The backgrounds of up to 500,000 people are being scrutinised in an unprecedented security screening designed to stop the Olympic Games being disrupted by criminals or terrorists, the Guardian has learned.
In what is understood to be the biggest vetting process since the second world war, the Home Office has so far refused about 100 applications for Games accreditation, mostly because of concerns about the extent of people's criminal records.
However, some people have been denied accreditation on the advice of MI5, which has to assess whether a person might pose a significant threat to national security.
The 500,000 figure includes anyone seeking employment at the Games, as well as athletes, coaches and officials from more than 200 competing nations.
The Guardian has been told the threshold for refusing accreditation has been set high, which means some of those working at the Olympics this summer will have "come to the notice of" the police or MI5 in the past.
"To be rejected, they have to pose a significant potential threat to the safety of the Games," said a source. "They won't be rejected on the basis that information is held about them.
"A judgment has to be made, not on the basis that there is an official record, but does this person pose a significant threat to security."
Police and MI5 have been taking a careful look at all those who may end up working at the Olympic sites. It is an obvious way for would-be terrorists to gain access to venues, and police are aware that terrorists may masquerade as casual workers looking for temporary jobs.
However, those involved in the security of the Games say they have found no evidence so far that al-Qaida sympathisers have tried to infiltrate the civilian workforce.
The vetting process began in earnest last October and officials are more than two-thirds of the way through the process, which is expected to be completed in the coming weeks.
It has been one of the core tasks of counter-terrorism officials but the scale of the operation, and the depth of the checks required, has made it a drawn-out affair.
Among those still to be vetted are many of the 10,000 security guards who will be employed by G4S, the private firm which is contributing 23,700 personnel at the Olympic venues.
A big recruitment drive was launched by G4S when the number of guards it was expected to provide grew from 2,000 to 10,000, after it emerged that the Games organisers, Locog, had seriously underestimated the number required. The 70,000 volunteers recruited by Locog, who are considered crucial to the success of the Games, are also being screened.
Home Office officials said that many of the 10,500 athletes taking part in the Games and those accompanying them were used to travelling to international events and were unlikely to pose any security problems.
There remain outstanding questions surrounding a handful of high-profile individuals, including members of the Syrian Olympic committee with close links to the Assad regime.
It is believed that discussions are continuing over whether to bar General Mofwaq Joumaa, the president of the Syrian national Olympic committee, from entering the UK.
Scotland Yard and MI5 are understood to have hundreds of investigations "live", with the Olympic security operation likely to reach a new pitch as teams arrive for training before the event.
It is understood that the security service has not set up a separate Olympic security unit, believing it would be wrong to draw a distinction between terrorism and Olympic terrorism.
The security service is said to be bracing for a possible deluge of intelligence from foreign police forces and intelligence agencies, who will not want to sit on any information just in case it reveals a potential threat to the Games. MI5 remains confident it will be able to cope, and the Home Office said it will leave nothing to chance when it comes to security.
"We are undertaking stringent checks on all those seeking accreditation," a Home Office spokesman said. "This rigorous process has been designed to ensure those working at the Games are fit to do so. We will leave nothing to chance in our aim to deliver a safe and secure Games that London, the UK and the whole world will enjoy."
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
London Luxury-Home Price Gains Slow After Property-Tax Increase - Bloomberg
Luxury-home prices in central London rose the least in nine months in May, after the British government increased a tax on purchases of 2 million pounds ($3.1 million) or more, Knight Frank LLP said.
Values of houses and apartments costing an average of 3.7 million pounds climbed 10.7 percent from a year earlier, the London-based broker said in a report today. That was the smallest gain since August 2011. Prices rose 0.7 percent from April, bolstered by buyers from mainland Europe.
Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne raised the tax, known as stamp duty, to 7 percent from 5 percent in March. The threshold for the new tax rate is now the average asking price of a home in Kensington and Chelsea, one of London’s most affluent neighborhoods, property-listings website Rightmove Plc said when the government announced the change.
“The market has absorbed the 7 percent duty rate fairly well,” Liam Bailey, head of residential research for Knight Frank, said in the report. Prices for homes valued at more than 2 million pounds rose 1.6 percent in the past two months, while those for all luxury properties gained 2.7 percent, he said.
Europe’s debt crisis has prompted overseas investors to acquire real estate in London to preserve their wealth. Luxury- property prices in the city have increased about 12 percent since the market’s peak in 2008, including 4.7 percent this year, as a scarcity of homes for sale drove up values.
German Buyers
“We are now seeing a noticeable uptick in interest from France, Italy, Spain and even German-based purchasers,” Bailey said in the report. That contributed to the 19th monthly price increase in a row.
The crisis, now in its third year, threatens to destroy Europe’s 17-nation currency union as Greece contemplates exiting the euro and Spain sees its bond yields rise and banking industry falter. The euro zone’s collapse could cause prime central London property values to fall as much as 50 percent, Development Securities Plc (DSC) said in a May 31 report, as capital flows out of the city to less expensive markets.
“The ‘safe-haven’ effect has clearly played its role in attracting foreign money into London’s most desirable post codes,” Chief Executive Officer Michael Marx said in the report. “However, the property industry knows -- perhaps better than most -- that nothing goes on forever.”
Foreign Residents
Foreign buyers accounted for about 60 percent of home purchases in London’s most expensive districts in the four years through 2011, according to London-based Development Securities. As a result, more than half of the residents of Kensington and Chelsea and the City of Westminster are from outside the U.K.
House prices across the country rose in May for the first time in three months as a lack of homes for sale supported values, Nationwide Building Society said May 31. Values gained 0.3 percent from April and fell an annual 0.7 percent to an average of 166,022 pounds.
Knight Frank compiles its luxury-homes index from its own appraisal values of a sample of the same properties in the 13 most expensive neighborhoods of central London, including Belgravia and Knightsbridge.
To contact the reporter on this story: Chris Spillane in London at cspillane3@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Andrew Blackman at ablackman@bloomberg.net.
Source: www.bloomberg.com
Indian law on teen sex ‘regressive’ - Independent Online
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New Delhi - India is raising the age of consent for sex to 18 under a new law seen by some children's rights activists as being out of step with social changes and open to abuse.
Under a provision in the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act approved by parliament last month, sex with a person under the age of 18 will be deemed as statutory rape and subject to prosecution.
Once formally signed into law by the president, the new legislation will supersede a clause in India's Penal Code that previously set the age of consent at 16 and will carry sentences ranging from three years to life imprisonment.
Critics say the change is open to misuse by police and overprotective parents, puts India at odds with other countries and is further proof of a government run by elderly politicians out of touch with most of the country.
“We can't pretend children are not sexually active when they are adolescents,” says one senior child welfare official working for a government body who did not want to be named. “This law is plain regressive.”
The third National Family Health Survey, the most recent comprehensive government study from 2005-2006, states that 43 percent of women aged 20-24 had had sex before they were 18.
In rural areas, the high proportion is because of the prevalence of child marriage - more than 47 percent of women aged 20-24 were married by 18 - while in urban areas attitudes on everything from religion to sex are changing.
Surveys from news magazines such as India Today and Outlook find young urban Indians are increasingly open to pre-marital intercourse and more exposed to sex through pornography or steamy films and television shows than ever before.
For Shantha Sinha, the chief of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, a state-funded body, the law was open to abuse.
“It can be used to the disadvantage of children if one has to settle scores,” she says, raising the scenario of under-age girls using the law against former partners even if the sex was consensual.
The police may be able to use it to “harass young couples in parks”, Sinha says, while partners who elope - a common occurrence in India where arranged marriages are the norm - could also be targeted.
“You have cases where young people in love elope to escape parental objections and censure. The parents can use this law and make it legally tough for them,” she said.
A trial court judge in New Delhi made the same observation during a hearing in the case of a man accused of kidnapping and raping a girl of 15. The judge acquitted the defendant and ruled the girl had eloped voluntarily.
The change in the law “will open the floodgates for prosecution of boys for offences of rape on the basis of complaints by girls' parents irrespective of whether the girl was a consenting party”, noted the judge.
But experts in favour of the change say it will help protect the most vulnerable sections of society, including the millions of girls and young women who work as servants in Indian homes.
Amod Kanth, a former police officer who was part of the drafting process, argues that this consideration must override any other concerns in a country where child abuse is rife.
“We carried out a study in 2007 and found that nearly 53 percent of children had suffered some kind of sexual abuse,” Kanth said.
“We felt such children needed to be protected and that there should be a specific law for this.
“Tomorrow the same people who are asking for 16 as the legal age of consent will ask for 13,” he added.
The age of consent across the world ranges from 13 to 18, with many countries, including Britain, Norway and Canada setting it at 16, according to Avert, a British charity that works in sexual health.
A few states of the United States, including California, fix the age of consent at 18, but they include a “close-in-age” reprieve for teenagers who have consensual sex.
For Zafar and his friends, who study in a private school in New Delhi, the new law is a fresh example of restrictions imposed on youngsters by “insensitive” adults.
“Most of my friends have already made their sex debut,” said Zafar, 17, who asked to be identified by his first name only.
“Some are in serious relationships, some are doing it for fun, others because they are simply curious.”
The Childline Foundation, a non-profit agency that runs an emergency phone service for children in need of care, says the most important thing is making sex education compulsory in all schools across the country.
“This will help children make informed choices and avoid the pitfalls,” Komal Ganotra, advocacy and training specialist at the Foundation, said. - Sapa-AFP
Source: www.iol.co.za
NRA-Backed Law Spells Out When Indianans May Open Fire on Police - Bloomberg
Every time police Sergeant Joseph Hubbard stops a speeder or serves a search warrant, he says he worries suspects assume they can open fire -- without breaking the law.
Hubbard, a 17-year veteran of the police department in Jeffersonville, Indiana, says his apprehension stems from a state law approved this year that allows residents to use deadly force in response to the “unlawful intrusion” by a “public servant” to protect themselves and others, or their property.
“If I pull over a car and I walk up to it and the guy shoots me, he’s going to say, ‘Well, he was trying to illegally enter my property,’” said Hubbard, 40, who is president of Jeffersonville Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 100. “Somebody is going get away with killing a cop because of this law.”
Indiana is the first U.S. state to specifically allow force against officers, according to the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys in Washington, which represents and supports prosecutors. The National Rifle Association pushed for the law, saying an unfavorable court decision made the need clear and that it would allow homeowners to defend themselves during a violent, unjustified attack. Police lobbied against it.
The NRA, a membership group that says it’s widely recognized as a “major political force” and as the country’s “foremost defender” of Second Amendment rights, has worked to spread permissive gun laws around the country. Among them is the Stand Your Ground self-defense measure in Florida, which generated nationwide controversy after the Feb. 26 shooting of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed Florida teenager.
Amended Law
Asked about the Indiana law, Andrew Arulanandam, a spokesman for the Fairfax, Virginia-based association, said he would look into the matter. He didn’t return subsequent calls.
The measure was approved by the Republican-controlled Legislature and signed by Republican Governor Mitch Daniels in March. It amended a 2006 so-called Castle Doctrine bill that allows deadly force to stop illegal entry into a home or car.
The law describes the ability to use force to “protect the person or a third person from what the person reasonably believes to be the imminent use of unlawful force.”
Republican state Senator R. Michael Young, the bill’s author, said there haven’t been any cases in which suspects have used the law to justify shooting police.
‘Public Servant’
He said “public servant” was added to clarify the law after a state Supreme Court ruling last year that “there is no right to reasonably resist unlawful entry by police officers.” The case was based on a man charged with assaulting an officer during a domestic-violence call.
Young cited a hypothetical situation of a homeowner returning to see an officer raping his daughter or wife. Under the court’s ruling, the homeowner could not touch the officer and only file a lawsuit later, he said. Young said he devised the idea for the law after the court ruling.
“There are bad legislators,” Young said. “There are bad clergy, bad doctors, bad teachers, and it’s these officers that we’re concerned about that when they act outside their scope and duty that the individual ought to have a right to protect themselves.”
Bill supporters tried to accommodate police by adding specific requirements that might justify force, and by replacing “law enforcement officer” in the original version with “public servant,” said Republican state Representative Jud McMillin, the House sponsor.
Preventing Injury
The measure requires those using force to “reasonably believe” a law-enforcement officer is acting illegally and that it’s needed to prevent “serious bodily injury,” Daniels said in a statement when he signed the law.
“In the real world, there will almost never be a situation in which these extremely narrow conditions are met,” Daniels said. “This law is not an invitation to use violence or force against law enforcement officers.”
Jane Jankowski, a spokeswoman for Daniels, referred questions about the measure to that statement.
Opponents see a potential for mistakes and abuse.
It’s not clear under the law whether an officer acting in good faith could be legally shot for mistakenly kicking down the wrong door to serve a warrant, said state Senator Tim Lanane, the assistant Democratic leader and an attorney.
“It’s a risky proposition that we set up here,” Lanane said.
Intoxicated Suspects
Those who are intoxicated or emotional can’t decide whether police are acting legally, and suspects may assume they have the right to attack officers, said Tim Downs, president of the Indiana State Fraternal Order of Police. The law didn’t need to be changed because there isn’t an epidemic of rogue police in Indiana, he said.
“It’s just a recipe for disaster,” said Downs, chief of the Lake County police in northwest Indiana. “It just puts a bounty on our heads.”
Downs said he canceled his NRA membership after the organization pressed for the Indiana legislation.
The NRA helped get the measure through the Legislature and encouraged its members to contact lawmakers and Daniels.
The organization’s Indiana lobbyist attended all the Legislative committee hearings, said State Representative Linda Lawson, the Democratic floor leader and a former police officer.
Political Support
Lawmakers respond to the NRA because the group brings political support, Lawson said.
The legislation reversed an “activist court decision,” and “restores self-defense laws to what they were,” the NRA said on its legislative website.
In Clay County, Indiana, outside Terre Haute, the Sheriff’s Department changed its procedures because of the law. Detectives in plain clothes and unmarked cars now must be accompanied by a uniformed officer on calls to homes, Sheriff Michael Heaton said.
“I’m not worried about the law-abiding citizens,” said Heaton, who also is president of the Indiana Sheriff’s Association. “It’s the ones that really don’t understand the law and they just think, ‘Cop shows up at my door, I can do whatever I want to him.’”
Hubbard, the officer in Jeffersonville, in southeastern Indiana, said the law causes him to second-guess himself. He serves on the department’s patrol division and is a member of its special weapons and tactics unit. The department serves “thousand” of warrants a year, he said.
“It puts doubt in your mind,” said Hubbard, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps before joining the department. “And hesitation in our job can mean somebody gets hurt or killed.”
Hubbard said he hasn’t changed his approach to his job or noticed a difference in how civilians he encounters are behaving.
The law has changed Hubbard’s view of the NRA.
He said he has been “a proud member of the NRA for years,” and while he’s still a member and NRA firearms instructor, “the day I found out the NRA was pushing behind this bill was the day I became a not-so-happy NRA member.”
To contact the reporter on this story: Mark Niquette in Columbus, Ohio, at mniquette@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Stephen Merelman at smerelman@bloomberg.net
Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels
Patrick Fallon/Bloomberg
Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels signed a state law this year that allows residents to use deadly force in response to the “unlawful intrusion” by a “public servant” to protect themselves and others, or their property.
Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels signed a state law this year that allows residents to use deadly force in response to the “unlawful intrusion” by a “public servant” to protect themselves and others, or their property. Photographer: Patrick Fallon/Bloomberg
Source: www.bloomberg.com
London Bridge Tests Olympic Queueing System During Jubilee - Londonist
Amid the frustrations of people struggling to get the train home after Sunday’s Jubilee pageant, what might not have been clear was that crowds at London Bridge were actually taking part in an Olympics test.
The SE1 website has photos of people queuing down Tooley Street and at the Duke Street Hill entrance, some rather unhelpful signage and a glimpse at the planned queueing system. Passengers wanting to use the tube were directed to Duke Street Hill, those wanting trains were asked to enter via the bus station main concourse and anyone wanting to leave was ushered towards Tooley Street or Joiner Street. If you use London Bridge take note: this system will be in action again this Thursday, when the station has a workday Olympics test run.
SE1 has also discovered that Olympics travel changes are still being made: a Network Rail briefing given to MPs indicated that London Bridge will likely be exit only 6-10pm on 30 July, and Southeastern services may not stop at the station to ease overcrowding. Neither measure is mentioned on the Get Ahead of the Games website which, annoyingly, has separate maps for tube and rail.
London Bridge isn’t the only station changing how it works during the games; Waterloo will have a queueing system in place for trains towards Weymouth, St Pancras will have queues for the Javelin service and you won’t be able to get to the station from the northern ticket hall, plus numerous changes to stations around Olympic venues in south east London. We can’t find information on any other stations running tests though – anyone with better information, please let us know in the comments.
Photo by The Green Odyssey from the Londonist Flickr pool
Source: londonist.com
London 2012: GB women's hockey team beaten by South Africa - BBC News
A Great Britain women's side missing key players lost 3-1 to South Africa in the opening match of the London Cup, their final pre-Olympic tournament.
GB were without Alex Danson, Crista Cullen and Sarah Thomas through injury, while captain Kate Walsh was omitted.
South Africa took advantage with goals from Sulette Damons, Bernie Coston and Jen Wilson making the game safe before Susie Gilbert replied for GB.
"Missing 25% of our Olympic squad is a tough ask," said coach Danny Kerry.
"But the reality was that we still got enough chances in the game to get a result.
View the Olympic schedule
Visit the London 2012 official website to find out which teams are playing in which session.
"Once we were down, we went after the game really well and generated opportunities. We know which areas to improve on."
Britain's next game in the tournament, taking place in Chiswick in west London, is against Germany on Thursday evening.
In the other match on Tuesday, Olympic champions the Netherlands came from behind to beat Australia 2-1 through two goals from Maartje Paumen.
The GB women's squad, ranked fourth in the world, open their London 2012 campaign against Japan at 19:00 BST on 29 July, with further matches against South Korea, Belgium and China, before taking on the Netherlands in their final group match.
They won the recent Olympic test event, defeating Argentina in the final.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
New law won’t require license for concealed weapon in home, business - Cincinnati.com
People won’t need a license to carry a concealed deadly weapon in their home or business that they own when a new law goes into effect July 12.
The General Assembly passed House Bill 484 with ease in this year’s regular session, passing the House 86-5 and the Senate 36-1 with the governor signing it into law April 11.
Gun owners saw it as a reaffirmation for their right to defend their property.
“My favorite saying is, ‘When seconds count, the police are only minutes away,” said Homer Cole, owner of Shooters Supply and Sporting Goods in Independence.
The bill received 36 sponsors both Democrat and Republican and was one of three bills that passed this year with the support of the National Rifle Association.
Another bill, House Bill 500, strengthened the state supremecy of its gun laws by preventing local government and public agencies from enacting stricter gun control laws than the state. The NRA characterized the third bill, House Bill 563, as one that would “protect lawful firearm retailers from illegal gun sting operations.”
State Rep. Dennis Keene, D-Wilder, co-sponsored all three and called House Bill 484 a no-brainer. The law requires a conceal carry license unless the person owns or leases the property or is the grandparent, parent or child of the owner and has the owner’s permission. The person must be the sole proprietor of the business to carry a concealed gun without a license on the business property.
“Being a homeowner and business owner when I was in the grocery store business before Kentucky had a concealed carry law, I felt I was at jeopardy on my property,” Keene said. “I was in a high crime area. I felt it was a no brainer. If you are on your own property, protecting your own stuff, you should be able to carry a gun.”
Many gun owners were surprised to learn Kentucky law didn’t already allow people to carry a concealed deadly weapon in their home or business they own unless they had a conceal-carry license.
The new law will clearly state that people can have a concealed firearm on their property and prevent any legal confusion, said Tim Harney, who teaches a concealed-carry course at Shooters Supply and Sporting Goods in Independence.
“I think it is needed, especially when you think about being in your own house and you can’t conceal a firearm,” Harney said ”Most people didn’t understand it or realize you couldn’t do it. Now that it’s gone into effect, I hear people that are happy it is a new law.”
Gun owner Kevin Koshiol, of Hebron, agrees with the new law.
“I would say it is appropriate they can arm themselves and protect themselves,” Koshiol said. “There are probably a lot of business owners that are surprised they couldn’t do this. I don’t know if it changes anything. I guess it should be identified what you can do and where the limits are. I think that’s important. ”
Kentucky has allowed non-felon residents to carry concealed deadly weapons with a permit since 1996. Permittees must meet many requirements and still can’t carry weapons into some places, including courthouses, elementary and secondary schools, childcare facilities, and at a meeting of a government body.
“Kentucky, Florida and Texas are three of the most welcoming states dealing with firearms in the country,” Cole said. “I believe the legislatures around here are sensible enough to realize this is what the people want. I feel most peopel should have the right to own firearms and protect themselves in any condition and whereever they’re at.”
Most states allow for homeowners and business owners to carry concealed deadly weapons on their property without a license, said Stephanie Samford, spokeswoman with the NRA.
“We’re dedicated to making sure law-abiding people defend themselves,” Samford said. “This bill helps with that.”
Many in the law enforcement community haven’t expressed concern about House Bill 484. Police expressed concerns in the 1990s about the conceal-carry laws but have adapted and routinely ask whether someone has a concealed weapon, said Michael Bischoff, executive director of the Kentucky Association of Chiefs of Police. That state legislature has made more than 20 different changes to its concealed carry law since it was first enacted to make it safer, Bischoff said.
“Here it has been pretty well regulated,” he said. “It keeps being improved upon.”
Posted in: Updates
Source: cincinnati.com
Law could dampen Mumbai's spirits - Independent Online
AFP
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New Delhi - Want to drink in Mumbai? Do it at your own risk. Revellers in India's financial hub caught drinking alcohol without a licence face stiff fines and a stint in prison.
City authorities are cracking down on illegal drinking after busting a rave party in one of Mumbai's posh neighbourhoods last month.
A 63-year-old prohibition law requiring every adult above the age of 25 to get a drinking permit exists in India's western state of Maharashtra but it's never been taken seriously - until the rave party hogged media headlines.
“(This) will cause trouble to a lot of people, to common citizens,” said a senior excise department official in Maharashtra, the state of which Mumbai is the capital, on condition of anonymity.
“We have been sending proposals to the government to scrap this law because there is no meaning in having this law.”
Government permits are needed to consume, possess or transport alcohol - 5 rupees (around 10 cents) for a daily licence, 100 rupees ($2) for a year and 1 000 rupees ($18) for a lifetime permit.
While daily permits can be acquired from liquor vendors, those seeking a lifetime permit can get it from the excise department.
Individuals caught drinking without a permit could be fined 50 000 rupees ($895) or jailed for five years.
City police say they have little say in the matter.
“Once the law is there, we need to enforce it. So if it is not enforced, then it is the fault of the police,” said Rajnish Seth, one of the Mumbai's top police officials. “We have no option.”
Ashok Patel, an anti-corruption activist and the president of a merchant welfare association, says the permits allow the police to harass tipplers for bribes and encourages corruption.
“Many people have permits but they don't necessarily carry them around,” says Patel. “No one ever checked earlier either.”
Mumbai, the most populated city in India, is also home to Bollywood, the world's largest film industry.
Fondly referred to as “Aamchi Mumbai”, which means “Our Mumbai” in Marathi, the local language, the megalopolis is famous for its nightlife.
Kaushal Upreti, an entertainment and media professional, says authorities can use the 1949 law to harass people just because they want to party, especially on days like New Year's Eve.
“It has been a common practice by pubs, restaurants and bars to issue temporary permits for their customers on such days to avoid running into trouble with the police,” he said.
Upreti, a resident of Mumbai, doesn't mind getting a permit for himself but is not sure how the licence will work in practice.
“Just so that I can buy a few bottles and I can drink,” he says. “It does not make sense.” - Reuters
Source: www.iol.co.za
Cancelling London 2012 Olympics would cost $5bn, warns insurer Munich Re - Daily Telegraph
The bill would cover the costs incurred and revenues lost by companies such as advertisers and media companies, according to reinsurer Munich Re. Other forms of cover, including employers and public liability insurance, would add to the industry's losses. However, policies will not cover cancellation or disruption caused by transport chaos in London.
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
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