OT: Hutton hoodwinked
maff
Chris Ames
May 5, 2007 9:00 AM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/chris_ames/2007/05/hutton_hoodwinked.html
Yesterday, I finally got the information commissioner's decision on
the suppressed draft of the Iraq dossier, produced by former Foreign
Office spin doctor John Williams. The commissioner has concluded that
the Foreign Office was wrong to refuse my Freedom of Information Act
request for the document and ordered it to release it, on the grounds
of "the significant public interest in disclosure of the requested
information".
Mr Uribe goes to Washington
Daniel Bland
May 4, 2007 9:15 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/daniel_bland/2007/05/mr_uribe_goes_to_washington.html
When Colombian President Alvaro Uribe sat down with President Bush on
May 2 in Washington, he reiterated his resolve to cut the flow of
illegal drugs from Colombia and spoke of his generosity to members of
the AUC, the Colombian rightwing paramilitary groups that are
negotiating their demobilization with his government.
What Uribe did not say was that the AUC - an umbrella group of a dozen
regional paramilitary armies that has been on the US list of foreign
terrorist organizations since 2001 - has complied with none of the
preconditions he set for engaging them in negotiations. Colombia's
worst human rights abusers have continued to murder and 'disappear'
unarmed civilians by the thousands since beginning peace talks in
July, 2003.
The New Industrial State
James K Galbraith
May 4, 2007 8:30 PM
On Tuesday I joined a panel at the New York Public Library to discuss
the new edition of my father's 1967 book, The New Industrial State, in
a new series called The James Madison Library in American Politics.
The other new book in the series was Conscience of a Conservative, by
Barry Goldwater. Here are my remarks.
Four decades back, Conscience of a Conservative was a dissident's
manifesto, a cry from the heart against the New Deal, the Fair Deal,
the New Frontier, and a pre-emptive strike against the Great Society
and détente. The New Industrial State was on the other hand the major
work of the most famous, most influential, and best-connected American
economist of all time - a man whose importance approached and whose
readership exceeded that of John Maynard Keynes.
California dreaming
Sasha Abramsky
May 4, 2007 7:30 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/sasha_abramsky/2007/05/throwing_good_money_after_bad.html
California's correctional system is in a shambles. There are 175,000
inmates in the state - more than five times the number from the late
1970s. Most prisons are now operating at about 200% capacity: housing
inmates in gyms, in dining areas, in double bunks - anything to
squeeze more and more people into the three dozen prisons dotting the
state. Large numbers of these prisoners were convicted of non-violent
offences, and thousands are serving 25-years-to-life under the state's
infamous Three Strikes and You're Out Law - a law more punitive than
any other in the United States, and one that virtually guarantees
California's taxpayers will be stuck with an enormous bill for the
costs associated with warehousing thousands of aging and increasingly
sick prisoners.
Timing is everything
Hillel Schenker
May 4, 2007 6:45 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/hillel_schenker/2007/05/timing_is_everything.html
So yesterday, once again, 100,000 (or was it 200,000) demonstrators
gathered together in Rabin Square in Tel Aviv, in front of the Tel
Aviv municipality, the open space of Israeli popular democracy.
Back in 1978, I was one of the organisers of the first Peace Now
demonstration in what was at the time still called Kings of Israel
Square (now Rabin Square after the assassination). Before the Egyptian
president Anwar al-Sadat had made peace a tangible possibility, a
"large" Israeli peace demonstration meant a maximum of 500 people.
Back in March, 1978, the organisers were astounded when 40,000 people
came to demonstrate in favour of a positive response to Sadat's
initiative. "Who are all these people?" asked later-to-be MK Dedi
Zucker, who had never spoken before more than 100 people before, and
felt a bit of stage fright.
A glass half empty
Jo Glanville
May 4, 2007 4:30 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/jo_glanville/2007/05/press_freedom_glanville.html
World Press Freedom Day was marked in London yesterday with a debate
which pitted the pessimists against the optimists.
Speaking for the motion that "World press freedom is in retreat" was
Tatiana Lokshina, chair of a Russian human rights thinktank, and the
Hungarian journalist Miklos Haraszti, OSCE representative on freedom
of the media. They described the rising number of assaults, threats
and murders (2006 has been called the bloodiest year on record), the
worrying level of impunity, the creeping proliferation of restrictions
on speech in Europe, the rise in self-censorship.
Call the carbon bailiffs
Andrew Pendleton
May 4, 2007 3:30 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/andrew_pendleton/2007/05/call_the_carbon_bailiffs.html
Climate change is revealing a further inconvenient truth. Today's UN
report confirms the warnings of many campaigners; that only the most
stringent of programmes to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2)
and other greenhouse gases in rich countries - some 80-90% reduction
by 2050 - will give us any chance of keeping any global warming
temperature increase below 2C.
Those 2C are the crucial "tipping point", beyond which the likelihood
of humankind being able to manage the impacts of climate change would
greatly diminish.
Media under siege
Souad al-Jazairy
May 4, 2007 2:00 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/souad_aljazairy/2007/05/press_freedom_jazairy.html
Little did I expect last Sunday as I convened an editorial meeting at
al-Sabah al-Jadeed newspaper that our lead story would be about the
attempted murder of my dear friend and renowned journalist, Amal
Almudarres.
Amal had been shot repeatedly, I was told. I was devastated and
shocked but not surprised. I had first met Amal in London when she was
a guest of the "woman of the year" event. She shared with the audience
her experience working as a TV and radio presenter in Iraq. She spoke
of the numerous checkpoints she had to go through and the US tanks she
passed on her way to her office.
A danger to democracy?
Jonathan Fenby
May 4, 2007 1:30 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/jonathan_fenby/2007/05/is_royal_a_danger_to_democracy.html
Who would have thought it? The French Socialist party, due by the
electoral cycle and the feebleness of the Chirac administration for a
big presidential win, are provided with a perfect target in the shape
of Nicolas Sarkozy. They have a big pool of centrist voters from the
first round on which to draw. The rightwinger is a sitting duck for
accusations that will rally a majority for a new republic. It should
have been, as I wrote on the night of the first round, a referendum on
le petit Nicolas.
Instead, after Wednesday night's televised debate, what France will be
doing on Sunday is to vote for or against Ségolène Royal. Her
partisans were, naturally, enthused by her performance, seeing her as
a new Joan of Arc, leading them against Anglo-American-Sarkozy
liberalism. But opinion polls show him as the big winner among
viewers. Today, she is lagging nine points in the main survey just
published.
Word crime
Agnes Callamard and Toby Mendel
May 4, 2007 12:00 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/agnes_callamard_and_toby_mendel/2007/05/word_crime.html
As people all over the world celebrated World Press Freedom Day
yesterday, some might have wondered whether the event, inaugurated by
Unesco 17 years ago, is delivering the goods.
Eynulla Fatullayev, founder and senior editor of Realny Azerbaijan and
Gundelike Azerbaijan, might be one such person. On April 20 he was
convicted on charges of criminal defamation and sentenced to two-and-a-
half years' imprisonment. He was taken into custody directly from the
courtroom.
And about time too
Máirtín Ó Muilleoir
May 4, 2007 11:30 AM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/mirtn_muilleoir/2007/05/it_was_the_perfect_script.html
It was the perfect script for putting a full stop (or should that be a
semi-colon?) after the UVF's glorious armed campaign.
Gusty Spence, the UVF commandant who launched their "war" in 1966 by
shooting 18-year-old Catholic barman Peter Ward in the head and
declaring it a blow for King Billy, took the podium to deliver the
paramilitary group's swan song. Thus, what started in ignominy and
falsehood finished in the same fashion.
Beautiful Iraq
Brian Whitaker
May 4, 2007 11:10 AM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/brian_whitaker/2007/05/beautiful_iraq.html
For several years now, I have been an avid follower of the Miss Iraq
beauty contest. In its own small but glamorous way, this annual event
has become something of a bellwether for the country as a whole.
In 2000, for instance, it was won (very predictably) by Saddam
Hussein's 15-stone niece, Fatima. The titles of Miss Teen Iraq, Mrs
Iraq and Miss Islamic Role Model also went to Saddam's relatives.
Not just baby talk
Justine Roberts
May 4, 2007 10:00 AM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/justine_roberts/2007/05/alice_miles_bemoans_the_lack.html
Alice Miles bemoans the lack of women in public debate in the Times -
why are all the news pages filled with men when websites like Mumsnet
are full of intelligent women discussing "nannies", she wonders before
calling on Mumsnet and the like to get out there and get involved:
"I would love to see Mumsnet and the other leading women's websites
leading the debate. Or do they, too, secretly believe that we are too
busy changing nappies to be bothered with changing the world?"
Science and fiction
James Randerson
May 4, 2007 9:30 AM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/james_randerson/2007/05/cameron_confused_on_creationis.html
David Cameron found himself in very hot water this week with leading
scientists following comments he made on Friday hinting that schools
could be given more flexibility to teach creationism in science
lessons. The comments themselves were meant to be a clarification of
Tory policy (is there such a thing?) in the face of an embarrassing
gaff by the Conservative Welsh assembly candidate for Clwyd West,
Darren Millar. He reportedly told a hustings in Ruthin that
homosexuality was a sin - comments he later denied. But there was more
on creationism. A party spokesperson later clarified his contribution
thus:
"Darren said that teachers in faith schools should be given
flexibility to include the teaching of creationism in science lessons
alongside Darwinism."
Media predators
Jef Juillard
May 4, 2007 9:00 AM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/jef_juillard/2007/05/press_freedom_rsf.html
For the past six years, Reporters Without Borders has been denouncing
"press freedom predators" - those men and women who directly attack
journalists or tell their subordinates to do it. Most of them are
senior political figures such as presidents, prime ministers,
ministers or kings, but some are militia chiefs, armed groups or drug
cartels. They are usually accountable to no one for their serious
violations of free expression. This impunity is nowadays one of the
biggest threats to media workers.
This year, the presidents of Laos and Azerbaijan joined the list of
the world's leading enemies of press freedom, as did the Mexican drug
cartels, which are to blame for the murders of many journalists.
All roads lead from Rome
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2072986,00.html
Study of ancient history is not just popular, it has huge civic value.
To scrap the A-level is lunacy
Tom Holland
Saturday May 5, 2007
The Guardian
'What makes a good citizen?" Gordon Brown was not the first to anguish
over this question. Back in 15th-century Italy, the attempt to answer
it effectively established education as a force for change in the
west. Yet, as the very word "renaissance" suggests, the project to
explore and define what civic identity might be drew its truest
inspiration from the distant past. "As to rebellion in particular
against monarchy," grumbled Thomas Hobbes, in the wake of Charles I's
execution, "one of the most frequent causes of it is the reading of
the books of policy, and histories, of the ancient Greeks, and
Romans."
Saved by the bomb
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2072989,00.html
Senator McCain has hit upon a solution to all the Republican party's
woes: a nuclear war with Iran
Terry Jones
Saturday May 5, 2007
The Guardian
Campaigning in Oklahoma the other day, the Republican senator John
McCain was asked what should be done about Iran. He responded by
singing, "Bomb bomb bomb bomb bomb Iran", to the tune of the Beach
Boys' Barbara Ann. (Join the hilarity and see for yourself on
YouTube.) How can any thinking person disagree? I mean, any country
with a president who doesn't shave properly and never wears a tie
deserves what's coming to it - a lot of American bombs, with a few
British ones thrown in to ensure we don't miss out on the ensuing
upsurge in terrorism.
This fatal complacency
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2072984,00.html
Climate change is already destroying millions of lives in the poor
world. But it will not stop there
Desmond Tutu
Saturday May 5, 2007
The Guardian
What if dealing with climate change meant more than a flick of a
switch? Would our friends in the industrialised world think
differently if the effects of climate change were worse than extended
summer months and the arrival of exotic species? Cushioned and
cosseted, they have had the luxury of closing their minds to the real
impact of what is happening in the fragile and precious atmosphere
that surrounds the planet we live on. Where climate change has
occurred in the industrialised world, the effects have so far been
relatively benign. With the exception of events such as Hurricane
Katrina in 2005, the inhabitants of North America and Europe have felt
just a gentle caress from the winds of change.
Face to faith
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2073004,00.html
It is perhaps unwise to look for links between religion and good
health.
Paul Richardson
Saturday May 5, 2007
The Guardian
Denounced as a dangerous delusion by Richard Dawkins and Daniel
Dennett, religion is finding some much-needed support among doctors
and economists. Aside from the question of whether Christianity is
true, there appears to be evidence that it is good for us.
Richard Layard, the professor of economics and Labour peer, thinks
belief in God can help us to be happy. He sees meditation as
beneficial for both the body and the spirit, providing a means by
which we can train our feelings, see that we are not victims of our
situation, and develop a positive outlook on life.
Wikipedia takes on the world
http://business.guardian.co.uk/onamerica/story/0,,2072597,00.html
Jimbo Wales thinks that professional journalism still has a place on
the web
Andrew Clark in New York
Friday May 4, 2007
Guardian Unlimited
Slim, bearded and slightly fidgety, the Wikipedia founder Jimbo Wales
is known as the "god king" to his online followers. He seems to quite
enjoy the adulation.
"I'm not really such a businessman - I'm a revolutionary trying to
destroy an entire industry," he declared at a talk in New York this
week, before hastily adding: "I'm joking, of course."
Since its creation six years ago, Wales' online encyclopedia has
become an internet sensation. It is one of the 15 most visited
websites worldwide and has 7m entries in 251 languages.
UN scientists warn time is running out to tackle global warming
http://environment.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,,2073006,00.html
· Scientists say eight years left to avoid worst effects
· Panel urges governments to act immediately
David Adam, environment correspondent
Saturday May 5, 2007
The Guardian
Governments are running out of time to address climate change and to
avoid the worst effects of rising temperatures, an influential UN
panel warned yesterday.
Greater energy efficiency, renewable electricity sources and new
technology to dump carbon dioxide underground can all help to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions, the experts said. But there could be as
little as eight years left to avoid a dangerous global average rise of
2C or more.
The warning came in a report from the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) published yesterday in Bangkok. It says most of
the technology needed to stop climate change in its tracks already
exists, but that governments must act quickly to force through changes
across all sectors of society. Delays will make the problem more
difficult, and more expensive.
France heads to right as political showman delivers final performance
of campaign
http://www.guardian.co.uk/france/story/0,,2072996,00.html
Polls show Sarkozy moving further ahead as Royal clings to hope of
late switch
Angelique Chrisafis in Montpellier
Saturday May 5, 2007
The Guardian
In a hangar in the south of France, a burst of violins and dramatic
drum rolls marked the arrival on stage of France's most charismatic
political showman. At his final gathering before tomorrow's
presidential election, the rightwing favourite Nicolas Sarkozy stood
surveying his thousands of supporters draped in French football
shirts, flags, or face-paint. Some had come to witness what has been
likened to a quasi-religious experience, led by a secular evangelist.
Iraq war strain leads troops to abuse civilians, survey shows
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,2073167,00.html
Ewen MacAskill in Washington
Saturday May 5, 2007
The Guardian
One in 10 of the US soldiers in Iraq mistreats civilians or damages
their property, according to a survey published by the Pentagon last
night. The report said the mental health of soldiers and marines
deteriorated significantly as a result of extended or multiple
deployments.
The study confirms the extent to which the US military is being
strained by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Tighter restrictions on military blogs anger US soldiers
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2072982,00.html
· Ban aimed at curbing critics of Bush, say troops
· Pentagon moves to stop spread of intelligence
Ewen MacAskill in Washington
Saturday May 5, 2007
The Guardian
US troops in Iraq have reacted angrily to Pentagon restrictions aimed
at curbing internet postings from war zones.
The Pentagon cited the risk of providing sensitive information to
insurgents. Blogs and emails from troops in the field can often be
extraordinarily vivid and indiscreet. One last weekend from a soldier
in Iraq advised a trooper in the US who was about to deploy in Iraq on
ways to watch for and detect explosive devices planted by insurgents.
Secret service guard for Obama
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uselections08/barackobama/story/0,,2073127,00.html
Ewen MacAskill in Washington
Saturday May 5, 2007
The Guardian
The US secret service yesterday began protecting Barack Obama, one of
the frontrunners in the 2008 presidential race, after threats appeared
on white supremacist websites. The department of homeland security
said the deployment was at the request of the candidate's team, and it
was not aware of a specific threat.
The only other Democratic candidate to have such protection is Hillary
Clinton, who is entitled to it as a former first lady. Friends of Mr
Obama said the reason for the request for protection was the huge
crowds the candidate was attracting.
Clash between Iran and US overshadows Iraq conference
http://www.guardian.co.uk/iran/story/0,,2072990,00.html
Ian Black in Sharm el-Sheikh
Saturday May 5, 2007
The Guardian
Iran and the United States clashed publicly over Iraq and nuclear
weapons yesterday after their foreign ministers failed to hold a
widely anticipated meeting during an international conference convened
to support the Baghdad government.
Iran's foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, demanding a US "plan for
withdrawal", said: "The United States must accept the responsibilities
arising from the occupation of Iraq and should not put the blame on
others."
Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, countered that relations
with Iran, famously dubbed part of an "axis of evil" by George Bush in
2002, could improve but only if Tehran ended its uranium enrichment
and reprocessing, as demanded by the UN.
Nepalese shepherd leads archaeologists to art treasures
http://arts.guardian.co.uk/art/news/story/0,,2073005,00.html
Maseeh Rahman in New Delhi
Saturday May 5, 2007
The Guardian
A shepherd in a remote region of Nepal bordering Tibet has been
instrumental in the discovery of an extraordinary art treasure that
lay hidden for centuries: a collection of 55 exquisite cave paintings
depicting the life of the Buddha.
The 12th-century paintings - a large central mural flanked by smaller
panels - were found last month in a partly collapsed cave last month
in Mustang, a kingdom long forbidden to foreigners in the high
Himalayas, 150 miles north-west of Kathmandu. "Finding the cave was
almost like a miracle," said Italian art conservator Luigi Fieni, a
member of the team of Italian, American and Nepalese art conservators,
conservation architects and archaeologists. They used ice axes to cut
their way to the cave, at 3,400 metres.
Chávez threatens to nationalise banks
http://www.guardian.co.uk/venezuela/story/0,,2072649,00.html
Staff and agencies
Friday May 4, 2007
Guardian Unlimited
Venezuela's president, Hugo Chávez, today opened up possible new
fronts in his nationalisation programme by threatening to take over
the country's private banks and its biggest steel firm.
The leftist leader nationalised utility firms earlier this year and
took control of the last privately run oil operation earlier this week
as he stepped up his battle with Washington.
He spoke about a new wave of nationalisation in a speech today,
prompting renewed concerns from investors, Reuters reported.
Poaching for Bin Laden
http://www.guardian.co.uk/weekend/story/0,,2070778,00.html
In the jungles of India, local animal trappers have a new breed of
client: Islamic militants using the trade in rare wildlife to raise
funds for their cause. Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott-Clark report from
Assam
Saturday May 5, 2007
The Guardian
It is so early in the morning that the cooks in the roadside dhabas
along India's National Highway 37 are asleep in their kitchens, their
tandoors unlit. Across the valley of Assam, in this far north-easterly
corner of India, there is not a flicker of light except the feeble
yellow beams from the Gypsies, the open-backed vehicles carrying small
groups of tourists to the edge of one of the world's most bountiful
jungles.
It's a family affair
http://www.guardian.co.uk/weekend/story/0,,2070780,00.html
The result of a notorious and passionate romance between two screen
legends, is it any wonder Isabella Rossellini is absorbed by the
legacy of her parents?
Graham Fuller
Saturday May 5, 2007
The Guardian
As a supermodel in the 1980s, Isabella Rossellini appeared on 28
covers of Vogue, nine of them photographed by Richard Avedon. Then, in
1986, she brilliantly subverted her chic image by playing the
sadomasochistic lounge singer in Blue Velvet. The role launched an
avant garde screen career that proved there was more to Rossellini
than a beautiful face - or her relationships with directors Martin
Scorsese and David Lynch. But it is as the daughter of Ingrid Bergman
and Roberto Rossellini that she is still, perhaps, most famous.
In Lincoln's footsteps
http://books.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,2072448,00.html
David Lammy searches for the roots of a political phenomenon in Barack
Obama's The Audacity of Hope
Saturday May 5, 2007
The Guardian
The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream
by Barack Obama
384pp, Canongate, £14.99
For even the most seasoned observers of American politics, Barack
Obama is a phenomenon. In normal circumstances, it would be
unthinkable for a politician of Obama's age (45) and relative
political inexperience (little more than two years in the Senate) to
mount a serious bid for the presidency, especially given the tight
grip that Hillary Clinton retains on the Democratic party machine.
Round the world on a rat
http://books.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,2072450,00.html
Ian Pindar enjoys William Rosen's diverting history of the plague,
Justinian's Flea
Saturday May 5, 2007
The Guardian
Justinian's Flea: Plague, Empire and the Birth of Europe
by William Rosen
384pp, Cape, £20
Yersinia pseudotuberculosis was a fairly benign bacterium, causing
mild flu-like symptoms, until it happened upon a superior method of
transportation: the flea. As William Rosen explains in this impressive
study of the bubonic plague and its impact on history, while trying to
turn off the flea's defences the bacterium evolved into the far more
deadly Yersinia pestis. From that moment on, says Rosen, a "demon" was
unleashed on an unsuspecting world.
A jab in the right direction
http://books.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,2072449,00.html
Arthur Allen shows how inoculation's successes have led to recent
concerns in Vaccine, while Robert Bud charts a very different story in
Penicillin, says Mark Honigsbaum
Saturday May 5, 2007
The Guardian
Vaccine: The Controversial Story of Medicine's Greatest Lifesaver, by
Arthur Allen. 512pp, WW Norton, £17.99
Penicillin: Triumph and Tragedy, by Robert Bud. 340pp, Oxford, £30
In March 1947, Eugene LaBar, a rug importer returning from Mexico to
Maine by Greyhound bus, collapsed in Manhattan complaining of a fever,
rash and headache. Within days LaBar and 11 other New Yorkers had been
diagnosed with smallpox, sparking the largest mass vaccination in the
city's history. During the following three weeks, six million people
were inoculated with the vaccina virus, then as now the only
protection. Indeed such was New Yorkers' faith in medical technology
and the power of vaccination that clerks and Broadway showgirls queued
through the night outside doctors' surgeries in their eagerness to
join what newspapers dubbed "the Order of the Itching Arm".
Mutiny! The uprising that shook the world
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/article2514263.ece
It's a century and a half since a revolt by soldiers in the Bengal
army exploded into a bloody nationwide rebellion that nearly ended the
British presence in India. It failed; but, argues William Dalrymple,
the world is still feeling its effects today
Published: 05 May 2007
On the evening of Sunday 10 May 1857, 150 years ago next week, 300
mutinous sepoys from Meerut rose up against their officers. They shot
as many as they could, then rode through the night to the old Mughal
capital of Delhi, where there they massacred every Christian man,
woman and child, and declared the 82-year-old Mughal Emperor, Bahadur
Shah Zafar, to be their leader.
What is striking about so many of the proclamations coming out of the
uprising's storm centre, Delhi, was the emphatically religious
articulation that the rebels adopted. As the sepoys told Zafar on
arrival: "We have joined hands to protect our religion and our faith."
Later they stood in the Chandni Chowk, the main street of Delhi, and
asked people: "Brothers: are you with those of the faith?" British men
and women who had converted to Islam - and there were a surprising
number of those in Delhi - were not hurt; but Indians who had
converted to Christianity were cut down immediately.
Former Zambian president must pay back ill-gotten gains
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/africa/article2514259.ece
By Anne Penketh, Diplomatic Editor
Published: 05 May 2007
A former African president has been ordered to pay back millions of
pounds in funds plundered by the state in a landmark court ruling.
The former president of Zambia, Frederick Chiluba, and some of his
former aides were found guilty by the High Court in London yesterday
of using £23m in public funds to pay for their lavish lifestyles.
War and ghost of Reagan haunt Republicans' first debate
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article2514262.ece
By Rupert Cornwell in Washington
Published: 05 May 2007
The first debate between the Republican candidates has made at least
one thing clear: in 2008 US voters will face a clear choice between a
Democrat who favours a swift withdrawal from Iraq and a Republican who
insists that hasty retreat would be a disaster.
The encounter on Thursday night, at the Ronald Reagan Presidential
Library in Simi Valley, California, was a tepid and inconclusive
affair - as might be expected with no less than 10 contenders for the
nomination on view, and the first caucuses and primaries still eight
months away.
1967: The summer of love
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article2512289.ece
It was the moment that flower power went mainstream. But was it really
a riot of sex, drugs and rock'n'roll? Forty years on, leading figures
recall their part in the revolution
Introduction by John Walsh. Interviews by Charlotte Philby
Published: 05 May 2007
Was there ever a summer like it? It wasn't exactly love that was in
the air, but an unbuttoned, flower-scented, music-on-the-breeze, bare-
feet-on-the-greensward, long-hair-curling-around-your-neck quality
that British youth had never felt before. If the Sixties can be
thought of as a year, 1961 and 1962 represented dark, grim winter; the
advent of the Beatles and Stones in 1963 a spectacular thaw; by 1965
and 1966, Mary Quant, kipper ties and mini skirts were the nodding
daffodils of spring - and 1967 was the summer when everyone took off
their clothes and danced.
The music of the summer was Sgt. Pepper, the Beatles' climactic blend
of vaudeville and psychedelia, which was released in June. Buying it
made you instantly cool. Pink Floyd's first album Piper at the Gates
of Dawn announced a new era of resonant musical weirdness. At the
Astoria in March, Jimi Hendrix set fire to his guitar and had to go to
hospital suffering burnt hands. But the music that changed everything
came from California. It was a 28-year-old Floridian called Scott
McKenzie singing: "If you're going to San Francisco / Be sure to wear
some flowers in your hair..."
Royal rallies, but Sarkozy is heading for the Elysée Palace
http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article2514277.ece
By John Lichfield in Lille
Published: 05 May 2007
All winning campaigns are successful and joyous in different ways. All
losing campaigns resemble one another.
Ségolène Royal, like many losing candidates, has discovered an
authentic and passionate voice in the final days. Watching the
Socialist candidate storm eloquently to the end of her crusade to
become France's first woman president, you would not imagine that you
were watching a defeated woman (as she surely is). "I feel a tide
rising all over France," she told a noisy, final, large Socialist
rally in Lille. "The whole world is asking whether France will dare to
elect a woman president. I say to France: Be daring! Be daring! Be
daring!" A broken and somewhat faded, red rose - the symbol of the
Parti Socialiste - hung from her lectern. Other broken roses lay at
her feet.
Ukraine's premier and president agree on early parliamentary
elections
http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article2514280.ece
By Mara D. Bellaby, Associated Press Writer
Published: 05 May 2007
Ukraine's rival leaders agreed yesterday to hold early parliamentary
elections, ending a weeks-long fight that had plunged the nation into
crisis but setting the stage for another election battle between the
president and the premier for dominance over this ex-Soviet republic.
President Viktor Yushchenko and Premier Viktor Yanukovych said they
had agreed to hold an early vote, but said the details - and the date
- were still to be worked out. Their agreement appeared to end a
standoff that had become one of the most bitter political fights since
the 2004 Orange Revolution and filtered down to the streets in rival
protests and rallies.
Activists pushing to get chimpanzee declared a 'person'
http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article2514278.ece
By William J. Kole, Associated Press Writer
Published: 05 May 2007
In some ways, Hiasl is like any other Viennese: He indulges a weakness
for pastry, likes to paint and enjoys chilling out by watching TV.
But he doesn't care for coffee, and he isn't actually a person - at
least not yet.
Howard Jacobson: So it's not Iraq or Afghanistan that drives
terrorists - it's drunk women in nightclubs
http://comment.independent.co.uk/columnists_a_l/howard_jacobson/article2514295.ece
What emerged in the bomb trial was a hotchpotch of prejudice,
ignorance and sexual immaturity
Published: 05 May 2007
So now we know where the destruction of Western civilisation is being
plotted: not in the madrassas of Karachi and Lahore, not in the
Taliban training camps of Helmand province, not even in the
eschatological fantasies of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but in Crawley, West
Sussex. I am not of course suggesting that we rule Karachi and Tehran
out of the topography of terror altogether, only that we adjust the
range of our apprehension and learn to grow afraid of the loathing for
the way we live that's being brewed just around the corner, in the
suburbs, in the green belts, in the new towns of our fair and pleasant
land. Crawley, West Sussex - never did sound fun, but never did sound
dangerous either. But there you are, nowhere's safe, now we all know
how to make explosives out of aftershave, from the menace which is
certainty.
Call it Islamic certainty, but what emerged in the course of the
fertiliser bomb trial was such a hotchpotch of prejudice, ignorance,
sexual immaturity, woman-hating and theology, that the only one
murderous component we can identify with confidence is the absolute
conviction of right. Most of us have horrible attitudes and wouldn't
mind putting a figurative bomb under something or someone or other;
what stops us is that we think differently the next day. If we want to
get to the bottom of why some young men don't feel differently the
next day we need to understand why one brain freezes and another
doesn't. Disaffection is not an explanation; it is a consequence.
Blame religion if you like, but a half-baked university education can
have exactly the same effect. It isn't straightforward charting the
progress of fanaticism.
Deborah Orr: I never knew my home town was a hotbed of religious
fundamentalism
http://comment.independent.co.uk/columnists_m_z/deborah_orr/article2514307.ece
Published: 05 May 2007
Elections are all very exciting, of course, but the real fun is to be
had on the fringes. The mighty tussle between Labour and the SNP to
see who "came first" (quite different from "winning" as we all
understand) may have grabbed all the media attention. But when I
staggered blinking from the train in my home town, Motherwell, a
couple of weeks ago, the only sign of feverish electioneering was the
scary purple and white posters festooning every lamp-post and urging a
vote for the Scottish Christian Party.
This lot is a bit of a one-man band, promising such saintly delights
as a referendum on hanging and the export of Scottish criminals to
prisons constructed in "third world countries". The SCP also promises
"an end to encouraging mothers to work". Spoil your papers now,
electorate, if you haven't done so already.
Is Romney Right on Stem Cells?
http://labnotes.talk.newsweek.com/default.asp?item=591155
By Sharon Begley
Mitt Romney was clearly primed for the inevitable question about human
embryonic stem-cell research. So when it was his turn in Thursday's
debate among Republican presidential hopefuls, he pounced like a grad
student taking his orals. MSNBC's Chris Matthews said that "Mrs.
Reagan wants to expand federal funding of embryonic stem-cell
research. Will that progress under your administration?" To which
Romney replied, "It certainly will. Altered nuclear transfer, I think,
is perhaps the best course." Matthews apparently had no idea what he
was talking about--he seemed to think it was a form of adult stem-cell
research, since he fired back, "embryonic; embryonic"--but Romney was
ready: "Altered nuclear transfer creates embryolike cells that can be
used for stem-cell research. In my view, that's the most promising
source."
Keeping Obama Safe
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18493148/site/newsweek/
Why we're all relieved that the Secret Service is protecting the
Democratic candidate.
Web-Exclusive Commentary
By Howard Fineman
Newsweek
Updated: 3:02 p.m. ET May 4, 2007
May 4, 2007 - I got word of Sen. Barack Obama's new Secret Service
protection in an appropriate spot: the Reagan Library, on a stage
beneath a gleaming Air Force One. The retired plane, polished to a
mighty shine, is a symbol of the presidency's role as the most crucial
job on the planet. We (and I mean the world) invest it with the power
to summon us to soaring flights of hope, but those flights can shake
loose deep forces of hatred and violence.
Paradigms Lost
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18495102/site/newsweek/
The Republican presidential debate shows just how much American
politicians are out of touch with global realities. What the French
can teach them about Iraq, terrorism and conflict.
Web-Exclusive Commentary
By Christopher Dickey
Newsweek
Updated: 5:01 p.m. ET May 4, 2007
May 4, 2007 - In the Republican lineup of presidential offenders on
stage in California last night, Sen. John McCain stood out for his
blood-curdling assessment of the stakes in Baghdad. "We must win in
Iraq," he said. "If we withdraw, there will be chaos, there will be
genocide and they will follow us home."
'Nothing Is Insurmountable'
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18492190/site/newsweek/
Delegates from 120 countries have approved the first road map for
combating climate change.
Web Exclusive
By Jessica Bennett
Newsweek
Updated: 2:08 p.m. ET May 4, 2007
May 4, 2007 - By now, most of us have heard that global warming is a
threat. What's harder to grasp, for governments and individuals alike,
is whether it's possible to do anything about it. The
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a U.N. network of
more than 2,000 scientists from 120 countries, says it is-but that we
have to act fast. On Friday, at the close of a weeklong meeting in
Bangkok, the group approved the world's first road map for stemming
greenhouse-gas emissions, laying out an arsenal of measures they say
are both technologically and financially feasible. The measures
include producing more biofuels, increasing fuel efficiency and
expanding nuclear energy-all of which, scientists say, debunk
arguments that combating global warming is too costly. "The overall
feel of the meeting was that nothing is insurmountable," says Ralph
Sims, a contributing author and professor of sustainable energy at New
Zealand's Massey University. He spoke by phone from Bangkok with
NEWSWEEK's Jessica Bennett. Excerpts:
A Family Affair
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18492747/site/newsweek/
By studying the siblings of kids with autism, researchers hope to
develop new methods for diagnosing the disorder. The mysteries of
social referencing.
WEB EXCLUSIVE
By Anne Underwood
Newsweek
Updated: 2:38 p.m. ET May 4, 2007
May 4, 2007 - While many parents of children with autism want to know
more about the possible role of environmental factors in the
development of the condition, scientific studies show that perhaps as
much as 90 percent of the risk comes from genes. Autism is highly
heritable, an observation underscored by the fact that, among the
younger siblings of kids with autism, roughly 10 percent will also
develop the disorder. But what about the other 90 percent? "They're
the ones that interest us," says Karen Dobkins, professor of
psychology at the University of California, San Diego. Their quirky
behavior is not enough to qualify for a diagnosis of autism, but "they
still show atypical patterns of social interaction and communication,"
she says. What's going on in their brains? And can it yield any clues
that might help lead to earlier diagnosis for those with the full-
blown autism?
The Democrats' War Plan
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18491064/site/newsweek/
They stuck together through the veto. Now what? Inside party plans for
the next phase of the battle with Bush over Iraq. Keep an eye on
YouTube.
Web-exclusive commentary
By Eleanor Clift
Newsweek
Updated: 12:45 p.m. ET May 4, 2007
May 4, 2007 - Texas Republican Louie Gohmert is famous on the Internet
for saying we'd all be speaking Japanese or German if an anti-war
Democrat like John Murtha had been in Congress during World War II.
Murtha, a gruff ex-Marine who served in Korea and Vietnam, was on the
House floor when Gohmert made his remark. Was the gentleman from Texas
at Normandy, Vietnam, Murtha jabbed. The answer was no. What about
Iraq? "I've been over there," Gohmert replied, "but I wasn't
fighting."
Quite the Couple
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18477485/site/newsweek/
Shaha Riza may have played a bigger part than we know in the scandal
now threatening to topple World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz. Just
ask his lawyer.
Web-exclusive commentary
By Michael Hirsh
Newsweek
Updated: 7:31 p.m. ET May 3, 2007
May 3, 2007 - Only a few years ago, Shaha Riza was what is known in
journalistic parlance as a flack. She was a media relations person, in
other words-and a fairly junior one-whose job it was to reach out to
reporters like me so that we would write about various World Bank
activities. As recently as mid-2004, Riza was faxing and e-mailing PR
releases to reporters around town, requesting that we contact her
about exciting new Bank initiatives like a "$38 million investment
loan to help the Government of Jordan develop efficient transport and
logistics services," or the "$359 million in loans for two projects
aimed at helping the government of Iran improve housing conditions for
poor and middle-income urban neighborhoods as well as expand access to
clean water and coverage of sanitation services." At the bottom of
each missive she listed her number (202 458 1592) and her e-mail
(sr...@worldbank.org). Guess what? Many of us never called.
Rove, Still In the Mix
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18479265/site/newsweek/
Two months ago, he helped coach Justice Department officials on how to
testify about the U.S. attorneys' firings. Was that a harmless part of
his job, or an inappropriate attempt to mislead Congress?
Web exclusive
By Michael Isikoff
Newsweek
Updated: 9:23 p.m. ET May 3, 2007
May 3, 2007 - Deputy chief of staff Karl Rove participated in a
hastily called meeting at the White House two months ago. The subject:
The firing of eight U.S. attorneys last year. The purpose: to coach a
top Justice Department official heading to Capitol Hill to testify on
the prosecutorial purge on what he should say.
A Familiar Song
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18445550/site/newsweek/
The country says it wants a change. The candidates are not exactly
embracing the legacy of President Bush. So why do they sound so much
like him whenever they talk about national-security threats?
WEB-EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARY
By Richard Wolffe and Holly Bailey
Newsweek
Updated: 7:04 p.m. ET May 2, 2007
May 2, 2007 - Close your eyes, and you might think you were listening
to President Bush.
Talking to the Enemy
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18495902/site/newsweek/
Secretary of State Rice's Middle Eastern charm offensive might seem at
odds with previous Bush administration policy. But it reflects her
inner nature.
Web-exclusive commentary
By Marcus Mabry
Newsweek
Updated: 6:01 p.m. ET May 4, 2007
May 4, 2007 - Lately, Condoleezza Rice has been in a chatty mood.
Before leaving for a trip to the Middle East this week-for a regional
conference on security and stability in Iraq-she phoned the Speaker of
the House, Democrat Nancy Pelosi, to debrief her on a meeting the
Speaker had in April with Syrian President Bashir al-Assad. Once Rice
arrived at the regional summit in Egypt, she sat down with her Syrian
counterpart to discuss how Syria and the United States could work
together to keep foreign jihadis from crossing Syria into Iraq to kill
U.S. troops and Iraqi civilians. Rice was also hoping to talk to
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, but he beat a hasty
retreat from the dinner where Rice planned to approach him, leaving
before the secretary of state arrived-and before dinner, according to
The New York Times.
Excerpt: Condi's Rescue Mission
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18368744/site/newsweek/
In his forthcoming biography of Condoleezza Rice, NEWSWEEK's Marcus
Mabry explains the roots-and the consequences-of her loyalty to the
president.
Newsweek
May 7, 2007 issue - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice sets off on
another round of Middle East diplomacy this week. In Egypt, she'll
join her Syrian-and possibly her Iranian-counterpart at a regional
summit on stabilizing Iraq. The threat of a nuclear Iran and the
lagging peace process between Palestinians and Israelis will never be
far from her mind. But these seemingly intractable issues are,
literally, what kept Rice in Washington for George W. Bush's second
term.
There are two kinds of land mines: the kind that explodes when you
step on it, and the kind that explodes when you take your foot off.
Which kind is Iraq? How can it be defused?
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/
After 175 years of existence, is Mormonism entering the mainstream of
American religious life or are people still suspicious of it?
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/index.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
Clampdown
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18445639/site/newsweek/
Web exclusive
By Michael Isikoff and Mark Hosenball
Newsweek
Updated: 8:42 p.m. ET May 2, 2007
May 2, 2007 - The Bush administration is so worried about the terror
threat posed by radical young British Muslims that it is pressing
Congress to tighten U.S visa rules. The new regulations will require
visitors from the United Kingdom and other allied countries to fill
out detailed online background questionnaires before they board
American-bound flights.
The latest London terror convictions could make it harder for
foreigners to visit the United States
Sizing Up The Second Tier
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18467917/site/newsweek/
They don't grab the headlines, but the second- and third-tier
candidates are worth watching in tonight's GOP presidential debate.
They help set the conservative benchmarks the front runners will have
to meet.
Web-exclusive commentary
By Howard Fineman
Newsweek
Updated: 10:02 a.m. ET May 3, 2007
May 3, 2007 - Let's hear it for the "second-" and "third-"tier
presidential candidates. We'll have world enough and time this year
and next to suffer through the purposefully vague rhetoric of front
runners. But these are the moments (Thursday night's MSNBC debate at
the Ronald Reagan Library is one) for the single-minded, the
passionate and the obscure. They can speak their piece and get
attention. And this time they might even have the chance to influence
the tone, if not the course, of the '08 campaign.
Royal: The Pall after the Polls
http://leblog.talk.newsweek.com/default.asp?item=590947
By Tracy McNicoll
"We want to give France its smile back!" Ségolène Royal told the last
major crowd of her campaign last night-an audience of 20,000 at the
Grand Palais in Lille. The Socialist candidate might start with her
campaign team. On the late night train back to the capital, it was
long faces and sunken shoulders for Royal's support staff. Word had
come from Paris that a new poll, the worst yet, would hit the morning
papers: 54.5 percent for Nicolas Sarkozy, 45.5 percent for Royal. With
less than a day left to plead for votes, and a tense debate, the
prizefight, now behind her, Royal's faithful are now in a time of half-
hearted hope, of creative excuses as they begin to imagine France
under a President Sarkozy.
Obama's Talking Points
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18421367/site/newsweek/
A leaked document shows how staffers prep the Democratic presidential
hopeful as he courts support among party leaders.
Web exclusive
By Howard Fineman
Newsweek
Updated: 3:53 p.m. ET May 1, 2007
May 1, 2007 - Here's the private advice Sen. Barack Obama's staff gave
him the other day as he prepared to make a series of phone calls in
search of support:
Democratic Rep. Jim Cooper of Tennessee is a "huge finance wonk," and
the way to win him over is by "giving Cooper a role in policy
discussion."
'You Were In Charge'
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18399374/site/newsweek/
A group of ex-CIA officials call on Tenet to give back his medal of
freedom, branding him 'the Alberto Gonzales of the intelligence
community.'
A Web exclusive
By Michael Hirsh
Newsweek
Updated: 1:11 p.m. ET April 30, 2007
April 30, 2007 - In his much-watched "60 Minutes" interview on Sunday,
former CIA director George Tenet spoke passionately in defense of his
former colleagues at the agency, saying they had been maligned and
scapegoated by the Bush administration. Tenet said he wrote his book,
"At the Center of the Storm," which goes on sale this week, partly to
defend their honor. "The only people that ever stand up and tell the
truth are who? Intelligence officers. Because our culture is never
break faith with the truth," Tenet said in the interview. But on
Monday a group of former CIA officials circulated a letter questioning
Tenet's honesty, and harshly criticizing him for "failed leadership"
that besmirched the agency. "We believe you have a moral obligation to
return the Medal of Freedom you received from President George Bush,"
said the authors of the letter, adding that Tenet ought to donate "a
significant percentage of the royalties from your book to the U.S.
soldiers and their families who have been killed and wounded in Iraq."
One of the authors, Larry Johnson-a former CIA officer and
counterterrorism expert-told NEWSWEEK that the letter began as a post
on his blog last week. But when he sent it around to former CIA
colleagues, "there were people who didn't sign but urged me on, and
gave me information that we included." Another signer, former CIA
officer Philip Giraldi, who is currently a security consultant, said
that his agency colleagues were outraged that "Tenet is rewriting
history to a large extent to take himself out of the decision-making
process on this [the war with Iraq, failures before 9/11, and other
mistakes]." Bill Harlow, a spokesman for Tenet when both were at the
CIA (who receives a writing credit on the book), said: "We decline to
comment on the letter."
A copy of the letter, which was obtained in NEWSWEEK, is reprinted in
full below:
The Political Winds of War
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18367800/site/newsweek/
By Howard Fineman
Newsweek
May 7, 2007 issue - It is absurdly early in the '08 campaign for
pivotal moments, but Sen. Hillary Clinton's handlers were convinced
they spotted one at the Democrats' first presidential debate, in South
Carolina. Answering a question about how he would react to another
Qaeda strike, Sen. Barack Obama talked about the lack of disaster
preparedness in New Orleans and the need for reliable intelligence. He
said that he would carefully target "some action to dismantle" the
terrorists' network, but do so without the "bluster and bombast" that
would "alienate the world community." The one thing he did not
explicitly mention: the use of military force. Asked the same question
by moderator Brian Williams of NBC, Clinton morphed into the commander
in chief as aggrieved New Yorker. "I understand the extraordinary
horror of that kind of attack," she said. "I think a president must
move as swiftly as is prudent to retaliate." In Clinton's staff
holding room at South Carolina State, there were smiles and high
fives.
Trials of the Truth Seekers
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18367806/site/newsweek/
Historians will see the '06 election returns as indispensable to their
work. Without them, we'd never know what's happened to this country.
By Jonathan Alter
Newsweek
May 7, 2007 issue - Henry Waxman looks like your accountant, but he
acts more like a dog with a bone-the hard bone of truth. This short,
bald, mustached California congressman is digging up what really
happened inside the U.S. government during the early years of the new
century. Last week, for instance, Waxman's House Committee on
Oversight and Government Reform heard startling testimony about how
the Army lied repeatedly to protect its image, covered up those lies,
then lied again. Instead of depressing me, the hearings left me
strangely exhilarated. Historians will likely see the 2006 midterm
election returns as indispensable to their work. Without a change in
party control, we would never have a chance to get to the bottom of
what has happened to this country.