news news Charges over Philippine massacre A former governor and 196 other people are charged with murder over an election-linked massacre in the Philippines.   news.bbc.co.uk   2010-02-09 Iran 'ups nuclear fuel enriching' Iran has begun the process of enriching uranium to 20% at its plant at Natanz in defiance of the West, state media says.   news.bbc.co.uk   2010-02-09 Assembly backs Yar'Adua step-down Both houses of Nigeria's National Assembly pass a motion for sick President Yar'Adua to hand power to his deputy.   news.bbc.co.uk   2010-02-09 Ukraine stand-off Instability fears as Tymoshenko poll challenge emerges   news.bbc.co.uk   2010-02-09 History rewritten? How Alternative Vote might have changed elections   news.bbc.co.uk   2010-02-09 'I thought I'd die' Hero pilot on the Heathrow crash landing   news.bbc.co.uk   2010-02-09 dot.Rory Child web safety: Which browser should you choose?   bbc.co.uk   2010-02-09 How do you protect your children online? Children as young as five are being targeted in a new online safety campaign. Is this the right approach?   newsforums.bbc.co.uk   2010-02-09 Sri Lankan parliament dissolved Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa dissolves parliament to set up early elections, a day after his main rival was arrested.   news.bbc.co.uk   2010-02-09 Super Bowl is most watched TV show ever NEW YORK (AP) -- The Super Bowl was watched by more than 106 million people, surpassing the 1983 finale of "M-A-S-H" to become the most-watched program in television history....   hosted.ap.org   2010-02-08 Charlie and Brooke Sheen due in court ASPEN, Colo. (AP) -- Charlie Sheen and his wife are due in court Monday amid domestic violence allegations. They'll be arriving separately and only the judge can determine if they can leave together....   hosted.ap.org   2010-02-08 World's tallest tower closed a month after opening DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- The world's tallest skyscraper has unexpectedly closed to the public a month after its lavish opening, disappointing tourists headed for the observation deck and casting doubt over plans to welcome its first permanent occupants in the coming weeks....   hosted.ap.org   2010-02-08 APNewsBreak: Officer to retrieve Edwards sex tape RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- A North Carolina judge wants a security officer to accompany a former John Edwards aide as he goes to retrieve a sex tape of the two-time presidential candidate, increasing the court's control of the disputed video....   hosted.ap.org   2010-02-08 Space shuttle blasts off on last night flight CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) -- Endeavour and six astronauts rocketed into orbit Monday on what's likely the last nighttime launch for the shuttle program, hauling a new room and observation deck for the International Space Station....   hosted.ap.org   2010-02-08 17 soldiers dead, 53 rescued in Kashmir avalanche SRINAGAR, India (AP) -- A massive avalanche plowed into an Indian army training center at a ski resort town in Indian-controlled Kashmir on Monday, killing 17 soldiers and critically injuring 17 others....   hosted.ap.org   2010-02-08 Official: Toll should stand at 5 in plant blast MIDDLETOWN, Conn. (AP) -- Search-and-rescue crews declared a section of an exploded power plant too unstable to comb through Monday, a task that lost urgency when officials said everyone assigned to work at the plant the day of the blast had been accounted for and the death toll should stand at five....   hosted.ap.org   2010-02-08 GOP cool to Obama call for two-party health talks WASHINGTON (AP) -- Republicans gave a chilly reception Monday to President Barack Obama's invitation to discuss health care in a bipartisan, televised setting later this month, part of the White House effort to revive the stalled legislation....   hosted.ap.org   2010-02-08 Mid-Atlantic digs out of snow; government shut WASHINGTON (AP) -- Federal workers got a day off as the Mid-Atlantic region dug out Monday from as much as 3 feet of snow that left tens of thousands without power while making travel nearly impossible. And there's another storm brewing....   hosted.ap.org   2010-02-08 Reports: Toyota plans to recall 300,000 Priuses TOKYO (AP) -- Toyota plans to recall about 300,000 Prius hybrids worldwide over a brake problem and is likely to notify both the U.S. and Japanese governments Tuesday, news reports said, as a top executive will testify before U.S. lawmakers about defects that have tarnished its reputation for quality and safety....   hosted.ap.org   2010-02-08 Panel on Climate Faces Challenges The Nobel-prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change faces new challenges following a call for an investigation of its conduct and for its chairman to resign amid continuing criticism.   online.wsj.com   2010-02-08 Australia Tightens Immigration Rules Australia tightened its migration rules in favor of English speakers and professionals, saying   online.wsj.com   2010-02-08 Arias Ally Set to Win Costa Rican Presidency Centrist Partido Liberación Nacional's Laura Chinchilla appeared poised to become Costa Rica's first female president.   online.wsj.com   2010-02-08 Official Rebuffs Terror Case Critics White House Counterterrorism Chief John Brennan ripped into lawmakers for criticizing the administration's handling of Christmas Day bombing suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab.   online.wsj.com   2010-02-08 Kashmir Avalanche Kills Soldiers An avalanche in the mountains of Indian-controlled Kashmir killed 17 Indian soldiers and injured 17 others near a popular Himalayan ski resort.   online.wsj.com   2010-02-08 France Defends Afghan Troop Pledge Defense minister Herve Morin defended his country's decision to send only 80 additional military trainers to Afghanistan, saying France has already increased its presence by 1,300 soldiers in less than two years.   online.wsj.com   2010-02-08 G-7 Leaders Split on Finance Regulation Group of Seven financial leaders agreed on the need to support their economies until financial recovery takes hold, but they have yet to reach a consensus on how to overhaul financial regulation.   online.wsj.com   2010-02-08 Afghan Official Suspected of Taliban Aid Afghan authorities arrested a district administrator who was allegedly feeding information to the Taliban on movements of Afghan and coalition forces in the northern part of the country.   online.wsj.com   2010-02-08

news news Canada Fears Housing Bubble As the U.S. struggles to get out of its housing slump, its neighbor to the north faces a different challenge: Canada's housing recovery has been so rapid that some here are worrying about a bubble.   online.wsj.com   2010-02-08 China Heralds Bust of Major Hacker Ring China heralded a major bust of computer hackers to underscore its pledge to help enhance global online security.   online.wsj.com   2010-02-08 Yanukovych Win Looks Set in Ukraine Opposition leader Viktor Yanukovych appeared to win Ukraine's presidential election, near-complete returns showed, although his opponent shows no sign of conceding defeat.   online.wsj.com   2010-02-08 Tomás Eloy Martínez obituary Acclaimed Argentinian journalist and writer who was exiled after the 1976 military coupThe Argentinian writer Tomás Eloy Martínez, who has died aged 75 of cancer, was one of the most innovative journalists and novelists of his generation. He belonged to the group of writers who renewed Argentinian journalism in the early 1970s, challenging authority as well as freeing it from old-fashioned rhetorical formulas. Forced into exile after the 1976 military coup, Eloy ­Martínez took his skills to Venezuela, where he founded a groundbreaking newspaper. He later published several highly regarded novels, and helped the writer Gabriel García Márquez set up the Foundation for New Journalism in Colombia, which has been training ­hundreds of young Latin American ­journalists since 1995.Born in the northern city of Tucumán, Eloy Martínez soon found his way to the capital, Buenos Aires. There he became the film critic for the daily La Nación and, in the 1960s, worked for the influential magazine Primera Plana. His front-page celebration of García Márquez's novel One Hundred Years of Solitude helped bring about its author's huge international success and led to a flourishing of Latin American writing.In 1971 Eloy Martínez became part of the team led by the formidable editor Jacobo Timerman that created La Opinión, a daily newspaper that chronicled Argentina's descent into political chaos in the mid-70s. As editor of the ­influential cultural section, Eloy ­Martínez launched the careers of many new Argentinian writers, who appreciated both his generosity and his passion for debate and storytelling. During this period, he wrote La Pasión Según Trelew (The Passion According to Trelew, 1974) on the massacre of leftwing prisoners at a jail in the south of Argentina. His ­combination of testimony and real material with fictional elements led him to be described as the Argentinian Truman Capote, and provided him with a formula he was to return to in his later, more famous novels.In 1970s Argentina, writing of this kind could have drastic ­consequences. La Opinión was shut down by the military authorities who seized power in 1976, and Eloy Martínez was forced to leave the country. He eventually ­established himself in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas. His third marriage was to the Venezuelan journalist Susana Rotker, and he helped renovate Venezuelan journalism by attracting new young writers to a newspaper he launched in 1979, El Diario de Caracas.In 1984 he moved to the US, where he lived initially in ­Washington and taught at the University of Maryland. In 1985 his first internationally successful novel, La Novela de Perón (The Perón Novel), was published. Eloy Martínez had met Juan Perón often while the Argentinian leader was in exile in Madrid. In his novel, he combines historical fact with imagined accounts of how these events came about. He said about the book: "When I write journalism, every word is true. But when I say 'this text is a novel', nobody should believe a word of what's written there."A decade later, in 1995, he continued to explore the history and myths of Peronism in a novel about Perón's wife Evita. In the novel, Santa Evita (Saint Evita), it is her corpse that is the focus of attention, illustrating the Argentinian obsession with dead heroes. This proved to be his most successful novel and has been translated into some 30 languages.In the late 1990s, he returned to teach in the US. He was a distinguished ­professor and director of the Latin American studies programme at ­Rutgers University in New Jersey, but also ­travelled widely, giving conferences and continuing to help set up newspapers in Mexico and back in Argentina.The last years of Eloy ­Martínez's life were marked by illness and personal tragedy. In December 2000, Susana was killed by a truck in New Jersey. Tomás was standing beside her, but suffered only minor injuries. Soon afterwards, he was diagnosed with cancer and was told that it had spread throughout his body. His illness made him only more determined to live each day to the full, and at times he seemed to have even more energy than before.After his wife's death, Eloy Martínez spent more time in Buenos Aires, finally returning to live there in 2006, and ­marrying for a fourth time. His return to the Argentinian capital was also marked by the publication of two novels, El Vuelo de la Reina (Flight of the Queen, 2002) and El Cantor de Tango (The Tango Singer, 2004). The latter deals with the economic and political chaos that saw Argentina have five presidents in three weeks during the 2001 crisis.The last time I saw Eloy Martínez was at the annual Buenos Aires book fair in 2005. No friend of what he saw as the authoritarian Peronism represented by the then president Nestor Kirchner, he publicly castigated Kirchner for not bothering to open the fair, insisting: "Books, not swords, were what founded Argentina."Eloy Martínez is survived by four children, Tomás, Gonzalo, Ezequiel and Paula, from his first marriage; two children, Blas and Javier, from a relationship with Blanca Goncalves; and a daughter, Sol-Ana, from his second marriage. He also leaves 12 grandchildren.• Tomás Eloy Martínez, writer, born 16 July 1934; died 31 January 2010ArgentinaNewspapersGabriel García MárquezVenezuelaguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds   guardian.co.uk   2010-02-08 Israel in Africa | Josh Kron In Rwanda, 'Jewish' has mysteriously ended up becoming shorthand for 'Tutsi'Much of the world came to learn of Rwanda in 1994, when the majority Hutu people went on a three-month killing spree against the minority Tutsi.The genocide ended with the victory of the Rwandan Patriotic Front, formed by Tutsi refugees who grew up in Uganda. With the conquest came drastic change. A great many members of the English-speaking diaspora flowed in; mostly from Uganda, but also from Africa, Europe and America. The two words that had seemingly started it all, Hutu and Tutsi, were banned from public use.It is how the country lives now, nearly 16 years later; with a heavy burden upon each individual to suppress at almost any cost the impulse to identify him or herself by ethnicity, or for that matter – because the two are so tied – recent history.Other than historical references to the genocide and testimony heard in controversial local Gacaca courts, ethnic labels are unheard of. The government acknowledges that identities still exist, but an overarching nationalism is always played up.So I was surprised when, at the tender age of 22, I arrived in this emerald-green country to find people treating me like a brother. I was greeted with a fist-pound and a touch to the heart by the money changer, who called me a fellow Jew. I took up dinner conversations with newspaper colleagues who loved me for being American.But what caught my attention most were the references to Israel, the references to the Jews. At first it seemed obvious; as historical cousins of genocide Israel and Rwanda had a special bond. Like Israel, Rwanda had escaped genocide to become a shining example in a troublesome part of the world.But the reference and affirmation was much more than historical contingency; it was, according to them, true blood. According to some historians and Tutsi scholars, the group originally came to Rwanda from Ethiopia in the 15th century. Although played down by the current government, the belief persists. To Tutsis, the genealogical lineage to Ethiopia connects them to a greater constellation including ancient Hebrews.For people like Claude Bizimana, a former soldier who fought alongside President Paul Kagame, the link has become a useful shorthand."That's where the Jews lived," he says , pointing to a shadowy suburban Kigali home in the dark starry night. "Those were all non-Jews," he says, moving his finger all around. When he introduces me to his friends he begins with a familiar greeting. "He is also a Jew," Claude says to me. "Josh is an Israelite too," he says to his friend.Genealogical proof of Tutsi descent from Israelites is impossible to find, but among the diaspora, survivors, and even at times the government, the association to ancient Abyssnia is common. The first person to remark on it – John Speke in 1860s Uganda – was also the first European to visit the Great Lakes Region.That ethnicity remains hugely sensitive is clear from the reaction to presidential hopeful Victoire Ingabire's candidacy in this year's elections. After claiming that many Hutu were also killed during the time of the genocide and are not being remembered, she has been accused in the media of being an ideological descendent of the racist post-independence Hutu regimes that caused thousands of Tutsis to flee the country.To a degree, the current administration's strict rules on expression seem to be working. Rwanda's economy was one of the fastest-growing in the world last year. It is one of the few countries meeting targets for the United Nations millennium development goals; it is one of the safest countries in the world and President Kgame has become a poster-boy for the developing world.Most people who speak confidentially about the security situation in the country say the public ban on ethnicity is a necessary evil, but that it doesn't stop people from knowing who they are.ReligionJudaismRwandaJosh Kronguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds   guardian.co.uk   2010-02-08 Obama seeks peace deal on health reform US president to hold televised joint meeting with Democrats and Republicans aimed at finding common groundBarack Obama will make a fresh push this month to get his troubled health reform package through Congress by holding a meeting with both Democrats and Republicans aimed at finding common ground.The half-day of discussion, to be held at Blair House opposite the White House, is to be carried live on television to counter public criticism that too many deals in Washington are made behind closed doors.Obama, announcing the meeting during a CBS television interview on Sunday evening, said: "I want to consult closely with our Republican colleagues. What I want to do is to ask them to put their ideas on the table … I want to come back and have a large meeting, Republicans and Democrats, to go through, systematically, all the best ideas that are out there and move it forward."It may be that the meeting is part of a White House strategy to portray the Republicans as obstructionist. The Republican leader in the House of Representatives, John Boehner, welcomed the move as "a real, bipartisan conversation on healthcare" but added: "The problem with the Democrats' healthcare bills is not that the American people don't understand them; the American people do understand them and they don't like them."The Republican leader in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, welcomed the meeting but suggested he was unwilling to compromise, calling for the Democrats' bill to be shelved.The move buys the Democrats a few more weeks while they debate among themselves whether to push forward with the health bill or abandon it.The White House has insisted the Blair House meeting does not mean all the work of the last year on the health bill is to be abandoned.The version of the bill passed by the Senate on Christmas Eve would extend health care to 30 million more Americans.Obama administrationUS healthcareUS politicsUnited Statesguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds   guardian.co.uk   2010-02-08 Toy tycoon buys Madoff's $8.9m flat Manhattan apartment of Ponzi scheme fraudster bought by Alfred Kahn, entrepreneur behind Cabbage Patch dolls and Teenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesA toy marketing tycoon credited with popularising Cabbage Patch Kids has reportedly snapped up Bernard Madoff's flat in Manhattan, as federal authorities sell off the notorious Wall Street fraudster's assets. Alfred Kahn, chief executive of 4Kids Entertainment, was named as the buyer of Madoff's 370 sq metre home by the New York Post. The flat, which was on sale for an asking price of $8.9m (£5.7m), has been vacant since Madoff's wife, Ruth, was evicted in July, four months after her husband began a 150-year prison sentence for fraud.A leading figure in the childrens' entertainment world, Kahn made a fortune out of characters such as Cabbage Patch dolls and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. His company has carved out a niche in adopting Japanese concepts – such as anime cartoons and Pokémon trading cards – for a global audience.The flat, on New York's upper east side, has three bedrooms and a wraparound outdoor terrace. It is just a short walk from the offices of Madoff Securities, where Madoff orchestrated a $65bn Ponzi scheme in Wall Street's largest fraud on record.Following Madoff's conviction in a New York court last year, the US marshals service took possession of his homes in Manhattan, Long Island and Palm Beach. The properties and their contents have been sold to raise money for compensation of Madoff's victims.Several relatives, including Madoff's sons, Andrew and Mark, and his brother, Peter, have had their assets frozen pending litigation by victims of the fraud. In Britain, the Serious Fraud Office dropped an effort to bring criminal charges over the London office of Madoff's company last week, citing a lack of evidence.Bernard MadoffNew York PostReal estateUnited StatesAndrew Clarkguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds   guardian.co.uk   2010-02-08 German pensioners took financial adviser hostage, court hears Prosecutors say man was abducted and beaten by group of retirees over lost US investmentsA retired architect and four other pensioners took their financial adviser hostage and held him in a purpose-built prison in Bavaria after their stock market investments failed, a court has heard.The 74-year-old architect, identified only as Roland K, told a court in Traunstein, southern Germany, that he and his accomplices thought their financial adviser had "cheated and taken the piss" out of them after their investments in the US property market evaporated. As a result, he told the court, they had "decided to invite him for a few days' holiday in Upper Bavaria".Roland K denied kidnapping but admitted the group, including his seventh wife, 79-year-old Sieglinde, Willi D, 60, and Iris F, 64, a retired doctor, abducted James Amburn at his home in Speyer, southern Germany, in June before transporting him in the boot of a car to Roland K's house at the lakeside resort of Chiemsee, where he had built a prison for him in the cellar.Four of the gang are on trial for the abduction and imprisonment of American-born 56-year-old Amburn. The trial of Gerhard F, a 67-year old retired doctor who is the husband of Iris F, has been postponed because of his poor health.According to prosecutors the group hoped to force Amburn to repay their lost €2.5m (£2.2m). He was freed by an armed police unit after four days when he managed to send a coded message to his Swiss bank requesting help.According to the charge sheet, the group tied Amburn up in a purpose-built container, in which they transported him to the boot of Roland K's car. When the car stopped at the house and Amburn tried to flee, he was allegedly beaten. The group then allegedly brought him to the garage for questioning, during which they served him coffee and cake, and forced him to sign documents in which he promised to pay back the lost investments.Roland K today told the court how he weighed up how to retrieve his lost money from Amburn and decided to take the matter into his own hands. He said the aim of the dungeon, which he referred to as an "emergency guestroom", had been to get Amburn "to pull out his chequebook".The accused face a minimum of five years in jail if they are found guilty.GermanyFinancial crisisKate Connollyguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds   guardian.co.uk   2010-02-08 Peter Calvocoressi obituary Author, academic and wartime intelligence officer at Bletchley ParkPeter Calvocoressi, who has died aged 97, was best known as an Ultra intelligence analyst at the Bletchley Park codebreaking centre in Buckinghamshire during the second world war, but this episode represented only four years in a long career with many different aspects. ­International affairs was an abiding interest. By his 96th birthday he had published his 20th book, the ninth edition of his World Politics Since 1945. Its 845 pages were a tribute to his lifelong energy, ­formidable memory and powers of analysis. Yet author and historian were only two of his job descriptions. He had been a barrister, a publisher, an academic and a journalist and, after Bletchley, he had assisted the prosecution at the Nuremberg war crimes trials.He was born in Karachi, now in Pakistan. His parents were Greek (hailing from the Greek island of Chios, off the Turkish coast) and Peter's father was a merchant in the family business. When he was three months old, they moved to Liverpool, and he grew up in a ­community of ­prosperous, English-speaking Greek families.In 1926 he sat the Eton scholarship examinations and was placed second – making him possibly the only Etonian with two great-grandfathers who had been slaves. He maintained that his education turned him "from a Greek in England into a Greek Englishman". At school he discovered a taste for history and his facility for languages, adding German and Italian to the English and French that he spoke at home. He took a first in history at Balliol College, Oxford, in 1934, hoping to join the diplomatic service, but his father's French birth debarred him. He consulted Anthony Eden, only to be told that he would never get anywhere with his surname. Instead, in 1935 he became a barrister specialising in chancery law, and three years later married Barbara Eden, the daughter of Lord Henley.The second world war transformed his life, although at a War Office interview, he saw a note on his file: "No good for anything – not even intelligence." However he was commissioned in RAF intelligence, and, in early 1941, found himself at Bletchley. He spent the rest of the war as deputy head (and from December 1944 head) of a small, secret ­section dealing with Luftwaffe Ultra intelligence, translating and interpreting decrypted Enigma signals. This enterprise remained a secret until the 1970s, after which Calvocoressi wrote its ­history in Top Secret Ultra (1980).Outside the North African campaigns and in the battle against U-boats in the Atlantic, he felt that claims for Ultra's importance had been exaggerated, though admitting the psychological advantage of knowing the German order of battle: "It took the blindfold off our eyes, so that we could see the enemy in detail as he could not see us."In 1943, appalled by their temporary lodgings, he and his wife (with their two young sons) bought a large house near Bletchley at a few hours' notice and lived there for the next 39 years. Music was a lifelong passion, and with the ­connivance of the Bletchley billeting officer he ensured his lodgers always had two violins, a viola and a cello to provide regular quartet concerts.In the 1945 general election, Peter stood as a Liberal candidate, but lost in the Labour landslide. From 1950 onward, he unhesitatingly voted Labour in every general election. Later in 1945, now with the rank of wing commander, he was seconded by British intelligence to Nuremberg. He interviewed many German commanders and, during the trial, cross-examined Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt in court.His wartime experience made him unwilling to return to his prewar life at the bar. For five years from 1949 he worked at Chatham House, writing five volumes in the series of Annual Surveys of International Affairs begun by Arnold Toynbee. In 1954 he became a partner in the publishing firms of Chatto & Windus and the Hogarth Press.He continued to take public roles. In the 1950s and 60s, he was a member and later chairman of the Africa Bureau, founded by his friend David Astor, ­proprietor and editor of the Observer, as a political lobby concerned with apartheid in South Africa and decolonisation. From 1962 to 1971 he was a member of the United Nations sub-committee on the prevention of discrimination and protection of minorities. In the late 1960s he was asked to arbitrate on internal disputes at Amnesty International that threatened to destroy the organisation. He was always proud of his ­successful intervention, and that Amnesty survived.In 1965 he left publishing to take up the post of reader in international ­relations at Sussex University that was created for him. In 1972 he was enticed back by the offer of the newly created post of editorial director of Penguin Books. He was later appointed publisher and chief executive, but in a series of disputes with the owners, Pearson Longman, he was obliged to resign in 1976.In 1990 he received an honorary ­doctorate from the Open University for his direction of its publishing division in the 1980s (later sold for a handsome profit). He continued ­writing books, including the two volumes of the ­Penguin History of the Second World War and Who's Who in the Bible (despite being a lifelong atheist).Barbara died in 2005 and the ­follow- ing year he married Rachel Scott. They lived in London and in Dorset, where he died. He is survived by his sons, Paul and David, and by three grandchildren.John Tusa writes: Young radio producers at the then BBC External Services at Bush House in the 1960s regularly turned to Peter as a contributor. He was incredibly well informed, he was wise, he was dispassionate, he made himself available. Peter was part of our education, a kind of continuation of university seminars. This was an important part of his makeup, believing in the importance of passing on knowledge to the young. He loved keeping in touch with former pupils and producers.When my wife, Ann, was writing her history The Nuremberg Trial, Peter was a wise and shrewd helper, not because of the part he played in it but because of his overall sense of its importance in the postwar world. We dined with him a few months back; it was as if no contact had been broken in 40 years. And we roamed not only over the cold war but over the dilemmas of the present time, on which his judgments were typically sharp.• Peter John Ambrose Calvocoressi, writer and academic, born 17 November 1912; died 5 February 2010Second world warHistoryPublishingBBCguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds   guardian.co.uk   2010-02-08 Mystery as Burj Khalifa, world's tallest building, shuts to public Electrical problems blamed for closure of viewing platform but unknown if rest of tower is affectedThe world's tallest skyscraper has unexpectedly closed to the public a month after its lavish opening, disappointing tourists headed for the observation deck and casting doubt over plans to welcome its first permanent occupants in the coming weeks.Electrical problems are partly to blame for the closure of the Burj Khalifa's viewing platform, the only part of the half-mile high tower that has so far opened. But a lack of information from the spire's owner left it unclear whether the rest of the largely empty building – including dozens of elevators meant to whisk visitors to the tower's more than 160 floors – was affected by the shutdown.The indefinite closure, which was imposed on Sunday, comes as Dubai struggles to revive its international image as a cutting-edge Arab metropolis, amid nagging questions about its financial health.The Persian Gulf city-state had hoped the 828m (2,717ft) Burj Khalifa would be a major tourist draw. Dubai has promoted itself by visitors with over-the-top attractions such as the Burj, which juts like a silvery needle out of the desert and can be seen from miles around.In recent weeks, thousands of tourists have lined up for the chance to buy tickets for viewing times often days in advance that cost more than $27 apiece. Now many of those would-be visitors, such as Wayne Boyes, a tourist from near Manchester, England, must get back in line for refunds."It's just very disappointing," said Boyes, 40, who showed up at the Burj's entrance today with a ticket for an afternoon time slot, only to be told the viewing platform was closed. "The tower was one of my main reasons for coming here," he said.The precise cause of the £960m ($1.5bn) Dubai skyscraper's temporary shutdown remained unclear. In a brief statement responding to questions, the building's owner, Emaar Properties, blamed the closure on "unexpected high traffic", but then suggested that electrical problems were also at fault."Technical issues with the power supply are being worked on by the main and subcontractors and the public will be informed upon completion," the company said, adding it is "committed to the highest quality standards at Burj Khalifa".Despite repeated requests, a spokeswoman for Emaar was unable to provide further details or rule out the possibility of foul play. Greg Sang, Emaar's director of projects and the man charged with coordinating the tower's construction, could not be reached. Construction workers at the base of the tower said they were unaware of any problems.Power was reaching some parts of the building. Strobe lights warning aircraft flashed and a handful of floors were illuminated after nightfall.Emaar did not say when the observation deck would reopen. Tourists affected by the closure are being offered the chance to rebook or receive refunds.Questions were raised about the building's readiness in the months leading up to the January opening.The opening date had originally been expected in September, but was then pushed back until sometime before the end of 2009. The eventual opening date just after New Year's was meant to coincide with the anniversary of the Dubai ruler's ascent to power.There were signs even that target was ambitious. The final metal and glass panels cladding the building's exterior were installed only in late September. Early visitors to the observation deck had to peer through floor-to-ceiling windows caked with dust – a sign that cleaning crews had not yet had a chance to scrub them.Work is still ongoing on many of the building's other floors, including those that will house the first hotel designed by Giorgio Armani, due to open in March. The building's base remains largely a construction zone, with entrance restricted to the viewing platform lobby in an adjacent shopping mall.The first of some 12,000 residential tenants and office workers are supposed to move in to the building this month.Burj KhalifaDubaiguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds   guardian.co.uk   2010-02-08 Yarl's Wood women on hunger strike 'locked up and denied treatment' As their protest runs into a fourth day, some are said to be fainting or injured. But the Home Office denies wrongdoingA controversial immigration removal centre was reported to be in a state of chaos today, as at least 50 women entered the fourth day of a hunger strike, with several fainting in corridors and almost 20 locked outdoors wearing few clothes.Yarl's Wood detention centre in Bedfordshire, which houses 405 women and children, was in lockdown, leaving women in communal spaces without food, water or toilet facilities.Several women who tried to escape through a window were then locked outside, according to one detainee, including one whose finger was almost severed as she escaped but who had not received medical treatment."We have been on hunger strike since Friday protesting about the length of time we have spent in detention here," said Aisha, who has been in Yarl's Wood for three months. "We have been locked in the hallway all day – five ladies have fainted because they have not eaten since Friday. No one has come to give them any medical attention."I had an asthma attack, but no one would come to give me my inhaler. I'm very weak. But we will stay on hunger strike for as long as it takes."Campaigners condemned the response of the authorities at the centre, accusing them of using a "kettling" technique to trap the women."The women are currently trapped in an airless hallway," said Cristel Amiss, of Black Women's Rape Action Project. "Women should be allowed back into their rooms immediately; there should be an immediate investigation."The Home Office confirmed the disturbance, saying that 40 women were involved, and insisted the measures were temporary until the women could be reintegrated into the centre."The wellbeing of detainees is of paramount concern, which is why healthcare staff are at the scene to monitor developments," said David Wood, strategic director at the UK Border Agency. "The detainees will be integrated back into the centre at the earliest opportunity."The hunger strike is the latest in a series of protests at the facility, which has attracted controversy for detaining women for long periods and for the detention of children, described by Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg recently as "state-sponsored cruelty".Campaigners say many of the women being detained are also victims of abuse and rape and should not be held while awaiting deportation decisions."Over 70% of women in Yarl's Wood are rape survivors, many are sick and vulnerable," said Amiss. "Why are they being punished for raising serious injustices?"The Home Office denied its practices in detaining immigrants were unfair. "All detainees are treated with dignity and respect, with access to legal advice and heath care facilities," said Wood.Immigration and asylumProtestAfua Hirschguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds   guardian.co.uk   2010-02-08 Jack White as a svengali? Here's how not to do it The White Stripes front man and his latest project, the Black Belles, should beware! Rock history is littered with manager-producers who got a little too hands-onAlongside a wonderful version of Amy Winehouse's You Know I'm No Good by rockabilly legend Wanda Jackson, the latest batch of releases from Jack White's Third Man record label contains a minor mystery. Released in shops today on the usual extremely limited seven-inch is a record by The Black Belles, a group about whom little is known except that they were assembled by White, feature Nashville burlesque model Erin Belle and have a fondness for slightly medieval-looking wide-brimmed hats. As well as recruiting the Belles, Jack produced and wrote one of the songs on the record (the other is a cover of The Knickerbockers' great 1960s Merseybeat homage, Lies) and directed the accompanying video.What is clear, however, is that The Black Belles mark another stage in Jack White's strange career. After being an upholsterer, actor and mogul (Third Man is the umbrella name for an organisation that includes a record company, pressing plant, photo studio and design agency in a building in downtown Nashville) it appears that White is now trying on the role of svengali for size.Both White and the Belles themselves would do well to take a lesson from rock history, the pages of which are littered with stories of what happens when the manager-producer gets a little too hands-on. Most of them don't end all that happily.We all know what happened to Phil Spector, for example, while Elvis's manager, Colonel Tom Parker, derailed his charge's career in the 1960s by forcing him to appear in endless B-movies: while The Beatles and The Stones were busy changing the world, The King was co-starring with a man in a Great Dane suit. Or take Lou Pearlman, the mastermind behind the careers of NSYNC and The Backstreet Boys, currently serving a 25-year sentence for his role in a Ponzi scheme defrauding investors of more than $300m, and also at the centre of allegations of sexual misconduct towards his clean-cut boyband wards.An unhealthy interest in your artists's development seems to be pretty par for the svengali course: alongside the story about Malcolm McLaren offering his managerial services to the fledgling Bananarama with a song he'd written called Don't Touch Me Down There, Daddy, is Kim Fowley.A chance meeting with the teenage Joan Jett backstage at an Alice Cooper gig in 1975 led to Fowley helping her put together her band The Runaways, co-writing their songs Cherry Bomb and School Days, marketing them as "jailbait rock" and allegedly preparing them for hostile audiences by throwing pots of peanut butter at them while they rehearsed.Jack White might find it hard to get away with such behaviour, though, even if he wanted to: one of the other recent signings to his label, Mildred And The Mice feature a heavily disguised Karen Elson on vocals.The White StripesElvis PresleyPhil Spectorguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds   guardian.co.uk   2010-02-08 Seychelles tough on Somali pirates Facing threat to tourism and fishing industries, islands plan to build special courts and jail to combat growing piracy menaceThe Seychelles, promoted by tourism brochures as an untouched paradise, is building special courts and a maximum security prison to combat the growing menace of Somali pirates.Pirate sightings or attacks were reported almost daily near the islands late last year, including the kidnapping of the British couple Paul and Rachel Chandler.Facing a threat to its two main industries, tourism and fishing, the Seychelles cabinet last week agreed tough new anti-piracy laws. It also plans to build a £320,000 jail by the end of this year that will be capable of holding up to 40 pirates. It will make the Seychelles, along with Kenya, the main centre for the prosecution and detention of pirates in east Africa.The move follows international frustration last year when the Seychelles repatriated 22 Somalis, claiming it had insufficient evidence to bring piracy charges against them.The expanding range of the pirates, displaced from waters further north in the Gulf of Aden, has hurt the Seychelles as a yachting destination. It also resulted in a 30% drop in income from the fishing industry at one point last year. The Taking Stock tuna industry conference in Victoria last week heard that nine European fishing vessels have left the Indian Ocean because of security fears.French ships are protected by navy marines, while their Spanish counterparts have hired private guards and requested mounted heavy armaments.Joel Morgan, the environment, natural resources and transport minister, said that a major incident would be disastrous for the economy. "In late November you would have sightings of pirates or attempted chasing of vessels by pirate boats almost daily," he said."The pirates are getting better equipped, using better vessels, getting bolder and better organised. Now we see them commandeering bigger ships, like the dhows, and basically using these boats as attack ships with civilian crews under their control. They are venturing further afield, for example much further towards the Maldives, as part of the way they change their modus operandi."Morgan, who leads the country's anti-piracy effort, said it was ready to become a regional hub with EU and UN help. "We are prepared to set up a court here with the help of our partners … to try these people and bring them to justice. But there must be one or more facilities in Somalia itself because we cannot take long-term liability for incarceration of huge numbers of pirates."The new laws are to include conspiracy to commit piracy, meaning that suspects will no longer need to be caught in the act for a reasonable chance of prosecution.The Seychelles is pressing charges against 11 Somalis for allegedly trying to attack one of its patrol boats last December. Major Simon Laurencine, commander of the Topaz, recalled: "There was something like red balls, lightning, in the night sky. There was submachine-gun fire as they came on to us. It was a very hostile situation and frightening because they could have hit one of my people."The Topaz is one of only two boats patrolling 1.4m square miles of ocean, although the effort is supported by international patrols.The Seychelles is an archipelago of more than 115 islands, only 10 of which are inhabited. Morgan admitted there was a "very real concern" that islands could be used by pirates as a base or staging post. "On three or four occasions, when we have assessed the threat to be real enough, we have positioned ground troops on these islands as a defensive and precautionary measure," he added.SeychellesPiracy at seaSomaliaDavid Smithguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds   guardian.co.uk   2010-02-08 Kashmir avalanche kills Indian troops At least 17 soldiers die while taking part in training session at high-altitude campA huge avalanche engulfed part of an army training centre in Indian-controlled Kashmir today, killing 17 soldiers and seriously injuring 17 others.The avalanche hit the Indian army's High Altitude Warfare School at about 11am (0530 GMT) as soldiers took part in a training session, according to army spokesman Colonel Vineet Sood. It was the worst avalanche in the area in many years, he said.Seventeen bodies were found and 53 soldiers were rescued about six hours after the avalanche struck, senior police officer Qayoom Manhas said. Of those rescued, 17 needed emergency medical care, he added.Despite persistent snow and rain in the area, rescue efforts involving army, police and civilian officials were "very timely, swift and co-ordinated," Manhas said.The avalanche happened near Gulmarg, a ski resort about 30 miles north-west of Srinagar and not far from the Line of Control, a highly militarised ceasefire line dividing the Himalayan region of Kashmir between India and Pakistan.About 400 people, including 30 civilian workers, were at the training centre, but the avalanche hit only one part of the facility.Falls of rain and snow often trigger avalanches and landslides in Kashmir, blocking roads and cutting off tourist resorts such as Gulmarg. Local tourist official GM Dar said around 400 tourists skiing in the area were safe.In April last year, another avalanche hit an Indian army post close to the de facto border, killing seven soldiers and injuring at least eight others.The territorial dispute between India and Pakistan over Kashmir has caused two wars between the two countries since they became independent from Britain in 1947. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers are posted along either side of the Line of Control.KashmirIndiaguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds   guardian.co.uk   2010-02-08 Sands shifting for African herders Millions of hectares of land used by pastoralists have been lost to sedentary farming and conservationGallery: Africa's nomadic herders under threatNomadic herders who move their cattle ceaselessly across some of the harshest environments in the world in search of grazing land are vital for Africa's economic prosperity, but their way of life is being undermined by governments, conservationists and large-scale farmers, according to a study.Millions of hectares of land traditionally used by pastoralists in Ethiopia, Senegal, Mali, Chad, Kenya and other sub Saharan countries have been lost to sedentary farming and conservation over the last 50 years, say the authors of Modern and Mobile, published today by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED).But by encouraging a move to a more westernised model of farming, governments are mistakenly assuming outputs from animals – for export as well as for local consumption – will increase when the opposite appears to be true."The slow but inexorable advance of family farms, combined with large scale farming, is swallowing up vast areas. In east Africa the loss of land to national parks, game reserves, hunting blocks and conservation severely restricts mobility. Lands that they have traditionally been used are no longer available," the study says.Restrictions on mobility is leading to conflict between pastoralists and farmers, says the book: "Moving is now becoming a serious problem. Access to water and markets is increasingly difficult and the profitability of livestock-keeping is being critically undermined. Poverty, resource degradation and conflict are increasing."But the study finds Africa's estimated 50 million pastoralists adapting rapidly to the modern world. "[They] download the latest market prices for cattle on their mobile phones, use cheap Chinese motorbikes to reach distant herds or lost camels, and trek their livestock thousands of kilometres by foot, truck or ship to trade them internationally," says co-author Ced Hesse."Perceptions suggest they practise an archaic and outmoded lifestyle, but they are fully integrated with wider global processes", says the study.The report also says the nomadic cattle of west Africa, Ethiopia and Kenya produce more and better quality meat and generate more cash per hectare than "modern" Australian and American ranches where animals remain in one place."Whereas commercial cattle ranching tends to specialise in only one product – meat – pastoralism provides meat, milk, blood, manure and traction, which added up is of greater value than meat alone", says the study. Unlike other farmers in sub-Saharan Africa who are devastated by increasingly frequent droughts, they are also ­proving more resilient to climate change and are generating huge economic benefits. "Harsh, arid and unpredictable environments are not obstacles to pastoralists as they would almost inevitably be to other farmers," says co-author Saverio Kratli,In addition, new evidence suggests that pastoralism is more ecologically compatible with wildlife than other forms of land use. "This is because pastoralists are experts at leading, breeding and training their animals to use the richest possible diet for milk and meat production in environments where highly nutritious grasses are not growing everywhere at the same time."The authors urge governments and foreign donors to reassess and protect pastoralism. "The financial inputs are minimal but the benefits rapidly extend beyond the herders and their communities to enrich the lives of millions of people. It is crucial it is to support Africa's pastoralists for their contribution to wider economic development", said Hesse."African pastoralists have been viewed mistakenly as living outside the mainstream of national development, pursuing a way of life that is in crisis and decline. The reality is that they draw huge economic benefits from land ill-suited to other land use systems", said Mahboub Maalim, director of the Inter-governmental authority on development.Endangered habitatsFarmingConservationKenyaChadMaliSenegalEthiopiaAid and developmentJohn Vidalguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds   guardian.co.uk   2010-02-08 Iran steps up uranium enrichment US defence secretary Robert Gates calls for international solidarity to force Iran to curb its nuclear programmePresident Mahmoud Ahmadinejad today ordered Iran's atomic energy organisation to begin enriching its uranium stockpile to a higher level, further raising fears over the country's nuclear ambitions.Ahmadinejad was shown on Iranian TV giving an order for the uranium, currently enriched to the level of 3.5%, to be further refined to 20% purity. State media said the work would start on Tuesday.Iran said that it needs the more concentrated fuel for a research reactor in Tehran which makes isotopes for medical uses. However, western officials pointed out tonight that Iran does not possess the specialised technology for turning the enriched uranium into the fuel rods used in the Tehran reactor. They are concerned that by enriching uranium to the level of 20%, the Islamic republic would learn how to overcome many of the technical obstacles to making weapons-grade fuel.The percentage measures of enrichment refer to concentration of the most fissile isotope, U-235. A weapon small enough to put on a missile would require uranium enriched to more than 90% U-235.David Albright, head of the Institute for Science and International Security, said: "This is potentially very serious, but it depends how much they intend to enrich." It would be much easier to get from 20% to 90% enrichment than it had been to get to 20%, he said. It would take just six months, using only a fraction of the centrifuges Iran has at its disposal.Last October, Iran agreed in principle to export the bulk of its uranium to have it enriched to 20% purity and then made into fuel rods in France, at the international community's expense. However, the deal subsequently unravelled amid disagreements in Tehran.Iran's foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, said on Friday that the deal was close to being finalised. But the new director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Yukiya Amano, said Mottaki had presented no new proposals at a meeting on Saturday in Munich. In his televised remarks, Ahmadinejad blamed western countries for the impasse. "We had told them to come and have a swap, although we could produce the 20% enriched fuel ourselves," he said, sitting alongside Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran's atomic energy organisation. "We gave them two to three months … and now I ask Dr Salehi to start using the centrifuges for the production."The US defence secretary, Robert Gates, immediately called for international solidarity to force Iran to curb its nuclear programme.A spokeswoman for the British Foreign Office said: "Reports that Iran is planning to enrich some of their fuel to 20% level are clearly a matter of serious concern."IranNuclear weaponsMahmoud AhmadinejadJulian Borgerguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds   guardian.co.uk   2010-02-08 Jackson doctor set to face charge Murray's lawyer, Ed Chernoff, says the doctor has been at the centre of an ongoing dispute between the LA police and the district attorney's officeOfficials have announced they will file a criminal case against Michael Jackson's former doctor later today, the BBC reports. Dr Conrad Murray faces charges in connection with Jackson's death last June, which coroners ruled as homicide.According to Murray's lawyer, Ed Chernoff, the doctor has been at the centre of an ongoing dispute between the Los Angeles police department and district attorney's office. The DA wanted Murray to surrender himself before appearing in court, but the LAPD was allegedly hoping to arrest Murray and lead the handcuffed accused in front of TV cameras.Murray did fly from Houston to Los Angeles with the intention of turning himself in, Chernoff said. But when Murray arrived – preparing to post the standard $25,000 bail for an involuntary manslaughter charge – officials couldn't decide if it was what they wanted. By posting bail, Murray would be free pending a formal arraignment, whereas by waiting for official charges, as expected later today, police would take Murray into custody and transport him themselves to a courthouse.Chernoff claims the authorities asked Murray to turn himself in but not post bail. "I told them there is no way that I'm going to let my client sit in jail so you can have your show and parade him into court in handcuffs," Chernoff told the Los Angeles Times. "To us this is showmanship," agreed spokeswoman Miranda Sevcik.Murray and his team are now waiting for today's announcement, expected to be a charge of involuntary manslaughter. Involuntary manslaughter has taken place when a death is the indirect result of negligence or recklessness. It carries a maximum sentence of four years in prison.Michael Jackson hired Murray earlier in the year, during preparation for the singer's scheduled comeback concerts in London. Murray has told investigators he was treating Jackson for insomnia, often using Propofol, a powerful anaesthetic.Jackson died at home on 25 June, after Murray had administered a cocktail of sedatives, including Propofol, Midazolam, Diazepam and the painkiller Lidocaine. Murray maintains that he did not prescribe anything that should have killed the singer, denying any criminal wrongdoing.The criminal case will likely hinge on the timeline of events that morning, including cell phone records that suggest Murray spent 45 minutes on the phone after administering the drugs.Michael JacksonSean Michaelsguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds   guardian.co.uk   2010-02-08 India to rule on GM aubergines • Minister to make key decision on major crop• Broad alliance takes on Monsanto subsidiaryA fierce row over the future of the humble aubergine, staple ingredient of fiery brinjal curries for tens of millions of Indians, will reach a climax on Wednesday with a key government decision on the possible future commercial cultivation of genetically-modified strains of the plant. If permission is given, the aubergine will become the first GM foodstuff to be grown in India.The decision will be taken by the environment minister, Jairam Ramesh, who pledged last year to end the heated argument over whether aubergines modified with a gene from the soil bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis should be distributed to Indian farmers.An alliance of voices ranging from environmentalists to leftwing politicians and Hindu extremists have called on Ramesh to deny permission for the commercial cultivation of the Bt Brinjal strain, named after the bacteria and the local word for aubergine."It will open the gate," said Leo Saldanha, an environmental campaigner in the southern city of Bengalooru. "It raises huge legal and cultural issues."The decision Ramesh takes will reveal how far "India was willing to allow the farmer to be subordinated to corporate interests", he said.Ramesh told one of the many rowdy meetings he has attended as part of a public consultation exercise that trying to reconcile the opposing camps had "turned [his] hair grey".Aubergine is a major crop in India, where it has been cultivated for thousands of years. Though not native it is seen as an integral part of culture and diet, particularly of the poor.Backers claim the modified aubergines would cut crop losses due to insect damage by more than half and drastically reduce pesticide use. They argue also that extensive animal testing has shown that the bacterium introduced into the aubergine, though toxic to boring insects, would not be harmful to humans.Campaigners question the evidence, and argue that commercial interests have overly influenced the regulatory process. They say the 2,000-odd varieties of aubergine cultivated in India would be threatened if Bt Brinjal was introduced. "It is a hugely important decision, not just for India, for the whole world," said Dr Shiva Vandana, director of a network of groups campaigning against GM foods in India, and a key figure in the development of international biosafety treaties. "The question is whether or not public opinion will be listened to."The seeds have been developed by Indian scientists but will be marketed by the Maharashtra Hybrid Seed Company, an Indian firm partly owned by the US multinational Monsanto - the cause of much criticism and controversy.The southern state of Kerala, run by an alliance of opposition leftwing parties, has already banned GM crops on the grounds that they are a threat to biodiversity.Last week, the state's Marxist chief minister, VS Achuthanandan, claimed GM foods would lead to the "colonisation of the food sector."We shouldn't be a part of a system that will destroy traditional seeds and crops and allow [multinational corporations] to infringe on the agriculture sector," he said.Hindu nationalists from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have also taken up the aubergine's cause. Mohan Bhagwat, a senior RSS official, told a public meeting in Bengalooru last weekend that Bt Brinjal was "untested" and "dangerous" andits introduction would only benefit "the multinationals". He likened the new aubergines to "terrorist infiltrators" sent by foreign powers to destabilise India.Government scientists have, however, told ministers that Bt Brinjal poses no threat. "Our experts examined the science behind Bt Brinjal and concluded that it is absolutely safe. The only thing that hasn't been done is human testing," Dr Maharaj Kishan Bhan, a senior research scientist at the ministry of science and technology said. "You can take a philosophical view that all GM foods are bad ‑ but from a scientific point of view I would say it is fine."IndiaGMFoodFarmingPesticidesJason Burkeguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds   guardian.co.uk   2010-02-08 Costa Rica elects first female president Laura Chinchilla wins 47% of the vote and will be Latin America's fifth woman president when she takes officeCosta Rica has elected its first female president in a landslide victory, marking another political milestone for women in Latin America.Laura Chinchilla, from the centrist ruling party, won 47% of the vote in a crowded field in yesterday's poll, further eroding the region's reputation as a bastion of machismo and patriarchy."Wives and working women continue overcoming barriers to make a greater Costa Rica," the 50-year-old said in her acceptance speech. "All the women and also the men who have accompanied us have made it possible that a daughter of this country can today be president."Chinchilla is the fifth woman to be elected president in Latin America in the past two decades, a sign of slowly growing female economic and political clout after centuries of subservience.She followed Argentina's Cristina Kirchner, elected in 2007, Chile's Michelle Bachelet, elected in 2006, Panama's Mireya Moscoso, elected in 1999, and Nicaragua's Violeta Chamorro, elected in 1990.Chinchilla, married and mother to a teenage son, is a protege of President Óscar Arias, a Nobel peace laureate and veteran political operator who has consolidated Costa Rica as one of central America's most stable, prosperous economies.She stepped down as vice-president last year to run as his successor and promised to keep the ruling National Liberation party's free market policies of expanding trade deals and wooing investment."I am thankful for the good work of the outgoing government and thankful our country is again moving forward and refuses to allow this advance to stop," Chinchilla told cheering supporters.A social conservative who opposes gay marriage and abortion, she campaigned under the slogan "Laura: firm and honest," and said her priority would be to combat drug-fuelled violent crime. Opponents had cast her as a hypocritical Arias puppet who was soft on criminals. One rival, Otto Guevara, took a televised polygraph test to show he was more honest. Another, Luis Fishman, ran on the slogan that of all the candidates he was the "lesser evil".Despite or perhaps partly because of such tactics, Chinchilla won in all seven provinces, a rare feat, and easily surpassed the 40% needed to avoided a run-off.She will not have an easy ride. Environmentalists oppose the president-elect's commitment to open-pit mining, trade unions resent a free trade deal with the US and opposition parties may have enough votes in congress to impede her fiscal and energy policies.Girls and women are getting better education and jobs across Latin America but patriarchy remains entrenched, according to a recent poll taken in 18 countries. Some 36% of respondents said women should stay at home rather than work, the same proportion as in 1997.Costa RicaRory Carrollguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds   guardian.co.uk   2010-02-08 Toyota poised to recall Prius hybrid Expected recall of flagship green vehicle risks inflicting further damage to reputation of the world's biggest carmaker Toyota is poised to recall hundreds of thousands of Prius hybrid cars to fix a potentially dangerous brake defect, reports in Japan said today.The expected recall of Toyota's flagship green vehicle risks inflicting further damage to the reputation of the world's biggest carmaker, which has already recalled more than 8m cars worldwide because of potential accelerator problems.British Prius owners are likely to have to wait for service. The firm is expected to initially recall and repair around 270,000 of the petrol-electric hybrids in the US and Japan, where drivers have reported momentary brake failure at slow speeds, particularly on bumpy or slippery roads. The recall may later be extended to other countries, the reports said.US authorities are looking into 100 complaints affecting the newest Prius model, which went on sale last May, while Japan's transport ministry is aware of dozens of similar cases.Toyota said the problem was not mechanical, but was due to a software glitch that can be fixed in about 30 minutes. Last week it invited allegations of a cover-up after it admitted it had already started fixing the defect on models assembled since the end of last month.The Prius, the world's most popular hybrid model and the best-selling car in Japan last year, is regarded as pivotal to Toyota's attempts to corner the market in fuel-efficient cars. Toyota has sold more than 300,000 of its third-generation Prius in 60 countries since its launch last May, including 170,000 in Japan, 100,000 in the US and 29,000 in Europe.Speculation that the Prius would be the latest model to fall victim to Toyota's quality control problems rose last week when the transport minister, Seiji Maehara, said he expected the recall to take place and criticised the firm for failing to "focus on the consumer".Toyota had initially decided to offer repairs to Japanese owners under a voluntary service campaign, but later decided on a full recall to try to regain the trust of its customers, the Yomiuri Shimbun said. It said the company had already notified domestic dealers.The Kyodo news agency said Toyota had also informed dealers in the US of plans to begin fixing Prius brakes. In an email sent to dealers on Friday, Bob Carter, a Toyota group vice president, said the firm would announce the details of the Prius repair plan this week.US authorities have launched an investigation into the glitch, which has caused four accidents and two minor injuries.Carter said the brake defect "has prompted considerable customer concern, speculation, and media attention due to the significance of the Prius image. We want to assure our dealers that we are moving rapidly to provide a solution for your existing customers."Toyota can expect even closer media scrutiny at home if it goes ahead with the recall, as it would involve Japanese customers for the first time.The company has attracted widespread criticism for its slow response to the accelerator pedal fault, which forced it to recall 4.45m cars last month, more than 2m of them in the US.Two weeks later, Akio Toyoda, the firm's president, finally emerged to apologise to customers and reassure them that "Toyota vehicles are safe"."I would like to take this opportunity to apologise from the bottom of my heart for causing many of our customers concern after the recalls across several models in several regions," he said on Friday.ToyotaAutomotive industryMotoringJapanJustin McCurryguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds   guardian.co.uk   2010-02-08 Five dead in US gas power plant blast Huge blast caused by a natural gas test as police fear further casualties buried under rubbleA large explosion at a Connecticut power station has killed five people and left a dozen injured, while last night police were using dogs to hunt for other potential ­victims among the rubble of a blast felt 30 miles away.The mayor of Middletown, Sebastian Giuliano, said the accident was caused by a leak during a test of a natural gas plant under construction, and that terrorism had been ruled out. The blast was so large that some people mistook it for an earthquake. Witnesses described a "huge ball of fire" and told the Hartford Courant newspaper that the "main plant building seemed to have been substantially levelled".Ambulances and more than 100 firefighters streamed to the scene. Helicopters lifted out some of the injured.Middletown's deputy fire marshal, Al Santostefano, said there was "substantial damage" to the buildings, and there were extensive areas which need to be searched for other potential casualties.Giuliano said that rescue services had difficulty assessing if people were missing because the owners of the plant were uncertain how many were at work yesterday. Up to 100 people are employed on construction work at the power station."They were purging gas lines all weekend long. When they ran the test, most of the people who work there were evacuated from the building. But they're trying to work out who was on the job," he said.Bernadette Nyland told a local TV station, WTNH, that she was outside her house when she heard the blast. "They were doing the firing of the engines this morning, and so something went wrong and it blew up. Flames came shooting up almost as tall as that stack. Then the smoke came billowing – blew out our windows; it was frightening, very frightening," she said.The Courant said that one witness who lived across a river from the plant thought someone had driven a vehicle into his house because the concussion from the explosion was so strong. Others told local TV stations they had thought a plane crashed. "Everyone ran out of their houses. [There was a] huge boom followed by three or four seconds of the house shaking," wrote one on WTNH's website.United StatesOil and gas companiesChris McGrealguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds   guardian.co.uk   2010-02-08 Victor Yanukovych heads for Ukrainian presidency • Yulia Tymoshenko under pressure to concede defeat• Monitors praise 'impressive display' of democracyUkraine's prime minister, Yulia Tymoshenko, was today under pressure to concede defeat in the country's presidential election after international observers this afternoon hailed yesterday's poll as fair and "truly competitive".Observers from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said there were no indications of serious fraud and described the vote as an "impressive display" of democracy. "For everyone in Ukraine this election was a victory," João Soares, president of the OSCE's parliamentary assembly, said.With almost all votes counted, the Russian-leaning opposition leader, Viktor Yanukovych, had a clear 2.65% lead over Tymoshenko. So far, however, Tymoshenko has refused to recognise her opponent's victory, cancelling a press conference scheduled for this afternoon.The OSCE hinted that Tymoshenko should admit defeat, noting that in any election there are "winners and losers. It is now time for the country's political leaders to listen to the people's verdict and make sure the transition of power is peaceful and constructive," Soares suggested.The emphatically positive verdict is in stark contrast to five years ago when Yanukovych's bungled attempts to fix the vote provoked the Orange revolution. Yanukovych subsequently lost a third round vote to Viktor Yushchenko, Ukraine's outgoing president."Some say the Orange revolution has failed. I say no. Thanks to the Orange revolution democratic elections in Ukraine are now a reality," said Matyas Eörsi, head of the delegation of the Council of Europe's parliamentary assembly. Ukraine's chances of joining the EU had been significantly enhanced, the observers noted.The OSCE's comments make it virtually impossible for Tymoshenko to sustain a legal challenge against the outcome. Speaking before polls closed, Tymoshenko accused Yanukovych's camp of fraud in his stronghold of eastern Ukraine. The observers said there were some minor irregularities but said this did not affect the overall result.Yanukovych will move swiftly to consolidate his power. Tymoshenko faces the unenviable choice of resigning as prime minister over the next few days or watching her fragile parliamentary coalition collapse. After that a new pro-Yanukovych coalition is certain to force her out.Yanukovych's Party of the Regions is likely to lure deputies from Yushchenko's Our Ukraine bloc ‑ currently in coalition with Tymoshenko ‑ as well as the Communists and other minority factions. Two possible candidates are in the frame for the prime minister's job ‑ Borys Kolesnikov, Yanukovych's close ally, and Yuriy Yekhanurov, a former prime minister from Yushchenko's bloc."There is a psychological aspect to Yanukovych's victory," one Ukrainian diplomat said. "Irrespective of the narrow gap between Yanukovych and Tymoshenko, for the political elite and for state servants Yanukovych is the winner." His inauguration would take place early next month, the diplomat said.Yanukovych's task would be to form his own government, the diplomat said, since without one he would be a "lame duck" president. Once he had secured a parliamentary majority Yanukovych could make his first foreign trip, probably to Brussels.Analysts said that ‑ unlike in 2004 ‑ Ukrainians had little appetite for protest. Several hundred Yanukovych supporters demonstrated today outside the central election committee in Kiev. But otherwise the mood on the streets was subdued, with no sense of an impending second revolution.Yanukovych's urgent challenge as president will be to eschew populist gestures and restore the economy. Ukraine is facing serious fiscal shortages. The International Monetary Fund has refused to lend it any more money until it carries out previously agreed reforms. Since 2008 the national currency, the hryvnia, has lost 48% of its value.A breakdown of yesterday's results showed that Ukraine remains deeply divided, with the Russian-speaking east and south overwhelmingly backing Yanukovych, and the Ukrainian-speaking west and centre, including Kiev, voting for Tymoshenko.More than a million voters chose to vote against both candidates, reflecting widespread disillusionmentUkraineLuke Hardingguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds   guardian.co.uk   2010-02-08 Chicken Feet: A Symbol of U.S.-China Tension Despite their humble nature, chicken feet owe an outsized significancein the U.S.-China trade relationship, a product where the U.S. holdsthe advantage over China's export machine   feedproxy.google.com   2010-02-08