|  |  |  | | | | | The Guardian World News | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | As airline relies on negotiating concessions from employees, departures are delayed and maintenance requests are up Delays, lost luggage and confusing information are the unfortunate trademark of modern air travel, but American Airlines has reached a new record in airline disservice in the past month in what seems to be an intentional move by employees. Back in November, American Airlines filed for bankruptcy after losing $10bn in a 10-year period. Its money-saving bankruptcy restructuring plan relies heavily on negotiating further concessions from flight attendants, maintenance workers and pilots. Those pilots have become increasingly frustrated with American Airlines management and has been in and out of contract negotiations with the company. The day after pilots learned a judge had thrown out their contact, the amount of on-time flights dropped from 77.9% to 46.5%. On his aviation blog, Dallas Morning News' Terry Maxon suggested that some pilots may be intent on sabotaging the airline. An an unidentified American Airlines pilot said on Maxon's blog that AA pilots were filing maintenance reports for minor faults that would otherwise have been left until the plane was in a more convenient location for repair. The pilot wrote: If you ran your car like American Airlines has been running for the last two weeks, if your car was leaking oil on the drive, write it up. Windshield wipers streaking, write it up. Shocks squeaking, write it up. Car pulls slightly to the left, write it up. Your wife would be thrilled ... until the bill came in.
The pilots' union has said it is not organizing intentional service disruptions, but American Airlines believes otherwise. On Wednesday, senior vice-president of people Denise Lynn sent an email to the APA that said: I am writing to express my concern about mounting evidence that certain pilots are engaging in an unlawful, concerted effort to damage the Company. This unlawful conduct is taking the form of discretionary pilot actions including such things as delaying departures for unnecessary checks, increased and late-filed maintenance write-ups, increased block times due to slow taxiing, and circuitous routings. This behavior has been accompanied by statements from pilots indicating that the activity is intended to 'send a message' to the Company to express displeasure with AMR management, the Court's Section 1113 decision and the absence of a new consensual agreement with the Company.
On Monday, a report in the New York Post detailed how a loose row of seats on a Miami bound flight caused an emergency landing at the city's Kennedy airport. The request for a diversion wasn't directly linked to the alleged sabotage action, but an APA spokesman was quick to respond to the incident. "With turbulence, you have to be cautious. That's why everyone has to stow everything under the seat to prevent loose objects from flying around the cabin – and you've got a whole row of seats unbolted," a spokesman for the Allied Pilots Association told the Post. "It's a head-scratcher, the first time I've heard of it in 24 years with American." All of which has led to commentators giving some sharp advice to the airline: You, American Airlines, should no longer be flying across the Atlantic. You do not have the know-how. You do not have the equipment. And your employees have clearly lost interest in the endeavor. Like the country whose name graces the hulls of your flying ships, you are exhausted and shorn of purpose. You need to stop.
And to passengers: You seriously have to stop traveling on American Airlines. Seriously. If you're booking some travel somewhere, book it somewhere else. If your company has some relationship with American that gives them a strong preference for you to fly with American, still book it somewhere else.
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | The 2012 US Election is a tight race, and the two candidates are increasingly targeting their messages to small groups of voters who will determine the outcome. These groups are being targeted by age, race, education and most importantly, the state they live in. Find out how likely your demographic is to make the difference in this election.
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Exclusive: Anders Fogh Rasmussen admits 'green on blue' attacks have hit morale, and raises prospect of pullout before 2014 The retreat of western forces from Afghanistan could come sooner than expected, the head of Nato has said, as he conceded the recent Taliban strategy of "green on blue" killings had been successful in sapping western morale. In an interview with the Guardian, the Nato secretary-general Anders Fogh Rasmussen responded to growing pressure for a faster withdrawal from Afghanistan by stating that the options were being studied and should be clear within three months. "From now until the end of 2014 you may see adaptation of our presence. Our troops can redeploy, take on other tasks, or even withdraw, or we can reduce the number of foreign troops," he said. "From now until the end of 2014 we will see announcements of redeployments, withdrawals or drawdown … If the security situation allows, I would not exclude the possibility that in certain areas you could accelerate the process." Rasmussen admitted that the killings of almost 50 allied troops this year in "green on blue" attacks – Afghan security forces turning on their trainers and mentors – had damaged the relationship between the international forces and the Afghan police and military. "There's no doubt insider attacks have undermined trust and confidence, absolutely," he said. Nato aims to have an Afghan security force of 352,000 taking over responsibility for the country in just over two years' time when the US-led combat operations are scheduled to end. Amid argument among analysts as to what has been behind the stream of "green on blue" attacks, Nato officers on the ground are reported to have ascribed them mainly to disgruntled and embittered Afghan security forces with grudges against their western mentors. While Rasmussen conceded there may have been some such cases, Nato has clearly concluded from intelligence that the attacks have more to do with a clever Taliban strategy of infiltration of the Afghan security structures aimed at sowing distrust and confusion, and that is shaping western public opinion. "It's safe to say that a significant part of the insider attacks are due to Taliban tactics … Probably it is part of a Taliban strategy," he said. While it was allied soldiers who were being killed, Rasmussen said the Taliban campaign's ultimate target was to turn western public opinion against the war. "Political leaders in the capitals of troop-contributing countries know very well that this is part of a tactic or strategy to also undermine public and political support at home … The real target is politicians, media, opinion-formers at home in partner nations and allied nations." He added that some of the killings had been carried out by Taliban infiltrators disguised as Afghan police or soldiers. "We have seen also where they were in Afghan uniforms though they are not members of the Afghan security force." On the pace and phasing of withdrawal – the difficult task of pulling out more than 120,000 troops from forbidding and frequently hostile terrain – Rasmussen said a key moment would come later this year when General John Allen, the US overall commander of the operations, delivered a report with his military recommendations. "Political decisions will be taken based on his recommendations as to how we will adapt to the transfer of lead responsibility to the Afghans," he said. "The pace will very much depend on the security situation on the ground." Rasmussen stressed that any accelerated rate of withdrawal should not be seen as "a race for the exits". The end of combat operations is to be followed from 2015 by a Nato-led training mission for the Afghan security forces, which will also require the continued deployment of fighting units or special forces – "enablers" as they are called in military jargon. "The core will be a training mission. Of course, we will have to ensure that our trainers can operate in a secure environment so we need capabilities to make sure that our trainers can operate," said the former Danish prime minister, appointed head of Nato in 2009. Additionally, there will be further US forces remaining in Afghanistan under a bilateral "strategic partnership" deal struck between Washington and Kabul. Amid mission creep fatigue across Europe, squeezed defence budgets and sweeping austerity cuts, it is not clear how many of the European Nato allies will contribute troops to the training mission. Defence ministers meet next week in Brussels to start planning the operations.
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Exclusive: Anders Fogh Rasmussen admits 'green on blue' attacks have hit morale, and raises prospect of accelerated pullout The retreat of western forces from Afghanistan could come sooner than expected, the head of Nato has said as he conceded that the recent Taliban strategy of "green on blue" killings had been successful in sapping morale. In an interview with the Guardian Nato's secretary-general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, responded to pressure for a faster withdrawal from Afghanistan by stating that the options were being studied and should be clear within three months. "From now until the end of 2014 you may see adaptation of our presence. Our troops can redeploy, take on other tasks, or even withdraw, or we can reduce the number of foreign troops," he said. "From now until the end of 2014 we will see announcements of redeployments, withdrawals or drawdown … If the security situation allows, I would not exclude the possibility that in certain areas you could accelerate the process." Rasmussen admitted that the killings of almost 50 allied troops this year in "green on blue" attacks – Afghan security forces turning on their trainers and mentors – had damaged the relationship between the international forces and the Afghan police and military. "There's no doubt insider attacks have undermined trust and confidence, absolutely," he said. Nato aims to have an Afghan security force of 352,000 taking over responsibility for the country in just over two years when the US-led combat operations are scheduled to end. Amid argument among analysts as to what has been behind the stream of "green on blue" attacks, Nato officers on the ground are reported to have ascribed them mainly to disgruntled and embittered Afghan security forces with grudges against their western mentors. While Rasmussen conceded there may have been some such cases, Nato has clearly concluded from intelligence that the attacks have more to do with a Taliban strategy of infiltration of the Afghan security structures aimed at sowing distrust and confusion. "It's safe to say that a significant part of the insider attacks are due to Taliban tactics … Probably it is part of a Taliban strategy," he said. While it was allied soldiers who were being killed, Rasmussen said the Taliban campaign's ultimate target was to turn western public opinion against the war. "Political leaders in the capitals of troop-contributing countries know very well that this is part of a tactic or strategy to also undermine public and political support at home … The real target is politicians, media, opinion-formers at home in partner nations and allied nations." He added that some of the killings had been carried out by Taliban infiltrators disguised as Afghan police or soldiers. "We have seen also where they were in Afghan uniforms though they are not members of the Afghan security force." On the pace and phasing of withdrawal – the difficult task of pulling out more than 120,000 troops from forbidding and frequently hostile terrain – Rasmussen said a key moment would come later this year when General John Allen, the US overall commander of the operations, delivered a report with his military recommendations. "Political decisions will be taken based on his recommendations as to how we will adapt to the transfer of lead responsibility to the Afghans," he said. "The pace will very much depend on the security situation on the ground." Rasmussen stressed that any accelerated rate of withdrawal should not be seen as "a race for the exits". The end of combat operations is to be followed from 2015 by a Nato-led training mission for the Afghan security forces, which will also require the continued deployment of fighting units or special forces, – "enablers" as they are called in military jargon. "The core will be a training mission. Of course, we will have to ensure that our trainers can operate in a secure environment so we need capabilities to make sure that our trainers can operate," said the former Danish prime minister, who was appointed head of Nato in 2009. Additionally, there will be further US forces remaining in Afghanistan under a bilateral "strategic partnership" deal struck between Washington and Kabul. Amid mission creep fatigue across Europe, squeezed defence budgets and sweeping austerity cuts, it is not clear how many of the European Nato allies will contribute troops to the training mission. Defence ministers meet next week in Brussels to start planning the operations.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Exclusive: Redeployment of some troops might be accelerated, says Nato chief, who admits 'green on blue' attacks have hit morale The retreat of western forces from Afghanistan could come sooner than expected, the head of Nato has said as he conceded that the recent Taliban strategy of "green on blue" killings had been successful in sapping morale. In an interview with the Guardian Nato's secretary-general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, responded to pressure for a faster withdrawal from Afghanistan by stating that the options were being studied and should be clear within three months. "From now until the end of 2014 you may see adaptation of our presence. Our troops can redeploy, take on other tasks, or even withdraw, or we can reduce the number of foreign troops," he said. "From now until the end of 2014 we will see announcements of redeployments, withdrawals or drawdown … If the security situation allows, I would not exclude the possibility that in certain areas you could accelerate the process." Rasmussen admitted that the killings of almost 50 allied troops this year in "green on blue" attacks – Afghan security forces turning on their trainers and mentors – had damaged the relationship between the international forces and the Afghan police and military. "There's no doubt insider attacks have undermined trust and confidence, absolutely," he said. Nato aims to have an Afghan security force of 352,000 taking over responsibility for the country in just over two years when the US-led combat operations are scheduled to end. Amid argument among analysts as to what has been behind the stream of "green on blue" attacks, Nato officers on the ground are reported to have ascribed them mainly to disgruntled and embittered Afghan security forces with grudges against their western mentors. While Rasmussen conceded there may have been some such cases, Nato has clearly concluded from intelligence that the attacks have more to do with a Taliban strategy of infiltration of the Afghan security structures aimed at sowing distrust and confusion. "It's safe to say that a significant part of the insider attacks are due to Taliban tactics … Probably it is part of a Taliban strategy," he said. While it was allied soldiers who were being killed, Rasmussen said the Taliban campaign's ultimate target was to turn western public opinion against the war. "Political leaders in the capitals of troop-contributing countries know very well that this is part of a tactic or strategy to also undermine public and political support at home … The real target is politicians, media, opinion-formers at home in partner nations and allied nations." He added that some of the killings had been carried out by Taliban infiltrators disguised as Afghan police or soldiers. "We have seen also where they were in Afghan uniforms though they are not members of the Afghan security force." On the pace and phasing of withdrawal – the difficult task of pulling out more than 120,000 troops from forbidding and frequently hostile terrain – Rasmussen said a key moment would come later this year when General John Allen, the US overall commander of the operations, delivered a report with his military recommendations. "Political decisions will be taken based on his recommendations as to how we will adapt to the transfer of lead responsibility to the Afghans," he said. "The pace will very much depend on the security situation on the ground." Rasmussen stressed that any accelerated rate of withdrawal should not be seen as "a race for the exits". The end of combat operations is to be followed from 2015 by a Nato-led training mission for the Afghan security forces, which will also require the continued deployment of fighting units or special forces, – "enablers" as they are called in military jargon. "The core will be a training mission. Of course, we will have to ensure that our trainers can operate in a secure environment so we need capabilities to make sure that our trainers can operate," said the former Danish prime minister, who was appointed head of Nato in 2009. Additionally, there will be further US forces remaining in Afghanistan under a bilateral "strategic partnership" deal struck between Washington and Kabul. Amid mission creep fatigue across Europe, squeezed defence budgets and sweeping austerity cuts, it is not clear how many of the European Nato allies will contribute troops to the training mission. Defence ministers meet next week in Brussels to start planning the operations.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | With the rial plummeting against the dollar, discontent is growing among ordinary Iranians 'Help, help, help!" screams a cartoon Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, dropping his watering can and running for dear life as a giant dollar sign totters alarmingly and threatens to crush him. Attacks like these are multiplying as criticism mounts over the mismanagement of Iran's worsening economic plight. With the rial plummeting against the dollar, accusations that the president is deliberately manipulating Iran's foreign currency reserves – hence the watering can – reflect discontent among ordinary people who can no longer afford staple foods or find decent jobs. Ahmadinejad has been mired in controversy from his election in 2005, a populist figure who has been both publicly backed and privately vilified by the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and the Islamic republic's hardline clerical establishment. Only last week, as Ahmadinejad was addressing the UN general assembly, his own media adviser was arrested. He also faced angry criticism over the 140-strong entourage that accompanied him to the UN. But his speech in New York lacked the familiar fireworks, and an interview with one US newspaper sounded almost conciliatory on the burning question of Iran's nuclear programme – the reason for some of the toughest international sanctions ever imposed. Economists agree that the currency crisis has been triggered by financial sanctions which, on top of a huge reduction in oil revenues from the EU, make it harder for Iran to carry on injecting petrodollars into markets to keep exchange rates down. "What is making it worse is that the country is plagued by a power struggle between Ahmadinejad and Khamenei," says one Iranian analyst, "so instead of handling the crisis the president is preoccupied by the arrest of his press adviser and the central bank seems completely undecided and shifts from one policy to another." Ahmadinejad, banned from standing for a third term, is widely seen as yesterday's man. Mir-Hossein Mousavi, who claimed victory in 2009, remains under house arrest. In March's majlis elections, Khamenei loyalists swept the board. The president has severe image problems in the west, especially when he excoriates "Zionists" or hails the "hidden imam" of Shia Muslim tradition, but he has been more pragmatic than Khamenei on the need to ease tensions with the west. No surprise that he is at loggerheads with the Revolutionary Guards, who seem to welcome an attack by Israel or the US. Western governments appear to be hoping that the sanctions will encourage popular unrest and a policy shift. But repression has been successful – far more than in Syria – and there seems little appetite for mass protests. Media outlets have been officially ordered to avoid "bleak" reporting about the economy and to robustly defend the Islamic Revolution. "What is happening now is that anyone who is unhappy with the economy and resorts to protests can be easily labelled as damaging national security," warns a veteran Tehran-watcher. "So this tactic by the big powers of encouraging a popular uprising effectively forces Iranians to shut up." Ali Ansari of the University of St Andrews argues that the Iranian government has now lost all credibility on economic management with its people, not least because there are no independent means of accounting and auditing. "Iranian politicians have been quite lucky – especially Ahmadinejad," he says. "But all of a sudden there are no more miracles around the corner – unless you think that the hidden imam is about to come."
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Foreign minister tells UN general assembly that peace in Syria requires countries to stop financing and supporting opposition Syria's foreign minister, Walid al-Moallem, has accused some UN security council members of supporting "terrorism" in the country in a speech clearly aimed at the US and its allies who support the opposition. Addressing the UN general assembly's annual ministerial meeting, Moallem said that peace in Syria would require Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Libya and others to stop arming, financing and supporting the opposition. He also alluded to the anti-Islam video that provoked violent demonstrations around the Muslim world. "This terrorism, which is externally supported, is accompanied by unprecedented media provocation based on igniting religious extremism sponsored by well-known states in the region that facilitate the flow of arms, money and fighters through the borders of some neighbouring countries," he said. The security council's major powers remain deeply divided over the 18-month Syria conflict. Russia and China, key backers of the Syrian president, Bashar Assad, have vetoed three resolutions by the US, Britain and France, who back the opposition and have called for Assad to be replaced. Moallem said some countries were interfering in Syrian domestic affairs. "We heard calls from this podium, and on other platforms, some calls from those who are ignorant of the facts or maybe ignoring them, or also from those who are shareholders in exacerbating them, that invites the president of the Syrian Arab Republic to step down," he said. "This is a blatant interference in the domestic affairs of Syria, and the unity of its people and its sovereignty." Moallem called for a political solution and Syrian-led dialogue to agree on a roadmap to "a more pluralistic and democratic Syria". He invited the opposition to "work together to stop the shedding of Syrian blood".
 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Romney and the president have both tried to play up the other side's debate skills, but latest poll favours Obama nonetheless Barack Obama has lost the first round in the run-up to the presidential debate in Denver on Wednesday, with a poll showing his campaign team failed in the contest to play down expectations. Both the Obama and Mitt Romney campaign teams for the last fortnight have been trying to lower expectations about their respective candidates and talking up their opponents. In spite of this, an ABC/Washington Post poll showed that registered voters by a two to one margin expect Obama to win the crucial debate. The figures can be read as a vote of confidence in Obama, an expectation that he is a better performer than Romney, often portrayed as "wooden" as a speaker. But there is a big downside for Obama going into a debate as favourite in a debate estimated to attract a viewing audience of between 50-60 million. If the debate is judged to be a draw or even a win for Obama, that outcome would be largely discounted because he fulfilled expectations. By contrast, with expectations of Romney low, even a modest performance could be potrayed by his team as win. Obama is ensconced in a resort on the outskirts of Las Vegas, preparing for the debate while Romney has opted to base himself in Denver. Obama, in his final rally in Las Vegas on Sunday night before retreating into purdah, made a last attempt to lower expectations. "I know folks in the media are speculating already on who's going to have the best zingers," he said. The crowd shouted: "You are." Obama replied: "I don't know about that. Governor Romney, he's a good debater." Romney badly needs a good showing to reverse the growing perception that he is a loser, after setback after setback, from his overseas trip in the summer to an uninspired convention. He was not helped by the 47% secret video a fortnight ago, or recent polls in swing states putting Obama ahead. Republican strategy emergesIn a preview of what lines of attack he might pursue on Wednesday, the Republican party put out a lengthy press release listing issues on which it claimed Obama had abused trust, including immigration, the deficit and renewable energy. Romney's campaign team is divided over strategy for the remaining five weeks, particularly over how hard to pursue the shifting White House version of events of the Libyan killings. Some of his advisers want to keep the focus almost exclusively on the economy, seeing that as the key to eventual victory on November 6. Others argue that the unrest in Libya and elsewhere in the Middle East offers a badly-needed opportunity to shake up the election race. There will, in theory, be little opportunity to make the Wednesday debate about foreign policy, having agreed in advance to devote it to domestic issues and leave foreign policy to the third and final debate. Romney, in an article in the Wall Street Journal published Monday, reiterated his argument that Obama had failed in the Middle East by not staying close enough to Israel, by being too weak in the showdown with Iran and by failing to make the most of the Arab Spring. Referring to the killing of US ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans at the consulate in Benghazi, Libya, he wrote: "We needed a strategy for success, but the president offered none. And now he seeks to downplay the significance of the calamities of the past few weeks." The White House, the state department and the US mission at the UN have veered between ascribing the Benghazi attack to militia spontaneously taking advantage of a riot over anti-Muslim film to a pre-planned assault by a group linked to al-Qaida. The ABC-Washington Post poll, in line with others over the last fortnight, show Obama ahead. Sixty-three percent of registered voters said they expect he will win re-election and 56% to 29% expect him to win the Denver debate.
Although Obama is ahead nationally, it is only by 49% to 47%, a small enough margin for Romney to mount a comeback. A poll in Iowa, for the Des Moines Register, which has a good record of accuracy, shows Obama ahead 49% to 45%, good news for him but a small enough margin for Romney to turn around one of the swing states. In a new line of attack, the Democrats are sending out squads of legislators and officials from Massachusetts to swing states to talk about their experience of Romney when he was governor of the state.
 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Rial sent into tailspin in spite of Ahmadinejad's defiance as Iranians rush to convert assets to foreign currency or gold Iranians are suffering their worst financial crisis since the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, with the national currency hitting an all-time low and the prices of staple goods soaring. With the Iranian economy crumbling under escalating western sanctions, the rial was sent into a tailspin on Monday, dropping by more than 15% to its lowest-ever level against the dollar. At midday, 34,500 rials bought $1 on the open market, compared to 29,600 rials on Sunday's close, according to Iranian currency-monitoring websites. Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, had previously rejected predictions that the rial would drop as low as 30,000 rials against the dollar, saying that such suggestions amounted to little more than "psychological war". The latest news will come as a further blow to a president already widely seen as a lame duck. Ahmadinejad will stand down in June 2013, and cannot run for a third term under Iranian law. "What an embarrassment for Ahmadinejad," said Farshad, a student at Tehran University. "The economy is in crisis and he is either blind to it or simply doesn't want to see it." Western sanctions are compounding the country's economic woes, sending the national currency into a nosedive and making dollars hard to come by. The situation has worsened significantly in recent months; the latest US and EU sanctions on Tehran came into effect in July. As a result, the prices of chicken, milk, cheese, bread, sugar and yogurt, among other staples, are now rising almost every day. For Zohreh, a middle-aged housewife living in east Tehran, the current crisis evokes the bad old days of the Iran-Iraq war. "It's like the war years, the price today is different from the price yesterday," she said. "For certain items you have to queue up and some are not available anymore." Zohreh, like millions of other Iranians, receives a monthly government payment to families to compensate for a cut in subsidies. But she said the money, known as Yaraneh, no longer meets her needs. "Just nine months ago, I used to go to the market with 120,000 rials in my pocket and come back home with a basket of vegetables, fruits and staples but now for [the] same items I have to pay 300,000 rials." The rial has lost 57% of its value in the past three months and 75% in comparison to the end of last year. The dollar is now three times stronger than early last year. Iran, one of the world's largest oil producers, relies on crude sales for 80% of its export revenue and to bring in most of the foreign currency. In the wake of the currency crisis, many Iranians who have lost faith in the rial are now contributing to its instability by rushing to convert their assets and properties to foreign currency and gold. "The rial's fall has affected all aspects of life in Iran," said Amir, a shopkeeper in Tehran. "It's not only the prices of imported items that are increasing but domestic products have also been affected." He pointed to the price of a box of domestically made cigarettes, Bahman, which he said had doubled since last year. "You can only rely on foreign currency and gold these days in Iran." Among those bearing the brunt of the crisis are patients and hospitals reliant on currency for imported medicines and foreign-based services. Iran's Haemophilia Society, for example, has blamed the sanctions for risking thousands of children's lives due to a lack of proper drugs. The government has repeatedly attempted to bring the currency under control with no success. Last week it launched an exchange centre aimed at stabilising the rates, but the rial's fall has since increased. Previous attempts also include a sharp rise in interest rates in February and an order for an imposed exchange rate to be used both in banks and on the open market. At the time, the police were sent to exchange bureaux to implement the order but they reacted by closing down temporarily or refusing to buy or sell foreign currency on official rates. Hassan Hakimian, an Iranian economic expert and director of the London Middle East Institute at the School of Oriental and African Studies, said: "The rapid depreciation of the rial reflects mainly negative market sentiments and an expectation that the Iranian government will continue to experience severe difficulties in selling its oil in international markets as the sanctions noose tightens." Iran's economic weaknesses – perpetually high unemployment and government mismanagement – have been masked in recent years by the high price of oil but its very dependency on oil means the embargo has had a significant impact. Despite the recent rial crisis, Hakimian believes the Iranian economy is still not on the brink of collapse. "Talk of collapse as the Israeli minister of finance has recently mentioned is inaccurate and emotive. The enormous difficulties experienced could in the worst-case scenario result in a freefall for the currency (like in Zimbabwe) and result in hyperinflation (again as in Zimbabwe). Even unpopular governments in such harsh situations survive." He added: "These are harsh times for the ordinary Iranians and there is no doubt that since the end of war with Iraq in the late 1980s, they have not experienced such hardship and uncertainty. Unfortunately, there is a serious risk – looking at Iran from the outside – that the US and EU will take this as prima facie evidence that sanctions are 'working': the logic being that 'if it is hurting, it is working'." Britain, France and Germany are pushing for already tough EU sanctions on Iran to be tightened further later this month, to close some of the larger loopholes. Among the measures being sought are stricter maritime controls, which would make it harder for Iran to reflag its ships to sidestep shipping and insurance sanctions. Western European countries also want to put more Iranian banks on the banned list. Rather than targeting specific firms, which can change names to stay ahead of sanctions, the UK is proposing the imposition of sanctions on whole sectors of trade with Iran to cover materials that could help Tehran expand its nuclear programme, particularly uranium enrichment. Britain also wants loopholes closed on oil sanctions, though officials would not say whether the new measures would target the National Iranian Oil Company, which Washington last month explicitly linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard. London, Paris and Berlin are seeking to have the upgraded sanctions agreed at a meeting of EU foreign ministers on 15 October, but the proposals are meeting resistance from other member states concerned over their rebound effect on the European economy. British officials are unsure whether agreement can be reached in time. In Washington on Monday, a former US ambassador to the UN and under-secretary of state, Thomas Pickering, questioned the logic behind US sanctions. "We issue licences for sales of food and medicine to Iran, but it is not legal for them to pay for it," Pickering told a meeting of the National Iranian American Council.
 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | There are now nearly 18.2m people out of work in the eurozone, with 55.4% of young people in Greece unemployed
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Launching a new series on America's mood as election day nears, Gary Younge goes back to Virginia and finds hope replaced by disenchantment, even for Obama supporters Chelsea's had a baby; the bookshop has closed; Joyce has gone back to school; a medical school has opened. A great deal has changed in the Virginia town of Roanoke – a swing area in a swing state – since I spent three weeks there during the last presidential election. Back then I asked a black woman if she thought Virginia would elect a black man to the presidency. She paused for five seconds. "If they really know how things are now they would … They should," she said desperately trying to convince herself. They did. But back then Obama supporters dared not believe it even as they worked night and day to achieve it. The Obama campaign office fizzed with excitement, reviving the energy of those who had previously been disaffected with politics and drawing in new blood from people who had never been interested. People travelled hundreds of miles from all over the country to volunteer in the town. There were a range of reasons for this, not least that he would be the first black president and that his election signalled a departure from the war and the oligarchic impulses of the previous eight years. But the celebrations went way beyond the Blue Ridge Mountains in which Roanoke nestles. Throughout the Caribbean radios blared Mighty Sparrow's calypso hit Barack the Magnificent; firecrackers went off in El Salvador; Liberians danced in the street. In Ghana the late John Atta Mills ran for the presidency with posters of himself standing next to a life-size cutout of Obama and won. In Brazil, at least eight black candidates took advantage of a quirk in electoral laws so they could stand as "Barack Obama" in elections in October. This global outpouring was more than just a response against Bush (it's difficult to believe there would have been such an outpouring if John Kerry had won in 2004). At a time when electoral turnout was declining across most of the western world and disaffection with political classes was at its height, the energy invested in him in Roanoke and projected onto him from afar marked resurrection of the fundamental notion that elections could change things and, in so doing, reconnect popular will to political power through electoral politics. "People have been excited by Obama's candidacy but also by working together," said Brian Corr, who'd been volunteering between 10 and 15 hours a day from his home in Boston for more than 18 months. "Organised people are more powerful than organised money … we need to make sure that all that hope that we have talked about and seen is channelled in a progressive way." Given the glaring flaws in American democracy, notably the influence of money and lobbyists, one can debate whether that sense of empowerment was well placed. Obama was not the head of a movement but a well co-ordinated campaign. Those involved had no ownership of it. When the election was over the offices in Roanoke closed and the staffers left, never to return again. But there was no doubt that people did feel empowered. *** The most marked political change in the last four years is the degree to which those who were once politically engaged no longer have that sense of possibility. Every Obama supporter I met in 2008 was less involved now than they were then. Most were not involved at all. Many had their reasons, primarily work and children. All of them thought he was certain to win, which may have been a factor. And it would be difficult to replicate the excitement of that election. In the words of Sade: "It's never as good as the first time." But underpinning it all was a general sense of ennui not with him in particular – they all still loved him – but with politics in general: a sense that there was little point in investing energy in a political class or much faith in the electoral process that produces them. "I never thought things could become more divided, and there be more fighting," says Ann Trinkel, echoing the frustrations of many. "But oh my gosh it's just … gridlock. And I guess that's what sort of lessened the hopefulness for me, and made me a bit more cynical, is all the money." It's not difficult to see why. The day I arrived in Roanoke in 2008 Congress voted against the bailout. It felt as though you could look out of your hotel window and see the nation's economy implode. Wachovia bank, the area's fourth largest employer whose name was emblazoned on top of the town's only skyscraper had been laid low by bad debts and was the subject of an emergency rescue. In 2008 one in eight families in Roanoke lived below the poverty line and the town's median income was three-quarters the national average. Today one in five live in poverty and income is 70% of the national average. In the year before Obama was inaugurated unemployment there leapt from 3.6% to 6.5%. Today it is 6.4%. The haemorrhaging has stopped but for many a slow death continues. True, it could be worse. But that was not the rally cry four years ago. Some of those who bought into the promise of change could be forgiven for demanding a refund. *** Nationally, the overwhelming majority of Americans still believe the country is on the wrong track and a narrow majority believe Obama does not deserve a second term. In the four years between when he first declared his candidacy and the mid-terms in 2010 the median American family lost a generation of wealth. Wages are stagnant, unemployment high, social mobility slowing, poor white women are dying earlier than their mothers did and the gap between black and white is growing. A recent poll revealed that a slim majority of Americans define success as 'not falling behind'. "They talk about the rich and the middle class … they never talk about poverty. We're living in total poverty. We have nothing right now," said Robin Barbour four years ago in Roanoke. Back then she was living with her partner Fred Crews in his mother's basement and volunteering for the Obama campaign. Since Obama's been president poverty has increased around 14% but he's not delivered a single speech on poverty and mentioned the word just three times in all his state of the union speeches. Few, even among his own supporters, believe Obama re-election will actually reverse these trends. They just think Romney will accelerate and exacerbate them. He is winning at present not because most people think he has done a great job (though many Obama supporters do) but because they think he's done the best job he could under the circumstances. The trouble is it is precisely those circumstances – gridlock, big money, polarisation – that are turning them off and with the Republicans set to retake the House and possibly the Senate those circumstances are going to get worse. That's not to say that nothing has changed or that it makes no difference who wins. In Roanoke, Chelsea's son, Harrison, was born with two heart defects. Prior to Obama's healthcare reforms that could have meant a life of penury in which he could either be denied health insurance because of a pre-existing condition, had to pay exorbitant rates or faced a lifetime cap on the amount his insurance provider would pay to cover him. Such changes, along with his executive order to halt the deportation of thousands of young undocumented immigrants or the Lily Ledbetter Act, protecting equal pay for equal work, or the repeal of don't ask don't tell for gays in the military makes a crucial difference to many people's lives. So while one may argue that Obama's impact has been too incremental or insufficient, it is untenable to claim that he has made no impact and no difference. Both parties have framed the coming five weeks as a choice between two different visions of the country. There is some truth to that. But beyond the vague notion of 'more fairness' or 'less government' few could tell you what those visions are. The problem is that neither choice actually answers the central and enduring problems the country is facing. Like Seinfeld, this election campaigns have become a show about nothing. Meanwhile the electoral industrial complex keeps churning out polls and analysis as though on a split screen, making the contest not about who or what will or could change but just who will win, where and by how much. The horse race is seductive and not entirely avoidable. But my aim is to report from the other screen: where people live, love, survive and – all too rarely at present – thrive. To move beyond and between the narrow lens of two parties, fuelled by gaffes and donors, to gauge what people thought would change, think of what has changed and what they would like to change. To see to what extent they think this election will make a difference to their lives and what, if anything, that tells them about the state of the country they live in.
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | There are now nearly 18.2m people out of work in the eurozone, with 55.4% of young people in Greece unemployed
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | So-called perversion files will be examined in order to report offenders after court orders release of files from 1965 to 1985 The Boy Scouts of America plans to begin doing what critics argue it should have done decades ago – bring suspected abusers named in the organization's so-called perversion files to the attention of police departments and sheriff's offices across the country. The BSA has, until now, argued that it had done all it could to prevent sex abuse within its ranks by spending a century tracking pedophiles and using those records to keep known sex offenders out of the organization. But a court-ordered release of the perversion files from 1965 to 1985, which is expected sometime in October, has prompted a Scouts spokesman, Deron Smith, to say the organization will go back into the files and report any offenders who may have fallen through the cracks. Smith said Mike Johnson, the group's youth protection director and a former police detective, would lead the review. That could prompt a new round of criminal prosecutions for offenders who have so far escaped justice, said Josh Marquis, Clatsop County, Oregon, District Attorney. But investigations may require more than what most Scout files provide, including victims willing to cooperate. "Let's even assume the suspect confessed," Marquis said. "An uncorroborated confession is not sufficient for a conviction." Many states have no statutes of limitations for children victimized when they were younger than 16, so even decades-old crimes could be fair game. The Scouts began keeping the files shortly after the organization was created, in 1910, when pedophilia was largely a crime dealt with privately. The organization argues that the files helped it track offenders and protect children. But some files released in 1991, detailing cases from 1971 to 1991, showed repeated instances of Scouts leaders failing to disclose sex abuse to authorities, even when they had a confession. A lawsuit culminated in April 2010 with a jury ruling the BSA had failed to protect the plaintiff from a pedophile assistant Scoutmaster in the 1980s, even though that man had previously admitted molesting Scouts. The jury awarded $20m to the plaintiff. Files kept before 1971 remained secret, until a judge ruled – and the Oregon Supreme Court agreed – that they should be released. Attorneys are now redacting addresses and other identifying material from the files, which stretch from 1965 to 1985. The release means that alleged abusers, and the names of Scout leaders who failed to report them, will be made public soon in tens of thousands of pages of confidential documents – one of the largest troves of files the BSA has been forced to produce. A psychiatrist who reviewed the files, Dr Jennifer Warren, found that police were involved in about two-thirds of the cases from 1965-1985. Kelly Clark, a Portland attorney who won a landmark 2010 lawsuit against the BSA, says the documents showed that even though the BSA has been collecting the files nearly since their organization was founded, the organization had failed to use them to protect boys from pedophiles. "What's significant is that the Boy Scouts could have these files for so long and not learn from them," Clark said. Last week, the BSA made public an internal report on the files that was compiled by Dr Warren, who served as an expert witness for the Scouts in the 2010 Portland lawsuit. As part of the report, it emphasized the files' success in preventing pedophiles from entering Scouting ranks, but acknowledged the organization's failure to stop some abusers. "In some instances we failed to defend Scouts from those who would do them harm," the BSA said in a statement accompanying the report. "There have been instances where people misused their positions in Scouting to abuse children, and in certain cases, our response to these incidents and our efforts to protect youth were plainly insufficient, inappropriate, or wrong." Warren's report found that in 930 files created between January 1965 and June 1984, there were 1,622 victims. Of the total victims, at least 1,302 were involved in Scouting. "My review of these files indicates that the reported rate of sexual abuse in Scouting has been very low," Warren wrote. Warren compared the rate of victimization in the Scouts – about 1.4 to 2.1 youth per 100,000 – to the nationally-reported incidence of child abuse by the US department of health and human services, which found in 1980n that 70 per 100,000 children experience sexual exploitation each year. Warren's analysis did not account for the fact that files were destroyed for offenders who died or turned 75 years old, which she said did not affect her overall conclusions. Critics contend that the organization's legal battles reflect a long-standing effort to protect the Boy Scouts' reputation and to limit any lawsuits. "It's a culture of denial and concealment," said Timothy Kosnoff, a Seattle attorney who in 2006 obtained documents on 5,200 alleged pedophiles who went into the files between 1949 and 2005.
 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 'Unquestionably positive' figures show growth in September, far better than predicted amid mixed signals on US economy US manufacturing activity expanded in September after shrinking for three consecutive months, according to a nationwide poll from the Institute for Supply Management. The results of ISM's closely watched monthly survey were far better than economists had been expecting, with most predicting another month of contraction. The purchasing managers index (PMI), which reflects the acquisition of goods and services, was 51.5 in September – any figure above 50 represents growth. It stood at 49.6 in August. Dan Greenhaus, chief global strategist at BTIG, said the report was "unquestionably positive". US stocks markets rose on the news. The numbers come amid mixed signals about the fragile recovery in the US economy. Last week the US downgraded its economic forecasts for growth in the second quarter. But there were signs that the housing market is finally on the mend. Ahead of ISM's latest release economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires had forecast PMI would come in at 49.5. In a note to clients, Greenhaus wrote: "Along with a number of other indicators, the recent weakening of the ISM manufacturing index has led several clients to inquire as to whether the US was falling into recession. Today's number dampens that question for sure but may not squash it altogether." Of the 18 manufacturing industries surveyed, 11 reported growth in September, including textile mills, food and beverages, apparel, paper products, petroleum and coal. Six industries reported contraction in September including transportation equipment. Last week the commerce department reported a 13.2% drop in durable goods orders in September, the largest fall since January 2009, driven down largely by falling orders for civil aircraft. The ISM report contains quotes from executives across a range of industries that appear once more to underline the mixed picture of the economy. "[It] appears that our so-called 'slowdown' was a summer thing. September brings with it increasing requirements and business," said an executive in the paper products industry. "Sales have tanked over the last two months, bringing a very concerned and stressed management team. Not very optimistic for the near-term future," said an executive in apparel, leather and allied products. The ISM figures come days before president Barack Obama and rival Mitt Romney clash in their first debate, a face-off that is expected to focus on the state of the US economy. On Friday the bureau of labor statistics will release its latest non-farm payroll figures, a monthly snapshot of the US jobs market that has become a electoral flashpoint in the 2012 campaign.
 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Private memo threatens 'significant negative consequences' if Palestinian Authority succeeds in obtaining enhanced status The United States has warned European governments against supporting a Palestinian bid for enhanced status at the United Nations, saying such a move "would be extremely counterproductive" and threatening "significant negative consequences" for the Palestinian Authority, including financial sanctions. A US memorandum, seen by the Guardian, said Palestinian statehood "can only be achieved via direct negotiations with the Israelis" and urged European governments "to support [American] efforts" to block the bid. The message was communicated by officials to representatives of European governments at the UN general assembly (UNGA) in New York last week. Palestinian officials accused the US of exerting "tremendous pressure" on European governments to oppose their bid for upgraded "non-member state" status at the UNGA. Announced by president Mahmoud Abbas last week (video), the move is a significant diminution of Palestinian ambitions after its application for full statehood failed last year when it was blocked by the US in the security council. The Palestinians will wait until after the US presidential election in early November before proceeding with their bid for upgraded status. However, they insist they will press for a vote by the end of the year and are confident of winning a comfortable majority among the UN's 193 countries. The US has no veto at the general assembly. The memorandum – described by one diplomatic source as "private correspondence" – said the US was continuing to work for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and urged both parties "to avoid provocative one-sided actions that could undermine trust or otherwise distract from the pursuit of peace". A Palestinian resolution on non-member state status "would have significant negative consequences, for the peace process itself, for the UN system, as well as our ability to maintain our significant financial support for the Palestinian Authority". It added that a successful resolution could lead to Palestinian participation as a state in international bodies such as the international criminal court. Israel is concerned that Palestinian recourse to the ICC could have repercussions for its policies on settlements, the occupation of the West Bank and the blockade of Gaza. "We believe your government understands what is at stake here, and – like us – wants to avoid a collision at the coming UNGA session," said the text. "We hope you are willing to support our efforts … We would appreciate knowing where your government stands on this issue. We would also be interested in knowing whether you have been approached on this matter by Palestinian representatives." Hanan Ashwari, a member of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation executive committee, described the memorandum as "typical American behaviour but also overkill". "It is ridiculous and unconscionable the way they put themselves at the service of Israel in such a blatant way. This is tremendous American pressure and bias." She said most European countries had already decided their position on the issue: "I don't think [the US] will make countries change their minds." Saeb Erekat, the Palestinian chief negotiator, said the memorandum reflected the US position but he hoped that "the Europeans will follow their interests and choose peace over settlements". One European diplomat said that, until recently, US officials believed a "diplomatic ceasefire" was in force and that the Palestinians would not pursue the statehood issue at the general assembly. But pressure from street protests in the West Bank in recent weeks had stiffened Abbas's resolve, and the current consensus among diplomats was that the Palestinians were determined to press ahead. There were differing views among European countries on the wisdom of the Palestinians' move, the diplomat added. "The closer we get to the prospect of a vote in the UN general assembly, the more concerned the US administration is likely to be. This letter is an expression of their well-known position against such a vote. But if we are to persuade Abbas not to pull the trigger, a serious alternative needs to be put on the table, and fast." A second European diplomat said the US had "made it very clear to all of us that they're opposed to any [Palestinian] move at the UN". He also criticised the Palestinians for not engaging in "serious, high-level diplomacy" on the issue. Some European countries are alarmed at the prospect of the US withdrawing financial support for the Palestinian Authority in the wake of a bid for upgraded status, fearing that the EU would have to fill the funding gap. Following the Palestinians' acceptance as a state by the United Nations cultural and heritage body, Unesco, the US cut off funding as a punitive measure. The US had contributed 22% of Unesco's annual budget. Discussions among European governments on whether to support the Palestinians' bid are due to be held this week. However the 27 member states are unlikely to forge a common line. The US state department declined to comment on the memorandum.
 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Japanese government accepts deployment of six MV-22 Osprey helicopters on US island base in face of local opposition A small fleet of US military aircraft have arrived in the southern Japanese island of Okinawa, amid protests by local residents who claim they are unsafe. Six MV-22 Osprey flew from Iwakuni base on Japan's mainland, where they have been waiting for deployment since arriving from the US in July to the Futenma marine corps base. Their delayed arrival in Okinawa, which hosts more than half of the 47,000 US troops in Japan, came after Tokyo said it was satisfied by Washington's assurances over the aircraft's safety record. The transport aircraft's tilt rotors allow it to take off and land like a helicopter and cruise like a plane. The US says the fleet at Futenma is needed to replace ageing CH-46 aircraft and improve its ability to respond to security crises in the Asia-Pacific region. Local campaigners insist the Ospreys pose a risk at Futenma, a sprawling marine corps base located in the densely populated city of Ginowan. Anti-base groups said crashes involving the aircraft in Morocco and Florida this year proved they were unsafe to fly in built-up areas. Local TV showed hundreds of protesters near Futenma's perimeter fence chanting and displaying banners opposing the deployment. On Sunday night, police forcibly removed residents and activists who had staged a sit-in in front of the base's main gate. The governor of Okinawa prefecture, Hirokazu Nakaima, said he could not understand why the Ospreys had arrived before local safety concerns had been addressed. "It's extremely disappointing and regrettable," he said. Okinawa residents, many of whom want the Futenma base moved off the island altogether, believe it is only a matter of time before one of the aircraft crashes in a populated area. A university near the base was the scene of a crash involving a CH-53 helicopter in 2004; in 1959 a US fighter jet plowed into an elementary school in central Okinawa, killing 17 people, including 11 children. Japan's prime minister, Yoshihiko Noda, said the aircraft was safe, and asked for Okinawa residents to recognise its role in safeguarding national security. But he added: "We will work hard to share across the country the burden borne by Okinawa by taking steps towards transferring Osprey training to [Japan's] main island," he told reporters. The marines plan to deploy 24 Ospreys at Futenma by 2014.
 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Debate preparations loom large for Romney and Obama campaigns as both sides jostle over Libya and foreign policy
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Justices to consider several cases brought by Republican-led states aimed at overturning laws on affirmative action and voting The US supreme court resumes work on Monday, confronting a caseload that could prove every bit as contentious as the legal battle over healthcare reform. Among the most bitterly fought cases are expected to be a number aimed at overturning longstanding civil rights laws by a clutch of Republican-run states who claim they are outdated and unjustly discriminatory against white people. The cases have the potential to strike at the heart of more than half a century of civil rights legislation by potentially abolishing central government oversight of elections in states with a history of systematic racism and dealing a fatal blow to affirmative action in higher education. The supreme court is also likely to take up a more recent human rights issue with equally strong political overtones – gay marriage. Some Republican state leaders are optimistic that the time is now ripe to take on civil rights legislation because of the supreme court's ideological tilt to the right and clear signals from the chief justice, John Roberts, that he is deeply sceptical about racially based legislation. But Roberts' decision earlier this year to side with the liberal justices in upholding the constitutionality of Barack Obama's healthcare reforms has added a further degree of uncertainty to the perilous game of attempting to predict supreme court decisions. Next week, the justices will consider a challenge to affirmative action in higher education involving a white woman, Abigail Fisher, who says she was the victim of unfair discrimination in favour of minorities when she was refused a place at the University of Texas in Austin. In 2003, a divided supreme court upheld the use of affirmative action in universities to ensure a diverse student body but as only an influencing, not a decisive, factor in admissions. Since then the court has shifted to the right. Samuel Alito joined the bench and persistently challenged policies and legislation based on race. Roberts has also made his scepticism on racially influenced laws known. With that, the court's conservatives would appear to be decisive on the issue. David Gans, chief counsel of the Constitutional Accountability Center, which is a party to the legal action in defence of affirmative action, said the ruling could prove groundbreaking if the court overturns its earlier rulings. "Is the court going to go back on those precedents? Are the conservatives going to backtrack on these previous decisions?" Gans asked. "If it does, that could force a reassessment of affirmative action throughout the education system." Gans said that if the court does strike down affirmative action at the University of Texas, the broader impact will depend on how the justices write the judgment. They could reach a narrowly honed decision that deals solely with Texas, which has an unusual, although not unique, parallel system of ensuring diversity by guaranteeing the top 10% of pupils in every state school a place at the University of Texas. Or the judges could finally kill off affirmative action in education altogether. The supreme court is also expected to hear at least one of several challenges to the 1965 Voting Rights Act by state governments unhappy at Washington's power to oversee their conduct of their elections because of a past history of racial discrimination and disenfranchisement. The Obama administration has won a series of federal court cases in recent months over attempts by Republican-led states to require voters to produce photo identification in order to cast their ballots and to redraw constituency boundaries. Courts in Washington DC have struck down attempts by Texas to redraw constituencies because the move diminished the impact of a rapidly growing Latino vote and to require photo identification at the polls, which the court said would discourage minorities from voting. The federal courts effectively accused Texas's Republican-controlled legislature of racial discrimination and attempting to manipulate elections. The justice department has won similar victories over changes to election laws and procedures in other states, including Alabama and Florida, and is awaiting a ruling in a South Carolina case. The supreme court has previously upheld the section of the Voting Rights Act that requires nine states – Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia – to seek approval from the justice department for changes to voting laws or procedures. But in 2009, Roberts invited a challenge to the clause in the law giving Washington oversight, known as Section 5, by saying that "the south has changed". "The evil that Section 5 is meant to address may no longer be concentrated in the jurisdictions singled out for pre-clearance. The statute's coverage formula is based on data that is now more than 35 years old, and there is considerable evidence that it fails to account for current political conditions," Roberts wrote. It is a Section 5 case in Shelby, Alabama that appears likely to end up before the court first. Shelby county's legal bills are being paid by the Project on Fair Representation, which describes itself as a legal defence fund against the "outdated" Section 5. Its director, Edward Blum, said "Section 5 was a draconian yet completely necessary provision in 1965 when mostly southern jurisdictions we purposely shutting out blacks from the ballot box". But he added that times have changes and that "African Americans and Hispanics no longer live in barrios and ghettos", and that they now wield considerable political power which negates the need for special protection for minority voters. Defenders of civil rights, including the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People, say that the flood of voter ID laws and other the manipulation of election boundaries is evidence of the continued need for legal protections. Gay marriage is also likely to land before the court this term, although it's not immediately clear in what form. One possible route is through challenges to the Defence of Marriage Act (Doma), which requires the federal government to only recognise heterosexual weddings. The effect is to limit benefits, such as tax breaks, and some rights for same-sex couples. A federal appeals court in Boston has overturned that aspect of the law on the grounds that it is for individual state governments to decide who can marry, not Congress. There are also challenges to Doma in the legal pipeline from gay couples demanding full recognition of their marriages by the federal government. There is considerable uncertainty about how the court might decide the issue. Justice Anthony Kennedy is regarded as a decisive vote. He has previously voted to strike down a Texas law criminalising sex between men, as well as an attempt by the Colorado legislature to amend the state constitution to bar laws preventing discrimination against gays. But finding a right for same-sex couples to marry is a much larger step.
The first case the justices will hear is over Shell oil's relationship with the Nigerian military. Twelve Nigerians are attempting to sue Shell in the US for allegedly using the army during the dictatorship of General Sani Abacha in the 1990s to brutally suppress protest against oil drilling in the Niger Delta. The supreme court is being asked if US courts have jurisdiction in the case.
 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Follow how the day unfolded after Aleppo's medieval covered market was partially destroyed in the continuing battle for Syria's largest city
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | US and Russian groups unite to lobby governments after concerns over rise in poaching and melting Arctic ice Environmental activists in the United States and Russia have come together to push for unprecedented protection for the polar bear, hoping to stave off the decline of its already dwindling population. With Arctic Sea ice at record low because of climate change, polar bears have been deprived of a key habitat and feeding ground. Legal trade in polar bears, mainly in the form of trophy skins and furs, remains legal under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites), leading to the death of hundreds more each year. Activists from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and the Human Society International (HSI) are hoping to change that by supporting government initiatives to upgrade the polar bear's status from appendix two to one within the convention, thus banning all international commercial trade. "The real opportunity to ban the trade is around the corner," said Jeffrey Flocken, head of IFAW's Washington DC office. Activists have been lobbying officials in the US to table the so-called "uplist" proposal by 4 October, ahead of a global Cites conference early next year, but fear US reluctance after a similar proposal did not pass a vote at the convention's last meeting in Doha in 2010. IFAW activists have also received written assurances from the Russian ministry of natural resources that it will support an initiative tabled by the US, according to a copy of the letter obtained by the Guardian. Activists hope that joint Russian-US support will help the motion receive the two-thirds vote it needs to pass inside the 176-country body. They warned of increasing urgency, following recent reports by the National Snow and Ice Data Centre in Boulder, Colorado that Arctic Sea ice had declined to record lows. At the same time, prices for polar bear skins have soared, prompting increased hunting and poaching. "Polar bears are becoming more and more scarce, and that scarcity is driving up demand," said Teresa Telecky of HSI. "It's helping drive the species towards extinction," she said. At a recent auction in Canada, two polar bear pelts fetched a record £10,200 each – about double the price at auctions five years ago. Canada is the only country to allow its polar bears to be killed and sold on international markets, something its indigenous population argue is key to its survival and livelihood. In one Moscow shop, a large polar bear hide was going for 1.6m roubles (£31,760). The luxury items are most popular among buyers in Russia and China. Russian websites have popped up to sell Cites certificates that indicate a legal kill under Canada's quota, something used by many of the poachers who kill an average 200 polar bears in Russia per year, activists said. Nearly 6,000 polar bears are believed to have been killed between 2001 and 2010, with that number increasing in the past two years, according to IFAW and HSI. The world's polar bear population is now estimated at around 20,000, activists said. The US Geological Survey warned in 2007 that diminishing sea ice could result in the loss of two-thirds of the world's polar bear population within 50 years.
 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | There are now nearly 18.2m people out of work in the eurozone, with 55.4% of young people in Greece unemployed
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Gulf state's highest court endorses sentences for medical personnel convicted for taking part in anti-government protests Bahrain's highest court has upheld prison sentences for nine medical personnel convicted for their role in anti-government protests last year in the Gulf kingdom. The Information Affairs Authority says the decision by the court of cassation closes the cases, which have brought widespread criticism from rights groups and medical societies. The medics' sentences span from five years to one month on charges that include taking part in illegal gatherings after the uprising began in February 2011. Two other medics were sentenced to 15 years in absentia. Authorities accused some staff at the state-run Salmaniya medical complex of siding with protesters from Bahrain's Shia majority, which is seeking a greater political voice in the Sunni-ruled state. Some opposition leaders have been sentenced to life in prison.
 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Case will be heard next week after Yekaterina Samutsevich rejected one of her lawyers A Moscow court has delayed an appeal hearing by jailed anti-Kremlin punk band until 10 October over procedural concerns. Three members of the group – Maria Alyokhina, 24, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 30 – are appealing against their two-year sentence on hooliganism charges for performing a song criticising Vladimir Putin in a Moscow cathedral. As the hearing began on Monday, Samutsevich said she no longer desired the services of one of her lawyers, Violetta Volkova, a member of the outspoken legal trio that has been representing the women. The hearing will resume next week after Samutsevich has found a new lawyer, the judge said. Pussy Riot lawyer Nikolai Polozov speculated that Samutsevich had been pressured into rejecting her lawyer in order to delay the hearing. The case against Pussy Riot split Russian society and highlighted the crackdown on freedoms since Putin returned to the presidency in May. Pussy Riot formed late last year as street opposition to Putin grew, and were arrested in March after performing an anti-Putin "punk prayer" in Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. They were sentenced to two years in prison in August after a Moscow court found them guilty of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred. The women insist their performance was a political act designed to highlight the suspect ties between Putin and the Russian Orthodox church. They have expressed little hope that their sentence will be overturned, but their lawyers and supporters say there is a chance it will be diminished. Dmitry Medvedev, the prime minister, has said he thinks they should be released, while the Russian Orthodox church has called for them to be released if they repent. Putin, whom Pussy Riot accuse of orchestrating the case against them, has remained silent on the case since sentencing in August.
 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Australian talkshow host says PM's father died of shame at her 'lies', triggering a public backlash and sponsors to pull out Public anger has triggered an advertising backlash in Australia over comments by the country's best-known radio talkshow host that Julia Gillard's father, who died last month, had died "of shame". Alan Jones, who has a history of criticising the prime minister, told a Sydney University Young Liberals dinner last week that "every person in the caucus of the Labor party knows that Julia Gillard is a liar … The old man recently died a few weeks ago of shame. To think that he had a daughter who told lies every time she stood for [sic] parliament." In his tirade, Jones also accused the conservative opposition party of being soft on the prime minister because she was a woman. "They've been brainwashed by the media to 'Oh … back off, she's a woman, go easy.'" His comments follow other recent on-air criticism of Gillard in which Jones accused her and other women in powerful positions of "destroying the joint". This provoked a social media campaign calling on sponsors of his high-rating radio programme to pull out. And a number of companies confirmed they were backing away from the presenter. Mercedes-Benz said it was withdrawing all Jones-related advertising and marketing. An investment management company, Challenger, and a furniture manufacturer confirmed they had pulled advertising from the programme on Sydney radio station 2GB. Freedom Furniture tweeted: "You spoke, we listened. We do not support the comments made by Alan Jones. We have pulled our advertising off air." During his speech at Sydney University, Jones also said Gillard's recent improvement in opinion polls were the result of her tears. "Of course she's ahead in preferred prime minister [polls]," he said. "She cries because her father died, she's on the news every day." Two weeks ago in parliament, Gillard choked back tears as she paid tribute to her 83-year-old father, who had brought the family to Australia from Wales when she was a child. She said her father had "felt more deeply than me … some of the personal attacks we face in the business of politics, but I was able to reassure him that he had raised a daughter with sufficient strength not to let that get her down". Jones's comments have been widely condemned. The attorney general, Nicola Roxon, said he had gone too far. "Of course [his employment] should be considered. It's not the first time Mr Jones has made inappropriate comments." The former prime minister Kevin Rudd, whom Gillard succeeded two years ago, described Jones's comments as "the lowest of the low". Jones publicly apologised on Sunday and tried, unsuccessfully, to speak to the prime minister. "This was a throwaway thing at a private function, which I thought was a private function," he told a press conference. "The comments were, in the light of everything, unacceptable. They merit an apology by me." As well as making a speech at the Young Liberals dinner, Jones autographed a jacket made of "chaff bag" material, which was auctioned. It was a reference to repeated calls on his radio programme that Gillard be put into a sack and dumped at sea. More than 27,000 people have signed an online petition calling for sponsors of Jones's radio programme to withdraw their support.
 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Australian talkshow host says PM's father died of shame at her 'lies', triggering public backlash and calls for sponsors to pull out Public anger is growing in Australia over comments by the country's best-known radio talkshow host that Julia Gillard's father, who died last month, had died "of shame". Alan Jones, who has a history of criticising the prime minister, told a Sydney University Young Liberals dinner last week that "every person in the caucus of the Labor party knows that Julia Gillard is a liar … The old man recently died a few weeks ago of shame. To think that he had a daughter who told lies every time she stood for [sic] parliament." Jones's tirade against Gillard also accused the conservative opposition party of being soft on the prime minister because she was a woman. "They've been brainwashed by the media to 'Oh … back off, she's a woman, go easy'." His comments follow other recent on-air criticism of Gillard in which Jones accused her and other women in powerful positions of "destroying the joint". This provoked a social media campaign calling on sponsors of his high-rating radio programme to pull out. During his speech at Sydney University, Jones also said Gillard's recent improvement in opinion polls had been sparked by her tears. "Of course she's ahead in preferred prime minister [polls]," he said. "She cries because her father died, she's on the news every day." Two weeks ago in parliament, Gillard choked back tears as she paid tribute to her 83-year-old father, who had brought the family to Australia from Wales when she was a child. She said her father had "felt more deeply than me … some of the personal attacks we face in the business of politics, but I was able to reassure him that he had raised a daughter with sufficient strength not to let that get her down". Jones's comments have been widely condemned. The attorney general, Nicola Roxon, said he had gone too far. "Of course [his employment] should be considered. It's not the first time Mr Jones has made inappropriate comments." Former prime minister Kevin Rudd, whom Gillard succeeded two years ago, described Jones's comments as " the lowest of the low". Jones publicly apologised on Sunday and tried, unsuccessfully, to speak to the prime minister. "This was a throwaway thing at a private function, which I thought was a private function," he told a press conference. "The comments were, in the light of everything, unacceptable. They merit an apology by me." As well as making a speech at the Young Liberals dinner, Jones autographed a jacket made of "chaff bag" material, which was auctioned. It was a reference to repeated calls on his radio programme that Gillard be put into a sack and dumped at sea. More than 27,000 people have signed an online petition calling for sponsors of Jones's radio programme to withdraw their support. Some, including an investment management firm and a furniture retailer, have already done so.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Australian talkshow host says PM's father died of shame at her 'lies', triggering a public backlash and sponsorship withdrawal Public anger has triggered an advertising backlash in Australia over comments by the country's best-known radio talkshow host that Julia Gillard's father, who died last month, had died "of shame". Alan Jones, who has a history of criticising the prime minister, told a Sydney University Young Liberals dinner last week that "every person in the caucus of the Labor party knows that Julia Gillard is a liar … The old man recently died a few weeks ago of shame. To think that he had a daughter who told lies every time she stood for [sic] parliament." In his tirade, Jones accused the conservative opposition party of being soft on the prime minister because she was a woman. "They've been brainwashed by the media to 'Oh … back off, she's a woman, go easy.'" His comments follow other recent on-air criticism of Gillard in which Jones accused her and other women in powerful positions of "destroying the joint". This provoked a social media campaign calling on sponsors of his high-rating radio programme to pull out. A number of companies confirmed they were backing away from the presenter. Mercedes-Benz said it was withdrawing all Jones-related advertising and marketing. An investment management company, Challenger, and a furniture manufacturer confirmed they had pulled advertising from the programme on Sydney radio station 2GB. Freedom Furniture tweeted: "You spoke, we listened. We do not support the comments made by Alan Jones. We have pulled our advertising off air." During his speech at Sydney University, Jones said Gillard's recent improvement in opinion polls were the result of her tears. "Of course she's ahead in preferred prime minister [polls]," he said. "She cries because her father died, she's on the news every day." Two weeks ago in parliament, Gillard choked back tears as she paid tribute to her 83-year-old father, who had brought the family to Australia from Wales when she was a child. She said her father had "felt more deeply than me … some of the personal attacks we face in the business of politics, but I was able to reassure him that he had raised a daughter with sufficient strength not to let that get her down". The attorney general, Nicola Roxon, said Jones had gone too far. "Of course [his employment] should be considered. It's not the first time Mr Jones has made inappropriate comments." The former prime minister Kevin Rudd, whom Gillard succeeded two years ago, described Jones's comments as "the lowest of the low". Jones publicly apologised on Sunday and tried, unsuccessfully, to speak to the prime minister. "This was a throwaway thing at a private function, which I thought was a private function," he told a press conference. "The comments were, in the light of everything, unacceptable. They merit an apology by me." As well as making a speech at the Young Liberals dinner, Jones autographed a jacket made of "chaff bag" material, which was auctioned. It was a reference to repeated calls on his radio programme that Gillard be put into a sack and dumped at sea. More than 27,000 people have signed an online petition calling for sponsors of Jones's radio programme to withdraw their support.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Follow live updates as Aleppo's medieval covered market is partially destroyed in the continuing battle for Syria's largest city
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Thousands of people marched through Paris on Sunday, calling for a referendum on the EU's new fiscal treaty
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Thousands of people marched through Paris on Sunday, calling for a referendum on the EU's new fiscal treaty
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Move is bittersweet for artist as it could mean he avoids paying the remainder of a 15m yuan tax fine Chinese authorities are closing down the firm handling Ai Weiwei's affairs, the outspoken artist said on Monday, possibly saving him from paying the remainder of a 15m yuan (£1.5m) tax fine. The 55-year-old said he believed he and his team had lost the battle but won the war, after a court rejected his appeal against the charges last week. Officials said this weekend they were removing Fake Cultural Development's business licence because it had not met annual registration requirements. The company has been unable to do so because police confiscated all its materials and its stamp when they detained Ai last year. "I think it could be an excuse not to give us a fine," the artist added. Ai's lawyer, Liu Xiaoyuan, said it was not clear how Fake could pay the 6.6m yuan outstanding if it had no licence. But he added that he had filed a request for a hearing into its closure. Ai's supporters have always said the fine and his 81-day detention were in retaliation for his social and political activism, while Chinese authorities insist the case was unrelated to human rights and was solely about tax evasion. He was held amid a broader crackdown on dozens of activists, lawyers and dissidents. Thousands of supporters sent Ai money to help pay an 8.45m yuan bond, allowing him to challenge the charges. After his appeal was rejected he said he would refuse to pay the rest because he did not recognise the fine, adding that he suspected authorities would be too embarrassed to collect it. "I think they want to back down to try and conclude this case. From the beginning they should not have had it; they were using very old tactics to punish someone and make up a crime to make people think 'He's a bad guy' … That didn't work and it backfired. I think it completely failed," he said on Monday. "Of course they didn't like the fact it had gone on so long and could last longer." Ai added that he had mixed feelings about the long-running case. "Of course we have lost the battle – they kept our [tax deposit]. But I think we have won the war. We gave people a clear understanding of what the Fake case was about and how they handled it," he said. He said he hoped it would mean that they could not do the same to anyone else. "No great nation should play dirty tricks on its citizens," he said. Chinese authorities could not be contacted as Monday is a public holiday in China. They have made little public comment on his case in the past. Nicholas Bequelin, senior Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch, said: "The tax case against Ai Weiwei was politically motivated from the outset – an 11th-hour pretext pulled out of a hat by the government to justify Ai's unlawful arrest and secret detention for 81 days. "The authorities are dealing with Ai in the time-honoured tradition of making critics 'wear small shoes' as the Chinese expression has it: a never-ending series of petty bureaucratic harassment and administrative vexations designed to wear down its victim. "While Ai may have scored a moral victory in the tax case, the government has yet to restore his freedom to travel, return his passport, lift the tight police monitoring he is the target of, and allow him to resume the civic initiatives that first landed him in trouble, from filming interviews of social activists to pressing for accountability in the collapse of schools during the 2008 Sichuan earthquake." • Additional research by Cecily Huang
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