|  |  |  | | | | | The Guardian World News | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Surprise decision is setback for union leadership that appeared to have strong support for confrontation with Rahm Emanuel Union delegates representing striking teachers in Chicago decided on Sunday to extend their week-long strike until at least Wednesday to give them time to consult with rank-and-file members before voting to suspend the walkout. In a surprise decision, union president Karen Lewis said that some 800 delegates meeting on Sunday to review a new contract agreement negotiated with Mayor Rahm Emanuel decided that they needed more time to consider whether to go back to work. "A clear majority [of the delegates] wanted to stay out. That's why we are staying out," Lewis told a news conference after a three-hour meeting. Before the meeting, Lewis had said she would ask the delegates to suspend the strike by 29,000 teachers, school nurses and other support staff. The decision was a setback for the union leadership that had appeared to have strong support for its confrontation with Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Both sides claimed some victories in the new agreement. Emanuel compromised on the design of the first update of the evaluation system for Chicago teachers in 40 years, according to details of the agreement released by both sides. He agreed to phase in the new plan over several years and reduced the weighting of standardized test results in reviewing teachers. Teachers won some job-security protections and prevented the introduction of merit pay in their contract. The Chicago strike has shone a bright light on a fierce national debate over how to reform failing inner-city schools. The union believes that more money and resources should be given to neighborhood public schools to help them improve. Emanuel and a legion of financiers and philanthropists believe that failing schools should be closed and reopened with new staff and principals to give the students the best chance of improving academically. In Chicago, more than 80 neighborhood schools have been closed in the last decade as the enrollment has declined by about 20%. At the same time, 96 so-called charter schools have been opened. Charters are controversial because they are publicly funded but non-union and not subject to some public school rules and regulations. Their record of improving student academic performance is mixed, studies show. Lewis and the union argue that charters are undermining public education. "We work very hard," said Rhonda McLeod, a special-education teacher at a neighborhood school on Chicago's south side and one of the delegates who voted on Sunday. "To say a teacher comes in and phones it in is the biggest lie I ever heard." The agreement calls for a 3% raise this year and 2% in each of the next two years. If the agreement is extended for an optional fourth year, teachers get a 3% increase. The increases will result in an average 17.6% increase over four years, the district said. The deal could worsen the Chicago Public Schools financial crisis. Emanuel said the contract will cost $295 million over four years, or $74 million per year. Debt rating agencies had previously warned that the new agreement with teachers could bust the school district budget and lead to a downgrade of its credit rating. The district has drained all its financial reserves to cover an expected budget deficit over the next year and has levied the maximum property tax allowed by law. Lewis said that teachers also fear that when the strike ends, Emanuel will soon announce the closing of scores of schools to save money to pay for the new contract with teachers and to make room for opening more charter schools. Teachers won a concession from Emanuel that half of all teachers hired by the district must be union members laid off from school closings.
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | The author on his new memoir and the blackest period of his life Salman Rushdie is ready for his next role. "I'll be Marlon Brando in a turban," he says. His friend Deepa Mehta, who has just directed the author's adaptation of the Booker-winning novel Midnight's Children, wants Rushdie to play an ageing godfather in her new movie, set among western Canada's feuding Sikh gangs. "I really want to do it," he says. "It'll be Tarantino with brown people." It is not the first time Rushdie has been offered a menacing film role. Paul Auster asked him to play a sinister interrogator who gives Harvey Keitel the third degree in Lulu on the Bridge. Alain Robbe-Grillet urged Rushdie to play a suspicious doctor who tended to Jean-Louis Trintignant's crashed pilot in the Cambodian jungle. "Maybe they saw something evil in me," he laughs as we talk at the Bloomsbury offices of his literary agent. Rushdie turned those film roles down, but did play an approximation of himself in the 2001 movie Bridget Jones's Diary at the suggestion of novelist Helen Fielding. He was never asked to play himself in the 1990 Pakistani film International Gorillay, about jihadists who vow to kill an author called "Salman Rushdie". At the end of the film, "Rushdie" is terminated, not by jihadists, but by three large Qur'ans hanging from the sky that reduce him to dust in punishment for slurring Islam in his novel The Satanic Verses. The real Salman Rushdie played a key role in ensuring that film's UK release: Britain's film censors were set to refuse it a certificate because it was inflammatory, but Rushdie assured them he wouldn't sue for libel and so it was released. "It was a piece of crap but banning it would only have glamorised it," he says. I take a sidelong glance at Rushdie, looking for the devil in the 65-year-old writer. His goatee recalls venal drug kingpin Fernando Rey's in The French Connection. His eyelids still droop slightly despite an operation for ptosis a few years ago and his eyebrows point diagonally to the bridge of his nose. He could use these natural assets to make himself look diabolical, but not today. We are meeting to discuss Rushdie's longest-running role, his 13-year performance as a character called Joseph Anton. This was the pseudonym he took after going into hiding following the fatwa declared upon him by Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini on Valentine's Day 1989. His protection officers suggested he choose another name to increase his security when he turned up at a new home (though being flanked by four armed men in bulletproof Jaguars usually did the trick). "Probably better not to make it an Indian name," counselled his minder Stan. And so, Rushdie writes, he became "an invisible man in a whiteface mask". Joseph was Conrad's first name, Anton was Chekhov's. He was Mr Anton until March 27 2002, when the police Jaguars finally drove out of his life for the last time. That pseudonym now supplies the title for his new 636-page memoir. Why would he want to revisit those years? During that time his first wife Clarissa died of cancer, his second and third marriages broke up, his fourth was shaky, his Japanese editor was murdered, his Norwegian publisher shot, his Italian translator stabbed, hundreds died in riots protesting against his novel, his books were burned from Bradford to Islamabad, he did things that still make him burn with shame and he found that writers he admired such as John Berger and John Le Carré, both writing in the Guardian, attacked him for not withdrawing the novel. "For a long time I didn't want to write this because I felt it would be too upsetting. But writing it actually wasn't." But why write it at all? Surely memoir is the basest of literary genres, where scores are unedifyingly settled. Rushdie demurs: "Well, I didn't want to write 600 pages of getting even. I thought I would try to be as understanding as possible to everybody else and as rough as possible on myself. I decided not to varnish stuff." Rushdie isn't, to my mind, only rough on himself. His second wife, the novelist Marianne Wiggins, surely will not enjoy reading the passages in which Rushdie presents her as delusional. She becomes, if the memoir is to be believed, an undermining presence during Rushdie's adversity, giving an interview in which she calls him weak and vain. The couple divorced in 1993. It is hard not to read these passages in Joseph Anton as belated payback. Did he show Marianne the manuscript? "No, she can buy a copy," he says. By contrast, his third and fourth wives, Elizabeth West and Padma Lakshmi, were consulted about the book, as was his son Zafar whose mother Clarissa (Rushdie's first wife) died during the fatwa years. "Elizabeth was one of the first readers of the book and, after correcting some passages, she signed off on it." She signed off, presumably, on the delicious scene in a New York room in which she meets Padma Lakshmi, who would become Rushdie's next wife, and eviscerates the Indian supermodel, TV chef and actor in ripe language that her husband was surprised she could use so eloquently. Lakshmi, from whom he was divorced in 2007 after three years of marriage said, according to Rushdie: "Just tell me what's in the book so I don't get blindsided." The fourth Mrs Rushdie will not like the passage in which he watches her "pose and pirouette" for the paparazzi outside a Vanity Fair dinner in Hollywood. "She's having sex," Rushdie writes, "sex with hundreds of men at the same time and they don't even get to touch her, there's no way an actual man can compete with that." If he is rough on himself, it is for becoming briefly, as he puts it, "a dentist's zombie". On Christmas Eve 1990, at the behest of six Muslim scholars whom he had agreed to meet at Paddington Green police station, he signed a paper saying he had intended no offence to Islam and re-embraced the religion. The man who brokered this meeting, Harley Street dentist Hesham el-Essawy sought to return Rushdie to the faith into which he had been born in Bombay in 1947. Soon after that meeting he wrote an article called "Why I am a Muslim" for The Times. "I am certainly not a good Muslim," he wrote then. "But I am able now to say that I am Muslim; in fact it is a source of happiness to say that I am now inside, and a part of, the community whose values have always been closest to my heart." "I was physically sick after that," he recalls. "I felt I had lost my mind. Reading through my journals of that time, I see it was the blackest period. I became the dentist's zombie, thinking he was giving me [spiritual] Novocain. But everybody who loved me told me I was insane." He remembers his sister, Sameen, ringing him from across London after she heard of her brother's abject and futile attempt to appease. "She said: 'I don't fucking believe it. Have you lost your mind?' The problem was I had acted alone, without consulting my supportive friends and family." He doesn't entirely regret his temporary zombification. "It was hitting the bottom and one of the benefits of hitting bottom is you know where the bottom is." He would never succumb to such approaches again. Instead he repudiated his supposed faith, setting himself selfconsciously in the tradition of writers such as Osip Mandelstam and Federico García Lorca who stood up to tyrants. He describes himself today as "a profoundly irreligious man" and "of the Hitchens camp" (his late friend Christopher Hitchens, wrote the bestseller God is Not Great). In Joseph Anton, Rushdie argues that there is a need for blasphemy: "The writers of the French enlightenment had deliberately used blasphemy as a weapon, refusing to accept the power of the Church to set limiting points on thought." He stands in that tradition, though it is Muslim mullahs rather than Christian clerics whose power he contests. At the start of Joseph Anton, Rushdie recalls what he said on US TV the day he received the Ayatollah's unfunny Valentine. "I wish I'd written a more critical book," he told CBS, adding that he did not feel his book was especially critical of Islam, but that a religion whose leaders behaved in this way could probably do with a little criticism. "I'm proud of myself for saying that in deep shock," he says. So if you redrafted The Satanic Verses today, knowing the miseries the fatwa caused you, you'd have written something even more critical of Islam? "Definitely. Oh yes. But The Satanic Verses isn't – or is not only – about Islam. It deals with the origin story of religion, closely following Islam. It's about the nature of revelation, about the seeing of visions. There are close parallels between Joan of Arc and St John the Divine's revelations and Muhammad's descriptions of seeing the Angel Gabriel. It seems to me that's a subjective reality, not an objective one. If you'd been standing with Muhammad would you have seen this big angel? Probably not, but at the same time Muhammad was not making up what he saw. For him it's not a fiction. That's interesting to write about." He also found it interesting to write about the moment Muhammad was seduced by the devil. The satanic verses of Rushdie's novel were those Muhammad believed were dictated to him by the angel Gabriel. They said that the pagan goddesses worshipped in Mecca "are exalted females whose intercession is to be desired" – a contradiction of nascent monotheistic Islamic orthodoxy. Only later did Muhammad repudiate these verses, argues Rushdie, saying he was deceived by the devil, disguised as the archangel. into believing them. As a history undergraduate at Cambridge, 20 years before he wrote The Satanic Verses, Rushdie had written about this historical Muhammad and wondered why 1,400 years ago the prophet temporarily accepted the first false revelation as true. One possible answer, Rushdie argued, following certain western scholars of Islam, was that Muhammad was a political figure who, briefly, realised that his shaky Mecca power base could be made more secure if the monotheistic religion he founded could make accommodations with followers of then-popular pagan deities. But this makes the founder of Islam look more like canny politician than divine vessel, a seeming slur on Islam at the moment of its birth. Worse yet, in Rushdie's novel the tempted prophet is called Mahound, a derogatory name used by crusaders. For many Muslims Rushdie was attacking their religion and mocking its prophet. "I don't mock Muhammad," says Rushdie. "I treat him as someone who behaved pretty well. When he came back to Mecca in triumph he didn't kill many people." At the end of Joseph Anton, Rushdie writes that he is not sure if the battle over The Satanic Verses ended in victory or defeat. Why not? "Well, the book is still in print and the author wasn't suppressed so it was a victory in that sense. But the fear and menaces have grown." That is an understatement. We are meeting on Friday after the murder of the US ambassador to Libya and as many Muslims spend their holy day attacking western embassies across north Africa and beyond, in protest at a film, the Innocence of Muslims, that slurs Islam. "The film is clearly a malevolent piece of garbage," says Rushdie. "The civilised response would be to say of the director: 'Fuck him. Let's get on with our day.' What's not civilised is to hold America responsible for everything that happens in its borders. That's crap. Even if that were true, to respond with physical attacks and believe it's OK to attack people because you're upset at this thing, that's an improper reaction. The Muslim world needs to get out of that mindset." He doubts it will. The downside of the Arab spring for him is the rise of Salafism. "That extremist form of Islam has risen since the Arab Spring in those countries where there were revolutions." Worse yet, western liberals have bent the knee to the sensibilities of the most extreme Muslims, he argues. If Rushdie presented the manuscript of a new novel more critical of Islam than The Satanic Verses to his agent today would he be able to sell it? "Probably not." He cites as a case in point Channel 4's decision last week to cancel a screening at its London HQ of Islam: The Untold History, following complaints and online threats to its presenter, the historian Tom Holland. It is a programme that examines the origins of the religion from much the same historicising perspective as that which interested Rushdie. "The refrain is: 'Oh dear, Muslims might be angry and we must respect them.' Not true. When people do the cowardly thing, it's not about respect, it's about fear." That's debatable, but what is certainly true is that Channel 4 has not wholly bent the knee: Holland's series can still be viewed online on Channel 4OD. The west, Rushdie argues in Joseph Anton, is partly responsible for the rise of Islamic fundamentalism. Why? "The west was involved in toppling the Mossadegh government. That ultimately led to the Iranian revolution. That's one part." Another part is the west's support for the House of Saud. He writes: "To place the House of Saud on the Throne that Sits Over the Oil might well look like the greatest foreign policy error of the Western powers, because the Sauds had used their unlimited oil wealth to build schools (madrassas) to propagate the extremist, puritanical ideology of their beloved (and previously marginal) Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, and as a result Wahhabism had grown from its tiny cult origins to overrun the Arab world. Its rise gave confidence and energy to other Islamic extremists.'" But not entirely the west's fault? "A certain part of what's happened in the Muslim world you would have to describe as a self-inflicted wound. When I was a boy I was told of the great cities of Beirut, Baghdad and Tehran. They were sophisticated, beautiful places where different cultures mixed. In my lifetime, they've gone from that to being disaster zones." Recently, he visited the reopened Islamic wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. "There was stuff of heartstopping beauty – treasures, jewellery, plates. So many wonderful things. The problem is it [Islam] has developed into a narrow ideology. Islam won't produce such jewels this century." Rushdie has lived for the past decade in New York, though he maintains a home in London. Did you lure Martin Amis from London to Brooklyn? "No. Both of us live there because we love it. Ian [McEwan] says he's feeling lonely." One thing that thrills him about living in the States is how immigrant writers are revivifying its literary culture, in a way that – perhaps – he and others did in Britain a few decades ago. "American literature has always been immigrant." Now, he says, writers such as the Chinese-born Yiyun Li and Dominican-born Junot Díaz are making American literature unprecedentedly rich. "Its literature has never reached so far, into as many different worlds." So who does he admire among this rain-soaked dime of a country's writers? "David Mitchell. I think he's just such an extraordinary talent with the ability to write so many different novels. Zadie's new book [he means Zadie Smith's NW] looks like a return to White Teeth territory so I'm looking forward to reading it." Are you writing? He points to the hulking tome Joseph Anton: "I've just written 600 pages. Give me a break." He prefers to talk about the film of Midnight's Children which opens at the London Film Festival next month. It has received lukewarm reviews, I say. "Including, a nasty piece in the Guardian," says Rushdie. Catherine Shoard's two-star review was, I submit, not nasty, though it did portray Rushdie, who adapted, executive produced and did the film's narrative voiceover, as quite controlling. Is he? "All I can say is that the Toronto audience gave it a standing ovation." It has been a long time coming: he once wrote a script for a BBC TV dramatisation that was never made and the movie shoot was delayed for several days after the Iranian foreign minister appealed to Sri Lanka not to permit filming. The last time I interviewed Rushdie was in Miami in 2008. He was 25 days into a 29-city US book tour to promote The Enchantress of Florence. In the parking lot outside there were three police cruisers. Just in case. Today, as he steps out into London's evening sunshine to get a cab to his launch party, there are no cops, armed or otherwise, to be seen. It has been like that in Britain for 10 years, ever since his minders revoked his membership of the Level One Club. Before, that club had three members all of whom required 24/7 protection: the queen, the prime minister and a certain Mr Anton. "Then in 2002, I dropped to level three or four, and basically then you look after yourself." Tonight, he is a free man. He aims to play that part for the rest of his life. • Joseph Anton is published by Jonathan Cape tomorrow at £25. To order a copy for £20 with free p&p go to guardian.co.uk/bookshop or call 0330 3336846 Comments will be opening on this article in the morning.
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Rolling report: Live coverage of New York Jets vs Pittsburgh Steelers in NFL Week Two
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Pro-democracy campaigner will be awarded Congressional Gold Medal during 18-day trip that includes Washington and New York Aung San Suu Kyi, the pro-democracy campaigner who was elected to the Burmese parliament earlier this year, flew out of Yangon on Sunday ahead of her first visit to the US for two decades. Due to arrive on Monday, the 18-day tour will be the latest round of her extraordinary return to the international stage since she was released from house arrest in 2010. It follows her visit to Europe earlier this year when she received the Nobel peace prize some 21 years after it was awarded to her. The US trip begins in Washington where she will meet a number of senior administration officials including President Obama. She will also be bestowed with the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honour of the US Congress. Suu Kyi, 67, will visit Burma ex-pat communities in San Francisco and New York, where she lived for two years in the late 1960s working at the UN. While the visit is being billed as a celebration of both Suu Kyi's life and of the opening up of Burma under the reformist government of President Thein Sein, the trip will not be without its diplomatic sensitivities. The Burmese president is himself to make his first visit to the US later this month to attend the annual UN general assembly, and there have been suggestions that by preceding him Suu Kyi could over shadow his arrival. There is also the delicate issue of the Rohingya Muslims in the west of the country who have been left in a state of limbo as they are unrecognized as citizens by the Burmese regime but unwelcome also in neighbouring countries. Suu Kyi has so far failed to take a strong line over their plight. The US ban on all imports from Burma imposed in protest at the human rights abuses of the regime remains in place, but as the military junta's political grip has gradually loosened in the country Washington has responded by allowing American companies to invest in the country.
 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Union delegates working on negotiations through the weekend say students could return to class after week of strikes Union delegates representing striking teachers in Chicago will meet Sunday to decide if they are to accept new concessions over a contract dispute and resume classes in the nation's third-largest school district. Negotiators met all day Saturday to put the finishing touches on a new contract for the 29,000 teachers, nurses and other support staff, and hope to have legal language to present to some 800 union delegates meeting at 3pm local time on Sunday. Union president Karen Lewis said that if all goes well she will ask the delegates to vote to call off the strike against the school district, which began on 10 September and kept 350,000 students out of school. "We believe this is a good contract, however, no contract will solve all of the inequities in our district," Lewis said in a statement posted on the union website late on Saturday. The union cautioned that the delegates could decide to delay a decision while they consult with rank-and-file union members. Thousands of teachers demonstrated in Chicago on Saturday to underscore their demand for a new contract. The confrontation between the union and Mayor Rahm Emanuel has boosted the weakened US labour movement and opened a rift within the US Democratic party. Emanuel was quick to scotch speculation on Saturday that he retreated from some demands at the behest of the White House. Emanuel is a former top White House aide to President Barack Obama and a fundraiser for the president's re-election effort. Democrats are heavily dependent on labor union support, especially in getting out the vote in the 6 November elections. "There was no pressure, and no pressure would have worked, because they know that the mayor firmly believes that what we are doing to reform and improve our schools is the right thing," Emanuel's spokeswoman Sarah Hamilton said. Emanuel compromised on the design of the first update of the evaluation system for Chicago teachers in 40 years. He agreed to phase in the new plan over several years and reduced the weighting of standardized test results in reviewing teachers. The Chicago dispute has shone a bright light on a fierce national debate over how to reform failing inner-city schools. The union believes that more money and resources should be given to neighborhood public schools to help them improve. Emanuel and a legion of financiers and philanthropists believe that failing schools should be closed and reopened with new staff and principals to give the students the best chance of improving academically. In Chicago, more than 80 neighborhood schools have been closed in the last decade as the enrollment has declined by about 20%. At the same time, 96 so-called charter schools have been opened. Charters are controversial because they are publicly funded but non-union and not subject to some public school rules and regulations. Their record of improving student academic performance is mixed, studies show. Lewis and the union argue that charters are undermining public education. "We work very hard," said Rhonda McLeod, a special education teacher at a neighbourhood school on Chicago's south side, and one of the delegates who will vote whether to end the strike on Sunday. "To say a teacher comes in and phones it in is the biggest lie I ever heard." The agreement the union will vote on Sunday is expected to give the teachers a 16% wage rise over four years along with some benefit improvements. The deal could put Emanuel in a difficult position as the Chicago Public Schools face a financial crisis. The district has drained all its financial reserves to cover an expected budget deficit over the next year and has levied the maximum property tax allowed by law. Debt rating agencies have warned that the new agreement with teachers could bust the school district budget and lead to a downgrade of its credit rating. Teachers also fear that once the strike is called off, Emanuel will announce the closing of scores of schools to save money to pay for the agreement with teachers and to make room for opening more charters.
 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Inning by inning report: The New York Yankees face the Tampa Bay Rays in an AL East showdown. Follow along with Hunter Felt
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Yannis Stournaras hails trust between Greece and partners over €31.5bn aid instalment Greece, the country long at the epicentre of Europe's economic crisis, has "turned a corner" said its finance minister Yannis Stournaras on Sunday after international lenders gave their strongest signal yet that the debt-stricken nation would be given more time to meet repayment targets. Following an informal summit of eurozone finance ministers in Cyprus, Stournaras insisted he was "more optimistic" about Greece's prospects, even though it remains in a race against time to meet the onerous conditions that would unlock the rescue loans to keep bankruptcy at bay. "I am more optimistic ... we have turned the corner. There is more trust between us and our partners but we still have a long way to go," Stournaras told the Guardian. "We have to have cleared up everything in the next two weeks so that everything can be put on the table at the [next] euro group meeting on October 8. If we can't clear everything there can be no agreement," he said referring to the €31.5bn (£25.5m) aid instalment Athens has been attempting to win since July. Asked if relations had improved between Greece and Germany – ties that have been unusually stormy since the outbreak of the crisis in late 2009 – the Oxford-trained economist was unequivocal. "There is a better chemistry in relations between Greece and Germany. That is what I feel, but they [the Germans] have to be asked as well." Stournaras made the comments as euro zone fiscal diehards appeared to cut the country some slack saying they would yield to Athens' demand for more time to apply a gruelling fiscal adjustment programme. In an interview published in Sunday's edition of the Oesterreich paper, the Austrian finance minister, Maria Fekter, said Greece would be given more time to meet deficit reduction targets although she made clear the payment extension would not mean more money being injected into the €240bn EU-IMF-sponsored bailout already agreed with Athens. "We are still awaiting the troika report," Fekter said of the assessment of Greece's fiscal progress that debt auditors are expected to deliver in October. "And Greece still has to get some things on track but we will achieve a cost-neutral extension." However, in a separate interview with Dutch newspaper Der Standard, Fekter suggested Greece might only receive "a few more weeks time". The Troika report – a quarterly review of the headway the country has made in meeting the terms of its international rescue package – is crucial to releasing funds to recapitalise Greek banks and the cash-starved Greek economy. Conservative prime minister, Antonis Samaras, has repeatedly appealed for a two-year extension of the deficit-reducing programme, arguing that this would not only give Greece more time to narrow its spending gap but the leeway to enforce long overdue structural reforms deemed vital to improving the country's competitiveness. Austria, one of the loudest critics of Greek foot-dragging, had previously said the nation risked exiting the euro zone as a result of its failure to meet commitments. Fekter's change of heart reflects the shift in attitude in Europe at large, with the continent's policy makers now calculating that a confrontation with Athens would likely backfire as Samaras' fragile coalition attempts to muster the necessary support for a new round of budget cuts worth nearly €12bn. After years of putting austerity policies first – measures that in Greece's case have seen the economy contract by nearly 20% over the last three years amid soaring unemployment and poverty rates – EU governments are tilting increasingly towards favouring growth over belt-tightening, a shift inaugurated with the June election of socialist president François Hollande in France. Their latest concession comes despite Stournaras's inability to present counterparts with breakdown of the cuts – demanded in return for aid by creditors – following infighting in the three-party alliance over the measures. But hardening his anti-bailout stance, Greece's main opposition leader, Alexis Tsipras, said the government was "dangerously deluded" if it believed the extension would offer relief to the country. The head of the radical left Syriza party vowed on Sunday to step up opposition to cuts, which he said would once again fall on society's most vulnerable. Calling for the international rescue package to be immediately annulled Tsipras said: "The slippery road towards catastrophe must be stopped now." "Our first concern is that society puts up a fight so that measures worth €11.6bn are neither passed nor implemented," he told reporters in Thessaloniki where Greece's annual international trade fair is taking place. Tsipras argued that the three-month coalition should step down for failing to live up to pre-election pledges to abolish the loss of further benefits, pay and pension cuts – instead insisting on an "absurd fiscal policy" that relied on foreign aid injections to keep the economy afloat. "From being a guinea pig where the most extreme model of neo-liberalism is imposed, Greece can become a leader in progressive solutions on a pan-European level," said the leftist, without explaining what those solutions could be.
 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Jermain Defoe scored twice to give Tottenham Hotspur a comfortable 3-1 victory over Reading, André Villas-Boas's first as Spurs' manager
• See a gallery of photographs from the game Good afternoon and profound thanks to the scamp who lit the fuse by writing "relegation six-pointer" in the intro before withdrawing to a discreet distance. Yes, I know those media people looking for a fresh angle after the weekend's PL results delivered few dramatic talking points are keeping a close eye on this one in case the AVB "crisis" talk makes a front-page splash should Tottenham lose today but I can't see Daniel Levy doing anything rash after the club changed tack in the summer. He seems far more the type to plan, mull and then strike rather than act in haste to me. He believes patience brings far more rewards than impetuosity. Looking back at the Premier League head-to-heads at the Madejski – a 1-0 Spurs victory in May 2008, a 3-1 win for the Royals in November 2006 – the thing that stands out most from the earlier game (apart from a Spurs midfield of Lennon, Jenas, Zokora and Ghaly [I'd forgotten entirely about Ghaly]) is just how many players Reading have sold for more than £1m since their relegation. By my reckoning they've sold Dave Kitson, Nicky Shorey, Ibrahima Sonko, Emerse Fae, André Bikey, Stephen Hunt, Kevin Doyle, Marek Matejovsky, Shane Long, Matt Mills, and most pertinently today, Gylfi Sigurdsson. By the time they won promotion back to this league in the summer, that income plus parachute payments must have meant the club didn't need much in the way of subsidy from the owner, which is a round about way of saying Steve Coppell's legacy has sustained the club long after his departure. Holiday and cricket duties means I've seen these two only once each for the full 90 minutes this season though I saw loads of Reading's promotion campaign. I though Spurs, in spells, and particularly the first half of the first half against Newcastle in their first match looked dangerous, with Sigurdsson and Bale, in particular, a threat. They simply ran out of breath after playing such a high tempo, fortune, to a certain extent, and striking options. Reading impressed me against Chelsea and if Alex Pearce had headed in Ian Harte's free kick to make it 3-1 before half time I think they would have held on to win – in the end it took an offside goal and a sucker-punch with their keeper up in the Chelsea box desperately looking for an equaliser to make it a 4-2 defeat. Team news:
Reading: McCarthy; Gunter, Pearce, Gorkss, Harte; McCleary, Leigertwood, Karacan, Guthrie, McAnuff; Pogrebnyak.
Subs: Taylor, Shorey, Mariappa, Le Fondre, Hunt, Robson-Kanu, Cummings.
Tottenham: Friedel; Walker, Vertonghen, Gallas, Naughton;
Sandro, Dembele; Lennon, Sigurdsson, Bale; Defoe.
Subs: Lloris, Dempsey, Huddlestone, Adebayor, Dawson, Townsend, Caulker.
Referee: Howard Webb (S Yorkshire) Team news: Kyle Naughton at left back. BAE is injured but I can't remember seeing him play on that flank but Danny Rose is out on loan. Seems odd to me that he isn't going to start with Adebayor if he's looking for Sigurdsson and/or Dembele to make support runs into the box and Dempsey is also made to wait. Here's Rob Moline: "Saw that 'relegation six-pointer' and arched an eyebrow, a la Roger Moore (in the crap Bond movies). Regarding your intro, I see Daniel Levy as an incurable negotiator. He's brilliant at getting top dollar for players he sells, but sometimes it seems the excitement of the deal overcomes common sense. Like when he sold Berbatov and Keane out from under Juande Ramos on the last day of the transfer window that time. Got 50 million quid right enough; but then a couple of weeks later Spurs were deep in the relegation battle and he was forced to sack a totally disillusioned and no-longer-trying manager. So for my money drives Levy; not patience as you suggest." I see your point, Rob, but I think it's the deal and winning the deal or being seen to have won the negotiations that drives him, screaming, as it were, "no one makes a mug of Daniel Levy" to the big boys in the playground. Maybe Benoit Assou-Ekotto isn't injured: He posted one of his rare tweets four hours ago which didn't suggest knack of any kind: "Today is the day...cant imagine as. We loose. COYSsssssssssssssssssss. LOL," he wrote. Why the LOL? And of COYS - well YNWA has just been played and met with a fine reception by both teams' fans. Simon McMahon writes: "Afternoon Rob. Two of the more interesting and likeable managers in British and European football on show today. Hoping for a game to match. After all yesterday's shenanigans about handshakes, should be one for the romantics." "Dembélé could be better than Modric," says Glenn Hoddle. He has a greater impact on the game, apparently. "Re: Levy," writes Gary Naylor. "The Society of Great Football Club Administrators could hold their AGM in a phonebox couldn't they? That player (was it Len Shackelton?) who left the famous blank page in his biography wasn't wrong was he?" It was him, Gary, the Clown Prince. And he wasn't far wrong. Alex McCarthy's PL debut means Federici's been dropped after a couple of mistakes. We had him on loan at Leeds last year and he was very secure. Reminded me a bit of Tim Krul. 1 min: What on earth are Spurs wearing, a black and silver Blackburn Rovers tribute? Any how, Naughton makes some progress up the left, linking with Bale, before centring to Walker who has Lennon outside him but shoots from 25 yards, the ball flying several yards over the bar. 3 min: McCleary launches Reading's first attack up the right flank but can't find Pogrebnyak and Friedel snuffs out the cross. 5 min: Double save from McCarthy when Bale shoots from a free-kick 20-plus yards out, pushing it wide and then getting up quickly when Sigurdsson latches on to the rebound and battering it away. They look very loose at the back, Reading. 7 min: "As they said in the 60s, Clapton is God," writes Mike Wilner. "I say Modric is Clapton. If Dembele is better than Modric, well, finish the equation..." Lennon is Ringo? Tottenham look patient and very comfortable in possession, trying to establish a bridgehead up their right flank to get Lennon running at Harte with Walker ready to bomb on outside. 10 min: Short break while boots and the wrong colour shin pad support tape are changed ends with the re-start and within a few seconds Vertonghen gives away a free kick. When the ball is played into the box to the far post, up goes to challenge. Kyle Walker or his doppelganger I didn't see who's swinging arm knocks it off the head of the Reading attacker but the ref says he was pushed and the evidence supports him. 14 min: Sorry - have just had a couple of technical stoppages, the TV feed freezing then having to reboot this programme. Naughton again does well up the left, going past Gunter and swinging in his cross that goes over the box and Lennon had not read it, letting it roll beyond him and out. GOAL!! Reading 0-1 Spurs (Defoe) Excellent pass splits Ian Harte and Kaspers Gorkss and Lennon had made the run on the outside of Harte into space. He picks it up and taps it back on the run to Defoe who has run three yards or so into the box and he clips his firm finish under McCarthy's dive. 19 min: Reading's defending and communication among the back four and Leigertwood and Karacan is making this easy for Tottenham who are exploiting the space down the inside forward channels and on the outside of the full-backs with some excellent passing and intelligent running from Defoe, Lennon and Bale. 22 min: McCleary speeds past Bale but Naughton is not going to let him past and clips his heels. Free kick to the right of the box whipped in by Harte without the bend he intended to reach the far post run of Pearce who has to improvise and in doing so makes a defensive clearance away from goal. Spurs break quickly, Defoe running through the middle and chances his arm with a shot off the outside of his boot that flies wide. 25 min: Sam provides this thought for the MBM merchandise department: "Thought for a T-shirt: 'Half 11 at night (in HK) and all I've got is this lousy minute by minute (debatable) match report'." That'll have Superdry quaking, Sam. It's that slow When the Spurs go Marching In drowning out the Reading fans who have been silenced by their side's tentative performance, sitting back and ceding ground. . 27 min: Reading have had a better few minutes using the time they've won to play it across the back four then up to McAnuff who gets picked off after a surge forward, Walker and Sandro winning it off him. 29 min: It's been a bit meh since Defoe spurned his second chance. "Surely Parker is Ringo, unshowy but vital to maintain the tempo and noticeable when absent," writes David Wall. Who's George then? 31 min: McCarthy was just about to get his first PL assist with some awful, leaden footed control, letting Defoe take the ball wide and he had to go after him leaving an empty goal. When Defoe, though, turned and pulled the ball back after getting to the touchline, Reading had got two men back and Sigurdsson's scuffed shot was blocked on the line. 33 min: The final ball lets Tottenham down after Sandro and Walker combine up the right, Defoe switching with Lennon and drawing Gorkss out with him. It created some space between Harte and Pearce but the pass to free Walker was too firm. 35 min: Oh dear, Reading's bag of cement approach to trapping the ball is gifting Tottenham chances and momentum. Ian Harte, under little pressure, 35 yards from his own goal, fumbles his attempt to kill a pass and lets in Defoe for a a run on goal. He has only punished such lax basics once so far and wasted three more openings but he will score again if Reading don't get a grip. 38 min: But you can't count Reading out and they almost strike back having made headway up the right through McAnuff. It's as if they need a half-time spot of counselling to address their nerves. It's only 1-0 and should be retrievable. 41 min: Jermain Defoe is not having the confidence problems seeming to affect Reading, shooting again when gifted a half-chance from 25 yards. Nothing wrong with his self-belief but there's a little bit wrong with his accuracy. 43 min: Here's a gallery of match pics for you to peruse. Gorkss is let down by his team-mates up front from Guthrie's corner. He stayed up when it broke down but when he won it and attempted to tee up one, any, of his team-mates by guiding the ball towards the penalty spot, no one anticipated it and made a run to meet him. 45 min: This has been Tottenham's half by a country mile but Reading's hope must be that they're only 1-0 down and can't be as poor again. Half time: Reading 0-1 Tottenham "Your scamp doesn't know what a six-pointer is," writes Paul Scott. "The teams have to be exactly 3pts apart for it to apply. Excluding draws either an equality or the maximum 6pt difference will be achieved. Otherwise every game is a six pointer entirely devaluing it's true definition." Fair point Paul but they key word for the Arsenal fan behind it was "relegation". For those of you asking for goal descriptions, I'm afraid it's the same old story. Refresh the page. "Tottenham are more Kinks than Beatles, no?" writes Simon McMahon. "And on their first half performance Reading are Freddie and the Dreamers." Spurs as The Kinks suggests a mixture of infighting and genius … 46 min: Reading make a switch with Le Fondre coming on for Herbert von Karacan. Guthrie drops back into the centre of midfield. 47 min: And Reading begin with far more attacking intent, moving McAnuff wider and allowing Harte forward. The left-back takes the ball off the winger, checks inside and fires in a right-foot cross from the left that only just eludes ALF's head on the dive. 49 min: Vertonghen goes on a marauding run up the left on the diagonaland into the box past Sigurdsson. he lays the ball off to the Icelander and screams for it back but Sigurdsson switches to the other side and tries to find Lennon's run into the box from the right but overhits his pass. 51 min: If Lennon could just assess the best option open to him when he has the ball and beats the full-back, he would be world class. Bale gives him grief for failing to find him having done 95% of his job right then wasting all his effort with a dreadful final ball. 53 min: "Surely AVB is George," writes Matt Dony. "A little bit cryptic, a little bit in awe of the talent he works with (less applicable since Modric went), frustrated that he doesn't get the credit he feels he deserves, and he's capable of the odd piece of sublime genius. Here comes the son of Mourinho." Good interplay from Dembele and Sigurdsson again using one of the inside forward channels, this one the left, to trouble Reading. Dembele takes the ball 20 yards with his left, dinks it to Sigurdsson then gets it back when the shot is blocked but can't get enough power on the angle to drive his shot underneath McCarthy's dive. 55 min: Free kick to Reading on the left taken by Harte who booms it way beyond the back post and on to Gorkss's head but Spurs have enough players back to squeeze the danger away. 58 min: Defoe and Lennon pinball the ball in from the right touchline between them with the centre-forward pinging it past Harte for Lennon's run into the box. He crosses but Gorkss reads it and slides in to clear behind for a corner. 61 min: "It's early season yet," writes Gary Naylor. "But we'll be lucky to see anything as magnificently conceived and executed as Peter Odemwingie's tribute yesterday to Father Ted's kicking of Bishop Brennan up the arse. I'm not sure exactly how many times Match of the Day replayed the incident, but it wasn't enough." Len Brennan. Perhaps Riether will remember when he is about to meet the pope. 65 min: One would suspect that AVB is getting a wee bit twitchy now because Reading have been seizing some of the initiative and look to have found, in Le Fondre, the type of direct running that always causes problems. And he might get even more unsettled by Defoe just wasting another golden chance, leaning back and spooning his shot from the cut-back 15 yards out over the bar. 68 min: "Hi Rob," writes Russell Child, extraordinarily. "Been supporting Spurs for nearly 50 years. First time I've fancied the manager." "Gorgeous" George will be mortified but expect it. Reading are making some inroads but they can't find the killer ball. I have to say that Tottenham, too, are defending OK. GOAL!! Reading 0-2 Tottenham (Bale) Made by Kyle Walker. Standing stock still on the corner of the penalty box, doing a couple of step-overs then sprinting down the right wing and pulling it back to Bale stationed just past the spot and the Welshman buried it. GOAL!! Reading 0-3 Tottenham (Defoe) Now that was special, the ball played over the top. He took it on the run, drifted left past Gorkss and spanked an excellent shot back across the are and into the net. 75 min: I don't really get why Reading were so anxious at the start which gave Tottenham the initiative. They established their superiority and cashed in and given the chances created this should be a more devastating defeat for the hosts. Tom Huddlestone is on for Sigurdsson, Clint Dempsey makes his debut (wearing the No2 shirt) and replaces Gareth Bale. 78 min: Spurs are just passing it around, Martin Tyler wryly pointing out their mix of Belgians and Sheffielders involved in the move. 80 min: Reading enjoy a spell of possession, non-threatening keep-ball played along the ground and among the defence and midfield. Spurs are happy to back off but know the forward ball will be the key and mark tight so that when it is finally chipped up to Pogrebnyak, Vertonghen is live to it and steps up to nick it off the Russian and clear upfield. 82 min: Two Reading substitutions. Robson-Kanu for Guthrie. Noel Hunt for Pogrebnyak. 84 min: Huddlestone slips a quarter-back 40-yard zinger of a pass from left-half to outside right. Lennon feeds Defoe with a short, horizontal pass but Pearce smothers his turn towards the box and he has to retreat. 86 min: Reading eke out a pair of chances through Le Fondre on the right of the box, slipping his man and hitting Reading's first shot on target all game, the rebound blocked on the line by Vertonghen. Lennon goes off, Townsend on for Tottenham. 88 min: The game is petering out. Tottenham getting ready to celebrate – as AVB has done very conspicuously and understandably for each of the goals, going off on a touchline run and fist-pump. GOAL!! Reading 1-3 Tottenham (Robson-Kanu) The one time Naughton has failed to block the run on the right all game and Le Fondre loops a long diagonal cross to the far post, way over the head of the back pedalling Friedel. Robson-Kanu doesn't give it up and hooks it in from inches past the far post with a leap and a steered finish. 90 min: Great work between Dempsey and Townsend, shuttling the ball between themselves as they run upfield from the centre circle and when Townsend snakes right the American finds him. He spots Defoe by the penalty spot and chips it up to the centre-forward who pivots and smashes his hat-trick opportunity high. From the re-start Reading score. 90 min+2: Reading appeal for a penalty from a corner they shouldn't have been given when Gallas looks to have tripped Le Fondre but the referee doesn't give it and then calls time. Full time: Deserved win by Tottenham but Reading didn't really challenge them from the kick-off and though they improved in the second-half it was like a cakewalk at times. "Spurs have had an awful lot of joy down Ian Harte's side today and they'll doubtless not be the last," writes Patrick Wills. "Surely McDermott must be wondering whether Harte's cultured set pieces and delivery from wide areas can justify his inclusion against the better teams?" You'd think so, Patrick, but then again, where was his cover from McAnuff? Dembélé, I thought, had a fine game, Defoe's positioning was excellent and his second goal was superbly finished. As I said last week, AVB's got the players he wants to make this system work and though they look a work in progress there was much promise evident to buoy him. As for Reading, a little more urgency was required. They were too passive for me and fell too easily into the trap of stereotyped 4-5-1 football but improved later on. Thanks for your emails. Bye.
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Controversial drilling operation is set to resume after Shell called a halt when ice floe, 30 miles long and 12 miles wide, advanced The man at the centre of Shell's controversial drilling programme in the Arctic is aware of the responsibility on his head but is convinced the Anglo-Dutch oil group is acting in a fully responsible and accountable way. Speaking after a huge ice floe forced drilling 70 miles off the north-west coast of Alaska to be temporarily halted, Peter Slaiby, vice-president of Shell Alaska, insisted that the company had learned from the Deepwater Horizon disaster. "We are raising the bar in the way we have been working with local communities," he said. "We have made 450 different trips to consult and listen to any concerns. We believe the way we are doing this is important – not just for Alaska but for the wider Arctic region." Shell has spent more than $4.5bn (£2.77bn) over four years preparing for work in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas, off the state's west and north coasts, but has faced legal action, post-Deepwater Horizon drilling bans and a very short summer weather window. The Chukchi operation finally started eight days ago, on Sunday 10 September, only to be halted almost immediately by the threat of the ice floe, 30 miles long and 12 miles wide, heading towards the drill ship. The disruption triggered a call from Greenpeace for Shell to end its activities completely. It also precedes a report into what Britain should do to safeguard the Arctic, which is scheduled to be released on Thursday by a House of Commons select committee. Environmentalists argue that a spill similar to Deepwater Horizon would be catastrophic in a pristine environment already badly affected by climate change and home to threatened mammals, such as the polar bear, bowhead whale and walrus. Asked whether another major spill would destroy the reputation of the company, Slaiby said: "I feel there is a helluva responsibility on my head, but we have clear accountability models. I have the ability to do things in the right way and I have the backing of the most senior leaders in Shell to do things the right way." The company hopes to have Noble Discoverer, its drill ship, back on station any day now to continue its work, despite demands from Greenpeace and others to call off the operation. Critics have many concerns, from wider fears about new oil production fuelling global warming, to more localised worries that Shell is not as prepared as it claims. Slaiby said the company fully understands the impact of carbon on climate change but said oil and gas are still needed to meet growing global energy demand in the near term. "The US Geological Survey says that about 25% of the world's remaining hydrocarbon reserves are here. Oil and gas are part of the mix, a big part of the energy puzzle, and we have to ensure local communities benefit economically." As for safety, Slaiby insisted a "very, very robust" oil spill programme had been established to tackle any crisis. He rejected any idea that there could be a repeat of Deepwater, which damaged the beaches of the southern states of the US. "These wells are very, very different from the Gulf of Mexico wells because they do not have the ability to flow at the rate you have in the Gulf: they are shallower. We are not dealing with deepwater wells. The geology is relatively simple and a third of the pressure [can be expected] in the Chukchi ... The sea conditions in terms of the wind, waves and currents are not even as extreme as the North Sea, although, clearly, there is no ice in the North Sea." The decision to move the drill ship once it had started drilling was a demonstration of how careful Shell will be in the event of ice in the region, said Slaiby. However, a freedom of information request by a federal employees group in Washington has shown that only two brief tests were undertaken on Shell's new containment dome designed to prevent oil spewing into the ocean, and there appeared to be no independent verification. Slaiby, who has worked in the North Sea off Lowestoft in Suffolk, said these revelations gave a misleading picture because Shell had been in meetings over many months with regulators and others about a much wider safety plan. And it had been working for a long time with a third-party contractor and leading drilling safety experts, such as Wild Well Control of Houston. "We even had the director of BSEE [Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement] out with me looking at the capping stack … I find these charges (of insufficient planning) groundless." The preparations made by Shell and others have been under review by the House of Commons environmental audit committee which will release its first report, Protecting the Arctic, on Thursday.
 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Controversial drilling operation is set to resume after Shell called a halt when ice floe, 30 miles long and 12 miles wide, advanced The man at the centre of Shell's controversial drilling programme in the Arctic has said he is aware of the responsibility on his head but is convinced the Anglo-Dutch oil group is acting in a fully responsible and accountable way. Speaking after a huge ice floe forced drilling 70 miles off the north-west coast of Alaska to be temporarily halted, Peter Slaiby, vice-president of Shell Alaska, insisted that the company had learned from the Deepwater Horizon disaster. "We are raising the bar in the way we have been working with local communities," he said. "We have made 450 different trips to consult and listen to any concerns. We believe the way we are doing this is important – not just for Alaska but for the wider Arctic region." Shell has spent more than $4.5bn (£2.77bn) over four years preparing for work in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas, off the state's west and north coasts, but has faced legal action, post-Deepwater Horizon drilling bans and a very short summer weather window. The Chukchi operation finally started eight days ago, on Sunday 10 September, only to be halted almost immediately by the threat of the ice floe, 30 miles long and 12 miles wide, heading towards the drill ship. The disruption triggered a call from Greenpeace for Shell to end its activities completely. It also precedes a report into what Britain should do to safeguard the Arctic, which is scheduled to be released on Thursday by a House of Commons select committee. Environmentalists say a spill similar to Deepwater Horizon would be catastrophic in a pristine environment badly affected by climate change and home to threatened mammals such as polar bears, bowhead whales and walrus. Asked if another major spill would destroy the company's reputation, Slaiby said: "I feel there is a helluva responsibility on my head, but we have clear accountability models. I have the ability to do things in the right way and I have the backing of the most senior leaders in Shell to do things the right way." The company hopes to have Noble Discoverer, its drill ship, back on station any day now to continue its work, despite demands from Greenpeace and others to call off the operation. Critics have many concerns, from wider fears about new oil production fuelling global warming, to more localised worries that Shell is not as prepared as it claims. Slaiby, said the company fully understands the impact of carbon on climate change but said oil and gas are still needed to meet growing global energy demand in the near term. "The US Geological Survey says that about 25% of the world's remaining hydrocarbon reserves are here [the Arctic]. And 25% of those are here in Alaska. Oil and gas are part of the mix, a big part of the energy puzzle, and we have to ensure local communities benefit economically." As for safety, Slaiby insisted a "very, very robust" oil spill programme had been established to tackle any crisis. He rejected any idea that there could be a repeat of Deepwater, which damaged the beaches of the southern states of the US. "These wells are very, very different from the Gulf of Mexico wells because they do not have the ability to flow at the rate you have in the Gulf: they are shallower. We are not dealing with deepwater wells. The geology is relatively simple and a third of the pressure [can be expected] in the Chukchi ... The sea conditions in terms of the wind, waves and currents are not even as extreme as the North Sea, although, clearly, there is no ice in the North Sea." The decision to move the drill ship once it had started drilling was a demonstration of how careful Shell will be in the event of ice in the region, Slaiby said. However, a freedom of information request by a federal employees group in Washington has shown that only two brief tests were undertaken on Shell's new containment dome designed to prevent oil spewing into the ocean, and there appeared to be no independent verification. Slaiby, who has worked in the North Sea off Lowestoft in Suffolk, said these revelations gave a misleading picture because Shell had been in meetings over many months with regulators and others about a much wider safety plan. And it had been working for a long time with a third-party contractor and leading drilling safety experts, such as Wild Well Control of Houston. "We even had the director of BSEE [Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement] out with me looking at the capping stack … I find these charges (of insufficient planning) groundless." The preparations made by Shell and others have been under review by the House of Commons environmental audit committee which will release its first report, Protecting the Arctic, on Thursday. Leader comment, page 28
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Oil chief dismisses fears of another Gulf spill after huge floe forces drill ship to move The man at the centre of Shell's controversial drilling programme in the Arctic has said he is aware of the responsibility on his head but is convinced the Anglo-Dutch oil group is acting in a fully responsible and accountable way. Speaking after a huge ice floe forced drilling 70 miles off the north-west coast of Alaska to be temporarily halted, Peter Slaiby, vice-president of Shell Alaska, insisted that the company had learned from the Deepwater Horizon disaster. "We are raising the bar in the way we have been working with local communities," he said. "We have made 450 different trips to consult and listen to any concerns. We believe the way we are doing this is important – not just for Alaska but for the wider Arctic region." Shell has spent more than $4.5bn (£2.77bn) over four years preparing for work in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas, off the state's west and north coasts, but has faced legal action, post-Deepwater Horizon drilling bans and a very short summer weather window. The Chukchi operation finally started eight days ago, on Sunday 10 September, only to be halted almost immediately by the threat of the ice floe, 30 miles long and 12 miles wide, heading towards the drill ship. The disruption triggered a call from Greenpeace for Shell to end its activities completely. It also precedes a report into what Britain should do to safeguard the Arctic, which is scheduled to be released on Thursday by a House of Commons select committee. Environmentalists say a spill similar to Deepwater Horizon would be catastrophic in a pristine environment badly affected by climate change and home to threatened mammals such as polar bears, bowhead whales and walrus. Asked if another major spill would destroy the company's reputation, Slaiby said: "I feel there is a helluva responsibility on my head, but we have clear accountability models. I have the ability to do things in the right way and I have the backing of the most senior leaders in Shell to do things the right way." The company hopes to have Noble Discoverer, its drill ship, back on station any day now to continue its work, despite demands from Greenpeace and others to call off the operation. Critics have many concerns, from wider fears about new oil production fuelling global warming, to more localised worries that Shell is not as prepared as it claims. Slaiby, said the company fully understands the impact of carbon on climate change but said oil and gas are still needed to meet growing global energy demand in the near term. "The US Geological Survey says that about 25% of the world's remaining hydrocarbon reserves are here [the Arctic]. And 25% of those are here in Alaska. Oil and gas are part of the mix, a big part of the energy puzzle, and we have to ensure local communities benefit economically." As for safety, Slaiby insisted a "very, very robust" oil spill programme had been established to tackle any crisis. He rejected any idea that there could be a repeat of Deepwater, which damaged the beaches of the southern states of the US. "These wells are very, very different from the Gulf of Mexico wells because they do not have the ability to flow at the rate you have in the Gulf: they are shallower. We are not dealing with deepwater wells. The geology is relatively simple and a third of the pressure [can be expected] in the Chukchi ... The sea conditions in terms of the wind, waves and currents are not even as extreme as the North Sea, although, clearly, there is no ice in the North Sea." The decision to move the drill ship once it had started drilling was a demonstration of how careful Shell will be in the event of ice in the region, Slaiby said. However, a freedom of information request by a federal employees group in Washington has shown that only two brief tests were undertaken on Shell's new containment dome designed to prevent oil spewing into the ocean, and there appeared to be no independent verification. Slaiby, who has worked in the North Sea off Lowestoft in Suffolk, said these revelations gave a misleading picture because Shell had been in meetings over many months with regulators and others about a much wider safety plan. And it had been working for a long time with a third-party contractor and leading drilling safety experts, such as Wild Well Control of Houston. "We even had the director of BSEE [Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement] out with me looking at the capping stack … I find these charges (of insufficient planning) groundless." The preparations made by Shell and others have been under review by the House of Commons environmental audit committee which will release its first report, Protecting the Arctic, on Thursday. Leader comment, page 28
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Russell Martin's three run homer against the Tampa Bay Rays helped the New York Yankees remain on top of the AL East.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Hundreds estimated to have taken part in weekend protests ahead of major stock exchange action planned for Monday Police in New York have made "multiple" arrests during marches and protests ushering in the first anniversary of the Occupy Wall Street movement. Around 300 people were estimated to have taken part in a rally Saturday, which saw activists head towards Zuccotti Park – the lower Manhattan site which served as base camp for months of demonstration. It was part of three days of action celebrating the anti-capitalist movement, which burst into life a year ago but has long since seen its momentum wane. The main anniversary event will take place on Monday, when activists are expected to attempt to surround the New York Stock Exchange and disrupt morning rush hour traffic in Manhattan's financial district. As a precursor to that, marchers took to the streets throughout the weekend in a series of smaller protests. Police patrolled Saturday's rally, making several arrests for disorderly conduct and risk of endangerment. An NYPD spokesman said "multiple" people had been detained. Asked if he could be a little more accurate, the officer offered: "more than one". Reports suggest the number of those arrested Saturday was at least a dozen. For Sunday, Occupy Wall Street organisers have planned a live music event, including a Foley Square concert featuring Tom Morello, guitarist for the rock band Rage Against the Machine. Sound permits for the events have been secured, but OWS has not sought permission for Monday's action – which is thought to include a number of sit-down protests from 7am in lower Manhattan. Chief New York police department spokesman Paul Brown said police will be prepared for demonstrations. "We accommodate peaceful protests and make arrests for unlawful activity," he said. Brown added that based on previous experience with OWS, the NYPD expects that "a relatively small group of self-described anarchists will attempt unlawful activity and try to instigate confrontations with police by others while attempting to escape arrest themselves ... we expect most demonstrators to be peaceful." To date, officers in New York have made more than 1,800 arrests in connection to OWS action. Last October, 700 protesters were arrested after spilling into the roadway while marching across the Brooklyn Bridge. OWS, which served as an umbrella movement under which a range of protesters from climate change activists to anti-capitalists could gather, has long since peaked in terms of its impact on the wider media. But organisers hope that the renewed attention resulting from the first anniversary events may help rejuvenate the movement.
 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | • Press F5 or use auto-refresher to update this page
• See a gallery of photographs from the game
• Email your views to Rob.Bagchi@guardian.co.uk
• View the latest tables in our stats centre 61 min: "It's early season yet," writes Gary Naylor. "But we'll be lucky to see anything as magnificently conceived and executed as Peter Odemwingie's tribute yesterday to Father Ted's kicking of Bishop Brennan up the arse. I'm not sure exactly how many times Match of the Day replayed the incident, but it wasn't enough." Len Brennan. Perhaps Riether will remember when he is about to meet the pope. 58 min: Defoe and Lennon pinball the ball in from the right touchline between them with the centre-forward pinging it past Harte for Lennon's run into the box. He crosses but Gorkss reads it and slides in to clear behind for a corner. 55 min: Free kick to Reading on the left taken by Harte who booms it way beyond the back post and on to Gorkss's head but Spurs have enough players back to squeeze the danger away. 53 min: "Surely AVB is George," writes Matt Dony. "A little bit cryptic, a little bit in awe of the talent he works with (less applicable since Modric went), frustrated that he doesn't get the credit he feels he deserves, and he's capable of the odd piece of sublime genius. Here comes the son of Mourinho." Good interplay from Dembele and Sigurdsson again using one of the inside forward channels, this one the left, to trouble Reading. Dembele takes the ball 20 yards with his left, dinks it to Sigurdsson then gets it back when the shot is blocked but can't get enough power on the angle to drive his shot underneath McCarthy's dive. 51 min: If Lennon could just assess the best option open to him when he has the ball and beats the full-back, he would be world class. Bale gives him grief for failing to find him having done 95% of his job right then wasting all his effort with a dreadful final ball. 49 min: Vertonghen goes on a marauding run up the left on the diagonaland into the box past Sigurdsson. he lays the ball off to the Icelander and screams for it back but Sigurdsson switches to the other side and tries to find Lennon's run into the box from the right but overhits his pass. 47 min: And Reading begin with far more attacking intent, moving McAnuff wider and allowing Harte forward. The left-back takes the ball off the winger, checks inside and fires in a right-foot cross from the left that only just eludes ALF's head on the dive. 46 min: Reading make a switch with Le Fondre coming on for Herbert von Karacan. Guthrie drops back into the centre of midfield. Half time: Reading 0-1 Tottenham "Your scamp doesn't know what a six-pointer is," writes Paul Scott. "The teams have to be exactly 3pts apart for it to apply. Excluding draws either an equality or the maximum 6pt difference will be achieved. Otherwise every game is a six pointer entirely devaluing it's true definition." Fair point Paul but they key word for the Arsenal fan behind it was "relegation". For those of you asking for goal descriptions, I'm afraid it's the same old story. Refresh the page. "Tottenham are more Kinks than Beatles, no?" writes Simon McMahon. "And on their first half performance Reading are Freddie and the Dreamers." Spurs as The Kinks suggests a mixture of infighting and genius … 45 min: This has been Tottenham's half by a country mile but Reading's hope must be that they're only 1-0 down and can't be as poor again. 43 min: Here's a gallery of match pics for you to peruse. Gorkss is let down by his team-mates up front from Guthrie's corner. He stayed up when it broke down but when he won it and attempted to tee up one, any, of his team-mates by guiding the ball towards the penalty spot, no one anticipated it and made a run to meet him. 41 min: Jermain Defoe is not having the confidence problems seeming to affect Reading, shooting again when gifted a half-chance from 25 yards. Nothing wrong with his self-belief but there's a little bit wrong with his accuracy. 38 min: But you can't count Reading out and they almost strike back having made headway up the right through McAnuff. It's as if they need a half-time spot of counselling to address their nerves. It's only 1-0 and should be retrievable. 35 min: Oh dear, Reading's bag of cement approach to trapping the ball is gifting Tottenham chances and momentum. Ian Harte, under little pressure, 35 yards from his own goal, fumbles his attempt to kill a pass and lets in Defoe for a a run on goal. He has only punished such lax basics once so far and wasted three more openings but he will score again if Reading don't get a grip. 33 min: The final ball lets Tottenham down after Sandro and Walker combine up the right, Defoe switching with Lennon and drawing Gorkss out with him. It created some space between Harte and Pearce but the pass to free Walker was too firm. 31 min: McCarthy was just about to get his first PL assist with some awful, leaden footed control, letting Defoe take the ball wide and he had to go after him leaving an empty goal. When Defoe, though, turned and pulled the ball back after getting to the touchline, Reading had got two men back and Sigurdsson's scuffed shot was blocked on the line. 29 min: It's been a bit meh since Defoe spurned his second chance. "Surely Parker is Ringo, unshowy but vital to maintain the tempo and noticeable when absent," writes David Wall. Who's George then? 27 min: Reading have had a better few minutes using the time they've won to play it across the back four then up to McAnuff who gets picked off after a surge forward, Walker and Sandro winning it off him. 25 min: Sam provides this thought for the MBM merchandise department: "Thought for a T-shirt: 'Half 11 at night (in HK) and all I've got is this lousy minute by minute (debatable) match report'." That'll have Superdry quaking, Sam. It's that slow When the Spurs go Marching In drowning out the Reading fans who have been silenced by their side's tentative performance, sitting back and ceding ground. . 22 min: McCleary speeds past Bale but Naughton is not going to let him past and clips his heels. Free kick to the right of the box whipped in by Harte without the bend he intended to reach the far post run of Pearce who has to improvise and in doing so makes a defensive clearance away from goal. Spurs break quickly, Defoe running through the middle and chances his arm with a shot off the outside of his boot that flies wide. 19 min: Reading's defending and communication among the back four and Leigertwood and Karacan is making this easy for Tottenham who are exploiting the space down the inside forward channels and on the outside of the full-backs with some excellent passing and intelligent running from Defoe, Lennon and Bale. GOAL!! Reading 0-1 Spurs (Defoe) Excellent pass splits Ian Harte and Kaspers Gorkss and Lennon had made the run on the outside of Harte into space. He picks it up and taps it back on the run to Defoe who has run three yards or so into the box and he clips his firm finish under McCarthy's dive. 14 min: Sorry - have just had a couple of technical stoppages, the TV feed freezing then having to reboot this programme. Naughton again does well up the left, going past Gunter and swinging in his cross that goes over the box and Lennon had not read it, letting it roll beyond him and out. 10 min: Short break while boots and the wrong colour shin pad support tape are changed ends with the re-start and within a few seconds Vertonghen gives away a free kick. When the ball is played into the box to the far post, up goes to challenge. Kyle Walker or his doppelganger I didn't see who's swinging arm knocks it off the head of the Reading attacker but the ref says he was pushed and the evidence supports him. 7 min: "As they said in the 60s, Clapton is God," writes Mike Wilner. "I say Modric is Clapton. If Dembele is better than Modric, well, finish the equation..." Lennon is Ringo? Tottenham look patient and very comfortable in possession, trying to establish a bridgehead up their right flank to get Lennon running at Harte with Walker ready to bomb on outside. 5 min: Double save from McCarthy when Bale shoots from a free-kick 20-plus yards out, pushing it wide and then getting up quickly when Sigurdsson latches on to the rebound and battering it away. They look very loose at the back, Reading. 3 min: McCleary launches Reading's first attack up the right flank but can't find Pogrebnyak and Friedel snuffs out the cross. 1 min: What on earth are Spurs wearing, a black and silver Blackburn Rovers tribute? Any how, Naughton makes some progress up the left, linking with Bale, before centring to Walker who has Lennon outside him but shoots from 25 yards, the ball flying several yards over the bar. Alex McCarthy's PL debut means Federici's been dropped after a couple of mistakes. We had him on loan at Leeds last year and he was very secure. Reminded me a bit of Tim Krul. "Dembélé could be better than Modric," says Glenn Hoddle. He has a greater impact on the game, apparently. "Re: Levy," writes Gary Naylor. "The Society of Great Football Club Administrators could hold their AGM in a phonebox couldn't they? That player (was it Len Shackelton?) who left the famous blank page in his biography wasn't wrong was he?" It was him, Gary, the Clown Prince. And he wasn't far wrong. Maybe Benoit Assou-Ekotto isn't injured: He posted one of his rare tweets four hours ago which didn't suggest knack of any kind: "Today is the day...cant imagine as. We loose. COYSsssssssssssssssssss. LOL," he wrote. Why the LOL? And of COYS - well YNWA has just been played and met with a fine reception by both teams' fans. Simon McMahon writes: "Afternoon Rob. Two of the more interesting and likeable managers in British and European football on show today. Hoping for a game to match. After all yesterday's shenanigans about handshakes, should be one for the romantics." Team news: Kyle Naughton at left back. BAE is injured but I can't remember seeing him play on that flank but Danny Rose is out on loan. Seems odd to me that he isn't going to start with Adebayor if he's looking for Sigurdsson and/or Dembele to make support runs into the box and Dempsey is also made to wait. Here's Rob Moline: "Saw that 'relegation six-pointer' and arched an eyebrow, a la Roger Moore (in the crap Bond movies). Regarding your intro, I see Daniel Levy as an incurable negotiator. He's brilliant at getting top dollar for players he sells, but sometimes it seems the excitement of the deal overcomes common sense. Like when he sold Berbatov and Keane out from under Juande Ramos on the last day of the transfer window that time. Got 50 million quid right enough; but then a couple of weeks later Spurs were deep in the relegation battle and he was forced to sack a totally disillusioned and no-longer-trying manager. So for my money drives Levy; not patience as you suggest." I see your point, Rob, but I think it's the deal and winning the deal or being seen to have won the negotiations that drives him, screaming, as it were, "no one makes a mug of Daniel Levy" to the big boys in the playground. Team news:
Reading: McCarthy; Gunter, Pearce, Gorkss, Harte; McCleary, Leigertwood, Karacan, Guthrie, McAnuff; Pogrebnyak.
Subs: Taylor, Shorey, Mariappa, Le Fondre, Hunt, Robson-Kanu, Cummings.
Tottenham: Friedel; Walker, Vertonghen, Gallas, Naughton;
Sandro, Dembele; Lennon, Sigurdsson, Bale; Defoe.
Subs: Lloris, Dempsey, Huddlestone, Adebayor, Dawson, Townsend, Caulker.
Referee: Howard Webb (S Yorkshire) Holiday and cricket duties means I've seen these two only once each for the full 90 minutes this season though I saw loads of Reading's promotion campaign. I though Spurs, in spells, and particularly the first half of the first half against Newcastle in their first match looked dangerous, with Sigurdsson and Bale, in particular, a threat. They simply ran out of breath after playing such a high tempo, fortune, to a certain extent, and striking options. Reading impressed me against Chelsea and if Alex Pearce had headed in Ian Harte's free kick to make it 3-1 before half time I think they would have held on to win – in the end it took an offside goal and a sucker-punch with their keeper up in the Chelsea box desperately looking for an equaliser to make it a 4-2 defeat. Good afternoon and profound thanks to the scamp who lit the fuse by writing "relegation six-pointer" in the intro before withdrawing to a discreet distance. Yes, I know those media people looking for a fresh angle after the weekend's PL results delivered few dramatic talking points are keeping a close eye on this one in case the AVB "crisis" talk makes a front-page splash should Tottenham lose today but I can't see Daniel Levy doing anything rash after the club changed tack in the summer. He seems far more the type to plan, mull and then strike rather than act in haste to me. He believes patience brings far more rewards than impetuosity. Looking back at the Premier League head-to-heads at the Madejski – a 1-0 Spurs victory in May 2008, a 3-1 win for the Royals in November 2006 – the thing that stands out most from the earlier game (apart from a Spurs midfield of Lennon, Jenas, Zokora and Ghaly [I'd forgotten entirely about Ghaly]) is just how many players Reading have sold for more than £1m since their relegation. By my reckoning they've sold Dave Kitson, Nicky Shorey, Ibrahima Sonko, Emerse Fae, André Bikey, Stephen Hunt, Kevin Doyle, Marek Matejovsky, Shane Long, Matt Mills, and most pertinently today, Gylfi Sigurdsson. By the time they won promotion back to this league in the summer, that income plus parachute payments must have meant the club didn't need much in the way of subsidy from the owner, which is a round about way of saying Steve Coppell's legacy has sustained the club long after his departure.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Binyamin Netanyahu uses American network TV interviews to repeat call for US to clarify point of military intervention over Iran The Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, has renewed his demand that the US set out clear "red lines" for Iran over its nuclear programme, in remarks likely to put further strain on his relationship with Barack Obama in the runup to the presidential election. In interviews on American television networks to mark the Jewish new year, Netanyahu repeated his call for the US to clarify the point at which it would take military action rather than allow the Iranian nuclear programme to advance. "You have to place that red line before them now, before it's too late," Netanyahu told NBC's Meet the Press programme on Sunday. Iran would be on the brink of nuclear weapons capability by next spring, he warned. He also sought to link Iran's nuclear programme to the murder last week of the US ambassador to Libya. "Iran is guided by a leadership with an unbelievable fanaticism," he said. "It's the same fanaticism that you see storming your embassies today. You want these fanatics to have nuclear weapons?" Both the US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, and the defence secretary, Leon Panetta, have dismissed Netanyahu's demand for clear red lines. In an interview with Foreign Policy magazine, Panetta accused Netanyahu of trying to force the US into a corner over its Iran policy. "The fact is … presidents of the United States, prime ministers of Israel or any other country … don't have, you know, a bunch of little red lines that determine their decisions," he said. "What they have are facts that are presented to them about what a country is up to, and then they weigh what kind of action is needed in order to deal with that situation. I mean, that's the real world. Red lines are kind of political arguments that are used to try to put people in a corner." Clinton bluntly told Bloomberg Radio last week: "We're not setting deadlines." The row deepened when Israeli officials claimed that Obama had declined to meet Netanyahu when he visits the US towards the end of this month, characterising the move as a deliberate snub. White House officials played down the matter. But there are suspicions in Washington that Netanyahu is trying to use the US election as leverage to bounce Obama into taking a more hawkish line on Iran. Netanyahu has failed to conceal his preference for Obama's rival, Mitt Romney, to enter the White House. Romney has hinted that he would push for military action against Iran's nuclear programme and has accused Obama of "throwing Israel under a bus". His chief bankroller, Sheldon Adelson, is also a staunch supporter of the Israeli prime minister. In an interview with the Jerusalem Post, Netanyahu denied he was interfering in the US election. The accusation was "completely groundless", he said. Some Israeli commentators have expressed alarm about the deterioration in an already frosty relationship between the two leaders. "To [Obama] and his aides, the tongue-lashing he and Hillary Clinton took from Netanyahu, their depiction as ostensibly preferring Iran above Israel, the co-operation of [Netanyahu] and his aides with Republican congressmen working against the White House, and the leak to the media by the prime minister's bureau that Obama refused to meet with Netanyahu – all this looks like crude, vulgar and unrestrained intervention in the US election campaign," wrote Yossi Verter in Haaretz. http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/week-s-end/in-israel-we-speak-republican.premium-1.464972
 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Binyamin Netanyahu uses American network TV interviews to repeat call for US to clarify point of military intervention over Iran The Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, has renewed his demand that the US set out clear "red lines" for Iran over its nuclear programme, in remarks likely to put further strain on his relationship with Barack Obama in the runup to the presidential election. In interviews on American television networks to mark the Jewish New Year, Netanyahu repeated his call for the US to clarify the point at which it would take military action rather than allow the Iranian nuclear programme to advance. "You have to place that red line before them now, before it's too late," Netanyahu told NBC's Meet the Press programme on Sunday. Iran would be on the brink of nuclear weapons capability by next spring, he warned. He also sought to link Iran's nuclear programme to the murder last week of the US ambassador to Libya. "Iran is guided by a leadership with an unbelievable fanaticism," he said. "It's the same fanaticism that you see storming your embassies today. You want these fanatics to have nuclear weapons?" Both secretary of state Hillary Clinton and defence secretary Leon Panetta have dismissed Netanyahu's demand for clear red lines. In an interview with Foreign Policy, Panetta accused Netanyahu of trying to force the US into a corner over its Iran policy. "The fact is … presidents of the United States, prime ministers of Israel or any other country … don't have, you know, a bunch of little red lines that determine their decisions," he said. "What they have are facts that are presented to them about what a country is up to, and then they weigh what kind of action is needed to be taken in order to deal with that situation. I mean, that's the real world. Red lines are kind of political arguments that are used to try to put people in a corner." Last week, Clinton bluntly told Bloomberg Radio: "We're not setting deadlines." The row deepened when Israeli officials claimed that Obama had declined to meet Netanyahu when he visits the US towards the end of this month, characterising the move as a deliberate snub. White House officials played down the diplomatic brouhaha. But there are suspicions in Washington that Netanyahu is attempting to use the US election as leverage to bounce Obama into taking a more hawkish line on Iran. Netanyahu has failed to conceal his preference for Obama's rival Mitt Romney to enter the White House. Romney has hinted that he would push for military action against Iran's nuclear programme and has accused Obama of "throwing Israel under a bus". His chief bankroller, Sheldon Adelson, is also a staunch supporter of the Israeli prime minister. In an interview with the Jerusalem Post, Netanyahu denied he was interfering in the US election. The accusation was "completely groundless", he said. Some Israeli commentators have expressed alarm about the deterioration in an already-frosty relationship between the two leaders. "To [Obama] and his aides, the tongue-lashing he and Hillary Clinton took from Netanyahu, their depiction as ostensibly preferring Iran above Israel, the co-operation of [Netanyahu] and his aides with Republican congressmen working against the White House, and the leak to the media by the prime minister's bureau that Obama refused to meet with Netanyahu – all this looks like crude, vulgar and unrestrained intervention in the US election campaign," wrote Yossi Verter in Haaretz.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Leon Panetta expects waves of anti-US demonstrations to continue but said the level of violence appears to have peaked Defence secretary Leon Panetta said Sunday that the US was still on standby to deploy elite forces to protect American interests in cities caught up in a wave of Muslim protest, but that the level of violence appears to be levelling off. The Pentagon had already sent troops to "a number of areas in the region to be prepared to respond to any requests that we receive to be able to protect our personnel and our American property", he said. But Panetta declined to provide more details on reports that the military may be moving additional forces so they can respond to unrest in any of a number of cities of concern to the US. "I think our approach right now is to not do anything until we've been requested to do it by the state department," Panetta told reporters travelling with him to Asia. But he noted that "I think that we have to continue to be very vigilant because I suspect that ... these demonstrations are likely to continue over the next few days, if not longer." Protests by Muslims have erupted in countries around the world in recent days, with some spawning violence and even deaths over an anti-Islam video shot in California that denigrates the Prophet Muhammad. In places like Libya, Sudan and Tunisia, protesters stormed US embassies, and American fast food restaurant KFC was burned in Lebanon. In response, the Pentagon dispatched elite marine rapid response teams to Libya and Yemen, but a team deployed to Khartoum on Friday was turned back when the Sudanese government objected. Asked about Sudan's decision, Panetta said host countries have the right to reject such military deployments. "My understanding is that they felt that they could provide sufficient security to be able to protect our embassy and our personnel there," said Panetta. "And you know, in many ways, as all of you know the primary responsibility for protecting embassies rests with the host country." Known as a fleet anti-terrorism security teams, the units were sent in response to violent protests in Khartoum where protesters tried to climb the walls of the US embassy, setting off a battle with police. The Navy also moved two warships to positions off the coast of Libya. The two destroyers are largely meant as a show of force, but they carry Tomahawk missiles and can also be available for evacuations or other missions as needed. The intensity of the anti-American fervor initially caught US leaders by surprise, but in the last several days the Obama administration has deployed military units to shore up security in hotspots, and used diplomacy to call for calm and urge foreign governments to protect American interests in their countries. It also has been unclear how much of the violence was spontaneously triggered by the film and how much of it was spurred on by anti-American militants using it as a tool to grow and enrage the crowds. The al-Qaida affiliate in Yemen praised the killing of the US ambassador in Libya in an online statement Saturday and called for more attacks to expel American embassies from Muslim nations. Chris Stevens, the US ambassador to Libya, was killed Tuesday along with three other Americans, as violent protesters stormed the consulate in Benghazi. President Barack Obama has vowed that the attackers would be brought to justice, but has also stressed that the US respects religious freedom. The protests were set off by a low-budget, crudely produced film called Innocence of Muslims, which portrays Muhammad as a fraud, a womaniser and a child molester. A 14-minute excerpt of the film, which is both in English and dubbed into Arabic, has been available on YouTube, although some countries have cut access to the site. A film-maker linked to the offending movie clip was questioned Saturday in the US over whether he had violated the terms of a five-year probation in relation to a bank fraud conviction. He has since been released and is believed to be in hiding. "He is gone. We don't know where he went. He said he is not going back to his home," Steve Whitmore, a spokesman for the Los Angeles country sheriff's department said.
 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | • Press F5 or use auto-refresher to update this page
• Email your views to Rob.Bagchi@guardian.co.uk
• View the latest tables in our stats centre Maybe Benoit Assou-Ekotto isn't injured: He posted one of his rare tweets four hours ago which didn't suggest knack of any kind: "Today is the day...cant imagine as. We loose. COYSsssssssssssssssssss. LOL," he wrote. Why the LOL? And of COYS - well YNWA has just been played and met with a fine reception by both teams' fans. Simon McMahon writes: "Afternoon Rob. Two of the more interesting and likeable managers in British and European football on show today. Hoping for a game to match. After all yesterday's shenanigans about handshakes, should be one for the romantics." Team news: Kyle Naughton at left back. BAE is injured but I can't remember seeing him play on that flank but Danny Rose is out on loan. Seems odd to me that he isn't going to start with Adebayor if he's looking for Sigurdsson and/or Dembele to make support runs into the box and Dempsey is also made to wait. Here's Rob Moline: "Saw that 'relegation six-pointer' and arched an eyebrow, a la Roger Moore (in the crap Bond movies). Regarding your intro, I see Daniel Levy as an incurable negotiator. He's brilliant at getting top dollar for players he sells, but sometimes it seems the excitement of the deal overcomes common sense. Like when he sold Berbatov and Keane out from under Juande Ramos on the last day of the transfer window that time. Got 50 million quid right enough; but then a couple of weeks later Spurs were deep in the relegation battle and he was forced to sack a totally disillusioned and no-longer-trying manager. So for my money drives Levy; not patience as you suggest." I see your point, Rob, but I think it's the deal and winning the deal or being seen to have won the negotiations that drives him, screaming, as it were, "no one makes a mug of Daniel Levy" to the big boys in the playground. Team news:
Reading: McCarthy; Gunter, Pearce, Gorkss, Harte; McCleary, Leigertwood, Karacan, Guthrie, McAnuff; Pogrebnyak.
Subs: Taylor, Shorey, Mariappa, Le Fondre, Hunt, Robson-Kanu, Cummings.
Tottenham: Friedel; Walker, Vertonghen, Gallas, Naughton;
Sandro, Dembele; Lennon, Sigurdsson, Bale; Defoe.
Subs: Lloris, Dempsey, Huddlestone, Adebayor, Dawson, Townsend, Caulker.
Referee: Howard Webb (S Yorkshire) Holiday and cricket duties means I've seen these two only once each for the full 90 minutes this season though I saw loads of Reading's promotion campaign. I though Spurs, in spells, and particularly the first half of the first half against Newcastle in their first match looked dangerous, with Sigurdsson and Bale, in particular, a threat. They simply ran out of breath after playing such a high tempo, fortune, to a certain extent, and striking options. Reading impressed me against Chelsea and if Alex Pearce had headed in Ian Harte's free kick to make it 3-1 before half time I think they would have held on to win – in the end it took an offside goal and a sucker-punch with their keeper up in the Chelsea box desperately looking for an equaliser to make it a 4-2 defeat. Good afternoon and profound thanks to the scamp who lit the fuse by writing "relegation six-pointer" in the intro before withdrawing to a discreet distance. Yes, I know those media people looking for a fresh angle after the weekend's PL results delivered few dramatic talking points are keeping a close eye on this one in case the AVB "crisis" talk makes a front-page splash should Tottenham lose today but I can't see Daniel Levy doing anything rash after the club changed tack in the summer. He seems far more the type to plan, mull and then strike rather than act in haste to me. He believes patience brings far more rewards than impetuosity. Looking back at the Premier League head-to-heads at the Madejski – a 1-0 Spurs victory in May 2008, a 3-1 win for the Royals in November 2006 – the thing that stands out most from the earlier game (apart from a Spurs midfield of Lennon, Jenas, Zokora and Ghaly [I'd forgotten entirely about Ghaly]) is just how many players Reading have sold for more than £1m since their relegation. By my reckoning they've sold Dave Kitson, Nicky Shorey, Ibrahima Sonko, Emerse Fae, André Bikey, Stephen Hunt, Kevin Doyle, Marek Matejovsky, Shane Long, Matt Mills, and most pertinently today, Gylfi Sigurdsson. By the time they won promotion back to this league in the summer, that income plus parachute payments must have meant the club didn't need much in the way of subsidy from the owner, which is a round about way of saying Steve Coppell's legacy has sustained the club long after his departure.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Federal prosecutors say 18-year-old Adel Daoud attempted to detonate a fake car bomb outside a downtown Chicago bar Undercover FBI agents arrested an 18-year-old man who tried to detonate what he believed was a car bomb outside a downtown Chicago bar, according to federal prosecutors. Adel Daoud, a US citizen from the Chicago suburb of Hillside, was arrested Friday night in an undercover operation in which an agent pretending to be a terrorist provided him with a phony car bomb and watched him press the trigger, prosecutors said. The US attorney's office in Chicago, which announced the arrest late Saturday, said the device was harmless and the public was never at risk. Daoud is charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting to damage and destroy a building with an explosive. He remains in custody pending a detention and preliminary hearing set for Monday in federal court. A person who answered the phone Saturday at the home where Daoud and his family live and identified herself as his sister, Hiba, declined to discuss Daoud, the family or the arrest. "We don't even know anything. We don't know that much. We know as little as you do," she said. "They're just accusations. ... We'd like to be left alone." No one answered the door of the family's two-story home, but next-door neighbor Harry Pappas said he was shocked by the arrest, calling Daoud's parents "wonderful" people and him a quiet boy who played basketball in the driveway with friends. "I heard maybe he had a little trouble in school," Pappas said. "He was quiet, didn't talk much, but he seemed like a good kid." Pappas said Daoud spent a lot of time at home and that months would go by sometimes before the teen would surface. "But I was never suspicious," he said. Then on Friday night, a dozen unmarked cars drove up to the family's house and several agents went inside, Pappas said. The FBI began monitoring Daoud after he started using an email account to get and distribute material about violent jihad and the killing of Americans, prosecutors said. In May, two undercover FBI agents contacted Daoud in response to the material and exchanged emails with him in which he expressed an interest in violent jihad in the United States or abroad, according to an affidavit by an FBI special agent. Prosecutors say one of those agents introduced Daoud to a third undercover agent who claimed to be a terrorist living in New York. Over the summer, the third agent and Daoud met six times in the suburb of Villa Park and exchanged messages, the affidavit said. Daoud then set about identifying 29 potential targets, including military recruiting centers, bars, malls and tourist attractions in Chicago, the document said. He is accused of settling on a downtown bar and conducting surveillance on it using Google Street View and visiting the area in person to take photographs. Describing the target to the agent, Daoud said it was also a concert venue by a liquor store, the affidavit says. "It's a bar, it's a liquor store, it's a concert. All in one bundle," the document quotes him as saying. It said he noted the bar would be filled with the "evilest people ... kuffars." Kuffar is the Arabic term for non-believer. The affidavit said that shortly after 7pm Friday, Daoud met with the undercover agent in Villa Park and they drove to downtown Chicago, where the restaurants and bars were packed. They entered a parking lot where a Jeep Cherokee containing the phony bomb was parked, the document says. Daoud drove the vehicle and parked it in front of the bar, then walked a block away and attempted to detonate the device by pressing a triggering mechanism, the affidavit says. He was then arrested. Court documents don't identify the bar. The FBI has used similar tactics in other counter-terrorism investigations, deploying undercover agents to engage suspects in talk of terror plots and then provide fake explosive devices. Prosecutors said Daoud was offered several chances to change his mind and walk away from the plot. In his conversations with the undercover agent, Daoud explained his reasons for wanting to launch an attack, saying the United States was at war "with Islam and Muslims", the affidavit said. Daoud also told the agent he wanted an attack that would kill many people, the document said. "I want something that's gonna make it in the news," he said, according to the affidavit. "I want to get to like, for me I want to get the most evil place, but I want to get a more populated place."
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Magariaf confirms US officials intercepted communications that linked al-Qaida in Magreb to Islamist brigade Ansar al-Sharia The president of Libya's parliament, Mohamed al-Magariaf, has said military action is being considered against militants blamed for the killing of the US ambassador, Chris Stevens. Magariaf also confirmed reports from Washington that US officials intercepted communications discussing the planned attack on the UN consulate in Benghazi, which he said linked al-Qaida in the Magreb to an Islamist brigade, Ansar al-Sharia. "Yes, that happened," he said. Magariaf told the Guardian the intercepts matched other evidence indicating members of the brigade took part in Tuesday's all-night assault on the compound and an accommodation site. "It seems there is a division within Ansar al-Sharia about this attack, some for participation, some against," he said. "We are in the process of investigation." Such transmissions would be powerful evidence linking al-Sharia to the attack, and Magariaf said Libya had been passed the information by the US government. He confirmed that the intercepted communications discussed the timing of last week's assault. But he urged the US not to act unilaterally, fearing it would antagonise public opinion. "We will not hesitate to act, to do what is our duty," Magariaf said. "Let us start first by ourselves and if we are not capable then, whoever can help us. My experience with the Americans, they know what they have to do." His comments came as Libya's interior ministry said weekend raids had led to the arrest of 50 suspects, but it gave no details or said whether they were Islamist militants. Tension is building in Benghazi amid speculation that military action is imminent against the al-Sharia brigade, whose commanders deny responsibility for the consulate attack. Two US warships equipped with Tomahawk cruise missiles are stationed off the coast and a propeller-driven aircraft with no lights, thought to be a drone, has spent several hours in the skies above the city for the past two nights. The brigade remains in its base in Benghazi, and its soldiers are guarding a hospital where medical officials say two wounded militants are being treated. Sharia guards there refused to allow the Guardian access, or to comment on the attack. Magariaf said the attack on the US mission, the fifth attack on diplomatic targets in Benghazi since April, was part of a wider campaign by militants to destabilise Libya, taking advantage of the instability of a country still without cohesive government. "This is a turning point for the country. The confrontation is necessary and inevitable with these elements," he said. "[It is] either them, or Libya being safe and united. Today it is the Americans, tomorrow it is going to be Libyans." Magariaf rose to prominence in the 1980s when, having fled to Britain, he led the anti-Gaddafi National Front for the Salvation of Libya. He won a seat in the new parliament in July in an election in which tribal and liberal parties prevailed against the Muslim Brotherhood. He said he had evidence "foreign countries" were involved in supporting the attack on the consulate, but declined to name them. "It's a deliberate calculated action by a group working in collaboration with non-Libyan extremists. I would not be surprised if it's another country, but it's not Saudi Arabia or Qatar, I'm sure." In Benghazi, evidence linking members of the Sharia brigade to the attack is growing. The chief of the city's supreme security council, Libya's gendarmerie, said witnesses and mobile phone footage showed members were involved. This was confirmed by an eyewitness who was among bystanders who turned up to see what began as an anti-US protest on Tuesday night. The witness, who said he was too frightened to give his name, said he had watched as about a dozen armed men with a black Sharia brigade banner attack the rear gate of the consulate with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades. "The guys were with beards and kalashnikovs, they were standing there with the Ansar al-Sharia flag. One hundred per cent this was planned, they attacked from both sides [of the consulate] at once," he said. A Libyan intelligence official told the Guardian at the weekend that a group of between 12 and 14 militants were suspected of orchestrating the attack. Magariaf said he had held weekend meetings with both the army chief of staff, Yusef Mangoush, and what he called "loyal" brigades from the Libya Shield, effectively a parallel army of former rebel formations who distrust the present government, which the new parliament has yet to replace. He also said he has the support of the new prime minister, Mustafa Abushagur, although a new cabinet has yet to be appointed and it is unclear if the present administration, led by Abdurrahim El Keib, which remains in post, has approved military action. There are fears that while the Sharia brigade, which has an estimated 100 members, can be subdued, other jihadist groups in Libya, notably those who bulldozed Sufi Islamic shrines in Tripoli last month, may react if military action is taken in Benghazi.
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Magariaf confirms US officials intercepted communications that linked al-Qaida in Maghreb to Islamist brigade Ansar al-Sharia The president of Libya's parliament, Mohamed al-Magariaf, has said military action is being considered against militants blamed for the killing of the US ambassador, Chris Stevens. Magariaf also confirmed reports from Washington that US officials intercepted communications discussing the planned attack on the UN consulate in Benghazi, which he said linked al-Qaida in the Maghreb to an Islamist brigade, Ansar al-Sharia. "Yes, that happened," he said. Magariaf told the Guardian the intercepts matched other evidence indicating members of the brigade took part in Tuesday's all-night assault on the compound and an accommodation site. "It seems there is a division within Ansar al-Sharia about this attack, some for participation, some against," he said. "We are in the process of investigation." Such transmissions would be powerful evidence linking al-Sharia to the attack, and Magariaf said Libya had been passed the information by the US government. He confirmed that the intercepted communications discussed the timing of last week's assault. But he urged the US not to act unilaterally, fearing that it would antagonise public opinion. "We will not hesitate to act, to do what is our duty," Magariaf said. "Let us start first by ourselves and if we are not capable then, whoever can help us. My experience with the Americans, they know what they have to do." His comments came as Libya's interior ministry said that weekend raids had led to the arrest of 50 suspects, but it gave no details nor indicated whether they were Islamist militants. Tension is building in Benghazi amid speculation that military action is imminent against the al-Sharia brigade, whose commanders deny responsibility for the consulate attack. Two US warships equipped with Tomahawk cruise missiles are stationed off the coast and a propeller-driven aircraft with no lights, thought to be a drone, has spent several hours in the skies above the city for the past two nights. The brigade remains in its base in Benghazi, and its soldiers are guarding a hospital where medical officials say two wounded militants are being treated. Sharia guards there refused to allow the Guardian access or to comment on the attack. Magariaf said the attack on the US mission, the fifth attack on diplomatic targets in Benghazi since April, was part of a wider campaign by militants to destabilise Libya, taking advantage of the disorder of a country still without cohesive government. "This is a turning point for the country. The confrontation is necessary and inevitable with these elements," he said. "[It is] either them, or Libya being safe and united. Today it is the Americans, tomorrow it is going to be Libyans." Magariaf rose to prominence in the 1980s when, having fled to Britain, he led the anti-Gaddafi National Front for the Salvation of Libya. He won a seat in the new parliament in July in an election in which tribal and liberal parties prevailed against the Muslim Brotherhood. He said he had evidence "foreign countries" were involved in supporting the attack on the consulate but declined to name them. "It's a deliberate calculated action by a group working in collaboration with non-Libyan extremists. I would not be surprised if it's another country, but it's not Saudi Arabia or Qatar, I'm sure." In Benghazi, evidence linking members of the Sharia brigade to the attack is growing. The chief of the city's supreme security council, Libya's gendarmerie, said witnesses and mobile phone footage showed members were involved. This was confirmed by an eyewitness who was among bystanders who turned up to see what began as an anti-US protest on Tuesday night. The witness, who said he was too frightened to give his name, said he had watched as about a dozen armed men with a black Sharia brigade banner attacked the rear gate of the consulate with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades. "The guys were with beards and Kalashnikovs, they were standing there with the Ansar al-Sharia flag. One hundred per cent this was planned, they attacked from both sides [of the consulate] at once," he said. A Libyan intelligence official told the Guardian at the weekend that a group of between 12 and 14 militants were suspected of orchestrating the attack. Magariaf said he had held weekend meetings with both the army chief of staff, Yusef Mangoush, and what he called "loyal" brigades from the Libya Shield, in effect a parallel army of former rebel formations who distrust the present government, which the new parliament has yet to replace. He also said he had the support of the new prime minister, Mustafa Abushagur, although a new cabinet has yet to be appointed and it is unclear whether the present administration, led by Abdurrahim al-Keib, which remains in power, has approved military action. There are fears that while the Sharia brigade, which has an estimated 100 members, can be subdued, other jihadist groups in Libya, notably those which bulldozed Sufi Islamic shrines in Tripoli last month, may react if military action is taken in Benghazi.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Soldiers from 3rd Battalion Yorkshire Regiment among those who died during violent weekend in Helmand Fifteen Taliban fighters who fought their way on to Helmand's main airbase destroyed six jets worth millions of pounds in an assault that was the start of a bloody weekend for Nato forces – in the last 48 hours six UK and US troops have died at the hands of their Afghan allies. This year, more than 50 Nato soldiers have been shot by police or soldiers they mentor and fight alongside, nearly 15% of all foreign military deaths in Afghanistan. The number of attacks is rising steadily, and they are becoming a serious threat to the international mission in Afghanistan. At Camp Bastion, the headquarters of both the US Marines and UK troops in Helmand, Friday night's attack caught commanders by surprise. The air base has long been considered virtually impregnable because of its isolated location in the middle of the desert and multiple defensive walls. The attackers blew a hole in the outer perimeter of the base just after 10pm, then a 15-strong suicide squad flooded inside where they targeted the fleet of military aircraft. They were dressed in US army uniforms and carried assault rifles, rocket-propelled grenade launchers and suicide vests, Nato said, describing the group as "well-equipped, trained and rehearsed". Although 14 were eventually killed and the injured survivor has been detained, they caused serious damage on the base. The attackers killed two US soldiers and injured nine other people, completely destroyed six Harrier jump jets and "significantly damaged" two others. They also hit six of the aircraft hangars that protect planes and helicopters from the desert dust. The sophisticated, destructive and high-profile assault served as a reminder of the resources and commitment of the Taliban at a time when Nato troops are streaming home for good, sometimes at a rate of hundreds a day. Prince Harry, whom the Taliban had said they would target, is based at Camp Bastion for his deployment as an Apache helicopter pilot, but he was not harmed in the attack and former prime minister Sir John Major said bringing him home now would hand the insurgents a "propaganda triumph". Hours after the firefight ended, and just a few dozen kilometres away, a "very reliable" member of the Afghan local police turned his gun on two British soldiers. He was not known to have Taliban connections, but had confessed suicidal thoughts to a colleague. "We understand that he had mental health problems," said Daoud Ahmadi, spokesman for the provincial governor. "A day before the shooting this man was talking with another ALP guy and said 'I can't bear to continue with my life any more, I prefer death to life'," Ahmadi added. Despite confusion about his motive, the killing appeared to be carefully planned. The man, Gul Agha, had bandaged his leg and pretended he needed medical help; he shot the two British soldiers with a pistol when they came to his aid, an Afghan security source told the Guardian. He was shot dead in the ensuring firefight and when the corpses were examined, his leg was uninjured under the bandage, added the source, who asked not to be named. Hours later, in the early hours of Sunday morning, four US soldiers were shot dead by an Afghan policeman at a checkpoint in the nearby province of Zabul, said Ghulam Jelani Farahi, the province's second most senior police officer. "Last night about 2.30am, a man named Adel … opened fire on the American soldiers. He killed four, wounded three," Farahi said. "The initial investigation shows this man called the Americans and said, 'We are surrounded by Taliban, please come and help'. When they came to save the police from the Taliban, Adel opened fire with an AK-47." Six other officers out of 15 on the checkpoint have also run away with their weapons, Farahi said. Additional reporting by Mokhtar Amiri
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Soldiers from 3rd Battalion Yorkshire Regiment among six Nato troops this weekend to die in suspected 'insider' attacks Six Nato troops, including two British soldiers, have been killed in Afghanistan this weekend in suspected "insider" attacks. In the most recent attack, four Nato troops were found dead and two wounded in Zabol province. The attack came a day after two British soldiers were shot dead by an Afghan policeman while returning from a patrol in southern Helmand province, one of the strongholds of the Taliban-led insurgency. The soldiers, from 3rd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, were killed at a checkpoint in the south of Nahr-e Saraj district in Helmand province. At least 51 foreign military personnel have been killed in "insider" attacks this year, deaths which have put a heavy strain on trust between the coalition and Afghanistan as they move towards handing security responsibility to Afghan forces by the end of 2014. The rise in such attacks has led to the training of new recruits to the Afghan army and police being suspended. With foreign combat troops withdrawing from the increasingly unpopular and expensive war, the enormous cultural divide still separating Afghans and their allies after 11 years of conflict has become more of a concern than ever. Adding to the toll of coalition deaths caused by insider attacks over the weekend, two were killed and nine wounded in Friday's attack on Camp Bastion, one of the worst attacks on a Nato-operated base all year. Six Harrier jets were destroyed and two were significantly damaged in the raid on the camp airfield, carried out by 15 insurgents wearing US army uniforms, the Nato-led coalition said on Sunday. The deaths of the British soldiers follow that of a soldier from 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards who died on Friday after his vehicle hit a roadside bomb. He was named by the Ministry of Defence on Sunday as Lance Corporal Duane Groom. His next of kin have been informed. The deaths bring the number of members of UK forces to have died since operations in Afghanistan began in October 2001 to 430.
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Four Americans and two British soldiers among eight Nato troops killed this weekend in suspected 'insider' attacks An Afghan police officer turned his gun on Nato troops at a remote checkpoint in southern Afghanistan before dawn Sunday, killing four American service members, according to Afghan and international officials. It was the third attack by Afghan forces or insurgents disguised in military uniforms against international forces in as many days, killing eight troops in all, including two British soldiers. Recent months have seen a string of such insider attacks by Afghan forces against their international counterparts. The killings have imperiled the military partnership between Kabul and Nato, a working relationship that is key to the handover of security responsibilities to Afghan forces as international troops draw down. Meanwhile, according to Afghan officials, airstrikes by Nato planes killed eight women and girls in a remote part of the country, fueling a long-standing grievance against a tactic used by international forces that Afghans say causes excessive civilian casualties. Villagers from a remote part of Laghman province's Alingar district drove the bodies to the provincial capital, claiming they were killed by Nato aircraft while they were out gathering firewood before dawn. "They were shouting 'Death to America!' They were condemning the attack," said Laghman provincial government spokesman Sarhadi Zewak. Seven injured females were also brought to area hospitals for treatment, some of them as young as 10 years old, said provincial health director Latif Qayumi.
Nato forces at first said that about 45 insurgents and no civilians were killed in the attack but spokesman Jamie Graybeal stressed later that they took the charge of civilian deaths seriously and were investigating the allegations. "Protecting Afghan lives is the cornerstone of our mission and it saddens us when we learn that our action might have unintentionally harmed civilians," Graybeal said. Afghan president Hamid Karzai condemned the airstrike and said a government investigation had been opened. The recent violence also comes amid an international uproar about an internet video mocking the Prophet Muhammad that many fear could further aggravate Afghan-US relations. The video has sparked protests throughout the Muslim world and the Afghan government blocked the YouTube site that hosts the video and its parent company, Google, over the weekend in a move to prevent violent protests. So far, protests in Afghanistan have remained peaceful. Details of Sunday's attack were slow to come out because it took place in a remote area, said Graybeal, the Nato forces spokesman. "The attack took place in the vicinity of an outpost in southern Afghanistan. It is my understanding that it was a checkpoint," Graybeal said. International forces often work with Afghan police to man checkpoints as part of the effort to train and mentor the Afghan forces so that they can eventually operate on their own. The goal is to turn over all security responsibility for the country to the Afghans by the end of 2014, though numbers of Nato forces have already been reduced in many areas. Graybeal said one police officer was killed in the clash with Nato troops but that the other officers at the site fled and it was unclear if they were involved in the attack or not. Two international troops were wounded and were receiving treatment, Graybeal said. He did not say how serious the injuries were. Afghan officials said the checkpoint in Zabul province's Mizan district came under attack first from insurgents sometime around midnight. American forces came to help the Afghan police respond to the attack, said Ghulam Gilani, the deputy police chief of the province. It was not clear if some of the Afghan police turned on their American helpers in the middle of the battle with the insurgents, or afterward, or were somehow forced into attacking the American troops by the insurgents, Gilani said. "The checkpoint was attacked last night. Then the police started fighting with the Americans. Whether they attacked the Americans willingly we don't know," Gilani said. He said all four of the dead were American. A US official speaking on anonymity because the information had not been officially released confirmed that the four killed were American. Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi said the police who attacked were not affiliated with the Taliban insurgency. "But they are Afghans and they know that Americans are our enemy," Ahmadi told The Associated Press. In an emailed statement, he said the police who fled have joined up with the insurgency. The coalition said in a statement that they were investigating what happened.
So far this year, 51 international service members have died at the hands of Afghan soldiers or policemen or insurgents wearing their uniforms. At least 12 such attacks came in August alone, leaving 15 dead. On Saturday, a gunman in the uniform of a government-backed militia force shot dead two British soldiers in Helmand district in the south-west. Britain's defense minister said the two soldiers, from 3rd Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment, were killed at a checkpoint shooting in Nahri Sarraj district of Helmand province in southern Afghanistan, where the Taliban have their strongest roots. Nato said earlier that the gunman was wearing a uniform used by the Afghan Local Police, a village-level fighting force overseen by the central government. That strike came a day after insurgents wearing US army uniforms attacked a military base, killing two American marines, wounding nine other people and destroying six Harrier fighter jets, military officials said. Fourteen insurgents were killed. The Taliban claimed responsibility for that attack and said that it was revenge for the video insulting Prophet Muhammad. In the capital on Sunday, several hundred university students chanted "Death to America!" and "Long life to Islam!" over several hours to protest the video. Riot police cordoned off the area and the protest ended without incident in the early afternoon. A smaller protest went forward in the western city of Herat.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Sir John Major, Prince William's guardian after Diana died, says photographers who took 'distasteful' pictures crossed boundary The photographers who took "distasteful" topless pictures of the Duchess of Cambridge are "peeping toms" who should be prosecuted, Sir John Major has said. The former prime minister, who was appointed as a guardian to the Duke of Cambridge and his younger brother when Diana, Princess of Wales died in 1997, said a boundary had been crossed. Speaking on the Andrew Marr Show on BBC1, Major said it was "absolutely right" of Clarence House to take the publishers of the French edition of Closer magazine to court. "The boundaries have plainly been crossed. I don't think we need to mince words about these photographs. The way they have been obtained is tasteless. "It is the action of a peeping tom. In our country we prosecute peeping toms. That is exactly what they have done and they have been peeping with long lenses from a long way away. They are very distasteful. "I have often in the past been critical of the British media. I thoroughly applaud the fact that they will not touch these pictures with a barge pole. They deserve credit for not doing so. It is a pity that other people overseas have lower standards." Asked what he would say if he bumped into the former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, whose family owns a magazine that is planning to publish more of the photos, Major said: "It is very unlikely and it might not be a good conversation." Major's comments came as the newspaper owner Richard Desmond was taking steps to close the Irish Daily Star, which had taken the decision to publish the topless pictures of the Duchess of Cambridge sunbathing while on holiday in France. The paper had been condemned by St James's Palace after it ran 13 pictures of the duchess along with an image of the French Closer magazine, which first published the pictures on its front cover. Desmond is convinced he has the power to shut down the operation, given that he owns the British title. Insiders believe he has already instructed lawyers to begin the necessary legal action to terminate publication. Its website remained down on Saturday evening. Desmond's company, Northern & Shell, co-owns the Irish Daily Star with the Dublin-based Independent News & Media (INM). Desmond said: "I am very angry at the decision to publish these photographs and am taking immediate steps to close down the joint-venture. The decision to publish these pictures has no justification whatever and Northern & Shell condemns it in the strongest possible terms." It emerged on Saturday that 200 pictures taken of the couple at their private retreat were being offered to publications around Europe. Alfonso Signorini, editor of Chi magazine, an Italian gossip title, told the Observer he planned a 26-page feature containing 30 pictures to be published on Monday. He said the pictures "will not damage her dignity, nor are they in any way morbid", adding that they contain "normal topless shots, except Kate happens to be the future Queen". He added: "They are not scandalous, there are no unpublishable pictures. It is just a huge scoop."
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Sir John Major, who became William's guardian after Diana died, says photographers who took 'distasteful' pictures crossed boundary The photographers who took "distasteful" topless pictures of the Duchess of Cambridge are "peeping toms" who should be prosecuted, Sir John Major has said. The former prime minister, who was appointed as a guardian to the duke and his younger brother when Diana, Princess of Wales died in 1997, said that a boundary had been crossed. Speaking on the Andrew Marr Show on BBC1, Major said it was "absolutely right" of Clarence House to take the publishers of the French edition of Closer magazine to court. "The boundaries have plainly been crossed. I don't think we need to mince words about these photographs. The way they have been obtained is tasteless. "It is the action of a peeping tom. In our country we prosecute peeping toms. That is exactly what they have done and they have been peeping with long lenses from a long way away. They are very distasteful. "I have often in the past been critical of the British media. I thoroughly applaud the fact that they will not touch these pictures with a barge pole. They deserve credit for not doing so. It is a pity that other people overseas have lower standards." Asked what he would say if he bumped into the former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, whose family owns a magazine that is planning to publish more of the photos, Major said: "It is very unlikely and it might not be a good conversation." Major's comments came as the newspaper owner Richard Desmond was taking steps to close the Irish Daily Star, which had taken the decision to publish the topless pictures of the Duchess of Cambridge sunbathing while on holiday in France. The paper had been condemned by St James's Palace after it ran 13 pictures of the duchess along with an image of the French Closer magazine, which first published the pictures on its front cover. Desmond is convinced he has the power to shut down the whole operation, given that he owns the British title. Insiders believe he has already instructed lawyers to begin the necessary legal action to terminate publication. Its website remained down on Saturday evening. Desmond's company, Northern & Shell, co-owns the Irish Daily Star with the Dublin-based Independent News & Media (INM). Desmond said: "I am very angry at the decision to publish these photographs and am taking immediate steps to close down the joint venture. The decision to publish these pictures has no justification whatever and Northern & Shell condemns it in the strongest possible terms." It emerged on Saturday that 200 pictures taken of the couple at their private retreat were being offered to publications around Europe. Alfonso Signorini, editor of Chi magazine, an Italian gossip title, told the Observer he planned a 26-page feature containing 30 pictures to be published on Monday. He said the pictures "will not damage her dignity, nor are they in any way morbid", adding that they contain "normal topless shots, except Kate happens to be the future Queen". He added: "They are not scandalous, there are no unpublishable pictures. It is just a huge scoop."
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | US state department orders departure of non-essential staff from embassies amid concerns over rising anti-American violence The US state department has ordered non-essential staff from its embassies in Sudan and Tunisia to leave with their families and warned its citizens against travelling to the two countries owing to concerns over rising anti-American violence. "Given the security situation in Tunis and Khartoum, the state department has ordered the departure of all family members and non-emergency personnel from both posts, and issued parallel travel warnings to American citizens," said a spokeswoman, Victoria Nuland. In Tunisia, the warning advised Americans that the international airport in Tunis was open and encouraged all US citizens to depart on commercial flights. It said Americans who chose to remain in Tunisia should use extreme caution and avoid demonstrations. On Friday, protesters climbed the walls into the US embassy in Tunis, torching cars, attacking the entrance building and setting fire to a gym and a neighbouring American school. In Sudan, the warning said that while the Sudanese government had taken steps to limit the activities of terrorist groups, some remain and have threatened to attack western interests. The terrorist threat level remains "critical" throughout Sudan, the department said. It noted that US officials were already required to travel in armoured vehicles and to get permission to travel outside Khartoum, where crowds set alight part of the German embassy and tried to storm the US embassy on Friday. A US official said on Saturday that Sudan's government was holding up the deployment of an elite Marine team it planned to send to Khartoum to boost security at the embassy. Meanwhile, the US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, spoke to leading officials from seven countries on Saturday to discuss the situation following a wave of protest and violence over an anti-Muslim film that has swept across the Middle East and elsewhere in recent days. An obscure, amateurish movie called Innocence of Muslims, which depicts the prophet Muhammad as a fraud, a womaniser and a paedophile, sparked the outrage. On Tuesday, protesters in Egypt breached the walls of the US embassy in Cairo, then well-armed extremists attacked the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya, killing four Americans, including the US Ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens. Since then, protests over the video have spread to more than 20 countries in the Middle East, Africa and south-east Asia. While most demonstrations were peaceful, marches in several places turned violent, including in Tunisia and Sudan. Clinton on Saturday spoke to the prime minister of Libya, the president of Somalia, and the foreign ministers of Britain, Egypt, France, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, Nuland said. She spoke to the Libyan prime minister, Mustafa Abushagur, about the importance of bringing the consulate attackers to justice, Nuland said. The prime minister "expressed confidence that the attackers would be brought to justice, noting that the government was already starting to take action", she added. Clinton thanked the Egyptians, Turks and Saudis for their condemnations of the violence and spoke of the need to ensure security at diplomatic missions, Nuland said. Clinton and the Egyptian foreign minister, Mohamed Kamel Amr, also "agreed that while the film may be offensive and reprehensible, it cannot be used as justification for violence", she said. The state department travel warnings came as President Barack Obama paid tribute to the Americans killed in Benghazi in his weekly radio address and denounced the anti-US protests that have followed.
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Peaceful demonstration opposing presidency of Vladimir Putin is first major protest to take place in three months The first major protest against Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, after a summer lull drew tens of thousands of people in Moscow, in a show of defiance that opposition sentiment remains strong despite Kremlin efforts to muzzle dissent. The demonstration showed the opposition's resilience, despite the government's attempts to stem the protest movement that brought out more than 100,000 people last winter in a series of big street protests against Putin's election to a third presidential term. Hopes for a quick change that many protesters had during the winter have waned, but opposition supporters appeared ready to dig in for a long fight. "We have to defend our rights, which we were deprived of, the right to have elections. We're deprived of honest elections and an honest government," opposition activist Alexander Shcherbakov said. "I'm coming to show that and to demonstrate that the people are opposed. I'm opposed to illegitimate government and illegitimate elections." Leftists, liberals and nationalists mixed with students, teachers, gay activists and others on the capital's tree-lined boulevards during Saturday's rally, chanting "Russia without Putin!" and "We are the power here!" The protest remained peaceful as about 7,000 police officers stood guard along the route of the march, and a police helicopter hovered overhead. Putin has taken a tougher course against the opposition since his inauguration in May with a series of new repressive laws, arrests and interrogation of activists. In August, a court handed two-year prison sentences to three members of the punk band Pussy Riot for performing an anti-Putin song inside Moscow's main cathedral. Some activists on Saturday carried big balloons with balaclava masks painted on the band's trademark headwear. Another rally participant carried a basket with three plastic heads in brightly coloured balaclavas. Many demonstrators targeted Putin with creative placards and outfits. Some mocked Putin's recent publicity stunt when he flew in a motorised hang glider to lead a flock of young Siberian white cranes in flight. One protester donned a white outfit similar to the one worn by Putin on the flight with a placard reading: "Give up hope, each of you who follow me." The rally, which had received the required permit from authorities, appeared to be as big as the last major protest in June, which also attracted tens of thousands. The organisers had spent days in tense talks with the city government over the protest route on Saturday as the authorities tried to move it farther away from the city centre. Such tense bargaining preceded each of the previous opposition marches. A protest on the eve of Putin's inauguration had ended in clashes with police, and the Kremlin responded by arresting some of its participants and approving a new law that raised fines 150-fold for taking part in unsanctioned protests. The authorities, however, granted permission for a subsequent opposition rally in June, which was peaceful. Alexei Navalny, a charismatic anti-corruption crusader and a popular blogger who has been a key driving force behind the opposition protests, urged the demonstrators to show resolve and keep the pressure on the Kremlin with more street protests. "We must come to rallies to win freedom for ourselves and our children, to defend our human dignity," he said to cheers of support. "We will come here as to our workplace. No one else will free us but ourselves." A day before the rally, parliament expelled an opposition lawmaker who angered the Kremlin by joining the protest movement. The vote to oust Gennady Gudkov over allegations of running a business in violation of parliament rules angered many, possibly helping beef up the ranks of protesters. The vote deprived Gudkov, a KGB veteran like Putin, from his immunity from prosecution and his supporters fear he could be arrested. His son Dmitry Gudkov, also a lawmaker, said he hopes the Kremlin won't dare to put his father in prison after seeing the protesters' strength. "They will have either to think about serious reforms and end their repressions, or they will come to a very bad end," he said as he marched with a column of protesters. "It's necessary right now for all Russians to come out into the streets to show the regime that changes are needed in our country, and that without them our country can't develop," said teacher Valentina Merkulova, who participated in Saturday's protest. "The most important thing is that, the more Russians come out, the less bloody the change of regime, the change of power. A change of power is necessary."
 | | | | | | | | | |  | |  | |  |
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire