The 19 year old student who was caught urinating over a war memorial has been told he could face jail time for his actions.
Laing, who appeared in the dock wearing a poppy, pleaded guilty to outraging public decency when he appeared at Sheffield Magistrates' Court. He is said to have been too drunk to remember any of the events of that night.
Prosecutor Ian Conway said Laing had immediately admitted the offence when arrested and told police he was "very, very drunk, the drunkest I've ever been since I've been at university." Although I don't see that this excuses his actions, nobody forced the alcohol on him and he should have been responsible for hi actions when drunk.
Wallabies snacking in Tasmania's legally grown opium poppy fields are getting ``high as a kite'' and hopping around in circles, trampling the crops, a state official said.Wallabies snacking in Tasmania's legally grown opium poppy fields are getting ``high... more
Target Women is a recurring segment on Current TV's weekly television show, infoMania. In each episode of Target Women, Sarah Haskins takes a look at the often-ridiculous way the media reaches out to women.
infoMania is a half-hour satirical news show that airs on Current TV. The show puts a comedic spin on the 24-hour chaos and information overload brought about by the constant bombardment of the media. Hosted by Conor Knighton and co-starring Brett Erlich, Sarah Haskins, Ben Hoffman, and Sergio Cilli, the show airs on Thursdays at 10 pm Eastern and Pacific Times and can be found online at http://current.com/infomania. And make sure to check out our facebook profile for special features at http://infomaniafacebook.com.Sarah takes a look back at some of her favorite Target Women pods.
For more Sarah... more
All across the UK today, ceremonies and service will be taking place to remember the fallen men and women who lost their lives in all past and current wars.
The Queen will be leading the tributes at the Cenotaph in London while troops on active duty will be carrying out their own services in Iraq and Afghanistan.
This year's events fall just two days before the 90th anniversary of the armistice, the end of World War I, where around 900,000 men and women in the British armed forces died during the conflict.
Three veterans, the youngest aged 108, will be at the Cenotaph in Whitehall on Tuesday, 90 years to the minute since the ceasefire.
All across the UK today, ceremonies and service will be taking place to remember the... more
Recapturing Musa Qala from the Taliban is more than an important morale-boosting event for Nato and Afghan forces, writes Richard Norton-Taylor
Richard Norton-Taylor Guardian Unlimited, Tuesday December 11 2007 Article history · Contact us Contact usClose Report errors or inaccuracies: userhelp@guardian.co.uk Letters for publication should be sent to: letters@guardian.co.uk If you need help using the site: userhelp@guardian.co.uk Call the main Guardian and Observer switchboard:
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An Afghan farmer tends to poppy plants. Photograph: Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images
Musa Qala town lies in a rich, opium poppy-growing area of Helmand, the southern Afghanistan province that supplies about half of the world's opium and, in turn, some 90% of the heroin on British streets.
The poppy, General Khodaidad, the Afghan counter-narcotics minister, said in an interview with the Guardian, is the biggest problem facing the country.
"Poppies are feeding terrorism in Afghanistan", he said. The problems they created were "bigger than terrorism, bigger than al-Qaida, bigger than warlordism, bigger than corruption".
Drug money bought the weapons, ammunition and explosives that were smuggled over Helmand's borders with Pakistan and Iran, Khodaidad said.
British military commanders distance themselves from the battle against drugs. They are concerned about the backlash if they get directly involved in destroying poppies, a vital crop for so many Afghans and their families.
According to the latest annual report of the UN office on drugs and crime, the total export value of the country's opium harvest amounts to more than $3bn (£1.5bn), almost half the size of the country's entire gross domestic product. More than 12% of Afghanistan's population of 23m is involved in opium poppy cultivation.
Khodaidad said the Afghan government, having seen off US proposals to spray the crops with chemicals, was changing tactics. Instead of trying to apply throughout the country directions imposed from on high from Kabul, he and his officials will adopt a more subtle, carrot-and-stick approach. This would involve local councils and tribal elders in a counter-narcotics drive, offering alternative employment to farmers in projects such as building bridges, roads, and schools, and industries including carpet-weaving, the minister said.
Provinces that agreed to get rid of opium poppies would be rewarded with $1m, with the promise of more to come, he said.
Last year, the number of provinces that agreed to stop opium poppy cultivation had increased fom six to 13; poppy growing had been reduced or abandoned in four other provinces - Nangahar, Badakhshan, Laghman, and Baghlan - Khodaidad said. But he admitted it would be a long time before the problems caused by opium poppies would disappear. Gordon Brown is expected to raise the issue in his statement to the Commons on Afghanistan tomorrow. Recapturing Musa Qala from the Taliban is more than an important morale-boosting event... more
The War on Drugs. The War on Terror. Narco-Terrorism. Prior to 9/11, the poppy production levels in Afghanistan were at a low and many of the Taliban were against heroin and the poppies. However, since U.S. forces entered after 9/11, the poppy crop has skyrocketed. The UN released a report saying that the six-year boom has lead to the Afghan crop being responsible for 92% of the world's heroin trade. With Homeland Security and the War on Terror, it's amazing that the drug still gets into the USA, one of it's strongest marketplaces.The War on Drugs. The War on Terror. Narco-Terrorism. Prior to 9/11, the poppy... more
