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Standing against a tide of hatred

published by You on 17 January, 2009 - 18:32

Standing against a tide of hatred

It is not Israel's action, but the vitriolic reaction to it that has been disproportionate. There's only one explanation: antisemitism

Is it good for the Jews?

If you were so inclined, you could ask that question about the Madoff mess, the Gaza offensive, the latest screed from Alan Dershowitz – or about a new recipe for angel-food cake. Which is to say, if you are looking for antisemitism, you can find it anywhere, even in a dessert cookbook. But if even paranoids have enemies, I think it's fair to say that these are tough times for Jews.

Man refuses to drive 'No God' bus

published by You on 16 January, 2009 - 14:53

Man refuses to drive 'No God' bus

A Christian bus driver has refused to drive a bus with an atheist slogan proclaiming "There's probably no God".

Ron Heather, from Southampton, Hampshire, responded with "shock" and "horror" at the message and walked out of his shift on Saturday in protest.

First Bus said it would do everything in its power to ensure Mr Heather does not have to drive the buses.

Buses across Britain started displaying atheist messages in an advertising campaign launched earlier this month.

Mr Heather told BBC Radio Solent: "I was just about to board and there it was staring me in the face, my first reaction was shock horror.

Miliband regrets 'war on terror'

published by You on 15 January, 2009 - 11:32

Miliband regrets 'war on terror'

The idea of a "war on terror" is a "mistake", putting too much emphasis on military force, Foreign Secretary David Miliband has said.

Writing in the Guardian, Mr Miliband said the idea had unified disparate "terrorist groups" against the West.

He said the right response to the threat was to champion law and human rights - not subordinate it.

Mr Miliband repeated the views in a speech in Mumbai, India, the scene of attacks by gunmen last year.

Mr Miliband's warning comes five days before the end of US President George Bush's administration, which has led the so-called "war on terror"...

Read more @ BBC News

Secret inquest plans reintroduced

published by You on 14 January, 2009 - 15:56

Secret inquest plans reintroduced

Ministers are reintroducing measures to hold some inquests in secret on national security grounds.

The new bill covering coroners, murder laws, witness protection and sentencing comes months after the secret inquest plans were dropped in Parliament.

The Ministry of Justice says the secret inquests will prevent sensitive intelligence material leaking.

When the idea was first introduced - in last year's Counter Terrorism Act - it faced widespread opposition.

The Coroners and Justice Bill is one of the largest pieces of legislation produced by the Ministry of Justice, which is responsible for law, the courts and penal system...

Guantanamo agents 'used torture'

published by You on 14 January, 2009 - 13:46

Guantanamo agents 'used torture'

US agents at Guantanamo Bay tortured a Saudi man suspected of involvement in the 11 September attacks, the official overseeing trials at the camp has said.

Susan Crawford told the Washington Post newspaper that Mohammad al-Qahtani had been left in a "life-threatening condition" after being interrogated.

She said Mr Qahtani had been subjected to sustained periods of cold, isolation and sleep deprivation.

Mr Qahtani remains at Guantanamo, but all charges against him were dropped.

He had been facing trial on counts of conspiracy, terrorism, and murder in violation of the laws of war.

'Overly aggressive'

MP brands dyslexia a 'fiction'

published by You on 14 January, 2009 - 13:36

MP brands dyslexia a 'fiction'

A Labour MP has claimed dyslexia is a myth invented by education chiefs to cover up poor teaching methods.

Backbencher Graham Stringer, MP for Blackley, describes the condition as a "cruel fiction" that should be consigned to the "dustbin of history".

He suggests children should instead be taught to read and write by using a system called synthetic phonics.

But Charity Dyslexia Action said the condition was "very real" to the 6m people in the UK affected by it.

Writing in a column for website Manchester Confidential, Mr Stringer said millions of pounds was being wasted on specialist teaching for what he called the "false" condition.

Man City in talks over (around €100m) Kaka deal

published by You on 14 January, 2009 - 13:25

Man City in talks over Kaka deal

Manchester City have opened talks with Italian side AC Milan over the possible transfer of superstar playmaker Kaka.

A City delegation has been in Milan and reportedly made a bid in the region of 100m euros, with a weekly wage of £500,000 on offer for the Brazilian.

A report on the website of Mediaset, a TV company owned by Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi, suggested City want the 26-year-old "at all costs".

The Eastlands club has so far refused to comment officially on the story.

A City spokeswoman told BBC Radio Manchester: "We have been linked with in excess of 70 names that could have been coming in this transfer window...

Lack of sleep 'raises cold risk'

published by You on 14 January, 2009 - 02:36

Lack of sleep 'raises cold risk'

Sleeping for under seven hours a night greatly raises the risk of catching a cold, US research has suggested.

A team from Carnegie Mellon University found the risk was trebled compared with those who slept for eight hours or more a night.

It is thought that a lack of sleep impairs the immune system and the body's ability to fight off the viruses that cause colds and flu.

The study appears in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.

Read More @ BBC News

Buff enough for Bollywood

published by You on 14 January, 2009 - 01:03

Buff enough for Bollywood

With one eye on muscle-bound Bollywood megastars, young Asian men are increasingly hitting the gym in pursuit of the body beautiful.

Deepak Harbias from Hounslow is typical of the trend.

"I come to the gym about five times a week, I don't have any fast food any more. I'm taking protein shakes and protein bars," he says.

"After I left college I was at home for 10 months and put on weight. I knew I had to do something."

Bulking up

One of the UK's biggest suppliers of training supplements, Essex based Bulk Supplements Direct, says it is seeing a massive rise in the number of Asian men taking them up.

Teen killed mother in Halo 3 row

published by You on 13 January, 2009 - 21:35

Teen killed mother in Halo 3 row

A US teenager killed his mother and wounded his father in revenge after they took away his violent computer game, a judge has ruled.

The defence team for Daniel Petric, 17, had argued his addiction to the Halo 3 game, in which players shoot invading aliens, had made him insane.

But the judge rejected this, saying he had planned revenge for weeks.

Petric, of Ohio, was tried as an adult and faces a maximum possible penalty of life in prison without parole.

On the night of the shooting in October 2007, Petric used his father's key to open a lockbox and remove a 9mm handgun and the game, the court heard.

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