Home

News Editor

Written by the news editors of The Independent this blog brings you the stories behind the headlines, the raw footage of events as they happen and an insider guide to the most interesting news from across the internet. Use the blog to contact the paper directly with your stories and comment on the major issues of the day.

Stem Cells: the first human trial

Posted by Kunal Dutta
  • Friday, 20 November 2009 at 12:48 am
In The Independent today:


STEM CELLS: THE FIRST HUMAN TRIAL
People suffering from a form of incurable blindness could soon become the first patients in the world to benefit from a new and controversial transplant operation using stem cells derived from spare human embryos left over from IVF treatment. By Steve Connor.


ASHCROFT ASKED QUESTIONS IN LORDS ABOUT TROPICAL IDYLLS
Michael Ashcroft has asked a significant number of questions in the House of Lords about British policy in a region of the Caribbean where he has extensive business interests. Half the questions he has put to ministers since late March have concerned Belize or the Turks and Caicos Islands. By Andy McSmith.


WHAT IF HENRY HAD DONE THE DECENT THING?
The French captain's handball that cost Ireland a place in the World Cup finals has sparked an almighty row. But would the rest of us have owned up to the crime? By Cahal Milmo.

Iraqi torture: We did it to avenge our fallen comrades

Posted by Kunal Dutta
  • Tuesday, 17 November 2009 at 12:22 am
In The Independent today:


WE DID IT TO AVENGE OUR FALLEN COMRADES
A former soldier who had kept his silence for six years broke ranks yesterday to accuse his superior officer and former comrades of the brutal beating and torture of Iraqi prisoners which ended in the killing of an Iraqi civilian. By Robert Verkaik, Legal Editor.



YOU CAN BE BEAUTIFUL AND STILL BE A FEMINIST
Girls who spend time making themselves beautiful are not betraying any feminist principles and should be allowed to "have fun" and be taken seriously, the leader of Britain's top private girls' schools said yesterday. By Richard Garner, Education Editor.



AND FINALLY: ANTI DEPRESSANT HAILED AS 'VIAGRA FOR WOMEN'
One of the world’s oldest controversies - over the nature of female sexual desire - is set to be reopened today by the discovery of a drug described as “Viagra for women”. By Jeremy Laurence, Health Editor.
In The Independent today:



THE GENERAL IS RIGHT. LIAM FOX IS WRONG.
The Taliban are able to present themselves as battling for Afghan independence, says Patrick Cockburn



RICKY RETURNS WITH NEW WORKPLACE COMEDY
HIs latest project, Phoneshop, airs tonight. By Ian Burrell, Media Editor



VICTORY FOR 'THE INDEPENDENT' AS SECRET COURT OPENS ITS DOORS
Judge rules that media organisations should be able to attend hearings at the Court of Protection. By Chris Green




Would you give tuppence for Jeremy Clarkson?

Posted by Jimmy Leach
  • Thursday, 12 November 2009 at 12:15 pm
For those looking to monetise content online a small survey just out makes fairly depressing reading.
 
The survey (by Continental Research) suggests that only 5% would pay for a long-term (monthly or annual subscription) to newspapers or magazines, while 63% would not pay at all. Twenty one per cent would pay micropayments, ie by the article, pay-per-read, as it were.
 
So far, so unpromising. Even more so when it comes to what those who would pay per article would hand over. Thirty five per cent would pay tuppence per article, 22% would pay 5p and the chart decline steadily downwards. One small glimmer is that more of the under-34 age group would pay (26% would make micropayments).
 
It’s a small survey (500 people) asking about a hypothetical situation, but it doesn’t offer much sustenance to those hoping to make a direct link between content and payment, and its also likely that people would only pay for ‘favourite content –those big name columnists earning some small justification for their money.  
 
But if you thought that was depressing, have a look at the columnists that people would pay for. In order, most popular first, it would be:
 
Jeremy Clarkson
 
Charlie Brooker
 
Richard Littlejohn
 
Giles Coren
 
Simon Heffer
 
Gordon Smart
 
Lorraine Kelly
 
Peter Hitchins
 
Jane Moore
 
Melanie Phillips
 

Has Cameron done a deal with Murdoch?

Posted by Tom Peck
  • Thursday, 12 November 2009 at 12:22 am
In The Independent today:



HAS CAMERON DONE A DEAL WITH MURDOCH?
Lord Mandelson's attack shines spotlight on Tory leader's links with media mogul . By Andy McSmith



SECRET STRUGGLE WITH DEPRESSION OF GOALKEEPER DRIVEN TO TAKE HIS OWN LIFE
International footballer was worried about losing adopted child, wife reveals. By Tony Paterson in Berlin



THE CRIME EXCHANGE: "WE'RE JUST FIGHTING A FAILED DRUG WAR"
Five days into The Independent's crime exchange with The Baltimore Sun and the series has elicited a remarkable response from readers of both papers. Here we publish a selection – of both good and bad.

The power of the brand

Posted by Jimmy Leach
  • Tuesday, 10 November 2009 at 03:15 pm
A wee lecture about the history of the brand, that's been paid for by a brand trying to reinvent itself (Black Magic), but it's quite interesting nevertheless. Although it does seem to insist that brands are manufactured, that is, that they are based on physical products. In the world this brand (The Independent) is in, its more about the intangible nature of our brand - less about the physical newspaper, and more about its presence in less tangible, digital arena.

Still worth a watch, the man cares.


Oops...how The Telegraph got it wrong

Posted by Oliver Wright
  • Tuesday, 10 November 2009 at 11:02 am
 Interesting to see that The Telegraph has taken down what was the main story in their newspaper this morning from the home page of their website .

 

The story claimed that Government was planning to ‘spy’ on every email, text message and website visit via a huge big brother database.

 

Anyone comparing the story with the front page of The Independent at newsstands this morning would be confused. Our story said the database was being cancelled.

 

So who was right? Well The Telegraph story was right – but only in October last year when The Independent first reported it.

 

What happened yesterday was that the government announced it was withdrawing the measure from the Queen’s Speech – delaying the database for at least a year and for far longer if, as expected, Labour lose the next general election. Privately ministers admit that the database is “in the very long grass”.  None of this is reflected in The Telegraph story.

 

In general those of us in glass houses should not throw stones. But The Telegraph story was disingenuous – as anyone following the story knows.


Murdoch: Have I missed something?

Posted by Jimmy Leach
  • Tuesday, 10 November 2009 at 10:48 am
Clearly I’m not the brightest individual. 
 
Rupert Murdoch announces plans (now delayed) to charge for content. Fair enough – I think he’s wrong, but rich, famous blokes with opinion tend to be listened to more than the likes of me. Although if he ploughs on, he’ll be a little less rich (no need for him to fret, he has a healthy lead on me still in the money stakes). 
 
Then it gets a bit odd. First he announces plans to charge Google for linking to his content. Not quite understanding perhaps that there's no compelling reason for Google to pay.
 
And now he’s considering blocking Google entirely from linking to their content. And I’m assuming that by ‘Google’ he, in reality, means all search engines.
 
So, in short, he wants to make it difficult for people to find his content online, then he’s going to charge them for the privilege of reading it (when broadly similar content is widely available for free elsewhere).
 
It must be me. 
 

'Big Brother' database 'kicked into long grass'

Posted by Tom Peck
  • Tuesday, 10 November 2009 at 12:29 am
In The Independent today:



'BIG BROTHER' DATABASE CANCELLED BY MINISTERS
Plan to store details of every phone call and email 'kicked into long grass' after furore. By Nigel Morris and Robert Verkaik



SCIENTISTS DEVELOP APPLE THAT WON'T ROT
Disease-resistant variety of fruit can be kept out of the fridge for a fortnight without going off. By Chris Green



THE TRIALS OF 'BALTIMORE'S BORIS'
In the latest instalment of our crime reporter Mark Hughes' job-swap with his counterpart at 'The Baltimore Sun', the combustible relationship between politicians and the police force in the Maryland city comes under the microscope.

 


Labour calls for the immigration debate

Posted by Kunal Dutta
  • Monday, 9 November 2009 at 01:35 am
In The Independent today:


JOHNSON: WE NEED A DEBATE ON IMMIGRATION
The Home Secretary, Alan Johnson, is to launch a drive to convince the public that immigration is a "good thing" for Britain as Labour goes on the offensive ahead of the general election. By Andrew Grice.



HAUD MEA CULPA, DOMINA! (AS THEY SAY IN PRIMARY SCHOOL)
Canis studia domestici devoravit. Dog-based excuses for the non-delivery of homework are to become more erudite in state primary schools as Latin makes a comeback. By Richard Garner and Lewis Smith.



189 HOMICIDES THIS YEAR - THIS IS THE WIRE, ONLY REAL
In our week-long job-swap the Independent's crime correspondent, Mark Hughes, finds himself amid the action in Maryland city's drug wars. Baltimore's Justin Fenton, however, embarks on a rather "slower night" in the ganglands of Greater Manchester.

Just minutes after I arrived I was at the scene of a shooting...

Posted by Tom Peck
  • Saturday, 7 November 2009 at 12:20 am
In The Independent today:



THE CRIME EXCHANGE: MARK HUGHES IN BALTIMORE
Today marks the first part of a "The Wire"-inspired, unique collaboration between The Independent and The Baltimore Sun in which our crime correspondent, Mark Hughes, swaps places with his counterpart, Justin Fenton.



ROBERT SALAAAM: ONE MAN'S ACTIONS WILL AFFECT LOYAL U.S. MUSLIMS
The American Muslim blogger on the Fort Hood killing spree



SCHOOLBOY CONFRONTS GRIFFIN AT MEMORIAL
BNP leader argues with a 13-year-old at WWI monument to Indian troops. By Chris Green and Tom Peck



independent minds

Britain Rules out Climate Treaty at Copenhagen

Posted by Night Reporter
  • Friday, 6 November 2009 at 12:35 am
In The Independent today:



BRITAIN RULES OUT CLIMATE TREATY AT SUMMIT
Officials say major powers too far apart for legal deal in Copenhagen next month. By Michael McCarthy, Environment Editor



CASH CRISIS THREAT TO VICTIMS OF HONOUR VIOLENCE

Government pulls funding for groups that tackle forced marriage and murder. By Jerome Taylor



LOST CHAPLIN FILM DISCOVERED IN $5 CAN BOUGHT ON EBAY

Rare footage – and possibly unknown work – found in nitrate film container from 1916, writes Kaleem Aftab

Is this the turning point in Afghanistan?

Posted by Kunal Dutta
  • Thursday, 5 November 2009 at 12:11 am
In The Independent today:


SLAUGHTER RAISES AFGHAN FEARS OF THE ENEMY WITHIN
Five British soldiers are shot dead by a rogue policeman at the same base where five Afghan officers were killed recently in a roadside blast. Kim Sengupta reports, while here Patrick Cockburn argues that this latest attack calls the whole Afghan strategy into question.


CAMERON BACKS DOWN ON EU TREATY REFERENDUM
Any "cast iron" guarantee is well and truly rust now. David Cameron has declared that he would not allow his premiership to be dominated by a "massive bust-up" with the European Union as he shelved any Europe referendum for at least five years. Is this the Conservative Clause IV moment? By Andrew Grice.


AND FINALLY: HAS FIREWORKS NIGHT LOST ITS SPARKLE?

With just hours until bonfire night begins, Jonathan Brown asks whether our fixation with health and safety has killed the traditional British bonfire party.

 


UniQ tackle Hazel Blears

Posted by Jimmy Leach
  • Wednesday, 4 November 2009 at 11:58 am
Uni-Q is a new online show - best described as ‘Question Time’ meets ‘TFI Friday’ - providing a forum for 16-25 year olds to pose questions to MPs and other high profile figures. Created by a group of University of Hull politics graduates as a way to engage young people in politics, Uni-Q is the first programme of its kind to tour universities and colleges across the UK. And it's being backed by the Independent, which is nice.

The first edition include former Communities Secretary Hazel Blears in her first media appearance since her rather controversial departure from the government earlier in the year.

More on how to join in with future UniQ programmes here.



Today's hate mail

Posted by Oliver Wright
  • Wednesday, 4 November 2009 at 11:25 am

Here is a brief – and terrifying - glimpse into the world of those people who spend time commentating on the Daily Mail’s website.

 

This morning the paper posted a story about a paedophile who is to be beheaded and then crucified in Saudi Arabia under the country’s Sharia law (not normally a Mail favourite).

 

So far the story has attracted nearly 300 comments. To gauge the tone of the debate we decided to look at the top rated comments and then the worst rated.

Very instructive.

Here they are:

TOP RATED

A good punishment for a sick peado. Why can''t we hand out this very appropriate sentence to UK offenders? Put it this way, he won't re-offend, or cost the taxpayer anything in the future.

 

well that is certainly a punishment that fits the crime, pity we can't have a few in our courts.

fair punishment for a terrible crime against children ... should be the other way round crcify him, castrate him too for good measure and then behead him just before he dies.

Let's see what the do gooders say about this decision.

Now That's what I call music.

Sounds reasonable to me.


WORST RATED

Good grief. Are we living in the 21st century?


I thought we had moved on from crucifixion 2000 years ago. I cannot believe the comments on here supporting sharia law. These posters wouldn't be happy about it if they were flogged for having a drink.

It was only a matter of time before the throwbacks came out of the woodwork referring to "do gooders" and baying for a return to medieval values and a white mans sharia.
Congratulations, you are all you hate.

We have a lot of shortcomings with sentencing in this country, but letting emotion (anger) effect policy like this is evolution in reverse.

When people constantly speak of a lack of faith in politicians, the courts or the police, I am amazed that they'd trust the power of death in their hands.
The cost of banging someone up for a PROPER sentence is the cost of protecting OUR rights, not those of the criminal. Geddit?

"Pity we can't have a few in our courts...."

Sounds like the Mail's readership is just about ready for Sharia law in the UK....wonders never cease.

Seriously - this man committed some awful awful crimes; but whether or not the death penalty is justified (a separate debate...), it is beyond belief that any jurisdiction in the 21st Century still uses such medieval methods.

I doubt any Westerners who witnessed a Saudi public execution would still consider this acceptable.

On the one hand, YES, these are horrific crimes and the decapitation and crucifixion of the criminal should be a warning to others.
On the other hand, did this young 22 year old man, whose raging hormones drove him to the edge of insanity, have anywhere to turn for help in such a strictly fundamentalist country?
I notice with interest that despite the strict sharia laws of that country, 56 executions have been carried out there already this year, proving that strictness alone cannot be relied upon to help people to control themselves. Everyone is different.
Starving animals and humans WILL kill for food. Dammed up steam WILL cause an explosion. Pent up drives WILL cause insane behaviour.
To cross the river of Life and reach Paradise you have to pay the Ferryman. Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and give to God what belongs to God.
At the extremes are two polarities and between them is a dynamism called LIFE.
The CENTRAL WAY is the narrow gate that leads to Life.


It's a variation on an old joke. How do you confuse a Daily Mail reader: tell him a paedophile is to be put to death under Sharia law.



A milestone for green beliefs at work

Posted by Kunal Dutta
  • Wednesday, 4 November 2009 at 12:51 am

In The Independent today:

GREEN BELIEFS WIN LEGAL PROTECTION
Employees who raise concerns about their company's environmental practices won the right to legal redress yesterday after a judge ruled that green beliefs deserved the same protection in the workplace as religious convictions. By Robert Verkaik and Michael McCarthy.


LABOUR'S CAMPUS REVOLUTION
Plans for the biggest shake-up of universities for decades, including the first charter of rights for students, have been unveiled by the Government. By Richard Garner, Education Editor.


THE A-Z OF CONFLICTING HEALTH ADVICE
For years we were told a daily aspirin was good for us, then yesterday doctors revealed it was dangerous for many. So when can we trust expert guidance, asks Jeremy Laurance.


 


The most read bloggers on the Independent

Posted by Jimmy Leach
  • Tuesday, 3 November 2009 at 01:04 pm
You wouldn't believe the tension, the bitching, the glee and the misery as I unveil the top ten most read bloggers on the Independent for last month. And you'd be right to, because it wouldn't be true - but our bloggers pay more heed to this than they would admit.


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Miliband's ambition (and job application?) for Europe

Posted by Kunal Dutta
  • Tuesday, 27 October 2009 at 12:49 am
In The Independent today:


MILIBAND: THIS IS MY AMBITION FOR EUROPE
David Miliband has issued an impassioned plea to the European Union to "get our act together" or risk being sidelined by America and China as he stepped up the campaign to elect Tony Blair as its first president. But Nigel Morris asks if his pro-EU speech was actually a job application?


HATE FILLED AND BIGOTED
That's how Paul Haggis, the Oscar-winning film maker, handed his resignation into the Church of Scientology in an explosive letter that damned the organisation's attitude to gay marriage. By Guy Adams in Los Angeles.


FRENCH TO ELECT THE MEMBER FOR SOUTH KENSINGTON
It has a French language school, French consulate and French cultural institute, now South Kensington is to get its own representative in the French parliament after a law was passed in Paris meaning that French nationals living abroad will be able to elect their own MPs. By Kevin Rawlinson.
independent minds

Good Morning, Afghanistan

Posted by Night Reporter
  • Monday, 26 October 2009 at 12:23 am
In The Independent today:


GOOD MORNING, AFGHANISTAN
British Forces radio has hit the airwaves in Helmand. Terri Judd reports



RESTAURANT CRITIC GILL DELIGHTS IN KILLING A BABOON
The backlash begins as critic AA Gill shoots a baboon in Tanzania. By Kunal Dutta



KISS AND TELL: THE 2011 CENSUS WANTS TO KNOW YOUR SLEEPING PARTNER

Survey already criticised for level of intrusion, with more questions than ever about citizens' domestic arrangements By Andy McSmith
Advertisement

Syndicate

RSS Atom
Powered by LiveJournal.com
Designed by [info]chasethestars