism centre has warned that the use of drone strikes in Yemen risks turning militants into "dedicated enemies of the west".Robert Grenier, who was director of the intelligence agency's counter-terrorism unit from 2004 to 2006, said the US risked turning Yemen into the "Arabian equivalent of Waziristan", a reference to the strife-torn Pakistani region.His comments came after the resignation of the US ambassador to Pakistan, Cameron… -
Underwear bomb plot: British and US intelligence rattled over leaks
11 May 2012 | 1:26 pmLeak about UK involvement described as despicable by CIA as anger turns to Obama administration for compromising missionDetailed leaks of operational information about the foiled underwear bomb plot are causing growing anger in the US intelligence community, with former agents blaming the Obama administration for undermining national security and compromising the British services, MI6 and MI5.The Guardian has learned from Saudi sources that the agent was not a Saudi national as was widely reported, but a Yemeni. He was born in Saudi Arabia, in the port city of Jeddah, and then studied and… -
Drone attacks: MI5 and MI6 will have to get used to prying eyes | Richard Norton-Taylor
11 May 2012 | 10:41 amAs the role and reach of British security and intelligence agencies increases, they are being watched – and rightly soThe last thing MI5 and MI6 wanted after the exposure of their involvement, wittingly or otherwise, in the abuse and torture of terror suspects was to be dragged into a huge new controversy. This time, it involved a double agent's sting operation leading to the capture of an apparently sophisticated "underwear" bomb and the deaths of suspected militants and potential terrorists in US drone attacks.For the CIA, MI6, and their Saudi and Yemeni partners, it seemed a brilliant…
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World news: Zambia | guardian.co.uk
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Letters: Zambia's debt to Bert
23 Apr 2012 | 3:00 pmAlthough the main emphasis was Bert Weedon's influence on UK guitarists (Obituary, 21 April), he did influence musicians beyond these shores, including Zambia, in sub-Saharan Africa, an unknown in terms of music. In a part of the world where music is more a hobby than a big money earner, the early Zambian bands and musicians of the 60s through to the 80s emulated his clean sound, to which they could add their fuzz and distortions. My older sibling's red Gibson/Epiphone E335 mimicked Bert's sound from an album which had songs like Elvis's Can't Help Fallin' in Love and South of the Border on… -
Southern African countries collaborate on plans for climate research centre
23 Apr 2012 | 1:00 amWindhoek-based facility to open in August after South Africa, Angola, Botswana, Zambia and Namibia commit to projectFive countries in southern Africa have joined forces to launch a research centre that will work on combating climate change in the region. South Africa, Angola, Botswana, Zambia and Namibia signed a declaration on Wednesday to base the initiative in the Namibian capital Windhoek.The Southern African Science Service Centre for Climate Change and Adaptive Land Management (Sasscal) is intended to support cross-border research and land management.Ministers from the five countries… -
The Rev Merfyn Temple obituary
27 Mar 2012 | 10:33 amMy father-in-law, the Rev Merfyn Temple, who has died aged 92, once described himself as the last Victorian missionary to central Africa. His father, the Rev John Temple, was a Methodist missionary in China, where he met and married Merfyn's mother, Ruth, a nurse who had travelled alone to China from London. Merfyn's father-in-law, the Rev Douglas Grey, was also a Methodist missionary; he founded a girls' school at Chipembi, Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia).Merfyn was born in Wimbledon, south-west London, while his parents were on furlough. He was educated at the Leys school, Cambridge. He then… -
UK urged to support Zambia's tax-raising from multinationals
29 Feb 2012 | 6:01 amZambian NGO tells UK parliamentary committee that Britain must keep up support for Zambia to increase tax base and revenue from mining companiesA Zambian NGO has urged the UK to continue its support for Zambia's tax authority to ensure that more revenue is raised from mining companies and other multinationals.The Centre for Trade Policy and Development (CTPD) said the new Zambian government has taken steps to increase the country's tax base – but, compared with the total amount of revenue that could be raised, there is a long way to go.Savior Mwambwa, executive director of the CTPD, gave… -
In praise of ... the Copper Bullets | Editorial
14 Feb 2012 | 5:10 pmZambia are champions of Africa, 19 years after its national team perished in a plane crash that undermined relations with Gabon"For most Zambians, it was like putting something to bed." So said a supporter after her country's dramatic penalty shootout win over Ivory Coast in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday. Zambia's worst footballing disaster took place 19 years ago, when a rickety old military plane carrying a gifted national team crashed after takeoff, killing all on board. The plane had just refuelled at Libreville in Gabon, and the disaster plunged relations between…
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World news: Zimbabwe | guardian.co.uk
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The Two Gentlemen of Verona – review
14 May 2012 | 11:44 amShakespeare's Globe, LondonWhat is probably Shakespeare's first play is not frequently performed – it was once on an RSC list of works believed to be guaranteed to lose money – so staging it in Shona, spoken in Zimbabwe, with a cast of two seems particularly brave, at least on paper. In practice, this version, by London-based company Two Gents and first staged in 2008, is uproariously entertaining, even when the gags in Shona are busily sailing over your head, and is obviously adored by a vocal Globe audience, including a sizeable Zimbabwean contingent whose members at some points scream… -
MPs to ask firms to explain how UK taxes helped dictators build arsenals
7 May 2012 | 1:39 pmAmong questionable ethical deals was £35m lent to Robert Mugabe and spent on BAE's Hawk fighter jetsBritain's arms industry and other companies are to be called before MPs to explain why taxpayer funds ended up helping Robert Mugabe to buy five Hawk fighter jets and 1,030 police Land Rovers which he later used to suppress dissent.The bosses of the world's biggest multinational defence and oil companies, including BAE Systems and BP, will be asked to account for why hundreds of millions of pounds of government money was used to help military dictators build up their arsenals, and facilitated… -
Aid to Zimbabwe must take account of resettled farmers on contested land | Alex Duval Smith
4 May 2012 | 6:45 amThe UK's decision not to help Zimbabweans who were resettled on land owned by white farmers fails to alleviate hardshipIt is 12 years since President Robert Mugabe responded to divisions in his party and the rise of an opposition by launching a "fast-track" resettlement programme in which 4,500 white commercial farmers were thrown off the land and replaced by 150,000 black families.It feels as though it is almost as long since Britain took a close look at Zimbabwe and assessed what should be achieved with the £80m ($126m) of taxpayers' money spent there each year. Britain's priorities count. -
Zimbabwe's resettled farmers struggle to educate their children | Alex Duval Smith
24 Apr 2012 | 1:00 amSchools on formerly white-owned farms in Zimbabwe are sorely lacking in facilities and equipment, and receive little funding from the government or foreign donorsIn the old kitchen at Dunstan farm, desks have been pushed up against the cream-coloured Aga. Children are having a maths lesson. The dining room where black staff served three generations of the Cullinan family is also a classroom. The children have dumped their schoolbags in the grand fireplace before sitting down for their lesson.A decade after President Robert Mugabe launched a "fast-track" resettlement programme that chased… -
Robert Mugabe appeals for calm on Zimbabwe's independence day – video
18 Apr 2012 | 4:37 pmAt ceremony in national stadium in Harare, president urges political parties to ensure looming election is peaceful
