Iranian minister under fire after girls dance with Koran
The Iranian vice-president in charge of tourism faced calls for his sacking after girls danced with the Koran during a ceremony staged by his ministry, media...
2008-11-17 03:18:20Ultimate Girls' night out
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2008-11-17 03:10:33WASHINGTON
INT25International/PoliticsBarack Obama has a busy new life indeedWashington, Nov 8 DPA If Barack Obama thought he'd get a break after the US election, reality has proven otherwise: His life as president-elect has been every bit as busy as life on the gruelling campaign trail. From receiving his first intelligence briefing, to picking his staff, speaking with world leaders, finding a plan to lift America out of the economic morass, and trying fulfill a family promise, Obama's had a full plate of challenges. The Illinois senator has begun each day with a rigorous workout at his gym in Chicago, giving himself some down time to mentally and physically prepare for his packed agenda. Hardly seen in public since his victory speech Tuesday, he emerged from one workout session wearing sneakers, dark blue track pants, a T-shirt, baseball cap and sunglasses while carrying two cell phones in one hand. While most Americans were still overjoyed by the historic election of an African American to the White House, the day after the victory Obama looked to quickly assemble a team to tackle a host of pressing problems, including a failing economy and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. "I do not underestimate the enormity of the task that lies ahead," Obama said in his first press conference Friday to address the urgent needs of the economy and inspire the confidence of the people he will be leading after his inauguration in January. The scene was carefully staged. To his right was his vice president, Joe Biden, and on the left was his controversial choice for chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel. The congressman posted to manage the White House is unwilling to work across party lines and undermines Obama's pledge to govern from the centre, the Republicans charge. Behind them stood more than a dozen members of his economic team brought together to help Obama develop an economic recovery plan. But it wasn't the only team he put together since election night. On Wednesday, he hired Bill Clinton's former chief of staff, John Podesta, and two other trusted aides to oversee the transfer of power from the Bush administration. The following day, Obama got his first taste of the immense responsibilities of the job. Intelligence officials sat him down in Chicago to share some of the nation's most vital secrets. The session, called the "president's daily briefing", will be his first order of business every morning in the White House. He also picked up the phone to return congratulatory calls from leaders from all over the world, including the presidents or prime ministers of Australia, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Spain and South Korea. A lot more sent congratulatory letters, but not all got a reply. One of them was Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose nuclear aspirations will be one of the biggest challenges of the next US president. Obama said he'll cautiously review the letter, but refused to say when he might follow through on a campaign pledge to elevate diplomatic talks with Iran. "I want to be very careful that we are sending the right signals to the world as a whole that I am not the president and I won't be until Jan 20," Obama said. Obama also reached out to the only other people who can describe the job from first hand experience, former presidents Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Clinton and the current White House occupant with whom he'll meet in the Oval Office Monday. With all those tasks checked off the list, Obama was struggling to deliver on one of the very first promises as president: To reward his two girls, 10-year-old Malia and seven-year-old Sasha, with a puppy for putting up with his absence during the campaign. The Obamas want to rescue a dog from a shelter, but it's hard to fine one there that won't stir up Malia's allergies, he said. "So whether we're going to be able to balance those two things I think is a pressing issue in the Obama household," he added.--DPAsh/jg720 Words08110954
2008-11-08 03:00:00Teenage girl bird flu suspect dies in Indonesia
JAKARTA, Nov. 7 Xinhua -- A teenage girl suspected of ...
2008-11-08 02:32:30Boy, 14, in court over British girl's murder
A 14-year-old boy appeared in court in New Zealand yesterday charged with murdering and sexually assaulting a British teenager, who had emigrated from Essex with her family...
2008-11-08 02:21:40Sold for sex: tale of 16-year-old girl trafficked into Britain
After a week they took me and the girl who came with me to a coffee shop. There were three Albanians there. We knew they were talking...
2008-11-08 02:26:40How safety first culture takes risk out of adventure sports
The idea is to test the body and mind against the harshest of conditions, to give everything in the attempt to cross the finishing line but also to have the guts to call it a day when the going gets too tough. However, at a time when adventure sports are booming, enthusiasts say they face an even tougher test of their resolve - over-regulation, bureaucracy and public suspicion. It emerged this week that the venerable 280-mile North Sea yacht race from Scotland to Norway had been cancelled because not enough crews could afford the safety certificates. Fell-running clubs, which have never been busier, are taking a long look at how they organise their events after the outcry over the Lake District Original Mountain Marathon that went ahead in awful weather a fortnight ago. The North Sea race between Macduff in north-east Scotland and Stavanger in Norway was introduced 25 years ago to give experienced coastal and fjord sailors a chance to race in difficult ocean conditions. The organiser, Tony Brown, said safety was paramount but crews were now balking at paying up to £200 for an international offshore safety certificate. Only 10 crews entered this summer. Brown said: "Twenty years ago all you needed was insurance and away you went." This weekend hundreds of fell runners will line up in Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire and north Wales to compete in races rejoicing in names such as the Shepherds' Skyline, in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, and the Leg It Around Lathkill in the Peak District. The Fell Runners Association boasts 6,000 members and the number is rising, but its secretary, Alan Brentnall, said there was concern that after the ill-fated Original Mountain Marathon health and safety officials would be taking a closer look at the sport and that landowners might hesitate to give permission for races. "That would be worrying," he said.Richard Asquith, a fell runner and author of the admired book on the sport Feet in the Clouds, said organisers were under pressure to tone down their events to fit the "risk assessment culture". He added: "The whole onus of society is on safety first. Who would be an organiser"Martin Stone, who runs a marathon called the LAMM in the Scottish Highlands, said: "It's so important for people who are so regimented in everyday life to have a way of escaping. We've got to fight the regulation and the dumbing down." The premise of events such as the Lakeland race is that competitors, not the organisers, assess the conditions and decide if they should go ahead. David Munn, 39, who has taken part in 19 Original Mountain Marathons, said competitors did not expect someone else to take responsibility for their actions. "This is a hugely refreshing view in a world where everything always seems to have to be someone else's fault," he said. The charge levelled at the competitors that they are a burden on the emergency services, including the voluntary mountain rescue service, are roundly rejected. Mike Park, who took part in the race and is also team leader of Cockermouth Mountain Rescue, said that mountain marathon runners were almost always better prepared than normal hikers. Mike Parsons, the organiser of the Lakeside marathon, pointed out that out of the 1,427 people who entered only 14 were injured, none seriously.But some events have already changed. Youngsters who compete in the army-organised Ten Tors expedition on Dartmoor in Devon every summer can carry mobile phones for an emergency after the death of a 14-year-old girl while training for the challenge. The event spokesman David Harris said: "Ten Tors is all about risk, but acceptable risk." Other sports are feeling the pressure. Sand yacht enthusiasts have found it harder to stage events since a woman was killed after being hit by a sand yacht while walking on a beach in Lancashire. Families who went canoeing on the River Wye in south Wales this summer found hire companies on tenterhooks about health and safety after the death of a nine-year-old girl. Caving bodies, gliding clubs, even rollerskating groups have reported that they have struggled to cope with increased insurance premiums. Ian Anderson, chairman of the International Coasteering Association - whose bag is climbing, scrambling and leaping around sea cliffs - said some landowners saw enthusiasts as irresponsible risk-takers. "Is it going to get to the point where we have to wear a helmet to walk to the shops" he asked. Julian Brazier MP, the co-chair of the all-party parliamentary group on adventure and recreation in society, called for Britain to follow the example of the US and Australia and make it harder for organisers of sport and leisure pursuits to be sued. He said: "Society needs to accept that accidents happen without it always being someone's fault."Case studyAnne Jago, retired teacher, 64, veteran of 30 mountain marathonsIt's not just a physical challenge, it's a mental challenge as well. It can be very hard. You go up and up. Your lungs are bursting, your calves are burning but you don't give up. When I finish the event I'm glowing with pride because you've tested your self-sufficiency in the wild - and I am very proud of beating men who are a lot younger than me. It's really all about self-reliance. You are away from civilisation and you are self-sufficient in the wilderness. You've got everything you need in your rucksack. I had an accident one year. I fell forward on slippery rock. I was slightly concussed, there was blood everywhere. What was amazing was that immediately there were people all around. I was wrapped in a space blanket. I was given Ibuprofen and jelly babies. I didn't want to retire so I carried on. It's so important. There's so many people who would rather I just drove to the shopping centre and home. But it's such a healthy pastime. You have to keep your weight down and do all the things the government wants you to do. I feel much more in danger when I'm driving down the motorway. If one car goes everyone goes.I'm determined to go on and on as long as I can. At the end of an event I always think I can do another one.guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2008 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
2008-11-08 02:26:40Boy of 14 charged with murdering British girl in New Zealand
Police in New Zealand have charged a 14yearold boy with the murder of British schoolgirl Liberty Templeman.
2008-11-08 02:13:26Former NY Governor Eliot Spitzer will not be prosecuted over 'call girl scandal'
Eliot Spitzer the former governor of New York will not be prosecuted over the call girl scandal which forced his resignation.
2008-11-08 02:13:26Three children slaughter kangaroo and sea gulls at Russian zoo
Three children – two boys and one girl – arranged a brutal massacre at a zoo...
2008-10-26 21:45:36
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