Daily Archives: July 26, 2011

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Lochte outswims Phelps to win 200 freestyle gold

American Ryan Lochte received a massive confidence boost ahead of next year’s London Games when he swum down compatriot and Olympic champion Michael Phelps to claim the men’s 200 metres freestyle world championships title on Tuesday.

The 26-year-old Lochte, who has often had to play second fiddle to Phelps and the now retired Aaron Peirsol throughout his career, overpowered a high class field and emerged as a genuine challenger for multiple Olympics titles next year.

“It’s a major confidence boost,” Lochte told reporters after he won gold in one minute, 44.44 seconds. “It’s the most challenging competition (I’ve ever raced).

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Lomu tears a strip off England’s ‘All Black imitators’

England’s decision to wear a controversial black strip during the upcoming World Cup has left New Zealand great Jonah Lomu “dumbfounded” with the former winger questioning the motives of the decision in an interview with Reuters.

The Rugby Football Union (RFU) released a statement on Friday saying the England team would wear the new second strip for the home international against Wales on Aug. 6 and then for their opening World Cup match against Argentina on Sept. 10.

The move has been met with derision in New Zealand, who will host the Sept. 9-Oct. 23 tournament, and the hulking 1.96m former All Black winger has also thrown his considerable weight behind those questioning England’s plans.

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Norway killer tells judge “two more cells” exist

 

ANDERS Behring Breivik told a Norwegian judge yesterday his bombing and shooting rampage that killed 93 people aimed to save Europe from a Muslim takeover, and said that “two more cells” existed in his organisation.

Breivik has previously said he had acted alone and police have said they have no other suspects in Friday’s attacks.

His remarks were relayed by the judge, Kim Heger, in a news conference held after a closed-door custody hearing.

It was not clear whether Breivik is in fact part of an organisation, although he has written about a revival of the Knights Templar, a medieval order of crusading monks.

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Norway massacre exposes incendiary immigration issue

 

NORWEGIAN Anders Behring Breivik said he killed 76 people to spark a “revolution” against the multiculturalism he believed was sapping Europe’s heritage, and experts say a frank debate about immigration may be the best way to prevent similar explosions of violence.

In some Nordic countries, and elsewhere in Europe, political parties have fed on rising public concern over immigration as economic conditions worsen and a drip-feed of Islamist attacks stokes fear and suspicion of new arrivals.

But experts argue overly aggressive political rhetoric and scare tactics have inflamed passions rather than address the many complex, underlying problems.

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Green agenda backlash as energy prices rise

 

THE British government faces a public backlash against its green energy agenda as consumers are unwilling to spend more on power and gas bills to pay for investment in low-carbon forms of energy, a parliamentary committee warned yesterday.

“Our evidence points to the danger of a backlash against the government’s green agenda if it means rising bills for consumers,” the Energy and Climate Change Select Committee said in a report.

It urged the government and the energy industry to better engage with the public to explain underlying factors that create higher energy prices.

Three of Britain’s six major energy suppliers have announced double-digit increases in power and gas tariffs from this summer, raising fears about consumer price inflation.

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Hotel maid in Strauss-Kahn case speaks out

 

THE New York hotel maid who accused former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn of attempting to rape her said in an interview published on Newsweek’s website on Sunday that he appeared as a “crazy man” and attacked her when she entered his room.

Nafissatou Diallo also gave the newsmagazine and ABC News permission to identify her by name.

The magazine interview marks the first time the 32-year-old Guinean immigrant to the United States has publicly spoken to the media since she shocked the world with allegations that Strauss-Kahn emerged naked from the bathroom of his luxury suite on May 14 and forced her to perform oral sex.

Until now, Reuters had kept to the practice in the United States of protecting the identity of alleged rape victims.

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Probe opens into deadly blast

AN inquiry into the causes of a deadly blast earlier this month will be swift and transparent and will not exempt anyone, the investigator said yesterday.

“There was a collapse of the system and we want to know who is responsible,” lawyer Polys Polyviou said. “No one will be exempted from the investigation; absolutely no one.”

He added that every effort would be made to have the findings ready by the end of September.

The one-man committee was appointed by the cabinet to look into potential responsibility by state and other officials leading to the July 11 blast at the Evangelos Florakis naval base that killed 13 soldiers and fire-fighters and incapacitated the island’s biggest power station.

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Our View: Unity on rescue package is sole counter to unions

 

THE PACKAGE of measures aimed at improving public finances has not been officially announced yet, but union representatives wasted no time in expressing their opposition to those that affect their members. Yesterday staff at the Vines Commission, a semi-governmental organisation set to be shut down because, like the Milk Marketing Board it no more served a useful purpose, staged a two-hour work stoppage in protest against the decision. From tomorrow they were to go on indefinite strike if it were not rescinded.

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‘Blame goes much higher than army officer on the ground’

RESPONSIBILITY for the deadly July 11 blast reaches much higher than the officer assigned to place the munitions containers at the naval base, House Defence Committee chairman Giorgos Varnava said yesterday.

“It is not an issue of the officer who put the specific objects there; certainly the responsibility lies much higher than the particular officer,” Varnava said.

The 98 munitions containers seized from a ship travelling from Iran to Syria in 2009 exploded on July 11 killing 13 men and knocking out Cyprus’ main power station.

The containers had been stacked together and exposed to the elements for over two years.

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Draft dodging drops by half

TEMPORARY exemptions from military service for psychological reasons have dropped by 50 per cent as a result of new stricter legislation, according to the chairman of the House Defence Committee.

Speaking yesterday after the committee visited the Larnaca army boot camp, Giorgos Varnava said: “This year at least, temporary exemptions for people faced with psychological problems have dropped by 50 per cent.”

Varnava said this was the result of new legislation approved by parliament to tackle draft dodging that provides for an additional eight months of service for those claiming a disability, injury or psychological illness in a bid to get an exemption or discharge. Normal army service is 24 months.

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