Friday, 15 June 2012

Ministers rule out state aid for Coryton oil refinery - BBC News

Ministers rule out state aid for Coryton oil refinery - BBC News

The government has ruled out applying to the European Commission for permission to use state aid to keep open the Coryton oil refinery in Essex.

Coryton's parent company has gone into liquidation, putting 850 jobs at risk.

The Labour Party and unions have pressed ministers to consider putting up cash to keep the refinery going until administrators can find a buyer.

But ministers said overcapacity in the refining industry meant it would not be sustainable to provide government help.

The future of the Thames Estuary refinery has been in doubt since January, when its Swiss-based parent company, Petroplus, became insolvent.

The plant supplies about 20% of London and south-east England's fuel.

Two weeks ago administrators PricewaterhouseCoopers said they had failed to find a buyer and operations would be run down.

Labour MPs and local Lib Dem MP Bob Russell tabled a Commons motion on Monday calling on the government to step in to allow the refinery to remain open until a buyer is found.

They said the refinery was an important national infrastructure asset and that its closure would have "a devastating impact on the people of Essex" and risk making the UK more dependent on foreign fuel imports.

They have been calling on ministers to approach the European Commission to find out if short term state aid could be offered to the refinery.

But the Department for Energy and Climate Change said that overcapacity in the refining industry meant it would not be sustainable for the government to provide assistance even if the EU allowed it to do so.

Workers stage protests

Some redundancies are expected to be made next week. The government says this is regrettable, but that it was working with local agencies and Jobcentres to help the refinery's skilled workforce find new positions.

About 100 workers protested at the site and in Corringham town centre on Monday.

A demonstration was also held on Thursday outside London's Royal Courts of Justice where Prime Minister David Cameron was giving evidence to the Leveson Inquiry.

In February, a group of financiers agreed to pay to refine their own oil at the plant for three months, giving administrators more time to find a new buyer.


Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Butch tucker trial for TOWIE's Mark Wright - The Sun

The I’m A Celebrity and The Only Way Is Essex star is moving up the channels after impressing bosses with his stint on Take Me Out: The Gossip on ITV2.

He will join presenter Melanie Sykes on My Man Can, an offbeat challenge where women find out how useful their fellas are.

In the show being filmed in Cologne — the format is already a hit in Germany — blokes will be set challenges such as eating a plate of raw chillies and limbo-dancing. Their other halves have to guess how well they will do.

Mel will be the main host while Mark will oversee the bonkers challenges.

A source said: “Mark is thrilled ITV are taking a chance on him. He’s wanted to be a presenter for years. If this works, he’ll be exactly that.

“It’s a non-broadcast pilot at the moment but it’s pretty much guaranteed a decent slot. My Man Can is big in Germany and is on TV across the world. It’s one of the biggest shows in China.”

Mark has been teasing his Twitter followers with his new plans, writing: “Omg!! Just seen the set. Very big and exciting, nerves kicking in now though!”

The Sun told how Mark has already made his first million since leaving TOWIE last year. He was runner-up on I’m A Celebrity and his career is being guided by Myleene Klass’s agent.


Source: www.thesun.co.uk

Libya revokes Muammar Gaddafi praise law - BBC News

Libya's supreme court has overturned a law that criminalised the glorification of former leader Muammar Gaddafi, his regime, his ideas or his sons.

The court ruled that the law, known as Law 37, was unconstitutional.

Law 37 was originally passed in May by the National Transitional Council's Legal Committee.

Libya's Human Rights Council and civil society groups appealed against the law, which was also condemned by international human rights watchdogs.

Under the original law praising or glorifying Muammar Gaddafi was punishable with a prison sentence.

New judiciary

There were also articles in the law criminalising any attack on the 17 February revolution that toppled the former regime, as well as insulting Islam or offending the state and its institutions.

Although the prison terms were unspecified they could range from three to 15 years under Libya's penal code, according to AFP news agency.

The head of Libya's Human Rights Council told the BBC the ruling would instil more trust in the local judiciary.

The BBC's Rana Jawad, in Tripoli, says that the latest ruling is seen by some as a rare example of what they hope will be Libya's new independent judiciary.

Not long ago, our correspondent says, the former regime and the country's judiciary were seen by Libyans as one and the same.


Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Colombian Congress approves landmark peace talks law - BBC News

The Colombian Congress has approved a law setting up guidelines for peace talks between the government and left-wing guerrilla groups.

The so-called Legal Framework for Peace calls for soft sentences for rebels if they confess and compensate victims, and agree to lay down arms.

The move marks a shift from the policies of previous governments, which have refused to negotiate with rebels.

But critics say the legislation is too lenient.

Human rights groups as well as right-wing politicians - many close to former President Alvaro Uribe - say it would allow crimes to go unpunished.

'Negotiated end'

The law, which has the backing of President Juan Manuel Santos, passed in the congress by 65 votes to three.

It applies to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) and National Liberation Army (ELN), but does not include criminals involved with drug cartels or former paramilitary groups.

Start Quote

This is the price to pay for peace, we have to be upfront with people about it”

End Quote Hernan Andrade Senator

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) has been weakened in recent years, but has stepped up attacks in recent months.

Lawmakers who voted in favour of the legislation say it was borne out of necessity.

"This is the price to pay for peace, we have to be upfront with people about it," Senator Hernan Andrade, a member of the governing "U" party, told Reuters news agency.

Correspondents say rebel leaders have given mixed signs that they are interested in talks, and it is not clear whether they will accept the conditions set out in the proposal.

But it is the most powerful sign that the current political class is willing to accept a negotiated end to the conflict, says the BBC's Arturo Wallace in Bogota.

That was unthinkable two years ago, he says, but the situation changed after Mr Santos came to power.

However, Mr Santos insists he will only act when he is sure the rebels mean business, our correspondent says.


Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Egypt court rejects law barring Ahmed Shafiq from presidential run-off - Daily Telegraph

The Supreme Constitutional Court ruled on Thursday that a third of the legislature was elected illegally. As a result, it says in its explanation of the ruling, "the makeup of the entire chamber is illegal and, consequently, it does not legally stand."


Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Murphy's Law: Woods plays like Tiger of old - Yahoo! Eurosport

Under a cool blue-gray California sky on Thursday at the US Open, Woods did the darndest thing. He played like Tiger Woods used to play at a Major.

Gone were the pained expressions after mis-hits. Gone was the clank of a golf club banging off a tee box in a disgusted follow through. Gone was the muttered profanity.

In was a calm, clinical golfer. In was a player intent on a game plan, on calling the USGA's bluff and opting for fairway-pounding tee shots. In was a player thinking his way around the grueling Olympic Club setup, cagily eyeing each hole as if it were an adversary worthy of his best chess move.

Sixty-nine golf shots later, Tiger had his best first-round score at a US Open since his 67 at the 2002 Bethpage Black US Open. He won that US Open.

The question: Who kidnapped the Tiger Woods who hasn't won a Major in four calendar years, and replaced him with Tiger Woods?

Don't think the field didn't notice. Bubba Watson, whose first-round 78 smacked of surrender to Olympic's beastly demands, sure did.

"That was the old Tiger," he said, in gifting the media with Thursday's mission statement. "That was beautiful to watch."

So did Phil Mickelson, the other part of the underwhelming "Big Three" pairing. After Lefty's pained 76, and after speaking of his desire to simply make the weekend at this point, he was asked about Tiger's scorecard, which trumped him by seven strokes.

"He's playing really well," said Mickelson, the idea of his Pebble Beach romp over Woods in February somewhere far off in the distant memory banks. "He had solid control of his ball flight, and trajectory. It was impressive."

Yes, 54 holes of wind and canted fairways and small greens and firm conditions await. Yes, veteran, steady, US Open-styled players such as David Toms and Matt Kuchar and Jim Furyk are off to fine starts, and have the air of players intent on contending all weekend. And, yes, Tiger 2.0, post-career humiliation, has yet to stitch four championship rounds at a Major. But to ignore the many bright neon signs of goodness in Tiger's game Thursday is to ignore the story of the day.

Mostly, what emerged on Day 1 of America's national golf championship was what the old, 14-time Major champion Tiger used to love most: a golf course's arduous requests meshing with his maniacally focused approach.

Olympic Club is one of those places where Tiger Woods, in another incarnation, would not thrive. He used to be Tiger the Bomber when he was younger, not able to control his driver, not able to win at tight, tree-lined tracks. Tiger is older now, wiser at 36. And after masterful performances like the irons-off-the-tee Open at Liverpool in 2006, he is capable of meeting Olympic on its own terms.

If that means hitting only three drivers all day – on Nos. 9, 10 and 16 – so be it. He used iron off the tee repeatedly, and hit 10 of 14 fairways, 11 of 18 greens. If that means understanding that lag putting is the key because Olympic's firm greens deny tight approaches, so be it. He lag putted masterfully, and made only two bogeys. If that means mentally meeting Olympic's test, accepting the grind and not wishing for birdie holes or eagle holes, all the better. When Tiger Woods is healthy, mentally and physically, he'll take on anybody in the field when it comes to patience and work.

"There's no let up," Woods said of Olympic. "There's not one single hole where it's a breather … It's so demanding, you've got to really grind."

For Tiger, to "grind" is almost holy. If Hank Haney's book, "The Big Miss," reaffirmed anything, it was Tiger's passion for labour. When others wilt, or get tired, Tiger seeks a second wind. When others succumb to temptation and try to bomb driver – as Bubba did repeatedly Thursday – Tiger lays back, ever the tortoise to the field's hare. This player who once was defined by his length off the tee can play rope-a-dope golf, too.

Of course, none of this is applicable if Tiger's swing plane is off, if his ever-changing golf swing is one of its famous transition phases. That seemed to be the case at the Masters in April, en route to his tie-40th, or at Quail Hollow, where he missed the cut. And when Tiger told us repeatedly that he was hitting it "better" and was "close," our choices were to roll our eyes and wonder about his powers of delusion, or to believe him, and to wait for glory.

Most of us opted for the former. Others, as vindicated by a win in his last start at the Memorial, and a flop shot for the ages down the stretch, believed in the latter. Tiger's ball control Thursday at Olympic affirmed their positive thoughts.

"I know I can hit the ball this way, and I know I have been hitting the ball this way," Tiger said, for seemingly the umpteenth time, but this time with weight of evidence.

As he said it, a red "1" hung on the manual scoreboards next to the name "WOODS" all over Olympic's gorgeous landscape. It symbolized his 1-under par score, and for most of the day was one of only three red numbers after 18 holes, next to leader Michael Thompson and Toms. Every player in the field saw it, and knew that this Major championship suddenly had its dominant theme.


Source: uk.eurosport.yahoo.com

Bopara laments injury woes - SkySports

The Essex right-hander was at the head of the queue to fill England's number six position against the Windies in this summer's Investec Test series, only to suffer a calf injury on the eve of the squad announcement for the first match last month.

That place was filled at Lord's, and in two subsequent Tests, by Yorkshire's Jonny Bairstow - and Bopara's calf trouble was the latest in a series of minor but untimely niggles over the past eight months.

The middle-order batsman is expected to be back at number four in the first of three 50-over matches against the Windies, at the Ageas Bowl on Saturday.

"I'm really looking forward to it," he said.

"I haven't played a lot of cricket for England recently because of injuries. So it's exciting for me, and I'm in good form."

Frustration

Bopara returned to action at the start of June with a 50-over century, and then one in four-day cricket too, for Essex.

He is not about to start worrying unduly either about a run of injuries, which may be pure coincidence.

"It's very frustrating. It's only recently I've started to get a few injuries," he said.

"Before that, I very rarely missed games through injury ... it's probably a sign of me getting old.

"It is annoying. It is frustrating. But whatever's meant to be is meant to be."

Bairstow has endured a tough start to his Test career posting scores of just 16, 4 and 18 in his three completed innings to-date.

And Bopara, while aware others are profiting from his absence, knows that at 27, time is not on his side as much as it once was.

"I guess what it does is it gives someone else an opportunity to cement their place, and that's not ideal.

"But it means when I get my opportunity, I've got to cement my place. Let's hope I get it soon."


Source: www1.skysports.com

Immigration Law Slows A Family's March Forward - NPR News
U.S.-born Angel Luis Cruz, the son of Dominican immigrants, owns an insurance company in South Carolina. He says anti-illegal immigration laws have hurt his business.
Enlarge Kathy Lohr/NPR

U.S.-born Angel Luis Cruz, the son of Dominican immigrants, owns an insurance company in South Carolina. He says anti-illegal immigration laws have hurt his business.

Kathy Lohr/NPR

U.S.-born Angel Luis Cruz, the son of Dominican immigrants, owns an insurance company in South Carolina. He says anti-illegal immigration laws have hurt his business.

Immigrant success stories are closely woven into the concept of the American dream. In South Carolina, two generations of an immigrant family have worked hard to live out their dreams, but anti-illegal immigration laws have put even legal immigrants like them on edge.

Working Upon Arrival

Angel Cruz became a field worker in the Dominican Republic when he was just 8 years old. He came to New York in 1964 when he was 25 and went on to do a variety of jobs — from making coat hangers to sanding cabinets in a factory. He worked in landscaping and as a carpenter. It was hard, he says.

His wife, Eva, came a bit later, leaving their three children behind until the couple could make enough money to bring them to the U.S. Eva Cruz sewed dresses for dolls and cleaned hotel rooms. Ten months later, she brought her three children. She hadn't stopped working.

"I [worked] all the time," she says. "I [worked] in night and day."

Eva Cruz is proud her family never received any government help, like food stamps. They saw the American dream as a chance for a better life for them and the possibility of a good education for their children. The Cruzes never made it out of elementary school in the Dominican Republic.

Just three years ago, they bought a three-bedroom ranch house in the Charleston suburbs with the cash they saved all these years.

Angel, now 73, raises chickens in his backyard. There's a rooster and a dozen baby chicks scurrying around. On a scorching spring day, Angel's youngest grandson, Christopher, plays in a blue kiddy pool.

In the 40 years since they became citizens, this couple built their dream.

Hurt By The Law

Their fourth child, Angel Luis Cruz, was the only one born in the U.S. After high school, he built a small insurance company in North Charleston that serves Hispanic and non-Hispanic customers.

Angel Cruz with grandson Christopher. Cruz came to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic in 1964.
Enlarge Kathy Lohr/NPR

Angel Cruz with grandson Christopher. Cruz came to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic in 1964.

Kathy Lohr/NPR

Angel Cruz with grandson Christopher. Cruz came to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic in 1964.

Just a few blocks from where his parents live, he's up early making breakfast for his three children.

Angel Luis Cruz, who turns 40 next week, says his business was doing fine until South Carolina passed legislation to get rid of illegal immigrants.

"I don't understand what the state is doing," he says. "Instead of embracing people, they're rejecting them."

The law allows police to stop suspected illegal immigrants and ask for proof of citizenship. The can be deported if they don't have papers and are in the country illegally.

Angel Luis Cruz says he's lost more than half his business since the law passed. Although the law hasn't gone into effect yet because of legal challenges, he says it's had a big impact: Many in the Latino community have left the area.

"This immigration law is hurting us — and not just us here — across the whole country," he says. "They're not thinking about Angel Insurance Agency. They're not thinking about such-and-such other business."

To make up for his losses, Angel Luis Cruz just opened a second office, two hours away in Hilton Head.

He hits the road six days a week now, while his wife staffs the Charleston office.

'I'm American'

Angel Luis Cruz is a devoted American. He loves this country. He joined the Army and served in the Gulf War. But he's tired and confused about being treated like he's not a citizen.

"I don't really ... rate myself as ... Hispanic like that because ... I grew up in this country. ... I' m American, you know? ... I don't see myself like that," he says.

He's only had a couple of customers since this office opened a few weeks ago, but he's optimistic. Angel Luis Cruz believes his American dream is still attainable, though it may take longer than he originally imagined.

"I want to laugh, and I want to enjoy life, and I want to make a difference in this world," he says.

Back at home, after 9:30 in the evening, Angel Luis Cruz is clearly worn out. His family, including 3-year-old Hailey, 7-year-old Angel Alexander and his wife, Prissy, are all up waiting for him.

"Like I tell my son all the time, 'Angel, we do what have to do now so tomorrow we can do what we [want to do].' So you have to make sacrifices in life," he says. "And then, sooner later it's going to pay off, and if we don't ever get to see it, it's all right because we're going to instill this in our children that you work hard and you move forward."

Angel Luis Cruz still worries about the immigration law. He says he doesn't want his kids to face the same intolerance that he has experienced. He says he has faith that America is still the best place for families to create their own dreams.


Source: www.npr.org

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