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John Terry To Undergo Knee Surgery
LONDON -- Chelsea captain John Terry will have knee surgery and be sidelined for up to six weeks, a further blow to the team's faltering season but relieving interim England coach Stuart Pearce of a potentially difficult roster selection. Terry has not played for more than three weeks and Chelsea's medical team decided on Tuesday that the defender must have an operation on his right knee. The center back trained Monday in Italy on the eve of Chelsea's Champions League match against Napoli but woke up in discomfort a day later. "John has tried hard to
be ready for tonight's game but it was clear after training last night that it was not going to be possible," Chelsea said in a statement. "He will undergo an exploratory arthroscopy in the next day or so, after which the club's medical team will be better placed to advise on a prognosis." Coach Andre Villas-Boas said Terry will be out for up to six weeks. The injury saves Pearce from having to decide whether to select both Terry and Rio Ferdinand for his roster for next Wednesday's exhibition against the Netherlands. Terry was stripped of the England captaincy this month due to his upcoming trial for allegedly racially abusing
Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas has quashed speculation linking him with a move to Inter Milan by hailing the work of Claudio Ranieri, boss of the Serie A giants. Villas-Boas is reportedly under serious pressure to deliver results at Chelsea, having not recorded a victory in five games. The Blues suffered a 3-1 Champions League defeat against Napoli on Tuesday, which has only increased the scrutiny on his position. With Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich notoriously trigger-happy, there is a feeling that Villas-Boas could soon
lose his job at Stamford Bridge - and walk into a role with Inter, who are battling through a similarly difficult patch. The Nerazzurri have slipped 14 points off the title pace after losing four of their last five Serie A games, and currently lie seventh in the table - leaving Ranieri facing a battle to hold onto his post. And VillasBoas has ruled out the prospect of succeeding the Italian. "I have the utmost respect for the work of Ranieri, who is experiencing a situation of change at Inter similar to ours," Villas-Boas told Mediaset Premium.
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Ferdinand's brother, Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand. Fabio Capello quit as England coach after the Football Association stripped Terry of the captaincy without consulting the Italian. Terry's absence will be less of a blow for England than for Chelsea, which hasn't won a game since he last played on Jan. 28 against QPR. Chelsea has slipped to fifth in the Premier League and tied Birmingham in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Saturday. The 31-year-old Terry has been troubled by the knee injury since colliding with a post last month in the FA Cup against Portsmouth.
London 2012 - 40,000 Athletics Seats For Lucky Losers
Over 40,000 seats for the athletics will be available when the remaining 1.3 million tickets for the Olympics go on sale in April, according to a report. The BBC claim there will be tickets available for all nine days of the athletics, offering an excellent chance for a select 20,000 fans who missed out in both ballots so far to get a chance to see something in the main Olympic stadium. Those 20,000 disappointed fans were initally told that they had secured tickets in the second ballot, only to later be told that they had been unlucky after all because the Ticketmaster system was not "live". Understandably, those fans were initially furious, but their anger turned to joy when they were promised preferential treatment for the final ballot in April. It is a decision that has led to them being branded the 'lucky losers' and annoyed those who intentionally applied for less popular sports so as to be able to see at least one event. With each of those lucky losers set to be able to buy at least two tickets, the 40,000 athletics
tickets are expected to be sold within their 24hour preferential treatment period. After that, the hundreds of thousands who missed out in both the ballots will be allowed to buy tickets; finally, after seven days, those who have yet to apply will be permitted to try and secure tickets. By that point it is expected that only football tickets will remain, though with nobody being permitted
market rumours are part of football, but I want to build Chelsea's future and I'm working on that. The results are not positive, but we must look forward."
Alastair Cook captain in England's ODI series win against Pakistan, has confirmed that he will stay on for the Twenty20 series.Cook's reputation as a one-day player blossomed as England whitewashed Pakistan 4-0 and he narrowly failed to become the first England player to make three successive hundreds in one-day internationals.He stays on because Ravi Bopara has a stiff back and, even though he is officially only remaining with the squad as cover, England will be tempted to grab an opportunity to see if he can follow up his 50-over form by quashing the belief that he does not have the aptitude for T20 cricket. "It is not often you get to hit the ball as well as I have done," said Cook, with a broad grin that told of his excitement that he might get a chance in an England Twenty20 team that will now be handed over as planned to Stuart Broad. "We have a couple of niggles in the batting line-up so it is a reason to stay on."It's been a great week and a half for us. We played some excellent cricket. Pakistan came here with an excellent record and everybody lived up to the challenge."
Andre Villas-Boas shrugs off Inter link
Villas-Boas told Mediaset Premium. "I think we both will continue to work with our current team, to believe in our work and try to get results. The
to buy seats for more than one session it is possible one or two other events may still have tickets left. Also among the 1.3 million seats being sold in April are 50,000 seats for the basketball and 30,000 seats for the diving, and a few thousand for the opening ceremony - though less than 1,000 tickets for the track cycling at the velodrome are likely to be released.
Cook to stay on for Twenty20 series
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England Wrap Up Series Win
ODI was an innings of responsibility and brutality. Any more of those, and he'll be back in the world's top 10 ODI batsmen again in no time. 281 runs at 93.66
Stuart Broad 7.5/10 Broad was overshadowed by Finn, but still returned tidy figures until he was rested for the final match of the series. At one point in the second game he reverted to a barrage of bouncers and short stuff, but when he got his length right, he was far more dangerous. 5 wickets at 23.4
England's women won by 10 runs on the Duckworth Lewis rule after rain brought a premature end to the third Twenty20 match with New Zealand in Auckland.The result secured an unassailable lead for the tourists, who now lead 3-0 in the fivematch series. England had posted 108-6 off their 20 overs, Jenny Gunn topscoring with an unbeaten 30. Lydia Greenway weighed in with 26 before being run out - one of three wickets to fall in that manner. It was far from a huge
total and New Zealand set about their task of knocking off the runs in promising fashion, reaching 80-4 off 16.2 overs. But three wickets in quick succession put paid to the hosts' hopes as rain eventually halted play with New Zealand at 90-7 off 18.5 overs. "It was great to win the series today. It was a hard fought one but we didn't panic and I felt we were always in control," Gunn said after being named player-of-thematch."We all bat right down the order so it takes the pressure off when you
come in needing runs. It was great to score runs in a game like that and it and it was really good to get a partnership going with Susie Rowe, hit a few boundaries and get some momentum to take into our bowling. "Our bowlers performed well again and were backed up in the field. We're delighted to go three nil up and win the series and will be looking for a whitewash in the final two games in Invercargill." The fourth T20 of the series will be played at Queens Park, Invercargill on Saturday.
Series ratings for England ODI stars
England tore up the form book as they won the one-day series against Pakistan, winning all four matches in stunning fashion in the UAE. Ripped to shreds in their last ODI series - a 5-0 mauling in India - and bamboozled by spin in the three Tests that preceded this match-up, few gave England any hope of victory. But victories came from all positions and scenarios nonetheless, and suggested that England have taken the first tentative steps towards building a team that can compete at the 2015 World Cup.
Who has shone in this morale-boosting run of displays? Cow Corner runs the rule over the men in the middle. Steven Finn 9.5/10 The one big positive in the crushing 5-0 series loss to India late last year became the biggest positive of several in a 40 defeat of Pakistan. Stay free from injury, and Finn could open the bowling for England in one-day internationals for the next decade. 13 wickets at 10.30 Alastair Cook 9.5/10 Settled any doubts about his one-day credentials with three superlative knocks.
Demonstrated more invention and ambition in his captaincy decisions. It could easily be lost in the aftermath of the whitewash that England were overwhelming underdogs going into the series — Cook's grit and determination were instrumental in turning the tour around. 323 runs at 80.75 Kevin Pietersen 9/10 Two matches ago you could hear the sound of knives being sharpened after two less than convincing innings back as an opening batsman. Two centuries later and those noises are gone. The 130 in the fourth
James Anderson 7/10 The pressure is building on Anderson, whose one-day career is under some pressure, particularly on slower, lower tracks which don't favour his swing. But he responded well, bowling with persistence if not panache, and taking wickets at crucial times. 4 wickets at 28 Ravi Bopara 7/10 Not always fluent, but Bopara did what was required of him, hitting two fifties from the two innings he played, acting as Cook's foil. He's yet to convince all his doubters, but he did nothing to harm his chances at international level, until a back injury ruled him out of the final game. 108 runs at 54
Samit Patel 7/10 The selectors have a soft spot for Samit, and there are signs he is starting to repay their faith in him. He was scarcely called upon with the bat, but with the ball he was steady and for the most part reliable, returning better figures at a tidier economy rate than fellow all-rounder Shahid Afridi of Pakistan. 34 runs, 5 wickets at 33.8 Craig Kieswetter 6/10 Being dropped into the middle order seems to automatically put Kieswetter under some pressure to retain his place. With a battery of options available to
England as wicketkeeper-batsmen, Kieswetter needed an innings of substance, and his knock of 43 in partnership with Pietersen in the final game was worth more than the scorecard suggested. 52 runs at 26, 6 catches and 1 stumpingCraig Kieswetter 6/10 Being dropped into the middle order seems to automatically put Kieswetter under some pressure to retain his place. With a battery of options available to England as wicketkeeper-batsmen, Kieswetter needed an innings of substance, and his knock of 43 in partnership with Pietersen in the final game was worth more than the scorecard suggested. 52 runs at 26, 6 catches and 1 stumping
Graeme Swann 6/10 Swann was not at his penetrative best with the ball, but he nonetheless contributed one economical spell after another, particularly valuable in the second game as England squeezed Pakistan out of the contest. A reliable bowler for Cook. 2 wickets at 48
Eoin Morgan 5/10 Morgan's tour continues in scratchy fashion. He batted four times for 66 runs, not once looking like the player who has terrorised one-day sides in games gone by. He will be frustrated that twice he came in too late to make bigger contributions and to play his way back to somewhere near that form. 66 runs at 33
Jonathan Trott 4/10 Trott's series began inauspiciously, cleaned up first ball by an Afridi googly, and it didn't get a great deal better. He faced 71 balls in the series for just 38 runs, but his performances in 2011 mean his place is under no serious threat for the Sri Lanka tour.
38 runs at 12.66
Played one match
Jade Dernbach 8.5/10 The seamer made animpressive return to action in the final game, striking with his second ball, using his variations and slower balls with restraint and impressive effect, and pressing a convincing case for a starting spot in Sri Lanka. 4 wickets at 11.25 Danny Briggs 8/10 The 20-year-old showed no nerves on his international debut, picking up two wickets and stymieing the Pakistani batsmen with his nagging line. What he lacks at the moment in turn he makes up for in control — and, on this showing, temperament. 2 wickets at 19.5
Tim Bresnan 6/10 On the face of it, Bresnan took the big wicket of Asad Shafiq on his return to the ODI arena, and then sliced away the winning runs from his first ball. But for much of his bowling spell his pace was well down from his best, and he looked rusty. 1 wicket at 47
Jos Buttler 4/10 Buttler looks destined to be a middle order star in the not-too-distant future — but his debut will not be fondly remembered. Blocked his first delivery, was caught at short leg from a bat-pad decision the next. His day will come.
Ricky Ponting announced his retirement from one-day international cricket.
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Saif Gets Bail After A Hotel Brawl Arrest gang to keep the noise
Saif Ali Khan was on Wednesday night arrested for allegedly punching an NRI businessman and his relative at a restaurant in a luxury hotel here. He was immediately bailed out. The actor and two friends were booked for allegedly assaulting Iqbal Sharma, a South African national of Indian origin, at Wasabi — a Japanese restaurant in the Taj Mahal hotel — on Tuesday night after the latter told the actor’s
level down. Khan was dining with 10 friends, including girlfriendKareena Kapoor and actor Amrita Arora. Sharma — a trade official with the South African government — told the police Khan’s table very noisy and when he objected, the actor suggested he go to a library if he wanted silence. Sharma finally decided to change tables himself but when he was moving, Khan threatened him. “He said, ‘you don’t know who I am’.
He used abusive lan guage and when the argument furthered, he punched me on my nose,” Sharma said. “When my father-in-law tried to intervene, he punched him twice on his face and stomach,” he said. Sharma said his 68-year-old father-in-law, Raman Patel, fell to the floor. "I lifted him up but… a man accompanying Khan came running down, punched my father -in-law in the face and ran back." "On Sharma's complaint, we have booked Saif
and two friends under section 325 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt) of the IPC," said Vinod Sawant, senior police inspector at Colaba police station. The 41-year-old actor and his friends surrendered at the police station around 8pm. They were bailed out an hour later. Khan said in a statement: "I was hit and I defended myself… I think the restaurant has CCTV footage, which will prove everything."
Simpsons Marks 500th Episode, Assange Guest Stars
America’s most famous dysfunctional cartoon family have played out their lives before a worldwide audience for over two decades since the distinctive yellow characters Homer, Maggie and children Bart, Lisa and baby Maggie first burst onto American TV in 1989. The series has become the longest-running comedy in US television history and in its 23rd season is currently the longest-running primetime scripted show. In the 500th show, Homer and Marge discover Springfield residents are holding a secret meeting to kick them out of town, for all the trouble they’ve caused over the years. After being sent into exile, the Simpsons arrange to meet with Assange in a bid to clear their names. The show’s executive producer Al Jean acknowledged last month that Assange, who leaked massive amounts of sensitive diplomatic and military documents, was a controversial figure. “There was discussion internally whether or not to have him on the show, but ultimately we went ahead and did it,” said Jean in Entertainment Weekly. He added “there’s nothing we did that has anything to do with the legal situation that he’s in.” Assange is wanted in Sweden for questioning about allegations of rape and sexual assault, and he fears extradition to the United States for possible prosecution for the leak. “We wanted to make sure it was satirical, and he was willing to do that,” Jean added. “Thanks for 500 shows,” the show said in a note attached to the end of Sunday’s episode. “All we ask is that you go out and get some fresh air before logging on the Internet and saying how much this sucked.” The Simpsons has a history of including high profile guest appearances, from Hollywood stars and musicians to politicians – including former British prime minister Tony Blair – and famously elusive figures such as US novelist Thomas Pynchon and British graffiti artist Banksy. Over the past 20 years, it has entered into the national and global consciousness as an icon of television entertainment.It’s success has surprised even creator Matt Groening, the creative spark behind the family that lives in the shadow of a nuclear reactor, in a fictional town called Springfield. “Audiences were ready again for a prime-time animated TV show,” he told the Los Angeles Times on Saturday on the eve of the 500th episode.“We were the first out of the gate and, using a very conservative template of a family sitcom, found a way to tell jokes in many different styles,” he said. “It’s really crazy that something so quirky is so popular, but whatever that mix is, it works.”
Global Polio Eradication Gets Major Boost
India recently celebrated a year of being poliofree. This is a remarkable achievement in a country that until recently was recognized as the world’s epicenter of polio. India’s momentous accomplishment is boosting prospects of polio becoming only the second disease after smallpox to have been eradicated. To ensure that it remains polio-free, India is holding a second round of National Immunization Days. Between February 19 and 25, vaccinators aim to immunize 172 million children against polio. Staff Benda Bilili, a group of eight former street musicians from Kinshasa, Congo, are singing their signature song "Polio." Four of the musicians are disabled polio victims. They sing about the disease that drastically changed their lives. They urge parents to immunize their children. They travel throughout Africa on a mission to kick polio out of the continent. Sona Bari is external relations officer for the World Health Organization’s Global Polio Eradication Initiative. She said, "A year has passed in which no child in India has been paralyzed by polio for the first time in
history.She says India has always been considered the toughest place on earth to stop the virus. But she notes it has achieved this milestone through political will, huge funding by Rotary International, and determination and persistence by the whole society. "India and Indians had to be committed for a decade to month after month of vaccination activities," said Bari. "House to house to vaccinate children, keeping surveillance for polio very high and finding the most remote and inaccessible populations to ensure that every last child was reached." Now that India has stopped the transmission of the wild poliovirus, only three polio endemic countries remain Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Bruce Aylward is WHO assistant director for polio, emergencies and country collaboration. He said the "main challenge and problems are definitely right now going to be in northern Nigeria and Pakistan." "Basically, the whole 20year, 10-plus-billiondollar effort now hinges on how well some district or local government area how well some district or
local government area leaders are in vaccinating their kids, and probably what would amount to somewhere around 40 or 50 districts in the entire world. It really is now coming down to that with the progress recently made in India," said Aylward. In 2003, religious and political leaders in Kano, Nigeria, claimed the polio vaccine was part of a Western conspiracy to sterilize girls. Immunizations stopped. As a consequence, hundreds of Nigerian children became disabled and the virus spread to neighboring countries. Bruce Aylward says both governments and health providers have learned from this experience. All are more vigilant, and great pains are being taken to make sure communities understand the importance of immunizing their children against this dreadful disease. "It is a horrific, painful, devastating disease for the child, often for the family and then often even for the communities…Once polio is eliminated, we will also eliminate an incredible barrier to development, an incredible barrier to productivity for not just countries, but obviously
the communities that are affected by polio and the children that are affected by polio," Aylward said. When WHO launched its Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988, 350,000 children were paralyzed or killed by this crippling disease every year. That number fell to 647 cases in 17 countries last year. WHO estimates about $10 billion has been spent on polio eradication so far. The United Nations agency says the world stands to benefit by $40 billion to $50 billion in net health savings 20 years after transmission is stopped. For United Nations Children's Fund Senior Health Specialist Brigitte Toure, the question is not one of if the job can get done, but when. "The big achievement of India in one year is to have demonstrated that it is possible to stop polio," she said. "You know that in the world, 99 percent of the countries have stopped polio…We are confident that we will stop this polio outbreak, but we have to work." India’s achievement is converting skeptics into believers. The results are there for all to see. India shows polio can be eradicated if the political commitment and the money are there to bring this dreaded disease to end.
WHO Recommends Continued Research of Lethal Bird Flu Strain
A panel of the World Health Organization has recommended that research continue on a potentially lethal strain of bird flu so that scientists can better understand how the virus might trigger a global pandemic. The decision follows a U.S. government appeal last December to two scientific journals that they NOT publish key details of a federallyfunded experiment that created new, more infectious strains of the deadly bird flu virus. The H5N1 avian influenza virus originated in poultry flocks in Asia. While it has rarely infected humans, the illness carries a 60 percent mortality rate. Scientists at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and the Erasmus University Medical
voluntarily halted their research for 60 days. In Geneva, the World Health Organization convened an emergency meeting of 20 scientists and public health experts to discuss the issue. Assistant Director-General for Health, Security and Environment, Keiji Fukuda said participants concluded there is ample justification for continuing the scientific research: “In really helping us to understand better how these H5N1 viruses work, and also what are some of the changes we ought to be looking for out there in the real world, in terms of trying to keep on top of these viruses, which are becoming more dangerous in terms of causing a pandemic,” said Fukuda. But Fukuda said the
Center in the Netherlands engineered a more virulent strain of the H5N1 bird flu to try to understand how mutations could make it more infectious to both animal and human populations a change that could lead to a global pandemic. But a U.S. government panel on biosecurity, concerned that the mutated virus could fall into the hands of bioterrorists, asked two leading scientific magazines Science and the British journal Nature - not to publish sensitive details of the work.The magazines agreed and in January, the scientists
panel also agreed the research moratorium ought to continue for now, until all public health risks and benefits, as well as security fears, have been fully identified and addressed. Fukuda stressed the research is being carried out in secure laboratory facilities, with little risk to the public. The WHO panel also recommended that Science and Nature, for the time being, refrain from publishing articles about the research. The editors of Science said Friday they will honor the request.
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Mango Pits, Coconut Shells Could Generate Electricity
More than 1.5 billion people don't have access to electricity, according to the United Nations Development Program. That means, among other things, that school children with homework to do are left in the dark. But some poor, rural areas that lack electricity may find they can generate it from something many do have plenty of: coconut shells and fruit pits. Very little waste' University of Kentucky plant scientist Seth DeBolt and colleagues wanted to find a fuel that people in poor, rural areas could use to generate electricity. While on a study trip in rural Indonesia, he was struck by something he saw everywhere he went:“The incredible efficiency at which agricultural products are used in Indonesia," DeBolt says. "There’s very little waste.” Little waste means little left over that could be used for fuel. Farmers grew mangoes and jackfruit above coffee bushes and livestock fodder. Everything they grew was used for something. Even the scraps of fruit were fed to chickens. So growing a separate fuel crop would take land away
from food crops, something DeBolt definitely wanted to avoid. “The people at most risk with respect to energy poverty, typically they’re the same people who have food insecurity issues as it is," he says. "And any change in availability would be most detrimental to that group of people.” Lots of energy But there is one promising item DeBolt found in abundance that would not create competition between food and fuel. “It’s the shell of a coconut, or the pit of a mango. And these are generally thrown out.” Though you can’t eat it and you can’t feed it to livestock, DeBolt says a coconut shell or mango pit has a lot of energy in it. It compares roughly to low- to moderate-grade coal in its heating value," he says, "which is excellent.” The same is true for the pit of an olive, peach or cherry, or the shell of an almond or walnut. All that is needed is a way to release the energy. Turning rice hulls into electricity DeBolt says a company in India called Husk Power is using small generators in local villages to turn rice hulls into electricity. They use a process called
gasification: heating plant matter in a lowoxygen chamber releases gases that can be burned in an engine that spins a power-generating turbine. DeBolt says his team saw the possibilities for coconut shells and mango pits. “Hey, well these crops are growing here and these are the areas where there is potential for energy poverty to be alleviated at least in part by these small-scale production systems.” In a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, DeBolt and his colleagues used some rough calculations of coconut, mango and other fruit production and the efficiency of the gas generators. And they found in a country like Indonesia, for example, these systems could provide as much as 13 percent of the national energy needs. Sustained energy supply “If that’s concentrated on rural, decentralized facilities - not the big cities, which generally have a sustained energy supply - then it may have a more sustained impact on those communities.” Other tropical countries with significant crops of coconuts, mangoes or other similar fruits could benefit, too.
Hubble Astronomers Discover Exo-Planet Covered Entirely by Super-Hot Water
However, DeBolt cautions that it is not a cureall. There are technical issues, including how to safely handle the hazardous waste by-products of gasification. And startup funds can be hard to come by in the countries that could most benefit. Still, he sees potential for coconut power to at least help in alleviating rural poverty.
Astronomers using the Hubble space telescope have discovered a new kind of planet in the galaxy - a world 40 light years beyond our solar system with a dense atmosphere that surrounds a surface covered entirely by an ocean of super-hot water. In our solar system, there are three types of planets - rocky terrestrial worlds, including Earth, Mars, Venus and Mercury, gas giants such as Jupiter and Saturn and the ice giants of Uranus and Neptune. Outside the solar system, newer observational techniques have led to the discovery of previously unknown kinds of exo-planets, including lava worlds and so-called “hot Jupiters” orbiting their stars. Now, astronomers at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Massachusetts, using
the orbiting Hubble space telescope, have spied a distant planet, more than twice the size of Earth and weighing seven times as much, covered entirely in super-hot water. The planet, called GJ 1214b, is located a mere 40 light years away, a short distance in cosmic terms. Originally discovered in 2009, further observations by the scientists using the Hubble Space Telescope have revealed the water world is entirely enshrouded by a thick, steamy atmosphere. Because the watery exo-planet orbits its star, a small red-dwarf, every 38 hours at a close distance of more than two million kilometers, scientists estimate the rocky but wet planet has an exterior temperature of more than 232 degrees Celsius, like that of a really hot oven, according
to lead investigator Zachory Berta, with highly unusual surface features.“Part of the planet might be what’s known as like hot ice, this weird form of water that’s solid but at very high temperatures, hotter than the normal boiling point of water," said Berta. "And you could also have this weird like super-fluid water, ionized water, all of these very strange molecule form of water
making up the planet. But it would be very different from an Earth-like ocean.” Astronomers used a wide field camera mounted on Hubble to study GJ 1214b as it transited in front of its host star, to measure the infrared light of the planet’s sunset. During the transit, the star’s light is filtered into different colors that give clues into the chemical
make-up of GJ 1214b’s atmosphere. Astronomers also looked to see how puffy or compact the planet’s atmosphere was, something Berta says clinched the water analysis. Berta says scientists are anxious to find other water worlds and what he calls “weird” exo-planets beyond
the solar system.
US Marks 50 Years Since Glenn's Historic Orbit of Earth
The U.S. space agency is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first time an American orbited the Earth. John Glenn went around the planet three times in just under five hours on February 20, 1962, in a mission designed to see how man would react to the space environment. The former astronaut and ex-U.S. senator took part in a forum Monday at Ohio State University to mark the anniversary and discuss NASA. He was critical of the decision to end the U.S. shuttle program that carried astronauts to the International Space Station."NASA is in a difficult position today, quite frankly. It's sort of a hold-your-breath period for NASA as to what's
going to happen, because the only way we go into space now, as it's already been mentioned here today, was to go over to Russia and we pay them. We buy seats for them to put our people into space on the Soyuz. Speaking at a NASA event last week, the 90-year-old Glenn said his experience on the historic 1962 flight is hard to describe."You know, the things that remain very, very personal that you can't really convey are the feelings of things and the actual feel of this and that and something and just the view [of the Earth] that was different from what people had ever been able to see before and things like that," he said.
Apple to Have Labour Group Inspect Its Factories in China
Apple will have a non profit labour group conduct inspections of its controversial production facility in China.A statement issued by Apple CEO Tim Cook said the company had agreed to let the D.C.-based Fair Labor Association (FLA) monitor conditions at the factories of its suppliers, including controversial Foxconn plants in southern China."As part of its independent assessment, the FLA will interview thousands of employees about working and living conditions including health and safety, compensation, working hours and communication with management."The Foxconn factories have come under scrutiny because of reports of hard working conditions and high suicide rates. Foxconn, the Taiwanese company that assembles most of Apple's products, denies that such conditions exist.The inspections began Monday with interviews of thousands of employees and inspections of manufacturing areas and dormitories.Following the allegations, one U.S. citizen, Mark Shields, started a petition drive calling for better working conditions at the factories, collecting almost a quarter of a million signatures. Shields told that Apple's announcement is a "great first step" but he said he would like a worker protection strategy announced for new Apple products. Shields said as an Apple consumer, he was concerned about reports of how Apple products were made in Chinese factories where working conditions were so hard and suicide rates were so high that Foxconn “had to hang nets off of the sides of the buildings to prevent people from killing themselves.�
Glenn was the first American to orbit Earth. (AP Photo/NASA, Bill Ingalls)
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RBS Set To Unveil £400m Bonus Pot
Taxpayer-backed Royal Bank of Scotland is set to reignite the debate over bankers' pay as it unveils a £400 million bonus pool for its investment bankers in 2011. While the pot would represent a 60% cut on the previous year, the award will follow a year in which the bank announced thousands of job cuts as it reshaped its investment banking arm Global Banking and Markets (GBM). RBS has been at the centre of a row over bankers' pay in recent weeks, which led to chief executive Stephen Hester waiving his £963,000 all-shares bonus. The total payout for its investment bankers was reduced from about £500 million following discussions with the Treasury and UK Financial Investments (UKFI), which manages the taxpayer's 82% stake in RBS, Sky News said. The bonus pot will be revealed as RBS reports a return to annual profit for the year - in the region of between £140 million to £300 million according to some analysts compared to a £239 million loss last year. The results will give the bank the opportunity to update on the progress it has made towards
delivering a decent return to its shareholders - that is the taxpayer. John-Paul Crutchley, analyst at UBS, said RBS has been one of the best performing European banks so far in 2012, as shares have risen nearly 40%, adding around £8 billion of market value - and therefore £6.5 billion to the taxpayers' investment. He continued: "With the benefit of management clearly apparent, it seems surprising that the political establishment which, we think, should be aligned with a good investment outcome for RBS shareholders, is potentially putting this at risk by raising concerns over the chief executive's remuneration." RBS has moved to strip down its investment arm GBM, which employs 18,500 worldwide, amid increased Government pressure to focus its operations on UK high street services. The restructuring will lead to around 3,500 job losses, on top of the 2,000 announced by the bank last summer. The proposed changes include the sale or closure of its cash equities, equity capital markets and mergers and acquisitions businesses, which had
income of around £220 million in the nine months to September and are currently unprofitable. The City will be looking for an update on how much RBS thinks the reshaping of GBM is going to cost.
Pound Hits 10-Week Low Against Euro
LONDON, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Sterling fell to a two-month low against the euro on Wednesday after Bank of England minutes unexpectedly showed two policymakers voted for an even bigger increase in quantitative easing than the bank implemented this month. The BoE's David Miles and Adam Posen voted to pump an extra 75 billion pounds into the economy instead of 50 billion, increasing the possibility that the central bank will opt for more easing later in the year. Traders said many in the market had positioned for the risk of one or two policymakers voting for no QE at all after this month's BoE inflation report predicted the economy would improve, dampening expectations of further stimulus.
Peacocks In Bedford Closed
PEACOCKS in Bedford closed it doors this afternoon, just one hour after it was announced the company had been sold. Administrators KPMG revealed that the company has been sold to High Street retailer Edinburgh Woollen Mill. The sale saw 224 stores close, but 388 were saved. Customers were told at around 4pm to leave the sore as it was closing down. Administrators KPMG announced the sale of the business this afternoon at around 3pm that Edinburgh Woollen Mill, which is one of the UK’s largest high street chains, had acquired the Peacocks brand, 388 stores and concessions. As well as the business’ headquarters and logistics functions in Wales. The deal has protected around 6,000 jobs in the UK.Unfortunately the remaining 224 stores were not included
in the sale and have ceased trading with immediate effect, which included Bedford, resulting in 3,100 redundancies. There will also be approximately 16 redundancies at the headquarters in Cardiff. Chris Laverty, joint administrator and restructuring partner at KPMG, commented: “Today’s deal ensures the continued trading of a well known name on the high street. “While it is unfortunate that redundancies have been necessary, we are pleased that we have been able to preserve the majority of the business and jobs. “Like many other retailers, Peacocks suffered from a decline in consumer spending due to the tough economic conditions and this, combined with a surplus of stores and unsustainable capital structure led to the business becoming financially unviable.
The surprisingly dovish minutes propelled the euro to a high of 84.57 pence, a rise of 0.75 percent on the day, topping the 2012 high of 84.09 pence, the late December high of 84.22 and potentially paving the way for a move towards 85 pence. The euro broke firmly out of the relatively narrow range from 82.22 pence to 84.09 pence that it traded within throughout 2012 and analysts said this could give it more scope for further gains. However, the euro's gains could be limited due to concerns the euro zone still has many hurdles to clear after finally agreeing a second Greek bailout package as concerns remain about whether Greece can implement the tough measures demanded of it. "Markets were wrongfooted after expectations of QE had been scaled back," said Simon Smith, economist at FXPro. "I expect sterling will hold onto this weakness against the euro for the next week or so, but there are still quite a few hurdles on Greece for the next few weeks and there could be bigger risks ahead for the euro". The euro's next target was the 100-day moving average around 84.78 pence. It was last at 84.44 pence. Sterling's broad falls dragged the pound's trade-weighted index to a two-month low of 80.4. CENTRAL BANK CAUTION Sterling also fell sharply against the dollar, losing around 0.8 percent on the day to hit $1.5648, its lowest in a week and well below an earlier high of $1.5816. This took it just shy of the mid-February low of $1.5644, which would mark its lowest in around four weeks. "The minutes have made more QE more likely than the market had anticipated, and it came as a
a surprise, which is why there's been a fairly big move in sterling," said Geraldine Concagh, economist at AIB Group Treasury in Dublin.
"They showed appetite for more QE is probably stronger than suggested by the inflation report, which is more of a consensus view". Recent UK data suggested the economy has picked up at the beginning of this year, while February's BoE inflation report predicted growth would improve later in the year and inflation would drop close to 2 percent in two years. BoE Deputy Governor Charles Bean echoed this view on Tuesday, saying Britain's economy looked set for a modest recovery. However, policymakers are likely to remain cautious given that the economy would be very vulnerable to any worsening of the euro zone debt crisis or to a further rise in oil prices. "There is a sense that central banks do not want to get too bullish on hopes for a recovery. There have been a lot of false dawns," FXPro's Smith said.
Rochdale Council agrees £10.5m budget cuts
War, neglect leave 500,000 Afghans homeless: Amnesty
continued from page 28
Councillor Peter Williams, Deputy Leader of the Labour group, said that the alternative proposals do not “meet the challenge” set by the Government. Presenting the Labour council’s budget, leader Councillor Colin Lambert said: “The papers presented to you represent many months of hard work and some very tough decision making. “The outcome is a number of budget recommendations that I believe ensure the council’s financial position is robust and will support us through the next year of 2012/13. “It is going to be a difficult year and many challenges will face us going forward to facilitate early consideration of the funding for 2013/14 and 2014/15.” He added: “Any budget at anytime is not without a risk, a budget when there is so many uncertainties from central government and when demand for services is likely to increase will make it harder to achieve a balanced budget “We believe we have done so and believe will do so in coming years.” He added: “We have achieved the budget with plans to improve value for money and deliver £10.5million in savings, whilst not increasing the council tax.
49 dead, hundreds injured in Argentina train crash
BUENOS AIRES: A packed commuter train slammed into a retaining wall at a railway terminus in Buenos Aires during rush hour on Wednesday, leaving at least 49 dead, 550 injured, and dozens trapped in the wreckage. “The train was full and the impact was tremendous,” a passenger identified only as Ezequiel told local television, adding that medics at the scene appeared overwhelmed by the scale of the disaster. Witnesses said passengers were hurled on top of each other and knocked to the floor “in the blink of an eye”, some losing consciousness and others seriously injured. “Unfortunately, we must report that there are 49 dead in the accident,” including a child, police spokesman Nestor Rodriguez told a news conference. Civil defence officials said at least 550 people were injured in the crash, which witnesses said occurred after the train’s breaks failed as it was arriving at a station on the western outskirts of Buenos Aires. The toll surpassed the city’s last major rail disaster just five months ago when two trains and bus collided during rush hour, killing 11 people and injuring more than
200.A dozen ambulances were dispatched to the scene, and officials said many passengers had suffered multiple fractures and abrasions. At least 30 people were trapped in the twisted wreckage of the first and second cars of the train, Alberto Crescenti, the head of the city’s emergency services office, said. Transportation Secretary Juan Pablo Schiavi said the train entered the station at a speed of 20 kilometres (12 miles) an hour, and failed to stop, crashing into a retaining wall at the end of the track. “It was a very serious accident,” he said at a news conference. “Cars piled up on top of each other and one of them went six meters (yards) inside another car.” “People suffered contusions, but there are much more complex cases involving traumas of the thorax. There are people trapped alive in the cars.” Fire-fighters and rescue workers had to break through skylights in the train’s roofs to open a path to those trapped inside. “I felt the explosion of the crash. It was very loud. The train did not brake, I saw people hurt in their necks, arms, legs,” said Pedro Fuentes, a passenger. —AFP
KABUL: Half a million Afghans displaced by war have been left homeless and struggling to survive because of government and international neglect, Amnesty International said Thursday. Around 400 people join makeshift shelters around the country every day, Amnesty said in a report entitled “Fleeing war, finding misery”, based on three years of research. The Afghan government estimates that more than 40 people froze to death this winter, the harshest in 15 years, with at least 28 children dying in camps around Kabul. The government is “not only looking the other way but even preventing help from reaching them” in an attempt to avoid
making the settlements permanent, Amnesty researcher Horia Mosadiq said. “Local officials restrict aid efforts because they want to pretend that these people are going to go away. This is a largely hidden but horrific humanitarian and human rights crisis,” she said. The report calls on the government to remove conditions placed on humanitarian aid and on international donors to “ensure that their humanitarian assistance addresses the needs of internally displaced people”. Kabul alone houses up to 35,000 displaced persons in 30 slum areas around the city, according to the report.
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Celebrate World Book Day with Bradford Libraries
Parents, carers and children can enjoy a variety of fun activities to mark World Book Day. Family reading is the focus of this year’s annual celebration of books, which will be held nationwide on Thursday, 1 March. To promote the joy of parents or carers reading together with their children, Bradford Council has organised events in 21 of its libraries around the district. Some of the highlights include: A fruit tasting and Very Hungry Caterpillar storytime session (Keighley Library on Wednesday, 29 February at 11am); Teddy bear’s bedtime story-time session (Bingley, Baildon and
Shipley Libraries on Thursday, 1 March from 3.45pm); Create and bake Horrid Henry and Harry Potter character pizzas (Thornbury Library on Friday, 2 March from 2.153.15pm); Colouring competition and craft activities based on Roald Dahl’s Enormous Crocodile (Allerton Library on Thursday, 1 March and Thornton Library the following day from 3.15pm); and Children will be able to dress up as their favourite book character for a story-time and hand-puppet making session (Wyke Library on Friday, 2 March at 10am). Bradford Council’s Executive Member responsible for Culture, said: In addition, young
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people will be able to exchange their World Book Day vouchers for one of eight books at their local participating bookshop. Those on offer include Julia Donaldson’s The What the Ladybird Heard Song, which is aimed at children aged two and above, and Jacqueline Wilson’s Big Day Out, which is ideal for those aged eight and over. Coun David Green, Bradford Council’s Executive Member responsible for Culture, said: "These activities are a great way to encourage families to spend quality time together and to share a love of reading. Any activity that promotes a lifelong love of literature in children and young people is welcomed.”
The King of the Nice Carnival 2012's float parades during the 128th edition of the Nice Carnival in Nice, southern France. The carnival celebrates the theme 'King of Sport'. AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau
Rochdale Council agrees £10.5m budget cuts
Rochdale Council has rubber stamped a £10.5m cuts package. The cuts were approved by Councillors as they set their budget for 2012/13. The budget – which includes a Council Tax freeze – could see a net reduction of 150-200 jobs. The Council says that “every effort” will be made to ensure that staffing reductions, where possible, will be achieved through “voluntary measures” including opportunities for suitable offers of alternative employment within the Council, but “compulsory redundancies may be unavoidable.” The closure of the Ronald Gorton Centre, the relocation of Customer Service Centres into libraries, the introduction of charges for bulky waste and a reduction in opening hours at Hollingworth Lake Visitor Centre are some of the measures that were approved. Cuts approved include: Reducing staff and budgets in Human Resources, Legal, Finance, Performance and Transformation leading to a full year saving for 2012/13 of
£2,878,000 The closure of the Ronald Gorton Centre – leading to a full year saving for 2012/13 of £94,100 Reduction in provision of street services including street cleaning, cutting grass and litter picking leading to a full year saving for 2012/13 of £500,000 Moving customer services in Rochdale, Heywood, Milnrow and Middleton into libraries in those places - leading to a full year saving for 2012/13 £464,300 Ending the automatic provision of transport for people to access adult social care services – leading to a full year saving for 2012/13 £125,000 Reshaping services within the Youth Offending Team leading to a full year saving for 2012/13 of £60,000 Internal Library Re-structure and one year reduction to the book fund - leading to a full year saving for 2012/13 of £200,000 Reducing the budgets for running costs of 16 children’s centres by £2,000 each - leading to a full year saving for 2012/13 £32,000 Reducing operational commissioning budget for business, employment and skills by 44
per cent - leading to a full year saving for 2012/13 of £447,200 Reducing the grant to Rochdale Town Centre Management Company - leading to a full year saving for 2012/13 of £11,300 Reducing the use of external fostering placements - leading to a full year saving for 2012/13 of £885,000 Budget amendments were put forward by both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats. The Conservative recommendations included reviewing the Corporate Complaints Team, withdrawing funding for Trade Unions and investing in Community Centres. The Liberal Democrats proposed to re-establish 27 emergency homeless beds, create a Community Fundraising Post and remove two senior managers posts from the Youth Service. None of the amendments were approved. However, Council Leader, Colin Lambert, said he would like to look further at the proposals for a review of the Corporate Complaints Team and Public Relations Marketing. continued on page 27
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British, French Leaders Call on Syria's Opposition to Unify
French and British leaders on Friday urged Syria's opposition to unite so the international community can help them topple the regime of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad. The two men also signed a civilian nuclear agreement and discussed defense cooperation at a summit in the French capital. At a joint press conference at the Elysee Presidential Palace, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron described the lack of unity and organization of Syria's opposition movement as a major obstacle to resolving the 11-monthold crisis - as important as the current standoff at the United Nations Security Council. Mr. Sarkozy said that any revolution or change
in Syria can only come from within. That, he said, is the lesson learned from the recent popular uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. The international community is ready to help Syria's opposition, but it must organize and tell the world what it needs. Mr. Sarkozy described other areas where the international community could act on Syria, including reinforcing sanctions against President Bashar al-Assad's regime. France will also be pushing world powers next week to increase humanitarian assistance to Syrians when they meet on the crisis in Tunis. Last year, France and Britain led a NATO campaign that helped topple Moammar Gadhafi's regime in Libya.
But diplomats and analysts like Nick Witney, of the European Council on Foreign Relations, note that Syria is a very different situation in part, because there is no United Nations resolution authorizing military action. "I don't think there's any lack of a real visceral desire on the part of British and French governments to find a way to do something," said Witney. "But the fact is, it's extremely difficult to know what can be done in the case of Syria." Mr. Cameron said he wanted the two countries and their allies to continue working and thinking of ways to help the transition in Syria and rid its people of what he described as a "brutal dictator."
David Cameron told Parliament that cyclists risked their lives whenever they rode in Britain’s biggest cities as the Government came under intense pressure to improve cycle safety. MPs are expected today to call for urgent measures to protect cyclists and encourage a greater uptake of
cycling. They will discuss issues raised by The Times’s Cities fit for cycling campaign in a debate at Westminster Hall.Paying tribute to the campaign in response to a question from Julian Huppert, chairman of the Parliamentary Cycling Group, Mr Cameron told MPs: “I think the Times campaign is an excellent
I strongly support what they are trying to do. Anyone who has got on a bicycle particularly in one of our busier citiesknows you are taking your life into your hands every time you do so, and so we do need to do more to try and make cycling safer.” many tooted in support of the cyclists.
Cameron backs cycle campaign
UK 'horrified' by Syria violence
The Government has told Syrian officials it is "horrified" by the ongoing violence in Homs following the death of Sunday Times journalist Marie Colvin, who was killed during a shell attack in the besieged city. Syrian Ambassador to London, Dr Sami Khiyami, was summoned to a meeting with senior Foreign Office officials after the award-winning war reporter, 56, was found dead in a house targeted by government forces. Diplomats demanded immediate arrangements be put in place to repatriate Ms Colvin's body and for the medical treatment of Sunday Times photographer Paul Conroy, who was injured in the attack. FCO political director Sir Geoffrey Adams met with the Syrian representative and "stressed that the British Government was horrified by the continuing unacceptable violence in Homs, which has been under attack for 19 days", a department spokesman said. The FCO spokesman added: "Our clear demand was for the violence to stop immediately. The Syrian authorities must implement the undertakings they had given to the Arab League, halt all violence against civilians, and start an orderly political transition before a single further death took place."
US-born Ms Colvin was killed after defying an order from her editor to leave the opposition stronghold of Homs because she wanted to finish "one more story", her mother Rosemarie said. She was the only British newspaper reporter in the city, which has become a symbol of the 11-month uprising against Syrian president Bashar Assad. French photojournalist Remi Ochlik, 28, also died in the attack while French reporter Edith Bouvier, of Le Figaro newspaper, was seriously injured. Fellow journalists mourned the loss of Ms Colvin, highlighting her huge courage in repeatedly placing herself in danger to bear witness
to atrocities around the globe. Sunday Times owner Rupert Murdoch described her as "one of the most outstanding foreign correspondents of her generation". David Cameron joined the tributes saying the tragedy was "a desperately sad reminder of the risks that journalists take to inform the world of what is happening and the dreadful events in Syria". Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary William Hague said Ms Colvin embodied the "highest values of journalism" and for many years "shone a light on stories that others could not". The United Nations estimated last month that at least 5,400 people, mostly civilians, had been killed in the Syrian government's crackdown on the rebels.
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Greek Credit Downgraded Even With Bailout
The Fitch financial services company is again downgrading the credit rating of Greece, saying that the debtridden country is "highly likely" to default on its financial obligations even after securing a new bailout from its European neighbors. Fitch said Wednesday it has cut Greece two notches (from CCC to C), pushing the credit standing for the Athens government deeper into junk status. The ratings company took the action after Greece earlier this week secured a new $172 billion international bailout and negotiated a $142 billion writeoff of the debt it owes large financial institutions. While Greece has reached a general agreement on elimination of more than half the debt its owes private creditors, it must
now negotiate the specific terms of the writedown with individual banks and other investors. Greek officials say that when about two-thirds of its lenders agree to cut the amount the are owed, they will impose the same debt reduction involuntarily on its remaining lenders. Fitch said such involuntary debt cuts for the private creditors will amount to a Greek default, and called the arrangement "distressed and de facto coercive." Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos says the country has a lot of work to do before it starts to collect the new bailout money, its second rescue package in two years. The Greek parliament has agreed in principle to the package of spending and job cuts demanded by the
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European Union and the International Monetary Fund. The lawmakers must now pass all 79 specific measures included in the package before getting the bailout funds. The bailout will likely avoid the bankruptcy Greece faces if it cannot pay investors $19 billion when government bonds come due, March 20th. The rescue package requires Greece to make deep and unpopular spending cuts. They include a 22 percent cut in the country's minimum wage and the elimination of 15,000 government jobs. Thousands of Greeks have held sometimes violent street protests against the cuts, saying they have already sacrificed enough. More protests were planned for later Wednesday. The head of the EU
delegation to the United States, Ambassador Joao Vale de Almeida, told VOA in an exclusive interview that the bloc has learned a lot from the crisis, namely the need for a mechanism to deal with emergency situations, an improved level of economic governance and solidarity among all members of the 17nation block that uses the euro. "I think we learned a lot. We learned a lot about the means that we need
to have to deal with emergency situations," said the ambassador. "We didn't have them before. We created, we developed them to deal with the cases like Greece and a few other countries." "Secondly, we learned that our governance system was not yet at the right level of sophistication, and we are in fact changing a lot; if not, there is a small revolution going on inside the euro area in the way we deal with
deal with what we call the economic governance. There is a lot being changed. And thirdly, I think we learned a very simple lesson. When you are part of a system, there has to be solidarity," he added. Greece got a $145 billion bailout last year and is, by far, the biggest recipient of international aid in eurozone history. Yet Greece accounts for just two percent of the eurozone economy.
resolution to punish the Syrian government for its ongoing crackdown against political dissent. But with Turkey sharing an 800-kilometer border with Syria, Ankara is looking to Beijing and Moscow to break the current deadlock, according to Soli Ozel, who writes about international relations for Haberturk newspaper. "It is quite obvious the regime is not collapsing and the opposition just
does not have the kind of power which is necessary to unseat that government, which means this is going to be a drawn out thing. And that may mean that inevitably they are moving toward a civil war," Ozel said. Ankara had reportedly lobbied unsuccessfully for Beijing to attend an international meeting later this week in Tunisia to discuss the Syrian crisis.
The Syrian crisis topped the agenda of Vice President Xi's talks with Turkish officials , including President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minster Erdogan. Vice president Xi's visit to Istanbul, the commercial capital of Turkey, will also see trade feature prominently in his discussions. The Chinese vice president attended a business forum accompanied by a large business delegation.
Syria and Trade Top Agenda for Chinese VP in Turkey China's vice president is in Turkey for talks about the ongoing fighting in Syria and efforts to expand trade. Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping praised Turkey's growing regional importance, in an interview with a Turkish newspaper. He also paid tribute to Ankara's efforts to resolve Middle East conflicts, including unrest in Syria and Iran's controversial nuclear program. Observers say the fact Vice President Xi, who is widely touted as China's leader in waiting, is spending three days in Turkey, underlines the country's increasing importance. But China and Turkey remain deeply divided about the ongoing crisis in Syria. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned China and Russia's recent veto of a U.N. Security Council
continued from page 32
EU Budget
crucially on orderly accounting of EU expenditure," the three said in their common position. They also call on the EU commission to follow up on recommendations by auditors to simplify rules and improve the management of programmes in the view of the next common budget for 2014-2020. "Improving the quality of EU spending should be given a high priority, in order to attain significantly better results in the annual reports on the EU budget," they added.Member states also have to take "full responsibility" for putting in place effective controls for the management of EU funds at national level and provide "full, transparent and accurate data" on how they spend these monies.The three ministers sent their position to the president of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, saying they
they hoped their statement will be "taken into full account when deliberating" on the accounts.
now being applied to those who are currently on incapacity benefit who have previously been deemed to be too sick to work.
Welfare Reforms ‘Hitting Disabled’
The UK government’s welfare reforms are having a devastating impact on thousands of sick and disabled Scots – according to evidence published today by Citizens Advice Scotland. The employment and support allowance scheme (ESA) was introduced in 2008 for those who were “new” claimants and is now
The CAS report, From Pillar to Post, details individual cases of people who have been considered healthy by the ESA assessment, but actually suffer from severe health problems.The report includes the case of a man who was considered fit to work after an ESA
assessment, despite having suffered a stroke that continues to affect his right side and speech and which has left him able to only walk a few yards without pain.
Up to 2,000 cyclists take part in London flashride
According to Metropolitan Police estimates, between 1,500 and 2,000 cyclists participated in tonight’s flashride from The Mall to the Houses of Parliament, where tomorrow evening MPs are due to hold a three-hour debate on the issue of cycle safety. The ride, which left the Duke of York’s Steps at 6.30pm, was organised
by the bloggers Danny Williams of Cyclists In The City and Mark Ames of I Bike London and was supported by the London Cycling Campaign, members of which helped marshal the event. Williams was interviewed live from Parliament Square on BBC London News this evening, a seemingly endless procession of cyclists rolling past in the background. Earlier today in the House of Commons, a hundred yards or so from where Williams was standing, Prime Minister David Cameron had said that he believed those who chose to cycle in Britain’s cities were aware that they were taking their life in their hands. Asked if he agreed with that view, Williams said: “I thought he was completely spot-on. He’s absolutely right that it’s quite difficult to cycle in UK cities. He continued: “The thing is it absolutely shouldn’t be difficult to cycle in the UK and that’s a factor of
fhow much investment we put into the UK, which has been pretty minimal and pretty patchy.” The Prime Minister had also highlighted investment that the government had recently made in cycling initiatives, but Williams was adamant that the amount of money set aside was woefully inadequate. If you think about £25 million, which is what he talked about today, for the whole of the country that’s equivalent to what, a train carriage…? It’s not really going to make a huge difference.” The difference between the amount of money set aside here compared to our neighbours across the North Sea in the Netherlands was highlighted to the BBC by Eleanor Besley of Sustrans.“We’ve currently got people being very supportive, the Prime Minister backed the campaign from The Times, but now we’ve got to see where the funding is going to go long-term,” she explained.
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Britain, Sweden and Netherlands refuse to sign off EU Budget BRUSSELS - EU finance ministers on Tuesday (21 February) rubberstamped the bloc's accounts for 2010, but Britain, Sweden and the Netherlands opposed the move, noting that auditors found too many errors for the seventeenth year in a row. "In these challenging times, member states should uphold the same high standards for the EU budget as they would for national budgets. We should remember that national taxpayers stand behind the EU budget, and that's why we are calling for important and urgent improvements to the quality of EU financial management," the British, Dutch and Swedish finance ministers said in a joint statement.Their no-vote is symbolic, since the accounts were approved by their colleagues by qualified majority. But it does stir up the debate ahead of the European Parliament's vote later this spring, when MEPs may choose not to sign off on some of the spending. For the seventeenth year in a row, the European Court of Auditors earlier this year found errors above the two percent threshold required for a clean bill of health, mostly in the way structural funds are used in infrastructure projects. After a gradual decline in recent years, the error rate in the 2010 budget increased to 3.7 percent, up from 3.2 percent the previous year, which is why the three countries decided to vote no instead of abstaining as they usually do."Current scarcity of public resources across the EU increases the importance of sound financial management of EU funds and that the credibility of EU spending ..................................................continued on page 31