Feminist Campaign Calls for Ban on Cosmetic Surgery Advertising

By Lizzy Davies

England -Feminist campaigners are calling on the government to ban advertisements for cosmetic surgery, claiming they "ruthlessly prey" on women's body insecurities and "recklessly trivialise" the health risks of invasive procedures.

In a letter published here, women's rights activists join several leading plastic surgeons in warning that the unrestricted advertising of cosmetic surgery by private clinics is having a negative effect on public health.

"At present people have no choice but to be exposed to the aggressive marketing tactics of some cosmetic clinics, whether they be in public spaces, in magazines, on the internet or on TV. So these adverts affect everyone, not just individuals already considering surgery," write the signatories, among them Kat Banyard, director of campaign group UK Feminista; feminist writer Natasha Walter; and Anna van Heeswijk, of the Object group. They say: "Just as rules prevent prescription medicines being advertised in the interests of public health, we urge the government to prohibit the advertising of cosmetic surgery."

Fazel Fatah and Rajiv Grover, president and president-elect of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS), whose members perform both NHS reconstruction and cosmetic surgery at top private hospitals, are also included in the list of signatories. In January the organisation called for a ban on adverts for surgery such as tummy tucks and breast enlargement as part of a wholesale review of the industry, which, it warned, had become an under-regulated "wild west". Just as prescription medicines are not allowed to be advertised, it said, surgery should not be publicised either.

Some feminist activists are particularly critical of the role played in the industry by leading women's magazines, who seek to promote "body confidence" while carrying advertisements for procedures from private cosmetic surgery clinics. A survey of four magazines carried out by UK Feminista between January and June last year and released found that Cosmopolitan featured the greatest number of such adverts (32). Marie Claire featured 16, Elle 12, and Vogue 10.

Banyard, whose organisation has launched a campaign against the advertising, said: "Cosmetic surgery adverts are a public health hazard. Their sole purpose is to persuade people to undergo medically unnecessary invasive procedures in order to boost profits. By portraying surgery as quick and easy they recklessly trivialise risks that include post-operative infection, blood clots and, in rare cases, death.

"Cosmetic surgery adverts also ruthlessly prey on women's widespread dissatisfaction, making false promises of confidence and self-esteem. The reality is that people who have undergone cosmetic surgery are more likely to have lower self-esteem than those who haven't, and women who have undergone breast implants are three times more likely to kill themselves than the general population."

FBI: Irish Nisstep Led to Conference Call Leak

By Raphael Satter

London - An Irish police officer's email blunder led to the spectacular leak of a sensitive conference call between the FBI and Scotland Yard, U.S. law enforcement said Tuesday.

An indictment unsealed in a New York court alleges that a teenager linked to the Lulz Security group of hackers was able to eavesdrop on the call after an unnamed officer with Ireland's national police force forwarded a work message to his insecure personal email account.

The email, which apparently originated from the FBI's Timothy Lauster, invited dozens of law enforcement officers from across Europe and the United States to coordinate their efforts against LulzSec and its amorphous umbrella group, Anonymous.

The FBI's indictment said that 19-year-old Donncha O'Cearrbhail intercepted the email and used the information in it to access and secretly record the Jan. 17 call, which hackers subsequently broadcast across the Internet.

The indictment said O'Cearrbhail was charged with one count of computer hacking conspiracy, and one count of intentionally disclosing an unlawfully intercepted wire communication.

O'Cearrbhail was one of five people charged in a multinational operation targeting hackers linked to Lulz Security. His indictment was unsealed on Tuesday as authorities revealed the group's ringleader had secretly become an FBI informant and turned against his comrades.

A spokesman for the Irish police, known as the Garda Siochana, refused to comment either on the details of the O'Cearrbhail charge or on the nature of the email blunder.

There appear to be only two Garda-linked names in Lauster's email: Paul Gillen and Colm Gallagher.

Neither officer returned messages seeking comment.

Tabloid Editor Got Free Horse from UK Police Force

By Jill Lawless and Meera Selva

London - British police gave former News of the World tabloid editor Rebekah Brooks a retired police steed to look after, the force confirmed Tuesday — but they insisted it was not a gift horse.

The Metropolitan Police said the horse was loaned to Brooks — former chief executive of Rupert Murdoch's British newspapers — in 2008 under a program that allows people to care for retired service animals and ride them.

Brooks' spokesman, David Wilson, confirmed that Brooks had been a "foster carer" for the animal and paid for the upkeep of the horse while it was stabled at her rural home.

"This is just a charitable thing Rebekah did," he said.

Brooks is married to horse trainer Charlie Brooks and has a country home near Chipping Norton, northwest of London, a posh rural enclave whose residents include Prime Minister David Cameron. Wilson said the couple "share a passion for horses."

The force said when the horse — which was not identified by name — got too old it was rehoused with a police officer in 2010. It has since died of natural causes, police said.

Britain's media ethics inquiry is currently looking into claims of crooked relations between the press and police.

Brooks is one of several current and former Murdoch executives who have been arrested and questioned over wrongdoing by the News of the World, whose journalists routinely intercepted the voicemails of people in the public eye in a quest for scoops.

Murdoch closed the paper in July amid public revulsion over the revelations.

On Tuesday the inquiry published a written statement from Canadian singer Bryan Adams, who said he was shocked when The Sun, another Murdoch tabloid, ran a story about him being stalked at his London home in 2008.

Adams, 52, said he had reported to police that a man and his mother were harassing him by waiting outside his home and ringing his doorbell incessantly. He said he had not discussed the incident with others and believed that police had leaked the information to the newspaper.

"I had not consented to this information being made public and I was very annoyed that what I saw as a private issue was being reported without my knowledge or consent," he wrote. "Although I have no proof, and therefore it is of course speculation, I do not believe that there could be any other explanation than the fact that the source must have been someone related to my call to the police."

Also Tuesday, former police detective Jacqui Hames told the inquiry that she believed the News of the World had placed her and her police officer husband under surveillance to intimidate them over a murder inquiry her husband was working on.

Hames' husband David Cook had led an investigation into the 1987 death of private investigator Daniel Morgan, an unsolved murder that has been blighted by police corruption. The most recent attempt to prosecute the case collapsed in March 2011, and the Guardian newspaper later reported alleged corrupt links between the suspects involved and the News of the World.

Hames said she had asked Brooks in 2003 why they had spied on her and her husband and said she did not receive a satisfactory answer.

"I believe that the real reason for the News of the World placing us under surveillance was that suspects in the Daniel Morgan murder inquiry were using their association with a powerful and well-resourced newspaper to try to intimidate us and so attempt to subvert the investigation," Hames testified to the inquiry.

IRA Admits Role in Death of Nine-Year-Old Boy in 1973

Dublin, Ireland - After stating the death of a nine-year-old boy was the deed of the British army for decades, the infamous Irish Republican Army, or IRA, officially apologized for the death of Gordon Gallagher.

Gordon was a nine-year-old who accidentally stepped on a bomb in his parents' yard, leading to his death.

His father, Billy, said of the apology "I am glad they take full responsibility and accept that they were to blame and no one else," a reference to when two unknown IRA members approached him and said they planted the bomb but without a detonator. Instead they insisted British soldiers added it on in an attempt to make the IRA look bad. Billy says he "Never believed that for a second."


The admission and apology comes after Gordon's parents asked Martin McGuinness, a former IRA commander in Londonderry, to tell them who planted the bomb and why.  McGuiness didn't fulfill the request short of admitting it was the act of the IRA. He himself was in jail at the time.

Odd Stories: England's Biggest Baby Born

Swindon, England - A baby weighing almost 13 lbs. is probably the heaviest born in the country.

Gemma Tevendale says her daughter Suzie Valentia was born naturally not just heavy, but with two teeth as well.

Gemma and her husband James Gzowski were born with a normal birth weight but the secret may lie in Gemma's diet. Her other two children were born at almost 11 lbs. The theory is that her eating a lot of fish, which she admitted to doing, contributed to her heavier than normal children.

Experts say the heaviest ever born previous to this was 12 lbs 9 oz., which is about three ounces less than Suzie.

The heaviest ever recorded was slightly less than 23 lbs and was born in Italy in 1955.

Jordani Cleric Released From English Jail

London – A cleric deemed Osama bin Laden's “right-hand man in Europe” is finally free, but on certain conditions. He must be home 22 hours a day, wear an electronic tag, isn't allowed to use the internet or cell phones, and any guests he has must first be vetted by British authorities. He is also not allowed to go to mosques or lead prayer sessions.

England says the measures are necessary because Abu Qatada (aka Omar Othman), who is said to have made three videotapes made by three of the 9/11 terrorists, is still a national security risk.

Qatada was released from Long Lartin prison in England Monday night after he was arrested in 2002. Because he was never charged of any crimes, the European Court of Human Rights ruled his detention was unlawful. However it was also decided he shouldn't return to his native country of Jordan because he wouldn't receive a fair trial due to evidence extracted from others through the use of torture.

Under fire from members of his Conservative Party, David Cameron told reporters "We are committed to removing him from the country. We want to see him deported and we are looking at all the options for doing that."

Human rights groups say he should stand trial in Britain, which is highly unlikely due to fears some of the evidence against him was obtained using using torture.

Smoking Possibly Linked to Dementia:Study

England - There yet another reason for you to quit smoking. If you're a man, it could actually ruin your cognitive abilities as you age.

Scientists in England have found men who don't stop smoking may see signs of early dementia even at the age of 45.

“...This study shows it [smoking] has a detrimental effect on cognitive aging and it's as evident as early as 45 years old,” said University College of London's Severine Sabia in the Archives of General Psychiatry journal.

She cites a the possibility the link may be because men smoke more tobacco than women or the link may not have been found in women yet because there's a significantly lower amount of women than men taking part in the study. The average age of those taking part was 56 when they had their first cognitive assessment.

Sabia also discovered men who quit smoking in the 10 years before the first cognitive testing point are still at risk of greater cognitive decline, especially in executive function -- which covers various complex cognitive processes involved in achieving a particular goal. However long-term ex-smokers did not show a faster decline in their brain functions or cognitive abilities.

Sabia said more research is now needed to find out why there was a difference between men and women in this study, and to look into possible mechanisms that might link declining brain function to smoking.

Odd Stories: Coin With Sex Imagery Discovered

London – An amateur archaeologist with a metal detector has discovered a coin with the image of a man and woman having sex. On the opposite side is XIIII – note we currently use the Roman numerals XIV for the same number – which historians say may represent the original owner of the coin paid Roman coins, or one day's pay in the first century, to get it.

At the moment experts say it's the first of its kind found in England. The bronze coin was preserved by mud for approximately 2,000 years until it was found.

The amateur archaeologist is pastry chef Regis Cusan, who found it in West London. “The day I made the find it was a very low, early tide and raining heavily. At first I thought it was a Roman coin, because of the thickness and diameter,” he said. “When I rubbed the sand off the artefact the first thing I saw was the number on one side and what I thought was a goddess on the other. Little did I know at the time it was actually a rare Roman brothel token. To find something like that is a truly exciting find.”

The coin, which brings the harsh realities and history of the sex trade industry to light once more, has been donated to the Museum of London. It will be on display for the next three months.

Odd Stories: Tunneling Burglars Steal ATM

Manchester, England - Bad timing has cost some hard working thieves $20,000 following a successful ATM theft at a British Blockbuster last week. The thieves probably believed it was full of money; however, due to the high volume of withdrawals between the holidays and the theft it actually held about 6,000 British pounds (approximately 9,200 USD).

After discovering the ATM missing, employees called the police. It wasn't until investigators arrived that the tunnel was discovered. The tunnel led to a lot 100 feet from the Blockbuster store. It appeared that the 'mole gang' used a railway embankment to get the tunnel started.

Detective Sargent Ian Shore from Longsight Crime Investigation Department said, "These people had obviously spent a long time plotting this crime and I doubt they would have been able to keep their plans secret for all that time, without telling others about their scheme."

Although tunneling appears a bit unusual for a burglary attempt, the Fallowfield district Blockbuster had a previous run-in with human moles in 2007. The tunnel reportedly went under a car park and had been given lights and roof supports. Electrical workers discovered the tunnel and subsequently, it was filled with cement, thwarting any possibility of the burglary occurring.

Det. Sgt Shore stated, "In all my years of service, I've never seen anything as elaborate."

Jamaica Cutting Ties with British Monarchy

From Al-Jazeera

Jamaica's new prime minister has said that it is time for her country to cut ties with the British monarchy and declare itself an independent republic.

Speaking at her inaugural address on Friday, Portia Simpson Miller, said her government would "initiate the process of detachment from the monarchy", establishing a republic with a president as head of state, and breaking off links with the former colonial power.

Jamaica is a constitutional parliamentary democracy and also a Commonwealth realm.
"I love the Queen. She's a beautiful lady and apart from being a beautiful lady a wise lady and a wonderful lady. But I think time come," Simpson Miller said.

Currently under Jamaica's constitution, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state, and the prime minister is formally appointed by the governor-general, who represents the queen.

The announcement comes ahead of celebrations to mark 50 years of the country's independence from the UK.

Economic crisis
Simpson Miller, taking over for her second term as prime minister, won a landslide victory in an election last week that largely pivoted on public discontent with Jamaica's ailing economy and massive debt.

The unemployment rate currently stands at about 13 per cent, up from under 10 per cent in 2007, when the centre-right Jamaica Labour Party, the previous ruling party, won power.

Its public debt stands at $18.6bn of gross domestic product.
"In the short and medium term, we will use all state resources to stimulate employment through the Jamaica Emergency Employment Program," Simpson Miller said after taking the oath of office.

"We will do so in a transparent and non-partisan manner."

Nearly half of all Jamaicans (43 per cent) live under the poverty line of $2.50 per day, according to an International Monetary Fund (IMF) report.

Reaching a new agreement with the IMF on Jamaica's debt is one of the new government's top priorities, Omar Davies, the official in charge of the transition, told reporters on Wednesday.

New talks with the global lender are set to begin on Monday, with Jamaica represented by Peter Phillips, the country's new finance minister. Phillips has held several cabinet posts in previous administrations.

In the December 28 election, Simpson Miller's People's National Party secured 41 seats, two-thirds of the total, in the House of Representatives.

She succeeds Andrew Holness, 39, the youngest-ever prime minister of the country.

Another Arrest as Murdoch Hacking Scandal Investigations Continue

Cheryl Carter

Essex, England – British police report they arrested one of the people who were involved in the United Kingdom's phone hacking scandal which caused a media uproar.

Identified as Cheryl Carter by the BBC, she's described as a “long-serving former assistant to ex-News of the World editor Rebekah Brooks and other executives at Rupert Murdoch's News International. “

So far 23 people have been arrested because of the investigations into phone and computer hacking as well as police bribery.

In more interesting news, the now-defunct newspaper's competitor, The Daily News, hired Colin Myler.  Myler was the executive editor of News of the World when it was shut down in the middle of 2011.

He will start working at the Daily News on January 10th.  In the past he has also worked at the New York Post and the Sunday Mirror in the UK.

 

US special forces in Central Africa on the hunt for Joseph Kony

Joseph Kony

Central African Republic- After decades of tyranny on the people of Uganda and other central African countries, Joseph Kony (pictured above) has become a target by 100 special forces sent into Uganda by Obama in October of 2011 to stand trial for acts against humanity. The majority of the troops are stationed in Uganda with others stationed in jungle villages within neighboring countries advising military forces on how to go about tracking the illusive Joseph Kony and rebels of the Lord's Resistance Army.

With the alleged mission of overthrowing the Ugandan government, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) has been, for the most part, a force of evil. Displaying zero remorse or compassion, the LRA has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of civilians (from babies to elders) with more than 2,000,000 displaced to refugee camps since Kony became it's leader in the early 1980's. The rebel force consists of some supposed hundreds of fighters whose core consists of malicious ranks known for mutilating the innocent, kidnapping young girls and boys for soldiers/sex slaves, & destroying any building or structure (churches, schools, stores, etc) at the village they just invaded. Amongst the ranks, the LRA have become infamous for having child rebel soldiers, most of which were abducted from their villages and forced to fight for the movement's lost cause, some of which as young as 10. In select areas, the LRA have viciously massacred the inhabitants and blamed either the government or the civilians for their heartless acts. In doing such acts, the LRA hopes to make it appear as if Uganda and other nations of Africa have lacking governments that cannot protect or support their people.

Over time, the LRA's leadership dropped the mission of overthrowing the Ugandan government and focused on reigning terror. Through inhumane acts, the LRA proved to be a nefarious terrorist organization, rather than past members of the Acholi ethnic group.

Frustrations with the government following colonization by the British led to a revolutionary militant force seeking fair treatment (by violent means) to those of S. Uganda. When colonized, the people of S. Uganda were met with peace and a friendly British party, yet the people of N. Uganda, known as the Acholi, were enslaved. Years of civil war ensued in Uganda due to such disunity and further spaced any possibility of a peaceful resolution to the conflicts between the Ugandan government and the LRA.

With supposed ally Sudan providing funds, weaponry, etc. to support the LRA's bloodthirsty campaign, a total of four nations have joined the fight along with U.S. special forces in a complex and very dedicated mission to rid the region of the LRA and capture Joseph Kony and the other leaders so they can face their charges in International Criminal Court Alliance.