The Guardian World News
Back to News Portal
02/04/2012 06:25 AMFury over Homs massacre as UN security council gathers for Syria vote Embassies attacked over killing of more than 200 people ahead of vote calling for President Bashar al-Assad to resign
More than 200 people have been killed in shelling by Syrian forces in the city of Homs, according to activists, as the UN security council prepares to vote on a draft resolution backing an Arab call for President Bashar al-Assad to resign.
As news of the violence spread, a crowd of Syrians stormed their country's embassy in Cairo and protests broke out outside Syrian missions in Britain, Germany and the United States.
Death tolls cited by activists and opposition groups ranged from 217 to 260, making the Homs attack the deadliest so far in Assad's crackdown on protests that erupted 11 months ago inspired by uprisings that overthrew three Arab leaders.
Residents said Syrian forces began shelling the Khalidiya neighbourhood at around 8pm on Friday using artillery and mortars. They said at least 36 houses were destroyed with families inside."We were sitting inside our house when we started hearing the shelling. We felt shells were falling on our heads," said Waleed, a resident of Khalidiya.
It was not immediately clear what had prompted Syrian forces to launch such an intense bombardment, just as diplomats at the security council were discussing the draft resolution supporting the Arab League demand for Assad to step aside.
Some activists said the violence was triggered by a wave of army defections in Homs, a stronghold of protests and armed insurgents whom Assad has vowed to crush.
"The death toll is now at least 217 people killed in Homs, 138 of them killed in the Khalidiya district," Rami Abdulrahman, head of the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told Reuters, citing witnesses.
"Syrian forces are shelling the district with mortars from several locations, some buildings are on fire. There are also buildings which got destroyed."
A Syrian activist said Assad forces bombarded Khalidiya, a key anti-Assad district, to scare other rebel neighbourhoods. "It does not seem that they get it. Even if they kill 10 million of us, the people will not stop until we topple him."
The opposition Syrian National Council said 260 civilians were killed, describing it as "one of the most horrific massacres since the beginning of the uprising in Syria". It added that it believed Assad's forces were preparing for similar attacks around Damascus and in the northern town of Jisr al-Shughour.Another group, the Local Co-ordination Committees, gave a death toll of more than 200. It is not possible to verify activist or state media reports as Syria restricts independent media access.
Video footage on the Internet showed at least eight bodies assembled in a room, one of them with the top half of its head blown off. A voice on the video said the bombardment was continuing as the footage was filmed.
One activist said residents were using primitive tools to rescue people. They feared many were buried under rubble.
"We are not getting any help, there are no ambulances or anything. We are removing the people with our own hands," he said, adding there were only two field hospitals treating the wounded. Each one had a capacity to deal with 30 people, but he estimated the total number of wounded at 500.
"We have dug out at least 100 bodies so far, they are placed in the two mosques."At the UN, the Security Council is due to vote on Saturday on a draft resolution endorsing an Arab League plan calling for Assad to resign.
It is unclear if Russia will abstain or use its veto. Moscow has opposed significant security council action on Syria.
Western diplomats in New York said the latest violence might make it more difficult for Russia to block it. "Would they dare, with what is happening in Homs?" one told Reuters.Russia has balked at any language that would open to door to "regime change" in Syria, its crucial Middle East ally where Moscow operates a naval base.
In Cairo a crowd stormed the Syrian embassy, smashing furniture and setting fire to parts of the building in protest over the Homs bloodshed, an embassy official and a witness said.
The gate of the embassy was broken and furniture was smashed on the second floor of the building, a Reuters witness said. It was the second attack on the mission in a week.
In London more than 100 Syrians hurled stones at the Syrian embassy overnight, smashing windows and shouting slogans, and five people were arrested after trying to break in, according to reports.
At a rally in Washington people shouted "Syria soon will be free" outside the mission, according to TV footage.In the Syrian cities of Hama and Idlib activists said hundreds of people took to the streets in solidarity. "Homs is bombarded and you are still sleeping?" they chanted in Idlib.
In Hama armed forces shot dead one person on Friday as they moved to break up a protest marking the anniversary of a 1982 massacre by troops loyal to Assad's father, activists said.
The Observatory said forces dispersed protests in the Janoub al-Malaab district of Hama where people had planned to release 1,000 red balloons to mark the killing of more than 10,000 people when Hafez al-Assad's forces crushed an Islamist uprising.
Violence also returned to the commercial hub Aleppo, which had largely remained on the sidelines of the uprising.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
02/03/2012 04:54 PMAnonymous hacks into phone call between FBI and Scotland Yard Investigators can be heard discussing joint inquiry into cybercrime in 15-minute call released on the internet
Hackers from the group Anonymous have broadcast a private conference call between the FBI and Scotland Yard exposing details of an international cybercrime investigation, the FBI has confirmed.
The FBI and Scotland Yard admitted that the security of the call had been breached.
Investigators can be heard discussing their joint inquiry into a cybercrime investigation going through the British courts, and linked to investigations in New York, Baltimore, Los Angeles and Ireland.
It is understood the breach occurred at the US end of the call. As the news broke, Anonymous began taunting the FBI, asking if it was curious about how the group could keep reading the bureau's internal communications.
Investigators can be heard on the broadcast talking about named individuals who have been charged in the UK with hacking into the website of the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca).
In one lengthy exchange, the British contingent can be heard discussing a 15-year-old hacker as a "wannabe" and a "pain in the bum". The 15-minute call has been broadcast on the internet, but the names of some of the individuals being sought have been bleeped out by the hackers.
Scotland Yard said: "We are aware of the video which relates to an FBI conference call involving a PCeU [member of the e-crime unit] representative. The matter is being investigated by the FBI.
"At this stage no operational risks to the MPS have been identified; however, we continue to carry out a full assessment. We are not prepared to discuss [it] further."
The conference call was one that appears to be held weekly between officers from the Metropolitan police's e-crime unit and the FBI in New York and Los Angeles.
The law enforcement agencies are working together on a cybercrime investigation involving teenagers and young people from the UK, Ireland, Germany and the US, it is understood.
Six people are going through the British courts charged in connection with hacking into computers belonging to Soca. They include Ryan Cleary, a British teenager who is charged with five offences of hacking websites. Cleary, 19, from Wickford, Essex, was arrested in June last year. His arrest was linked to a series of cyber-attacks by a group called LulzSec.
Cleary was charged over cyber-attacks against British-based targets. He is due to appear at Southwark crown court with his co-accused, Jake Davis, on 11 May. Four other individuals, are due to appear at the same court in March as part of the same investigation. Cleary has been charged with three attacks – on the London-based International Federation of the Phonographic Industry in November 2010, the British Phonographic Industry in October 2010, and on Soca.
The method he is alleged to have used is a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack against all three websites. He was also charged with constructing a botnet, a network of infected computers that can be used remotely to direct attacks.
On the intercepted call, the British police officers joke with their FBI counterparts early in the conversation while they wait for others to join, and are heard making fun of Sheffield - where the Acpo cybercrime conference is being held next week. "It's a khazi - not exactly a jewel in England's crown," says the British detective. The call, which took place nearly a fortnight ago – it is understood – includes a conversation about the appearance of Cleary and Davis at Southwark crown court last Friday.
The FBI official expresses his gratitude to the British officers for "being flexible" and co-ordinating with them. "New York appreciates it," the FBI operative says.
In response, the British detective says: "We have cocked things up in the past."
The British detective then gives the FBI details of a 15-year-old who was arrested in the UK before Christmas. He calls the 15-year-old a "wannabe" and is connected with two other teenagers who are known as CSL sec "Cant Stop Laughing Security".
"He is just a pain in the bum," the officer says. The call ends with all parties agreeing to talk again the following Monday.
The events leading to the arrest of Cleary involved an investigation by British police and the FBI. The bureau's involvement, plus the nature of the targets, raised the prospect of Washington seeking the teenager's extradition to the US.
The conference call reveals that two other individuals are to be arrested in the future. It makes clear that the investigation is complex, stretching across international boundaries and focusing on teenage hackers in many different cases.
Karen Todner, a lawyer for Cleary, said the recording could be "incredibly sensitive" and warned such data breaches had the potential to derail the police's work. If they haven't secured their email it could potentially prejudice the investigation," she told Associated Press.Anonymous is a collection of internet enthusiasts, pranksters and activists whose targets have included the Church of Scientology, the music industry, and financial companies such as Visa and MasterCard.
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
02/03/2012 07:38 PMChris Huhne vows to prove innocence over speeding charges Chris Huhne's divorce spiralled into political crisis after claims by his former wife that she took speeding points on his behalf
The acrimonious divorce of Chris Huhne and Vicky Pryce spiralled into a political as well as personal crisis when they were both charged with conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, prompting Huhne's resignation as energy secretary and a call by Pryce for the case to be resolved quickly.
Huhne described the director of public prosecutions' decision to charge him as deeply regrettable and vowed to prove his innocence in front of a jury.
Pryce, in a brief statement from her lawyer, did not declare her innocence or guilt, saying she would now spend some time with her family and adding: "Obviously I hope for a quick resolution of the case." It is not known what plea she will submit to the charges.
In a day of personal turmoil and suspense for Huhne and Pryce, Keir Starmer, the DPP, announced he judged that sufficient evidence existed to charge the former couple. It is alleged that Pryce has admitted taking speeding points on behalf of her former husband in March 2003, an allegation she initially made in the Sunday Times during their separation.
It is the first time a serving cabinet minister has been charged with an imprisonable criminal offence in modern times, and represents a devastating blow to one of politics' most resilient figures, as well as potentially weakening the Liberal Democrats at a time when the party is hoping to stage a recovery. Huhne has been described as "the grit in the oyster", self-confident enough to challenge his coalition partners across the policy range.
Lawyers for the former couple will be summoned to appear at Westminster magistrates' court on 16 February, with a full trial at the Old Bailey possibly in September, on the assumption that neither side pleads guilty or manages to get the case dismissed. There is a prospect that other Liberal Democrats could be summoned to give evidence.
In a letter accepting Huhne's resignation, Nick Clegg, the Lib Dem leader and deputy prime minister, said: "I fully understand your decision to stand down from government in order to clear your name, but I hope you will be able to do so rapidly so that you can return to play a key role in government as soon as possible."
David Cameron, however, made no mention of a possible return in his own letter accepting Huhne's resignation, saying only: "Like the deputy prime minister, I am sorry to see you leave the government under these circumstances and wish you well for the future." He added that Huhne had made the right decision to stand down in the circumstances, and praised his work on climate change.
In a typically robust response, Huhne said: "The Crown Prosecution Service's decision today is deeply regrettable. I'm innocent of these charges and I intend to fight this in the courts and I'm confident that a jury will agree.
"So as to avoid any distraction to either my official duties or my trial defence, I am standing down and resigning as energy and climate change secretary. I will of course continue to serve my constituents in Eastleigh."
Clegg spoke to Huhne on Thursday night and Friday morning. Clegg's wife, Miriam, spoke to Pryce to express her sadness and offer her support. It was being stressed by Lib Dem aides that the Cleggs were not taking sides, but making a human gesture to two people who as a couple had been the only Liberal Democrats to attend their wedding.
Pryce is said to be disappointed at the decision of the Sunday Times to succumb to a police court demand to hand over emails between herself and a journalist on the paper. The Sunday Times had initially resisted the release of the emails, but changed tack, prompting some of Pryce's friends to claim that it had not protected its sources as newspapers are expected to do. News International sources said it had a written agreement with Pryce that it would protect her but if the court demanded material, the Sunday Times could hand that material to the police.
Cameron was informed at 9.10am of Starmer's decision and spoke to Huhne by phone at 10.40am, little more than half hour an hour after Starmer's announcement.
In a rapid, long-prepared response to the resignation, Cameron appointed the Lib Dem business minister Ed Davey to succeed Huhne. Norman Lamb, Clegg's parliamentary aide, has taken on Davey's former brief.
Lib Dem officials praised Davey's quick grasp of policy and ability to get on with officials and said he would be his own man putting forward a strong green case. He said his three chief challenges were climate change, energy security and securing a better deal for energy consumers, a field in which he specialised while at the business department.
The prime minister's spokesman said he did not expect to see any substantial change in policy as a result.
But some environmentalists voiced dismay at the loss of Huhne, described by Greenpeace as "a vocal advocate for the green agenda in a government whose green credentials are looking more than a little tarnished".
Other government changes resulting from the resignation saw the Lib Dem MP Jenny Willott appointed an assistant government whip and Jo Swinson take Lamb's old post as parliamentary private secretary to Clegg. Despite speculation, there was no return for David Laws, who quit as Treasury chief secretary in May 2010 and was later suspended from the Commons for seven days after an expenses scandal.
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
02/03/2012 11:38 PMMan lost overboard from cruise liner off Mexico US and Mexican coastguards search for 30-year-old seen falling from deck of world's largest cruise ship
A British passenger on the world's biggest cruise ship has apparently gone overboard in waters near Mexico.
The 30-year-old man was seen falling over the railings by another passenger on the Allure of the Seas, the Royal Caribbean International cruise firm said. He could also be seen falling over in CCTV footage.
The man went overboard as the ship was sailing to Cozumel, Mexico, and the Mexican navy and coastguard are assisting in the search.The company added: "The ship made multiple public announcements and began a complete search of the ship, in efforts to locate the guest.
"When the guest did not respond and was not found on board, the captain alerted the local authorities.
"The location of the ship at the time the guest went overboard was marked on the ship's GPS and the US and Mexican coastguard were alerted.
"Our care team is providing support to the guest's family and our thoughts and prayers are with them," the statement said.
A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said: "We are aware of the reports and are looking into them."
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
02/04/2012 01:19 AMBradley Manning: US general orders court martial for WikiLeaks suspect Soldier charged with biggest leak of classified information in US history to face 22 counts, including aiding the enemy
A US army officer has ordered a court martial for Bradley Manning, the soldier charged in the biggest leak of classified information in American history.
Military district of Washington commander Major General Michael Linnington referred all charges against Manning to a general court martial on Friday, the army said in a statement.
The referral means Manning, 24, will stand trial for allegedly giving more than 700,000 secret US documents and a classified combat video to WikiLeaks for publication. He faces 22 counts, including aiding the enemy, and could be imprisoned for life if convicted of that charge.
A judge yet to be appointed will set the trial date.
Defence lawyers say Manning was clearly a troubled young soldier whom the army should never have deployed to Iraq or given access to classified material while he was stationed there from late 2009 to mid-2010.
At a preliminary hearing in December, military prosecutors produced evidence that Manning downloaded and electronically transferred to WikiLeaks nearly half a million sensitive battlefield reports from Iraq and Afghanistan, hundreds of thousands of diplomatic cables, and video of a 2007 army helicopter attack that WikiLeaks dubbed "Collateral Murder".
Manning's lawyers countered that others had access to his workplace's computers. They say he was in emotional turmoil, partly because he was a gay soldier at a time when homosexuals were barred from serving openly in the US armed forces. The defence also claims Manning's apparent disregard for security rules during training in the US and his increasingly violent outbursts after deployment were red flags that should have prevented him from having been given access to classified material. Manning's lawyers also contend that the material WikiLeaks published did little or no harm to national security.
In the December hearing at Fort Meade, Maryland, prosecutors also presented excerpts of online chats found on Manning's personal computer that allegedly document collaboration between him and the founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange.
Federal prosecutors in northern Virginia are investigating Assange and others for allegedly facilitating the disclosures.
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
02/03/2012 01:37 PMBBC Persian staff face Iranian intimidation Relatives of BBC staff in London detained and threatened by intelligence agents and one employee interrogated online
Iran is carrying out a campaign of intimidation and smears against the BBC's Persian TV service, watched by millions of people in the Islamic Republic but loathed by the government in Tehran.
In recent incidents, relatives of BBC staff in London have been detained and threatened by Iranian intelligence agents, top presenters targeted by malicious rumours and one employee subjected to an online interrogation in London after a family member in Iran was jailed. Iran is thought to be preparing a documentary film discrediting the channel in the runup to parliamentary elections next month.
Sadeq Saba, the head of BBC Persian, was accused live on air by an unknown caller of raping Pooneh Ghoddoosi, then presenter of popular Persian-language talk show Your Turn. Both insist the charge is entirely without foundation but it has since been repeated as fact by leading Iranian government media outlets.
Iran has repeatedly jammed BBC Persian TV since it was founded in 2009. The latest bout of harassment comes against a background of sharply deteriorating relations between the UK and Iranian governments. Last November Britain shut its Tehran embassy after it was stormed by demonstrators in apparent retaliation for sanctions imposed over Iran's nuclear programme. Iran's London embassy was then ordered closed.
Tensions worsened in recent weeks after the closure of Press TV, the English-language Iranian state broadcaster, in London. The UK regulator, Ofcom, revoked its licence for breaching the Communications Act. BBC Persian staff say they believe Tehran wants to stop the channel covering the elections on 2 March.
Following weeks of angry internal debate about how to handle the issue, Mark Thompson, the BBC director general, on Friday issued a strongly worded complaint about "disturbing new tactics" and called on the Iranian government "to repudiate the actions of its officials".
Anonymous callers or others using names such as the Cyber Army of Allah have accused BBC Persian staff of being drug dealers, converting to Bahaism or Chrstianity – potentially a capital offence in Iran as it is considered to be apostasy – or taking bribes. "We are well trained to cut these people off when they say rude or libellous things," said Ghoddoosi, whose image has been used in pornographic montages posted on the internet. "They use F-words and C-words non-stop."
Saba said: "Even Stalin or other dictators never did what the Iranian regime is doing with this campaign of intimidation against our journalists. Iran has arrested a group of people and forced them to confess that they have worked for BBC Persian. We have not hired anyone in the country and we condemn these brutal actions."
Journalists arrested recently include Marzieh Rasouli and Parastoo Dokouhaki. Friends believe they are under pressure to confess on camera that they have been collaborating with BBC Persian in Iran.
Saba and Ghoddoosi are popular in Iran, despite the profound official hostility to the BBC channel. The channel is considered such a threat that someone has created a website identical in design to that of BBC Persian to spread allegations against BBC employees. The fake site uses an .ir domain name, which requires government permission.
BBC Persian's reporting has challenged government versions of both the domestic political scene and Iran's troubled relationship with the west. Iranian officials often cite BBC Persian's work as evidence of a foreign plot against the clerical regime. Saba says one news programme is watched by 12 million to 15 million people per week.
Tehran was furious with the BBC's extensive coverage of the disputed 2009 presidential election, which gave Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a second term. During the unrest that followed, BBC Persian conducted hundreds of telephone interviews with protesters who described deaths, injuries and arrests by security forces. The BBC's correspondent was expelled. Last year the BBC secured Iranian agreement to deploy a new resident correspondent, but it has never been implemented.
Last month security forces raided the home of a BBC Persian employee's relative in Tehran, searched and confiscated their belongings and transferred the person to Evin prison. Hours later, a man claiming to be the relative's interrogator at Evin contacted the employee in London, seeking information about the BBC in return for the family member's freedom.
"My brother and mother have both been subject to interrogations in the past two years," said a colleague. "My brother's personal belongings, including his computer, were confiscated. They were asked to persuade me to collaborate and gather information from the BBC."
Fifty-two BBC Persian staff complained this week about the corporation's handling of the issue, calling it "scandalous" that Iranian intelligence was able to interrogate a BBC employee in London. Thompson's statement followed. "This issue is wider than the BBC – other international media face similar challenges," he said. "But it is behaviour that all people who believe in free and independent media should be deeply concerned about."
Initially, BBC staff believed it was best to simply ignore the Iranian campaign. "I and others have received death threats," said Ghoddoosi. "They say 'you are a servant of the imperialist English government. We will kill you like dogs and crush your bones.'
"Virtual harassment is tolerable – being called a whore or whatever. We dismissed it by saying silence was the right answer. But when it came to the point of our relatives getting arrested at airports and having their passports confiscated, or Iranian intelligence being so brazen that they interrogated someone on British soil, we finally decided to speak out."
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
02/03/2012 06:39 PMEgyptian football fans mourn and rage amid political chaos As Al Ahly supporters in Cairo lament 74 deaths many seek revenge while others call for sense of calm and responsibility
Hundreds of supporters of the Cairo football club, which lost 74 fans in Wednesday's riot, have rallied outside the club's premises to mourn the dead and call for revenge against fans of their rival team.
As the rally took place, fans of Al Ahly club in central Cairo were still burying those killed in the northern city of Port Said during the clashes with supporters of their bitter rivals, Al Masri. The violence was Egypt's worst football riot in 15 years.
Yet, among the outrage of the crowd of about 400 people, a sense of responsibility was stirring. "Take that sign down," said one leader of Al Ahly ultras, the militant fans at the centre of Wednesday's disturbances. "We don't want to blame Scaf (Supreme Council of the Armed Forces) today. Politics can wait."
Another group argued about whether to chant political slogans on a march to Tahrir Square planned for late afternoon. "I'll chant what I want, when I want it," shouted one man, but those arguing against political statements won.
The ultras, who have been on the frontline of clashes with riot police in Cairo for the past year have had an uneasy relationship with Egypt's liberals. As well as battling riot police at football fixtures, the ultras have led a series of reinvigorated protests in recent months against Egypt's military rulers, which has renewed focus on the waning liberal push for influence in the evolving post-Mubarak society.
The country's silent majority, many of whom backed the status quo and looked disdainfully on the liberals as naive utopians, has – until now – been even more scathing of the ultras, who they see as reckless anarchists.
But the manner of the 74 deaths – and where they died – has resonated with many Egyptians, much more than clashes in Tahrir Square or the killing of 27 Coptic Christians outside the government broadcasting headquarters last year. Football strikes an emotional chord that crosses sectarian and social structures in Egypt.
"They shouldn't have been killed like that, no matter who they are," said Ali Abbas, who supports the military leadership and believes it will deliver on a promise to see Egypt through the transition to civilian leadership. "The violence does not appear normal. It seems like punishment."
Mohammed Salama, 23, an Al Ahly ultra whose leg was broken in the stadium riot, said it became clear at half-time in the match between the two historical foes that trouble was brewing.
Leaning on a red walking cane he said Al Masri supporters had stormed through open gates after full time and trapped him and other fans against locked gates at the back of the stadium.
"They threw me off," he said, pointing at his leg in a full plastercast. "They were saying: 'You should have brought (burial) shrouds to the game.'" Another Al Ahly fan said the same words were displayed on a sign outside the grounds before kickoff. "It became clear that they were planning an ambush," he said. "It had to have been backed. The gates [to the pitch] are never open like that."
Tahrir Square was again heaving with demonstrators, many of whom buy into the Al Ahly view that militant Al Masri fans were given a green light by some elements of the security forces to attack their rivals.
The streets near the interior ministry building were again a battleground between riot police, several hundred of whom held a frontline near their headquarters on Friday, and mostly young Egyptians who ran the gauntlet, throwing rocks, molotov cocktails and, according to the security forces, sometimes shooting weapons. Four people died on Friday clashes, two in Suez, near Port Said, and two in Cairo. Medical authorities in the capital said around 1,500 people had been treated for injuries in the past 48 hours. Most appeared to have suffered from teargas inhalation. The Al Ahly ultras say they will rejoin the fray when the time is right. "When we do, everybody will know we are there," said one ultra Mahmoud Saleh. "These fans did not die for nothing."
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
02/03/2012 09:48 PMMormon Romney to win in Nevada and leave rest in scramble for delegates Elections in Nevada are usually colourful, but the result this time is not in doubt: Mitt Romney has this one sewn up
Nevada will be an easy win for Mitt Romney on Saturday, based on his performance in the 2008 Republican presidential race. Even with Romney coming off second best to John McCain in many states elsewhere, Romney easily won the Nevada caucuses, with 51.1% to Ron Paul's 13.7% and John McCain's 12.75%. The reason: Mormons.
Although they only make up about 5% of the adult population in Nevada, they accounted for an estimated 25% of Republican caucus-goers four years ago. Does it follow that a Mormon will automatically vote for a candidate of the same faith? Well, in 2008, 5% voted for someone else. But the staggering statistic is the other 95% voted for Romney.
A PPP poll suggests that Saturday's caucuses will not be significantly different; Romney on 50%, Newt Gingrich 25%, Ron Paul 15% and Rick Santorum 8%.
Nevada elections have a reputation for being colourful, with scenes of casino workers and hotel staff from Las Vegas voting in their workplaces. These tend to take place during the Democratic caucuses, but the Republican ones can be colourful too. Outside of Las Vegas, the empty desert areas tend to attract fiercely independent, eccentric personalities that make for good television.
Although the Las Vegas area accounts for about two-thirds of Nevada's population, about half of the Republican caucus-goers are from Reno and the rural areas.
These areas are where Romney's rivals – Gingrich, Santorum and Paul – will be looking for a share of the votes. Even if they do not expect to win, they will be hoping for a share of the delegates to the Republican convention in Tampa, Florida, in August. Nevada has 34 delegates.
As a caucus rather than primary, good organisation is essential. Romney has had an organisation in place since 2010 and Paul, too, has a large, well-established ground team. Gingrich and Santorum only established teams there recently, too late to make a real difference.
Analysing the results as carefully as the Republicans will be the Democrats.
Holding Nevada is a key part of what Barack Obama's re-election campaign refer to as the western strategy. Nevada is a swing state, won by Bill Clinton and then by George Bush, and Obama won it by a whopping 12.5% in the 2008 general election. There is a strong trade union presence that will help Obama, as will the big Latino population. On the negative side, Nevada is one of the states that has been worst hit by recession, with unemployment of 12.6%. Many blame Obama.
That unemployment rate, combined with a collapse in the housing market worse than most other states, led to the rise of a strong Tea Party movement. It was discredited in the 2010 congressional mid-terms when they secured the Republican nomination for Sharron Angle to take on the Democratic Senate leader, Harry Reid. Angle fought a cack-handed campaign, Reid survived and the Tea Party movement fell into disarray. Gingrich, Santorum and Paul are fighting for the remnants. Angle has endorsed Gingrich: it is difficult to judge whether that is a help or a hindrance.
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
02/03/2012 05:12 PMSusan G Komen in U-turn over Planned Parenthood funding cut Nancy Brinker, cancer charity's CEO, apologises for 'recent decisions' and says Komen will honour existing grants
America's largest breast cancer advocacy group has been forced to make a self-abasing retraction of its plan to cut funding for Planned Parenthood following a huge outcry against the decision.
Susan G Komen for the Cure, a Dallas-based organisation, has announced that it will honour existing grants to Planned Parenthood and allow the organisation to continue to apply for future funding – a U-turn from its earlier decision to cut its annual $650,000 provision.
Nancy Brinker, who set up Komen as a pledge to her dying sister to work to end breast cancer in the US, together with the foundation's board of directors, put out a statement in which they apologised to the American public "for recent decisions that cast doubt upon our commitment to our mission of saving women's lives".
Although the statement insisted that the move to sever Planned Parenthood's funding had not been political in nature, the board did admit that it had left itself open to the charge that it was vulnerable to political persuasion within America's highly-charged debate over abortion. It said that it would amend a new rule under which the funding cut had taken place to make clear that political considerations had no place in its decision making.
"The events of this week have been deeply unsettling for our supporters, partners and friends and all of us at Susan G. Komen," the statement said. "We have been distressed at the presumption that the changes made to our funding criteria were done for political reasons or to specifically penalize Planned Parenthood. They were not.
It added: "We do not want our mission marred or affected by politics – anyone's politics."
The newly-adopted rule under which Komen made its controversial decision to cut ties with Planned Parenthood, the largest reproductive and sexual health service provider in the US, stated that no body should be funded should it be under official investigation. Planned Parenthood is indeed under congressional investigation – the problem, though, is that the investigation was launched against it by overtly politically motivated individuals who are opposed to abortion. The organisation is a favourite target of anti-abortion lobbies because some of its clinics offer abortions.
"Our original desire was to fulfil our fiduciary duty to our donors by not funding grant applications made by organizations under investigation," Komen said in its statement. "We will amend the criteria to make clear that disqualifying investigations must be criminal and conclusive in nature and not political. That is what is right and fair."
In a statement, Cecile Richards, Planned Parenthood's president, described the support she had received since Tuesday as astonishing and "a testament to our nation's compassion and sincerity".
She said: "In recent weeks, the treasured relationship between the Susan G Komen for the Cure Foundation and Planned Parenthood has been challenged, and we are now heartened that we can continue to work in partnership toward our shared commitment to breast health for the most underserved women.
"We are enormously grateful that the Komen Foundation has clarified its grantmaking criteria, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with Komen partners, leaders and volunteers. What these past few days have demonstrated is the deep resolve all Americans share in the fight against cancer, and we honour those who are at the helm of this battle."
The reversal was welcomed by local Komen affiliates, many of which had publicly denounced the funding decision. "We are elated," said Michele Oftrander, executive director of Komen in Denver. "We opposed the decision from the very beginning. Planned Parenthood is an essential partner in breast health care."
However, Republican candidate Rick Santorum, campaigning in Missouri on Friday, said he was "very disappointed" by the reversal. "It's unfortunate that public pressure builds to provide money to an organisation that goes out and actively is the No 1 abortion provider in the country. That's not healthcare. That's not healthcare at all."
There have been suggestions that Komen's new rule was pushed through the foundation by the organisation's recently appointed senior manager for public policy, Karen Handel, who had been quoted as saying: "I am staunchly and unequivocally pro-life … Let me be clear: since I am pro-life, I do not support the mission of Planned Parenthood."
Komen's statement leaves some room for ambivalence, however. Though it says that existing funding for Planned Parenthood will be reinstated, it puts a question mark over future funding by saying only that the group will continue to have "eligibility to apply for future grants".
Whether those applications will be received favourably is left unresolved.
Since Komen announced on Tuesday that would pull the funding, it has faced a massive barrage of criticism. Social media protests appeared instantly, including a Tumblr blog entitled Planned Parenthood Saved me, which saw 216 posts in just two days.
Komen's own local offices went public with their disapproval. Paula Birdsong, spokesperson for Komen's Sacramento affiliate which opposed the national office's decision, said the chapter believed Planned Parenthood should not be penalised for being under investigation.
"Normally we are in complete support of decisions that are made at our national level but this issue is one we could not support," she said. "We believe until someone has been found to have been guilty of a charge, funds should not be pulled just because someone is under investigation. It's innocent until proven guilty."
Prominent individuals associated with Komen also resigned in protest, including the group's top health official, Mollie Williams, the executive director of its Los Angeles chapter, Deb Anthony. A member of its medical advisory board in New York, Dr Kathy Plesser, had also announced that she would resign if the decision were not reversed.
The fury directed at Komen was matched by an outpouring of support for Planned Parenthood. Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York, led the charge, pledging $1 for every equivalent dollar donated to Planned Parenthood up to a total of $250,000.
In addition, $400,000 was raised online from 6,000 donors in the first 24 hours after the announcement. Within hours of the controversy breaking, the $650,000 cut had been more than compensated.
Yet Komen continued to defend the decision, with chief executive Nancy Brinker appearing in a video published on the organisation's website to explain the decision. She also told MSNBC that Komen wanted to focus on giving grants direct to service providers, whereas Planned Parenthood sent people to other facilities. "The investigation isn't the only issue … Our issue is grant excellence."
Now Komen hopes that its policy reversal will temper the storm that has raged around it. "It is our hope and we believe it is time for everyone involved to pause, slow down and reflect," its statement said.
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
02/03/2012 01:40 PMHospital trusts offered £1.5bn emergency fund to pay PFI bills Andrew Lansley says some trusts can no longer afford to honour PFI deals that were 'badly negotiated' by Labour ministers
Seven hospital trusts struggling with crippling private finance initiative debts are to receive £1.5bn in emergency funding from the government to help them avoid cutting patient services to pay their bills.
The Department of Health is making the £1.5bn available – in grants, not loans – to the seven hospital trusts in England with some of the heaviest PFI debts through a "stability" fund. Trusts will be able to use the money to meet PFI repayments, rather than their usual budgets, as long as they meet four conditions set out by the department.
The move will help trusts such as South London Healthcare NHS trust, which is facing a PFI repayment in 2012-13 of £66.8m under the terms of a deal agreed in July 1998, in the early days of Tony Blair's government. They will be able to access the £1.5bn over the next 25 years, until the PFI contracts end.
Andrew Lansley, the health secretary, said he had been forced to use taxpayers' money because certain NHS organisations could no longer afford to honour PFI deals that had been "badly negotiated" by Labour ministers.
"Labour left some parts of the NHS with a dismal legacy of PFI, and made them rely on unworkable plans for the future. They swept these problems under the carpet for a decade and left us with a £60bn postdated PFI cheque to deal with," Lansley said.
"The problems facing some parts of the NHS left to us by Labour now have to be sorted out. Tough solutions may be needed for these problems, but we will not let the sick pay for Labour's debt crisis."
The six other NHS trusts are Barking, Havering and Redbridge; Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS foundation trust; St Helens and Knowsley; North Cumbria; Dartford and Gravesham; and Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells.
Without the fund, there was a danger that services would be put "at severe risk" because of the weight of their PFI deals at a time of tightening NHS budgets, according to Department of Health sources.
South London faces the largest annual repayment in 2012-13. The Barking, Havering and Redbridge trust has to find £49.8m on its deal, agreed in January 2004, and the St Helens and Knowsley trust's payment will be £42.5m under the terms of its contract, signed in June 2006.
Lansley acted after 22 hospital trusts told him their PFI debts were endangering their financial or clinical future. Department of Health research established that PFI payments were one of the reasons for trusts' problems.
The department set four conditions for trusts to use the fund:
• The problems they face must be exceptional and beyond those faced by other organisations.
• The problems must be historic and they have a clear plan to manage their resources in the future.
• They must show they are delivering high levels of annual productivity savings.
• They must deliver clinically viable, high quality services, including delivering low waiting times and other performance measures.
Andy Burnham, the shadow health secretary, who was health secretary during Labour's time in office, has previously admitted in relation to the deals: "We made mistakes. I'm not defending every penstroke of the PFI contracts we signed."
The money will be available over the remaining lifetime of the seven trusts' PFI contracts. It will come from underspends over that time in different Department of Health budgets.
In December a report into NHS finances by the public accounts committee flagged up looming problems with PFI debt. It concluded: "The cost of private finance schemes is an additional challenge for a limited number of hospitals. Analysis commissioned by the department has identified six trusts that are unviable largely because of their PFI charges. Long-term private finance initiatives deals reduce the department's ability to establish a level playing field of financially sustainable, autonomous trusts.
"In many cases efficiency savings alone will not be enough to make unviable trusts financially sustainable. The department faces a particular dilemma about how to manage the debt of these hospitals as their long-term financial commitments make reconfiguration more difficult," it added.
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
02/04/2012 09:34 AMUS military drops 'kill team' charges against soldier Michael Wagnon testified that he only shot his gun in defence during Afghan deployment in which civilians were killed for sport
The US military has dropped all charges against the fifth soldier it had accused of killing Afghan civilians for sport during a 2010 deployment.
Specialist Michael Wagnon, 31, had been charged with the unlawful killing of one Afghan civilian in February 2010. He was expected to go on trial in March.
Four other soldiers from a Lewis-McChord Stryker brigade have been jailed in connection with the killings of three unarmed men during patrols in Kandahar province.
In all, 12 soldiers were charged in connection with alleged misconduct that, in addition to murder, included smoking hash, collecting illicit weapons, the mutilation and photography of Afghan remains and the gang-beating of a soldier who reported the drug use.
Eleven soldiers were convicted on various counts.
An army investigating officer had twice recommended that prosecutors dismiss the case against Wagnon.
The case hinged on an account from a "kill team" participant, Specialist Jeremy Morlock, who is serving 24 years after admitting his involvement in all three killings. Morlock testified that Wagnon knowingly participated in a scheme to kill a civilian.
Wagnon had testified that he shot at an Afghan on the day in question because he believed the man had fired a weapon at Staff Sergeant Calvin Gibbs. In November Gibbs was sentenced to life in prison over the killing of three Afghans, including the man in the February 2010 encounter.
Wagnon "was simply a soldier pulling security who responded to the firing of weapons and came to support another soldier", Vokey said. "That's all Michael Wagnon ever did."
In a statement, the Lewis-McChord joint base said the charges were dismissed "in the interest of justice".
Wagnon was released from custody last June. He has been living unrestricted at the base and working as a soldier, his lawyer, Colby Vokey said.
Wagnon was ecstatic at the news, "very, very relieved" and eager to tell his wife, Vokey said.
"The witnesses coming forward that we were able to speak to all confirmed the same thing – that Michael Wagnon had nothing to do with any kind of illegal activity."
An army spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Gary Dangerfield, said Wagnon "should be able to continue his normal duties as a soldier".
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
02/03/2012 06:08 PMRBS chairman defends Stephen Hester's near-£1m bonus Sir Philip Hampton admits taxpayer-owned bank might look for ways to halt awards of annual bonuses altogether to avoid annual row over pay
Royal Bank of Scotland's chairman admitted today that bankers' pay was too high – even as he defended the near-£1m bonus for its chief executive, Stephen Hester. He conceded the bank might look for ways to halt awards of bonuses altogether to avoid the row over pay every January.
Sir Philip Hampton admitted the bank, 82% owned by the taxpayer, had underestimated the scale of the reaction to the award of 3.6m shares to Hester – which he later waived – but said the decision had been made earlier than usual in an effort to avert speculation about the size of the payout.
As he revealed that the government, contrary to claims by ministers, had not tried to intervene to keep the bonus below £1m, Hampton acknowledged that the pay system may need to be changed to make it more acceptable.
"Clearly there's a challenge around the annual bonus," he said, indicating that one way might be to put more emphasis on the three-year long-term incentive plan. He stressed no decisions had been made and no particular plan was being worked on. He also quashed speculation that the board had threatened to resign over any intervention.
With the focus poised to turn next week to Barclays, which on Friday is expected to report 2011 profits of just under £6bn, the Labour leader, Ed Miliband, called on all banks to "show restraint" on payouts.
"This bonus culture has ultimately been corrosive," Miliband said, amid speculation that the Barclays boss, Bob Diamond, could be handed £11m in shares and cash. Barclays profits are expected to be down only slightly on last year and the bonus pool in Barclays Capital, the investment banking arm, is thought to be stand at about £1.8bn.
"People who did not cause the financial crisis are paying the price. And many feel that those who did cause the financial crisis are not," Miliband said.
The RBS chairman, who has also waived a payout of shares potentially worth £1.5m, acknowledged that the gap between top pay and that outside the boardroom was a "cause for concern" – a view he said was shared with other chairmen he talked to.
While the debate about bankers' pay rages in the UK, in Spain, it was announced today, bankers working at bailed-out banks are to have their pay capped at €600,000 (£500,000) with no bonuses.
Hampton insisted that Hester was not overpaid. "He is doing one of the hardest jobs in the world. He is being paid at the low end of the range," he said, adding that Hester was not likely to quit as a result of the row. "I think and hope he will continue to see it through."
Hester was parachuted in to run RBS after its taxpayer bailout – which eventually amounted to £45bn – in October 2008, a year in which it reported the biggest loss in British corporate history, of £24bn.
Hampton also said it was important to "watch some of the rhetoric around business … bashing people up who are actually there to help doesn't in itself help."
It was the move by Miliband on Sunday to call a parliamentary vote on the payment to Hester – described by Hampton as a "tough character … extremely able chap" – that ultimately forced the RBS chief executive to waive his award of shares. Even so, in coming weeks Hester could still be awarded shares worth up to four times his £1.2m salary, some £4.8m, in a three-year long-term incentive plan.
The bank also faces the prospect of paying out annual bonuses to its investment bankers, from an estimated bonus pool of £500m, just as bonus deals set up in 2009 fall due. The head of the investment bank, John Hourican, is in line for as many as 21.3m shares worth about £6m and, with every rise in the share price, options that give him the right to buy shares at 28.2p also become more valuable. The share price was 28.69p last night.
Hampton would not reveal the size of the bonus pool but said it would be "a lot down" on 2011 – when it stood at £1bn – and that this would reduce the number of millionaires employed by the bank.
He insisted that a banker could not be found to work for the same rate as Bank of England governor Sir Mervyn King, who receives £305,000, and that Hester would be difficult to replace if he decided to go.
Hampton also admitted that the new management team had expected that they would be selling off shares in the bank by 2012 but this now looks unlikely as taxpayers are currently nursing a £20bn loss on their 82% stake.
He had earlier told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: "Pay has been high for too long … particularly in the banks, particularly in the investment banks, shareholders have done pretty badly and employees have done pretty well certainly over the last 10 years.
"That needs to be corrected. It actually isn't a society or fairness issue, it's a straightforward business issue. Too much of the money has not been going to the right place," he said.
"I recognise absolutely that some of the pay levels are very high, very difficult for people to understand, but by the standards of this market they are not high."
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
02/03/2012 06:35 PMBritain on snow alert as 'stubborn' cold spell takes a hold in the east Much of central Britain facing deep freeze with poor weather set to remain for much of next week
Drivers and pedestrians have been warned there could be significant snow and ice over much of central and eastern Britain over the weekend, with some snow falls leaving up to 10cm (4in) on the ground over Saturday night.
While coastal areas of Kent and East Anglia were threatened with a light snow covering, other parts of the country were facing greater disruption, with rain coming from the Atlantic set to run into high pressure and cold weather from continental Europe.
North Dartmoor recorded a temperature of minus 2.6C at midday , while High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire recorded a temperature of minus 0.7C afternoon.
It might be some days before the icy temperatures disappeared in the east, said Paul Gunderson, deputy chief forecaster at the Met Office. The cold weather there was "very stubborn" and likely to remain for much of next week, while it would be wetter and milder to the west.
The deep freeze has seen daytime temperatures plummet four or five degrees lower than average for February - traditionally the coldest month of the year.
The AA, which expected 19,000 emergency call-outs from motorists across Britain over Friday – double its usual number, appealed to drivers to be better prepared.
Darron Burness, head of special operations, said: "Unfortunately, we're still seeing people venturing out ill-prepared for the conditions, partly because it doesn't look particularly wintry at the moment. However, with more freezing conditions and possible snow on the way, you can't take any chances.
"Check the weather and traffic reports before heading out and pack plenty of warm clothing, food, water, de-icer, ice scraper and a fully-charged mobile. Take it easy and, if conditions deteriorate, try sticking to main routes and maintain a larger gap between you and the vehicle in front."
The London mayor, Boris Johnson, said: "Across all our roads and rails, hundreds of workers are on standby to ensure that, should we receive a mega-deposit of snow, we are in a position to keep the capital moving.
"With more than 100,000 tonnes of salt and an army of gritters, de-icers and specially adapted Tube carriages, together we will ensure that co-ordinated and swift action is taken to keep Londoners on the move."Health chiefs reminded older people and those with chronic health problems to wrap up warm and take plenty of hot drinks, and local authorities appealed to people to check on older neighbours.
The charity Living Streets appealed to councils to give the same attention to clearing ice from pavements as they did from the roads.
Tony Armstrong, its chief executive, said there must be no repeat of previous years where "people have felt vulnerable and in some cases completely isolated by ice on our pavements. With nearly four in five short journeys made on foot, it's time that the needs of people on foot are taken seriously."
A leading pet charity, the Blue Cross, warned families to keep their animals free of gritter salt and antifreeze. It said cats could die from salt toxicity while one had also died in London recently from suspected antifreeze poisoning.
Mark Bossley, its chief vet, said it was wise to keep pets indoors. Salt could easily get on their paws or fur and be swallowed when they groomed themselves. Cats also seemed to like the taste of antifreeze, but it is highly toxic to them.
However, the generally mild weather this winter has helped create a UK-first – an all-year-round tea harvest. The Tregothnan estate near Truro, Cornwall, reported that pickers were out earlier this week for the 12th successive month.
Its garden director, Jonathon Jones, said: "It is quite a novelty to be able to pick outside the normal season and the first time in history in this country. The frost isn't bad news for tea but it tastes a bit better without it – it has been a really unusual set of weather conditions."
A spokesman for the Local Government Association said an army of council staff and volunteers would be braving the elements to make sure vulnerable people were cared for, and residents were also being encouraged to call in on elderly neighbours. British Gas said its fleet of all-weather 4x4s was on stand-by to get engineers out to customers and keep Britain warm during the cold snap. A spokesman said the company had received more than 200,000 calls in the last five days, compared with 120,000 to 140,000 during a normal winter week, and was expecting a further 50,000 this weekend, compared with 20,000 normally in the winter.
The Department for Transport said it was now better prepared than ever for severe winter weather. It said salt stocks across the country stood at more than 2.4 million tonnes – a million more than last year.
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
02/03/2012 03:06 PMScientists call for curbs on own research on deadly bird flu virus Virus experts in the US say outbreak of genetically engineered bird flu could be worst influenza pandemic in history
A group of the leading virus experts in the US has called for new, permanent restrictions on research in the face of a new genetically engineered flu virus that could kill half the population of the world.
Scientists are currently observing a 60-day moratorium on research into the bird flu virus, after two groups found a way to make it infectious through airborne transmission.
An outbreak of this virus could be worse than the 1918 Spanish flu that killed tens of millions of people, warned Michael Osterholm – who has led research into previous dangerous outbreaks – at a public meeting on censorship in science in New York on Thursday night.
"Frankly, I don't want a virus out there that, even if it was 20 times less lethal, would still be the worst influenza pandemic in history," he said.
Professor Osterholm is a member of the US National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity, which in December asked the journals Science and Nature not to publish the full research on the virus.
Bird flu, or H5N1, has so far infected 583 people according to World Heath Organisation figures, mostly in South East Asia, and killed 344 – though it is believed the proportion of fatalities to infections might be lower, as some may have caught the virus but not been hospitalised.
It can currently only be caught by close exposure to infected birds.
However, the new research demonstrated that the virus could be mutated, through genetic manipulation and other methods, into a form that was transmitted between ferrets in airborne droplets from coughs and sneezes.
Ferrets are considered a good model for human-to-human virus transmission.
The NSABB said this posed a huge risk to the world.
"If this virus were to escape by error or by terror, we must ask whether it would cause a pandemic," said NSABB chair Paul Keim in an interview published in Nature this week.
"The probability is unknown, but it is not zero. There are many scenarios to consider, ranging from mad lone scientists, desperate despots and members of millennial doomsday cults, to nation states wanting mutually assured destruction options, bioterrorists or a single person's random acts of craziness."
Professor Osterholm said he considered the new virus a worse threat than the return of smallpox.
"I wouldn't like to see smallpox get out of the lab, but if it did it wouldn't overly concern me," Osterholm said. "We could contain it. The same thing is true with Sars. But influenza would scare the hell out of me, because it is the most notorious, the 'Lion King' of transmission."
"Once it's out there, it's gone, it's worldwide."
However, he said the research could have positive results, such as finding a better vaccine, or improving virus detection in the early stages of a pandemic if it emerged naturally. He said virus surveillance at the moment was "like a whole lot of broken smoke alarms".
The meeting agreed that restricting research, and access to research data, would have bad consequences for science, because new advances often come from unexpected places.
Several speakers said the publication of redacted data should only be a temporary measure until a better solution was hit upon.
Professor Arturo Casadevall, from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, who is also on the NSABB board, said he had originally been against restricting research but had been persuaded it was necessary.
"If it is the worst case scenario half the people you know will die, and half the people you don't know will die," he said. "If it is two orders of magnitude (100 times) lower, you are looking at 7 million deaths.
"These viruses were generated in the laboratory … when these things get out and they recombine with existing strains, I think it will be very unpredictable, and this is a risk I think is very high."
However, he said research should continue in a more regulated way.
"Since 1997, we have had sporadic occurrences of this organism," he said. "We did not know it had the potential for mammal to mammal transmission. Now that we know, humanity is under threat and this work needs to go on."
Dr Laurie Garrett, from the Council on Foreign Relations, said any move to control or limit research into influenza would also limit the ability to protect against it if it emerged naturally.
But she added that the more laboratories around the world worked on the virus, the greater the risk it would escape – even in the US, there were hundreds of breaches of quarantine in the highest-level labs.
And she said the spectre of a biological weapon based on the virus was raised "very, very high".
She warned that if scientists agreed a way to move forward among themselves, without consulting more widely, they may discover the issue will "blow up" once the public is made more aware of it.
Alan Ruldolph, from the US Department of Defense's Defense Threat Reduction Agency, said information on the virus was "relatively uncontrollable", and the focus on bird flu should be on how to prepare for and respond to an outbreak.
It is estimated more than 1,000 scientists already know the details of the censored research.
Professor Peter Palese from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine said the moratorium should end and research should continue.
He said the risk of the virus spreading to humans, and the level of danger it posed, had been vastly overestimated.
"All evidence we have now suggests H5N1 isn't easily transmitted to humans, and these experiments don't make it more likely," he said. "When do you stop being afraid?"
Virus experts from around the world are to meet in Geneva this month, at a meeting of the World Health Organisation aimed at assessing the risks, and benefits, of research into the bird flu virus.
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
02/03/2012 01:28 PMSaving Spain's Socialists: ex-minister fights for control of a party in tatters Victory for Carme Chacón in leadership contest would set her on course to be country's first female PM
Spain's opposition Socialist party may set the former defence minister Carme Chacón on the path to becoming the country's first female prime minister at a nail-bitingly close contest for a new leader .
Chacón is in a two-way contest with the former deputy prime minister Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba to take over a party in tatters after a rout at elections in November.
Although both candidates worked closely with the former prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, Chacón is seen as closest to the man who governed Spain for eight years until December.
Zapatero has publicly declared himself neutral in the fight between the two career politicians, but is privately reported to back Chacón.
Rubalcaba, 60, has the open support of Felipe González, who was prime minister from 1982 to 1996. The wily veteran also has the backing of Patxi López, the popular Basque regional prime minister, and of many party veterans.
Chacón, a 40-year-old Catalan who studied part of her law degree at Manchester University, has called on the party's women to back her and appears to have the support of a younger generation of Socialists.
Her team are sure they have won enough pledged votes from delegates who have started gathering in the southern city of Seville for her to win. "She is going to get it," one of her team said.
But Rubalcaba's side also claims to be narrowly ahead in the battle for a majority of the 956 votes at the conference, with a block of up to 100 undecided delegates set to be key.
There is little difference, politically, between the two candidates. Both have veered further left since they were ejected from government in November, but neither belongs to the more rebellious wing of a party that competes for leftwing votes with the communist-led United Left coalition.
Higher taxes on the wealthy and support for the Tobin tax on financial transactions is mixed with a call for Spain to slow its austerity drive to prevent an even deeper fall into recession.
Spain's political system is mostly a two-party affair, with either the Socialists or the conservative People's party (PP) of the current prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, running the government since 1982.
Whoever wins the post of secretary general can expect to challenge Rajoy for the prime minister's job at the next elections, which are due in late 2015 or early 2016.
They can also expect to preside over a fractious party that is bitter about losing power in Madrid as well as in many regional government and town halls.
The first major electoral challenge will be a vote for the regional parliament in the traditional socialist stronghold of southern Andalucía in March. Opinion polls there show the party in danger of losing to Rajoy's PP.
The task of turning around the Socialist vote is immense. It received its lowest overall vote since 1977 at the November general election, with just 110 MPs in the 350-seat parliament. Voters punished it for the economic crisis, massive unemployment and for Zapatero's 2010 U-turn on the economy. Rubalcaba was the candidate for prime minister at that election and Chacón campaigners point to his inability to stave off disaster.
Zapatero imposed austerity, raised the retirement age, froze pensions and cut civil service pay in May 2010 as bond markets put massive pressure on Spain's sovereign debt after the collapse of Greece and neighbouring Portugal.
It is still unclear how much the two candidates can distance themselves from Zapatero – especially as both were cabinet ministers when he performed his policy turnabout.
As opposition leader, they will shadow Rajoy, who has already performed his own U-turn by raising taxes as part of his attempt to cut back a budget deficit of more than 8% last year. With unemployment at 23% and still growing, many Socialists believe Rajoy will soon become vulnerable.
Spain has just entered the second phase of a double-dip recession, with the International Monetary Fund predicting the economy will shrink 1.7% this year. Many economists see the recession stretching into 2013, and Rajoy's embrace of greater austerity will also see more job losses.
The prime minister was recently caught on camera privately admitting that his planned reforms to the labour market, to be announced next week, would provoke a general strike.
Chacón's popularity leapt in 2008 when, aged 37 and seven months pregnant, she was appointed as Spain's first female defence minister by Zapatero. His second-term cabinet, with nine women to eight men, was Europe's first majority-female cabinet.
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
02/03/2012 12:24 PMChina cut off internet in area of Tibetan unrest Internet connections and mobile phone signals were cut for 30 miles around scene of clashes in Sichuan, state media reports
Chinese officials cut off mobile phone and internet connections to areas where Tibetans were shot dead amid unrest last month, state media has reported.
Officials say security forces fired in self-defence after mobs of rioters attacked police and official buildings in the south-western province of Sichuan, resulting in two deaths.
Tibetan exiles and campaign groups say police fired at peaceful protesters and killed at least three people.
It has been impossible to verify accounts of the unrest. Foreign reporters attempting to visit the region have been turned back, with officials blaming bad weather and the state of the roads.
Friday's English-language edition of the Global Times newspaper published a report from the region titled Monks Run Amok. The police chief of Luhuo in Ganzi – a county known to Tibetans as Drango – said police first tried to disperse rioters with high-power water guns and rubber bullets, but failed.
"Rioters continued to attack and tried to grab the guns from the police," he told the paper. "[Officers] first shot in the air as a warning, but it was completely ignored, so we had no other choice but to open fire."
The newspaper said the incident began with a protest that became violent. It said other Tibetan-populated counties had quickly tightened security, allowing police to quickly control the next day's unrest in Seda, known to Tibetans as Serthar, where another Tibetan was shot dead.
"After the riots, internet connections and mobile phone signals were cut off for over 50km [30 miles] around the riot areas. Police believe external forces played a part in the riots," the newspaper said.
In 2009, China cut off internet and text messaging services across the north-western region of Xinjiang after ethnic riots in the capital, Urumqi, left almost 200 dead.
Officials blamed "trained separatists" for instigating the events in Ganzi. They have also sought to blame outsiders for a string of self-immolations by Tibetan clergy and laypeople over the last year, mostly in Sichuan.
China appears to have stepped up security across other Tibetan areas, with the top party official in Lhasa urging security forces to increase surveillance of monasteries and main roads in the Tibet Autonomous Region.
Qi Zhala ordered all people entering Tibet to carry identification cards from March, the state news agency Xinhua reported. He urged officials to strive for "no big incidents, no medium incidents and not even a small incident".
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
02/04/2012 09:56 AMPakistan v England – day two live! | Andy Bull and Rob Smyth • Turn on our auto-refresh tool for the latest updates
• Have your say on our latest world cricket forum
• Sign up now and get your copy of our email, The Spin
• And email your thoughts to rob.smyth@guardian.co.uk38th over: Pakistan 79-2 (trailed by 42 on first innings; Azhar 27, Younis 24) Younis misses a sweep at Panesar, prompting a huge LBW appeal. He was outside the line. Monty has DRS fever and wants thie review, but Strauss is one of the better DRS captains (what a perverse thing to type) and decides against it.
37th over: Pakistan 78-2 (trailed by 42 on first innings; Azhar 27, Younis 23) Younis pulls Anderson round the corner to bring up the fifty partnership, only the second of the match. They've played with an admirably even heartbeat. "As an expat Aussie who has been on the wrong side of English crickets supposed dominance recently, it's quite gratifying to see it returning to its roots," says Andrew Wright. We'd heard about this 'regression to the mean' thing, but nobody expected this. Mind you, as depressing as this is, we shouldn't get carried away. England are a lot better than this, and they will show that over the next few years. They've just had a bit of a shocker with the bat. It happens.*
*It'd better not bloody happen in Sri Lanka, mind, with the mania-inducing 4am starts, or I'll put one in the brain of my monitor.
36th over: Pakistan 77-2 (trailed by 42 on first innings; Azhar 27, Younis 22) Panesar continues after the drinks break. He's bowling fairly quickly, too quickly for the liking of some of the Sky commentators. Azhar Ali comes down the track to drive a single to deep mid-off, and then Younus sweeps another. Pakistan are playing well here, just taking the odd single here and there. It's like the Boring Middle Overs of an ODI on downers. "England tour of 1898-99 – Lord Hawke," says Owen Rees, throwing random words into the mix in the hope they will magically resolve this sorry mess. "He batted No11 and did not bowl in that Test match. In for his captaincy. Brilliant." On that subject, I love this story. It's a bit like the Guardian employing Tom Lutz not for his writing or his sub-editing but for his jaunty presence about the place.
35th over: Pakistan 75-2 (trailed by 42 on first innings; Azhar 26, Younis 21) With nothing happening for the spinners, Andrew Strauss returns to the excellent Jimmy Anderson (6-2-8-1). What a bittersweet tour it has been for Anderson and Stuart Broad, who have bowled quite beautifully throughout. I wonder when a pair of seamers last bowled so well when their team was whitewashed. Richard Ellison and Greg Thomas in 1985-86? Paul Jarvis and Paul Taylor in 1992-93? A decent over and it's time for drinks. I can't even be bothered to go to the loo. I'm fed up.
34th over: Pakistan 74-2 (trailed by 42 on first innings; Azhar 25, Younis 21) Prior appeals for a stumping against Younis Khan off the bowling of Panesar, but the back foot did not leave the crease at any stage. "Morning Smyth, morning everybody," says Josh Robinson. "I reckon Pakistan should declare to set England a target of 73. That'd teach even Steve Waugh a few things about mental disintegration."
33rd over: Pakistan 73-2 (trailed by 42 on first innings; Azhar 24, Younis 21) Swann goes around the wicket. This is the kind of cricket we expected: England's spinners sitting in the game, Pakistan manoeuvring the ball around for the occasional single. There are two more in that over.
32nd over: Pakistan 71-2 (trailed by 42 on first innings; Azhar 23, Younis 20) Yesterday we were looking up when a team last lost after bowling the opposition out in double figures on the first day. (It was 1907.) Now I'm tempted to look up the heaviest defeats after bowling the opposition out in double figures on the first day. (It's 210 runs.) This is weirdly dispiriting. England are only 29 runs behind, but it's all starting to feel a bit futile. Futility, like gravity, always wins.
31st over: Pakistan 69-2 (trailed by 42 on first innings; Azhar 22, Younis 19) Two spinners are on, the OBOers' Kryptonite. That and Saturday mornings. I can't really keep up, but rest assured that little is happening. The odd single here and there but, ominously for England, no oohs, aaahs or false strokes. I suppose the old Boycott mantra (No12 on here) applies in these conditions. Talking of Geoffrey... "There must be a picture somewhere of Bearded Boycott," says John Starbuck. "In the late 70s-early 80s, especially under Brearley, you stood out as a freak if you didn't grow a set. The Aussies, even more so." A set of beards? Brearley's Ayatollah phase was wonderful. You can even get a T-shirt of it. "I'd actually quite like that..." mutters Bull.
30th over: Pakistan 67-2 (trailed by 42 on first innings; Azhar 21, Younis 18) Panesar. Maiden. You know the drill. "If Pakistan declared now, England would still lose, right?" says Sara Torvalds, proving that being Finnish is no barrier to a deep awareness of the essential nature of English cricket.
29th over: Pakistan 67-2 (trailed by 42 on first innings; Azhar 21, Younis 18) England are in trouble here. Nothing is happening. You'd have got long odds on Pakistan 3-0 England before this series. "Morning Rob, morning everybody," says Guy Hornsby. "I have just finished the magnificent A Confederacy Of Dunces, which surely should be an apt title for the batsmen in this series, with Pakistan's recklessness and England's cluelessness. Any other literary titles that the OBO faithful would advocate for these two fine teams? To be honest, I'd be happy with anything to keep out the cold today." It sure wouldn't be 766 And All That, unless you're talking about the number of stiff brandies that were necked in disgust around England in the 15 minutes after last Saturday's collapse.
28th over: Pakistan 65-2 (trailed by 42 on first innings; Azhar 18, Younis 17) "Matter of time here Pan, matter of time," says Matt Prior during another Panesar maiden, but the issue here is not the tick of the clock so much as the tick of the scoreboard. Pakistan are 23 ahead; it feels quite absurd to say that if they get another 150 they will probably be favourites. "The Beard Liberation Front reviewing the third day of the third Test note an intriguing battle between ball, bald and beard," says Keith Flett. "Strauss lacked the follicles to detect the flight of a ball in the first session and was stumped. However Panesar's beard is not fully aligned in the second session. BLF Organiser Keith Flett said 'despite discussion about whethe Geoffrey Boycott may stand for Parliament on TMS we can confirm that he is not eligible to be a BLF candidate'."
27th over: Pakistan 65-2 (trailed by 42 on first innings; Azhar 18, Younis 17) The Sky chaps point out that Swann is bowling a DRS line – much straighter – rather than his usual line. Mind you, the moment I typed that he tossed two up outside off stump, the second of which was driven for a single by Azhar Ali. "Re His Selveness' point, I understand it depends if you are struck in line or not," says Andy Moore. "Nonetheless I haven't seen this aspect of the review laws taken into consideration since the World Cup, and I think Broad could have been 3m forward in any case." In happier news, have a look at this.
26th over: Pakistan 62-2 (trailed by 42 on first innings; Azhar 17, Younis 17) A couple of runs in that Panesar over. There have been no centuries in this series. If it ends that way, it'll be the first instance in a series of three Tests or more since the rain-affected India v NZ series in 1995-96, when Lee Germon did a Tony Lewis and made his Test debut as captain. "The UDRS is writing cheques that Test cricket can't cash," writes Tom Marlow. "Maybe to balance the odds of getting out the next thing will be to make the wickets smaller."
25th over: Pakistan 60-2 (trailed by 42 on first innings; Azhar 16, Younis 16) Pakistan were 39 for six in this game as well. They look ominously comfortable just now, relative to the rest of the match/series at least. Younis touches Swann to fine leg for a single. "It has got to be worth a quid of anyone's money to have a bit of locker fun in the gym changing room," says Mike Selvey. You can have your beefcake and eat it. Honk.
24th over: Pakistan 59-2 (trailed by 42 on first innings; Azhar 16, Younis 15) "When Lara broke Sobers' record, Sir Garfield said he was the only batsman who played with his bat," says Gary Naylor. "Though an overstatement, his point was substantiated a few years later in that SL series when Lara was a one-man batting unit. If DRS makes more batsmen play like Lara, that'll be fantastic." True. But imagine having to change your entire game mid-career.
23rd over: Pakistan 58-2 (trailed by 42 on first innings; Azhar 16, Younis 14) Cook is still struggling a little with his knee. England are struggling a little with their bowling; Azhar Ali takes a half step forward and then rocks back to cut Swann for four. The mood of the match has changed in the last 10 minutes.
22nd over: Pakistan 53-2 (trailed by 42 on first innings; Azhar 12, Younis 13) Azhar Ali, having scored six from his first 51 balls, scores six from his 52nd ball with a lovely on-the-run drive over long-off off the bowling of Panesar. I was half-joking at this point yesterday when I said that England were going to lose. I'm not joking now. England are up a notorious creek, and they don't got no paddle. "I have recently admitted defeat and joined the gym," apologises Duncan Haskell. "Is it generally accepted that people are allowed to fill up the lockers with their stuff but not put their (refundable) pound in? It drives me Larry David insane, I am tempted to start locking the offending units myself and charging a hefty ransom/getting beat up." You're asking me about gym etiquette. You'd be better off asking Kojak about shampoo.
21st over: Pakistan 47-2 (trailed by 42 on first innings; Azhar 6, Younis 13) Here's Swann, to bowl only his second over of the match. Younus tickles him very fine for four. Pakistan are in the lead now
, and Misbah-ul-Haq declares safe in the knowledge that England's batsmen have the yips and the only thing they can chase is their own tail. "Just so as we are clear," says Mike Selvey. "ICC have increased the 2.5 m limit in UDRS to 3m. So rather than address the more fundamental issue of ridiculously anomalous reviewed decisions according to whether or not the batsman was given out, they have actually increased the way a batsman can be out." It's a problem, for sure. Yesterday you had one batsman (KP) given out after a review when 0.00001 per cent of the ball was hitting stumps, and another (Umar Gul) given not out after a review when 30th over: Pakistan 67-2 (trailed by 42 on first innings; Azhar 21, Younis 18)99999 per cent of the ball was hitting the stumps.20th over: Pakistan 41-2 (trailed by 42 on first innings; Azhar 5, Younis 8) "So," says Ken Danbury, "is Monty our number one spinner now? Swanny doesn't seem to be getting much of a look in on a spin friendly wicket. Pakistan seemed to have done alright with their spin twins. Or is that spin triplets?" Monty is bowling better at the moment, but Swann is definitely still No1. Swann's form is a slight worry, though. He has lost a little of his joie de vivre in the last 12 months.
19th over: Pakistan 41-2 (trailed by 42 on first innings; Azhar 5, Younis 8) Younis Khan eases Broad through mid-on for four, a gorgeous stroke. He has been struggling like an Englishman all series but he could take the game away from England with 70 or 80 here. Azhar Ali completes a good over for Pakistan – 10 from it – with a flowing cover drive for three. Cook saved four with a brilliant dive on the boundary, although he is now feeling his knee as a result. "I am not sure what all the commotion is about regarding the number of LBW decisions in this series," says Brian Rafferty. "Padding a ball away is now risky business, no matter where it pitches or how big the batsman's stride. Perhaps, just perhaps, it might be an idea to learn how to consistently get bat on ball." I know what you mean, but that feels like a glib thing to say: it is bloody hard if you have been a brilliant batsman for years and suddenly you find that everything you know is wrong. Pietersen's ongoing radge on the balcony yesterday felt much more significant than a batsman whinging about a dismissal.
18th over: Pakistan 31-2 (trailed by 42 on first innings; Azhar 2, Younis 1) Panesar has a lovely rhythm here, and is working on Azhar Ali. Another maiden. "I am a bit confused about some of these reviews," says Andy Moore. "I thought that if a batsmen is struck more than 2.5m from the stumps then a not out decision should not be overturned, yet in all the reviews in this series I haven't seen this looked at once. Stuart Broad's dismissal this morning was clearly a case in point. I'm all for DRS but the anomalies in the system are undermining it, and this seems to be another. Surprised it's been forgotten about really." You won't be surprised to hear me say that I don't know. I thought the 2.5m rule was simply another thing for the on-field umpires to consider and reject if they wish. But I'm not sure. Certainly Broad's dismissal left a feeling of unease, and for the first time yesterday there was a sense that maybe DRS has created a monster. I don't know.
17th over: Pakistan 31-2 (trailed by 42 on first innings; Azhar 2, Younis 1) Stuart Broad's second ball brings a huge shout for LBW against Azhar Ali. I said 'out' instinctively, but Simon Taufel said not out and he is a marginally better umpire than I am. Replays show the thinnest of inside edges, and that's an exceptional piece of umpiring. "Though there are few unplayable deliveries, the bowlers have found the way to get wickets and have stuck to their plans with great discipline," says Gary Naylor. "I don't know if it's great cricket, but it is great bowling, and an example of how shorter Tests offer so much more than Tests that go the distance on shirtfronts." Can't argue with that, although scarcity is a significant factor in the joy of these Tests. We'd not want them to become the norm.
16th over: Pakistan 30-2 (trailed by 42 on first innings; Azhar 1, Younis 1) It would be interesting to know the mindset of the Pakistan batsmen just now Logically in this situation you'd think, bat carefully and get to around 300. But lurking deep in their subconscious, just alongside the bit about wanting to sexually possess their mothers, must be the thought, we can set any target against this lot and win; we could declare now FFS. Maybe not the FFS bit. Anyway, it's Monty Panesar to bowl the first over after lunch. "Fun in the sun here lads!" says Matt Prior. It's a maiden to Younis Khan. "So, Rob," says John Starbuck, "if you had a hatful of money would you have bought anyone for an IPL side from The Best Test Team In The World?" I could barely care less, although it seems a bit surprising. Isn't it simply because they are only available for a small window?
Morning. The Decision Review Series hurtles towards its conclusion. There were six more wickets in the morning session, with Pakistan tucking into their innocent smoothies on 30 for two, 12 runs behind England. This match will probably be over before grandma's put the roast in the crock pot. The ghost of India v England 1981-82 is weeping at this crazy series. I've given up trying to explain it, so will settle purely for description in this session. This will, if the rest of this match is anything to go by, largely entail use of a six-letter word beginning with W.
LUNCH
So, at lunch Pakistan still trail by 12 runs. Rob Smyth will be here from 8.30am or so for the afternoon session. Send your emails to him now, please, on rob.smythl@guardian.co.uk.
15th over: Pakistan 30-2 (Ali 1 Younus 1) The last over of the morning is, perhaps unsurprisingly, another quiet one. Azhar Ali has played a dogged little innings here, blocking out another maiden.
14th over: Pakistan 30-2 (Ali 1 Younus 1) Another maiden, the third in the last four overs as these two try to draw the sting from England's bowling.
13th over: Pakistan 30-2 (Ali 1 Younus 1) Stuart Broad replaces Anderson, for a final little spell before the break. Ali continues to bat with admirable circumspection, and it is another maiden. He now has one run off 23 balls.
12th over: Pakistan 30-2 (Ali 1 Younus 1) Two singles off Monty's latest over, but I'm lagging behind the over-rate, so if you'll excuse me we'll move swiftly on.
11th over: Pakistan 28-2 (Ali 0 Younus 0) Azhar Ali plays out a maiden against Anderson. "They just used Ian Forth's stat on the telly and gave no credit! Shameful plagiarism! "They just used Ian Forth's stat on the telly and gave no credit!" points out Andrew Hulbert. "Shameful plagiarism!" They did indeed. But then, to be fair, we crib an awful lot off them in return here on the OBO. Including, you know, the footage of the cricket.
WICKET! Hafeez 21 LBW (Pakistan 28-2) But Monty wins in the end, landing the killer blow with a faster, flatter delivery that broke off the pitch just enough to slide past Hafeez's attempted sweep shot and hit him on the pad in front of off-stump. Touché. That was an enthralling little spell of cricket.
10th over: Pakistan 24-1 (Mohammad Hafeez 21, Azhar Ali 0) "That stroke excited you, didn't it?" says Aamer Sohail to his viewers, in a way that makes it sound very much like an order rather than a question. And he's right, it did. What a duel this is between Hafeez and Monty. Monty lunges out and lands a glancing blow, as Hafeez survives an LBW appeal. He then counters, stepping out and slashing a six down the ground over Monty's head. Having won the advantage, Hafeez makes another thrust, steering four through third man.
9th over: Pakistan 18-1 (Mohammad Hafeez 10, Azhar Ali 0) "What's wrong Andy? Dreaming of bed at 6:30 on a lovely sunny Saturday evening," asks Peter Kunzli, who is seemingly oblivious to the fact that it is 7.30am on Saturday morning, but still... "I thought you OBO'ers went to bed at 8pm ready for the off next day." Indeed we do, Peter, that's exactly right. And then when we get there we lie awake all night torturing ourselves with thoughts of the little typos and miscalculations in the scores we made during that day's play. After all these years Smyth and myself are still searching of the perfect OBO, a little like Patrick Swayze with his wave in Point Break. Of course we'll never find it, but the pursuit of the ideal is what keeps us sharp, on the edge, where we need to be, if you'll excuse me mixing my movie references.
8th over: Pakistan 17-1 (Mohammad Hafeez 10, Azhar Ali 0) Strauss brings Monty into the attack, and he hurries through six balls for the cost of just a single.
WICKET! Taufeeq 6 c Strauss b Anderson (Pakistan 16-1) That's not a no ball though, it's a brilliant piece of bowling by Anderson, who has been using the width of the crease to cause the batsmen different, difficult problems. This ball, as Bumble points out, was delivered from a little closer in, and Taufeeq edged the ball through to first slip.
7th over: Pakistan 11-0 (Mohammad Hafeez 9, Taufeeq Umar 6) trail England by 42 on the first innings Another terrific shot, as Taufeeq latches on to a similarly loose delivery to the one that Broad gifted to Hafeez in the last over. Anderson's bad ball was a little shorter and a little wider, and Tauffeq cut it away for four off the back foot. England appeal for off the next ball, but Anderson has drifted so wide on the crease that it is a no ball.
6th over: Pakistan 11-0 (Mohammad Hafeez 9, Taufeeq Umar 2) trail England by 42 on the first innings An lbw appeal from England, lead by Broad. Of course he thinks it is out, but Strauss decides not to refer it, rightly pointing out that the ball hit Hafeez so high up on the pads that it would have gone over the top. Broad's line drifts out well wide of off-stump, and Hafeez pounces on the rare opportunity to score some easy run. He creams a drive away square for four so thunderous that the sound should reach me here in the office any second now.
5th over: Pakistan 7-0 (Mohammad Hafeez 5, Taufeeq Umar 2) trail England by 42 on the first innings "No wickets so far," harrumphs Bumble. "Why not?"
4th over: Pakistan 5-0 (Mohammad Hafeez 4, Taufeeq Umar 1) trail England by 42 on the first innings At last, a run. Five of them, in fact. Taufeeq pushes a single to the on side, and Hafeez flicks four to fine leg. Compared to the slapdash approach of the opening overs of the first innings, the openers are looking altogether more resolute here. As Rameez Raja has just said, only half in jest, "even a partnership of six looks pretty substantial." If Pakistan can muster 200 between them, they will be well on their way to a whitewash.
3rd over: Pakistan 0-0 (Mohammad Hafeez 0, Taufeeq Umar 0) trail England by 42 on the first innings A little swing for Anderson, whos is bowling quite beautifully. "Tough old game this cricket," sasy Ken Danbury. "Strauss is top scorer in the match so far. If you listen to Boycott you would think he had cost England the game." Did you mean to say "Tough old game this cricket," Ken? Or would "miserable old bugger this Boycott," have been more accurate?
2nd over: Pakistan 0-0 (Mohammad Hafeez 0, Taufeeq Umar 0) trail England by 42 Taufeeq takes strike, knowing he's one good ball or bad shot away from bagging a pair. There's plenty of carry off the pitch for England's opening pair, and Baroad rips a short ball past Taufeeq's dangling bat, but you still wonder whether Bumble has a point when he says "there's nothing at all in this surface". A batsman who can master this pitch and score the first hundred of the series would win his team the match.
1st over: Pakistan 0-0 (Mohammad Hafeez 0, Taufeeq Umar 0) Goodness me this is all starting to feel a little familiar. Hafeez is taking strike, and Anderson has the ball. "So once again, England's bowlers have to drag the team out of a batsmen-induced mire," writes Chris Langmead. "I wonder, despite all the bland clichés about team spirit in press conferences, whether Messrs Broad, Anderson, Swann and Panesar aren't getting just a bit ticked off that the batting line up isn't pulling its weight, especially as it's the bowlers who seem to get ultimately dropped as a result? I'm sure Matthew Hoggard would agree." I suspect you are right. There were some rather pointed comments about the apparent innocuousness of the pitch made by both Broad and Anderson yesterday. (Note: Somebody needs to silence the folk singing Jerusalem. Silence them permanently.)
The game, as they say, is afoot. I'll be back in five minutes for the start of the penultimate chapter.
WICKET! Swann 16 c Rehman b Ajmal (England 141 all out) Well, it only costs them four runs. Swann sweeps one more four, and then lofts a catch out to the deep. England are all out with a lead of 42.
REFERRAL! Swann 11 LBW Ajmal Steve Davis shakes his head, and though Hawkeye shows the ball would have knocked over off-stump, it's not so very sure of itself that the third umpire thinks he can overturn the on-field decision. So it is not out and Swann bats on.
55th over: England 137-9 (Swann 11, Panesar 0) Swann sweeps four more away to fine leg, and then...
WICKET! Strauss 56 st Akmal b Rehman (England 133-9) Strauss goes! He was trying to slog away towards the leg side, but missed the ball and was stumped by Akmal. It was good 'keeping from him, and a rather embarrassing end to a fantastic innings by England's skipper. And Rehman has his fifth wicket. He'd never had a five-wicket haul in Test cricket before this series, now he has two in two matches. Well, scratch what I said about Swann trying to play sensibly, he has to hit out now.
54th over: England 129-8 (Strauss 55, Swann 7) Swann flicks four runs away to fine leg. It's going to be interesting to see how he plays this - and as I type this he has just executed a dapper forward defensive. It has irritated me for years that he squanders his batting talent by giving himself licence to play shots and then brushing his dismissals off as "just the way I play."
53rd over: England 125-8 (Strauss 55, Swann 3) I have to say I find it a little hard to reason my way through all the permutations and complications of the DRS when I've had so little sleep, and the decisions come so thick and fast. It irritates me though that in this Test it has become such a regular feature of the play. Every other over seems to include a review of one sort or another, and, at the risk of sounding very fogeyish, it rather disruptes the rhythm of the play. "Watching proceedings this morning it's looking good - England looking likely to build a healthy first innings lead of at least 35," says Luke Ballard. "With that sort of monster to overhaul, what sort of target could pakistan conceivably set that would be out of England's reach? Do you think they would need to reach triple figures in their second innings?" After their performances in the last two innings, who could say? Anything more than 150 would be intimidating.
52nd over: England 122-8 (Strauss 53, Swann 0) Swann has come out to bat in a baseball cap. His choice of headgear is, I'd guess, a portent of how he intends to play. Mike Selvey is gobsmacked by that decision against Broad. "How can that be out? It's hit him outside the line. And I would hazard beyond the 2.5 m mark too." Hawkeye says otherwise, but other than that I'm not sure you'll find many people who'll disagree with you about how wicket that looked.
WICKET! Broad 4 LBW Ajmal (England 121-8) Oh dear, England. Broad has to go, though he's not all that happy about it. The delivery that did for him was a doosra, and despite what most people who saw it seemed to think when they saw the size of the stride he took down the pitch, Hawkeye shows it hit him in line, and would have gone on to hit the middle of middle stump.
REFERRAL! Broad 4 LBW Ajmal Pakistan have one review left, and they have decided to spend it on this LBW appeal. The on-field decision was not out.
50th over: England 121-7 (Strauss 53, Broad 4) Four! And, more important still, fifty! Well played Andrew Strauss. It has taken all of 141 balls, ands has been quite the ugliest half-ton he has scored in Test cricket, if also one of the most useful. It is only his second fifty in his last 15 Test innings, a run stretching back over 12 months.
49th over: England 116-7 (Strauss 46, Broad 4) England's lead grows a little more, up to 17, as Strauss cuts two runs to deep point. Here's Ian Forth, who I can't help but notice seems to be emailing from his wife's account, with a Smyth-esque piece of statgazzary: "Had a quick fossick through statsguru today. A side batting first and scoring less than 100 has only gone on to win in 4 test matches. The last time it happened was 1907. So there really is almost nothing whatsoever to worry about." A quick fossick? What a delightful turn of phrase. As for your conclusions, well, I'm sure Disraeli would have something to say about lies, damned lies, and emails from optimistic OBO readers.
48th over: England 114-7 (Strauss 46, Broad 4) "I've got a Mexican, cricket-hating wife," says James Gordon. "You're safe with her Andy. Not a cat in hell's chance." Somehow this riff seems to be stumbling blindly into territory I have no desire to go near. I'm not sure the world is ready for an OBO Readers' Spouses special just yet, hard as times are at the grauniad. Here's Gary Naylor, steering us in an altogether more wholesome direction: Waqar seems as classy with mic in hand as he was with ball in hand. "I"m still ill though, so I could be hallucinating all this."
47th over: England 112-7 (Strauss 44, Broad 3) The score is on Nelson, and the old curse almost strikes as Broad is forced to dive full-length into the crease, bat stretched out in front of him, to beat a throw from the outfield and complete a quick single.
46th over: England 110-7 (Strauss 44, Broad 2) "My american cricket-loving girlfriend who will be keeping YOU company while I go to bed in a few overs, has just asked me: "is this how it feels to be an England fan, cherishing every run without a wi... oh - damn, Jimmy'." You're leaving me alone with your cricket-loving girlfriend, Simon Bereton? Oh, mercy. It's a good thing you've got the married OBO writer doing the first shift, rather than the single (and devastatingly seductive) Mr Robert Smyth. Hack-hack-hack, ahem. Excuse me, I've something tickling the back of my throat. Just a single from Rehman's second over.
45th over: England 109-7 (Strauss 43, Broad 2) This is the key partnership of the morning. Ajmal is on now, bowling around the wicket to Broadm and Strauss immediately gives him the strike by taking a single off the first ball. Broad paddle-sweeps two runs away fine, surviving an optimistic LBW appeal as he does so.
WICKET! Anderson 4 b Rehman (England 106-7) Well, I guess you good say he did his job in that he got through the night, but so far as night watches go, Anderson's effort here was no Rembrandt. He rashly decided to drive against the spin, but the ball landed in the footmarks and span back through the gate into the stumps.
44th over: England 106-6 (Strauss 41, Anderson 3) Rehman will bowl the first delivery of the day, to Jimmy Anderson. He promised earlier this week that today's IPL auction "would not be a distraction for the team". Little did he know how right he was - Jimmy attracted no bids, and has not been bought. He has though been bowled...
And that, it seems is all the preamble we are going to have time for, because here come the players.
Good morning, good morning. Seconds out, round 25, and this fight is as fascinating now as it was way back on January 17 when the series started. England, we can assume, are going to come out swinging. They have five wickets in hand, but only three batsmen among them. As Jimmy Anderson has just said "hopefully Straussy and I will set a platform and then Broady and Swanny will come out and be at their destructive best." This, ladies and gents, is going to entertaining to watch.
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
Copyright © 2004 - 2012 [Scopulus Limited]. All rights reserved. Terms of use Privacy Policy Directory Contact Search Site Map