Shameful phone hacking scandal forces change inside the Murdoch bunker

 

A community with a voracious appetite for scandal, it does appear we are experiencing Murdoch news fatigue. Like frogs in boiling water, we are losing sensitivity to the barrage of sensational News Corp instalments flowing from the phone hacking affair. On Tuesday, two former News International managers - head of legal affairs Tom Crone and News of the World editor Colin Myler - told a British parliamentary committee that James Murdoch had been made aware of widespread phone hacking despite his written statement to the contrary. The testimony was another milestone in the series of explosive revelations of systemic criminal phone hacking which had been going on for years but allegedly covered up by a corporate and police conspiracy. Advertisement: Story continues below Since the hacking affair was blown open, there has been a myriad of developments from the company, government and police - many of them astonishing. Much of this is highly significant to the Murdoch empire, and the ramifications have been difficult to digest. This shameful episode has changed the News Corp organisation and Rupert Murdoch's management style. In a corporate sense, the decision by Murdoch to undertake a $US5 billion ($4.7 billion) share buyback is, on its own, momentous. Aggressive expansion of the News Corp empire has been a hallmark of Murdoch's modus operandi. The decision to undertake a capital management program that allocated cash to shareholders rather than to acquisitions marks a major departure. The focus of News Corp's strategy in the past has been on raising funds and using available cash to expand, and avoiding the dilution of Murdoch family control. This was never more evident than in the creation of News Corp non-voting stock and the move to domicile the company in the lax regulatory jurisdiction of Delaware. The only other incidence of Rupert Murdoch bowing to outside pressure was in the early 1990s, when the Pittsburgh Bank famously forced News Corp to the brink of bankruptcy by threatening to block the rollover to a new debt package. News Corp has otherwise been run by Rupert Murdoch and in his way. The notion of appeasing minority shareholders is new to Murdoch, as is divorcing the hard-wired nepotism.

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Amelia Hill was questioned under caution by police in an inquiry into alleged leaks of information from Operation Weeting

. Photograph: Katherine Rose

The National Union of Journalists and a respected media watchdog have criticised the questioning of a Guardian journalist in an inquiry into alleged leaks of information from Operation Weeting, the investigation into phone hacking at the News of the World.

It emerged on Wednesday that Amelia Hill, a reporter involved in a number of the Guardian's key phone-hacking revelations over recent weeks, was questioned under caution several days ago in a case that raises concerns about attempts to criminalise contact between journalists and off-the-record sources.

Last month a 51-year-old detective constable was arrested in connection with alleged leaks from the Scotland Yard phone-hacking investigation. At the time there were reports that the officer had passed information to the Guardian, but the newspaper said it had "no comment to make on the sources of our journalism".

Michelle Stanistreet, the general secretary of the National Union of Journalists, said that there was "a vital journalistic principle at stake here" and that "it is outrageous that an allegation of off-the-record briefings is being treated as a criminal matter".

She added: "There is a clear distinction between legitimate off-the-record interviews and the illegitimate payment of bribes."

Martin Moore, the director of the media watchdog the Media Standards Trust, said that in the light of the phone-hacking scandal it was becoming "increasingly important to sustain and defend journalism in the public interest". He said that it was "not the time to be threatening public interest journalism" by the police moving to question reporters such as Hill.

The Guardian said in a statement: "We can confirm Amelia Hill has been questioned in connection with an investigation into alleged leaks." The newspaper argued that the case could have lasting repercussions for the way journalists deal with police officers. The statement added: "On a broader point, journalists would no doubt be concerned if the police sought to criminalise conversations between off-record sources and reporters."

Although the paper said it would not comment on any specific confidential source, a spokesman said Hill had never paid a police officer for information.

The police investigation into leaks from Operation Weeting has been going on for several weeks.

Meanwhile, Raoul Simons, 35, the deputy football editor of the Times, became the 16th person to be arrested as part of the phone hacking enquiry.

Simons, who had joined the Times from the Evening Standard in August 2009, is understood to have been arrested at 5.55am on suspicion of conspiring to intercept communications. He was released on police bail until a date in October.

He was not arrested by prior appointment. He was taken to a north London police station and questioned on suspicion of conspiracy to intercept voicemail messages, contrary to Section 1 (1) of the Criminal Law Act 1977.

Hill's police interview comes amid growing pressure to clamp down on contacts between officers and journalists following the News of the World phone hacking scandal, which has spread out into wider allegations of police corruption.

Emails from News International allegedly imply that journalists on the now closed Sunday tabloid bought copies of Buckingham Palace's private phone directory from a royal protection officer.

Following those revelations, an inquiry by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary is examining "alleged corruption and abuse of power" in police relationships with the media, and Elizabeth Filkin, the former parliamentary commissioner for standards, heads a group drawing up a framework for how police officers handle their relationships with reporters. Both inquiries are considering whether communication between police officers should be officially monitored and recorded by a press officer.

The questioning of Hill has similarities to a case police mounted against Sally Murrer, a reporter on the Milton Keynes Citizen, and a former Thames Valley police detective, Mark Kearney, which was thrown out. Kearney had been accused of leaking information to Murrer. The collapse of the case was widely seen as a victory for journalistic freedom.

It was reported meanwhile that Andy Coulson, the former editor of the News of the World and the prime minister's former personal communications director, is refusing to appear before a Commons select committee that is investigating phone-hacking.

His solicitors have written to the culture, media and sport committee declining an invitation to appear, citing "concerns" about "parallel inquiries and investigations and the publicity generated by them".

He has consistently denied knowing that phone hacking took place but last month a previously unseen letter from Goodman emerged that claimed phone hacking was "widely discussed" at editorial conferences until Coulson banned mentions of it. Goodman's letter also claimed that Coulson had offered to let him keep his job if he agreed not to implicate the paper in hacking when it came to court.

Coulson resigned from the News International paper in 2007 after its former royal editor Clive Goodman was jailed on phone-hacking offences.

It also emerged yesterday that MPs on another committee have been told that News International asked a technology firm, HCL, to delete emails and other documents 13 times since 2009.

Technology company HCL, which provides services under contract to News International, informed the Commons home affairs committee in August that it was aware of the deletion of hundreds of thousands of emails on nine occasions between April 2010 and July 2011, but said it did not know of anything "untoward" behind the requests. Yesterday, HCL's solicitor, Stuart Benson, contacted the committee again to say that a further four requests had come to light - one of which related to the deletion of emails from an inbox of a user who had not accessed his account for eight years.

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Domestic helps’ accomplices prime suspects:

 

The two accomplices of the two domestic helps arrested for the murders of Juhu resident Kavita Suchak and her manager Prakash Bagwe on August 30 were the masterminds behind the murders said investigators, a day after arresting all four, two from Navi Mumbai and two from Nanded. Based on the investigations, police said the two domestic helps identified as Ram Singh Badaila and Tek Singh Badaila, also have a past crime record. According to Vishwas Nangre-Patil, Additional Commissioner (West region), the police are now compiling a database of domestic helps working in each society in the western region and their backgrounds would be checked. However, the victim had not verified the backgrounds of the two before hiring them, which made it difficult to trace them, said Nangre- Patil. The police arrested the Badailas and their accomplices from Navi Mumbai on Saturday. Nangre- Patil further said that the two Nepali nationals had been working for the Suchaks for the past five years. They had come in contact with two of their friends, Prem Bahadur Badaila and Bhim Bahadur Beek over the years. “The Suchaks owned a traditional safe in the house, apart from an electronic vault. The domestic helps hoped to find a large sum of money in the traditional safe. But the safe was empty as it was only maintained as a showpiece and as a object of faith. The gang bludgeoned Kavita with a crowbar when she returned home after dropping her kids to school a few minutes earlier than her usual schedule on August 30. Bagwe was strangled and gagged by the accused, as he had witnessed Kavita's murder and raised an alarm," Nangre-Patil added. The gang stole a laptop, three cellphones, jewellery and cash, collectively worth Rs 1.24 lakh. After leaving Kavita's house, the gang split up. Prem headed to Nerul in Navi Mumbai while the other three went to Pune. From Pune, they went to the house of a relative, Dev Bahadur, in Nanded. The police tracked down Prem first, by tracing the location of the stolen cellphones. “One of our teams went to Nepal and with the help of BSF kept a watch on the border to stop the accused from leaving the country. Another team went to Nanded with Prem,” said Pratap Dighavkar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (zone IX). Dressed in plainclothes, the policemen accompanied Prem to Dev Bahadur's house. “We did not want to reveal that Prem had been arrested, so we let him walk alone towards the house. Dev Bahadur came out of the house and Prem signaled to us that he was not a part of the gang. Prem then led us to Bhim who had sat in an autorickshaw and to Ram and Tek who were hiding in a water pipeline,” an official said. Bhim was arrested in the past for two cases of theft while Prem was booked for assaulting a government servant at MIDC. “The robbery at Suchak's residence was planned in detail. Bhim purchased a rope, crowbar, screwdriver and tape from Andheri. Tek who had keys to the vault was assigned the job of cleaning up the house while Ram kept watch. Prem and Bhim hid inside the house and struck after Kavita left for dropping her kids to school around 8.15 am,” an official said. So far, Rs 80,000 in cash has been recovered, besides some ornaments. The laptop was destroyed by the gang. “We are now trying to ascertain whether the Rs 80,000 is from the Suchak residence or elsewhere,” said Nangre-Patil.

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70 stabbings in public view! Gruesome gang murders man in Ahmedabad

 

Yafizuddin Sheikh, a resident of Juhapura, was brutally killed when some people repeatedly ran a car over him and then stabbed him over 70 times on Friday night in Amraiwadi. Sheikh's assailants continued to stab him till he succumbed to his wounds on the spot. A murder complaint has been filed with the Amraiwadi police against members of the Daddu gang for the gruesome murder. Yafizuddin and another man Mohammad had gone to Bal Bhavan in Khokhra to meet his friend, one Harish Darbar alias Harry in their Maruti Esteem car.While the victim waited there to meet his friend, a group of people, in a Santro car, rammed into Yafizuddin. They then reversed the car and ran it over him again repeating the process thrice. They then came out and stabbed Yafizuddin so much so that he had around 70-odd stab wounds on his body when he died. The victim cried for help but a crowd that had gathered to make arrangements for the ongoing Ganesh Chaturthi did not bother to intervene. The people were allegedly afraid of the Daddu gang that is very notorious in the area for its anti-social activities. The attackers were identified as Daddu Vaghela, his nephew Divyaraj aka Montu along with Naresh Thakor alias Jigo, Rahul aka Chako, Suresh Thakor and Rakesh Bihola. Two more men on a motorcycle also accompanied them. They were identified as Prakash aka Kaaniyo and Rahul aka Kalu Bhil. Two others, who were also involved in the incident, remained unidentified. Daddu Vaghela is a notorious bootlegger of the city and along with his gang has around 21 cases registered against him. Vaghela is wanted by the cops in at least 11 cases from the same area. According to the complaint, the gang attacked the already injured Yafizuddin with their weapons and inflicted 70-odd wounds all over his body. The victim lay in a pool of blood before breathing his last. Police said that the incident was a fall out of a scuffle between Daddu gang and Harry. The victim had come to his friend Harry's rescue during the scuffle.Teams of detection of crime branch reached the scene to investigate the matter following direct orders from the city police commissioner.

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The new Libya won't trust Britain so easily now | News

 

The documents revealing the cosy relationship between top British and Libyan intelligence officials are embarrassing not just because they confirm Britain's rendition of Islamist terror suspects, including Abdel Hakim Belhadj, the Transitional National Council's new security commander in Tripoli, but also because they lend credence to Britain's reputation as a slippery operator in the Middle East. David Cameron's support for the TNC was meant to gain souk cred by tying Britain's banner to the spirit of the Arab Spring. Cameron has said the new documents should be examined by the independent Detainee Inquiry, chaired by Sir Peter Gibson. They show how keen Tony Blair was to bring Gaddafi into the fold following Saddam Hussein's fall in April 2003 and to trade an end to Libya's pariah status in return for help in the war against terrorism. There was little wrong with that. What is sickening is the extent to which Britain sought to ingratiate itself by delivering up Gaddafi's opponents. No less disturbing is the manner in which Britain's cosying up to Gaddafi has been represented as a mistake by misguided individuals, for which institutions such as the London School of Economics have suffered. Perhaps the most fascinating new document was sent on March 18, 2004 to Musa Kusa, head of Libyan intelligence, by Mark Allen, MI6's director of counter-terrorism, who crowed about Belhadj's rendition while arranging a forthcoming visit by Blair to Libya. A week later Gaddafi welcomed the British PM in his Tripoli tent (as requested by Allen for publicity reasons). It is difficult to say who was the greater showman: the unctuous Blair or Gaddafi joking how his Third Universal Theory, the basis of his Green Book, paved the way for Blair's Third Way politics. Within two months, Allen was pipped as the next MI6 head by John Scarlett, who, two years earlier, as chief of the Joint Intelligence Committee, had backed Blair's argument that Saddam had dangerous weapons of mass destruction. Allen left the SIS shortly afterwards. For Middle East watchers, an interesting outcome has been these glimpses of intelligence machinations in this most secretive of regions. A Le Carré of the al Qaeda conflict will surely follow. It is Cameron who now has to deal with the practical consequences. The ultimate fate of Gaddafi and his family is out of his hands. But Britain has tough decisions to make about other players, including Musa Kusa, who defected from Libya in March, came to Britain, and was last heard of in a Qatar hotel. In 1980 he was expelled from Britain for advocating the murder of Libyan dissidents. For this and his wider role in Libyan terrorism, many powerful voices argue that he should be tried in Britain. But, even at this stage, it may be that he has too much to reveal. More immediately, the Prime Minister needs to assess the role of former Islamists such as Belhadj in the new regime and take appropriate measures. It will not be enough to kick the rendition issue into the long grass by referring it to the Gibson inquiry, which has yet to begin its work. If David Cameron hoped for an easy ride in post-Gaddafi Libya, these papers have disabused him of that notion.

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former MP Margaret Moran, who is to face 21 charges in relation to claims she made for parliamentary expenses.

File photo of former MP Margaret Moran, who is to face 21 charges in relation to claims she made for parliamentary expenses. Photograph: Michael Stephens/PA

The former Labour MP who claimed for dry rot treatment on a home more than 100 miles from her constituency will be charged with fiddling her expenses by more than £60,000, prosecutors said today.

Margaret Moran, one of the last politicians investigated over the scandal, will appear before magistrates facing 21 charges relating to her parliamentary claims.

Moran, former MP for Luton South, will appear before City of Westminster magistrates' court on 19 September, the Crown Prosecution Service said.

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police have released images of 28 suspects they want to question about serious street disorder that “wreaked havoc” across Northern Ireland

The police have released images of 28 suspects they want to question about serious street disorder that “wreaked havoc” across Northern Ireland.

Detectives from a specialist public order inquiry team are hoping the public will help them identify the men in these images as part of their investigations into rioting in east Belfast and Ballyclare during June and July.

Three people were shot during three nights of sustained sectarian violence at an interface on the Lower Newtownards Road in Belfast in June.

In Ballyclare six officers sustained whiplash when a hijacked bus rammed a police vehicle during riots that erupted after Union and paramilitary flags were removed from lampposts in July.

Assistant Chief Constable Alistair Finlay said the response from the public appeals to date had been “positive”.

A second tranche of photographs will be released on Thursday showing suspects police want to speak to in connection with rioting in north and west Belfast during July.

Last month all of Northern Ireland’s main news organisations wrote to the PSNI Chief Constable to protest at having to hand over riot footage of trouble in east Belfast.

The letter highlighted to Matt Baggott the “genuine fear that terrorists and rioters will target the media whom they perceive to be evidence gatherers for the State” if the PSNI continues to demand the disclosure of material gathered for news purposes.

The PSNI has declined to comment on the source of these latest images.

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TV cameras to be allowed into criminal trials

 

David Cameron is expected to pave the way for the historic move in a long-awaited speech on crime planned for later this month. However, the televised coverage is expected to be limited and will not allow cameras to record witnesses giving evidence as occurs in America. Television cameras are currently banned from most courts in England and Wales although the proceedings of the new Supreme Court - the top court of appeal which replaced the law lords - can be broadcast. Some Scottish court cases are also televised, including proceedings involving Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, the Lockerbie bomber. The decision to allow limited broadcasting in other criminal cases is set to spark debate.

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MPs will test James Murdoch's assertion he knew nothing about a crucial email in the phone-hacking scandal when they quiz former News Of The World executives today.

 

The News International chairman has reportedly cancelled a trip to Asia to monitor first-hand what is said at the select committee hearing. When James Murdoch appeared with his father Rupert before the Culture, Media and Sport committee in July, he was asked if he knew about a document known as the "for Neville" email. This email has been seen as critical to the hacking inquiry. It indicates that the practice of hacking was more widespread than News International originally admitted. James Murdoch said he was unaware of the document at the time he sanctioned a payout to the Professional Footballers' Association chief Gordon Taylor, whose phone was hacked by the News of The World. His denial of knowledge of the email was subsequently contradicted by Colin Myler, the NOTW's last editor, and the paper's former lawyer Tom Crone, both of whom will give their side of the story to the committee. Daniel Cloke, ex-HR director at NI, and Jon Chapman, NI's former head of corporate and legal affairs, are also due to appear. Mark Lewis, who represented Mr Taylor when he won his payout from the NOTW, said if today's evidence finds James Murdoch knew about the email it could be the end of him.

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Google will rock you: 'Doodle' celebrates Queen's late frontman

 

Google users around the world were rocking out to Queen on Monday -- except for in the U.S., where search engines will remain quiet until Tuesday. Monday would have been the 65th birthday of Queen singer Freddie Mercury, the flamboyant, four-octave frontman who penned such enduring hits as "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "We Are the Champions." To commemorate the day, Google added an animated doodle to its search page -- an appropriately over-the-top video clip set to Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now" that shows Mercury morphing into a space traveler, a bicyclist and a king on a throne flanked by lions and mustachioed bears. As a nod to Queen's '70s-and-early-'80s-heyday, parts of the video have a retro, arcade-game style. The doodle was showcased on Google's homepages around the world -- except for in the U.S., where, out of respect to the Labor Day holiday, the page remained unadorned. Google planned to display the doodle in the U.S. Tuesday. "Freddie was fully focused, never allowing anything or anyone to get in the way of his vision for the future," writes Queen guitarist Brian May in a guest Google blog post accompanying the doodle. "He was truly a free spirit. There are not many of these in the world. To achieve this, you have to be, like Freddie, fearless -- unafraid of upsetting anyone's apple cart." Mercury was born September 5, 1946, in Zanzibar, which is now part of Tanzania, and moved to Britain as a teen-ager before joining Queen in 1971. He led the band through its 15-year run of radio smashes ("We Will Rock You," "Another One Bites the Dust") and operatic live shows. He died in 1991 at age 45 of an AIDS-related illness. Earlier this year readers of Rolling Stone voted Mercury their second-favorite lead singer of all time, behind Robert Plant. Google has been increasingly brightening its plain-wrapper homepage in recent years with colorful doodles, including animated clips honoring the birthday of silent-screen star Charlie Chaplin and a playable game to mark the 30th anniversary of the Pac-Man arcade classic.

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Google, Mozilla and Microsoft have banned the DigiNotar Certificate Authority in their browsers.

 

With the DigiNotar saga continuing, it’s time to summarize some of the current events surrounding it.

According to multiple blog posts, Google, Mozilla and Microsoft have already banned the DigiNotar Certificate Authority in their browsers. This preemptive move comes as a direct response to the mess that DigiNotar created by issuing over 200 rogue certificates for legitimate web sites and services — see a complete list of the affected sites and services.

Earlier this week, Google reported of attempted man-in-the-middle attacks executed against Google users, and most recently, TrendMicro offered insights into a large scale spying operation launched against Iranian web users.

According to TrendMicro:

From analysis of Smart Protection Network data, we see that a significant part of Internet users who loaded the SSL certificate verification URL of Diginotar were from Iran on August 28, 2011. On August 30, 2011 most traffic from Iran disappeared and on September 2, 2011 about all of the Iranian traffic was gone and Diginotar received mostly Dutch Internet users, as expected.

These aggregated statistics from Trend Micro Smart Protection Network clearly indicates that Iranian Internet users were exposed to a large scale man-in-the-middle attack, where SSL encrypted traffic can be decrypted by a third party. For example: a third party probably was able to read all e-mail communication an Iranian Internet user has sent with his Gmail account.

Meanwhile, the Dutch government issued a statement saying that it “cannot guarantee the security of its own websites” and is “taking over the company’s (DigiNotar) operations.”

“the user of government sites no longer has the guarantee … that he is on the site where he wanted to be,” Interior Minister Piet Hein Donner said at a pre-dawn press conference.

Moreover, Illinois-based VASCO, which owns the Dutch-based DigiNotar issued the following statement:

DigiNotar detected an intrusion into its Certificate Authority (CA) infrastructure, which resulted in the fraudulent issuance of public key certificate requests for a number of domains, including Google.com. Once it detected the intrusion, DigiNotar has acted in accordance with all relevant rules and procedures. At that time, an external security audit concluded that all fraudulently issued certificates were revoked. Recently, it was discovered that at least one fraudulent certificate had not been revoked at the time.  After being notified by Dutch government organization Govcert, DigiNotar took immediate action and revoked the fraudulent certificate.

Who’s behind the attacks? According to the Tor Project, clues were found in one of the certificates, including messages in Farsi:

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Google closes 10 services in 'spring clean'

 

The services being closed by Google include Aardvark, a social network-powered question-and-answer search tool, Fast Flip, an experiment in displaying news content online, and Notebook, a note-taking and URL-clipping service. In a post on Google’s blog, Alan Eustace, senior vice president, said: “Over the next few months we’ll be shutting down a number of products and merging others into existing products as features. [...] This will make things much simpler for our users, improving the overall Google experience. It will also mean we can devote more resources to high impact products—the ones that improve the lives of billions of people.” He added: “We’ll continue to take risks on interesting new technologies with a lot of potential. But by targeting our resources more effectively, we can focus on building world-changing products with a truly beautiful user experience.” Other services being discontinued by Google include Desktop, which the company says has been superseded by cloud computing, Google Pack, the company’s bundle of downloadable software, and Sidewiki, a collaborative approach to annotating websites. Google Maps API for Flash, Google Web Security, Image Labeler and Subscribed Links are the other services to be closed. Aardvark founders Max Ventilla and Damon Horowitz said that Google+ had taken on some of the role performed by their service. In a blogpost, they wrote: “We’ve been excited to share these lessons within Google over the past year, especially as part of the effort behind Google+. “It has been gratifying to see how well this project is doing — even in these early stages, Google+ has already become a great place to share knowledge online, eclipsing the original vark.com! — and there is much more to come very soon.”

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Giant saltwater crocodile weighing more than a tonne was captured in a remote Philippine village following a spate of attacks on humans

 Giant saltwater crocodile weighing more than a tonne was captured in a remote Philippine village following a spate of attacks on humans and livestock, officials said Tuesday.

The 21-foot (6.4-metre), 1,075-kilogramme (2,370-pound) reptile may have eaten a farmer who went missing in July, along with several water buffaloes in the southern town of Bunawan, crocodile hunter Rollie Sumiller said.

A crocodile also bit off the head of a 12-year-old girl in Bunawan in 2009, according to the environment ministry.

Josefina de Leon, wildlife division chief of the environment ministry's protected areas and wildlife bureau, said it was likely the biggest crocodile ever captured.

"Based on existing records the largest that had been captured previously was 5.48 metres long," she told AFP.

"This is the biggest animal that I've handled in 20 years of trapping,"

Sumiller added, estimating the male to be more than 50 years old.

"The community was relieved," he told AFP, but added: "We're not really sure if this is the man-eater, because there have been other sightings of other crocodiles in the area."

The team, employed by a government-run crocodile breeding farm, began laying bait using chicken, pork and dog meat on August 15, but the reptile simply bit off both meat and line the it was skewered on.

An eight milimetre (0.31-inch) metal cable finally proved beyond the power of its jaws and the beast was subdued at a creek on Saturday with the help of about 30 local men.

The local government decided against putting down the reptile and will instead use him as the main attraction at a planned nature park in the area.

"He's a problem crocodile that needs to be taken from the wildlife so that it can be used for eco-tourism," Sumiller said.

Crocodylus porosus or estuarine crocodile is the world's largest reptile that usually grows to five or six metres long and can live up to 100 years.

While not considered an endangered species globally, it is "critically endangered" in the Philippines, where it is hunted for its hide to feed the fashion industry, de Leon said.

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Grilling for phone hack witnesses

 

Four former News International executives will face a fresh round of questioning from MPs over the phone-hacking scandal. The Commons Culture, Media and Sport committee will quiz the News of the World's former editor Colin Myler and ex-legal manager Tom Crone after the pair publicly challenged evidence given by James Murdoch over his knowledge of the illegal practice. News International's former director of legal affairs Jonathan Chapman and Daniel Cloke, former group HR director, will also appear before the committee as the probe into the scandal is resumed following the summer recess. Mr Myler and Mr Crone have been summoned before MPs for the second time after publicly disputing claims made by Mr Murdoch earlier in the Parliamentary inquiry. The News International chairman told the committee he was not made aware of an email in 2008 indicating that the practice of illegally intercepting voicemails was not confined to a single "rogue" reporter. But the two former Sunday tabloid executives insist that they told him about the message in June of that year. The panel of MPs could now recall Mr Murdoch "depending on their evidence under questioning". Committee chairman John Whittingdale said the latest round of questioning was an attempt to uncover the truth in the "continuing difference in the accounts of James Murdoch and Tom Crone and Colin Myler about whether or not James Murdoch was aware of the so-called 'for Neville' email". The 2005 email contained transcripts of hacked phone messages and was headed "for Neville", in an apparent reference to the News of the World's then-chief reporter Neville Thurlbeck. Its existence came to light in April 2008 when Professional Footballers' Association chief executive Gordon Taylor brought a damages claim against the paper over the interception of his voicemail.

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Book Review: The Brotherhoods: Inside The Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs by Arthur Veno

 

Believe it or not, those mean, bad-ass outlaw motorcyclists that scare the piss out of middle America are referred to as “bikies” in Australia. I think if you went up to a member of the Hell's Angels in the U.S. and called him a "bikie" you would get your ass whipped pronto. But that is about the only difference between the biker gang member down under from any of his brothers around the world. Professor Arthur Veno has been studying the outlaw bikie phenomenon since 1981, and has been granted remarkable access by the Aussie clubs over the years. His new book The Brotherhoods: Inside The Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs is the result of his research, and provides a fascinating insight into their world. The obvious comparison would be to Hunter S. Thompson’s 1966 Hell’s Angels: A Strange And Terrible Saga. But they are two fundamentally different books. Where Thompson got inside the club out and rode with the Angels, Veno takes a different approach. Although it is obvious that he has gotten to know some members well enough to be trusted with certain things, he is always an outsider. The Brotherhoods certainly does not shy away from the subjects that make the outlaw bike culture so dangerously intriguing. With chapters such as “Bombs And Bastardry,” “On The Nose: Clubs And Drugs,” and “Chicks And Ol’ Ladies,” there are plenty of examples of outrageous behavior. The book has a definite voyeur appeal. While most of us do not wish to live the life, it is fascinating to view from a distance. The look of The Brotherhoods is particularly appealing, for it is filled with pictures. It is so beautifully put together, with a faux leather cover, and tons of photos as to make a great coffee-table book. The tea and crumpets crowd would probably salivate over it too. Ever since The Wild One film, and the emergence of the Hell's Angels, the outlaw bike culture has seemed to be a strictly American affair. The Brotherhoods shows us that the lifestyle has permeated every corner of the globe. It is a captivating study with some amazing photographs, and definitely worth a look.

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Rebels bikers spend night at motor camp

 

Members of the Australian outlaw biker gang the Rebels rode into Taranaki at the weekend. Police say up to 12 bikers, believed to be patched members of the Rebels, arrived in Stratford on Friday, stayed overnight at a motor camp and left the next morning. Members of the public contacted the Taranaki Daily News, believing the police had stopped the gang on New Plymouth's Coronation Ave about 1pm. But that was a different group of bikers of mainly locals, police said. The force was on alert after three Taranaki-based patched Rebels members were arrested last week in a police drug operation. Detective Sergeant Charlie Kawana, of New Plymouth CIB, said police were aware of the group that arrived in Stratford.

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NSW businesses warned of travelling conmen

 

Residents and businesses in NSW are being urged to be on the lookout for travelling conmen and itinerant domestic gangs. A nationwide crackdown aims to have scammers who visit Australia seasonally removed from the country and barred from re-entering, as well as local gangs that travel around conning people. NSW Fair Trading Minister Anthony Roberts on Monday warned of conmen specialising in scams such as bitumen laying, roof painting and back-of-truck dealings on electronics. "We want to catch these crooks, hold them accountable for their crimes and keep the market fair and free of rip-offs," he said in a statement. "What we are dealing with is organised, criminal activity that creates market distortions as legitimate businesses face unfair competition." The conmen structure their operations so consumers are often unable to get remedies in courts, consumer tribunals or through dispute resolution. They are the focus of a new nationwide strategy finalised at the Ministerial Council on Consumer Affairs in Canberra earlier this year. "All Australian consumer protection jurisdictions are working together under the new Australian Consumer Law with concerted, nationally coordinated operations using new prosecution powers and remedies," Mr Roberts said.

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West Midlands police have taken the unusual decision of releasing video footage showing hooded looters firing shots at officers and a force helicopter during this month's riots.

It is believed to be the first evidence that police came under fire during the riots and has heightened concerns that some of the seemingly random violence and looting was conducted by organised criminal gangs.

The CCTV images show a group of between 30 and 40 young men breaking into the Barton Arms pub in the Newtown area of Birmingham on the night of Tuesday 9 August.

The group, all masked and wearing black clothing, caused extensive damage to the pub and the surrounding area, which has been plagued by shootings in recent years.

As officers arrived at the scene shortly before midnight, petrol bombs were thrown at a marked police car. It is believed as many as 11 shots were fired at the officers and a helicopter.

Eyewitnesses reported seeing a series of flashes and hearing the sound of gunshots as police approached the looters, forcing officers to take cover behind vehicles.

The force said it hoped the footage would encourage members of the public to come forward. "Releasing footage that is so disturbing in nature is an unusual step for us as a force. However, the potential for serious harm, or worse, in this incident has led us to this decision," said chief constable Chris Sims.

"Eleven shots were fired at unarmed officers to enable disorder to continue, while petrol bombs were also thrown at officers who initially attended the scene.

"This footage shows seemingly co-ordinated criminal behaviour with no regard for people's lives, whether it be through the setting of a fire, shooting at unarmed officers or shooting at the police helicopter."

It appears that at least two weapons were used in the incident which police believe was co-ordinated by criminal gangs and involved looters, some of whom may have been as young as 13. Four spent bullet casings were found by forensic teams outside the pub. Four cartridges were also recovered at the scene.

A small amount of money was stolen from the pub, but evidence of the use of alcohol and petrol has convinced police that the looters' chief intention was to start a fire. A major investigation into arson with intent to endanger life and attempted murder has now been launched.

Detectives, forensic and ballistic experts, along with local officers, have spent the past week trawling through the CCTV footage and making house-to-house inquiries.

So far two people have been arrested for violent disorder in connection with the incident.

Siriporn Thumajaroen, who runs the Barton Arms with her husband, Wichai, was upstairs when the gang broke in. She told reporters that she could smell petrol and feared for her life. "We could have died," she told the Birmingham Mail. "Wichai put the fire out with water but we are lucky to be alive."

She added: "I have lived in this country for five years and I didn't think this kind of thing would happen here."

The shooting has revived memories of one of the most notorious incidents to blight Britain's second city in recent years. In 2005, a police officer was shot in the leg and two young men died during the race riots in the Lozells area of Birmingham, which were believed to have involved drug gangs.

"This investigation is being treated as attempted murder and arson, and I am only thankful that this is not a murder inquiry," Sims said.

"This was not only police officers' lives that were put at risk, but also members of the public who may have been passing by."

Sims said the public reaction to the appeal for information had been overwhelming. "However, I must ask once again for anyone who can help our investigation to come forward."

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The wife of a Red Arrows pilot watched his stunt team perform just minutes before he crashed to his death.

Flight Lieutenant Jon Egging's Hawk T1 aircraft plunged to the ground near Bournemouth Airport in Dorset after completing a display over the town's seafront.
His wife, Dr Emma Egging, said she was "the proudest I've ever been" after his performance in the skies above the seaside resort.
"Jon was everything to those that knew him, and he was the best friend and husband I could ever have wished for. Watching him today, I was the proudest I've ever been. I loved everything about him, and he will be missed," she said.
Eyewitnesses saw the plane flying low before smashing into a field and coming to a standstill with its nose in the River Stour near the village of Throop.
Dorset Police said the pilot had been thrown from the aircraft and was pronounced dead at the scene.
An MoD spokesman said: "A full service inquiry into the details of the crash has been initiated. It would be inappropriate to speculate on the causes of the incident at this time."
Nicholas Gore, 22, was walking with a friend close to the river when he saw all nine Red Arrows overhead: "There were quite a few people watching and we saw them go over but one seemed quite low. They then disappeared behind trees and I heard a crack - not an explosion - just a crack and we got further down and I saw the plane with its red tail in the air and its nose in the river."
Group Captain Simon Blake, the Commandant of the RAF's Central Flying School, described the 33-year-old pilot from Rutland as "a true team player".
He said: "A gifted aviator, he was chosen to fly in the Red 4 slot, on the right hand outside of the famous diamond nine formation - an accolade in itself being the most demanding position allocated to a first year pilot."

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The death toll from twin attacks in Norway has risen to 97, with several more are still reported missing.

Seven people were killed when a bomb went off in Oslo, hours before the deadly shooting took place in the youth camp on Utoeya island.

The man accused of the massacre, the 32-year-old Anders Breivik, admitted responsibility, his lawyers say.

A 1,500-page document written by Breivik under the headline “2083: A European declaration of Independence” was posted on the web hours before the attacks.

Breivik writes that NATO`s bombing of Serbia in 1999 was a ‘tipping point’ for him in plotting the attacks.

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10-year-old boy in Wales saved his father from being gored to death by a bull

10-year-old boy in Wales saved his father from being gored to death by a bull by heroically jumping onto a nearby tractor and chasing the furious beast away.
Tom Phillips watched in horror as a bull charged at his father Andrew - throwing him in the air like a rag doll on the family farm in Abergavenny, Daily Mail reported Thursday.
The huge 2,000lb beast then stood over the unconscious farmer, snorting and mauling his lifeless body with its hooves.

Terrified Tom climbed onto the tractor for safety, but he was faced with a dilemma. His father Andrew, 46, had forbidden him to drive the tractor and he's not a boy to break the rules.
But Tom's instincts took over and he turned the key to drive slowly towards his dad lying under the bull. He carefully aimed for the animal worried he might crush his unconscious father under the tractor's giant wheels.
He managed to move the bull away from his father and ran back to the farmhouse calling his mother Amanda.
Amanda dialled for help and finally an Royal Air Force rescue helicopter flew to the field to take barely alive Andrew to hospital.
He suffered 10 broken ribs and severe internal injuries from where the charging bull hit him.
But Andrew survived and was allowed home Thursday two weeks after being hit by the bull.
Mother Amanda said: "Andrew only survived because of Tom's amazing reactions to what must have been horrific for a 10-year-old boy to witness."
"He's my little hero and I can't tell you how proud I am of him."

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Gaddafi regime staked £12bn on secret deal in bid to open peace talks

The Libyan regime has been negotiating a secret deal with Greece to use $20bn (£12bn) of its funds that are frozen abroad for humanitarian relief to benefit both sides in the civil war. Officials in Tripoli say the move is intended to pave the way for the opening of peace talks.

The Independent has learned that talks were held in Tripoli between a team led by a former diplomat close to the Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou and regime members including the Libyan Prime Minister Al-Baghdadi Al-Mahmoudi. The meetings resulted in a memorandum of understanding that has remained unsigned because, diplomatic sources said, of warnings by the French government to the Greeks that any such agreement would appear to give Muammar Gaddafi legitimacy as Libya's ruler and undermine the policy of the Western coalition to keep him isolated.

Sources within the Libyan regime maintain that an agreement on the use of its assets for aid could lead to a ceasefire agreement and a process under which Colonel Gaddafi would relinquish power while a caretaker administration can be formed that includes members of the Benghazi-based opposition

 

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Secret agents wearing coloured wristbands as their sole distinguishing marks directed a civilian massacre in Jisr al-Shughur

Hundreds more refugees poured across the border into Turkey, bringing the total to more than 2,000 forced into flight in anticipation of a mission of retribution led by President Bashar al-Assad's notorious younger brother.
Maher al-Assad, the commander of the elite Fourth Division and Republican Guard, has vowed to take vengeance on the town after its inhabitants were accused of killing 120 government soldiers and policemen over the weekend.
One man who fled was able to make phone contact with his wife who remained in Syria. The woman warned her husband that the troops were so close "that they will soon level the town".
Jisr al-Shughur has effectively become the first town to fall from government control since the 11-week uprising against the president began. But its residents tell a story that differs vastly from official propaganda, one in which they are the victims of a government operation to crush all dissent, no matter what the human cost. As in many cities and towns across Syria, the residents of Jisr al-Shughur rose up in protest over the brutal tactics the government has used to repress dissent. The regime responded with overwhelming force.
According to one imam, speaking from a hospital bed in the Turkish city of Antakya, the first sign of trouble came as men dressed in civilian clothes, suspected members of the feared Syrian intelligence, or Mukhabarat, swarmed through the centre of the town. "They were all wearing colourful wristbands in order to identify each other," he said.

 

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RAF warplanes will be in place “in the coming hours”, the Prime Minister told MPs.

RAF warplanes will be in place “in the coming hours”, the Prime Minister told MPs.
As Gaddafi’s forces regain ground from rebel forces, Britain “cannot stand back” and let the Libyan dictator kill his people indiscriminately, he said.
“Any decision to put the men and women of our armed services in harm’s way should only ever be taken when it’s absolutely necessary,” Mr Cameron said. “But we simply can not stand back and let a dictator whose people have rejected him, kill his people indiscriminately.”
RAF Tornadoes and Typhoons will take part in operations over Libya, Mr Cameron said. British refuelling and reconnaissance aircraft will also be deployed.
“In the coming hours they will move to airbases where they can start to take the necessary action,” he said.

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Britain is poised to move fighter jets to bases from where they can help enforce a no-fly zone over Libya

Britain is poised to move fighter jets to bases from where they can help enforce a no-fly zone over Libya, after the UN Security Council gave the green light to conduct air strikes against Colonel Gaddafi’s forces, Prime Minister David Cameron said on Friday.

“Preparations to deploy these aircraft have already started and in the coming hours they will move to airbases from where they can start to take the necessary action.” Mr Cameron told parliament.
French president Nicholas Sarkozy will host talks in Paris on Saturday to discuss co-operation and co-ordinated action against Libya with representatives “at the highest level possible level” of the European Union, Arab League and African Union.

The UN Security Council on Thursday night approved a resolution authorising “all necessary measures’’ to protect civilians under threat from the Libyan regime.

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UK was preparing "to be able to respond to a terrorist incident like the world witnessed in Mumbai".

Baroness Neville-Jones said the UK was preparing "to be able to respond to a terrorist incident like the world witnessed in Mumbai".
More officers are being trained to respond to an armed attack, the level of firearms training is increasing and ministers are involved in mock scenarios, she said.
Lady Neville-Jones said the UK faced a "serious and sustained" threat which had not diminished in recent years.
"The possibility of a scenario similar to the devastating incident in Mumbai in 2008 is one for which we must be prepared," she said.
"We have been training more officers to respond to armed attack and enhancing the existing levels of firearms training.

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Japanese earthquake how the disaster unfolded

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Two thousand bodies were washed up on the shores of north-east Japan yesterday.

Two thousand bodies were washed up on the shores of north-east Japan yesterday.

The horrifying tide of death in Miyagi province raised fears that the official expected toll of 10,000 could be a huge under-estimate.

Bodies wrapped in blue tarpaulins were laid on military stretchers and lined up for collection.

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There was growing panic in Japan today as a third massive explosion at a nuclear power station hit by the tsunami pushed the country to the brink of catastrophe.

There was growing panic in Japan today as a third massive explosion at a nuclear power station hit by the tsunami pushed the country to the brink of catastrophe.

The government was forced to to order 140,000 residents to seal themselves indoors today as more radioactive material was released into the atmosphere by the latest explosion early this morning. 

It is another dramatic escalation in the nuclear crisis facing the country after Friday's tsunami knocked out cooling systems at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant - leaving engineers struggling to avoid a catastrophic meltdown.

In a televised address to the nation after the third explosion in four days, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan confirmed radiation had been released into the atmosphere after the latest blast at the Number 2 reactor. 

It follows explosions at Number 1 and Number 3 reactors and the Number 4 reactor, which was shut down when the tsunami hit, caught fire last night.

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Operator TEPCO said a fuel rod meltdown could not be ruled out

The Fukushima plant has been hit by two explosions at buildings housing two reactors since a massive 9.0-magnitude earthquake hit on Friday, and the cooling system at a third reactor stopped working on Monday.
Operator TEPCO said a fuel rod meltdown could not be ruled out after cooling water levels dropped sharply at the No. 2 reactor, according to Jiji Press. A meltdown could release radioactive material into the air.
TEPCO said that more than 12 feet of the No.2 reactor's four-metre fuel rods were exposed to the air as of 8.07 pm (11.07AM GMT), before the pumping of seawater resumed in an attempt to cool them.
But chief government spokesman Yukio Edano said that ongoing work to cool that reactor would hopefully stabilise the situation.

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Frankfurt Airport shooting: Two US servicemen dead

Frankfurt Airport shooting: Two US servicemen dead: "Two US Air Force servicemen have died after a gunman opened fire on a bus carrying American military personnel at Frankfurt Airport, police say.

Two servicemen were also wounded. One of the dead is said to have been the driver. All four were based at RAF Lakenheath in eastern England.

A 21-year-old man from Kosovo was arrested at Terminal 2 close to where the attack took place.

US President Barack Obama condemned it as an 'outrageous act'.

He said the US would spare no effort in investigating the shootings to 'ensure that all the perpetrators are brought to justice'.

We will spare no effort in learning how this outrageous act took place'
'I think the American people are united in expressing our gratitude for the service of those who were lost,' Mr Obama said."

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Cameron is in a constant spin of Cobra meetings and high powered talks. The language he has used against Colonel Gaddafi has been more aggressive than any other world leader.

Speaking to Sky's Lisa Holland, Colonel Gaddafi's most high-profile son derided Mr Cameron and claimed Britain needed "to stop thinking greedily about oil".

He referred to the Prime Minster's response to the Libyan crisis as "a joke" and said "we are not listening to him".

Refusing to accept that the Libyan government has lost control of the east of the country, Saif Gaddafi called the rebels occupying the city of Zawiyah "terrorists" and reiterated his stance that he would live and die in Libya.

Cameron is in a constant spin of Cobra meetings and high powered talks. The language he has used against Colonel Gaddafi has been more aggressive than any other world leader.

Sky political correspondent Sophy Ridge

Warning countries who could be considering military action, Mr Gaddafi said the use of force against Libya was "not acceptable" but claimed "we are not afraid".

He said the regime's priority was to restore peace and security in Libya.

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Tunisian border guards struggle to control tidal wave of refugees - Telegraph

Tunisian border guards struggle to control tidal wave of refugees - Telegraph: "Police and aid workers dragged dozens of unconscious people from the seething tide of desperate migrant workers crushed up against the concrete wall that divides the two countries at the Ras Jedir frontier post, while soldiers have fired in the air to disperse gangs of criminals seeking to extort money from the refugees."

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Libya: mustard gas 'most potent chemical weapon'

Libya: mustard gas 'most potent chemical weapon'  "Mustard Gas, a chemical agent that attacks the skin and eyes, is considered one of the best known, and most potent, chemical weapons. The chemical agent was used for the first time as a weapon on a large scale during the first World War.
The deadly and dehabilitating poison was the most deadly weapon used during the war because it could penetrate all protective materials and masks that were available at the time.
The ouderless and colourless gas does not produce immediate side effects and usually takes between six and 12 hours to take effect."

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AK47 terror of Brit builder fleeing Libya - mirror.co.uk

AK47 terror of Brit builder fleeing Libya - mirror.co.uk: "British builder fleeing Libya’s violent uprising told last night how he cheated death at the hands of gun-wielding anti-Gaddafi rebels.

Dad-of-two Paul Lynch, 54, was shot at as a violent mob attacked a building site where he was working. Bleeding from a head wound, he was helped to a nearby village and eventually made it to the Egyptian border.

But just 100 yards from safety he was stopped by anti-Gaddafi protesters and had a rifle pointed at his head. “The guy cocked his gun inches from my face,” said Paul, now back home in Birmingham. “I’ll never forget that sound. I thought, ‘This is it.’ I’ve never been as afraid in my entire life. I don’t know how we got out alive.”

Paul’s ordeal began last Saturday at the building site where he and a fellow Brit were overseeing construction of a luxury hotel and penthouse for Colonel Gaddafi’s second son Saif, near the city of Tobruk."

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Somali Pirates Release One Ship, Capture Two | News | English

Somali Pirates Release One Ship, Capture Two | News | English: "Somali pirates are reported to have freed one ship while capturing two others.

The European Union's anti-piracy force said Monday that pirates released a Japanese cargo ship, the MV Izumi, after four-and-a-half months of captivity. A statement said the vessel and its 20-member, all-Filipino crew were freed February 25 and are believed to be headed for a safe port.

The EU force also said pirates have seized a Greek-owned cargo ship off the coast of Oman, an area where Somali pirates have struck in the past. The MV Dover is said to have 23 crew members on board, including 19 Filipinos, three Romanians and one Russian.

Meanwhile, Denmark's foreign ministry said Monday that pirates have captured a yacht carrying seven Danish nationals, three of them children. It says pirates hijacked the yacht in the Indian Ocean late last week and are now sailing it toward Somalia"

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Libyan Rebels Win Backing of U.S., EU as Qaddafi Says `My People Love Me'

Libyan Rebels Win Backing of U.S., EU as Qaddafi Says `My People Love Me'"The U.S. and European nations solidified their support for Libya’s opposition, promising humanitarian aid and planning for a no-fly zone, as leader Muammar Qaddafi declared that “my people love me” and suggested that the U.S. wants to occupy his country.

The European Union today imposed an arms embargo and other sanctions, and the U.S. said it has frozen $30 billion in Libyan assets. The U.S. said refugee-aid teams were sent to Libya’s borders while U.S. American naval and air units were being repositioned in the Mediterranean.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with ministers from the E.U. and Russia in Geneva. The actions by the U.S. and Europe, a major consumer of Libyan oil, were designed to pressure Qaddafi to quit. He has “lost the legitimacy to govern and it is time for him to go without further violence or delay,” Clinton said.

Middle East shares tumbled, sending Dubai’s stock index to the lowest level in almost seven years, as political unrest in the region spread to the Sultanate of Oman and reignited in Tunisia, prompting investors to trim riskier assets."

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Banks must comply with sanctions against Libya: OSFI - Industry news - News Investment Executive

Banks must comply with sanctions against Libya: OSFI - Industry news - News Investment Executive: "The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions has told Canadian banks and other financial institutions that they must comply with sanctions against Libya as soon as possible.

OSFI said Monday that it has advised all federally regulated financial firms that the UN Security Council and the Canadian government are implementing financial sanctions against Libya, including an asset freeze against Moammar Gadhafi and members of his family.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper said that Canada would go beyond the UN measures and also impose an asset freeze on, and a prohibition of financial transactions with, the government of Libya, and its institutions and agencies, including the Libyan Central Bank.

“These actions will help restrict the movement of, and access to money and weapons for those responsible for violence against the Libyan people,” Harper said.

Canada’s regulations are expected to be posted Monday, and OSFI is in process of preparing a notice regarding implementation, which will be posted on its Web site soon. In the meantime, the federal regulator says that financial firms should note that Canada’s regulations came into effect on February 27, so firms should implement searching, asset freezing and reporting processes immediately."

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EBRD May Be Able to Invest 1 Billion Euros in Egypt, Morocco

EBRD May Be Able to Invest 1 Billion Euros in Egypt, Morocco "The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development may be able to invest as much as 1 billion euros ($1.4 billion) in Egypt and Morocco, according to the bank’s president, Thomas Mirow.

It would take as long as nine months to get full agreement on the loans, Mirow told reporters today in Brussels.

The EBRD, which has fostered the building of market economies in eastern Europe in the past two decades, stands ready to help nations in North Africa and the Middle East, adding to the 29 countries where it invests, Mirow said Feb. 23.

EBRD shareholders approved an increase in the London-based lender’s capital by 50 percent to 30 billion euros last May. That enables it to invest about 52 billion euros until 2015, more than the total investment since it was founded in 1991.

Egypt, a founding shareholder of the EBRD, filed a request in May to be included in the bank’s target region. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was toppled Feb. 11 after anti- government protests."

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chemical weapon fears,West ready to use force against Col Gaddafi

Libya: West ready to use force against Col Gaddafi amid chemical weapon fears - Telegraph: "The Prime Minister disclosed that he would not rule out “the use of military assets” as Britain “must not tolerate this regime using military forces against its own people”. Britain and America are also thought to be considering arming rebel forces in Libya.
Adding to growing concern about the crumbling regime’s ability to commit last desperate acts of mass murder, British sources have disclosed that Libya still has stocks of mustard gas chemicals.
Mr Cameron told MPs that Britain and its allies were considering using fighter jets to impose a no-fly zone over Libya, patrolling and shooting down Libyan aircraft ordered to attack protesters.
The Pentagon announced that the Americans had begun “repositioning forces” around Libya to provide “flexibility”. The French also announced that they would back a possible military intervention with Nato partners.
The warnings were sounded after Gaddafi was accused of ordering Libyan aircraft to attack a radio station being used by rebels in the city of Benghazi. An arms depot being used by anti-government forces was also blown up in the town of Ajdabiya, 100 miles further south."

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US tightens military grip on Gaddafi | World news

US tightens military grip on Gaddafi | World news "The west is edging towards a possible military confrontation with Muammar Gaddafi's regime, as the US deployed naval and air force units around Libya, and David Cameron ordered contingency plans for a no-fly zone.

The prime minister said he had told the Ministry of Defence and the chief of the defence staff to draw up the plans in coordination with Britain's Nato allies and report back to him within days.

A no-fly zone would be designed principally to prevent attacks on Libyan people by the Gaddafi regime – mainly by his helicopter gun ships.

Cameron suggested the UK might even consider arming the Libyan opposition forces if Tripoli used more violence to crush demonstrations."

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: Gaddafi gangs go on crime spree in Tripoli

Gaddafi gangs go on crime spree in Tripoli: "Residents of its eastern Tajoura district spread concrete blocks, large rocks and even chopped-down palm trees as makeshift barricades to prevent the SUVs filled with young men wielding automatic weapons from entering their neighborhood -- a hotspot of previous protests, the Associated Press reported.

With tensions running high in Tripoli, scores of people in the neighborhood turned out at a funeral for a 44-year-old man killed in clashes with pro-regime forces. Anwar Algadi was killed Friday, with the cause of death listed as “a live bullet to the head,” according to his brother, Mohammed.

Armed men in green armbands, along with uniformed security forces check those trying to enter the district, where graffiti that says “Gaddafi, you Jew,” “Down to the dog,” and “Tajoura is free” was scrawled on walls.

Meanwhile dozens of people were severely wounded Saturday in western Libyan after security forces opened fire, the Quryna newspaper reported."

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Libya rescue: UK forces to continue mission

 Libya rescue: UK forces to continue mission: "Further rescue missions are planned to airlift an estimated 300 British nationals still stranded in Libyan desert camps.

Two RAF Hercules flew 150 oil workers, many of them British nationals, to the safety of Malta on Saturday.

Looters are known to operate in the territory south of Benghazi, controlled by opponents of leader Muammar Gaddafi.

Meanwhile, 53 Britons were among 100 on the last government-chartered flight out of Libya to Gatwick on Saturday.

The BBC's Europe editor Gavin Hewitt, who is in Malta, says the RAF flights on Saturday were into an area which was 'relatively safe' because the landing strip had been secured by local militia, and by oil company security.

He says 'there are much more complicated and difficult places where there are still British workers', and rescue plans for them are being worked out.

The Royal Navy frigate HMS Cumberland is also heading back to Benghazi to help with further evacuations.

The Foreign Office has revised upwards its original estimate of the number of British oil workers still in the desert."

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A glimpse into Gaddafi's palace - Africa - Al Jazeera English

A glimpse into Gaddafi's palace - Africa - Al Jazeera English

As pro-democracy demonstrators gain control of more cities in eastern Libya, Muammar Gaddafi's many properties in the hands of protesters have been ransacked and destroyed.
One such palace sits on the outskirts of Benghazi, Libya's second largest city and the de facto capital of the revolution.
Set in beautifully landscaped gardens, with a covered swimming pool, a sauna and a jacuzzi for Gaddafi and his guests, the palace offers a glimpse into the fortified world of a leader said to be suffering from paranoia.
With a fully equipped underground shelter designed to keep the leader safe for several months, in case of an attack involving use of unconventional weapons, the palace is more than just a luxurious castle.
The bunker in the palace has a fully serviced air filter system and is also equipped with emergency generators, fire alarm, water pumps, and a ladder fixed in what could have served as a back emergency exit to help the leader escape.

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Security Council Calls for War Crimes Inquiry in Libya

Security Council Calls for War Crimes Inquiry in Libya - NYTimes.com: "The United Nations Security Council voted unanimously on Saturday night to impose sanctions on Libya’s leader, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, and his inner circle of advisers, and called for an international war crimes investigation into “widespread and systemic attacks” against Libyan citizens who have protested against his government over the last two weeks."

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UN sanctions Libya, orders ICC probe

UN sanctions Libya, orders ICC probe - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation): "The UN Security Council has unanimously adopted an arms embargo against Libya, a travel and assets ban on Moamer Gaddafi's regime and ordered a crimes against humanity investigation into the bloodshed.

The council made a new demand for an immediate end to attacks on civilians by Mr Gaddafi's loyalists which it said had been incited 'from the highest level of the Libyan government.'

The UN says more than 1,000 people have been killed in the unrest.

The travel ban and assets will target the 68-year-old Libyan leader, seven of his sons and daughter Aisha, other family members and top defence and intelligence officials accused of playing a role in the bloodshed.

Sixteen names are on the sanctions list."

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Wheels have come off our 'Rolls-Royce' Civil Service. Cameron needs to fix it

Wheels have come off our 'Rolls-Royce' Civil Service. Cameron needs to fix it  "If the first duty of government is the protection of its citizens, then the Coalition came perilously close to failure this week. It got sand in its engine as it tried and failed to swiftly bring British nationals in Libya home to safety.

The Government has resembled little more than a budget airline as flights have been delayed, rescheduled and cancelled with those on the ground given scandalously
little information. To add insult to injury, those in peril have been left trying to make an international call from a country in chaos as the Libyan-based helpline number had been cut as part of a cost-saving exercise. Both the Prime Minister and the Foreign
Secretary have been left with nothing to say but sorry.

If this was not enough, the past few days have been characterised by a series of other blunders."

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