Sentenced for assaulting police officer..[ 1875 ]

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Company director sentenced for assaulting police officer in Commons punch-up

Standard co. uk.,14.10.10 

 

 

Assaulted: Pc Christopher Leggett received a 'tirade of verbal abuse'

A company director will be sentenced today after being found guilty of punching a policeman in the face yards from the House of Commons Speaker's seat.

Ian Thomas, 41, was stopped by Pc Christopher Leggett in a corridor as he tried to leave a drinks party hosted by Conservative MP Eric Pickles.
After being told he was not authorised to be in that area, Thomas launched into a "tirade of verbal abuse" against the police officer before hitting him, causing his lip to bleed.

Thomas, of Colchester, Essex, denied assault causing actual bodily harm but a jury at Southwark Crown Court, London, found him guilty by a majority of 11 to one last month.
Thomas, who runs educational publishing company Sugar Media, decided to leave the drinks reception when his partner contacted him to say he was locked out of their flat.

The jury of seven men and five women was told he objected to being informed that he needed to be escorted out of the building under the terms of his visitor pass.
Prosecutor Martin Pinfold said Thomas appeared "intent on compromising the security of the House of Commons" on the eve of last year's G20 conference of world leaders in London.

He was abusive and aggressive before assaulting Pc Leggett at about 9pm on March 30 last year.
Thomas, who said he had drunk two-and-a-half glasses of wine during the hour he stayed at the party, had claimed he acted in self defence after CS gas was sprayed in his face.
He told the court the gas rendered him temporarily blind and that he had not realised he had hit the policeman.
Pc Leggett needed hospital treatment for the cut to his lip. Thomas had bite marks on his finger from where he made contact with the officer's mouth, the three-day trial was told.

Ahead of today's sentencing at Southwark Crown Court, the judge warned Thomas he could be jailed.
Recorder Martin Heslop QC told him: "The court is not holding out any promises by adjourning this case.
"The fact I am allowing you to have bail does not mean I am not considering other matters, which may involve an immediate custodial sentence. I want you to appreciate that."

The judge said he agreed with the jury's verdict: "The evidence, in my view, was absolutely overwhelming."
He asked for a pre-sentence report to be prepared and said he would take Thomas's financial circumstances into consideration when deciding on a suitable sentence.
He added: "I am also considering a substantial compensation order in favour of Pc Leggett."

California's Silicon Valley in Russia ..[ 1874 ]

Russian President, California Governor Look for High-Tech Trade

Photo: AP 

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, front left, and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev attend a round table discussion for U.S. and Russian investors and computer experts in the Skolkovo Moscow school of management in Moscow, 11 Oct 2010

Voice of America // Jessica Golloher | 
Moscow 13 October 2010-AP

California's governor and prospective investors from Silicon Valley are in Russia looking for business opportunities.

"I have to say that I love places where there is an extraordinary potential and I think when I look at Russia I think the potential for growth and for, I mean really blowing this thing up, the economy, is just so extraordinary," said Arnold Schwarzenegger. "I mean there are so many opportunities here in Russia, that you just look at this and say, 'Oh my God.'

With that, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced his intent to get American businesses to invest in Russia's information technology sector.

Schwarzenegger was in the former Soviet Union as a return gesture to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's visit to the Silicon Valley earlier this year. During Mr. Medvedev's visit, he appealed for technical capital and American know-how.

Schwarzenegger led a delegation with representatives from high-tech companies, including the likes of Google, Oracle and Microsoft to Moscow. In discussions with Russia's president, Schwarzenegger talked about the importance of American's setting up shop in the Russian Federation.

"We are very happy to help in this process because as said we are the best in the world when it comes to this, I mean when it comes to biotech, to nanotech, high tech, green tech," he said. "You know there is no one like us, but we are not like holding on to our knowledge. What we want to do, we want to spread it around the world."

But political analyst Masha Lipman, with the Carnegie Center, says it is not easy to get started or stay in business in Russia.

"Risks are indeed high. Russia is not a law-governed place. Russia is a place where decisions are taken in a non-transparent fashion," said Lipman. "Russia is a place where businesses may fall out with the government and the government may take measures. Russia is a country in which government decisions are not contested. This of course creates a climate this is not auspicious, that is unpredictable."

American Chamber of Commerce in Moscow President Andrew Sommers agrees with Lipman and attributes some of the difficulties of operating in Russia to a sort of schizophrenia between the government and its attempts at modernization.

"Russia is trying to develop its own industries so it is not totally dependent on foreign investment, but at the same time exploit foreign investment and high-tech," he said.

President Medvedev has said several times this year that modernization and foreign expertise is important to the Russian economy. Mr. Medvedev promises Russia is committed to joining forces with the United States.

He says, he would like to say once again that Russia is very much interested in America's immense experience, and that Russia is not shy of learning. He says Russia must admit that in many spheres Moscow is behind Washington, and he hopes very much that the co-operation will bear fruit.

part of Mr. Medvedev's modernization plans, a new technology center on the outskirts of Moscow was created earlier this year. The facility, in Skolkovo, has been nicknamed Russia's Silicon Valley.

In addition to creating Skolkovo, Russia has also given $10 billion to innovation investment fund Rusnaro. The fund is run by a group that is financing nearly 100 high-tech products in partnership with the former Soviet Union and foreign firms.

Meanwhile, the U.S. group Cisco, says it will invest $1 billion in Russia during the next decade.

The Gender Wage Gap..[ 1873 ]

The Gender Wage Gap, Around the World

By CATHERINE RAMPELL

In honor of International Women’s Day, which was Monday, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Factblog has been dissecting data on women’s role in the world.

Wages was one item examined. The chart below shows the percentage difference between the typical earnings of a  full-time male worker and his female counterpart:

 

Source: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development

Across industrialized countries, men’s median, full-time earnings were 17.6 percent higher than women’s. 

The biggest gender wage gap was in South Korea and Japan, where men earn wages more than 30 percent higher than women, and was smallest in Belgium, where the gap is 9.3 percent.

In the United States, the typical full-time female worker earns 19 percent less than the typical full-time male worker.

Japan : bomb survivors outraged over US nuclear test..[ 1872 ]

A-bomb survivors outraged at Obama over subcritical nuclear test

(Mainichi Japan) October 13, 2010

Victims of atomic bombings expressed their disappointment at U.S. President Barack Obama after his administration carried out its first subcritical nuclear test last month.

"In a word, we feel betrayed. We strongly object to any kind of nuclear testing by any government for any cause, and it was unacceptable," said Sunao Tsuboi, 85, chairman of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations.

Haruko Moritaki, 71, co-director of the Hiroshima Alliance for Nuclear Weapons Abolition (HANWA), also criticized Obama, saying, "It was a sign that the U.S. government is poised to maintain its nuclear development and capability while advocating a world without nuclear weapons. Such a contradiction is unforgivable. Furthermore, his approach can give countries like India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea an excuse to hold onto their nuclear arsenals."

The scene of the Hirosima  Atomic Bomb

Sumiteru Taniguchi, the 81-year-old chairman of the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Survivors Council, did not hide his anger with Obama, saying, "He was even awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. What was that all about? How will the U.S. government apologize to A-bomb survivors?"

The scene of the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb

Taniguchi visited New York earlier in May and called for the abolition of nuclear weapons during the review conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

Sakue Shimohira, 75, who visited New York along with Taniguchi, is also disappointed.
"Victims of nuclear weapons will continue to suffer until their dying breath. We must tell the grim truth about the bombings to the next generation," she said.

Meanwhile, Taeko Hirano, an organizing committee member for the Nagasaki Global Citizens' Assembly for the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, is keeping her hopes up.
"It is difficult for the president to lead the military and the defense industry immediately, and he is in a tough situation, too. Still, his remarks about seeking a world without nuclear weapons have great significance. Despite this inconsistency, the U.S. government is certainly getting closer to its ideal," Hirano said.

Click here for the original Japanese story

(Mainichi Japan) October 13, 2010

Euro 2012 Football Championship..[ 1871 ]

Crowd trouble sees Italy tie abandoned

October 12, 2010 -- Updated 2214 GMT (0614 HKT)

A fireman collects one of the flares thrown onto the pitch that forced the Italy v Serbia match to be abandoned.

(CNN) -- Serious crowd trouble has led to Tuesday's soccer match between Italy and Serbia in Genoa being abandoned after just six minutes.

Disturbances in the area of the Marassi stadium where visiting Serbian fans were congregated meant the kick-off had to be delayed by more than 30 minutes.

And, when play began, referee Craig Thomson stopped the match after flares were thrown from the same end as the earlier disturbances, with one appearing to strike Italian goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano.

Following consultations between European football's governing body UEFA, Italian and Serbian officials, the players left the pitch, without returning.

Italy coach Cesare Prandelli told reporters: "We're not playing this game. I have never seen anything like this before."

Before kick-off, three Serb fans climbed onto a security screen and initially refused to get down, while police, firefighters and stewards surrounded the visiting fans as flares and objects were hurled at the Italian fans.

The match was a Group C qualifier for the Euro 2012 championships.

In the other Group C matches, Slovenia claimed a vital 1-0 win in Estonia to move up to second place in the table, level with Italy who still lead the way on goal difference.

Meanwhile, Northern Ireland, who held Italy to a 0-0 draw in Belfast on Friday, needed a late Kyle Lafferty goal to scrape a 1-1 draw in the Faroe Islands.

Elsewhere, world and European champions Spain were given a fright by Scotland in Glasgow, eventually securing a thrilling 3-2 Group I victory.

A David Villa penalty and an Andres Iniesta goal looked to have given Spain the three points but Steven Naismith and a Gerard Pique own goal gave the Scots hope.

However, substitute Fernando Llorente headed home the winner for the visitors with 11 minutes remaining.

Spain are three points clear of the Czech Republic, who lie second in the table after a 2-0 win at bottom-of-the-table Liechtenstein.

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Germany continued their 100 per cent record in Group A with a comfortable 3-0 win at Kazakhstan, who are still pointless after their four matches.

After a goalless first half, Joachim Loew's side made their class tell after the break courtesy of goals from Miroslav Klose, Mario Gomez and Lukas Podolski.

Austria are now second in the table on seven points following a remarkable 4-4 draw with Belgium in Brussels.

The visitors led 3-2 with three minutes left but Belgium scored two quick-fire goals before an injury time Martin Harnik goal secured the point for Austria.

Turkey are a further point behind in third after suffering a shock 1-0 defeat in Azerbaijan, who collected their first victory.
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Russia lead the way in Group B after an eight-minute Aleksandr Kerzhakov goal gave them a vital win in Macedonia.

They lie on nine points, two ahead of Ireland, Armenia and Slovakia who are locked in a three-way tie for second place.

Slovakia and Ireland drew 1-1 in Zilina, while Armenia crushed bottom side Andorra 4-0 in Yerevan.
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France head Group D with nine points from their four games after struggling to a 2-0 win over minnows Luxembourg in Metz.

Karim Benzema and Yoann Gourcuff netted for Laurent Blanc's side, who lead unbeaten Belarus -- 2-0 victors over Albania in Minsk --by a point.

World Cup runners-up Netherlands continue to impress in qualifying and they maintained their 100 per cent 
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.Group E record with a stunning 4-1 victory over Sweden in Amsterdam.

Klass-Jan Huntelaar and Ibrahim Afellay both scored twice as the Dutch remained three points clear of second-placed Hungary, who needed a goal four minutes into injury time from Balazs Dzsudzsak to claim a 2-1 success in Finland.

The remaining group game saw Moldova win 2-0 in San Marino, who remain bottom of the group without a point.
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Group F remains the tightest of the nine groups with three nations still unbeaten after four rounds of matches.

Greece lead the way with eight points after a 2-1 home win over Israel, while Georiga remain third on six points after conceding a late equalizer in a 1-1 draw in Latvia.
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In Group G, England failed to score for the first time in their revamped Wembley home after being held to a 0-0 draw by table-toppers Montenegro. Both nations remain unbeaten and look to have the group between them.

The other match saw Switzerland thrash Wales 4-1 in Basel, with the Welsh bottom of the table without a point from their three matches.
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Portugal are up to second place in Group H after a 3-1 victory in Iceland, who remain bottom of the table without a point.

They trail leaders Norway, who did not play, by two points while Denmark are third after defeating Cyprus 2-0.