A bombing at Syria's national security building has killed the country's defense minister and the Syrian president's brother-in-law, and wounded other senior officials, Syrian state-run TV said.
Defense Minister Dawoud Rajha, 65, died in the attack today after four days of battles in which Syrian troops used tanks and helicopters against rebels. Rajha is the most senior official to die during the country's civil war, which has escalated since the spring of 2011.
The country's 62-year-old Deputy Defense Minister Assef Shawkat, who is Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's brother-in-law and a top aide, also died in the attack, according to Syrian State TV. A source in Damascus confirmed to ABC News that that Shawkat was dead on arrival to the hospital.
State television reported that the country's interior minister, Mohammad Ibrahim al-Shaar, is in stable condition after being wounded in the attack. The head of the national security office, Hisham Bekhtyar, was reportedly critically wounded.
The Free Syrian Army and Islamist rebel group Liwa al-Islam claimed responsibility for the attack.
In a statement made on the group's Facebook page, Liwa al-Islam said it "targeted the cell called the crisis control room in the capital of Damascus."
"We announce to Syrians in general and those in the capital Damascus in particular that thanks to God the national security office, which includes the crisis management cell in the capital Damascus, has been targeted with a bomb planted by the "Chief of the Martyrs" battalion that is attached to Islam Brigade," the statement read.
Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zohbi appeared on State TV after the attacks, blaming "foreign elements" and calling it a "terrorist bomb attack."
"[This is a] cowardly act that will only increase the determination of the army to chase them and only add to our resolve," al-Zohbi said.
He also blamed Arab and Western governments and their intelligence services for the attack for which those responsible "will pay for dearly."
It is still unclear whether it was a suicide bomber in a car near the building or someone who was able to get close to the Syrian leaders who carried out the attack. The attack was close to Assad's residence.
The attack came during a meeting of cabinet ministers and senior security officials that included Rajha, Shawkat, Syria's interior minister, the country's head of intelligence and the head of national security.
Al Jazeera reported that Defense Minister Shawkat's bodyguard carried out the attack.
Today's attack comes amid the worst violence the capital has seen during this uprising. Continued reports of clashes have been met by a huge mobilization by the Syrian army to quash the uprising.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague condemned the attacks in a statement today highlighting an "urgent need" to impose a resolution on the Assad regime.
"This incident, which we condemn, confirms the urgent need for a chapter VII resolution of the UN Security Council on Syria," he said. "The situation in Syria is clearly deteriorating. All the members of the UN Security Council have a responsibility to put their weight behind the enforcement of joint special envoy Kofi Annan's plan to end the violence.
"We call on all parties to refrain from violence," he said, "and for the Security Council to shoulder its responsibilities."
Source: abcnews.go.com
Olympic torch: Dame Kelly Holmes brings the flame to Tonbridge - BBC News
Dame Kelly Holmes has brought the Olympic flame to her home town in Kent which was not included in the route of the Olympic torch relay.
Dame Kelly said the event was organised after she told relay organisers Locog of "her disappointment" that Tonbridge had been left out of the relay.
The double Olympic gold medallist lit a 2012 torch in the grounds of the town's castle from a Davy lamp.
She paraded it past thousands of people who had gathered around the castle.
"I was very disappointed that Tonbridge was wasn't going to be part of the torch relay," said Dame Kelly.
"Olympic spirit for me is just massive and I think the flame has captured everyone's imagination with the torch relay.
"It's such a shame that my community and the people who supported me didn't get a sense of that spirit, so I went to Locog and explained my disappointment and said 'we really need to put on an event, we're going to have to put on an event'."
Thousands of people, who had gathered on the town's high street, cheered as Dame Kelly walked on to a platform at the end of the castle's grounds.
Homecoming paradeShe held an Olympic torch, which was lit from a Davy lamp on the platform, and she paraded it around the grounds where 2,000 local schoolchildren has been invited.
In 2004, a homecoming parade was held in Tonbridge for Dame Kelly when she returned from the Olympics in Athens where she won gold in the 800m and 1500m.
Dame Kelly said to the crowd: " I will never forget the moment I came to Tonbridge after winning my two golds in Athens.
"I want to say a big thank you to all of you who have come out to support me then and now."
Sir John Stanley, MP for Tonbridge and Malling, said: "Dame Kelly, being a Tonbridge schoolgirl as she was, she has a very special place in the hearts of Tonbridge people.
"I applaud for her being so loyal to Tonbridge she is a national figure, an international figure but she always remembers her local roots."
In a speech after the lighting of the torch, Sir John said: "Dame Kelly, Tonbridge was in danger of being forgotten by the torch, thanks to you the torch has come to Tonbridge."
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
New breed of startups uses cutting-edge technologies for match-making - Economic Times
Instead of traditional markers such as caste, community, horoscope or skin colour that are still the norm on matrimonial websites, this breed of startups ranks users based on education, professional achievement and career prospects. In using technology to process such information, these ventures are responding to a rising demand from young, educated professionals for a sophisticated system that is also secure.
Among them is TwoMangoes.com, which employs algorithms programmed to study users' behaviour and reaction to others on the site. Over time, the system picks out the right profile to be displayed to an individual user, based on this learning. "These self-learning algorithms use the basic concept of artificial intelligence," says co-founder Anita Dharamshi, who launched the India portal in February. Algorithms also process user behaviour to understand and separate safe content from spam. Such a value-added service is in addition to an initial profiling of all users into broad categories of 'safe' and 'spammers' based on data provided and subsequent behaviour on the site.
"You won't get 100 messages a week from 100 strangers, but maybe four or five messages from users who directly fit your profile and behaviour on the site," says Dharamshi, who claims 1,000 signups every single day.
Social Dating Gaining Ground
"By using such technology we can ensure quality of users," adds Dharamshi. Another social dating startup, MyMitra, is mostly frequented by college graduates and professionals, and ranks people who match a search query in order of their achievement and commitment.
Based on these metrics, the higher a person's achievement, the higher the rank on search results, a model that has already attracted 500 users, including graduates from top universities such as Harvard as well as IITs & IIMs. "We do not mix and match, but use a scientific methodology," says Vibin Aravindakshan, an alumnus of Massachusetts Institute of Technology who launched the portal five months ago.
Ventures such as TwoMangoes and MyMitra are benefitting from the shift among urban professionals towards the concept of social dating. MD Usha Devi, a professor at the Institute for Social and Economic Change in Bangalore, is of the opinion that this is linked to the trend of young professionals moving away from home and family for education and new careers.
Twenty-six-year-old designer Deepika was tired of being pushed by her parents to get married; so, earlier this year she listed her profile on a matrimonial website. But the "familiar prejudice" of matches based on caste, age, height, skin colour, astrology and horoscope left her cold. "I met a few people — these were educated people who were asking for creepy details," says Deepika, who then registered on TwoMangoes.com. The website filtered out unsuitable matches and helped her fix a meeting with a person she liked.
"On a social dating site, you can understand a person in peace before making an immediate commitment, as demanded by many parents on matrimonial sites," says Rajat, a 28-yearold technology professional in Delhi. Typically, these new dating portals ensure that all profiles undergo a mandatory verification process. At MyMitra, which earns revenues using a pay-as-you-go system, there is a reduction in spam that is a typical problem at portals that offer subscription models alone.
MyMitra gathers a variety of data like education, degree, profession, and position in industry. It then assigns values to each of these and uses weights to combine these parameters. The weights themselves are finetuned as user preferences change over time.
Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com
Kent's jobless falls by nearly 1,000 - Kent Online
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Unemployment dropped by nearly a thousand in the county last month.
Figures released today by the Office for National Statistics revealed that the number of people claiming Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) across Kent and Medway fell by 971 to 35,963.
The Medway total dipped by 163 to 7,145 (4.2% of the workforce), while the Kent tally fell by 808 to 28,818 (3.2%).
Totals fell in each of the county’s 12 districts, with three-figure driops in Gravesham (down 118) and Swale (down 146).
Nationally, the number of unemployed people fell by 65,000 to 2.58m, a fgigure that was 132,000 on the year.
The quarterly rate was 8.1%, down 0.2% on the quarter. The claimant count stood at 1.6m, up 6,100 compared with May.
The number of women claiming JSA jumped by 8,000 to 530,700, the highest figure since August 1995.
The increase may be due to fewer single parents being able to claim Lone Parent Income Support.
The number of people out of work for more than two years went up by 18,000 to a 15-year high of 441,000.
The number of jobs rose by 181,000, with the largest job increase in the 25 - 34 age group where the number of people in work rose by 79,000 to 6.64m.
The number of employed people 65 and over rose by 52,000 to 929,000, the highest figure for 20 years.
The employers’ organisation the CBI said that despite challenging times, the labour market was showing some resilience. But the rise in the claimant count remained troubling.
Neil Carberry, CBI Director for Employment and Skills, said: “The rising number of JSA claimants, and the fact that we have 441,000 people who’ve been unemployed for over two years, emphasises how important the Government’s Work Programme is.
"We need everyone to get behind the vital Work Programme initiative, to ensure it fulfils its potential for jobseekers, employers, and taxpayers.”
Claimant count on June 14: Kent and Medway, 35,963 (down 971); Medway, 7,145 (down 163); Rest of Kent, 28,818 (down 808); Ashford, 1,973 (down 54); Canterbury, 2,380 (down 75); Dartford, 1,856 (down 82); Dover, 2,649 (down 55); Gravesham, 2,701 (down 118); Maidstone, 2,416 (down 65); Sevenoaks, 1,271 (down 30); Shepway, 2,715 (down 53); Swale, 3,391 (down 146); Thanet, 4,797 (down 69); Tonbridge and Malling, 1,576 (down 28); Tunbridge Wells, 1,093 (down 33).
Wednesday, July 18 2012
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St. John's store catering to contractors opens - CBC
Kent Building Supplies has opened up a St. John's location which caters mainly to contractors working in the booming home construction market on the northeast Avalon Peninsula.
Anyone can shop in the building supply warehouse, but you won't find patio furniture or flower pots.
This store has been stocked with the weapons of mass construction - tools, lumber and paint.
"It's built for speed," said Kelly Caines, Kent's marketing manager for Newfoundland and Labrador. "We have wider aisles. We have more carts. More exits. More entrances."
The only barbecue that was visible in the store on opening day was the one being used to feed its customers, mostly professional builders such as Donnie Critch, a contractor with PowerVac Balfour.
"The more we can have faster progress with our company the better it is for us," said Critch. "Like we have guys in lineup all day long waiting for materials and that, it makes life hard for us."
Housing market cooling slightly
But the northeast Avalon housing market has already been showing signs of a slow down, with housing inventory double what it was two or three years ago.
Anne Squires of Exit Realty. (CBC )Anne Squires of Exit Realty said entry level and two-apartment homes are still hot commodities, but it's becoming a buyers' market for mid-range and high-end homes.
Still, Squires said she's confident those houses will be snapped up.
"When you look at all the mega-projects that we have ongoing in the city or on the Avalon area right now. You look at what that's doing for the economy of the province, it's all positive," said Squires.
Kent's contractors' warehouse is the fourth new retail location the company has opened in Newfoundland and Labrador this year.
Source: www.cbc.ca
LIVE: Olympic torch in Kent on Day 61 of relay to London 2012 - thisiskent.co.uk
WELCOME to our live coverage of Day 61 of the Olympic torch relay which sees the flame visit Ashford, Hythe and Folkestone before arriving at Dover for a spectacular evening of celebrations.
Don't forget to send your pictures of the torch relay to rhys.griffiths@northcliffedigital.co.uk or upload them straight to www.thisiskent.co.uk. You can also tweet them to @rhysdgriffiths.
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Passing the flame in Dover (Pic: Richard Marks)
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The torch being carried through Folkestone town centre (Pic: Johnny Cotter)
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Luke Quilter, 29, from Hythe, carries the torch through the town
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Luke Quilter passes the flame to Olivia Hextable
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Olivia Willard, 13, from Hextable, carries the torch in Hythe
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The torch in Elwick Road, Ashford, earlier today (Pic: Barry Sharp)
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The torch in Sandgate (Pic: Craig Thorn)
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The torch in Seabrook (Pic: Carl Plummer)
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The torch makes its way up Tontine Street in Folkestone
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People turned out to welcome the flame in Tonbridge yesterday (Pic: Sharon Marris)
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Crowds flocked to Tunbridge Wells to see the torch relay yesterday (Pic: Rachel Knight/Maxim)
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The torch convoy passing through Tunbridge Wells on Tuesday (Pic: Robert Streeter)
8.40am Well after about 12 hours it's about time to call it a day and wrap up our coverage of Day 61 of the Olympic torch relay.
Last thing is to remind you to check out our street-by-street route guide and interactive map if you're planning to watch the torch tomorrow.
Of course if you can't make it then just stick with us as we bring you live coverage of the torch's third day in Kent.
7.39pm We've been sent some wonderful pictures by people who watched the torch pass through their town today. Thanks to Barry Sharp who sent us this great set of photos he took of the torch relay in Elwick Road in Ashford.
Keep your pictures and video coming, all the contact details are above.
7.18am Here are a few more clips of the torch during the relay across south Kent earlier today:
7.08pm The torch travels from Deal to Maidstone via Thanet and Canterbury tomorrow. Want to know where you can see it? Then check out our street-by-street route guide and interactive map.
6.11pm With the torch now in Dover, here are some more of your pictures being shared on Twitter:
5.55pm Dame Kelly Holmes has stepped ashore at Dover with the torch.
5.51pm Adam Westgarth, who surely has earned the title of Dover Express showbiz reporter, has just spoken to Rizzle Kicks who will be headlining the celebrations in Dover this evening.
Jordan said: "We're honoured to be in Dover as a support act for the Olympic torch.
"The torch is one of the oldest ancient sporting rituals and it's fantastic it's come to Dover. We are really excited to be here and want to put on a wicked show for the crowd."
5.48pm All of which means the torch is very nearly in Dover ready for relay which will take it through the town and up to the iconic castle on the White Cliffs.
5.47pm Dover and Deal MP Charlie Elphicke tweets a picture of the torch being passed from tall ship to lifeboat at Dover, and says: "The seasick are looking relieved."
5.21pm The excitement is well and truly building in Dover ahead of the torch's arrival and the celebrations on the seafront this evening. Here are just a few of the pictures being shared on Twitter already this afternoon:
4.47pm Dover Express reporter Adam Westgarth has just spoken to Pulse, from Twist and Pulse who are performing at the Dover Olympic celebrations this evening.
Pulse said: "Dover is in for a great show tonight. We've changed each show at each torch event and we hope the crowd like what we've got planned.
"It's great to be part of the relay as its a once in a lifetime event."
4.23pm Hearing that the torch has now reached Samphire Hoe, around 20 minutes behind the official schedule.
4.22pm As promised, some of the stories from the torch relay Day 61 so far:
Huge cheers greet Olympic torch relay as it passes through Hythe
Hundreds line streets of Sandgate to see Olympic torch relay
VIDEO: Crowds flock to Folkestone to witness Olympic torch relay
4.03pm Right, time to take stock. The torch should be in Samphire Hoe at any moment, before leaving the coastal beauty spot for Dover and a stretch of the relay ahead of this evening's seafront celebrations.
Our reporters who have been out and about following the torch all day have been filing their stories, lots of pictures and quotes from spectators who lined the route. We will share some links to their stories shortly.
People have also been emailing and tweeting lots of pictures from the day's relay. We will try our best to share as many as possible. You can send us your pictures of the torch relay to rhys.griffiths@northcliffedigital.co.uk or upload them straight to www.thisiskent.co.uk. You can also tweet them to @rhysdgriffiths.
3.17pm Here's some video of the torch passing along Tontine Street in Folkestone earlier. Thanks to Peter Bettley and the Creative Foundation for letting me hang out of a window at the Quarterhouse:
2.39pm The torch is now on its way to Samphire Hoe, its last stop before it reaches Dover, where it will stay overnight.
2.35pm In the meantime, here are some clips of the relay in Ashford earlier that spectators have uploaded to YouTube:
2.26pm Cheering crowds have just seen the torch carried along Tontine Street as it makes its way out of Folkestone town centre on its journey to Dover. Pictures and video to follow shortly.
Here are some pictures of the torch in Folkestone that have been shared on Twitter by spectators this afternoon:
2.06pm The torch has now arrived in Folkestone.
1.46pm Torch now in Sandgate:
1.09pm Here are some of the latest pictures of the torch as it makes its way through the streets of Hythe:
1.07pm The torch has now arrived in Hythe.
12.36pm Hearing the torch has now left Ashford on its way to Hythe.
12.32pm The torch is due to arrive in Hythe at 1.06pm. Here are some pictures from the town, including a great group shot of the torchbearers:
12.11pm This was the scene in Folkestone this morning where the route for the torch relay has been marked out down Sandgate Road:
12.02pm While the torch takes a break for lunch, here is some of the social media reaction to the torch relay in Ashford this morning:
11.36am Next stop for the torch will be Hythe. If you're out on the route do tweet your pictures of the action to @rhysdgriffiths.
11.22am Want to know where to see the torch later today in Hythe, Sandgate, Folkestone and Dover? Then check out our full street-by-street route guide and map.
11.13am The torch has now reached Ashford High Street.
10.59am Torch has now arrived in Ashford. Here are some pictures of the scenes in the town being shared on Twitter:
10.53am MP Damian Green tells Herald chief reporter Eleanor Jones that he's never seen Ashford high street so busy.
10.52am Torch is now en route to Ashford and is due to arrive shortly.
10.43am Here's the torch in Hamstreet:
10.33am The torch has now arrived in Hamstreet.
10.31am Here are some pictures of Ashford preparing to welcome the torch relay:
10.29am Read more about Nirav, who is from Ramsgate, on the London 2012 website.
10.27am In about five minutes the flame should be in Hamstreet, where torchbearer Nirav Patel will begin the Day 61 relay in Kent.
10.16am The torch is due to arrive in Hamstreet in around 15 minutes. Do send your pictures of the torch relay in your community to rhys.griffiths@northcliffedigital.co.uk or upload them straight to www.thisiskent.co.uk.
9.39am We have got reporters out and about all day covering the torch as it passes through south Kent:
Antony Thrower, @AntonyThrower86 on Twitter, will be in Hythe from around midday.
Mike Sims, @mikesims88 on Twitter, will be in Sandgate from around 1pm.
Adam Westgarth, @AdamWestgarth84 on Twitter, Kathy Bailes, @kjbailes on Twitter, and Phil Hayes, @phil_hayes_ on Twitter, will be in Dover from 5pm.
9.22am We have posted a Newsflare assignment for the Olympic torch relay. Submit your video of the relay in Kent and you could turn your clips into cash.
8.45am Good morning, and welcome to the first day of serious torch relaying in Kent.
We got a flavour of the fun yesterday when the flame passed through Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge, but today we will see the torch arrive in Kent at around 10.30am and begin three days in the county.
Here's what the day looked like in west Kent yesterday:
LIVE: Olympic torch in Kent on Day 60 of relay to London 2012
Thousands line streets to welcome Olympic torch to Tunbridge Wells
Golden girl Dame Kelly Holmes brings Olympic torch to Tonbridge
Source: www.thisiskent.co.uk
Groups seek to block Arizona immigration law - The Guardian
JACQUES BILLEAUD
Associated Press= PHOENIX (AP) — Opponents of Arizona's hardline immigration enforcement law launched a new effort Tuesday aimed at thwarting a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that will allow police to enforce the so-called "show me your papers" provision.
A coalition of civil rights groups, religious leaders and business organizations filed a new request seeking a court order that would prevent authorities from enforcing a rule that requires police to check the immigration status of people they stop for other reasons.
The groups are asking U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton to block enforcement of the requirement before it takes effect, arguing that Latinos in Arizona would face systematic racial profiling and unreasonably long detentions under the contentious section of the 2010 law.
In their 65-page filing, the coalition claims Arizona's immigration law "is pre-empted by federal law and violates the Fourth Amendment" and could "undermine trust between the police and community members, for whom a routine encounter with law enforcement will become a lengthy detention."
They also say that immigration patrols in recent years by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio — the Arizona lawman known for his rigid stance against illegal immigration — demonstrate that the law's requirement will disproportionately affect Latinos. Though the requirement hasn't taken effect, Arpaio said his officers have inquired about people's immigration status in the past.
The National Immigration Law Center is one of the groups pushing the challenge in court along with the American Civil Liberties Union, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Asian American Justice Center, National Day Labor Organizing Network and others.
Matthew Benson, a spokesman for Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, said "this latest legal challenge is unsurprising as opponents of SB 1070 have indicated they'll go to any length in order to block Arizona's implementation of this law.
"The Supreme Court has already spoken unanimously on the constitutionality of this provision. Gov. Brewer is hopeful Arizona law enforcement will soon at long last be empowered to enforce SB 1070, showing that it can be done fairly, lawfully and in harmony with civil rights and the Constitution," Benson added in a statement.
The new lawsuit comes the same day that Arpaio criticized comedian George Lopez's recent profanity-laced tirade against the sheriff. It also comes as Arpaio touted the findings of a volunteer posse, which the sheriff claimed has found "definite proof that President Barack Obama's long-form birth certificate was a computer-generated forgery.
The Arizona Democratic Party said in a statement that Arpaio's investigation is intended to draw attention away from problems within his own agency. A call to Arpaio's office for comment wasn't immediately returned Tuesday evening.
Meanwhile, a civil trial is set to begin Thursday in a separate lawsuit that accuses Arpaio's office of racially profiling Latinos. The sheriff denies the allegations.
The suit filed by a handful of Latinos will serve as a precursor to the U.S. Justice Department's lawsuit that alleges a broader range of civil rights violations against Arpaio's office.
Although a different challenge to the Arizona law by the Obama administration succeeded in getting three other parts of the law thrown out by the Supreme Court last month, the administration failed to get the "show me your papers" requirement overturned on its argument that federal law trumps state law.
The justices upheld the requirement that officers question people's immigration status, saying that the provision could be subject to additional legal challenges. The coalition is seeking to shelve the requirement on other grounds.
Arizona's law was passed in 2010 amid voter frustration with the state's role as the busiest illegal entry point into the country. Five states — Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, South Carolina and Utah — have adopted variations on Arizona's law.
Legal experts say the groups face an uphill battle in trying to persuade Bolton to bar enforcement of the requirement because the lower courts might want to wait until the requirement — which won't take effect until at least Friday — is enforced to consider actual injuries from the law, rather than confront the potential for harm.
Even if opponents don't succeed in getting the requirement put on hold, some backers of the law are questioning the level of cooperation they will get from federal immigration authorities, who will be called to verify people's immigration status and be responsible for picking up illegal immigrants from local officers.
Federal immigration officers have said they will help, but only if doing so conforms to their priorities, including catching repeat violators and identifying and removing those who threaten public safety and national security.
If federal agents decline to pick up illegal immigrants, local officers in some cases will likely have to let them go unless they're suspected of committing a crime that would require them to be brought to jail.
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Kent's camps teach sports skills and life lessons - KVAL
EUGENE, Ore.-- Former Duck Jordan Kent played football, basketball and ran track at the University of Oregon. Now he is passing his knowledge on to the next generation.
"I feel like having a whole week with the kids, you can really deliver some great messages," said Kent. "Our motto is 'Inspiring kids for a lifetime of success on and off the field."
"We have fun and use a lot of energy," said one camper.
"We learn a lot of stuff too," said another.
There are only two more opportunities to sign up for the camps. The Portland session is July 30-August 3 and the final Eugene session is August 6-10.
For more information, check out www.jordankentcamps.com
This summer he is hosting "Jordan Kent Skill Camps."
"We're doing football, basketball, soccer and we do some yoga at the end," said Kent. "We just try to keep them active and involved for the four hours that they are here."
The camps are a week long and each session is four hours. They teach kids ages 7-13 the importance of athletics.
Kent says that the camp is designed to teach both sports skills and life skills.
Source: www.kval.com
Road safety: narrow focus on casualty statistics is misleading - The Guardian
Oranges, as we all know, are not the only fruit. And casualty statistics are not the only way to measure road safety. But neither ministers nor MPs seem able to challenge conventional wisdom and inject fresh ideas into how to make our roads safer for everybody.
As a one-time lobby journalist, I'm quite used to the waffle and fudge served up by parliamentary select committees. Most MPs lack the forensic skills to question the assumptions that underlie the bland evidence of ministers and other witnesses.
Nowhere is this truer than in the area of road safety. This week's report on the government's road safety framework by the Commons transport committee, which has been several months in preparation, is disappointing even by the low standards of Westminster.
Road safety, as I have discovered as a local cycling activist in west Kent, is a cosy world dominated by the needs and expectations of motorists. The conventional view from behind the steering wheel is rarely questioned, and even cycling campaigners seem often reluctant to break up the consensus.
Faced with complacent presentations by junior ministers Mike Penning and Norman Baker, the committee, chaired by Labour stalwart Louise Ellman, accused the government of using its "localism" agenda to disguise a general failure of leadership, especially on cycling. One cheer for that, one might think.
But the report fails to endorse or even investigate the most significant local road safety initiative of the past five years, the introduction of default 20mph limits for residential streets in cities such as Portsmouth and Oxford. Instead, it wastes much time and space on a theological discussion about road safety targets.
There are other flaws in the report, but the most serious is the unquestioning acceptance of the conventional wisdom that road safety is defined exclusively in terms of casualty and accident statistics. A road is "safe" for cyclists or children if there are no accidents involving cyclists or children.
I live in Kent, where requests for traffic calming, speed enforcement, better pedestrian crossings and lower limits are routinely dismissed on the grounds that "KSI" statistics – the number of killed and seriously injured – are low or non-existent.
Of course reducing the number of crashes and casualties is important. But the narrow focus on "crash remedial measures" and the quantifiable cost of serious accidents is highly misleading. There are many roads where I live where no cyclists dare venture because they are simply too dangerous. So the A25 across Kent is statistically "safe" for cyclists – but only because they all avoid it.
My residential street becomes a rat-run twice a day for commuters; parents cannot allow their children to go to school unaccompanied, elderly people stay at home because they can't cross the road safely, and mothers with pushchairs prefer to put their children in the car rather than walking to the shops. None of these road safety problems even register under the current crash-focused orthodoxy.
The government has identified the high level of child casualties in deprived areas as a priority area for action. But the relative absence of child casualties in more prosperous areas does not mean there isn't a road safety problem; it simply means it is disguised; middle class parents counter the risks of speeding traffic by keeping their children indoors.
Until last year, national KSI figures were falling. That's good – but it does not mean roads are getting safer, especially for vulnerable users. The decline in deaths and injuries is a result of changes in car design, and of big improvements in NHS treatment. Like battlefield casualties in Afghanistan, drivers and passengers now have a much better chance of survival than ever before, despite cars becoming bigger and faster.
Raw statistics never tell the whole story, and exclusive reliance on them can lead to absurd outcomes. The easiest way to reduce cycle casualties to zero would be to ban the use of bikes altogether. This is the catch-22 logic of road safety, which very few experts seem to question.
The question I would have liked to hear MPs put to ministers is about whether public perceptions of risk on the roads are rising or falling, especially for non-motorised users.
But the Department for Transport doesn't measure perceptions, only crash statistics. It should copy the Home Office, which annually supplements its crime statistics by publishing the British Crime Survey, that measures perceptions. Then we might come closer to a more holistic view of whether our roads are really getting safer or more dangerous.
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
French government to pass law making it ILLEGAL to arrest UK-bound illegal immigrants in Calais - Daily Mail
- Proposed legislation comes after France's highest court ruled illegal immigrants cannot be held in custody for having no identity papers
- New rules due to become law in the autumn
- Fears that fresh tide of migrants will sneak into Britain on lorries and ferries
By Ian Sparks
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France's new socialist government is to pass a law making it illegal to arrest Britain-bound migrants flooding into Calais.
The proposed legislation comes after the country's highest court ruled illegal immigrants cannot be held in custody for having no identity papers.
It is feared the new rules - due to become law in the autumn - will unleash a fresh tide of migrants on the northern French coast hoping to sneak on lorries and ferries to Britain.
France's new socialist government, led by President Francois Hollande (left), is to pass a law making it illegal to arrest Britain-bound migrants flooding into Calais. On Monday, Socialist MP Stphane Saint-Andr (right) cut a red ribbon to declare a refugee camp dubbed 'mini-Sangatte' open
'Mini-Sangatte': The wooden prefabricated huts currently have around 50 asylum seekers living in them
President Francois Hollande's ruling left-wing party has also allowed the construction of 'refugee chalets' close to Calais which have been dubbed a new 'mini-Sangatte' - the notorious Channel migrant camp closed down ten years ago.
The cluster of pre-fabricated buildings already have 50 migrants living in them, and sources in the Pas de Calais department have said more migrant chalets are set to be built.
The latest ruling by the Court of Cassation earlier this month means their inhabitants are now free to make repeated attempts to sneak across the Channel without fear of arrest.
SANGATTE: A HISTORY
Originally a hangar for storing drilling equipment when the Channel Tunnel was under construction, the Sangatte camp began sheltering refugees in 1999 and was open for three years.
The centre was initially handed over to the Red Cross to offer shelter to people, mainly families, fleeing the Balkans.
That population was supplanted by people fleeing Afghanistan and subsequently Iraqi Kurds.
Eurotunnel claimed it stopped 18,500 refugees trying to smuggle themselves into Britain in the first half of 2002 alone, the vast majority of whom were from the camp.
In 2002 then home secretary David Blunkett and France interior minister Nicolas Sarkozy reached an agreement to shut it down.
Despite the closure of the centre at the end of 2002, the problem remains, with refugees arriving in Sangatte every day.
France's new interior minister Manuel Valls is keen to provide accommodation for the migrants in the area.
After the election of the socialist government this spring work began on the new camp at Norrent-Fontes.
Migrants can only be detained for up to six hours while police attempt to establish their identity.
Even if they are found to be in France illegally, the new law will state they cannot held in secure detention centres but must be allowed to walk free.
The law will affect around 1,000 illegal immigrants massed on the northern French coast, and up to 60,000 across the whole of France.
French interior minister Manuel Valls said: 'The decision handed down by the Court of Cassation forbids from now on placing people in custody on the sole motive that they are here illegally.
'The prime minister has asked me to draw up a legal text as soon as possible to give this ruling a legal foundation.'
The law would come before parliament in the autumn, a spokesman for Mr Valls added.
The announcement has been hailed as a 'victory for human rights' by refugee groups in France.
Agathe Marin, spokeswoman for the Cimade refugees' association, said: 'Until now, the police have been arresting and detaining immigrants on a massive scale.
'After they are detained, most of these people are released anyway. We hope that this ruling will ensure that the police are respectful of immigrants' basic rights and stop treating them like criminals.'
Since the bulldozing of the Sangatte camp in 2002 - which acted as a stepping stone for an estimated 50,000 migrants to reach Britain - numbers of illegal immigrants in Calais have been gradually falling.
The Red Cross-run centre which housed refugees at Sangatte, near the French terminal of the Channel tunnel was closed by Nicolas Sarkozy in 2002
Waiting game: Refugees line up inside the former Red Cross-run housing center at Sangatte in 2000
Former president Nicolas Sarkozy ordered the destruction of a squalid woodland camp known as the Jungle in 2009 and bussed almost 300 refugees out of the area.
A year later, another 100 migrants were removed from a woodland encampment in the Channel coast town of Teteghem.
But it is now feared the socialist's 'gentler' approach to illegal immigration could see thousands more migrants flooding back to Calais.
A right-wing town councillor who asked not to be named said today: 'We spent a decade trying to clear up this problem that has blighted our town.
'Now with several strokes of the pen, the left-wingers in Paris and making it much more attractive for them all to return.'
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk
