The Guardian World News

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• UN helicopters fire on Gbagbo forces in Abidjan
• Lansley tries to save NHS reforms
• UK sends more Tornado jets to Libya
• Yemen troops kill protesters in Taiz
• Gurkhas fail to escape MoD cuts
• 9/11 architect faces Guantánamo trial
• Obama tweets start to 2012 campaign
• Hackers steal email data of millions
• Air France plane crash victims found
• Radioactive water released into sea
• Tomlinson officer 'feared for his life'
• UK must speak up on Manning – MP
• Oil price rise could 'halt UK boom"
• A $1bn re-election bid – but the hard work starts here
• 'I never thought I would be a victim'
• The history of coincidence
• See the Berlin Philharmonic – in 3D
• Been there's best shots of the wild
• How many solicitors are there?
• Are you watching … Twenty Twelve?
• Nudity on stage – but how about off?

UN helicopters fire on Gbagbo forces in Abidjan Posted: 04 Apr 2011 01:03 PM PDT Four missiles reported to have been fired at a military base in Abidjan as UN seeks to stop weapons being used to hit civilians UN helicopters have attacked President Laurent Gbagbo's forces in Ivory Coast, destroying their weapons at four places where they had been shelling civilians, a UN spokesman said. The helicopters fired four missiles at a Gbagbo military camp in the main city of Abidjan, witnesses told Reuters. "We saw two UN MI-24 helicopters fire missiles on the Akouedo military camp. There was a massive explosion and we can still see the smoke," one said. The camp is home to three battalions of the Ivorian army. Hamadoun Toure, spokesman for the UN mission in Ivory Coast, said in an email: "We launched an operation to neutralise heavy weapons Gbagbo's special forces have been using against the civilian population for the last three months. We destroyed them in four locations." President Nicolas Sarkozy's office said that French troops had been authorised to participate in the UN attack after a request for help from the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon. The attack came as forces loyal to Alassane Ouattara, widely recognised as the winner of last year's election, entered Abidjan for what they claimed is a final offensive to topple Gbagbo. Residents in two districts of north Abidjan reported lorryloads of soldiers advancing. Alain Lobognon, an adviser to Ouattara's prime minister, confirmed a general offensive began on Monday afternoon. The French and UN offensive hit two military camps and the presidential residence and palace. Gbagbo's troops attempted to return fire. Residents said they heard the first rocket falling on the Akouedo military barracks at around 5.45pm. Odette Konan, a hairdresser, said: "I could not see the helicopter, but I saw the fireball and the smoke in the sky before I ran and hid in my flat. The walls of my flat were shaking." Toussaint Alain, a Paris-based spokesman for Gbagbo, called the strikes "illegal, illegitimate and unacceptable" and said they will have resulted in many casualties among families living at the military barracks. "France has gone to war against Ivory Coast," he added. Separately, the French foreign ministry said two French nationals and several other people had been abducted in Abidjan. France's Europe 1 radio reported five people had been abducted in all from a hotel in the city's business district. The hotel, the Novotel, has been used by many journalists reporting on the crisis. Jean Fouquiere, a spokesman for the French Embassy in Ivory Coast, said: "I confirm that five people have been kidnapped at Novotel Hotel, including two French nationals and a man from Benin." Ivory Coast was a French colony until independence in 1960. France still has about 12,000 citizens in the country. Earlier, sources told the Guardian the UN was considering using its helicopters after the UN's base in Abidjan was targeted and 11 of its peacekeepers shot and wounded. The attacks are on heavy weapons which troops loyal to Gbagbo are using to strike civilians, including BM-21 rocket launchers. The international body has no air force, and so there is no question of an air offensive along the lines of Libya. But the UN has a Ukrainian airforce unit with three Mi-24 attack helicopters, that have already been actively deployed. There also 1,650 French troops in Ivory Coast, a former French colony. The UN security council is meeting tomorrow to discuss the situation. The UN evacuated 170 civilian staff from Abidjan at the weekend. "We are fast approaching a tipping point," Choi Young-jin, the UN's top diplomat in Ivory Coast, told the BBC. "We are planning action, we can no longer condone their [Mr Gbagbo's forces'] reckless and mindless attacks on civilians and the UN blue helmets [troops] with heavy weapons." Choi, whose own office has been hit by sniper fire, added: "We are now in a way under siege, so we cannot go out freely, [they're] targeting us with snipers, it's a deliberate shoot at the UN. For the last few days we've had 11 [peacekeepers] wounded by their gunshots. ... They are targeting the HQ, they cut off the water … and we are now in the bunker." In all, 20 peacekeepers have been injured since the crisis triggered by last November's disputed election. Choi said the UN's 9,000 troops did not have a mandate to dislodge Gbagbo, but could respond to heavy weapons attacks against the UN or civilians. "We'll be using our air assets," Choi said. "We'll be taking action soon." A convoy of several dozen vehicles with mounted machine guns carrying heavily armed pro-Ouattara troops entered Abidjan at midday, the first elements of a large force massed on the northern outskirts for what they called a "final assault", according to a Reuters eyewitness. Heavy machine-gun fire and a few explosions could be heard minutes after they entered the city limits. The commanding officer, Issiaka "Wattao" Ouattara, told Reuters he had 4,000 men with him, plus 5,000 already in the city. Asked how long he would need to take Abidjan, Wattao said: "We know when it starts, but it could take 48 hours to properly clean [the city]." In a rare boost for Gbagbo, it was claimed that his top general had returned to the fold days after deserting. Phillippe Mangou, his wife and five children left the South African ambassador's residence in Abidjan after fleeing there last week. Lieutenant Jean-Marc Tago claimed: "The general is with us, and has always been with us. Our plan is to defend the institutions of the republic against all its enemies, against the rebels, against the mercenaries, against the [United Nations] and all those who are attacking the institutions of the republic commanded by President Laurent Gbagbo." A Gbagbo spokesman, Ahoua Don Mello, said on state TV: "Phillipe Mangou met with his fellow soldiers on the ground. But we still don't know if he is willing to return at the helm of affairs. I don't have enough information about that." He added: "I saw him at the residence of the president with his colleagues. He is going to deliver a statement in person." On Ouattara's rival TV station, Serges Alla, a journalist, confirmed that Mangou had left the embassy and been picked up by a close collaborator of Gbagbo's. But the journalist added: "Mangou was forced to leave the South African embassy because some of his relatives were made hostage by diehard supporters of Gbagbo, and Gbagbo militiamen were putting pressure on him, saying they would bomb his village if he doesn't show himself or doesn't return to the Gbagbo army." Despite mass defections, Gbagbo has surprised many observers by fighting back, issuing a call to arms to his supporters, who went to his residence on Sunday to form a human shield. The UN has raised concern over the possible involvement of fighters linked to Ouattara's forces in hundreds of killings in the west of the country – something the Ouattara camp denies. In Britain, foreign secretary Gbagbo's spokesman, Abdon George Bayeto, told the BBC that there is an international plot against the incumbent. "When it comes to a fight, we are going to put up a fight," he said. "The president is not going to step down." William Hague said a team was on standby to assist in an evacuation of European Union nationals if the situation deteriorates. Hague said: "We call for an end to the violence, for defeated former president Gbagbo to step down, for all human rights abuses to be investigated, and for the International Criminal Court to investigate the crimes which appear to have taken place." Hague added that Gbagbo's supporters in the African Union were "down to zero", but he understood there was no prospect of African military intervention. Away from the fighting, UN investigators probing allegations that hundreds of people were massacred in an Ivory Coast town have found a mass grave with nearly 200 bodies, UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos said on Monday. The International Committee of the Red Cross said on Saturday at least 800 people were killed in intercommunal violence in Duekoue last week. The UN peacekeeping mission said the same day that pro-Ouattara forces had killed 220 people and pro-Gbagbo militia fighters killed over 110 people in Duekoue. Ouattara said his forces were not involved in the massacre. Amos, who is visiting Duekoue as part of a trip to establish humanitarian needs in Ivory Coast, said in a telephone interview with Reuters she could not confirm that as many as 800 people had been killed. "What we do have from the investigations that are being conducted by our colleagues on the human rights side of the United Nations is that they found a mass grave," said Amos, who heads the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. "They already found nearly 200 bodies in that grave, and they have found bodies in other parts of the town as well." Ivory Coast Laurent Gbagbo Alassane Ouattara United Nations Ed Pilkington David Smith guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Lansley tries to save NHS reforms Posted: 04 Apr 2011 04:05 PM PDT Health secretary makes the rare step of making a Commons statement on his bill as it passes through parliament The health secretary, Andrew Lansley, is to launch a last-ditch attempt to rescue his controversial NHS reforms by accepting that the membership of new GP-led consortiums needs to be widened. Lansley will on Tuesday agree with the broad principles of proposals made by the health select committee, chaired by John Major's last health secretary, Stephen Dorrell, although he will resist many of the detailed recommendations. Lansley was forced to announce to MPson Monday that he would amend his plans, during a "natural break" in the passage of the heath and social care bill. His reforms would hand 60% of the NHS's £103bn budget to new GP-led consortiums. Government sources said he was studying carefully proposals by the committee, which warns that GPs should not be the sole commissioners of care in the NHS. In a report it calls for GPs to share commissioning powers and responsibility with nurses, consultants, public health experts and patients. Lansley, who met David Cameron in Downing Street on Monday, took the rare step of making a statement to MPs about the progress of a bill which has still not completed all its stages in the Commons. In a sign of nervousness in Downing Street, which fears that the public backlash is jeopardising Cameron's work in persuading the public that the NHS is safe in Tory hands, Lansley will accept some of the broad principles in the health select committee report. "Some of the ideas suggested by the committee are in sync with the government's thinking on how, for example, others might be involved in the GP consortia," one Whitehall source said. But Lansley will not accept all of Dorrell's ideas because he believes they would put too many groups in the new GP-led consortiums. "It is wrong to assume that the health select committee is telling the secretary of state what to do," the source said. "This is an evolutionary process." Dorrell admitted that his reworking of the bill "is not minor tweaking". He said: "We believe it is crucial to get the reform of NHS commissioning right if the service is to confront the massive financial challenge it now faces. Our report contains a set of practical proposals to strengthen the health and social care bill and make it better able to meet the government's objectives. "Our proposals are designed to ensure that NHS commissioning involves all stakeholders – GPs, certainly, but also nurses, hospital doctors, and representatives of social care and local communities. We believe this broadening of the base for commissioning is vital if we are to achieve the changes that are necessary to allow the NHS to deliver properly co-ordinated healthcare." The signals that the government was prepared to accept some of the principles behind the Dorrell report came as Lansley acknowledged that people have "genuine" concerns as he announced that the government would table amendments to the bill. Amid fears in Downing Street that Lansley has failed to explain the thinking behind his reforms, the health secretary said he would use a "natural break in the passage of the bill" to offer reassurances that the government's sole intention is to improve the NHS. The bill completed its committee stage last week. No date has been fixed for its report stage, the penultimate hurdle before it goes to the House of Lords. In a sign of Lansley's isolation no full voting member of the cabinet, apart from ministers on other business, sat with him on the frontbench. Lord Tebbit, the former Conservative chairman, criticised the plans in the Daily Mirror. Lansley will outline the amendments at a joint appearance later this week with the prime minister and Nick Clegg. The health secretary told MPs the amendments will make clear there will be no backdoor privatisation of the NHS; Lansley told MPs: "Choice, competition and the involvement of the private sector should only be a means to improve services for patient, not ends in themselves. Some services like accident and emergency or major trauma clearly will never be based on competition." the private sector will not be allowed to cherry-pick the most profitable parts of the NHS; and there will be greater transparency and accountability of the new consortiums. Lansley said: "People want to know that the GP commissioning groups cannot have a conflict of interest, are transparent in their decisions and accountable not only nationally but locally, through the democratic input to health and wellbeing boards." Under the committee's proposals, the GP consortiums would become NHS commissioning authorities and would no longer be merely the province of GPs. GPs should take a majority of the seats on the authority, says the report, but there should also be places reserved for a professional social care representative, an elected member of the local authority, a nurse, a hospital doctor and a public health expert. This wider membership is necessary to ensure commissioning bodies, which have responsibility for spending large amounts of taxpayers' money, "comply with the highest standards of governance and accountability", says the committee. It would also help break down the barriers between primary, hospital and community care, with the commissioning authorities responsible for commissioning all of it, as well as forging closer links with social care. NHS Health Health policy Andrew Lansley Liberal-Conservative coalition Nicholas Watt Sarah Boseley Polly Curtis guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

UK sends more Tornado jets to Libya Posted: 04 Apr 2011 11:06 AM PDT David Cameron announces four more strike aircraft to target Gaddafi forces as US moves out of frontline operations David Cameron has announced an increase in the number of Tornado strike aircraft to be deployed to hit Muammar Gaddafi's forces. The prime minister made the announcement during a two-hour visit to the Gioia del Colle air base in southern Italy, where he thanked British air crews policing the Libyan no-fly zone. The increase came on the day the defence ministry announced the first round of armed forces redundancies, and the air chief marshal, Sir Stephen Dalton, warned of overstretch and called for more money. The prime minister said the number of Tornado attack jets deployed to the base would rise from eight to 12, to beef up British strike capability. Sourced from RAF Marham in Norfolk, the jets will arrive in the next few days. The increase is partly due to the US moving out of Libyan frontline operations towards logistical and intelligence support, placing pressure on others to come forward. It is also intended as a signal to other Nato member countries to increase their contribution. Cameron praised the British pilots, telling reporters: "I want to say 'well done' and give a heartfelt thanks from the British public to the brave Tornado pilots and their crews who have done an incredible job in a short period of time to save, I think, thousands of lives in Benghazi and elsewhere. "The whole country should be proud of what they have done. They have responded incredibly quickly. They have flown many sorties, and they have been extremely successful in holding back Gaddafi's forces." During the visit Cameron talked to 600 RAF crew, led by Group Captain Martin Sampson, and was briefed on the scale of the damage British fighters were inflicting on Gaddafi's army. This has included the destruction of 10 armoured vehicles and three tanks at the weekend around the beseiged town of Sirte. Apart from the Tornado jets, Britain has 10 Typhoons engaged in its operations against Libya. Cameron said that, on the basis of briefings over the past 24 hours, he believed the Gaddafi regime was showing signs of stress and looking for a way out. On to the next phase of his overseas trip, Cameron will mend relations with the Pakistani government in Islamabad, where he will say the two countries have "an unbreakable partnership". He will hold talks with the president, Asif Ali Zardari, and the prime minister, Yousuf Raza Gilani, during his first visit. Cameron upset the Pakistani government last July by accusing elements in the country of "facing both ways on terrorism". His criticism of Pakistan for promoting the export of terror created such a diplomatic outcry because it was made on a trip to India, and because he refused to withdraw his remarks. He attempted to patch up relations during Zardari's visit to Britain in August, held against the background of Pakistan's floods. The two countries have agreed to hold a strategic dialogue comprising annual discussions between leaders. Zardari has repeatedly warned the west that the battle for hearts and minds over the Taliban's use of Pakistan as the base for their attacks on Nato forces in Afghanistan is being lost. He says Cameron has not done enough to recognise how much Pakistan is doing to combat terrorism. Acknowledging past misunderstandings , Cameron will argue in a speech to students that he wants "a new chapter" in the relations: "We want to deepen and enhance the unbreakable partnership between Pakistan and Britain. The unbreakable partnership must not just be between our two governments. It must be between our peoples, too." Libya Military Defence policy Arab and Middle East unrest Middle East Patrick Wintour guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Yemen troops kill protesters in Taiz Posted: 04 Apr 2011 11:19 AM PDT Soldiers use live ammunition on protesters demanding removal of President Saleh, killing at least 12 Yemeni security forces and gunmen in civilian clothes have fired on protesters marching through the southern city of Taiz , killing at least 12 people amid reports that the US now wants President Ali Abdullah Saleh to quit. Witnesses described troops and gunmen, some on nearby rooftops, shooting wildly on thousands of people in a second successive day of violence. Some of the protesters, including elderly people, were trampled and injured as the crowds tried to flee, they said. "It was heavy gunfire from all directions. Some were firing from the rooftop of the governor's building," said one man in the crowd, Omar al-Saqqaf. He said he saw military police load the bodies of two dead protesters into a car and speed away. Television showed a row of men, apparent teargas victims, lying motionless and being tended by medics on the carpeted floor of a makeshift hospital in Taiz, 120 miles (200km) south of Sana'a. The violence began when thousands of demonstrators marched down the main street toward the protest camp in Freedom Square, surrounded by security forces. As the march passed the governor's headquarters, troops blocked the procession, and clashes broke out, with some protesters throwing stones, witnesses said. Troops from the Republican Guard and the military police on nearby rooftops opened fire with live ammunition and the marchers then besieged the governor's headquarters. At least 12 protesters were killed, said Hamoud Aqlan, a medical official at a clinic set up by protesters in the square. Dozens more were wounded by gunshots, mainly to the head, neck and chest, he said. In the Red Sea port of Hudaida, police and armed men in civilian clothes fired live rounds and teargas at hundreds of demonstrators marching on a presidential palace, wounding some 250 people, another medical source said. The latest violence came as the New York Times reported that the Obama administration had "quietly shifted positions" and concluded that Saleh must be eased out of power. The paper reported that the US position began to change in the past week and officials had told Saleh's allies that his position has become untenable. Saleh, who has been in power for 32 years, has said he will not run for re-election in 2013 and could step down after new presidential and parliamentary elections within a year. However, he has ruled out an abrupt departure, saying it would cause chaos. On Sunday, Saleh took a tough line, saying no negotiations could be held without a "halt to all protests and the mutiny by some units in the military". "We are prepared to explore the peaceful transfer of authority in the framework of the constitution. But arm-twisting will absolutely not work." He told a gathering of pro-government tribesmen on Monday: "We are standing firm, and we will defend constitutional legitimacy by all means. We will stand as firm as mountains and will remain faithful to the people." Sources say the US gave Saleh an ultimatum last week to agree on a deal negotiated by the US ambassador in Sana'a. It reportedly ensures a peaceful exit and transition of power, otherwise it would publicly call on Saleh to step down. The opposition says talks have stalled because Saleh is manoeuvring to ensure he and his family do not face prosecution over corruption claims. A diplomat in Sana'a said the focus was still on talks and that public calls to stand down were premature. If Washington were to call on Saleh to go, "I'm not sure if he (Saleh) would immediately cave in", he said. "In Yemen attempts at agreeing a political transition have repeatedly stalled or failed." During an update to parliament on Libya, the foreign secretary, William Hague, put pressure on Saleh. "There is an urgent need for steps to meet the legitimate demands of the Yemeni people," said Hague, "and we call on President Saleh to engage with the opposition and with the protesters in a way that meets these aspirations and avoids violence." Yemen Arab and Middle East unrest Middle East Mark Tran guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Gurkhas fail to escape MoD cuts Posted: 04 Apr 2011 12:49 PM PDT Cuts could hit those on Afghan and Libyan duty, while wounded soldiers are safe – but only until they recover Gurkhas will be among those losing their jobs in the army's first round of redundancies, the Ministry of Defence has said as it announced cuts involving 1,000 soldiers and 1,600 sailors. Troops serving in Afghanistan and sailors who have been involved in the Libyan military operations could be made redundant, as will navy pilots in the wake of the decision to scrap the aircraft carrier Ark Royal, and Britain's entire fleet of Harrier jump jets. In a move expected to cause dismay among their supporters, Brigadier Richard Nugee, head of army manning, said the 3,500-strong Brigade of Gurkhas would lose about 150 soldiers. The brigade has been hit partly due to recent improvements in their conditions of service. Nugee said there was a surplus of Gurkhas as changes in the terms of service in 2008 meant they could now serve for 22 years rather than the previous 15-year limit. "Opportunities for promotion within the brigade are being severely limited by the current situation," Nugee said. "It is fair to say we would not expect that many to volunteer [because] Gurkhas tend to be loyal – staying with their regiment longer than soldiers in other units of the British army." He insisted the army remained committed "to a strong and vibrant Brigade of Gurkhas into the future". But Peter Carroll, a leading member of the Gurkha Justice Campaign, along with Joanna Lumley, said: "In percentage terms, this is a deep cut and will be a huge disruption to the older, highly-trained Gurkhas." About half the redundancies in the army are expected to be compulsory, defence officials said, but they pointed out that no one preparing for combat operations, deployed on operations or on post-operations leave would be made redundant unless they had volunteered. But they could be told to go as soon as they complete their leave. Defence minister Andrew Robathan appeared less certain. "We do not yet know what operations will be current in September, when people will have received their redundancy notices," he told the Commons. "We are looking at this carefully and we would certainly not wish to make anybody redundant who is serving on combat operations." Those "who had served in Afghanistan at some stage may have to be considered for redundancy" because 55% of the army had been posted to the country, he said. Soldiers wounded in Afghanistan will also be candidates for redundancy once they had recovered, officials made clear. Exempt from the current round of cuts are the infantry – with the exception of Gurkhas, the army has a shortage – Royal Marines, special forces, the army's bomb disposal experts, the Intelligence Corps and the Royal Army Medical Corps. About 25% of the army redundancies are expected to come from officers up to the rank of brigadier. The government believes the armed forces have too many senior officers but those of higher rank – generals, admirals and air marshals – will be the subject of a separate review due to be completed in the summer. Commodore Paul Bennett, the head of Royal Navy manning, said about two thirds of the redundancies were a direct result of reductions in capabilities. "We will have fewer ships and aircraft and so will need fewer people to operate them," he said. He said 15 of the Fleet Air Arm's 59 fixed-wing pilots will lose their jobs. Last month, the RAF announced its plans for 2,700 redundancies, including trainee pilots. The government plans to cut 17,000 posts in the armed forces – 7,000 from the army, 5,000 from the RAF, and 5,000 from the navy – saving about £5bn over four years. It also plans top cut the number of civil servants in the Ministry of Defence by 25,000. Military Defence policy Gurkhas Richard Norton-Taylor guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

9/11 architect faces Guantánamo trial Posted: 04 Apr 2011 10:45 AM PDT Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to be tried at the US military base in Cuba rather than in a civilian court on American soil Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington, will be tried by a military commission in Guantánamo. It is the latest retreat by the Obama administration from its much-vaunted plans to overhaul the legal processing of terror suspects. Mohammed and four other terror suspects will be put on trial through a military system that President Obama had vowed to abolish when he began in office in January 2009. The White House had declared its intent in 2009 to push them through the civilian justice system with a landmark trial at the federal court in Manhattan, a stone's throw away from Ground Zero. But the proposal invoked a groundswell of opposition, most powerfully from New York residents and the mayor of the city, Michael Bloomberg. The US attorney general, Eric Holder, was expected to announce the administration's U-turn at a press conference in Guantánamo. The about-face is hugely symbolic as Mohammed was al-Qaida's main architect of 9/11, according to the commission of inquiry into the terrorist outrages convened in New York. How he is treated arguably sets the tone for America's legal handling of terror suspects. Obama had wanted to bring that legal process back into the norms of civilian justice. But he was thwarted by a wall of opposition from Republicans in Congress, backed by some Democrats. Republicans inserted a provision into the latest defence budget effectively banning the use of Pentagon funds to transfer Guantánamo detainees to the mainland, thus blocking any civilian trials. Obama initially promised to repeal the restriction, but last month he backtracked by allowing the resumption of military commission trials at the US base in Cuba. Bloomberg also did a volte face. Initially, he approved the idea of a civilian trial for Mohammed in downtown Manhattan, but then turned against it, arguing that it would cost the city more than $400m (£248m) in security alone. Other opponents claimed that it would again make New York the target of terrorists' wrath. Never Forget, a group of family members of victims of the attacks, as well as emergency workers and former military personnel, welcomed the announcement. "We are relieved that President Obama has abandoned his plan to try the 9/11 conspirators in a civilian court on US soil. Prosecuting war criminals, whose only connection to this country is the location of their victims, in military commissions is the right thing to do." Khalid Sheikh Mohammed United States Global terrorism Guantánamo Bay Cuba US politics Ed Pilkington guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Obama tweets start to 2012 campaign Posted: 04 Apr 2011 01:08 PM PDT US president turns to Twitter and Facebook to kickstart his push for re-election to the White House next year American presidents traditionally announce their decision to run for re-election from the pomp of the White House. But things are different in the digital age – which is why the cryptic web address http://ofa.bo/bWjHd7 kicked off Barack Obama's 2012 re-election bid. That string of 20 keystrokes in a Twitter posting and an email to supporters on Monday morning led to a video page on barackobama.com asking: "Are you in?" So far, 19 million of them claim they are, if their Facebook "likes" of the video are anything to go by. Of course, Obama's kick-off would not have been complete without the launch of a Twitter hashtag – in this case #Obama2012 – a political campaign tactic that dates back as far as the day before yesterday. The only tweets that featured in Dwight Eisenhower's 1956 re-election campaign came from the quail he hunted with supporters before nipping back to hold an official press conference in Washington. The two most recent US presidents to run for re-election, Bill Clinton and George Bush, spent the first phases of their campaigns on a nationwide bus tour. In the digital age, Obama can cover the country with far less effort when he speaks to 500,000 of his grassroots activists via a live teleconference. Obama's 2012 announcement is mould-breaking even compared with 2008 when he was a senator and revealed he was running in front of thousands at a carefully staged outdoor rally aimed at the television cameras. This announcement-by-video is unusual for another reason: the candidate himself does not address the camera. Instead, a succession of "real Americans" talk about Obama in documentary-style footage. Most of the voters in the video come from battleground states. "Ed" from North Carolina says: "I don't agree with Obama on everything but I respect him and I trust him." Ed is followed by Gladys, a Hispanic voter in Nevada and Katherine from Colorado – all are likely to be voting in close-fought contests. There is also young voter "Mike" in New York and "Alice," an African-American from Michigan, who underline the need to re-awaken Obama's most loyal supporters from 2008. "You don't have to be Fellini to figure out what that is all about," said veteran Republican campaign strategist Mike Murphy. The video ends with: "It begins with us" – a message that suggests Obama needs activists willing to knock on doors, rather than just write cheques to cover the estimated $1bn (£620m) cost of the campaign. Barack Obama US elections 2012 US politics Twitter Facebook Internet Blogging Social networking United States Richard Adams guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Hackers steal email data of millions Posted: 04 Apr 2011 10:16 AM PDT Customers of Barclaycard US, Capital One and other companies warned after attack on marketing email provider Epsilon Computer hackers have stolen the names and email addresses of millions of people in one of the largest internet security breaches in US history. The names and email addresses of customers of Barclaycard US, Capital One and other large firms were taken in an attack on the marketing email provider Epsilon last week. British customers of Barclays Bank, which owns Barclaycard US, were not affected. A spokesman for Barclaycard US confirmed to the Guardian that it would continue to work with Epsilon despite the breach. Other information, such as passwords or credit card details, are not thought to have been exposed. However, some banks have warned customers to expect fraudulent emails attempting to solicit further login details. The UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), which investigates data breaches of this kind, said it was making inquiries into whether any Britons were among those affected. Epsilon, which provides marketing services via email to about 2,500 companies, put a warning on its website on Friday stating that its systems had been "exposed by an unauthorised entry" into its email system. Epsilon said it would not be comment further on the breach when contacted by the Guardian. It is not yet known who perpetrated the attack, which US law enforcement agencies have begun investigating. "The information that was obtained was limited to email addresses and/or customer names only," Epsilon said in its statement. "A rigorous assessment determined that no other personal identifiable information associated with those names was at risk. A full investigation is currently underway." Over the weekend, dozens of Epsilon clients began to warn customers that their email addresses may have been stolen. Some of the largest financial institutions in the US, such as JPMorgan and Citigroup, are among the companies affected. Best Buy and Walt Disney subsidiary Disney Destinations also began warning its customers about the security breach. The list of companies affected is expected to continue to grow. TiVo, the US video-on-demand company, wrote to its customers on Sunday morning: "Please note, it is possible you may receive spam email messages as a result. We want to urge you to be cautious when opening links or attachments from unknown third parties." A list of millions of email addresses with their source is likely to be incredibly lucrative for so-called "phishing" scams, where credible-looking emails are sent to people soliciting other sensitive information, such as bank account details. "Losing your email address via a service to which you already belong makes it much easier for scammers to hit you with emails which match your existing interests, at least loosely," said Paul Ducklin of internet security firm Sophos. "That, in turn, can make their fraudulent correspondence seem more believable." The attack has drawn parallels with other large-scale computer infiltrations, most notably the Heartland Payment Systems breach of 2008. More than 40m bank account details were stolen in that attack, conducted by a criminal gang led by notorious hacker Albert Gonzalez. Gonzalez was later sentenced to 20 years in prison. Last month an Iranian hacker claimed he stole digital security certificates used for online transactions by some of the web's largest sites, including Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and Skype. Data and computer security Hacking United States Josh Halliday guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Air France plane crash victims found Posted: 04 Apr 2011 12:43 PM PDT Robot submarines reveal wreckage with bodies of passengers who died when Flight AF477 went down on its way to Rio The images from the ocean bed were a cause for celebration for the team of investigators on board the Alucia, off the northern coast of Brazil. For nearly two years, searchers have been scouring the Atlantic on and off in the hope of finding the Air France Airbus A330-200 that fell out of the sky on its way from Rio to Paris, and there it was. At least part of it – a pair of wheels resting on the seabed nearly 4,000 metres from the surface, two engines and a large part of the fuselage – was still intact. Then, from the sunless depths, came other images no one had expected. As the Remus robot submarines swept the submerged wreckage, there, clearly visible, were the bodies of some of the 228 passengers who perished when flight AF447 plunged into the sea, several still strapped into their seats. After the information was relayed back to Paris, it fell to Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, minister for ecology and transport, to break the news. "There are bodies still in the part [of the plane] that has been found," she told French radio. "I'm not an expert, but it appears the whole thing didn't explode … there is a part of the cabin, and in that part of the cabin there are bodies" – bodies, she added, "that could be possibly identified". She said France would begin an operation to bring the wreckage and human remains to the surface within the next few weeks as the search to find the plane's flight recorders, the black boxes that may solve the mystery of the crash, continues. The recovery operation will cost an estimated €5m (£4.4m) and will be financed by the French state, but is expected to cause controversy and arguments between relatives of the victims. Robert Soulas, vice-president of a support group for the victims' families, said raising the bodies was a thorny question. Among those killed were passengers from France, Britain, Brazil, Italy, Ireland and China. Among several children to die on the flight was the 11-year-old British schoolboy Alexander Bjoroy, who was travelling back to the UK with a chaperone after spending the half term break with his parents in Brazil. "There's a very traumatic side to this and it causes problems of identification. We don't know what state they are in. And it risks causing a dispute between families who want to leave the bodies at the bottom of the Atlantic and those who want them brought to the surface," Soulas said. For the families of those who died in the tragedy on 1 June 2009, the discovery of the wreckage marked the first breakthrough in nearly two years and brought a mixture of hope and despair. "We want to know what happened in that plane," said Michel Gaignard, who lost his sister in the accident. An unnamed lawyer for several of the families said some had still not come to terms with their loss. "There's been no burial, no goodbye … just lots and lots of suffering," he told French radio. In the days after the crash about 50 bodies and parts of the plane – notably the tailfin – were pulled from the sea by the Brazilian navy. But since then there has been nothing. It was, as one expert said, "like looking for a needle in a field of haystacks". Three previous search missions had already cost €21.6m and failed to find anything, but with Air France and Airbus, the plane's operator and manufacturer, facing manslaughter charges, there was a legal and financial impetus to continue the search. The search boat Alucia, operated by a dozen specialists from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, had left the port of Suape in Brazil on 22 March and arrived two days later in the zone where it hoped to find the aircraft wreckage. Three robot submarines, similar to those used to find the remains of the Titanic in 1985, found traces of the plane on Sunday as they scoured the seabed at a depth of 3,800 and 4,000 metres. Scanning a circle with a circumference of around 75km from where the plane is thought to have crashed, the robots sent pictures back of wreckage on the seabed a few hundred metres west of the last known position of the plane. After verifying the photos, investigators aboard the Alucia confirmed it was the missing Airbus A330. Flight AF447 sent out 24 automatic messages signalling system failures in the moments before it plunged into the sea. The autopilot was also disengaged, but investigators are unsure whether it was turned off automatically or by the pilots. Preliminary investigations have suggested the plane's speed sensors may have been faulty. Several incidents involving the sensors had been reported to the air authorities before the crash. Other theories include pilot error and unexpected weather conditions. The debris is concentrated in one zone, suggesting the plane did not explode in flight but hit the water intact. However, investigators say they are continuing to search for the jet's flight recorders, which they say are the only hope of finding out what caused the crash. The Airbus chief executive, Tom Enders, said: "We strongly hope the discovery of the wreckage will allow us to find the two records, because they are essential to understanding this terrible drama." The head of France's air accident investigations bureau, Jean-Paul Troadec, said the Alucia did not have the necessary equipment to raise and recover the wreckage, but its crew would continue to gather more detailed images of the remains of the aircraft. Plane crashes France Airline industry Airbus Kim Willsher guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Radioactive water released into sea Posted: 04 Apr 2011 05:54 AM PDT Fukushima plant begins to discharge 11,500 tonnes of water into Pacific to make space for more highly contaminated liquid The operator of Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant has started breaking its own regulations by discharging 11,500 tonnes of contaminated water into the Pacific to make space for more highly radioactive liquid. The release of water that is 100 times the legal limit is an unprecedented breach of operating standards, but it is considered necessary so workers can concentrate on containing more severe leaks. The government justified the action as the lesser of two evils. Recent samples of contaminated seawater from the leak show radiation levels at 4,000 times the legal standard. "We didn't have any other alternatives," the chief cabinet secretary, Yukio Edano, told reporters. "This is a measure we had to take to secure safety." The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric, said it would discharge 10,000 tonnes of water from its waste treatment facility and a further 1,500 tonnes that have collected in pits outside reactors No 5 and No 6. The International Atomic Energy Agency has been notified of the discharge. On a website update, it said the Japanese authorities explained the move was necessary "to have sufficient capacity to store highly contaminated water found in the basement of the Unit 2 turbine building". Tokyo Electric estimates the potential additional annual dose to a member of the public would be approximately 0.6 millisieverts if they ate seaweed and seafood caught near the plant every day for a year. The annual permissible level for the general public in Japan is one millisievert. Workers have been battling to control radiation leaks since the magnitude 9 earthquake and tsunami crippled the plant's cooling system on 11 March, leading to a partial meltdown of the reactor. Earlier attempts to cool the reactor by hosing water from fire engines and helicopters have left pools of contaminated water and flooded basements, hampering the containment operation and efforts to restart the cooling pumps. Highly radioactive water is seeping from at least one point at reactor No 2, where a 20cm crack has been found in a concrete pit. It is thought to be leaking into an inflow conduit for seawater, but there may be other paths of contamination. Plant workers have started to dye the water a milky white colour so they can trace its route. At the weekend workers tried and failed to plug the crack by using 80kg of highly absorbent polymer (more commonly used in nappies) mixed with shredded newspaper and sawdust. A previous attempt to use concrete had a similar outcome. Edano said the situation must be stabilised as soon as possible because a long-term leak "will have a huge impact on the ocean".Critics of Japan's nuclear industry said the authorities were confronted with a dilemma that was unique in the history of nuclear power: whether to keep cooling the reactors and spent fuel or reduce the water being pumped into the plant, which is overflowing the capacity of the trenches. "As a result of Tokyo Electric's desperate but failed efforts to cool the reactors, they are about to release perhaps an unprecedented amount of radioactivity into the environment," said Shaun Burnie, a nuclear consultant to Greenpeace Germany. "If the Japanese government were to take a cupful of this water and take it outside their territorial waters it would be illegal under the law of sea dumping convention." As a temporary measure to ease the leak, Japan's nuclear and industrial safety agency has recommended the construction of an undersea silt barrier."A silt fence ensures that mud down deep doesn't seep through," said Hidehiko Nishiyama, Japan's spokesman on nuclear safety. Officials said the situation is unlikely to be under control for several months. Independent analysts warn it might take years. Giant concrete pumps are being sent to the area from overseas. The government has also asked Tokyo Electric to look into the possibility of covering the plant with sheets pinned to a steel frame. But the more radioactivity that enters the air and water, the harder such countermeasures become. Tokyo Electric has said the plant will never recover and some areas are so contaminated that workers cannot get near them. "I don't know if we can ever enter the No 3 reactor building again," Hikaru Kuroda, the company's chief of nuclear facility management, said on Sunday. The situation dominated a meeting in Vienna of signatories to the convention on nuclear safety, which was supposed to prevent a repeat of the disasters at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl."I know you will agree with me that the crisis at Fukushima Daiichi has enormous implications for nuclear power and confronts all of us with a major challenge," Yukiya Amano, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told participants. "We cannot take a 'business as usual' approach." Although the nuclear threat has yet to claim a life, it has overshadowed the severe humanitarian crisis faced by survivors of the tsunami, which killed 12,157 people and has left 15,496 missing. Hundreds of thousands of people have lost their homes and millions are still affected by shortages of electricity. Japan disaster Nuclear power Japan Energy Jonathan Watts guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Tomlinson officer 'feared for his life' Posted: 04 Apr 2011 01:50 PM PDT PC Simon Harwood tells inquest how G20 protesters turned hostile when he tried to arrest a demonstrator in 2009 The police officer who pushed Ian Tomlinson to the ground during the G20 protests two years ago told an inquest into the newspaper seller's death that he had been "in fear for my life". PC Simon Harwood was advised by the coroner, Peter Thornton, that he was not obliged to answer any question that could incriminate him as he took the witness stand for the first time and came face to face with Tomlinson's grieving family. His opening remark that he was "here to help the family" was met with snorts of derision in the public gallery and Tomlinson's son, Paul King, stormed out of the hearing. Tomlinson's widow, Julia, also left the room, followed by several tearful members of the family. Thornton told Harwood: "I'm sure that you know, and no doubt will have been advised, that you are not obliged to answer any question tending to incriminate you. It may well be that I shall repeat that warning to you later." Harwood, dressed in a grey suit and patterned yellow tie, said: "I'm very aware of that. I'm here as a witness to help with the inquest and also to give some sort of answers to help the family. So I'm here to answer questions, just to help." There were scuffles outside the International Dispute Resolution Centre in Fleet Street when Harwood arrived at the inquest. Security staff escorted him past waiting photographers. Harwood's evidence to the inquest is likely to last at least two days and will play a crucial role in deciding the circumstances of Tomlinson's death almost exactly two years ago. Tomlinson staggered a hundred yards from where the police officer pushed him and died within minutes of the incident. The officer was questioned by Alison Hewitt, counsel for the inquest on the events leading up to the encounter with Tomlinson in Royal Exchange Passage in the City of London on 1 April 2009. Harwood, a police carrier driver on the day, described how he saw a demonstrator crouching at the rear of one of the police vehicles and drawing or writing something on the bodywork. He told the inquest: "I then made my way towards the person concerned". His intention, he said, was to arrest the man. Asked if he believed an arrest was the right course of action, he said it was his "duty" because the "blatant disregard" the protester showed him gave him no other choice. "I felt it was done right in front of me, so close to my position, I believed it was my duty to go and take some course of action towards this male." But the arrest caused other protesters to react as the arrest began going awry and his target struggled to break free. He said he had become the centre of attention, with the protesters jeering and shouting. There was a "large gasp" from the crowd as the suspect he was holding collided with the door of a police van. Footage showed him leading the man further away from the vans with the crowd surging behind him. He said: "At the time, because he was becoming more aggressive, more hostile, I was starting to believe that this was getting out of control. I was aware there was a very hostile crowd and I was actually in fear for my life then from what was coming towards me." Members of Tomlinson's family shook their heads when they heard the officer say he was in fear for his life. Harwood said that before going out on duty that day he had made sure his police numbers were displayed on his uniform. The jury also heard Harwood offer some explanation about his uniform. Jurors have already been shown pictures of Harwood's distinctive dress, which marked him apart from other officers. He was wearing a yellow jacket tucked into his trousers and a balaclava covering the lower half of his face. Photographs also appear to suggest his badge numbers had not been showing. Harwood said he had secured his epaulettes to the shoulders of his jacket with pins. "I always have my numbers [visible] as it is a policy, a Metropolitan police policy, to always have your numbers displayed, especially on public order." The officer added that his jacket was tucked into his trousers "for health and safety reasons", enabling him to access the weapons and tools on his belt. The balaclava, he said, was lifted as a precaution to protect him from injury. He said of the policing of the demonstration: "There was a general feeling that it would be robust policing, not just going and picking on people, but robust as in keeping the demonstration where it should be." The inquest continues. Ian Tomlinson Police London G20 Protest David Sharrock Paul Lewis guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

UK must speak up on Manning – MP Posted: 04 Apr 2011 04:47 PM PDT Welsh MP says UK must challenge US over treatment of soldier being detained for alleged leak of state secrets to WikiLeaks British diplomats will express with officials in Washington for a second time MPs' concerns about the treatment of a US soldier charged with leaking thousands of sensitive cables to WikiLeaks, the government has confirmed. Foreign Office minister Henry Bellingham said staff at the British embassy in Washington would discuss Bradley Manning's detention with the US state department. Bellingham made the promise after Labour MP Ann Clwyd raised the matter in parliament on Monday night. Clwyd said Manning, who is charged with downloading 250,000 sensitive cables and passing them to WikiLeaks, had been stripped at night and held in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day. His treatment at the Marine Corps brig in Quantico, Virginia made it more difficult for the US and Britain to campaign against human rights abuses in other countries, she said. Clwyd, chair of the all-party parliamentary group on human rights, said that the UK's credibility was at risk in "places where human rights are not nearly so well observed." She called on the government to offer practical support to the British relatives of Manning. "I do not want us to get drawn into a discussion of the rights and wrongs of the WikiLeaks revelations. I would like us now to concentrate on the current conditions of detention for Bradley Manning," Clwyd said at the adjournment debate speech. "Manning's case is important because of the message it sends out to the rest of the world about what kind of treatment the United States thinks is acceptable for people in detention. And, for us, it is important what we say – or what we don't say. "That matters in places where human rights are not nearly so well observed. People will pay attention in China and in Russia – and in Libya, where we want to be on the side of those fighting for freedom from state repression. "And most of all in Afghanistan: it matters to those UK and US service personnel fighting in Afghanistan what kind of image Britain and the US have in the world." Clwyd drew on her experiences during the seven years she spent as special envoy to Iraq on human rights. "It is my view that some of the greatest damage was caused to British and American efforts in Iraq when the stories of prisoner abuse emerged," she said. "It undermined our moral authority when we needed to explain that we were fighting for a better future for Iraq. "The United States – and the UK, in the way we respond to actions of the US – needs to preserve that moral authority if we are to have a positive impact on the world and lead by example." Praising the Guardian's coverage of Manning's treatment in the US, Clwyd said she would be willing to visit the solider if his family asked her to. "I have read the several accounts of Bradley's treatment which have appeared in the press. Some very good accounts have been in the Guardian, and from David Leigh in particular," she said. But the account to which she has paid most attention is Bradley's own, in which he complains of "improper treatment" and "unlawful pre-trial punishment". Clwyd is the only politician to have directly questioned the foreign secretary, William Hague, over the government's position on Manning. She has sponsored an early day motion calling for the government to raise the case with the US administration. The motion is supported by 37 MPs, including co-sponsors Peter Bottomley, Jeremy Corbyn, Mark Durkan and Paul Flynn. Hague has previously said the government has not intervened because Manning's lawyer has said the soldier "does not hold a UK passport, nor does he consider himself a UK citizen". "Our standing on this matter is limited," Hague said during a parliamentary debate last month. "[Manning] is not asking for our help, nor considering himself British." But Clwyd has called Hague's response a red herring. She points out that Manning's mother, Susan, is Welsh and lives in Pembrokeshire, where Manning lived between the ages of 13 and 17, and she points to calls from Manning's lawyer, David Coombs, for his client's detention status to be changed. Manning's treatment in the military prison in Quantico, Virginia, "ignores the repeated recommendations of the marine corps' own appointed psychiatrists", Coombs has said. His treatment "serves no purpose other than to humiliate and degrade Bradley Manning. I regard it as cruel and unnecessary." Human Rights Watch has called on the US government to "explain the precise reasons behind extremely restrictive and possibly punitive and degrading treatment" that Manning alleges he has received. Amnesty International has said "Manning is being subjected to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. This is particularly disturbing when one considers that he hasn't even been brought to trial, let alone convicted of a crime." The UN special rapporteur on torture is understood to have raised his concerns with the US administration and is waiting for a response. Clwyd quoted a recent column written for the Guardian by PJ Crowley, who resigned as spokesman for the US state department after criticising Manning's treatment, in which he repeated his conviction that it was "ridiculous, counterproductive, and stupid". Bradley Manning Foreign policy US military US national security WikiLeaks United States Amelia Hill Damien Pearse guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Oil price rise could 'halt UK boom" Posted: 04 Apr 2011 04:01 PM PDT With unrest in Yemen and Libya pushing up price of crude, British firms expect their turnover and profit to slow Oil prices hit a two-and-a-half-year high yesterday amid warnings that the soaring cost of raw materials will put the brakes on Britain's manufacturing boom. Brent crude pushed above $120 a barrel after traders voiced concern that continued fighting in Libya and the prospect of a resurgent US economy would put pressure on supplies. Unrest in Yemen and imminent elections in Nigeria, one of the world's biggest producers, also added to nervousness on oil markets in London and Chicago. A survey of UK manufacturers found that rising costs, especially oil, and a deterioration in cashflows hampered growth in the first three months of the year, with most firms reporting they expected turnover and profit growth to slow. The British Chambers of Commerce, which surveyed 6,000 companies, described its findings as "worrying" and warned that the results "highlight the fragility of the recovery". It said the outlook for manufacturers was becoming increasingly difficult and that confidence had fallen to levels last seen in the depths of the recession. Coming hard on the heels of a closely watched PMI (Purchasing Managers' Index) survey last week showing that manufacturing confidence had been dented in March, the results will disappoint ministers who are banking on a booming manufacturing sector to offset the struggling services and construction industries, which still remain well below their 2008 peak. However, there was better news yesterday when a survey showed that the construction sector grew strongly in March after its snow-related dip at the end of 2010, despite raw material costs rising again. Without strong growth in manufacturing to generate jobs, unemployment is likely to continue rising, putting even more pressure on the Treasury to slow the pace of public sector cuts. Labour said the survey showed the economy was unprepared for a severe contraction in government spending and a plan B should be considered to boost growth and confidence. A slowdown in manufacturing sales and profits is also expected to persuade the Bank of England's monetary policy committee to keep rates on hold when it meets on Thursday. While there is pressure to raise rates to cap inflation after it jumped to 4.4% last month, a majority of the committee is believed to be worried about the effect on the economy. The European Central Bank is widely expected to raise rates by 0.25 percentage points to 1.25% at its meeting on Thursday. It has signalled its determination to crush inflationary trends in the eurozone to maintain financial discipline and limit the effect of rising prices. However, a downgrade to the January input cost figures could stay the ECB's hand. The first draft for January was a shock at 1.7% and analysts said at the time the combination of rising prices and strong growth, driven mainly by Germany, gave the ECB no choice but to raise rates. But the purchasing price index was revised down from 1.5% to 1.3% month-over-month, giving the ECB more leeway to maintain rates at 1%. The BCC has consistently campaigned for Britain to maintain its current loose monetary policy to support businesses that are suffering from the after-effects of the financial crisis. David Kern, the BCC's chief economist, said that while exports remained strong, businesses operating in the UK found life extremely difficult in the face of the rise in VAT and severe cuts in public spending. He believes that the economy needs to be robust and the recovery secured before the MPC raises rates. He said: "Benefiting from a competitive exchange rate, manufacturing still has the potential to drive the UK recovery. But the international background has become riskier for Britain's exporters, while the domestic austerity plan will intensify pressures on businesses and consumers. In addition, the mediocre performance of the service sector will hinder the number of new jobs created this year." Kern added: "Given the underlying uncertainties, the MPC must avoid premature interest rate increases that may worsen risks of a serious setback." US crude trading was also characterised by jitters among traders, who sent US light crude above $108 a barrel ahead of the open outcry trading session in New York. "Brent is up on Libya, Yemen unrest and the Nigerian election," said Phil Flynn, analyst at PFGBest Research in Chicago. "US crude is hesitant because there is still a worry that the Federal Reserve might be nearing a rate hike or tighter policy, which would lower liquidity and demand and strengthen the dollar." Both Brent and US crude prices reacted to Friday's report showing that US employment registered solid growth for a second month in March and the jobless rate hit a two-year low of 8.8%, providing optimism about oil demand. Manufacturing sector Manufacturing data Economics Recession Interest rates Oil Bank of England Phillip Inman guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

A $1bn re-election bid – but the hard work starts here Posted: 04 Apr 2011 04:06 PM PDT US president opts for aggressive start to his 2012 campaign to defeat the Republicans and return to the White House Barack Obama has formally launched his campaign for re-election to the White House next year, hoping to raise a record-breaking $1bn (£620m) in funds as the Republicans struggle to find a clear challenger for the presidency. Obama made the announcement in an email that reached out to disenchanted Democrats whom he needs to campaign for him even though they feel he has been insufficiently progressive. Although the election is set for Tuesday 6 November 2012, Obama is anxious to create a campaign organisation at least as efficient as the one in 2008 and to begin gathering enough funds now to outspend the Republicans in advertising, just as he did last time. If Obama were to lose the election, the Republicans would dismantle his healthcare reforms, due to start in 2014. He said: "We've always known that lasting change wouldn't come quickly or easily. It never does. "But as my administration and folks across the country fight to protect the progress we've made – and make more – we also need to begin mobilising for 2012, long before the time comes for me to begin campaigning in earnest." Many analysts predict Obama will win a second term, given the tendency of Americans to re-elect the incumbent. But others are more cautious, suggesting the result will be close and largely dependent on the state of the economy. Brad Coker, director of Mason-Dixon polling, said it was far from a foregone conclusion. "I would put his chances of re-election at 50-50," he said. "Obviously, his popularity has suffered in a number of areas. The economy has been a little slow to recover. That is the linchpin. If the economy continues to improve, his chances improve greatly; if there are more bumps on the road, he has a problem. The little adventure in Libya is not helping him." A CNN poll last week put Obama on 47%, down from 52% in January. Obama formally filed election papers on Monday with the Federal Election Commission, allowing him to start fund-raising in earnest. He spent $748m to win the White House in 2008 and has already been sounding out big donors across the country for his re-election race. The Republican contenders have been slow to come forward this year, with only Tim Pawlenty, the former governor of Minnesota, having formally declared so far and Newt Gingrich, the former house speaker, having half-announced his intention to stand. Others, such as Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney and Sarah Palin, have yet to declare. A televised debate of Republican candidates, scheduled for May, has had to be postponed until September because the declared field is so small. Obama's campaign chief is Jim Messina, a former White House deputy chief of staff, and the campaign will be based in Obama's home town, Chicago, as it was in 2008. Others who were prominent in 2008, such as David Axelrod, have already moved back from the White House to Chicago to prepare for next year. Obama's announcement was accompanied by a video in which he was largely absent, with the focus on potential campaign workers saying why it was important to them that he secured a second term. Pawlenty, responding with a video of his own, rehearsed the potential campaign issues: high unemployment, the collapse of the housing market in many areas and the soaring federal debt. "How can America win the future when we're losing the present?" Pawlenty asks in the video. "In order for America to take a new direction, it's going to take a new president." One advantage of Obama's early announcement, and his declaration of his aim to raise $1bn, is that it could help scare off any potential Democratic challenger. The only credible challenger from within the party is the secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, and she has already ruled out taking Obama on a second time. It is also likely that he will keep the vice-president, Joe Biden, as his running mate. Coker predicted Biden would stay on the ticket: "If Obama was to drop Biden, the only person to enhance his chances as a running mate would be Clinton. "If he dropped him, it would look like an act of desperation." Obama received a boost last Friday with a surprise drop in unemployment to 8.8%, although the actual unemployment figure, as opposed to the official one, is estimated to be double that. In the worst-hit states families are unable to move to other jobs because they are unable to sell their houses, some of which are worth half of what they were five years ago. Obama won North Carolina and Indiana in 2008, two states likely to go back to the Republicans, while six other states he took last time – Colorado, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida and Virginia – could be tighter races. But Larry Sabato, professor of politics at the University of Virginia, said Obama's chances were pretty good, citing statistics showing America tends to re-elect incumbents. Since 1900 incumbents have won 14 times and lost five times. "I think the odds favour him," he said. "The economy is picking up. But there are things that could happen. The economy could take a nosedive. Libya is not working out as they intended. "Do not rule out the possibility that the Republicans will nominate a clunker. "They have four decent choices – Romney, Pawlenty, [Mitch] Daniels and [Haley] Barbour – and the rest are a bunch of clunkers. In ideal circumstances, one of the four could win." The Republican challengers Mike Huckabee (55) Fox commentator, former governor of Arkansas and Baptist minister. Not yet said if he will stand. Good communicator, has sense of humour, plays electric guitar at rallies and appeals to the Christian evangelical wing of the Republican party, whose support helped him win the Iowa caucus in 2008. Mitt Romney (64) Former governor of Massachusetts and businessman. Not yet said if he will stand but is already campaigning. Has millions of his own money that he can throw into an election race, and his business background may be seen an asset by some, but he is a poor speaker, lacks charisma and introduced a form of healthcare in Massachusetts, a negative for many Republicans, as is his Mormon faith. Tim Pawlenty (50) Former governor of Minnesota. The only Republican to have formally declared he is standing. He is, like Romney, charisma-free but he can claim previous election victory as a Republican in traditionally Democratic Minnesota, where he succeeded in tackling a huge budget deficit. Sarah Palin (47) Former governor of Alaska and Fox commentator. Not yet said whether she is standing. Would win enthusiastic backing of much of the Tea Party movement and could win the Republican nomination, but polls suggest she is a polarising figure, making winning the White House difficult. Newt Gingrich (67) The former House Speaker. Has half announced he is in the running, but no formal confirmation. Conservative, who helped organise the Republican mid-term election campaign in 1994, but is an unpredictable figure and seen as loose-lipped. Key dates in the run-up to the US presidential election 2012 Some dates are tentative as states may move up their primaries. No dates are yet confirmed for presidential and vice-presidential debates 2011 5 May First scheduled Republican candidates' debate hosted by Fox News and the Republican party in South Carolina, a key early state in the nominating process. 13 August The Iowa Republican straw poll, an important early gauge of a candidate's strength. 14 September Republican debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation in California. Former first lady Nancy Reagan is scheduled to welcome the contenders. 2012 6 February Iowa caucuses, the traditional firing gun in the race to the White House. 7 February Super Tuesday: Primaries in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Utah. Montana Republican caucuses. In 2008, Super Tuesday was a close-run thing for the Democratic candidates, with Obama winning 13 primaries (847 delegates) to Hillary Clinton's 10 (834). So there was no knockout blow and the contest dragged on until May, when Obama finally went over the top with a victory in Oregon. 14 February New Hampshire primary, traditionally the first to be held, so the date may move forward. A chance to make the early running. 6 March Minnesota caucuses. Primaries in Massachusetts, Ohio, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont, Virginia. 27 August Republican convention begins, Tampa, Florida, running to 30 August. 3 September Democratic convention begins, Charlotte, North Carolina, running to 6 September. 6 November Election day. Barack Obama US elections 2012 United States Democrats Republicans US politics Ewen MacAskill guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

'I never thought I would be a victim' Posted: 04 Apr 2011 12:30 PM PDT A detective investigating sexual assaults was devastated when he himself was raped. But he grew even more angry when police colleagues insisted on investigating the crime. Here he tells his tale anonymously I've been a police officer for two decades and a detective, specialising in serious crime and sexual offences, for 15 years. Never once in all the time I've investigated these horrific crimes has it occurred to me that one day I would be a victim; that I would be raped – and that I would refuse to help the police investigate. But a couple of weeks ago, I made a series of choices that led to me, a heterosexual man, waking up in a man's bed, trapped underneath him. Being raped. I'm still struggling to come to terms with how, despite my decades of professional experience, I made the choices that led to me being raped. At no point the evening before had I felt at risk. At no point did I think I was making a bad decision. I also never anticipated using the service the police provide to rape victims. I've always been the one asking the questions. To be on the other side of the table has been a shock – if I investigated a sexual crime now, there are things I would do differently. It's hard to accept that a couple of weeks ago everything was normal. Now everything's wrong. I had gone out with friends for a Saturday brunch. We were a small group of settled, sorted, middle-aged men, some single, some in relationships, but none of us looking to do anything other than spend some quiet leisure time together. We had a couple of beers, shared a bottle of wine over the meal, then sat around in the pub chatting and reading the papers. As the afternoon turned into evening, people began peeling off from the group. By 9.30pm, the last of my friends headed home. On a whim, I decided to stay. I'd never been in that pub before but I felt comfortable alone there. After a while, I got chatting to a group around the bar. I got the impression that they knew each other and they were a friendly lot. We talked about football, music, the state of the country. It was good, happy banter. It was the chat that goes on every night, in hundreds of pubs across the country when new people start getting to know each other. As the night wore on, the accumulation of a day's steady drinking began to back up. I was never particularly drunk, I don't think, but my memory becomes increasingly misty when I try to think back. I can't remember when I first noticed the guy who ended up assaulting me, but he stood out from the rest of the group – he was more extrovert, a bit larger than life. But he didn't do or say anything that made me feel uncomfortable – or that gave the slightest suggestion of what he would be capable of doing a few hours later. I was still in the pub at about midnight, then the next thing I remember is being in a house with the same group of about six people. I have no recollection of leaving the pub, travelling or arriving. I've racked my brain but I don't know if we walked there, or got a bus or a cab. I do have some memories from the rest of the evening, though. I remember standing in the kitchen, talking about Christina Rossetti's poem The Convent Threshold. It developed into a conversation about poetry and what we would want read at our funerals. Then my memory tails off again. I don't think my drink was spiked. I'll never know if I was drugged or not but I didn't have any of the after-effects you would expect. I didn't feel disorientated or woozy. My next memory is at about six or seven the following morning. I woke up in a bed and that guy was raping me. My first thought was: "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" The second thought was fear, channelled into self-preservation: I jumped out of bed and grabbed my clothes from the floor. It didn't occur to me to arrest him. It did not even cross my mind that I was a detective. My only thought was my personal safety. He didn't try to stop me. We didn't say a word to each other. I ran out into the street. I roughly knew the area, so I jumped on a bus heading home and started the longest journey of my life. Sitting alone on that bus was awful. My phone had died during the evening so I couldn't call anyone. I felt alone and dirty. I was very angry, disgusted, a bit scared. I needed help. I told myself what I know victims say all the time: that it was my fault for putting myself in that position. I've spent decades telling victims not to blame themselves, but now I truly understand what it means to torture yourself with "Why did I? / How could I?" thoughts. By the time I got though my front door, I had decided I didn't want to report what had happened to the police. I knew they would do a wonderful job investigating but I was thinking ahead to the trial, with me in court as the victim. I knew that anonymity at work would be impossible. Of course everyone would be sympathetic but they'd treat me differently. How could I sit there with colleagues, trying to be objective about someone else's rape if they were saying "Are you OK?" the whole time? I knew I had to make sure I was healthy. I couldn't go to a police-run sexual assault referral centre because there was a chance I would know the staff there – the attack had happened in my town. Instead, I found the public specialist clinic. It was very good: great advice, great counselling, great follow-up service. I called in sick to work for a few days after the attack, but I soon went back because I desperately needed some normality. I'm not gung-ho: I thought about what it would be like, listening to the stories of other victims and arresting perpetrators. How could I guarantee that I wouldn't suddenly break down? What if the man who raped me attacked someone else? How could I arrange for someone else to take over the investigation without it turning into a big deal? My boss was also a friend, so I decided to tell him what had happened. I was clear that I didn't want to make an official report. But he called in two other officers, opened a case file and started an investigation. I was horrified. I said I wouldn't help but they kept saying they had a duty to protect one of their own. I believe they thought they were doing the right thing, but if I'd been any other victim, my wishes would have come foremost. They perhaps felt they could put extra pressure on me because, as a copper, I didn't need the careful handling we give other victims. I was furious but dumbfounded. The strain on me was – and still is – intense. The sexual abuse team ask me to meetings where they say the same thing, again and again: "We appreciate you don't want to substantiate this allegation but what else can you give us?" Then they say they'll come back to me in a couple of weeks to see if I've changed my mind. This relentless stress means I can't start coming to terms with what's happened to me. I want to sign a closure statement that puts all this behind me. I keep telling them that I'm not refusing to co-operate to be difficult. I tell them repeatedly that I don't want to talk about it because it was horrible and I want it to go away. I want to not think about it any more. The worst thing was when they rang me late at night and told me they'd arrested a suspect. I have no idea who he was, and no idea what information the arrest was based on. I don't know whether they found someone based on what I told them when they were chipping away at me or whether they'd found CCTV film. The coercion became worse. They asked if I wanted to know his name. That made me feel as sick as on the morning it happened. They obviously hoped that personalising my attacker – giving him a name and a face – would make me change my mind. Then, of course, they had to ring me back later that same evening and tell me they were going bail the guy. They had no evidence sufficient to hold him. I guess they had two goals in seeking his arrest: either I'd crack and agree to go to court, or they could take his DNA and check it on the database to see if he matched any past complaints. My experience has led me to seriously contemplate whether I or other officers investigating similar serious sexual assaults put undue pressure on victims. Do we push victims to go through the court process? Do we do it for the right reason – because we want to fight crime – but, in doing so, not listen to what the victims are telling us? The pressure my colleagues put on me was conscious – but I think there's a risk that we do it subconsciously in other cases. That worries me deeply. Another question I've had to ask myself is why, as a police officer, I am not doing everything I can to get my attacker off the streets. But I'm a victim first and a police officer second. I'm not the first victim to decide not to press charges, and I won't be the last. Being a cop means I know the system, and it has scared me off. I know this case would be likely to end in court and, from that point, I couldn't maintain my anonymity. I couldn't cope with the added burden of being a cop as well as a victim. Do I have more sympathy and empathy with victims after what's happened to me? Without a doubt. Has it made me more cautious? Absolutely. But we're always wise after the event. That's not much good to me now. Crime Rape Police Amelia Hill guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

The history of coincidence Posted: 04 Apr 2011 12:00 PM PDT In a universe where anything can happen, most things sooner or later do 'Coincidence?" as an old friend of mine liked to say whenever one of her enemies fell down an open manhole. "I think not." We have a strange relationship with chance. Ever since the philosopher Fred Hoyle compared the likelihood of life evolving spontaneously to the chances of a tornado assembling a 747 from a junkyard, we've tended to see extreme improbability as a sign that Something Is Messing With Us. In the case of my friend, of course, that may be the case. But other instances are enough to suggest that in a universe where anything can happen, most things sooner or later do. • In 1898, a novel called Futility described an "unsinkable" ocean liner called Titan colliding with an iceberg in the North Atlantic on her maiden voyage. Just as in the case of the real-life Titanic, a catastrophic shortage of lifeboats did for Titan's passengers. • Chris Cleave's first novel, Incendiary, about a terrorist attack on London, was published on 7 July 2005. • John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, second and third presidents of the United States and lead authors of the Declaration of Independence, both died on 4 July 1826, 50 years to the day after they signed it. • That other American founding father, Mark Twain, was born on the day Halley's Comet visited in 1835 and died on the day of its return in 1910. He predicted it would see him out. • The 19th-century King Umberto I of Italy was eating in a restaurant when he noticed the owner was a near-exact physical double. It emerged that both were born on the same day, in the same town, and had married women with the same name. The restaurateur had opened his establishment on the day of Umberto's coronation. Umberto was shot dead on the day he learned the restaurateur had died in a shooting. • Park ranger Roy Cleveland Sullivan was hit by lightning seven times: in 1942, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1974 and 1977. On one occasion the lightning blew his shoe clean off. After the fourth of these strikes he became accustomed enough to having his hair on fire that he took to carrying a can of water around with him. He lived to 71, dying by his own hand after a love affair went wrong. Sam Leith's novel The Coincidence Engine is published by Bloomsbury at £12.99. History Sam Leith guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

See the Berlin Philharmonic – in 3D Posted: 04 Apr 2011 09:07 AM PDT Concert conducted by Sir Simon Rattle will be shown in 140 UK cinemas as orchestras hope the technology will raise funds When Sir Simon Rattle brought the Berlin Philharmonic to London for a series of rapturously received concerts in February, tickets rapidly disappeared. But fans who missed out will get another chance to see the acclaimed orchestra in cinemas next month, and for the first time in 3D. Britain's most celebrated conductor is aiming to reach new audiences by screening 3D concerts in hundreds of cinemas across the world, including 140 in Britain. The technology aims to give cinemagoers the sensation of not only sitting in the front rows but right among the orchestra, offering close-ups of the virtuoso players. The first film features a performance of Mahler's First Symphony and Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances, recorded in Singapore. Rattle, principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic since 2002, is hoping to replicate the success of opera, ballet and theatre in cinemas. The Metropolitan Opera in New York has reached 1,500 screens in 46 countries and last season tripled its audience, selling a record 2.4m tickets and raising $48m. The latest season looks set to earn $60m, an indication of the potential. Cineworld and Empire are among the UK cinema chains that will show the Berlin Philharmonic concert on 9 May, under the watchful eye of other orchestras. If it proves popular, such concerts could be lucrative as public funding is cut. The initial experiment is a recorded concert, but live performances are next. The concerts could also raise the profile of classical music's unsung heroes - the rank-and-file musicians overshadowed by soloists and conductors. Stanley Dodds, a violinist with the Berlin Philharmonic, spoke of his excitement: "Nothing of its kind has ever been done before. It gives the feeling of being in an orchestra. When you see the winding tubes of a horn, or a very nice old Italian violin in 3D, you feel you could touch it. You can observe the concentration and intensity of the musicians' facial expressions and body language." Kate Pidgeon, of Arts Alliance Media, said the UK film distributor had jumped at the chance to take on world-class classical music. The Berlin Philharmonic's recent concerts in London were sold out and drew rave reviews, suggesting there is a huge potential audience for classical music. She said: "If you live in Derby or Stroud, it's a big effort to trek to London for a great performance. At your local cinema, you can go to a concert for the price of a cinema ticket rather than hundreds of pounds with travel and hotels." Days after the Arts Council cut its grants to symphony orchestras, Horace Trubridge of the Musicians' Union spoke of the potential for other orchestras: "UK orchestras are on red alert for any kind of new idea that's going to help them get through this period. They are stripped to the bone in terms of their funding. The only way they're going to survive is by developing new audiences." Berlin Philharmonic 3D Arts funding Classical music Dalya Alberge guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Been there's best shots of the wild Posted: 01 Apr 2011 05:26 AM PDT Been there readers have taken March's theme, Wild, and run with it. Here are the pick of the entries

How many solicitors are there? Posted: 04 Apr 2011 08:22 AM PDT The number of solicitors are growing at four times the rate of the population - find out where they are, their ethnicity and how the numbers have changed • Get the data • Main news story The number of solicitors qualified to work in England and Wales has rocketed over the past 30 years, according to new figures from the Law Society. The number holding certificates - which excludes retired lawyers and those no longer following a legal career - are at nearly 118,000, up 36% on ten years ago. The population of England and Wales has only grown at 10% over the same period. The report, published as a PDF, gives a comprehensive view of being a solicitor today, including: • Women accounted for approaching half of all working solicitors, a significant shift in the profile of the profession since 2000 when almost two-thirds were men • Nearly three-quarters of solicitors work in private practice and a significant number, 20,245, in financial firms in the City • 58% of women gained first or upper second class degrees in law courses compared to 54.2% for men • Nearly half of all male solicitors in private practive (48.1%) are partners in law firms whereas only 21.1.% of women achieve that level The geographic split is weighted disproportionately toward the City of London - there are 1,760 solicitors for every 1,000 residents there. But apart from that anomaly, London dominates. It is also becoming a more ethnically varied profession. Around 11.1% of practising solicitors were from black and minority ethnic backgrounds, up from 10.6% the previous year - and a big change from 2001. We've extracted the data from the PDFs for you - what can you do with it? Data summary Download the data • DATA: download the full spreadsheet More data Data journalism and data visualisations from the Guardian World government data • Search the world's government data with our gateway Development and aid data • Search the world's global development data with our gateway Can you do something with this data? • Flickr Please post your visualisations and mash-ups on our Flickr group • Contact us at data@guardian.co.uk • Get the A-Z of data • More at the Datastore directory • Follow us on Twitter • Like us on Facebook Solicitors Race issues Simon Rogers guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Are you watching … Twenty Twelve? Posted: 04 Apr 2011 07:37 AM PDT BBC4's Olympics mockumentary has an athletic gag-rate – it's well worth taking for a couple of laps around the track Fans of spoof documentary have been starved of late ... unless you count The Only Way is Essex. The Office is but a happy, hazy memory now and, to my mind, The Thick of It doesn't qualify as mockumentary. It was the gloriously deadpan People Like Us, now off our screens for over a decade, which really nailed the hyper-real study of comic characters; making them zoo animals for our inspection. Nothing else has since equalled it. Until the writer of said comic masterpiece, John Morton, unsheathed his javelin wit to bring us Twenty Twelve, BBC4's excruciatingly accurate mock-doc about a fictional and completely ineffectual committee tasked with planning the London Olympics. It should be on BBC2 at 9pm on a weekday so that everyone can admire its athletic gag-rate. But it remains nestled in a digital nook for the time being. Still, that's how The Thick of It started. Some critics didn't even give Twenty Twelve a medal position, saying it lacked the teeth of a true satire. But Morton's work is a brilliantly awkward study of human idiocy rather than polemic. There has also been controversy surrounding Australian show The Games and Twenty Twelve's genesis, with Australian producers claiming the BBC nicked their ideas – something the BBC denies. But regardless of who originated the idea, the sheer quality of Morton's writing still shines. The magnificent Hugh Bonneville, now known to millions as that lord from Downton Abbey, plays Ian Fletcher, head of deliverance at the Olympic Deliverance Commission. He tries to retain control of a team of jargon-spouting idiots, clinging steadfastly to their management handbooks while totally missing the point, to great comic effect. Jessica Hynes is, in perhaps her greatest TV role to date, superb as the dead-eyed Siobhan Sharpe, a hair-flicking PR vacuum and the bane of Fletcher's life. Her every utterance conveys that dangerous combination of ignorance and total confidence. Terrific support too comes from Olivia Colman (of Peep Show and Rev fame) who communicates so much as Fletcher's lovelorn secretary with hardly any lines at all. She looks sadly at him through the glass partition, continually proffering unasked-for pastries and chocolate fridge cake. Amelia Bullmore is also flawlessly subtle as Kay Hope, head of sustainability, the woman who must find uses for every Olympic site after the games finish. She's having trouble with the taekwondo area. The show collided spectacularly with real life recently when an episode about a giant clock/public art installation set to count down to the games coincided almost to the second with the real-life Olympic clock in Trafalgar Square grinding to a halt. You can't help but compare those responsible to their dim-witted bunch TV counterparts. The cast are compelling to watch. It's a mark of great direction (Morton again) that everyone knows exactly how to play – and not overplay – a scene to exactly the same degree. Even Lord Sebastian Coe did a convincing turn as himself in one episode. Some say the subject matter is beyond parody but Morton's comedy isn't just about the ridiculous "decisions by committee" culture of government bodies. It's about the stupidity of human beings in general and can be enjoyed on so many levels because of it. With its relatively well-hidden presence on BBC Four you may not have caught it yet. Take it around the track for a couple of laps. It's the kind of brilliant, well-crafted comedy that everyone says we don't make any more. Television Julia Raeside guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Nudity on stage – but how about off? Posted: 04 Apr 2011 07:17 AM PDT A 'clothing-optional' performance in Toronto suggests theatres should reach out to non-traditional audiences – naturists included You've probably heard this piece of advice dished out to a nervous performer before: to relax, picture the audience naked. Last week, however, actors Maev Beaty and Erin Shields went one step further – and actually performed in front of a naked audience. In what may be a theatrical first, they held a special clothing-optional performance of their play Montparnasse at Toronto's Theatre Passe Muraille. "I would say the advice should probably be rewritten," Beaty joked to me over the weekend, confessing that, rather than relaxing her, all the naked flesh reflecting the footlights briefly made her self-conscious. "It was like a whitey-pink wall facing us. It was incredible." Since the end of the 1960s, nudity has been a fairly common sight on stage, from Hair to Ian McKellen's King Lear. Nudity in the audience, however, has remained the kind of thing that gets you arrested – as Pee Wee Herman learned. Thursday night's groundbreaking performance of Beaty and Shields's acclaimed two-woman show about nude life-models in 1920s Paris was the result of some creative thinking about how to get bums in seats – literally, as it turned out. Wanting to reach out beyond Toronto's usual theatre-going crowd, Groundwater Productions and Theatre Passe Muraille targeted all sorts of niche audiences: models, art students and, by programming two performances with American Sign Language interpretation, the city's deaf community. But the most unconventional idea was the brainchild of producer Gideon Arthurs: since Montparnasse is such a flesh-friendly show – the two actors are frequently nude as their characters pose for the likes of Picasso, Chagall, Pascin and Soutine – why not invite naturists to a private performance? Bare Oaks Family Naturist Park helped the theatre company out by creating a Facebook group, and soon naturists were buying tickets from as far afield as Ottawa, Ontario, and across the border in Buffalo, New York. Eventually news of the clothing-optional performance leaked out to the general public on Twitter, where many mistook it for an early April Fool's joke. "Seriously? Who's paying to steam-clean the chairs afterwards?" tweeted local dramaturge Toby Mallone aka @shksprn. (It turns out that naturists don't want to sit their naked bottoms down on dirty, public theatre seats either. "It was a BYOT event – bring your own towel," Beaty explained to me.) Judging by the comments made to the actors and online, Thursday's naturist spectators – atypical not only because they were nude, but because they were 80% male and not regular theatregoers – really appreciated being made to feel at home. And that's ultimately the lesson others independent theatre companies may want to take from Montparnasse's experiment. As the near-capacity crowd proved, reaching out to non-traditional theatregoers – nudists or not – is a smart move. What other untapped, if not necessarily undressed, groups are out there just waiting to be welcomed into the theatre? Theatre Naturism Kelly Nestruck guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

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