The former Tory Foreign Office minister Sayeeda Warsi has expressed exasperation at Zac Goldsmith’s increasingly strident tone as he seeks to make up ground before Thursday’s vote for London mayor.
Goldsmith, who is as much as 20 percentage points behind Labour’s Sadiq Khan, again sought to tar his rival with the brush of extremism in a piece in the Mail on Sunday.
The comment piece was illustrated with a picture of the bus destroyed by a suicide bomber in the 2005 terrorist attacks in London. Lady Warsi, who resigned from the government in protest against its policy on Gaza, tweeted her disappointment, if not at Goldsmith himself then at his campaign’s scare tactics.
In his comment piece, Goldsmith wrote: “The number one job of any mayor of London is to keep our city safe. Yet if Labour wins on Thursday, we will have handed control of the Met, and with it control over national counter-terrorism policy, to a party whose candidate and current leadership have, whether intentionally or not, repeatedly legitimised those with extremist views.”
Apart from attempts to portray his rival as soft on extremists, the Goldsmith campaign has been criticised for using divisive tactics by specifically targeting minority ethnic voters with a warning that a vote for Khan would put their family heirlooms at risk.
Goldsmith’s attempt to court the Indian vote took a farcical turn, however, when when the self-proclaimed Bollywood enthusiast could not name a single Bollywood film or actor while being questioned on camera.
“Let me think … No I’m not going to give you one. I can’t think of a favourite,” he said. “I can’t think of a favourite. I love almost everything about Bollywood. I love the atmosphere, the colour and I love the excitement. I want as much Bollywood as possible here in London as possible.”
Although the frontrunner, Khan has acknowledged that the antisemitism row engulfing his party after the suspension of Naz Shah, the Bradford West MP, and the remarks by the former London mayor, Ken Livingstone, on Hitler and zionism, could harm his chance of becoming the first Muslim to occupy the post.
In an interview with the Observer, Khan, the son of a bus driver, said he would not be thrown off course by the controversy, but conceded there could be electoral fallout that would damage him and his party.
“I accept that the comments that Ken Livingstone has made make it more difficult for Londoners of Jewish faith to feel that the Labour party is a place for them, and so I will carry on doing what I have always been doing, which is to speak for everyone. If I should have the privilege to be the mayor I will show Londoners the sort of mayor I can be.” Thanks for reading.
2face FINALLY Speaks Up On Tiwa, Teebillz Saga!
Veteran musician, 2Baba has finally spoken about the Tiwa & TeeBillz marriage turbulence but only to slam Nigerians who have been making distasteful comments about the embattled couple. 2Baba, who was also among celebrities TeeBillz accused of having affairs with his wife, chose to say nothing about the allegations but to bare his mind on the treatment of the couple’s predicament by Nigerians. People who had thought that 2face would go hard at TeeBillz, were left disappointed when the ‘African Queen’ crooner chose instead to slam mockers for making jest of people’s heartbreaking predicament. He tweeted his position on his Twitter handle. “I am disgusted about some people that have been making distasteful jokes abot people’s real life heartbreaking predicament. God forgive u,” 2face and Annie Idibia are really close friends with Tiwa Savage and her estranged husband, Teebillz Tunji Balogun. TeeBillz even thanked Annie and his neighbour for sending him homemade meals in his Instagram outburst.
Man United Star, Memphis Depay CUTS Ties With Club
Following recent revelation that he will be leaving the club after he failed to impress at the club, Manchester United winger, Memphis Depay has begun to cut links with the Old Trafford club, according to reports from the UK.
The Sun UK reports that the Dutch international has now deleted all his Instagram pictures depicting his time at the club and also unfollowed all his teammates in an apparent attempt to rid himself of memories of his stay at the Old Trafford.
The Dutchman has been a major disappointment since moving to Old Trafford for £25million last summer, scoring just twice in the league despite firing home 22 goals the year before at PSV Eindhoven.
Depay held crunch talks with Louis van Gaal over his future at the club last week as the Red Devils line up a whopping £65m move for Atletico Madrid ace, Antoine Griezmann.
The tabloid quotes further reports as suggesting that United has grown tired with the 22-year-old’s playboy lifestyle and is ready to boot him out of the club.
Depay has since been linked with a shock move to Southampton, and the £90,000-a-week flop has now fuelled speculation that he’s heading for the exit after unfollowing all of his United teammates on social media site Instagram.
Depay has also deleted all of his pictures except for one which shows him with his partner embracing in front of the Eiffel Tower.
Former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho is still being tipped to take over from Van Gaal this summer, and the Special One has shown in the past that he will not tolerate perceived slackers in his side.
Juan Mata and Kevin De Bruyne were just two of the big names to depart Stamford Bridge for failing to put in the hard work, and Depay is unlikely to make the cut at United if he shows an unwillingness to comply with Mourinho’s strict demands.
German far-right party calls for ban on minarets and burqa
Delegates from Germany’s anti-immigration party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) backed an election manifesto on Sunday that says Islam is not compatible with the country’s constitution and calls for a ban on minarets and the burqa.
The AfD was set up three years ago and has been buoyed by Europe’s migration crisis and the arrival of more than a million mostly Muslim migrants in Germany last year. The party has no presence in the federal parliament in Berlin but has members in half of Germany’s 16 regional state assemblies.
Opinion polls give AfD support of up to 14%, presenting a serious challenge to Angela Merkel’s conservatives and other established parties in the run-up to the 2017 federal election. Other parties have ruled out a coalition with the AfD.
In a raucous and highly emotional debate on the second day of a party congress, many of the 2,000 delegates cheered calls from the podium for measures against “Islamic symbols of power” and jeered a plea for dialogue with Germany’s Muslims.
“Islam is foreign to us and for that reason it cannot invoke the principle of religious freedom to the same degree as Christianity,”Hans-Thomas Tillschneider, an AfD politician from the state of Saxony-Anhalt, said to loud applause.
Merkel has said on many occasions that freedom of religion is guaranteed by Germany’s constitution and that Islam is welcome in the country.
As many as 2,000 leftwing demonstrators clashed with police on Saturday as they tried to disrupt the AfD conference. About 500 people were briefly detained and 10 police officers were slightly injured, a police spokesman said.
The chapter of the AfD manifesto concerning Muslims is titled “Islam is not a part of Germany”.
In Sunday’s debate, one delegate’s call for greater understanding drew jeers and loud whistles.
“I call for a differentiation and urge everybody to visit their local Muslim communities and initiate a dialogue,” said Ernst-August Roettger, a delegate from the northern city of Lüneburg.
He was speaking in support of an amendment that called for acceptance of everybody’s religious freedom and for the party not to regard all Muslims as extremists. Delegates rejected the amendment.
Germany is home to nearly four million Muslims, who make up about 5% of the population. Many of the longer established communities came from Turkey to find work, but those who have arrived over the past year have mostly been fleeing conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Last month the head of Germany’s Central Council of Muslims likened the AfD’s attitude towards his community to that of Adolf Hitler’s Nazis towards the Jews. Thanks for reading.
North Korea rocket launch will have 'serious consequences', US forecasts
The US vowed “serious consequences” for North Korea’s rocket launch with ballistic missile technology on Sunday, as secretary of state John Kerry called foreign ministers in South Korea and Japan to discuss actions against the pariah state.
The State Department said in a statement that Kerry reassured both foreign ministers that the US has an “ironclad commitment to the security and defense” of its allies. He told them the rocket launch, ostensibly to send a satellite into orbit, “threatened international peace and security”, according to the statement.
Earlier on Sunday, the 15 representatives of the United Nations security council held an emergency meeting to discuss the launch, and unanimously condemned North Korea for defying sanctions against it.
Standing alongside her counterparts from South Korea and Japan, American ambassador Samantha Power told reporters: “We will ensure that the security council imposes serious consequences. DPRK’s latest transgressions require our response to be even firmer.”
“The members of the security council strongly condemned this launch,” said Rafael Dario Ramírez Carreño, the Venezuelan ambassador and president of the council this month. He told reporters the launch was “a serious violation”.
Ramírez Carreño said the council “restated their intent to develop significant measures” against North Korea, as a consequence of a nuclear test in January and Sunday’s rocket launch.
Power said she hoped the council would vote on a draft resolution to expand existing UN sanctions on North Korea “as quickly as possible”.
“It is urgent and overdue,” she said, adding that she hoped China would put pressure on the isolated country.
“We are hopeful that China, like all council members, will see the grave threat to regional, international peace and security, see the importance of adopting tough, unprecedented measures, breaking new ground,” Power said.
Diplomats said Washington is closely consulting with Japan, South Korea, Britain and France on its discussions with China, while Beijing is keeping in close contact with Russia, another nation with veto powers over resolutions.
Kerry and Ramírez Carreño also stressed the importance of a united international response.
Japan’s ambassador, Motohide Yoshikawa, said the draft under discussion would have “much more strengthened measures” against Pyongyang.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, one senior western diplomat said he hoped the council would be able to vote on a new sanctions resolution this month.
He said the Americans have been pushing for tough new measures that went beyond targeting North Korea’s atomic weapons and missile programs, while China wanted any future steps to focus on the question of nonproliferation.
One diplomat said that Washington hopes to tighten international restrictions on North Korea’s banking system, but that Beijing is reluctant to support the measure for fear of worsening conditions in its neighbor and provoking a refugee crisis across its borders. China is responsible for about 70% of North Korea’s trade volume, according to Seoul.
“There will eventually be a sanctions resolution,” the diplomat said. “China wants any steps to be measured but it wants the council to send a clear message to DPRK that it must comply with council resolutions.”
China expressed regret and concern over Sunday’s rocket launch, which employed ballistic missile technology. China is North Korea’s main ally but, like most of other nations, disapproves of its nuclear weapons program.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the closed-door session, France’s UN ambassador, François Delattre, described North Korea’s launch as an “outrageous provocation”.
British foreign secretary Philip Hammond said on Sunday he had spoken with his Japanese counterpart, Fumio Kishida, and they had agreed the council should take strong action.
On Saturday, North Korea abruptly changed its launch window for an attempted satellite launch, and did not inform international organizations of any other changes of its plan, said South Korean defense ministry spokesman Moon Sang Gyun.
The launch came just weeks after North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test. Outside experts and officials say that each nuclear test and long-range missile launch brings the North closer to creating a nuclear warhead small enough to fit on an intercontinental missile capable of reaching targets as far as the US west coast.
Following the announcement that the launch window had been moved, Japan set up an emergency response desk to monitor the launch. Japan had already deployed Patriot missile batteries in Tokyo and on the southern island of Okinawa to shoot down any debris from the rocket that might threaten to fall on its territory.
Seoul’s defense ministry said that South Korea and the United States, which stations more than 28,000 troops in the South as a buttress against any North Korean aggression, are deploying Aegis-equipped destroyers and radar spy planes to track the North Korean rocket after its launch.
The South is also prepared to shoot down any rocket or debris that infringes on its territory, the defense ministry said, although security experts believe the country’s Patriot missiles, with an interception range of about nine miles, would be ill-equipped for the job. Thanks for reading.
‘We’ve had massacres all week’: Aleppo on fire again as Assad consigns ceasefire to history
The president of Aleppo city council, Brita Haji Hasan, had a picture on his phone. It showed the corpse of Hasan Amory, 29, a father of two and council engineer who that morning had been killed by a Syrian air force missile as he headed into work in the opposition stronghold.
“We have had massacres on a daily basis for six or seven days,” Haji Hasan told the Observer, during an interview in the Turkish city of Gaziantep, 30 miles from the Syrian border.
“They are destroying schools and civilian targets using barrel bombs, airstrikes and machine guns. Another colleague of mine was killed yesterday while I spoke to him on Skype.”
As the most senior civic leader in Aleppo, Haji Hasan has been trying to make life livable in the most impossible and dangerous of circumstances. “It is a terrible situation,” he said. “But we are trying to live.”
Syria’s largest city is once again under bombardment: its residents are, once again, exposed to pitiless, wanton attack as the world looks on. The ferocity and cruelty of the bombing of Aleppo by Bashar al-Assad’s air force has shocked even those familiar with the worst of this conflict.
Since breaking its ceasefire eight days ago, the regime has launched more than 260 airstrikes, 110 artillery strikes and 18 missiles, and has dropped 68 bombs, according to the civil defence organisation in opposition-controlled Syria known as the White Helmets.
Aleppo has been excluded from a partial ceasefire agreed elsewhere in the country late on Friday evening. On Saturday the regime’s airstrikes began at around 10am with a volley of seven missiles hitting civilian areas in the space of half an hour, killing at least six people and injuring 20. That came after attacks on Friday left at least eight people dead and destroyed a medical facility and a water pump, threatening the city’s vital supplies, according to reports.
On Thursday, bombs destroyed a hospital backed by Médecins Sans Frontières and the International Committee of the Red Cross, killing the city’s last remaining paediatrician, along with 26 other people, including three children.
Staffan de Mistura, the UN envoy for Syria, declared the cessation of hostilities agreement brokered by the US and Russia as “barely alive” as a result.
The UK’s special representative for Syria, Gareth Bayley, tweeted: “#Russia needs to get control over the #Assad regime’s attacks on civilians.”
US secretary of state John Kerry meanwhile urged a return to the nationwide ceasefire in Syria and said attacks on Aleppo must stop immediately.
“The secretary expressed his deep concern about the deteriorating situation in Aleppo, where the ... regime (of President Bashar al-Assad) continues to escalate the conflict by predominantly targeting innocent civilians and parties to the cessation of hostilities,” his spokesman John Kirby said.
Kirby said work was taking place to defuse tensions and the hope was that “tangible progress” would be made soon.
Such is the onslaught that the Observer understands humanitarian organisations are considering pulling out of Syria’s biggest city. A draft statement being circulated among NGOs warns of a “complete absence of the fundamentals of safe humanitarian intervention, and the absence of a clear mechanism to monitor and document violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law”.
It further claims that there is “growing, recurrent targeting of humanitarian organisations, teams, and the vital centres that provide services to civilians in the province, by the Syrian regime and its allies”.
It goes on: “The most recent assaults included the shelling of Syrian civil defence centres, al-Quds children’s hospital, NGOs’ ambulance systems, and a number of administrative offices of the NGOs operating in the province.”
The UN high commissioner for human rights, Prince Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, on Saturday condemned the “monstrous disregard for civilian lives” by all parties to the conflict and called for urgent de-escalation.
Analysis Aleppo is a such a prize for both sides that its suffering just goes on
The west’s lack of appetite for military intervention has left Syria’s rebels feeling they have nothing left to lose
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based monitoring group, puts the civilian death toll in government and rebel bombardments of districts in Aleppo since 22 April at nearly 250.
This figure includes around 140 people killed by government-aligned forces in airstrikes and shellings of rebel-held areas, 19 of them children, it said. Insurgent shelling of government-held areas was said to have killed 96 people, including 21 children, according to a report from Reuters.
Al Hussein also made reference to widespread rumours that new Russian artillery sites were being established on the outskirts of Aleppo. “The violence is soaring back to the levels we saw prior to the cessation of hostilities,” he said. “There are deeply disturbing reports of military build-ups indicating preparations for a lethal escalation.”
In his interview with the Observer, Haji Hasan confirmed that Aleppo was under partial siege, and that the last remaining road had been under almost constant attack since the two-month ceasefire between opposition and regime forces was broken by Assad. He said that he had heard about the Russian build-up on the periphery of the city but that he could not confirm this presence.
“In 2013 there were two million people in and around the city,” he said. “There are 400,000 right now. Some people just fled, but these 400,000 won’t leave – even though they know that at any time they could be bombed or killed. It is semi-siege right now. The only road connecting Aleppo is always targeted by airstrikes, the Castello road. This road is targeted by airstrikes and snipers, too. It is a dangerous road, but we have to use it, there is no other. If that goes, we will be besieged. It will be a disaster.”
Late last week, in another illustration of just how dangerously fraught the politics of the city are becoming, Haji Hasan was seized by Kurdish secret police at his home at 9am on Thursday after having made the 10-hour trip back through the badlands of northern Syria.
He was subsequently detained in the police station before being taken to the Kurdish city of Afrin, in north-west Syria. His whereabouts on Saturday were unknown.
Sources close to Haji Hasan, who has sought to build a consensual council for the crisis-stricken city, said it was unclear why the Kurdish forces would interfere in the civilian government. The vice-president of Aleppo’s city council, Zacharia Amino, condemned Haji Hasan’s detention as a violation of human rights. The father of eight, who had been keeping services running in the city, had been taken from the citizens when they needed him most, said friends. A statement on Saturday said: “We firmly condemn this violation and we demand the democratic council to release immediately the president of the local council of the city of Aleppo and to explain this precedent and to offer official excuses.”
A temporary “regime of calm” announced by the Syrian army late on Friday appeared to have taken hold in two other areas blighted by recent fighting: in the north-western coastal province of Latakia and on the outskirts of the capital, Damascus. The Syrian government said the “regime of calm” – from which a military source said Aleppo was excluded – was an attempt to salvage a wider ceasefire deal reached in February.
Aleppo has been divided for years between rebel and government zones. Full control would be the most important prize for Assad. He claims the fighters in the city are al-Qaida extremists.
The UN has called on Moscow and Washington to help restore a comprehensive ceasefire to prevent a collapse of talks aimed at ending a conflict in which more than 250,000 people have been killed and millions displaced. In Aleppo they will not be holding their breath. Thanks for reading.
Van Gaal VERY Confident Of Keeping Man United Job
Manchester United manager, Louis van Gaal has again reiterated how confident he is about retaining his job after telling a press conference on Saturday that he will still be at the club next season, no matter what happens at the end of the season.
The Dutchman has revealed he had wanted only a two-year deal but was persuaded by the suits at Old Trafford to stay on board for three years.
“I knew it would be like this. That’s why they hired me and we spoke about it,” he told reporters.
“We always knew that the process would take three years. I wanted to sign only for two years.
“The club wanted me to sign for three years, not me. I signed for three years – so next year you will see me again.
“Every week for six months I have been sacked – and yet I am still here. But this has happened to me at every club I have been at.
“I am doing the same job at United that I was hired to do at every club.
“People should assess the squad that I took over and make a comparison to the players we have now in terms of age.
“There is a big difference between what the people in the street think and the media. A big difference. I can only tell you my experiences and I don’t have to defend myself. I am a realistic man and so I only speak about facts.”
“The fact is that we finished fourth last year. At the moment we are fifth, but we are still able to finish third. On May 15 we will know for sure,” he added.
“The fact is that we are in the FA Cup Final. The fact is that we were in the Champions League. We didn’t do that last year.
“The fact is that we went further in the Capital One Cup. So there are a lot of pluses. Yes, we are in fifth and we are fighting for the one position that is the most important.
“We also have the best home record in the league, but we are one of the lousiest away teams of the top clubs and that is something we need to improve.”
SHOCKER! Man United Legend, Ryan Giggs’ Marriage CRASHES Over INFIDELITY!
The marriage of the assistant coach of Manchester United, Ryan Giggs, who was initially tipped to take over from Dutchman Louis Van Gaal should he be sacked at the end of this season or leave after his contract ends by the next one, has CRASHED!
According to The Sun UK, Gigg’s wife, Stacey has abandoned the union after telling the Man Utd legend that she’s had enough of his serial flirting
The tabloid reports that Giggs’ wife, who has been long-suffering decided to call it quits with their marriage after hearing he was flirting with waitresses at a restaurant he owns.
“A source said the rumour was the last straw for Stacey, 37, after her efforts to keep the marriage going in the wake of the Manchester United legend’s affairs with TV’s Imogen Thomas and his brother’s wife Natasha.”
Ryan Giggs and Wife
Giggs and Stacey during the good old days.
The Sun’s source said: “Word got back to Stacey that Ryan had been flirting with some of the waitresses at his restaurant George’s and she’s had enough.
“At one stage she is said to have told him to pack his bags and get out.
“But for the moment they both still seem to be living in the same house. She is upset to say the least and feels very alone.”
Friends yesterday said Stacey and United assistant manager, Giggs split three months ago but kept it secret and have both remained in the marital home.
One said: “They have stayed in the house as it is so big and because of the children.
“But it is over and has been for some time.
“They are not together any more and it is definitely the case that Stacey wants to divorce Ryan.”
Giggs, 42, is also said to have confided in pals: “It’s over for good.” Friends said the couple tried to save their eight-year marriage after the revelation of his affairs for the sake of their two children.
But after months of soul-searching they decided to part.
Giggs and Stacey, happy.
Giggs and Stacey, happy.
A source said: “Both Ryan and Stacey promised to make a fresh start and that’s what they did. They became great friends again and were getting on really well.
“They wanted it to work for each other but also for their son and daughter who are the most important thing in their lives.
“They both dote on the kids and made a real effort to get back on track. But about a year ago it all started to cool a bit and the marriage has not recovered.
“The reality was that time hasn’t exactly proved a great healer.
“In the early days, once the flak over Natasha and Imogen Thomas passed over, Ryan and Stacey began building bridges and it looked really good for them.
“But, as bizarre as it sounds, once they were out of the limelight and things had quietened down, their relationship started to struggle.
“Stacey obviously has trust issues after what happened with the affairs and that caused problems. And Ryan has now said to people he thinks the marriage is all over and that there is no saving it.
“He has put a lot of effort into saving the marriage but now seems to have given up.
“Perhaps there had been too much water under the bridge.”
Giggs is said to have admitted during a chat at his restaurant that his marital situation was grim.
A source said: “Someone at George’s asked him how things were going with Stacey. He simply replied, ‘Not good, not good at all.’ It was obvious he didn’t want to talk about it.
“The other week one of Stacey’s relatives was on holiday with a friend and said, ‘It’s over. They’re separating’.”
Giggs and Stacey’s relationship began in 2002. Their daughter Liberty Beau was born the next year and their son, Zachary in 2006 and the next year Giggs and Stacey married.
But behind the scenes he was having an affair with younger brother Rhodri’s wife Natasha — and had been doing so since 2003.
Natasha, Giggs sister-in-law, with whom he had a relationship for eight years.
Natasha, Giggs sister-in-law, with whom he had a relationship for eight years.
Giggs’ squeaky clean image was shattered in June 2011 when Natasha told of their eight-year affair. Natasha revealed Giggs got her pregnant and gave her £500 in cash for an abortion.
She said: “I was to blame for what happened but I was at his beck and call.
“It went on for eight years and I learned to live with the lies and the guilt.”
At the time of her revelation Giggs was being named online as the mystery footballer who had an affair with Big Brother star Imogen Thomas.
Giggs is the most decorated player in football history. He has won 13 Premier League medals, four FA Cups, three League Cups, two Champions Leagues, a World Club Cup, Intercontinental Cup, Uefa Super Cup and nine FA Community Shields. He was the first player to win the PFA Young Player of the Year award consecutively — in 1992 and 1993.
Giggs was appointed player-coach at Manchester United in July 2013 under Sir Alex’s Ferguson’s managerial successor David Moyes. After Moyes was sacked in April 2014, Giggs took over as interim player-manager.
When Louis van Gaal became manager in May 2014, Giggs was made his assistant.
Synthetic cannabis 'having a devastating impact in UK prisons'
Synthetic cannabis is having a “devastating impact” in British prisons and making it difficult for normal life to continue in some facilities, the chief inspector of prisons has said.
Sold as “spice” and “black mamba”, synthetic cannabis has been blamed for deaths, serious illness and episodes of self-harm among inmates, and some prison officers have reported falling ill from exposure to the fumes.
High demand for the compounds has fuelled more severe problems in the prison system than officers have faced from any other drug, with prisoners racking up greater debts, and suffering worse bullying and violence, Peter Clarke told the Guardian.
“Prison staff have told me that the effect on individuals and prisons as a whole is unlike anything they have seen before,” said Clarke, who took up the post in February.
Synthetic cannabis is an umbrella term for hundreds of chemical compounds that mimic the effects of THC, the active ingredient of cannabis, in the brain. The synthetic forms are often extremely potent, making them a greater threat to users and those around them. A report from the prisons and probation ombudsman last year linked 19 prison deaths between 2012 and 2014 with synthetic cannabis, by far the most common of the new psychoactive substances (NPS).
Unlike traditional resin and weed, synthetic cannabis is manufactured in labs and is usually odourless, making it hard for prison staff to tell when inmates are smoking the drugs. While NPS are banned in prisons, large quantities continue to find their way inside.
“NPS is having a devastating impact in some of our prisons, more severe than we have seen with other drugs,” Clarke said. “Their presence in prisons has given rise to debt, bullying and violence. They are destabilising some prisons, making it difficult for normal prison life to continue.
“Both at local and national level there needs to be clear strategies to deal with the supply of these drugs into prisons, and to care for those who suffer from their effects,” he added. “At the moment the situation appears to be getting worse, not better.”
The 2015 ombudsman’s report urged the prisons service to ensure staff had more information about synthetic cannabis and the signs that prisoners were taking them. It called on governors to put in place strategies to reduce the supply of NPS and the violence associated with the drugs.
But Steve Gillan at the Prison Officers’ Association (POA) said the prison service was failing in its duty of care for prisoners and prison staff by not adequately dealing with synthetic cannabis. “We don’t think they, or the government, are taking it seriously enough. Our prisons are awash with synthetic cannabis and prisoners are so out of their heads they don’t know what they are doing sometimes. They are a danger to themselves, they’re attacking staff, and they are attacking other prisoners.”
Gillan said the problem was exacerbated by a shortfall in staff needed to perform perimeter checks and thorough searches of prison cells and exercise yards. “We want prisons properly searched because these drugs are getting dropped in by drones, catapulted over fences, and there are not enough staff to deal with it,” he added. More sniffer dogs are due to be brought into service, but Gillan said it was “too little, too late”.
Last year’s report from the prisons ombudsman highlighted a number of cases of prisoners dying after using synthetic cannabis. What role the drugs played is unclear, however. One man died apparently after smoking spiked cigarettes he had been given by inmates who wanted to test a new batch of synthetic cannabis. Another man, whose behaviour had previously been “exemplary”, shouted at a prison doctor, and was found to have hanged himself in his cell the next morning. He had recently developed a heavy synthetic cannabis habit and had been forced to sell possessions to pay off his debts. A woman described as “fun-loving” appeared to have a psychotic episode after taking synthetic cannabis, and possibly other drugs, and died after she severed an artery in an unprecedented act of self-harm.
The POA is so concerned about the growing problem that it has begun to compile a dossier on incidents where synthetic cannabis is involved. “We are looking at various different avenues to make our employer actually wake up and smell the coffee,” said Gillan. “It’s at a problematic level and worsening.”
A prison service spokesperson said governors use sniffer dogs, cell searches and mandatory drugs tests to find drugs in prison and punish those responsible. The service has legislated to make smuggling NPS into prisons illegal. “Those caught trying to throw packages over prison walls can now face up to two years in jail,” the spokesperson said. “However we must do more, which is why we are investing £1.3bn to transform the prison estate, to better support rehabilitation and tackle bullying, violence and drugs.” Thanks for reading.
France braces for May Day violence amid anger over labour bill
France is braced for violence at May Day rallies amid increasing anger about proposed employment changes, with similar fears about erosion of rights sending tens of thousands on to the streets of South Korea.
May Day protests were expected in cities across the world on Sunday, as economic crises and a rise in unemployment have fuelled anti-government sentiment.
France was on high alert after protests against planned labour changes this week descended into chaos, with cars set on fire and dozens of police officers being injured in Paris in clashes with protesters.
The French government hopes the changes will help reduce chronic unemployment, which is at about 10%. But critics believe they threaten hard-won workers’ rights by making it easier to lay off people in economically difficult times.
The government has already watered down the employment bill but this has failed to calm the anger among students and workers demanding it be withdrawn.
The prime minister, Manuel Valls, issued a warning on Sunday to groups of so-called casseurs (breakers) who appear on the sidelines of marches actively seeking confrontation with police, leading to violent clashes.
“We will respond with the greatest of determination to these troublemakers … the attacks and violence against security forces are unacceptable,” he said.
The labourminister, Myriam El Khomri, defended the proposed changes, saying debate on the bill should now shift to parliament where it is scheduled to be heard in two days.
“This bill is fair and necessary,” she told local media, adding that reformist unions that represent most workers were behind the changes.
In France, May Day celebrations often expose bitter divisions in the the far-right party Front National, with former leader Jean-Marie Le Pen and his daughter and party chief, Marine, holding rival rallies.
The 87-year-old criticised his estranged daughter and predicted she would be roundly beaten in presidential elections next year.
International Workers Day was started in Chicago in 1886 by a union demanding an eight-hour workday, and is now celebrated around the world.
In South Korea – which also has high youth unemployment – proposed changes to its labour laws have sparked similar anger among workers, and tens of thousands protested against the employment bill.
Labour activists say the changes being pushed by President Park Geun-hye and her conservative Saenuri party will make it easier for companies to sack workers.
“Let’s fight together against the evil bill!” activists and unionised workers chanted during a protest in front of city hall in the capital, Seoul.
About 100,000 workers joined a May Day parade in Red Square, Moscow, waving Russian flags and balloons near the Kremlin walls, police said.
The carefully choreographed spectacle harked back to Soviet times and took place amid a persisting economic crisis brought on by western sanctions over Russian involvement in Ukraine and low oil prices.
Crowd with banners
In Istanbul, security measures included 25,000 police on duty and numerous roads closed on a day that regularly sees clashes between Turkish protesters and police.
Security was especially high at the main Taksim Square, where demonstrators are expected to try to gather despite a banning order.
May Day comes at a time of particular tension in Turkey after a succession of deadly attacksblamed on jihadis and Kurdish militants.
Controversy is also growing over the presidency of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, whom critics accuse of increasingly authoritarian rule.
Several foreign missions have warned their citizens about the risk of violence in Istanbul on 1 May. The US embassy has warned of the “potential for violent confrontation between demonstrators and security personnel”.
Last year, Turkish police used water cannon and teargas to disperse May Day protesters in Istanbul, while police and demonstrators engaged in pitched battles in some areas.
Parliament passed a controversial security bill last year that gave the police greater powers to crack down on protests.
Taksim Square has been a flashpoint for clashes on May Day since dozens of people were killed there in 1977 when modern Turkey was going through one of its most turbulent periods. Thanks for reading.
Chelsea Star, John Obi Mikel Snubs MASSIVE Offer
Chelsea of London and Super Eagles of Nigeria midfielder, John Mikel Obi has reportedly snubbed a massive move to Turkey in anticipation of a contract extension at the Stamford Bridge.
According to reports in The Sun UK on Saturday, the Super Eagles captain rejected the chance to earn N49.5million (£110k) -a-week at Galatasaray or Fenerbahce.
The tabloid reports that “Galatasaray and Fenerbahce were keen on the midfielder, 29, with a reported £110,000-a-week on the table in January but he chose to stay at the Bridge.”
Mikel had fallen out of favour with manager, Jose Mourinho before the Portuguese tactician was sacked in December, but has been a regular in the first team under interim manager, Guus Hiddink.
Antonio Conte takes over in the summer and Mikel’s form has paved the way for him to be part of the Italian’s plans.
The Nigerian has been at Chelsea for ten years and has a year left on his deal.
Diane Abbott says claims of antisemitism within Labour are smear
Jeremy Corbyn faced further calls for a tougher crackdown on antisemitism within Labour on Sunday after one of his allies dismissed the crisis as a “smear” against the party and its members.
Diane Abbott, the shadow international development secretary, dismissed claims that the party had a problem with antisemitism, provoking fresh criticism of the Labour leadership.
She suggested the problem was procedural and instead lay within Labour’s rules governing antisemitic and other racist comments, which she said would be corrected following a review of the party’s guidelines.
“Every single claim of antisemitism – I think 12 – has resulted in a suspension. Ken was suspended within hours. That is 12 allegations when 200,000 [new members] have joined the party,” Abbott said.
“It’s a smear to say that Labour has a problem with antisemitism. It is something like a smear against ordinary party members.”
Her comments, made on the BBC’s Andrew Marr show on Sunday morning, was followed by more criticism of the leadership’s response to repeated claims of antisemitism by Labour MPs and one major party donor.
On Friday, Corbyn suspended Ken Livingstone from the party and announced an independent inquiry into antisemitism in Labour, to be led by Shami Chakrabarti, the former head of Liberty.
It follows incendiary comments by the former London mayor that appeared to claim that Adolf Hitler, whose regime was responsible for the deaths of six million Jews, supported Zionism.
Livingstone has refused to apologise to the Jewish community for the comments. He said this weekend the row was not about antisemitism but rather a plot by “embittered old Blairite MPs” to destabilise Corbyn’s leadership.
In a heated exchange over the party’s response to the comments, Marr challenged Abbott to explain why, if Labour had no broader problem with antisemitism, the leader had announced an inquiry into the issue.
The shadow minister implied that the problem was with the rules of the party: “There are issues about process. There is nothing in the rules about racism, antisemitism and Islamophobia. We are going to make the rules explicit.”
Corbyn later reaffirmed his pledge to rid the party of all forms of racism. Speaking at a May Day rally in London, the Labour leader said the party “stands absolutely against racism in any form”. He said: “We stand united as a Labour movement recognising our faith diversity, our ethnic diversity, and from that diversity comes up strength.”
However, Labour donor Michael Foster, who gave the party £400,000 before the general election in which he stood as a candidate, said some members of the party’s leadership continued to “vilify Jews as part of their political shtick”.
He called for the Chakrabarti inquiry to be widened, and said on BBC Radio 4’s The World this Weekend he would not donate to the party nationally because of the leadership’s approach.
Meanwhile, many others within the parliamentary party remained dismayed at the response from Abbott following contrite comments by the shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, on Saturday. Ben Bradshaw, the former culture minister, said Labour members were furious at how allegations of antisemitism had been handled.
“I’m increasingly of the view that Ken Livingstone is a Conservative party spy who’s been planted in the Labour party and has been sleeping and has now emerged to try to do as much damage as he possibly can.
“And that’s certainly the view of my loyal Labour party members and activists and voters who came up to me all day yesterday saying: what is going on? They were outraged by his comments. If he comes back into the party, they won’t vote for our party. It’s a really serious issue,” he said.
Louise Ellman, the Jewish MP for Liverpool Riverside, said the response had been “much too slow”. The party is investigating a complaint that she has been subject to antisemitic abuse at a meeting of the local party.
Len McCluskey, the head of Unite, Britain’s biggest union and the party’s biggest donor, criticised Livingstone and backed his suspension. However, he told Pienaar’s Politics on BBC Radio 5 Live: “This is nothing more than a cynical attempt to manipulate antisemitism for political ends because it is all about constantly challenging Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership.
“The idea that there is an antisemitic crisis within the Labour party is absolutely offensive but it is being used in order to challenge Jeremy Corbyn. Once the mood music of antisemitism dies down, then next week and the week after there will be another subject. It is an issue that comes up because somebody says something stupid and then immediately it becomes a crisis.”
Corbyn announced an independent review last week and pledged to tighten party codes of conduct in an attempt to control the row over antisemitism, which has seen the MP Naz Shah as well as Livingstone suspended by the party.
He has faced calls from Israeli politicians and diplomats to give a more “unequivocal” condemnation, and warnings – including from the party’s London mayoral candidate, Sadiq Khan – that Labour would be punished in the 5 May elections.
Mark Regev, Israel’s ambassador to London, called for Corbyn to distance himself from Hamas, which he described as an antisemitic organisation. “The left has a wonderful, proud history of fighting antisemitism, but we have seen some language over the last two or three weeks which is very concerning,” Regev said.
“They have the right to criticise the Israeli government, Israeli citizens do it every day,” he said. “It is about demonising the Jewish state. It is not about criticising this or that Israeli policy; it is about the demonising and vilification of my country and its very right to exist.
“It is important that the leadership is not neutral or agnostic about antisemitism. I’ll give you an example; you have had too many people of the progressive side of politics who have embraced Hamas and Hezbollah. Both of them are antisemitic organisations. You just have to read their charters which read like The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.
“If you are progressive, you are embracing an organisation which is homophobic, which is misogynistic and which is openly antisemitic – what is progressive about that? There needs to be an unequivocal message from the leadership saying there is no solidarity with antisemites.” Thanks for reading.
Corbyn ally Len McCluskey attacks ‘treacherous’ Labour MPs
A key ally of Jeremy Corbyn has accused MPs of employing treacherous tactics designed to undermine Labour’s leader, as an analysis of the latest polls by a leading academic suggests the party is on course for its worst local election results for 35 years.
Len McCluskey, the head of the UK’s biggest union, Unite, claimed former shadow ministers Liz Kendall and Michael Dugher, Gordon Brown’s former aide Ian Austin and newly elected MP Wes Streeting have made interventions meant to damage Corbyn.
McCluskey’s intervention comes as a new projection conducted for the Guardian shows that Labour is on course to lose 175 council seats in Thursday’s elections .
Such a result would be the worst local election performance in opposition since 1982 when voting took place against the background of the Falklands war.
Labour’s performance in the first nationwide electoral test since Corbyn won the party leadership with an overwhelming majority last year is seen in Westminster as a day of reckoning.
The decision by McCluskey, the head of the the party’s main financial backer, to escalate the party’s row by naming names follows weeks of frustration over attacks by the party’s MPs on Corbyn.
It will be seen as a shot across the bows of some of Corbyn’s harshest critics to ensure there is not a leadership challenge after Thursday’s results come through.
Both McCluskey and Labour MP Diane Abbott, a longstanding Corbyn supporter, claimed on Sunday that the damaging row over antisemitism, sparked by Ken Livingstone’s controversial comments last week, are being manipulated for political ends.
In an interview with the Guardian, McCluskey said that some MPs had been “nothing short of treacherous” and set “stupid traps” for Corbyn and his supporters by claiming the party should win a certain number of seats.
“We have had Michael Dugher saying Jeremy has 99 days to prove himself and suddenly 5 May becomes a litmus test on Corbyn’s ability to lead the party.
“We have had Liz Kendall saying we should win 400 council seats. This is the woman who got 4.5% of the vote in the leadership election. We won’t be taking lectures off people like that who are interested in setting false traps,” he said.
McCluskey said two other MPs instigated an internal party row last month after protesting that the fast food chain McDonald’s had been banned from sponsoring a stall at Labour’s conference.
“People like Wes Streeting and Ian Austin going on about McDonald’s ... It is laughable. [McDonald’s] is viciously anti-trade union and is attacking the bakers’ union and has been ripping off young kids with zero-hours contracts. And suddenly we have Labour MPs coming to their rescue. It is not about McDonald’s – it is about attacking Jeremy Corbyn,” he said.
McCluskey predicted the party would lose seats in Scotland and Wales but said that such results should not spark any moves from within the party against Corbyn.
“[Corbyn’s team] have to be given time to get their message beyond the media who attack them every single day aided and abetted by a bunch of Labour MPs. It is as if they wake up every day and think ‘What stick can we beat Jeremy Corbyn with today?’” he said.
McCluskey claimed that Austin should face disciplinary procedures for showing “disrespect” to Corbyn after Austin, the MP for Dudley North, had reportedly confronted Corbyn at a recent parliamentary Labour party meeting.
Analysis Local elections 2016: how to judge what Labour's result will mean for the party
“Some of the individuals, including Ian Austin, are behaving despicably. Should that sort of disrespect be dealt with? I think it should, by the chief whip,” he said.
McCluskey was interviewed on Wednesday – after Labour MP Naz Shah apologised to parliament for writing that Israel could be moved to the US, but
before Livingstone made remarks appearing to claim that Adolf Hitler was a supporter of Zionism.
Austin said McCluskey’s attack was “really unfair”.
“I am very surprised that the leader of a union I have been a member of for 30 years would say something like this without contacting me.
“We are working really hard for these elections and everyone else should too,” he said.
Dugher said: “I am not apologising for standing against antisemitism and for urging the leadership to do more which eventually they did.
“Its not a ‘stupid test’ to say that the Labour party must show that we are capable of ever winning a general election. Too many of Len’s members can’t afford endless Conservative governments.”
In response, Kendall said the party should this week show “clear evidence” that it can win in 2020 and maintained that the party should be aiming to win 400 council seats.
“The people we came into politics to serve rely on us to deliver Labour councils and a realistic prospect of winning in 2020,” she said.
Streeting did not respond to a request for a comment.
Using the average of the latest opinion poll results, including the Opinium/Observer poll carried out after the antisemitism row last week, Steve Fisher, of Oxford University, one of the country’s leading elections experts, predicts that Labour could be on course for losses of 175 local council seats, while the Conservatives could gain 30.
On the national equivalent vote share, which tends to be a good predictor of subsequent general elections, Labour looks likely to be one percentage point behind the Conservatives, Fisher calculates – on a par with 2011.
That compares to the six-point lead achieved by Ed Miliband in the 2012 local elections; and approximately 15 points needed for a majority at a general election.
Labour MPs will also be watching the party’s performance in the Scottish parliament in Holyrood, and the Welsh assembly, closely. Some polls suggested Labour could even slip into third place in Scotland, behind a reinvigorated Conservative party led by the popular Ruth Davidson.
In Wales, Corbyn has been requested by his Labour colleagues not to visit, amid fears that his intervention would not be helpful in a hard-fought contest, with Ukip keen to pick up seats.
He has deliberately shifted his party to the left, basing its appeal on a strong anti-austerity message, which plays well in Labour heartlands. But if the party is to win a general election in 2020, it will also need to appeal to swing voters in traditionally Conservative areas.
Council elections are notoriously difficult to predict, and Fisher points out that Labour could yet make some gains – or even worse losses than his central projection, based on the Conservatives’ average poll lead of 3.8 percentage points, suggests.
But as well as the number of seats won or lost, Corbyn’s critics in parliament will also be closely watching the party’s performance in bellwether councils such as Crawley, where it currently has 19 seats against the Tories’ 18.
The Liberal Democrats could be set to win up to 90 local council seats this week, the new projections suggest, as they seek to rebuild their shattered power-base following the collapse of their share of the vote after they joined the coalition government in 2010.
At a May Day rally on Sunday, Corbyn insisted that Labour is “united” in opposing antisemitism. He has announced an independent review and pledged to tighten party codes of conduct in a bid to put a lid on the row – which has seen Shah and Livingstone suspended.
Corbyn has received warnings – including from the London mayoral candidate Sadiq Khan - that the party would be punished in the 5 May elections.
Opponents have accused him of acting too slowly to deal with incidents, most notably Livingstone’s incendiary assertion that Hitler was a supporter of Zionism before he “went mad and ended up killing six million Jews”. Thanks for reading.
Freight train leaks hazardous material after derailing near Washington DC
A freight train derailed close to Washington DC early Sunday and is leaking hazardous material and causing disruption in the area of the capital.
More than 10 cars are understood to have left the tracks, a small portion of the long, 175-car southbound train. No injuries have been reported.
At least three cars are leaking a hazardous substance, according to Doug Buchanan, a spokesman for the District of Columbia fire department.
Mayor Muriel Bowser said at a news conference that the leak was contained, but officials were not sure how much had leaked.
“The fumes should not cause you any problems and you should not be able to smell them anywhere else,” said DC Fire and EMS Deputy Chief John Donnelly.
It was not immediately clear what caused the derailment. Crews were inspecting the tracks, which are used by CSX, Metro and Amtrak, and were working to restore service. Photos tweeted by DC Fire and Emergency after the derailment showed cars in a zigzag line across the tracks.
Chris Nellum said he lives nearby and his window looks directly over the tracks.
The train derailed near the Rhode Island Avenue metro station shortly before 7am local time and the nearby avenue was closed to road traffic.
A witness told local radio station WTOP that he heard “this fantastic noise” outside his home on Sunday morning and rushed to the window, from where he could see the railroad tracks.
“I thought it was an airplane too close to the building. Then I looked out and I said, ‘Wow, the train turned over,’” said the local resident.
Buchanan said there were no evacuations of residents.
“It looks like our guys have got this pretty well contained. Two, possibly three, of the derailed cars are leaking hazardous material. Exactly what that is and the extent of the leak remains unclear,” he said.
At least one of the chemicals leaking from the damaged train is understood to be sodium hydroxide, according to the local NBC TV station, citing multiple sources at the scene.
Also known as lye and caustic soda, the odorless chemical may generate substantial heat when dissolved in water, which may be sufficient to ignite combustible materials, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
The CDC said it could cause eye and skin irritation and burns when exposed. It is also damaging to the respiratory system if the fumes are inhaled.
Pictures posted on the fire department’s Twitter account showed several cars lying on their sides by the tracks on the main train route into the city, including tank cars, bulk material cars and box cars.
Authorities have not issued official instructions to local residents, but one near the scene told a local television station that he had been instructed to stay inside by firefighters.
Resident Chris Nellum said he lived nearby and his window looked directly over the tracks.
“I thought it was like a semi-truck coming toward the building, and when I looked out the window, I saw cars piling up,” said Nellum, who had just moved in the night before. “So I’m not even used to hearing trains. It was jarring.”
Nellum said his girlfriend tried to leave the area and was told to stay put, but she eventually found a way out.
“She’s an environmentalist, so she is very concerned about whatever is leaking,” he said.
The CSX train is owned by CSX Transportation, the international freight company based in Jacksonville, Florida. The company put out a statement later on Sunday morning to say that the service was heading towards Hamlet, North Carolina, from Cumberland, Maryland, when the derailment happened. The train was just under half empty, with 94 of the 175 cars loaded with freight.
A portion of the Washington DC metro service on the Red line has been suspended in the area with bus shuttles acting as a replacement for passenger train services.
An underground gas line was also ruptured during the derailment and gas supplies have been turned off in the area, although it is unclear how many people are affected by the closure, according to the local NBC station. Thanks for reading.
Your Military Policies Cannot Work, Ex-minister Tells Buhari
Former minister of education, Oby Ezekwesili has described as “archaic”, President Muhammdu Buhari’s economic policies for the country.
She affirmed that it was impossible for the policies used during the military regime to work in a democratic setting. She stated that the effect of the policies have been detrimental to the masses.
“What did not work in 1984 cannot possibly be a solution in a global economy that’s much more integrated”, she said at The Platform, a yearly programme organised by Covenant Christian Center on Saturday
Ezekwesili further said stressed that, “During the first coming of this our new president, a command and control economic system was adopted, and inflation spiralled, jobs were lost and the economic growth level dipped.
“In over one year, the president is still holding to the premise that command and control is the only way out, and we have lost the single digits inflation status we maintained in past administrations.
“The weakest and the most vulnerable suffer the impact of inflation the most. Enormous power is being abused as a result of archaic and opaque economic policies.”
Ezekwesili emphasized that the primary purpose of government is to provide security of lives and properties, as well as improve the welfare of the people.
She also criticized the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), saying the apex bank needs to “regain its autonomy”.
“We need to rethink the present monetary policy of the administration, actually the monetary policy was relatively safe guarded from political domination, it will do well to give a semblance of autonomy back to the Central Bank, so that the central bank would speak the language of economics and not this language of rhetoric and language of anecdote, and language of suppositions that are no longer premised on hard economic facts,” she said.
“It is important that the central bank will retrace its steps and get back in right monetary policy making. Its crucial. If we lost that, it’s going to be tough to regain.”
Leaked TTIP documents cast doubt on EU-US trade deal
Talks for a free trade deal between Europe and the US face a serious impasse with “irreconcilable” differences in some areas, according to leaked negotiating texts.
The two sides are also at odds over US demands that would require the EU to break promises it has made on environmental protection.
President Obama said last week he was confident a deal could be reached. But the leaked negotiating drafts and internal positions, which were obtained by Greenpeace and seen by the Guardian, paint a very different picture.
“Discussions on cosmetics remain very difficult and the scope of common objectives fairly limited,” says one internal note by EU trade negotiators. Because of a European ban on animal testing, “the EU and US approaches remain irreconcilable and EU market access problems will therefore remain,” the note says.
Talks on engineering were also “characterised by continuous reluctance on the part of the US to engage in this sector,” the confidential briefing says.
These problems are not mentioned in a separate report on the state of the talks, also leaked, which the European commission has prepared for scrutiny by the European parliament.
These outline the positions exchanged between EU and US negotiators between the 12th and the 13th round of TTIP talks, which took place in New York last week.
The public document offers a robust defence of the EU’s right to regulate and create a court-like system for disputes, unlike the internal note, which does not mention them.
Jorgo Riss, the director of Greenpeace EU, said: “These leaked documents give us an unparalleled look at the scope of US demands to lower or circumvent EU protections for environment and public health as part of TTIP. The EU position is very bad, and the US position is terrible. The prospect of a TTIP compromising within that range is an awful one. The way is being cleared for a race to the bottom in environmental, consumer protection and public health standards.”
US proposals include an obligation on the EU to inform its industries of any planned regulations in advance, and to allow them the same input into EU regulatory processes as European firms.
American firms could influence the content of EU laws at several points along the regulatory line, including through a plethora of proposed technical working groups and committees.
“Before the EU could even pass a regulation, it would have to go through a gruelling impact assessment process in which the bloc would have to show interested US parties that no voluntary measures, or less exacting regulatory ones, were possible,” Riss said.
The US is also proposing new articles on “science and risk” to give firms greater regulatory say. Disputes over pesticides residues and food safety would be dealt with by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation’s Codex Alimentarius system.
Environmentalists say the body has loose rules on corporate influence, allowing employees of companies such as BASF, Nestle and Coca Cola to sit on – and sometimes lead – national delegations. Some 44% of its decisions on pesticides residues have been less stringent than EU ones, with 40% of rough equivalence and 16% being more demanding, according to Greenpeace.
GM foods could also find a widening window into Europe, with the US pushing for a working group to adopt a “low level presence initiative”. This would allow the import of cargo containing traces of unauthorised GM strains. The EU currently blocks these because of food safety and cross-pollination concerns.
The EU has not yet accepted the US demands, but they are uncontested in the negotiators’ note, and no counter-proposals have been made in these areas.
In January, the EU trade commissioner Cecilia Malmström said [pdf] the precautionary principle, obliging regulatory caution where there is scientific doubt, was a core and non-negotiable EU principle. She said: “We will defend the precautionary approach to regulation in Europe, in TTIP and in all our other agreements.” But the principle is not mentioned in the 248 pages of TTIP negotiating texts.
The European commission has also promised to safeguard environmental laws, defend international standards and protect the EU’s right to set high green benchmarks in future.
But the new leak will not placate critics of the deal, who have pointed to attempts by fossil fuel firms and others to influence its outcome, as a sign of things to come.
The EU negotiators internal note says “the US expressed that it would have to consult with its chemical industry on how to position itself” on issues of market access for non-agricultural goods.
Where industry lobbying in regulatory processes is concerned, the US also “insisted” that the EU be “required” to involve US experts in its development of electrotechnical standards. Thanks for reading.
Oshiomhole’s Deputy, Odubu Narrowly Escapes Assassination
Gunmen on Saturday opened fire on the convoy of Edo State Deputy Governor, Dr. Pius Odubu in Auchi, Etsako West Local Government Area of the state.
It was gathered that a policeman, an operative of the Department of State Security and three other persons were injured in the attack and were taken to an undisclosed hospital.
It will be recalled that Odubu on Wednesday formally declared his intention to contest the September 10 gubernatorial election in the state under the All Progressives Congress (APC) amidst wide speculation that Governor Adams Oshiomhole was not in support.
He was said to have left for Auchi and was meeting with some delegates when the gunmen suddenly appeared, firing gunshots at his convoy.
According to a source, Odubu was not injured in the attack.
“No, he was not injured but two our security men were injured. It was in Etsako West, in Auchi.
“We ran for our dear lives. They injured a policeman, an SSS operative and three civilians and destroyed canopies. We learnt that they were paid N1m to carry out the attack,” the source said.
Barack Obama in surprise swipe at Clinton at final correspondents' dinner
Barack Obama has taken satirical swipes at Donald Trump and, more surprisingly, Hillary Clinton and ended his final White House correspondents’ dinner by literally dropping the mic and departing with the words: “Obama out.”
In the traditional tongue-in-cheek address to the Washington press corps on Saturday night, the president lampooned the Republican frontrunner’s foreign policy and business credentials while also mercilessly mocking the efforts of his fellow Democrat to appeal to younger voters.
Obama did not linger on Trump for as long as some had expected during his half-hour speech, especially those who recall the correspondents’ dinner in 2011 where he roasted the celebrity tycoon as he sat in the room.
Watched by an audience that included politicians, journalists, actors and Trump’s two sons, he pretended to wind up his remarks before interrupting himself: “No, I’m just kidding, you know I’ve got to talk about Trump. We weren’t just going to stop there. Come on!
“Although I am a little hurt that he’s not here tonight. We had so much fun the last time. And it is surprising: you’ve got a room full of reporters, celebrities, cameras, and he says no. Is this dinner too tacky for The Donald? What could he possibly be doing instead? Is he at home eating a Trump steak, tweeting out insults to Angela Merkel? What’s he doing?”
Evidently relishing this election year, Obama then made reference to Trump’s former ownership of the Miss Universe beauty pageant. “The Republican establishment is incredulous that he is the most likely nominee,” he continued. “Incredulous! Shocking! They say Donald lacks the foreign policy experience to be president but, in fairness, he has spent years meeting with leaders from around the world. Miss Sweden. Miss Argentina. Miss Azerbaijan.”
As guests erupted in laughter, the candidate’s claim to be a winner in business was also targeted. “And there’s one area where Donald’s experience could be invaluable and that’s closing Guantanamo because Trump knows a thing or two about running waterfront properties into the ground.”
Obama said he had more material but would leave it there, prompting the crowd to beg for more. He went on to make a sardonic-but-serious point about the avalanche of media coverage devoted to Trump, who has warned that any attempt to deny him the Republican nomination at the party’s convention in Cleveland, Ohio, in July could lead to violent protests.
“I don’t want to spend too much time on The Donald,” he said. “Following your lead, I want to show some restraint because I think we can all agree that, from the start, he’s gotten the appropriate amount of coverage, befitting the seriousness of his candidacy. I hope y’all are proud of yourselves. The guy wanted to give his hotel business a boost and now we’re praying that Cleveland makes it through July.”
At that, Obama shook his head slightly and grunted: “Mmm, mmm, mmm. Mmm.”
Trump’s rival Ted Cruz received barbs for his recent reference to a “basketball ring” while campaigning in Indiana. Obama, whose father was Kenyan, said: “What else is in his lexicon? Baseball sticks? Football hats? But, sure, I’m the foreign one.”
But Obama’s fellow Democrats were not spared. When Obama hailed Sanders as “the bright new face of the Democratic party”, the white-haired, 74-year-old leftwinger, wearing a lounge suit instead of a tuxedo, rose to acknowledge audience applause. The president said: “I am hurt, though, Bernie, that you’ve been distancing yourself a little from me. I mean, that’s just not something that you do to your comrade.”
He then compared Sanders’ slogan, “Feel the Bern”, to an imagined one for Clinton that flashed up on screens: “Trudge up the Hill”, with the image of an “H” pushing a rock up a slope. “You’ve got to admit it though, Hillary trying to appeal to young voters is a little bit like your relative who just signed up for Facebook. ‘Dear America, did you get my poke? Is it appearing on your wall? I’m not sure I’m using this right. Love, Aunt Hillary.’ It’s not entirely persuasive.”
Clinton was also on the receiving end when Obama began his remarks by apologising for being late. He explained: “I was running on CPT, which stands for ‘jokes that white people should not make’” – a reference to a recent sketch by New York mayor Bill de Blasio and Clinton in which she castigated him for endorsing her so late, and he claimed to have been “running on CP time” (“coloured-people time”).
Obama went on: “Here we are, my eighth and final appearance at this unique event and I am excited. If this material works well I’m going to use it at Goldman Sachs next year. Earn me some serious Tubmans,” – references to Clinton’s lucrative speeches on Wall Street and the recent decision to put the founder of the Underground Railroad on the national currency.
As in past years, Obama made himself the butt of some of jokes, reflecting on the imminent end of his presidency. “I’m grey, grizzled, just counting down the days to my death panel.” He added: “Even some foreign leaders have been looking ahead, anticipating my departure. Last week, Prince George showed up to our meeting in his bathrobe. That was a slap in the face. A clear breach of protocol.”
But he also noted: “In my final year, my approval ratings keep going up. The last time I was this high, I was trying to decide on my major.” He said he and his aides were mystified as to the cause of his popularity, while the video feed cut to a pictures of Cruz and Trump.
There was also a spoof video, “Couch Commander”, in which Obama and old foe John Boehner, former speaker of the House, united to consider life after leaving office.
Obama made a glancing reference to TV series Game of Thrones, described British actor Helen Mirren as “awesome” and, in paying tribute to vice-president Joe Biden, took a backwards swipe at George W Bush’s deputy Dick Cheney. “I love Joe Biden, I really do. I want to thank him for his friendship, his counsel, for always giving it to me straight. For not shooting anybody in the face.”
The president’s speech clearly tickled the audience in the Washington Hilton ballroom that included Biden, John Kerry, Republican party chairman Reince Priebus, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg and actors Mirren, Jared Leto, Bryan Cranston, Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, Rachel McAdams, Mark Ruffalo, and Tom Hiddleston.
Turning serious at the end, the president thanked the White House correspondents and praised a free press. “I just have two more words to say: Obama out.” With that, he held out the mic and dropped it, just as basketball star Kobe Bryant had recently done at the end of his last game.
Obama proved a hard act to follow. Comedian Larry Wilmore’s routine had a more mixed reception, with gags about the media prompting groans but other lines hitting the mark. He ended on a poignant and unexpected note. “When I was a kid, I lived in a country where people couldn’t accept a black quarterback,” Wilmore said. “Now think about that. A black man was thought by his mere colour not good enough to lead a football team. And now to live in your time, Mr President, when a black man can lead the entire free world. Words alone do me no justice. So, Mr President, if I’m going to keep it 100.”
Wilmore pounded his chest and said: “Yo, Barry, you did it, my nigga!”
The Washington Hilton ballroom was crowded with celebrities. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders joined vice president Joe Biden, secretary of state John Kerry and other government officials. Thanks for reading.
Sheriff Includes SHOCKING Clause In PDP’s Proposed Constitution Amendment
Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Ali Modu Sheriff, in his proposed amendment to the party’s constitution has requested members of the party, including the BoT to consult him before holding any meeting.
This move followed stiff opposition by the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party to his (Sheriff’s) desire to contest the chairmanship of the party at its national convention scheduled for May 21.
Unlike before, the BoT, of which the national chairman is a member, does not need his permission to hold its meeting.
It is a statutory organ of the party with powers to act on its conscience.
However, in the proposed amendment, which was meant to be discussed at the last meeting of the party’s National Executive Committee, Sheriff is proposing that he needed to be consulted before such organ of the party could meet.
Under PART 1X, Board of Trustees, Meetings of the BoT, the proposed amendment says that “The BoT shall meet at the instance of the Chairman in consultation with the national chairman of the party or at the request of half of the members of the Board or following a resolution of the Board or the NEC request for such a meeting.”
The current constitution of the party merely stated that the “The Board of Trustees shall meet at the instance of the chairman or at the request of half of the members of the board or following a resolution of the board or the national executive committee requesting for such a meeting.”
The proposed amendment to the party’s constitution was included as part of the agenda of the last NEC meeting, which was held in Abuja on Thursday.
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US pledges $90m to South Sudan but warns of sanctions should peace fail
The US has promised almost $90m (£60m) of extra aid to South Sudan but warned its newly reconciled leaders that failure to engage properly with the peace process could result in sanctions or an arms embargo.
Hopes that the country’s two-year-long civil war may finally be drawing to an end rose this week after the former vice-president, Riek Machar, returned to the capital, Juba, to resume his role in a transitional government of national unity led by his opponent, President Salva Kiir.
South Sudan, which won independence from its northern neighbour in 2011, has been consumed by conflict since December 2013, when Kiir accused Machar of plotting a coup.
The conflict split the country along broadly ethnic lines, pitting Kiir’s Dinka against Machar’s Nuer. Tens of thousands of people have been killed in the fighting, more than 2 million displaced, and some parts of the country brought to the brink of famine. The fighting has also been marked by widespread atrocities that may amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity.
On Wednesday, the US – a key advocate of South Sudan’s independence which has provided an estimated $1.6bn of humanitarian assistance since December 2013, according to US State Department figures – announced more than $86m of additional aid.
The new funding is earmarked to provide safe drinking water, emergency healthcare, food, shelter and training to the most vulnerable families and communities.
But the US said it wanted to see a renewed commitment to the implementation of the peace agreement and a “fundamental shift” in the relationship with the humanitarian community.
“Specifically, we expect the transitional government to adhere to core humanitarian principles and to change past policy and practice to ensure aid reaches those in need without regard to ethnic or political discrimination,” the US State Department said.
“We furthermore expect the transitional government to take action to prevent the extortion, theft, and physical harm of aid workers. Leaders must also allow full freedom of movement for all civilians.”
Donald Booth, the US special envoy to Sudan and South Sudan, warned that a failure to respect and implement the peace deal would have serious consequences.
“We have everything at the table: we are prepared to look at sanctions, we’re prepared to look at an arms embargo,” he said in remarks reported by Reuters.
It is not the first time the international community has threatened such measures – and Booth admitted that an arms embargo would only work if it were enforced by South Sudan’s neighbours.
The special envoy said the flow of weapons could be reduced by imposing strict controls on South Sudan’s capital expenditure, a move that would also help those people most in need.
“We all agree there are far too many arms in South Sudan and they certainly don’t need any more,” he said.
“If we can use the financial side to get at preventing additional weapons from getting into South Sudan, that would be an easier way to do it and a more effective way to do it.”
He said the US was also looking at who was responsible for the looting of state coffers in the oil-rich country.
“We really want to make sure that resources of the country are going to be utilised for the people, so we’re taking a careful look at what has been stolen in the past and who stole it,” he added. Thanks for reading.
Helicopter had to return to base twice, days before Norway crash
A helicopter that crashed in Norway, killing 13 people including a Briton, had to return to base twice in the days before the incident owing to a warning light.
The Super Puma had to turn back to Bergen airport, Flesland, last Tuesday when the pilot spotted the indication light, the operator CHC Helicopter confirmed on Sunday.
An aircraft part was replaced and a test flight was conducted the following day. But that flight was also aborted and another component changed when the warning light reappeared. CHC said the aircraft went on to complete six commercial flights with no indications of problems on Thursday, the day before the fatal crash.
The helicopter was carrying two crew and 11 passengers from the Gullfaks B oil field, about 74 miles (120km) off the Norwegian coast, when it crashed into the rocky shoreline of Turøy, a tiny island near Bergen.
Norwegian television showed footage of what appeared to be a helicopter rotor blade spiralling down minutes before the crash. A witness, Rebecca Andersen, told the newspaper Verdens Gang that the“rotor blades came rushing toward us … Then we heard a violent explosion.”
Iain Stuart, 41, of Laurencekirk, Aberdeenshire, has been identified as among 13 people killed in the North Sea helicopter crash.
The 41-year-old British man killed in the crash was named as Iain Stuart, from Laurencekirk in Aberdeenshire. He worked for oilfield services company Halliburton.
A statement released by relatives of the 41-year-old said: “We as a family are devastated at the loss of Iain in Friday’s tragic helicopter crash in Norway.
“Iain was a loving husband and devoted father to his two children and as a family we are heartbroken. He was a caring son, brother, uncle and friend to many.
“We are appreciative of all the messages of support and kind thoughts.
“We now ask, as a family, that we are allowed some privacy at this difficult and sad time to grieve and come to terms with our loss.”
A statement from CHC, issued to the Press Association, said: “It is correct that the helicopter returned to base on Tuesday 26 April. The pilot had a warning light and returned to Flesland according to procedure.
“At Flesland the helicopter was inspected, according to procedure, and a part was replaced.
“Wednesday, the helicopter was taken on a test flight, where the warning light reappeared, the helicopter returned to base, changed another component, the next test drive was completed without any warning light.
“Thursday, the aircraft completed six commercial flights, all without any indication of problems. None of the changed parts were physically connected to rotor or gearbox.”
The statement added: “These returns to base are essential for flight safety and part of operating in a highly regulated industry. Sometimes an RTB can be for technical issues, other times it is much more mundane.
“At all times, CHC has met or exceeded the requirements of our regulatory authorities and our customers, and continues to offer a compliant service.
“Speculation about the cause of the accident is unhelpful and we must also be careful to respect the feelings of the families who perished in the tragic events of Bergen.”
Tributes have been paid to Stuart, who was a member of Brechin golf club, where a flag flew at half mast on Saturday. Stephen Rennie, the resident golf professional and manager, told the Mail on Sunday: “The whole club is shocked and saddened to hear the devastating news about Iain. He was a very popular member of the club and our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time.”
A family friend, Charles Aitken, 75, said: “My daughter knows his wife, Amy. They are a really lovely family – it’s an absolute tragedy.”
In tributes posted on social media, Stuart was described as “always a gent” and “a top bloke”.
Field operators Statoil said the pilots of the helicopter – a Norwegian and an Italian – were CHC Helicopter staff.
Ten of the passengers were Norwegian nationals and were employed by companies including Schlumberger, Aker Solutions, and Statoil. Their names have not yet been released.
Emergency crews pulled the wrecked fuselage out of the sea on Saturday. A team from the UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch has gone to the site.
On Saturday, the Norwegian prime minister, Erna Solberg, tweeted about the “horrifying reports” and sthat she was being kept informed about the rescue work. She said her thoughts went out to all those who had lost a loved one.
All UK commercial passenger flights using the same Airbus EC225LP Super Puma model have been grounded by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), mirroring action taken by its Norwegian counterpart.
BP and Statoil have also suspended the use of the aircraft model after the accident, so it is unable to carry oil and gas workers, the BBC reported.
EC225 Super Puma helicopters were previously grounded for a period in the UK after two crashes in Scotland in 2012. Both incidents, in which all passengers and crew were rescued, were blamed on gearbox problems.
More than 6,500 people have now signed an online petition calling on the CAA to permanently remove the EC225 from service. They include Audrey Wood, who lost her son Stuart when a helicopter carrying workers from a BP oil platform crashed off Peterhead in Aberdeenshire in April 2009. Thanks for reading.
Nigeria’s Problems Are Temporary, Resolvable – Osibanjo
Vice President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, has restated the resolve of the Buhari administration towards instituting a new culture of probity and accountability in governance saying “it’s a new day in Aso Rock”.
“Nearly a year on- there are many problems and many have asked where is the change? Is this the change we voted for? Even some fifth columnists in our midst have suggested bring back corruption,” according to the Vice President while speaking today at The Platform, a public engagement forum organized by the Covenant Church led by Pastor Poju Oyemade.
Continuing, Prof. Osinbajo then declared matter-of-factly that “the government of President Muhammadu Buhari is completely and irrevocably committed to change. ”
He said “we believe that though it may not be easy, though the early signs may be confusing and sometimes discouraging, there has never been a better opportunity than now to turn the country in the direction of success.”
According to him, “today we have the best opportunity in decades for profound change. It is an opportunity in a generation. A revolution whose time has come!
The Vice President added that “everything around us tells us that the moment is now! Can this change happen? Yes it can! Yes it must! What do you have in your hands to make it happen? We have a country that is tired of corruption, tired of leadership without values, tired of an economy that is neither designed to accommodate enterprise, nor to create opportunity and wealth for the majority. ”
The “new day in Aso Rock” he said is that of a Presidency that is committed to ensuring a departure from the past culture of corruption and profligacy in government, even as he averred that “the government of President Muhammadu Buhari is completely and irrevocably committed to the Change promised Nigerians”.
Speaking on the theme ‘What do we have in our hands, tapping into dead capital” Prof. Osinbajo opined that “We have a leadership, a leader that is ready to challenge the rotten system, one that has said he is ready to kill corruption rather let corruption kill us.”
“We believe that though it may not be easy, though the early signs may be confusing and sometimes discouraging, there has never been a better opportunity than now to turn the country in the direction of success, ” says the VP.
Addressing a large gathering of mostly young Nigerians, Prof Osinbajo told the youths that the Federal Government was not unaware of the nation’s challenges, but stated that the youths must believe the problems facing the nation in the area of power, availability of petroleum products, infrastructure and agriculture are surmountable and resolvable.
Vice President Osinbajo also told them of the determination of the Federal Government to leverage technology under a number of initiatives he unveiled intended to create the enabling environment that would stimulate youth entrepreneurship and innovation.
He stated that “the key to change and our future prosperity lies in innovation and is critical to our development”.
Informing the forum of the Buhari presidency’s for technology and innovation, he stated that government would be establishing an Innovation Fund this year which would deploy significant resources for the aim of creating opportunities to the youth to access fund for innovation and entrepreneurship.
He highlighted other plans as follows:
– Establishment of technology innovation hubs across the country; 2 super hubs ( in Lagos and Abuja) and 6 regional hubs in the six geo-political zones in partnership some major technology companies;
– 65,000 young Nigerians to be trained in hardware and software services and in animation;
– to create a reservoir in technology capacity that can be exported annually abroad like the case of India;
– on June 23, 2016, Federal Government would launch a Presidential Technology Innovation Initiative targeted at 50 Nigerians engaged in innovative start-ups to be mentored by major technology innovation companies
– bursary award to 100,000 STEM undergraduates developing their interest in programming, robotic and animation technology, in addition to deploying technology in the training of the 500,000 teachers that are expected to be employed under the social investment of government this year,
– VP’s Office to institute a literary prize in poetry and short stories during independence anniversary to encourage field of humanity/arts
Prof. Osinbajo also used the occasion to implore millions of youths in the country to join the vanguard for change under “a New Tribe of Nigerians” saying “we must not blink, no shaking until we turn this country around.”
Earlier, the Vice President commended the conveners of the platform, Pastor Poju Oyemade and his team for their tenacity and unwavering belief in the nation’s development. He noted that “the Platform has through the years become a foremost opportunities for ideas and intellectual innovations in Nigeria.”Thanks for reading.
