Pete Souza/The White House In the photo that has hung in the West Wing for three years, President Obama looks to be bowing to five-year-old Jacob Philadelphia, his arm raised to touch the president’s hair — to see if it feels like his. WASHINGTON — For decades at the White House, photographs of the president at work and at play have been hung throughout the West Wing, and each print soon gives way to a more recent shot. But one picture remains after three years, its staying power testifying to the thousand words it seems worth to those who see it. In the photo, President Obama looks to be bowing to a sharply dressed black boy, who stands erect beside the Oval Office desk, his ... Continue reading →
"If we needed to hang someone tomorrow," Martin Martinez, Trinidad and Tobago's commissioner of prisons, says, grinning wolfishly, "we would grease up the gallows and buy some new rope." Death by hanging is the penalty for anyone convicted of murder in Trinidad and Tobago, although no one has been executed here since 1999.From his air-conditioned office, minutes from the cemetery in the capital, Port of Spain, Martinez reels off the four witnesses needed: a doctor, a priest, a court official and himself, the prisons commissioner. "It is traumatising to take a man's life," he explains. "It's an emotional issue, as there is such a high murder rate here. The death penalty sends a message, but it may or may not solve the problem."Prime minister Kamla ... Continue reading →
New Scotland Yard Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA A serving detective and two former Scotland Yard police officers have been arrested as part of an investigation into allegations that members of the force's anti-corruption unit were paid thousands of pounds in bribes.The Metropolitan police said the serving 45-year-old male detective was arrested on suspicion of receiving payments for information at a residential address outside of London.The two former officers, both men aged 53 and 58, were arrested during raids at a business address in central London. The pair have been arrested on suspicion of bribery of a police officer and remain in custody.A Scotland Yard source with knowledge of the arrests confirmed the central London premises raided this morning belonged to RISC Management, a firm of private ... Continue reading →
Newspaper Correction of the Day... Continue reading →
The former Scotland Yard officers have been arrested as part of an investigation into allegations that members of its anti-corruption unit were paid thousands of pounds in bribes. Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA Two former Scotland Yard police officers have been arrested as part of an investigation into allegations that members of its anti-corruption unit were paid thousands of pounds in bribes.The Metropolitan police said that the men, aged 53 and 58, were arrested during raids at a business address in central London. Both have been arrested on suspicion of bribery of a police officer and remain in custody.The force's directorate of professional standards (DPS) has been investigating allegations that a team of private detectives made the payments to police officers investigating a notorious Nigerian fraudster, James ... Continue reading →
Alastair Campbell returns to PR with Tim Allan's Portland Danny Rogers, prweek.com, Wednesday, 23 May 2012, 7:46am, Alastair Campbell is taking his first permanent job in PR since leaving Downing Street in 2003, by joining Portland as a consultant. Heavyweight: Alastair Campbell leaves the Leveson Inquiry He will work for CEO Tim Allan, his former deputy in Tony Blair’s office, and will concentrate on strategic corporate comms, crisis management work and mentoring the Portland team. Campbell told PRWeek: ‘In this economic climate, and despite all the negative definitions of spin, strategic comms is really important. It’s something that Britain, as an industry, does well. So many organisations are tactical when what they need is strategy. I have an understanding of strategy that is pretty profound.’ ... Continue reading →
