The Guardian World News

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• Libyan foreign minister flies to UK 'to resign'
• PM challenged over torture claims
• Assad blames foreigners for protests
• Ivory Coast capital falls to rebels
• Japan's battle to save reactors is lost
• Berlusconi vows to evict migrants
• Warren Buffett's heir resigns
• Guard arrested at 2012 Olympics site
• Murdoch son promoted at News Corp
• Lloyds boss gets £4.6m 'golden hello'
• New 'civilian' government in Burma
• Clegg to gather social mobility data
• Girl, 5, caught in gun crime crossfire
• Stars come out in force for Mikhail Gorbachev's 80th
• Martina Cole talks to Erwin James
• Madonna's folly in Malawi
• Jay Stanley
• What is French for a vegan?
• Beyoncé and her dad split
• Photographer Fergus Greer's best shot
• 'Agent' conman lived on £4 a day
• Miss Marple reverses ageing process
• Portman's dancing – does it matter?

Libyan foreign minister flies to UK 'to resign' Posted: 30 Mar 2011 05:18 PM PDT Mousa Kousa says he is no longer willing to represent the regime in a morale boost for the rebels Muammar Gaddafi's authority inside Libya suffered a significant blow when his foreign minister quit and fled to the UK in a specially arranged flight organised by the British intelligence services. Mousa Kousa, who was one of the Libyan leader's closest allies, arrived on a chartered plane from Tunisia and said he was "no longer willing" to represent the dictator's regime. We can confirm that Mousa Kousa arrived at Farnborough airport on 30 March from Tunisia," a Foreign Office spokesman said. Kousa's defection provides Britain with a figure of unparalleled intelligence value in terms of understanding the situation within Gaddafi's inner circle. The move also provides a morale boost to the disorganised rebel forces who have again suffered major reverses at the hands of pro-Gaddafi forces in the past 48 hours. The Foreign Office said last night: "He travelled here under his own free will. He has told us that he is resigning his post. We are discussing this with him and we will release further detail in due course. "Mousa Kousa is one of the most senior figures in Gaddafi's government and his role was to represent the regime internationally – something that he is no longer willing to do." Kousa's defection will be seen as a vindication of the coalition's efforts to intimidate key members of the regime by warning them that if they do not defect they will be taken to the international criminal court to face war crimes trials. News of the defection first emerged after the official Tunisian news agency reported rumours that Kousa had crossed the border into Libya's western neighbour, but without any clear indication of his motives. The Libyan government, possibly misled by Mousa Kousa, insisted he had left the country on a diplomatic mission for Gaddafi, but the foreign office then disputed this account. Britain and the US have been in regular contact with him in recent days, mainly through intelligence sources. Probably more than any other senior official inside the Libyan regime, Kousa is seen as the key figure who persuaded Gaddafi to make a deal with British intelligence agencies to stop developing weapons of mass destruction in return for the ending of its pariah status. However, his relationship with Britain in the past has been far from convivial. Kousa has previously been seen as one of the controlling forces behind the Lockerbie bombing and it was not clear whether he was seeking political asylum. In 1980, he was expelled from the UK and, for 15 years, he was head of Libyan foreign intelligence – including in the period of the Lockerbie bombing. He has always denied Libya was involved in the bombing. The Foreign Office added: "We encourage those around Gaddafi to abandon him and embrace a better future for Libya that allows political transition and real reform that meets the aspirations of the Libyan people." "He has defected from the regime," said Noman Benotman, a friend of Kousa and senior analyst at Britain's Quilliam thinktank. "He wasn't happy at all. He doesn't support the government attacks on civilians," he said. "He's seeking refuge in Britain and hopes he will be treated well," Benotman said. Kousa's decision to abandon the regime came as it emerged that Barack Obama had signed a secret government order authorising covert US help to the Libyan rebels via such organisations as the CIA. The order, known as a "finding" was signed within the last two or three weeks. The move will undoubtedly fuel speculation that the US and its allies are planning to arm the rebels. The New York Times has reported that small groups of CIA operatives have been working in Libya for several weeks gathering intelligence for military air strikes and making contacts with the rebels battling Gaddafi's forces, according to American officials. It also reported that "dozens" of British agents and special forces were also inside Libya, helping direct attacks by British aircraft. Both sides in the Libya conflict are running short of weapons and ammunition after almost two weeks of intense fighting that has brutally exposed the military shortcomings of the rebels, the Guardian has been told. The rebels were forced into yet another retreaton Wednesday, with Gaddafi's forces regaining much of the territory taken by the rebels at the weekend and threatening to humiliate the western coalition by again coming within striking distance of the city of Benghazi. Concern is deepening in the coalition about the rebels' fragile morale and lack of military experience to mount a sustained challenge to the regime. A military stalemate is now a real possibility, partly as both sides are struggling to re-equip their forces. With fighting continuing in Misrata and regime forces pushing east as far as the strategic town of Ajdabiya, the issue of rearming has become paramount. Coalition bombing raids had helped "chop the legs off" Gaddafi's supply chain, meaning he could no longer get rockets and ammunition to the front line. "Ammunition is going to become an issue," said a defence source. "The regime's logistics are very stretched. Their ability to move ammunition 400 to 500 miles is becoming constraining. Regime forces have been seriously degraded. But there is more to do to prevent more bloodshed, to prevent more loss of life." While the regime is thought to be "hurting more and missing more" because many of its heavy weapons have been destroyed, the rebels could struggle to take advantage because of their own problems. They do not have a supply chain or logistical mechanisms. Many of the rebels have not experienced being under fire before the last three weeks and there is no sign of any improvement in their fighting capability. Though the US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, and British foreign secretary William Hague have hinted that arming the rebels might be allowed under the terms of the two UN resolutions, it is understood the UK has not provided any equipment so far, and there are no plans to do so. No training has been provided either. A defence source insisted there had been "no request for ground forces" and that the coalition had "no intention" of providing them. People who had returned to Ajdabiya after it fell to the revolutionaries on Saturday again fled on Wednesday as the government's army seized two important oil towns further along the coastal highway, Ras Lanuf and Brega. It was not immediately clear if the regime intended to try to take Ajdabiya again after air strikes last week destroyed a significant number of tanks and armoured vehicles. But the government has pressed ahead with its counteroffensive using not only the artillery that it still retains but what appears to be a larger ground force than previously deployed. On Monday, the rebels moved within 45 miles of Sirte, the strategically and politically important birthplace of Gaddafi, and were proclaiming they would be in Tripoli before the end of the week after advancing about 200 miles in two days under the cover of the western air strikes. But the regime's counterattack has outmanoeuvred the poorly disciplined and ill-trained rebels who barely made a stand at Brega before fleeing toward Ajdabiya. If the government were to move on Ajdabiya, that would once again open the road to Benghazi. The revolutionary leadership, which has called for an intensification of air strikes, said it was not concerned by the see-sawing military fortunes. "Whether we advance 50km or retreat 50km … it's a big country. They will go back the next day," said spokesman Mustafa Gheriani in Benghazi. But the situation has raised concerns that the rebels' inability to hold territory will undermine coalition commitment. The coalition now believes it has a much clearer idea of the strengths and weaknesses of the two sides and the issues that could be crucial in the coming days and weeks. It is now thought that: • Thousands of foreign fighters are in Libya helping to support Gaddafi and more are still coming from countries such as Chad, Niger and Mali. Many are being lured to Tripoli because Gaddafi pays them well. The foreigners, some of them migrant workers, are being used for security in urban areas, freeing up other soldiers to fight the rebels. • Misrata has become a crucible of the fighting and is the focus of the regime's attempts to snuff out the opposition. Coalition air strikes have crushed attempts by Gaddafi's navy to blockade the city and attack it from the sea. Four Libyan vessels have been sunk, and one beached. • Al-Qaida has a negligible presence in Libya and is not considered a factor at all in the current fighting. • Gaddafi has no chemical weapons in any usable form. It is thought that he only has the remnants of the weapons programme that was dismantled in 2004, and coalition air strikes have targeted the Scud missiles that could have been used to deliver them. How the conflict now develops may depend on whether Gaddafi's opponents in the west of the country are prepared to rise up against a regime that has promoted a culture of fear for the last 40 years. That culture is thought to be most acute inside the regime itself – Gaddafi is said to hold his lieutenants, extended family, and indeed his children in a state of near perpetual conflict and fear. The default position in society is assessed to be that any resistance to Gaddafi or his regime is something only talked about in the privacy of your own home. The scale of the deployment by UK forces has also become clear. Ten Typhoon and eight Tornado aircraft are operating out of Italy, supported by the cruise missile submarine, HMS Turbulent, which has been replaced by HMS Triumph. Getting equipment and armaments to the Mediterranean involved 24 transport aircraft, including nine C17s and 11 Hercules aircraft, and two chartered Antonov flights for 583 military personnel. The RAF so far has undertaken 130 hours of refuelling missions, involving 500,000 litres of aviation fuel. Libya Muammar Gaddafi Arab and Middle East unrest Middle East Patrick Wintour Richard Norton-Taylor Nick Hopkins Chris McGreal guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

PM challenged over torture claims Posted: 30 Mar 2011 02:50 PM PDT Alleged terrorist says he was taken to Uganda and interrogated by MI5 An alleged terrorist says he has been interrogated by British intelligence officers after being severely mistreated at a notorious prison in Uganda, in what appears to be the first major challenge to the coalition government's renunciation of the use of torture. Omar Awadh Omar, a Kenyan businessman, has been charged with involvement in the planning of suicide bomb attacks in Kampala last July in which 76 people died and more than 70 were injured. Awadh was abducted in Nairobi two months after the attacks and illegally rendered to Uganda to be interrogated and charged. Since then, according to his lawyers and relatives, he has been repeatedly beaten, threatened with a firearm and with further rendition to Guantánamo by Ugandan officials, before being questioned by American officials. They say that on at least one occasion he was also questioned by men who identified themselves as MI5 officers. Awadh's case has been taken up by the Open Society Justice Initiative (OSJI), a human rights body founded by the philanthropist George Soros, which says his mistreatment not only calls into question the UK government's commitment to avoid involvement in torture, but points to a loophole in interrogation guidance for British intelligence officers, which was rewritten after the coalition was formed. Clara Gutteridge, national security fellow at the OSJI, said: "The facts of this case suggest a worrying new trend in US-UK overseas detention policy, and raise urgent questions as to the legality of the new consolidated guidance for UK security and intelligence personnel operating overseas. UK government condemnations of torture are wearing increasingly thin. "Omar Awadh's case raises very serious concerns that the British are now involved in what is essentially a sort of decentralised, outsourced Guantánamo Bay." The Foreign Office declined to comment on Awadh's allegation that he was interrogated by British intelligence officers after being mistreated. "It is an intelligence matter, so I can't comment," a spokesman said. The Home Office refused to comment on MI5's alleged involvement. "We don't comment on operational security matters," a spokeswoman said. UK intelligence officers are expected to consult ministers in most circumstances in which a detainee they wish to question is at risk of torture. Asked whether Theresa May, the home secretary, or any of her ministers had been consulted about any questioning of Awadh in Uganda, the Home Office said: "The security service operates within legal guidelines, which include the consolidated guidelines. The guidelines would have been followed, if they needed to have been." Supporters of Awadh, 38, a used-car salesman, say he is a human rights activist. The Ugandan government has accused him of involvement with both al-Qaida and al-Shabab, the Islamist group fighting to overthrow the government of Somalia which claimed responsibility for the Kampala bomb attacks. On 17 September he was abducted by a group of men in suits, who dragged him from a shopping centre in Moi Avenue in central Nairobi and bundled him into a waiting car. He later told his lawyers that he was taken before a senior officer of Kenya's anti-terrorism police unit before being driven, hooded and still cuffed, to the Ugandan border. Ugandan officials then drove him to the headquarters of the rapid response unit (RRU), an organisation that has been condemned by human rights activists. According to a report published on Wednesday by Human Rights Watch, "RRU personnel beat detainees with batons, sticks, bats, metal pipes, padlocks, table legs, and other objects", and committed six extra-judicial killings last year. After the formation of the coalition, the government sought to distance itself from the counterterrorism practices that came to haunt the Labour administration, including within the coalition agreement the one-line pledge: "We will never condone the use of torture." The government also ordered the redrafting of the guidance given to British intelligence officers who question detainees held overseas, or who pass or receive information about prisoners. When making the rewritten guidance public, David Cameron told the Commons that it "makes clear that … our services must never take any action where they know or believe that torture will occur". The new guidance faced an immediate legal challenge from the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, which said its wording – echoing that of the prime minister – allows MI5 and MI6 officers to continue questioning people being tortured because they can claim not to "know or believe" what is happening as long as they are not present during the abuse. That case is yet to be heard by the court. Awadh alleges he was beaten, slapped, threatened with incarceration in Guantánamo, and had a handgun pointed at him. He says that after being abused in this manner he was questioned repeatedly by Americans who identified themselves as from the FBI. According to Awadh, these officials accepted he was not involved in the Kampala bombings, but wanted him to divulge information about Somalia. During meetings with his Ugandan lawyer, John Onyango, and in a series of smuggled letters to his wife, Awadh said he was also interrogated last January by MI5 officers, who showed him a series of photographs and asked questions about British nationals thought to have travelled to Somalia. It is unclear whether he has been subject to any subsequent interrogation by British intelligence. Awadh was charged by the Ugandan authorities with being present at a number of meetings in Nairobi at which the suicide bombings were said to have been discussed. He is also accused of being in possession of incriminating material, including body armour, when detained by Ugandan police, although at the point of his arrest he had been in Kenyan custody for several hours. He is one of 17 people charged over the attacks. Eight are Kenyan, seven of them rendered in operations condemned by the Kenyan ministry of justice and the British high commission in Nairobi. The eighth is a prominent Kenyan human rights activist, Al-Amin Kimathi, who has campaigned against rendition, and whose arrest led Human Rights Watch to question whether the Ugandan authorities were attempting to silence "a well-known critic of government abuses in the fight against terrorism in east Africa". Awadh is being held at Luzira maximum security prison in Kampala. His wife, Raabia, who has three children, says she is deeply worried about her husband. The threat said to be posed by British nationals travelling to Somalia for terrorism training has been of concern to western intelligence agencies for some time. In October 2009 Jonathan Evans, the head of MI5, said in a public speech that the UK's domestic security was as dependent on events in Somalia, Pakistan and Afghanistan as on those in British cities. Soon after that an American diplomat at the US embassy in Nairobi warned in a cable later posted on the internet by WikiLeaks: "There is believed to be a certain amount of so-called 'jihadi tourism' to southern Somalia by UK citizens of Somali ethnicity. The threat from Somalia is compounded by the fact that within east Africa there is a lack of local government recognition of the terrorist threat." Since then, British officials have said they have concerns about some 40 British nationals who have travelled to Somalia. On Tuesday the Foreign Office published guidance to staff, making clear that they have an obligation to report allegations of torture, even if the victim is not entitled to consular assistance. Uganda Kenya Guantánamo Bay Torture Human rights Liberal-Conservative coalition Somalia MI5 MI6 George Soros Ian Cobain guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Assad blames foreigners for protests Posted: 30 Mar 2011 01:13 PM PDT Observers predict further trouble after Friday prayers as Assad's TV broadcast, which detailed no reforms, angers the nation Syrians reacted with anger and disappointment after their president, Bashar al-Assad, failed to deliver any decisive reforms in his first public appearance since the street uprising that has threatened his regime. In homes and cafes around Damascus Assad was castigated for a speech which seemed tailored to send a message of strength to protesters demanding an overhaul of the Baathist old guard which has ruled Syria for 40 years. However, demonstrators had demanded much more and are unlikely to be appeased by Assad's main message that foreign conspirators were largely responsible for the unprecedented scenes across the country during the past fortnight. "This is what happened in Egypt and Tunisia on repeat," said one young pro-change Syrian. "Excuses and arrogance." Assad has the reputation of being a crowd-pleaser and many had anticipated a surprise announcement. His key adviser, Bouthaina Shaaban, had foreshadowed decisive reforms, including lifting an emergency law that bans public dissent. However, Assad's speech offered no substantive concessions. He said satellite television and propaganda had incited demonstrators, although he also said that "not all demonstrators were conspirators". He added that the chaos in Syria had an Israeli agenda, but did not elaborate. "This is the end of Syria," said one young engineer from the capital, Damascus. "There was no apology and no promise of reform. This only makes us angrier. He could have at least expressed sorrow for those who have died." Residents of the southern city of Deraa, where at least 55 people have been killed during clashes with security forces, told the Guardian that the speech had been met with significant anger. Assad expressed grief for the deaths of "fathers and brothers" in Deraa and acknowledged that security forces had "made mistakes" during the clashes. However, he also said residents had a responsibility to stop the protests themselves. "The speech was nonsense and has given security forces the green light to continue its oppression of our people," said a man who declined to be named, speaking by telephone from Deraa . Even Assad's supporters seemed at a loss after the address, which was regularly interrupted by choreographed bursts of poetry from the floor. "Many Baathists were congratulating me today on the removal of emergency law," said one Christian businessman. "But now they are empty-handed as they face the Syrian people." For a core of supporters, however, the speech may have made little difference. Some said he was received as honest for admitting to the need to fight corruption, and interpreted the speech as reiterating that reforms were needed. Before the address one Syrian diplomat had said Assad was intent on striking a dignified tone. "The west needs to know that we are not their valet, their entry point to the region," the diplomat said. "And he will not be seen as capitulating to the protesters." Analysts in Damascus said Assad had been strengthened by external support in recent days. In giving little by way of concession, he managed to adopt a more consistent narrative absolving the regime of blame. "Reform was placed within the context of ongoing plans, meaning he can downplay the idea that he is reacting to discontent while at the same time saying it doesn't exist," said one. Syria is of key strategic significance in the Middle East and a full-blown revolution would have widespread effects. Assad is aligned to an anti-western orbit, headed by Iran. However, he has attempted to broker improved relations with the United States over the past year and also to reach out to Europe. Assad's regime is led by members of the minority Alawite sect, loosely aligned with Shia Islam. He has been a strong backer of Palestinian militant groups and Hezbollah and has so far resisted US attempts to prise him free from them. The US did not immediately react to the speech. However, across the Syrian border in Lebanon there was celebratory gunfire in the Shia heartland areas of the Bekaa Valley and the southern Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh, which is a Hezbollah heartland. Some observers in Damascus said the speech would add weight to calls for further protests across the country on Friday. The scenes of recent clashes were quiet amid a large security presence, which is expected to be reinforced on Friday — a day of prayers that has seen a rise in violence for the past two weeks. Katherine Marsh is a pseudonym for a journalist living in Damascus Syria Middle East Bashar Al-Assad Protest Arab and Middle East unrest Martin Chulov guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Ivory Coast capital falls to rebels Posted: 30 Mar 2011 11:58 AM PDT Troops loyal to Alassane Ouattara seize control of Yamassoukro as power appears to be ebbing away from President Laurent Gbagbo Rebel forces in Ivory Coast have taken control of the official capital, as power seems to be slipping away from the president, Laurent Gbagbo. Residents and military sources said troops loyal to Gbagbo's rival, Alassane Ouattara, had entered Yamoussoukro, meeting little resistance as security forces fled. The port city of San Pedro also fell. Yamoussoukro residents told how they braced themselves for conflict before sporadic gunfire erupted. Serge Kipre, who runs a small clothing store in the city, said: "The night before, we were all calling each other to make sure nobody went outside. In the morning, I saw loads of police with balaclavas and Kalashnikovs racing across town. The market closed, shops shuttered. Everybody seemed on edge." But the approach of the rebels was eagerly awaited by many young pro-Ouattara supporters. Kipre added: "They set a police station ablaze because they felt they would be liberated soon. We are so tired of this situation – we just want them to get it over with." The pro-Ouattara Republican Forces (FRCI) captured the city within hours as government opposition melted away. Eyewitnesses saw soldiers taking off their uniforms and throwing guns and ammunition into ditches as they fled from the rebel army. Others say some soldiers simply switched sides and joined the FRCI. The capture of Yamassoukro, which is in a pro-Ouattara area, is symbolic but not decisive. Gbagbo's seat of power is in the commercial capital, Abidjan, where fighting has raged for months. But the fall of Yamoussoukro opens up the main road to Abidjan, just 143 miles away. Earlier this month a leader of rebel forces, which have controlled northern Ivory Coast since the 2002-03 civil war, told the Guardian they would "surprise all the analysts" by removing Gbagbo quickly and cleanly. Such confidence appears to have been borne out so far as the rebels make rapid advances on three fronts and encounter little resistance. Gbagbo has called for a ceasefire, though this has been widely dismissed as a ploy. Young men are being enrolled into the army, reportedly to replace soldiers who are not turning up for work or who have changed sides. Ally Coulibaly, Ouattara's ambassador to Paris, claimed rebel forces now controlled three-quarters of the country. "President Alassane Ouattara was patient and gave Mr Laurent Gbagbo every possibility to leave power peacefully," he told the French radio station France Inter. "He refused every offer made to him." Ivorians had eventually had to take up arms to avoid a massacre of the civilian population, he added. A statement by Ouattara's RHDP party said: "All peaceful avenues to convince Laurent Gbagbo of his defeat have been exhausted." Forces loyal to Ouattara have taken several western towns with relative ease, but Abidjan poses a tougher challenge. Don Mello, a spokesman for Gbagbo, told Radio France International it was "impregnable" to attack. "We call for an immediate ceasefire and the opening of talks under the mediation of the African Union high representative," he said. "Failing which, we will use our legitimate right of defence. "We have adopted a strategy of tactical withdrawal. We hope that dialogue will open very shortly. It is useless to head into conflict and increase the number of victims." A priest in Tiebissou, who did not wish to be named, said Gbagbo's forces had tried to fight off the rebels for three and a half hours before fleeing. Another priest said he had seen the bodies of three dead soldiers in the town, which is 21 miles from the capital. Many wounded fighters were being taken to a nearby hospital. People were looting public buildings in Tiebissou, including the police station, witnesses said. A third front from the east of the country was advancing south, with combat taking place in Akoupe. The rebels secured Bondoukou and Abengourou, along the Ghana border on Tuesday, and seemed poised to strike directly at Gbagbo on this front, as Akoupe is only 70 miles from Abidjan. Violence in Abidjan may escalate after Gbagbo's army spokesman called on his youths to join the fight. "The hour for their enrolment has arrived," Colonel Babri Gohourou told state TV. "They will be called up from Wednesday." In several neighbourhoods of Abidjan, men in military uniform continued to threaten and extort immigrants and Ivorians with northern names. Malick Traore, a doctor whose parents were born in neighbouring Mali, was stopped by six gunmen and asked to show his identity papers. He said: "They said: 'Oh, you are against us; you are against the republic. We'll give you a choice: either we kill you on the spot or we send you to the frontline.' Luckily, I had money on me, and I gave them everything I had. So they let me go. "A little while later, I heard poom-poom-poom – you know, the sound of an automatic gun. They killed five people on the spot, including a coffee seller who was very well liked in our neighbourhood." Gbagbo's Young Patriots have targeted UN staff for weeks, beating them, burning UN vehicles and sometimes abducting them. A Nigerien UN peacekeeper was seized by unknown attackers two weeks ago and remains missing, according to security sources. "We think one of our soldiers in the Nigerien contingent in Abidjan was kidnapped in the week from 12 to 19 March," a security source in Niamey, Niger's capital, told Reuters. "The UN is investigating." The international community and Ivory Coast's electoral commission say Ouattara won the presidential election. But Gbagbo refuses to give up power. More than 1 million people have fled the fighting that has ensued and at least 462 have been killed since the election, according to UN figures. Ouattara's camp puts the death toll above 700. Ivory Coast David Smith guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Japan's battle to save reactors is lost Posted: 30 Mar 2011 08:43 PM PDT The firm's chairman said it had 'no choice' but to scrap reactors No 1-4, but held out hope that the remaining two could continue to operate Japanese officials have conceded that the battle to salvage four crippled reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant has been lost. The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power [Tepco], said the reactors would be scrapped, and warned that the operation to contain the nuclear crisis, now well into its third week, could last months. Tepco's announcement came as new readings showed a dramatic increase in radioactive contamination in the sea near the atomic complex. The firm's chairman, Tsunehisa Katsumata, said it had "no choice" but to scrap the Nos 1-4 reactors, but held out hope that the remaining two could continue to operate. It is the first time the company has conceded that the at least part of the plant will have to be decommissioned. But the government's chief spokesman, Yukio Edano, repeated an earlier call for all six reactors at the 40-year-old plant to be decommissioned. "It is very clear looking at the social circumstances," he said. Tens of thousands of people living near the plants have been evacuated or ordered to stay indoors, while the plant has leaked radioactive materials in to the sea, soil and air. On Thursday, the International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA] suggested widening the 30-kilometre exclusion zone around the plant after finding that radiation levels at a village 40 kilometres from the plant exceeded the criteria for evacuation. "We have advised [Japanese officials] to carefully assess the situation, and they have indicated that it is already under assessment," Denis Flory, a deputy director of the IAEA, said. The French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, was due to arrive in Tokyo on Thursday to show support for the Fukushima operation and for talks with his Japanese counterpart, Naoto Kan. Sarkozy, the current G8 chair, is the first foreign leader to visit Japan since the 11 March earthquake and tsunami. An emotional Kastumata apologised for the anxiety the crisis has caused. "We apologise for causing the public anxiety, worry and trouble due to the explosions at reactor buildings and the release of radioactive materials," he told reports in Tokyo late on Wednesday. "Our greatest responsibility is to do everything to bring the current situation to an end and under control." He said the "dire situation" at the plant was likely to continue for some time. The pressure to make progress also took its toll on Tepco's chief executive, Masataka Shimizu, who is in hospital being treated for exhaustion. The country's nuclear and industrial safety agency, Nisa, said on Thursday radioactive iodine at 4,385 times the legal limit had been identified in the sea near the plant, although officials have yet to determine how it got there. On Wednesday the measurement had been 3,355 times the legal limit. Hidehiko Nishiyama, a Nisa spokesman, said fishing had stopped in the area, adding that the contamination posed no immediate threat to humans. "We will find out how it happened and do our utmost to prevent it from rising," he said. The government's acceptance of help from the US and France has strengthened the belief that the battle to save the stricken reactors is lost. On Tuesday, a US engineer who helped install reactors at the plant said he believed the radioactive core in unit 2 may have melted through the bottom of its containment vessel and on to a concrete floor. While Nisa officials attempted to play down the contamination's impact on marine life, any development that heightens health concerns among consumers will dismay local fishermen, many of whom already face a long struggle to rebuild their businesses after the 11 March earthquake and tsunami. Experts say the radiation will be diluted by the sea, lessening the contamination of fish and other marine life. Robert Peter Gale, a US medical researcher who was brought in by Soviet authorities after the Chernobyl disaster, said recent higher readings of radioactive iodine-131 and caesium-137 should be of greater concern than reports earlier this week of tiny quantities of plutonium found in soil samples. But he added: "It's obviously alarming when you talk about radiation, but if you have radiation in non-gas form I would say dump it in the ocean." Gale, who has been advising the Japanese government, said: "To some extent that's why some nuclear power plants are built along the coast, to be in an area where the wind is blowing out to sea, and because the safest way to deposit radiation is in the ocean. "The dilutional factor could not be better - there's no better place. If you deposit it on earth or in places where people live there is no dilutional effect. From a safety point of view the ocean is the safest place." Criticism of Tepco is building after safety lapses last week put three workers in hospital - all have been discharged - and erroneous reports of radiation data. Shimizu, 66, has not been seen since appearing at a press conference on 13 March, two days after the disaster. He had reportedly resumed control of the operation at the firm's headquarters in Tokyo after suffering a minor illness, but on Tuesday he was admitted to hospital suffering from high blood pressure and dizziness. Tepco said on Wednesday that he was not expected to be absent for long. The hundreds of workers at the plant must now find a balance between pumping enough water to cool the reactors and avoiding a runoff of highly radioactive excess water. As yet they do not have anywhere to store the contaminated water. The options under consideration were to transfer the water to a ship or cover the reactors to trap radioactive particles, Edano said. Japan disaster Japan Nuclear power Nuclear waste Justin McCurry guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Berlusconi vows to evict migrants Posted: 30 Mar 2011 12:02 PM PDT Embattled Italian PM also offers tax breaks to island's residents as critics accuse him of using diversionary tactics Facing fierce criticism over his handling of a wave of north Africans landing on the Italian island of Lampedusa, Silvio Berlusconi has put on a vintage display of showmanship, claiming he would empty the island of immigrants within 60 hours, nominate locals for a Nobel peace prize and buy a holiday home there. So far this year 18,000 north African migrants have sailed to the island, which has only 5,000 native inhabitants. During a lightning visit to Lampedusa, which is closer to Africa than the Italian mainland, Berlusconi told cheering locals that six chartered ferries were arriving to pick up the remaining 6,000 migrants, mainly young Tunisian men, who have made the sea crossing since the collapse of the Tunisian government in January and the suspension of coastal patrols. The migrants will join other north Africans who have already been transferred to centres and camps on the mainland after paying out thousands of euros to make the often perilous crossing. "In 48 to 60 hours, Lampedusa will be inhabited only by Lampedusans," said Berlusconi. Locals have protested against the nightly arrivals by using fishing boats to block the harbour entrance as the island's immigrant centre was overwhelmed, food supplies ran short and migrants bivouacked on a rubbish-strewn hill overlooking the port. To frequent applause, Berlusconi told residents he would give them tax breaks and propose they receive the Nobel peace prize for their patience, later telling a press conference he would push for the construction of a casino and a golf course. "We are buying up the fishing boats so that they cannot be used for the crossings," he said. "That way when I am out of politics I will use them to set up a fresh fish business." The prime minister also said he would use his private TV channels to promote the relaunch of tourism in Lampedusa. While surfing the internet before his visit, he added, he had purchased a beach house on Lampedusa, which he visited before leaving the island. A local couple living next door to the €2m house said they had been woken on Tuesday night by noises from the house. "I thought it was the Tunisians," said Rosina Licciardi, "but it was the gardener and his wife cleaning things up." Berlusconi said he would also ask the mayor to plant a few more trees on the island and paint the houses brighter colours. Opposition members alleged Berlusconi's appearance was a diversionary tactic as his supporters in parliament worked on a measure trimming the statute of limitations for first-time offenders, a measure they claimed is designed to cancel the prime minister's ongoing trial for bribing British lawyer David Mills. "Over there he bought a house, while here he bought himself safe conduct," said Pier Luigi Bersani, the head of the opposition Democratic Party. Berlusconi is now seeking to convince Italy's regional governors to put up the migrants brought ashore. Over 3,000 who have already escaped from makeshift camps have travelled to Ventimiglia seeking to cross into France, where many have relatives. Interior minister Roberto Maroni has told parliament that a deal was underway with the Tunisian government to take the migrants back. "If they are economic migrants, and most of them are, then Italy can repatriate," said Laura Boldrini, a UN spokeswoman, "Many come from villages on the coast and worked in the tourism industry but now fear job cuts." Italy will need to identify each migrant and serve an expulsion order, which can be appealed against, added Boldrini. Maroni has warned that the Tunisians may be just a warm up for 50,000 migrants fleeing the war in Libya. Boldrini said 1,500 people had crossed to Italy so far from Libya, mainly Eritreans, Ethiopians and Somalis. Silvio Berlusconi Italy David Mills Europe Tom Kington guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Warren Buffett's heir resigns Posted: 30 Mar 2011 06:20 PM PDT David Sokol, considered the most likely candidate to succeed the billionaire investor, resigns after purchasing Lubrizol shares The heir apparent to business icon Warren Buffett's investment firm has quit under an oily cloud. David Sokol, long considered the most likely candidate to succeed the billionaire investor as the head of Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, resigned after purchasing shares in an oil company that he suggested Buffett should buy. But Buffett moved to scotch rumours that the purchase had anything to do with the resignation. In a statement Buffett said Sokol had told him he owned shares in the chemical company, Lubrizol Corp, when they first discussed the deal in January. Buffett said that neither Sokol nor he felt that "his Lubrizol purchases were in any way unlawful" and that they were not a factor in his decision to resign. "Dave brought the idea for purchasing Lubrizol to me on either 14 or 15 January. Initially, I was unimpressed, but after his report of a 25 January talk with its CEO, James Hambrick, I quickly warmed to the idea," Buffett said in a statement. "Though the offer to purchase was entirely my decision, supported by Berkshire's board on 13 March, it would not have occurred without Dave's early efforts." According to Buffett, Sokol purchased 2,300 shares of Lubrizol on 14 December, which he then sold on 21 December. In early January Sokol bought 96,060 shares with a price limit set at $104 (£64) per share, Buffett said. Berkshire agreed to acquire Lubrizol for $9bn, or $135 a share, on March 14. Sokol's stake potentially earned him a profit of about $3m in less than three months. Buffett said Sokol told him "that they were not a factor in his decision to resign." Sokol's resignation "came as a surprise to me," said Buffett. "Dave's contributions have been extraordinary," he said. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Sokol said his resignation has "had absolutely nothing to do" with Lubrizol. He admitted "it would look bad 60 days later" if his stake in Lubrizol was disclosed in public filings and Berkshire hadn't said anything about it. "We wanted it all out," he said. Part of Sokol's resignation letter was contained in the statement. "As I have mentioned to you in the past, it is my goal to utilise the time remaining in my career to invest my family's resources in such a way as to create enduring equity value and hopefully an enterprise which will provide opportunity for my descendants and funding for my philanthropic interests," he said. Sokol's resignation is a major blow to Buffett. The 80-year-old investor is known as the Sage of Omaha and is arguably the world's most respected businessman. While he has said he has no plans to step aside, the race to succeed him has been keenly watched and Sokol, 54, who helped run several Berkshire subsidiaries has been seen as the front runner. The resignation comes as Buffett prepares for his annual meeting in his home town of Omaha next month. Often called the Woodstock of capitalism, thousands of shareholders attend and Buffett is bound to be grilled on his succession plans and the reasons for Sokol's resignation. Warren Buffett United States Oil Dominic Rushe guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Guard arrested at 2012 Olympics site Posted: 30 Mar 2011 06:10 PM PDT 40-year-old dog handler held after vehicle searched in a car park off Pudding Mill Lane A female security guard has been arrested near London's Olympic stadium site on suspicion of possessing explosives, it has emerged. The 40-year-old dog handler was held after her vehicle was searched in a car park off Pudding Mill Lane on Tuesday, but police said the incident was not thought to be terror-related. Scotland Yard said the woman was arrested on suspicion of possession of a "very small amount of a substance" that was being forensically examined. The suspect is currently being held in custody at an east London police station. The arrest was made by the officers from the Olympic Site Support Unit following information received by police. Officials said another car was stopped and searched on the M11, but nothing was found in the car, and the driver was not arrested. Searches were also carried out at residential addresses in Kent and London, but no further substances were found. In a statement the Met insisted that the incident "did not represent a threat to the safety and security of the Olympic site." A spokesman for the Olympic Delivery Authority said: "There are robust measures to ensure the safety and security of the Olympic Park. We are working with the police in their investigation. At no point has the safety and security of the Olympic Park been put at risk." A spokesman for G4S, which provides security for the Olympics, said: "G4S take breach of operational processes very seriously and are assisting the police with their inquiries in relation to this incident." The arrest came on the same day that building work at the £486m Olympic stadium was completed. Olympic Games 2012 Police London Crime G4S Rowenna Davis guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Murdoch son promoted at News Corp Posted: 30 Mar 2011 07:14 AM PDT Move to deputy chief operating officer confirms Rupert Murdoch's youngest son is being lined up as his successor James Murdoch is moving from London to New York to become deputy chief operating officer of News Corporation. He will report to Chase Carey, who is number two at the media conglomerate run by his father, Rupert. Murdoch Jr will also become chairman and chief executive of News Corp's international businesses, retaining his responsibilities for Europe and Asia. The move confirms that the youngest of Rupert Murdoch's three children from his second marriage is being lined up as an eventual replacement for the News Corp founder, who is the company's chairman and chief executive. Murdoch Jr has been based in London since November 2003, first as chief executive of BSkyB, the pay-TV company in which News Corp is the largest shareholder and of which it is attempting to take full control. In December 2007 he was promoted to BSkyB chairman and chief executive of News Corp in Europe and Asia. In this role he oversaw businesses including the Times, Sunday Times, Sun and News of the World publisher News International, and News Corp's satellite TV businesses in Germany, Italy and Asia. The deputy chief operating officer job is the same post his older brother Lachlan occupied until he resigned in July 2005. In a statement, News Corp said James will "work closely" with Rupert Murdoch in what it described as a "newly created role". Murdoch will focus on News Corp's international assets, developing strategies that "strengthen and further evolve businesses", the company said. Murdoch joined the company in 1996 to run a portfolio of digital businesses before moving to Hong Kong in 2000 to run its Asian TV business Star, which was losing money. He has been executive chairman of News International, News Corp's UK newspaper arm, since 2007, when Les Hinton moved to the US to take charge of the Wall Street Journal. He is also a non-executive director of pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline and auction house Sotheby's. Murdoch said: "I feel extremely fortunate to continue to support News Corporation's international growth and also be given the chance to contribute to important initiatives across the company. Most of all, I am delighted to work even more closely with Chase Carey, whose extraordinary leadership is felt in every part of the business." Carey, News Corp's deputy chairman, president and chief operating officer, added: "As we become increasingly global and consumer focused, we believe there are real opportunities to add new dimensions to our core businesses. We are confident that James' deep knowledge of international markets, his proven leadership, and his passionate focus on building consumer relationships make him the ideal person to help us realise these opportunities across all our companies." • To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email editor@mediaguardian.co.uk or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication". • To get the latest media news to your desktop or mobile, follow MediaGuardian on Twitter and Facebook James Murdoch Rupert Murdoch News Corporation BSkyB Newspapers & magazines News International National newspapers Newspapers Television industry BSkyB United States James Robinson guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Lloyds boss gets £4.6m 'golden hello' Posted: 30 Mar 2011 12:07 PM PDT Lloyds Banking Group annual report also shows that the bank is pumping up to 75% of his £1.06m salary into Horta-Osório's pension each year Lloyds Banking Group, one of the banks bailed out by the taxpayer, has handed its new chief executive António Horta-Osório a package of up to £13.4m after luring him from his previous employer with a £4.6m "golden hello". In a move that is likely to reignite public anger about bankers' pay, the Portuguese-born banker, hired from the Spanish bank Santander, has a complex pay deal that comprises a signing-on fee of 6m shares plus a cash payment of £516,000, which could be worth up to £4.6m in total. The golden hello pays out over three years – some £1.1m of it depends on future performance – and he could also take home £8m a year as a result of a £1.06m salary, potential maximum annual bonus of £2.4m and a long-term incentive plan of 4.2 times his salary (some £4.5m). To recruit him, the bank has introduced a pension scheme that, unusually, is linked to the share price and could involve more than £800,000 being paid into his pension for the next five to six years. The golden hello was described as a "disgrace" by thinktank Compass, while Lib Dem peer Lord Oakeshott said taxpayers would be "appalled they have to guarantee him £5,000 each day just for turning up at the office for the next three years". Announcements by the bank show he spent more than £2.3m on poaching colleagues as he builds up a new management team. In addition, under the terms of the Project Merlin agreement between the banks and the government, the report also lifted the lid on the scale of rewards outside the boardroom of the bank, which is 41% owned by the taxpayer. Five senior executives outside the boardroom received between £1.4m and £4.8m – higher than the figures disclosed by HSBC but lower than those at Barclays and the bailed-out Royal Bank of Scotland. Horta-Osório has already received a pay rise on the £1.03m he was offered when he was recruited in November – he took the helm at the start of March after joining January. All his boardroom colleagues have also been handed pay rises for the first time since the crisis. The annual report shows the bank has devised an unusual "reference salary" of £1.2m that will be used to increase the maximum value of future long-term pay plans to over £5m compared with £4.5m in 2011, as well as his pension. Some 50% of this £1.2m is handed to him annually, double the 25% of salary that other Lloyds directors can receive for their pensions. Horta-Osório also has a second element to his pension – which is based on his actual salary of £1.06m – because he "suffered significant loss in relation to his previous pension accrual" when he left Santander. Under the terms of the second element he can have another 26.5% of this salary (£280,000) a year over his first six years of service, which will only be paid if the bank achieves share price targets. Lloyds said the deal was "the maximum package that could potentially pay out over the next three to four years – and, importantly, will be subject to stretching performance targets which, if met, will deliver very significant benefits to the UK economy and ultimately all taxpayers". António Horta-Osório Executive pay and bonuses Banking Lloyds Banking Group Eric Daniels Project Merlin Jill Treanor guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

New 'civilian' government in Burma Posted: 30 Mar 2011 04:01 AM PDT Closed-door inauguration marks beginning of new government, which is dominated by former military officers Burma's junta has been officially disbanded after power was handed over to a so-called civilian government, the latest phase in a transition to democracy that has been widely criticised as a sham. The closed-door inauguration of the new government on Wednesday was announced only after it took place, in keeping with the secretive style of Burma's military regimes of the past 50 years. Key figures in the former junta including the leader, Senior General Than Shwe, are expected to retain substantial powers. State television and radio reported that the new government headed by President Thein Sein was sworn in by parliament in the remote capital of Naypyitaw. Thein Sein was the junta's prime minister and a leading member of the previous military government. Burma, which has been ruled by the army since 1962, held its first elections in 20 years in November, though there has been little indication since of real democratic changes. The news reports said the new government's arrival marked the end of the junta's longtime ruling party, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) which has been in power since 1988. "The SPDC is officially dissolved," state media reported, saying that the dissolution was ordered by Than Shwe, who has wielded absolute power since 1992. Almost immediately after the announcement, government offices underwent a makeover. Signs outside SPDC offices across the country were replaced with new signs saying: "General Administration Office". The signs were similar shades of dark green, the same colour used by Thein Sein's ruling party, which is seen as a proxy for the junta. State media did not announce what future role Than Shwe would have. The dissolution of his party renders him effectively retired, but he is expected to remain a dominant force in the country. The 78-year-old no longer holds his two official posts – SPDC chairman and commander of the armed forces. General Min Aung Hlaing was named the new commander of Burma's armed forces, said Phone Myint Aung, an MP who attended the inauguration. The new government's 30-member cabinet is dominated by former military officers who retired to run in last November's elections. About a dozen of the ministers were members of the junta's cabinet. Only four of the appointees are strictly civilian. Critics say last year's elections were orchestrated by the junta to perpetuate military rule. With a quarter of the seats in parliament filled by military appointees, and a large majority of the remaining seats won by a military-backed party, the army retains power. The party of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, which won the last elections in 1990 but was blocked from taking power by the military, boycotted November's vote. Much of the international community also dismissed the elections as rigged in favour of the junta. Aung San Suu Kyi, who heads the opposition group the National League for Democracy, said she hoped relations with the new government would be better. "We always want good relations with the government. I hope that the relationship improves," she said over the weekend. "We will work for good relations." Burma guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Clegg to gather social mobility data Posted: 30 Mar 2011 02:55 PM PDT The deputy prime minister says data collected will enable the government to see if policies are working The government is to introduce an annual "report card" to assess whether it is improving people's life chances, drawing together seven indicators starting with babies' body weight and going all the way through life to success in adulthood to see whether it is breaking the link between social class and achievement. Nick Clegg will publish the social mobility strategy, which will include the new quantitative measures for people's performance at different stages in their life, on Tuesday. The new sets of numbers will give governments an indicator of whether a given policy decision is working or not, and – monitored by an independent adviser, the former Labour minister Alan Milburn – would see the government come under pressure to discard those policies having adverse effects. The deputy prime minister said the indicators would be acted on if they appeared to be highlighting a problem. He said: "Yes, it will trigger a reaction – it's a series of dials and if one of the dials shifts the wrong way, indicators are meaningless unless you act." Clegg described meeting resistance from Whitehall as he put together the new indicators. He was told it would create a rod for his own back. A government source drew a parallel with giving responsibility for monetary policy to the Bank of England in 1997 and the more recent transfer of analysis of the economy to the Office for Budget Responsibility. The source said: "With this, we'll know which ones we're failing on and see which policies are working. It will take a bit of time but year-on-year we'll see if something is getting worse." Clegg said: "You won't really be able to prove you're making a difference immediately; it will go way beyond this parliament." The new self-assessment regime for the government has been crafted in a cabinet committee led by Clegg, and although it largely draws on data already compiled, such as babies' birth weight and the numbers taking free school meals, some tests will need new metrics drawn up. The government has already set aside £30m to undertake an entirely new cohort study. Clegg and the universities minister, David Willetts, were in Washington on Wednesday for meetings with the US vice-president, Joe Biden. Their officials have been working together on the issue for months and their teams took part in a seminar on social mobility from school to higher education. This government, as Labour before it, is grappling with research showing that the prospect of someone born in the 1970s doing better than their parents has decreased from the same metric in the 1950s. Only one in five young people from the poorest families achieve five good GCSEs compared with three-quarters from rich families. En route to Washington, Willetts said people in their 30s still appeared to have their earnings dictated by what their parents did. Now the government want to build up a more granular picture. A government source said: "Academic measures of social mobility generally compare the income and/or social class of children during their 30s and 40s with that of their parents. They won't tell us about the impact of current policy for at least 40 years." Brushing off charges that the new data set would merely inquire into people's lives without being able to do anything about it, Clegg said he believed changes brought in by the coalition government would be picked up on the indicators, though it would take longer than the course of one parliament since a policy they believe the key to increasing social mobility – the pupil premium – doesn't come into force until 2015. Clegg pointed to changes he believed would also help: increasing the income tax free threshold; changes to welfare that will see "work pay; the new requirement that those universities charging the full £9,000 tuition fee would only be able to do so if they could show how they were opening up access to less advantaged students. Willetts also said he believed those universities will be favoured who adopt the model of universities such as Texas who reserve 10% of their places for some of the state's poorer students. The new index will be remarkable for seeking to collect data on those already grown up as the government now believes social mobility in adults is something the state can and should monitor. Another nuance will be an attempt to make the social mobility agenda relevant to the "squeezed middle" by making it clear that the metrics include "aspirational measures", measuring the life chances of those in the middle classes compared with the most advantaged, alongside a major push on the opportunities for bright but poor children. While some of the indicators suggested that only the widening or narrowing gap between the most affluent and the least affluent would be picked up, particularly ones relying on free school meals as a measure of deprivation, Clegg said others in the data set would also include grades within. He also pointed to the pupil premium, saying that in improving school discipline and so learning, it would become a greater social good for those of all social backgrounds in a class. Willetts said: "We want to improve social mobility all the way up. There are lots of people in the middle who are not doing well either. My critique of what happened under Labour would be people at the very top did well and some at the very bottom did well, but the middle did badly. This is about the aspiring member of the middle classes who wants to become a doctor or a journalist but hasn't the connections nor been to an expensive school. Your chances to do that declined significantly under Labour." Key Whitehall departments will be held accountable for ensuring the social mobility indicators that fall within their department, with the obvious onus on them that they help drive them down. David Willetts pointed to evidence he had showing that while poor bright kids fall behind their less intelligent more affluent fellow pupils when very young, they can make that up at university and later. "University may be the first stage of the process where educational attainment, as determined by class, can actually reverse and poorer students can excel." The new indicators will not be legislated for, meaning they can't bind the hand of future governments – germane given the use of the indicators will only truly be felt over years – but it would be difficult for a future government to jettison the exercise. The government is at pains to point out that the drive for greater social mobility includes an attempt to improve the life chances of not just the absolutely poorest but also those on median incomes. In Washington on Wednesday David Willetts joint-chaired a session with Biden's director of economics, Jared Bernstein, to look at what has happened as living standards have either flattened or declined. The British politicians are also impressed by mechanisms American universities have used to increase the number of poor children going on to university with the University of Texas reserving 10% of its places for the state's brightest but poorest. Willetts praised the scheme but said that because the government did not control the admissions process of British universities it couldn't be replicated. Instead, he pointed to similar schemes being launched around the country where Russell group universities are identifying kids doing well at GCSEs from state schools and offering them places on condition they commit and engage to extra work in the meantime. Willetts said they were to be encouraged. He did however say that as a principle it should not be one the right is afraid of: "The [Texas] programme suggests the caricature of leftwing social engineering but I don't regard Texas to be a hotbed of leftwing socialism." The day before, when taking part in a Q&A in Mexico City with students, in Spanish, Nick Clegg was heckled by a student Jesus Romo over his role in increasing tuition fees in the UK. University challenge Nick Clegg hoped for a break 6,000 miles away from Westminster, where his name is synonymous with increasing tuition fees, but even in a country with no fees there was no respite. No sooner had he embarked on a question and answer session with students in Mexico City than he was challenged over the government's plan to treble tuition fees to £9,000 a year. Jesus Romo, 18, told Clegg he wanted to study in Britain next year but now had misgivings. "Given that your government seems to be saying that you cannot afford to educate your own population, do you really think it is going to be appropriate for us Mexicans to be taking up places in your universities?" he asked . Clegg told Romo his question was "not a particularly objective" one. The student told reporters that the government would not have got away with such a policy in Mexico. He said: "It is insane to think people are going to be able to pay back those sums. If he really wants more people from poorer backgrounds to go to university then those students should not have to worry about paying out huge sums.Otherwise they will not come." After talks with Clegg the Mexican president, Felipe Calderón, suggested that British students unable to afford UK universities should come to Mexico. "We hope young British men and women will come here to take advantage of our universities," he said. Nick Clegg David Willetts Education policy Social mobility Equality United States Allegra Stratton guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Girl, 5, caught in gun crime crossfire Posted: 30 Mar 2011 07:55 AM PDT Girl shot in chest is believed to be London's youngest gun crime victim A five-year-old girl is in a critical condition after she and another passerby were shot during an apparent gang-related attack in a shop in south London. The girl, believed to be London's youngest gun crime victim, was injured in the chest, and a 35-year-old man was shot in the face. The incident took place at around 9pm on Tuesday at the Stockwell Food and Wine shop in Stockwell Road, Brixton. Police have confirmed that the two victims were not the intended targets of the shooting, which is believed to be connected to local gangs. Just before the shots were fired, witnesses saw two black youths coming from nearby Broomgrove Road, being chased by three other black youths on bicycles. It is understood that the three youths on bikes approached the shop, but did not enter. DCI Tony Boughton from the Met's Trident taskforce said: "The assumption is at the moment is that the firearm is fired through the open door because there is no damage on the outside." The shop worker and child were hit as two black youths hid in the store from the other three youths who had been chasing them. As the pair hid inside, the gunman stopped at the door and opened fire indiscriminately. The three attackers, who are thought to be aged between 14 and 17, fled as their intended targets chased them on foot from the Stockwell Road shop along Broomgrove Road and into Stockwell Park Estate. Mareh Silva, age 34, was leaving the Stockwell Food and Wine shop with friends at around 9pm. She said she saw three black youths aged between 14 and 17 drop their bikes outside. She explained how the boys' faces were covered with black scarves and balaclavas and she could only see their eyes as they ran into the shop. "I looked in and saw a lot of blood on the floor but I didn't want to look at what had happened, and I was very scared," she said. DCI Boughton would not confirm if the groups were from rival gangs. He said: "I'm treating it as three young lads chasing two other young lads – we don't know any affiliations and the assumption is that they are from the local area." The 35-year-old victim was a worker in the shop, and was not related to the five-year-old, who was at the shop visiting other relatives. The names of the two victims have not been released, but it is understood that both are of Sri Lankan origin. They were taken to King's College hospital, where they are now in a stable but serious condition. Barny Stutter, 45, co-owner of nearby Brixton Cycles, said workers in the area's fastfood shops often had similar trouble. "We are absolutely disgusted with what's happened," he said. Peter Robbins, one of three Lambeth councillors who represent the area, said, "It is incredibly shocking, I think the whole community at the moment is numb and horrified. "There is a fairly well-known problem with gangs and guns in Lambeth, it is something that the council and the police are working together incredibly hard to solve. There is always more you can do and incidents like this really bring that home." Rachel Heywood, Lambeth's cabinet member for community safety, said she found the crime "hugely shocking". "Tackling serious violence is a major priority for this council. We will of course do everything in our power to assist the police with their investigation. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families at what must be an extremely distressing time." Anyone with information is asked to call the Metropolitan police on 0300 123 1212 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 Gun crime Crime London Camilla Turner guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Stars come out in force for Mikhail Gorbachev's 80th Posted: 30 Mar 2011 03:52 PM PDT Last leader of the Soviet Union celebrates his 80th birthday at the Royal Albert Hall with a charitable concert hosted by Kevin Spacey and Sharon Stone

Martina Cole talks to Erwin James Posted: 30 Mar 2011 02:58 AM PDT Erwin James talks to the 'queen of British crime writing' about childhood and her prison popularity Erwin James

Madonna's folly in Malawi Posted: 30 Mar 2011 10:30 AM PDT A western charity fails in a top-down development project. But the spotlight shines more on the star than on the unbuilt school In Malawi, about $3.8m (£2.4m) has disappeared and a school has been left unbuilt. Alone, that story would never make international headlines. But because the money and the project belonged to Madonna's charity Raising Malawi, the scandal has quickly made its way into media outlets worldwide. Celebrities are, of course, not newcomers to the game of getting unprecedented media coverage for otherwise unpopular issues. The celebrity campaigner has become so prolific that there is now a website whose sole purpose is to keep a record of celebrities and their charitable causes. By today's count, it registers 1,676 charities and 2,493 celebrities. In 2008, the development economist William Easterly said that part of the new millennium's explosion of interest in "saving Africa" could be explained by the mass advocacy celebrity campaigns spearheaded by the Bonos and the Geldofs of the world. But aside from the Malawi project's star-studded cast – Tom Cruise and Gwyneth Paltrow were also among Madonna's backers – there is nothing truly earth-shattering in this story of a development project that failed to break ground. We've been here before. Indeed, from what's emerged so far, the story of Madonna and the unbuilt school has all the elements of a modern parable about the failure of top-down development projects. There's a wealthy western donor. There's the well-intentioned charity, Raising Malawi, whose name paints Malawi not as a country with a complex history, but as weak and infantile, in need of guidance and support from those who know better. A heated land dispute pits villagers against the wealthy western donor and the Malawian government, which takes her side: "Don't you know better? You need a school. You should be grateful." Not long after, allegations follow of private jets being flown into the country, laden with luxuries (exercise machines and expensive wines). But the project only truly begins to falter after auditors uncover "outlandish expenses" – salaries, private cars and golf memberships – and the charity's executive director bows out. Amid the brewing controversy, the project is pulled by the wealthy donor, who hopes to cut her loses. In the aftermath, staff members are suddenly left without jobs, and file suit for lost wages, unfair dismissal and non-payment of benefits. As the "mismanagement of funds" is said to have happened overseas, those among the general public who answered the charity's call for donations can do little to hold it to account. Though Madonna had chosen education as her cause, she has now been forced to share her spotlight with the much more complex development challenges of corruption, accountability and disenfranchisement. In one sense, the message from the failed project appears simple: good intentions are not enough, and money in the wrong hands can be worse than no money at all. But the unbuilt school also points to much deeper debates about how development happens: can it come from outside and above? Or must it come from inside and below? Celebrity engagement with development issues has, as one might expect, evolved over time. Today, celebrities are much more than pretty faces for charity appeals. They're also out and about, lobbying politicians and setting up their own foundations. But, according to William Easterly, celebrities have been too quick to rub shoulders and hobnob with the powerful. And they overstep the line, he says, by claiming expertise on the basis of their stardom. What the world needs, he argues, is not the "celebrity wonk" who follows fads and promotes top-down technocratic solutions (Build more schools! Throw in some toilets!), but the "celebrity activist" who challenges power dynamics and questions the status quo. All too often, star-studded projects oversimplify complex issues and promote patronising messages of how the west can save the rest. And besides, how can you focus on a complex issue when there's a celebrity in the room? When Time magazine published an Angelina Jolie op-ed on Darfur in 2009, it wasn't illustrated with an image of refugees or of Sudan's president, Omar al-Bashir, but with a close-up of cat eyes and Angelina's famous pout. In the process, say critics, attention is diverted away from the tougher, more nuanced issues in development. Madonna now has under two weeks to respond to the complaints lodged by her former staff members. There are bound to be follow-up reports. Let's hope the spotlight shines less on the star and more on the unbuilt school, less on the diva and more on the deeper challenges of development: transparency, accountability and engagement from below. Madonna Malawi Charities Claire Provost guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Jay Stanley Posted: 30 Mar 2011 12:01 PM PDT Given the FBI's record of fallibility – and without genuine safeguards for citizens – this $1bn biometrics project is alarming The FBI recently announced that its Next Generation Identification System (NGIS) has "reached its initial operating capacity". This vast new biometrics project, for which Lockheed Martin won a $1bn contract in 2008, encompasses not only fingerprints but also, possibly, such biometrics as iris scans, face recognition, bodily scars, marks and tattoos. Such a system raises a number of concerns from a civil liberties perspective. Many types of biometrics are of particular concern because they allow individuals to be tracked secretly and at a distance. For instance, facial recognition may allow a person to be tracked by various CCTV cameras across a city. Worse, in the future, this may be automated and done by computers. The FBI is rushing ahead with this system in a larger context that is very troubling. Since 9/11, we've repeatedly seen the government throw together new identity and tracking systems without building in the necessary protections to make sure innocent people aren't caught up in them. A good example is aviation watchlists. Countless travelers have found themselves trapped in a Kafkaesque nightmare – improperly listed as suspected terrorists, hassled, arrested or worse, and with no way to clear their names in the eyes of the government's secretive security bureaucracies. The problem is not just errors and mistaken identification, or the lack of due process or rigorous procedures for keeping the lists accurate, but also the possibility that government bureaucrats have used a "when in doubt, thrown a name on the list" approach. We don't want to see the NGIS operate that way. Unfortunately, the FBI's record does not inspire confidence. In 2003, the bureau exempted its main criminal database, the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), from a requirement under the Privacy Act that agencies maintain records with "such accuracy, relevance, timeliness and completeness as is reasonably necessary to assure fairness to the individual". Some people have experienced the reality of this, such as a Maryland woman named Amy Studnitz who was fired from her job after an NCIC background check erroneously reported that she had a criminal record (even after the error was discovered, she was not rehired). The experience of Oregon attorney Brandon Mayfield is also a cautionary tale. Considered a suspect in the 2004 bombing of a Madrid train due to a faulty fingerprint match, the FBI spied on Mayfield without a warrant, broke into his home several times and arrested him under the "material witness" statute. The FBI also investigated 19 other individuals whose fingerprints, like Mayfield's, were deemed similar to those found on evidence in Madrid. Finally, the FBI's giant biometric project is taking place in a context where the United States – almost alone in the industrialised world – has no strong, overarching privacy laws, and no robust, independent institutions to enforce such laws. In another country where such institutions existed to protect people from error and abuse, this kind of programme might be cause for less concern. But rather than building such institutions, the US government has instead been granting sweeping new powers to our security agencies, and dismantling the checks and balances that are needed to ensure those powers are not misused. Most technologies have good and bad uses, and limited uses of biometrics can be fine. But these databases need strict oversight, and now is the time to make sure the proper safeguards are in place. As the use of biometrics expands and our law enforcement moves into the future, so too should our privacy rights. FBI Civil liberties - international US constitution and civil liberties United States Surveillance Biometrics Jay Stanley guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

What is French for a vegan? Posted: 30 Mar 2011 12:00 PM PDT The trial of the vegan couple in France whose baby died highlights how difficult it is not to eat meat there The trial in France of two vegan parents charged with "neglect or food deprivation" after the death of their baby daughter has raised hackles on both sides of the Channel from those who feel their dietary choices are being questioned. The fact that Sergine and Joel Le Moaligou fed the child only breast milk during her short 11-month life, and treated her bronchitis with cabbage and clay poultices, would suggest their parenting skills were more to blame than their eating habits. But evidence presented to the court made a direct link between baby Louise's death and her parents' diet. The child was underweight and suffering severe vitamin deficiencies, making her susceptible to the bronchial infection that killed her – deficiencies possibly linked to the mother's diet, according to the deputy state prosecutor. Even without the opprobrium a case such as this provokes, it is not easy being vegetarian in France, the land of steak-frites, foie gras and other solidly carnivorous fare. Studies suggest four million Britons may be vegetarians, though others claim 10% of the population are "meat avoiders". In France there are an estimated one million vegetarians. A non-scientific survey of Facebook reveals that the British-based Vegan society has 60,978 fans, while the French Vegetarian Association has 1,518 and the Vegetarian and Vegan page 1,173. (By comparison the French "Slap a Vegetarian with an Escalope" page has 168,294 fans.) If it is hard work being a Gallic vegetarian, it is nigh on impossible being a vegan. The Le Moaligous were forced to educate their elder daughter Elodie, now 13, at home. French school canteens are largely run on the premise that a child should eat everything on their plate. In her blog, food writer Rosa Jackson recounts how when her son Sam became a vegetarian, a member of the school staff explained to her: "Vegetarianism is not a recognised diet in France. We'll have to put everything on the plate even if he doesn't eat it." One poster responding to the blog recounted how a chef in Normandy insisted the omelette he had served was still vegetarian even though it was covered in "just a foie gras sauce". France Europe Vegetarianism Kim Willsher guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Beyoncé and her dad split Posted: 30 Mar 2011 12:00 PM PDT Beyoncé's dad is no longer her manager, another case of how showbiz and parents don't always mix It's Johnny Sharpbeen 20 years since she joined her first girl group aged nine, but Beyoncé Knowles has finally parted company with father and long-time manager, Mathew. By mutual consent, they say, but you wonder if Mathew's plans to spend more time on his gospel label were announced with all the enthusiasm of those MPs who step down to "spend more time with their families". You could hardly blame Beyoncé. Stories are legion of Mathew's strict control of her affairs and those of Destiny's Child, with whom she rose to fame. And he was never a man to fall out with, as early members LaTavia Roberson and LeToya Luckett discovered when they saw the band's video for Say My Name – and two new singers in their place. But if Beyoncé has been the instigator of this move, then it once again shows us that in showbiz, families and management rarely mix well. The rod of iron (not to mention other blunt objects) with which manager father Joe is said to have ruled the Jackson clan didn't exactly result in pop's happiest family, but at least none of them went as far as 80s teenpop sensation Tiffany, who, at 16, applied in court to be declared an "emancipated minor", in effect attempting to divorce her "momager". Last year, Kylie Minogue sacked her mother from her touring party, citing the impeccably altruistic motivation of "wanting her to relax more". Dina Lohan's self-effacing approach to promoting herself and her daughters/clients Lindsay and Ali as a walking, squawking soap opera has provoked much debate, while the first act of Britney Spears's father Jamie when he became "conservator" of her affairs involved suing her old manager for allegedly drugging her. That one looks set to end well, then. Stark contrast with Paul Weller, whose father John managed him for 30 years until his death in 2009, a confidante to the end. Mind you, couldn't John have had a word about some of those haircuts? Beyoncé Celebrity Johnny Sharp guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Photographer Fergus Greer's best shot Posted: 30 Mar 2011 02:29 PM PDT 'Leigh Bowery would call about twice a year, saying he had some more "looks". He called this one Future Juliet' I first met the Australian performance artist Leigh Bowery in 1986, at one of his shows at the Anthony d'Offay gallery in London. I was a bit taken aback: Leigh was in an outfit that made him look 7ft tall, and his face was covered in paint. But he just said: "Let's do some pictures." That was the start of our relationship. We worked together for eight years, until he died. I was never a clubber: I'd just come out of the army and was an outsider to the world of his performance. That gave us an interest in each other. He'd call me about twice a year, saying he had some more "looks", as he called his costumes. This one, which we did in July 1989 and Leigh called Future Juliet, was part of a series of four outfits, all made of Lycra. Leigh had made these amazing puffball headpieces out of organza; I don't think he could see anything through them. I shot this series on large format. I'd just been working for Richard Avedon, and large format was his thing. It's not the most fluid way of shooting, but you can keep all that wonderful detail, right down to the seam-lines. The cross-mixture of texture and fabric was so important to Leigh, and in this picture it really worked. You feel like you can almost reach out and touch it. It was a huge investment for me: I wasn't earning much, it was expensive to shoot, and Leigh didn't have any money either. In fact, the first time he ever had any regular income was when he started modelling for Lucian Freud. But that didn't matter. He was my muse, and I couldn't have been more excited about making images of him. We were both doing something we wanted to do. And it was wonderful. Photography Andrew Pulver guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

'Agent' conman lived on £4 a day Posted: 30 Mar 2011 12:56 PM PDT Robin Price gets six years for spinning his own tall tales to his clients about Hollywood contacts A literary agent who duped budding authors and investors into handing over more than £500,000 for non-existent film and book deals has been jailed for six years. Robin Price, a former cinema manager from north Devon, claimed he had contacts in Hollywood including Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and Johnny Depp. Judge John Neligan told Price, who admitted six counts of theft: "You lived a Walter Mitty lifestyle to persuade decent folk to part with a lot of money on your wild and extravagant schemes which were bogus from the start. I am satisfied that this was fraud from the outset which became more serious and more intricate, to deceive people outlandishly as time went on." Prosecuting, Andrew Oldland told Exeter crown court that Price, 51, was a confidence trickster: "He targeted would-be writers who wanted their works to be converted into film and TV programmes, or would-be investors interested in putting money into film projects." But he said Price, of Ilfracombe, lied about his background and his career in the film industry and literary world. "He maintained he knew well-known names in the film industry both on the production and direction side and acting side in the US and UK. He would drop big names such as Spielberg and Scorsese and actors like Sam Neill and Tom Cruise and many others." But Price, who used to work at a cinema in Leicester Square, central London, grossly exaggerated the extent of his contacts and claimed to his victims that he was on the verge of signing multimillion-dollar production deals. The main loser was an elderly man so keen to have his work published he handed over almost £300,000 to Price, remortgaging his home and borrowing money to do so. Another victim gave him almost £100,000 because he told her he was on the verge of sealing a multimillion-pound deal for her. Another woman, who gave up her teaching career to work with Price, said she wanted to kill herself when she found out he had lied to her. In police interviews Price claimed his efforts were a "genuine attempt to get production deals" and he hadn't misled anyone because they had been aware of the risks of their investments. Defending, Stephen Mooney said Price was "a broken, destitute, rather sad individual" who lived on £4 a day in a bedsit with his pet cat and dog. He said he had not spent the money on trappings of a successful high life. Steven Morris guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Miss Marple reverses ageing process Posted: 30 Mar 2011 12:00 PM PDT Jennifer Garner, 38, has been cast as the elderly Agatha Christie sleuth for a new Disney series. But Miss Marple is not the only TV character who has got younger . . . Personally, I have no problem with Jennifer Garner, the voluptuous 38-year-old American actress who portrayed a glamorous, basque-clad ninja assassin in the 2005 film Elektra, playing Agatha Christie's dowdy, aged sleuth Jane Marple. But a few traditionalists have made predictable points about her not being quite right for the part, and they are also exercised by the havoc Twin Peaks writer Mark Frost may wreak on Miss Marple's sleepy home village of St Mary Mead when he transplants it to small-town America. Christie does appear to have imagined her creation as elderly, describing her as "rather like some of my grandmother's cronies – old ladies whom I have met in so many villages where I have gone to stay as a girl". Margaret Rutherford was 70 when she defined the role on screen in the 1960s; Joan Hickson, generally reckoned to be the definitive Miss Marple, was in her mid-80s when she made the last of her TV adaptations. But it's that word "definitive" that may explain why Disney, which has bought the rights to Christie's novels, feels it has to re-imagine the character. No one can out-Marple Hickson. If that's your idea of Miss Marple – birdlike, tweedy, superficially faltering but in reality razor-sharp – buy the set on DVD. Screen incarnations of well-known figures, real and imagined, generally seem to be getting younger. Think of Jonathan Rhys Meyers's recent TV portrayal of Henry VIII not as a fat bloke with a taste for capons, but as a sexy young man who would be perfectly at home in a boy band. Or the way the ageing, beak-nosed, pipe-smoking Sherlock Holmes of Basil Rathbone has given way to the whizzy Benedict Cumberbatch. And of course the evolution of Doctor Who from professorial ancient to floppy-haired art student. Some will suggest this recasting is simply a matter of our cult of youth. But ignore those siren voices, often older actors moaning about their lack of job opportunities. A time lord, by definition, can be any age; Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes started solving crimes straight after university; Henry VIII was young and virile once (albeit briefly); and even Miss Marple aged in the 40 years during which the books appeared, though there is admittedly little evidence that she ever spent time in Washington State. I like to believe the re-moulders of these much-loved characters are motivated by art, not money, by a ceaseless quest to give new meanings to our collective mythos. And I do think Jennifer Garner could look very good in a felt hat. Television Doctor Who Stephen Moss guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Portman's dancing – does it matter? Posted: 30 Mar 2011 07:54 AM PDT The controversy over Natalie Portman's dance double reveals the culture clash between Hollywood's colossal budgets and the underfunded world of ballet Feathers are continuing to fly over Black Swan. Darren Aronofsky's movie, for which Natalie Portman won an Oscar, is about a ballerina losing her grip on reality as she prepares to dance Swan Lake. Portman took ballet classes in preparation for the role, but Sarah Lane of American Ballet Theatre has claimed that she did the actual classical dancing, which includes pointe work. Her face was then, it seems, digitally replaced by Portman's. Lane, who worked on the film for more than six weeks, was also used for the full body-shots and just-the-legs shots. Lane was not credited for her work as Portman's dance-double, however, nor was she on the longish list of people thanked by Portman in her Oscar acceptance speech. In addition, she was suddenly and spookily deleted from a video circulating online which showed the face-replacement special effects used in Black Swan. In the online Dance Magazine, journalist Wendy Perron wrote of a "blackout" and a "propaganda of omissions" relating to the ABT soloist. None of this surprised Lane, because by then a Fox Searchlight producer had called to ask her to stop giving interviews until after the Oscars. "They were trying to create this facade that she (Portman) had become a ballerina in a year and a half," she said. "So I knew they didn't want to publicize anything about me." Portman's fiancé, the choreographer and New York City Ballet dancer Benjamin Millepied, who worked on the film, denies Lane's claim that Portman did no more than 5% of the dancing. "Honestly, 85% of that movie is Natalie" Millepied told the Los Angeles Times earlier this week, and his version is backed up by Aronofsky. If it sounds like a storm in a teacup, there's big money at stake. The story of Portman's supposed transformation from actress into ballerina is a large part of the film's appeal, and was almost certainly a factor in her winning the Oscar. If that story is called into question, then so is Portman's credibility. There's another dimension to the spat, concerning Millepied. Before Black Swan the 33-year-old dancer-choreographer was involved with a colleague of Lane's at ABT, dancer Isabella Boylston. The two had been living together in New York's East Village, and very much an item. While working on the film, however, he became involved with Portman, and not long afterwards it was announced that an "indescribably happy" Portman was pregnant and that the couple were engaged. Underlying all of this is a clash of cultures: that of Hollywood, with its colossal paychecks, and the pinched, underfunded world of ballet. It takes upward of ten thousand classroom hours to make a professional ballet dancer, and while most dancers are happy to receive scant financial reward (the $2000 a week after taxes that Lane made on Black Swan may well have been the most she's ever earned), they do appreciate respect. It seems obvious to me as a critic how much of the movement ascribed to Portman's character is actually performed by a professional. Portman may have taken classes for a few months, but her body-shape, musculature and deportment are nothing like a classical dancer's. What those classes did achieve was to give her a certain amount of dancerly attitude. The way she wears her clothes and slouches around in her practice-kit is well-observed, and the minutiae of darning and breaking in pointe shoes is spot-on. Portman acted well in Black Swan, but if she has failed to acknowledge Lane's contribution, she may have acted pretty gracelessly too. Ballet Dance Film industry Luke Jennings guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

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