Sources say police will examine Coulson’s denial of any knowledge of phone hacking at Tommy Sheridan trial Andy Coulson, the prime minister’s former director of communications, is being investigated by police for allegedly committing perjury while working for David Cameron in Downing Street. The development renews pressure on the prime minister over his judgment in hiring the former News of the World editor and represents the third criminal investigation Coulson faces, adding to allegations that he knew of phone hacking while in charge of the tabloid and authorised bribes to police officers. Strathclyde detectives confirmed that they had opened a perjury inquiry centred on evidence Coulson gave in court last year that led to a man being jailed. Coulson was a major witness in a trial involving Tommy Sheridan, the former MSP who was accused of lying in court when winning a libel action against the News of the World. Coulson had been the editor of the Sunday tabloid when it ran a story accusing Sheridan of being an adulterer who visited swingers’ clubs. Sources say police will examine Coulson’s denial of any knowledge of phone hacking and payments to police officers at the Sheridan trial against the evidence held by the Scotland Yard investigation. At the trial Coulson also denied knowing that the paper paid corrupt police officers for tip-offs, which contradicts recent disclosures that News International has uncovered emails showing payments were made to the police during his editorship. Coulson, who was called as a witness in December 2010, told the court that he had no knowledge of illegal activities by reporters while he was editor of the newspaper. He also claimed: “I don’t accept there was a culture of phone hacking at the News of the World.” Sheridan was jailed for three years in January after being found guilty of perjury during his 2006 defamation action against the NoW. He had successfully sued the newspaper over its claims. Also giving testimony alongside Coulson were Bob Bird, the News of the World’s Scottish editor, and Douglas Wight, the Scottish edition’s former news editor. Bird denied being part of a “culture of phone tapping” and Wight, who is now the paper’s books editor, told the court he was not aware of any payment for illegal activities. Strathclyde police’s assistant chief constable, George Hamilton, said: “Following our discussions with the crown, we have now been instructed to carry out a full investigation into allegations that witnesses gave perjured evidence in the trial of Tommy Sheridan and into alleged breaches of data protection and phone hacking. “We will also be looking to see if we can uncover any evidence of corruption in the police service or any other organisation related to these inquiries. “However, I must stress that no specific allegations regarding corruption have been presented to us at this time. “We will be working with the Metropolitan police and with the other Scottish forces as we progress with the investigation. “I have put in place a structure that will allow us to work effectively together, but also to ensure that any member of the public who has a concern regarding the safety and security of their private data and information is able to register that concern and to have it properly investigated. “By its very nature, this investigation will require us to allocate varying levels of resources to it. There is a huge amount of material to consider and, potentially, a large number of people to contact. “This will mean that the investigation is likely to be a lengthy one. However, you have my absolute assurance that it will be a thorough one. We will do everything we can to find out the facts and to report all examples of wrongdoing.” Sheridan’s lawyer, Aamer Anwar, said: “Over two weeks ago we provided a detailed dossier of allegations of perjury, phone hacking and breach of data to Strathclyde police and called for a robust investigation. “Over £2m was spent by the police on investigating Mr and Mrs Sheridan and we were told it was in the public interest. I expect now to see a similar ruthlessness and determination in dealing with the News of the World.” A News International spokeswoman said: “We can confirm that we have been contacted by police on this matter. We can’t say anything else.” Earlier this month it emerged that Coulson had hired one of Scotland’s top QCs, Paul McBride. Andy Coulson Phone hacking Newspapers & magazines National newspapers News of the World Scotland Tommy Sheridan Newspapers Vikram Dodd Ben Dowell guardian.co.uk
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Leighton, 27, suspected of murdering five patients at the hospital in Stockport after saline bags were sabotaged with insulin Police continued to question nurse Rebecca Leighton over the deaths of five patients at the hospital where she worked after bags of saline solution were sabotaged with insulin. Detectives arrested the 27-year-old on Wednesday on suspicion of murder after 36 adulterated bags of saline were found at Stepping Hill hospital in Stockport. Police have been given more time to question her under a warrant of further detention. It was due to expire at 9.05pm last night, at which point she had to be either be released from custody or charged. It is understood Leighton had recently been rejected for a new job, thought to have been a promotion within the hospital. She is believed to have vehemently protested her innocence to detectives. Officers said it was likely the death toll would rise as the coroner investigates any further unexplained deaths at the hospital. An 83-year-old man who died on Thursday was named as electronic engineer Derek Weaver. A postmortem on an 84-year-old woman who died on 11 July and has not yet been identified was inconclusive, but she also had low blood sugar. Assistant chief constable Ian Hopkins sought to reassure the public that the patients who died became ill before police were called in, and said that 60 detectives were working on the case. “Since the police have been investigating, and the measures have been stepped up in terms of security at the hospital, we have had no further incidents of deliberate damage or contamination of products within Stepping Hill hospital,” he said. Both pensioners had been patients on wards A1 and A3, where the saline was tampered with. The police inquiry is focusing on patients’ treatment from 7 July. Hopkins said the police wanted to prevent further harm and once that was achieved they would look at cases before that date. Inquests have been opened and adjourned into the deaths of Tracey Arden, 44; George Keep, 84; and Arnold Lancaster, 71. Those who know Leighton portray her as a hard-working, cheerful and polite young woman who enjoys nights out with her friends but had found nightshifts difficult. She followed her mother, Lynda, into nursing after taking an Open University degree. Her mother is a manager at Stepping Hill hospital, responsible for nurse training, and her father is a bus driver. Another man in his 40s who was critically ill at the hospital after suffering a drop in blood sugar is said to be improving and a woman who suffered a seizure is also said to be recovering. Hospital staff say they are not concerned about the health of nine other patients who were affected by a fall in blood sugar levels. Chris Burke, chief executive of Stockport NHS foundation trust, said: “Our thoughts are obviously with the families of those affected by recent deaths at the hospital. Because a police investigation is still underway, at the request of the coroner, all deaths are being referred to the coroner’s office.” He said they fully support the coroner’s thorough approach to scrutinising and investigating the deaths. The General Nursing and Midwifery Council said it had begun proceedings to suspend Leighton’s registration following her arrest. Crime NHS Health Helen Carter guardian.co.uk
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One in five 16- to 24-year-olds are unemployed with huge numbers staying in education to avoid dole, reports ONS There are fewer young people working than at any time in the past two decades, according to new figures which show that one in five 16- to 24-year-olds are unemployed. Figures from the Office for National Statistics show the “inactive” population – which comprises young people who are neither working nor unemployed – stands at nearly 3 million, the highest level since the data was first collected in 1992. The new analysis says two-thirds of these 16- to 24-year-olds are staying on in education, perhaps to stave off unemployment. This is the first time that the inactive population – which includes people who are in education, looking after family, retired, or sick and disabled – has been broken down and analysed in this way. It shows that 77.4% of them are now students, up nearly 3% on the same time in 2008 just before the recession hit. ONS statistician Jamie Jenkins says the number of 16- to 24-year-olds in the inactive group is now so high it has pushed up the traditional unemployment percentage rate by making the workforce smaller. “The difference has widened because of the recession,” he said. “And the reason is a lot more young people have chosen to stay in education.” Meanwhile, 40% of those working are in what the ONS defines as “elementary” or “service jobs”, ie working in bars or shops. The total number of young people not in education, employment or training is also at a record high and nearing a million. The figures show also that Wales has the highest proportion of unemployed young people, 22.5% of 16-24s. The picture for 16- to 17-year-olds is bleaker still. When Labour came into power in 1997, around half of 16- to 17-year-olds were working. Now it’s just 23.3%, the lowest since figures were collected. The government has been criticised for its abandonment of the Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA), which helps poorer students into further education with a £30 per week grant. The Education Select Committee reported this month that the cuts and its replacement by a new bursary, were “rushed and ill-thought through reforms”. The NUS president, Liam Burns, says the figures show the rise in tuition fees and the scrapping of the EMA will “slam the door of education shut to those who could benefit most, when very few other doors remain open”. Unemployment Unemployment and employment statistics Economics Office for National Statistics Young people Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) Job hunting Simon Rogers guardian.co.uk
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RMT union leader renews plan to combine with TSSA over threatened cuts, but critic brands move a Gordon Gekko-style takeover Bob Crow may increase his power over the rail industry after the RMT trade union announced merger talks with its closest rival, the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA). A combined RMT and TSSA would have 110,000 members and cover all roles across the rail network from train drivers to signallers. One prominent critic of trade union activism labelled the move a “Gordon Gekko-style takeover” that threatened disruption for commuters. The merger talks, long-mooted in labour movement circles, have taken on renewed urgency in the wake of a report into cutting industry costs by Sir Roy McNulty, former chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority, which threw down the gauntlet to trade unions by calling for reform of working practices and an end to inflation-busting pay increases. The industrial temperature was raised further this week when Network Rail, the owner of Britain’s rail tracks and stations, indicated it will shed 4,000 signallers over the next decade. The RMT said: “The McNulty review has forced the pace on this. It has focused attention on the fact that we are facing the biggest attack on the railways since privatisation.” Crow, RMT general secretary, welcomed a “historical day” for the trade union movement while his TSSA counterpart, Gerry Doherty, said bringing the unions together would “protect workers in the very uncertain future that they currently face”. However, a Conservative MP who has led calls for stronger regulation of trade unions warned that a successful merger would increase the threat of strike action on the railways and the London Underground. “This will be a Gordon Gekko-style takeover by Bob Crow, not an act of fraternal solidarity,” said Dominic Raab MP. “With TSSA and RMT spoiling for a fight, it is an attempt to strengthen union opposition to vital reforms to UK rail infrastructure – and it heightens the risk of strike action for passengers.” A rail industry source admitted that “a certain amount of nervousness” could be sensed among rail industry executives, amid expectations that if the merger talks are successful Crow will emerge as leader of the combined entity because the blue-collar RMT has about 80,000 members compared with 30,000 at the more moderate and white-collar TSSA. “Barely a month goes by when the RMT does not threaten industrial action somewhere, whereas the TSSA tends not to take such an aggressive approach to strike action,” said the source. One trade union source said a merger faced significant hurdles, as indicated by the unions’ respective attitudes towards strike action. “Politically, both unions are poles apart,” said the source, pointing to the TSSA’s close links with the Labour party, whereas the RMT was expelled by Labour in 2004 for its links with the Trotskyist Scottish Socialist party. The source stressed that the official statement also referred to both unions working together through a “federation structure” that would allow much closer co-operation “with a view to moving towards a merger”. The RMT and TSSA have worked together recently, despite tough rules on joint walkouts, by staging joint strike action on the London Underground. Nonetheless, trade unions are being driven into mergers for financial as well as strategic reasons. According to the Office for National Statistics, trade unions lost 179,000 members last year, leaving a total membership of 6.5 million. Britain’s largest trade union, Unite, is launching cut-price memberships for students and the unemployed as it seeks to widen recruitment from workplaces to local communities. The former head of Unite, Tony Woodley, has also warned that the union movement’s finances are being hit by falling membership. Against that backdrop, the RMT is a success story, having gained around 30,000 members since Crow was elected leader a decade ago. In contrast, the TSSA has flatlined, staying at 30,000 members since the middle of the last decade. Rail transport Bob Crow Trade unions Transport policy Dan Milmo guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …RMT union leader renews plan to combine with TSSA over threatened cuts, but critic brands move a Gordon Gekko-style takeover Bob Crow may increase his power over the rail industry after the RMT trade union announced merger talks with its closest rival, the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA). A combined RMT and TSSA would have 110,000 members and cover all roles across the rail network from train drivers to signallers. One prominent critic of trade union activism labelled the move a “Gordon Gekko-style takeover” that threatened disruption for commuters. The merger talks, long-mooted in labour movement circles, have taken on renewed urgency in the wake of a report into cutting industry costs by Sir Roy McNulty, former chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority, which threw down the gauntlet to trade unions by calling for reform of working practices and an end to inflation-busting pay increases. The industrial temperature was raised further this week when Network Rail, the owner of Britain’s rail tracks and stations, indicated it will shed 4,000 signallers over the next decade. The RMT said: “The McNulty review has forced the pace on this. It has focused attention on the fact that we are facing the biggest attack on the railways since privatisation.” Crow, RMT general secretary, welcomed a “historical day” for the trade union movement while his TSSA counterpart, Gerry Doherty, said bringing the unions together would “protect workers in the very uncertain future that they currently face”. However, a Conservative MP who has led calls for stronger regulation of trade unions warned that a successful merger would increase the threat of strike action on the railways and the London Underground. “This will be a Gordon Gekko-style takeover by Bob Crow, not an act of fraternal solidarity,” said Dominic Raab MP. “With TSSA and RMT spoiling for a fight, it is an attempt to strengthen union opposition to vital reforms to UK rail infrastructure – and it heightens the risk of strike action for passengers.” A rail industry source admitted that “a certain amount of nervousness” could be sensed among rail industry executives, amid expectations that if the merger talks are successful Crow will emerge as leader of the combined entity because the blue-collar RMT has about 80,000 members compared with 30,000 at the more moderate and white-collar TSSA. “Barely a month goes by when the RMT does not threaten industrial action somewhere, whereas the TSSA tends not to take such an aggressive approach to strike action,” said the source. One trade union source said a merger faced significant hurdles, as indicated by the unions’ respective attitudes towards strike action. “Politically, both unions are poles apart,” said the source, pointing to the TSSA’s close links with the Labour party, whereas the RMT was expelled by Labour in 2004 for its links with the Trotskyist Scottish Socialist party. The source stressed that the official statement also referred to both unions working together through a “federation structure” that would allow much closer co-operation “with a view to moving towards a merger”. The RMT and TSSA have worked together recently, despite tough rules on joint walkouts, by staging joint strike action on the London Underground. Nonetheless, trade unions are being driven into mergers for financial as well as strategic reasons. According to the Office for National Statistics, trade unions lost 179,000 members last year, leaving a total membership of 6.5 million. Britain’s largest trade union, Unite, is launching cut-price memberships for students and the unemployed as it seeks to widen recruitment from workplaces to local communities. The former head of Unite, Tony Woodley, has also warned that the union movement’s finances are being hit by falling membership. Against that backdrop, the RMT is a success story, having gained around 30,000 members since Crow was elected leader a decade ago. In contrast, the TSSA has flatlined, staying at 30,000 members since the middle of the last decade. Rail transport Bob Crow Trade unions Transport policy Dan Milmo guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Ministers send prosecutors new guidelines against families who send young girls abroad to undergo the brutal procedure New guidelines to target families that take young girls abroad to undergo female genital mutilation are being sent to prosecutors by the government. Ministers want to encourage more action against those who inflict the brutal procedure on their children and relatives amid concerns that the current approach serves as little deterrent. Female genital mutilation is an illegal procedure in the UK with those convicted risking 14 years’ imprisonment. The Female Genital Mutilation Act of 2003 also allows for the prosecution of British citizens who breach the provisions of the act and perform the procedure abroad. But while the law seems strict on paper, it seems to have limited effect in practice. Campaigners say 22,000 girls are at risk each year. However, MPs were this week told that there has yet to be a single conviction, despite 100 investigations being carried out over two years by the Met. By contrast the French authorities have successfully prosecuted in 100 cases. Fears are currently acute because the long school summer holidays are when many girls are flown to Africa, the Middle East and parts of the far east, oblivious to what has been planned for them. Outlining the new approach to the House of Commons, the Home Office minister Jeremy Wright said: “There are a number of things we can do. We should look not only to punish those who are responsible for committing these offences but to improve the guidance available to prosecutors so that they can prosecute more often. If there are difficulties with prosecuting, they might be to do with the types of information and understanding that crown prosecutors need to have and later this summer the CPS will therefore be issued with new guidelines to assist.” Advice compiled by the Home Office, Foreign Office, the education department and the health department will also be sent to teachers and GPs, the minister said. “We need to broaden awareness more generally and have sent out some 40,000 leaflets and 40,000 posters to schools, health services, charities and community groups, because wider society needs to understand what is happening,” he added. “We also need to assist victims, which we are doing with 15 specialist NHS clinics offering a range of services, including so-called reversal surgery. Women can go to those centres direct and do not need to be referred.” The minister was responding to Jane Ellison, the Tory MP for Battersea, who made an impassioned plea for the issue to be taken more seriously. She described genital mutilation as “a brutal crime perpetrated against those who are least able to protect themselves: little girls and young women. In every case, the health of the girl or woman is damaged, often irreparably. What is most shocking of all is that a great many of these criminal acts are perpetrated against girls aged 10 and under, right down to infants.” Ellison quoted figures from the Foundation for Women’s Health, Research and Development (Forward), which suggest that around 66,000 women and girls in England and Wales have already been subject to genital mutilation and well over 22,000 should be considered as “at risk”. “In some areas of London, about 5% of women giving birth present with signs of mutilation,” she told the house. “Headteachers have described to me happy and outgoing young girls who have returned from their summer holidays withdrawn and distressed. I struggle to understand why the systematic and brutal wounding of young girls is not considered a national scandal. I know that right honourable and honourable members would not tolerate a situation in which little British girls were taken abroad and returned missing their fingers. Likewise, we should not tolerate female genital mutilation.” Two weeks ago the Met and the charity Kids Taskforce launched a teaching aid for schools: a short documentary made by pupils in south London with assistance from journalists from ITN and one of the producers of Come Dine With Me. Sharon Doughty, the founder of Kids Taskforce, said they hope to raise awareness among teachers but also pupils themselves. “Any move towards a prosecution would be a fantastic development. We need a prosecution. It would send an important message.” Video: Watch Guardian Films’ investigation into the issue Women Human rights Children Crime Gender Middle East Africa Hugh Muir guardian.co.uk
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Following the media's relentless coverage of the Bachmann clinic and their semi-humorous insinuations that Marcus Bachmann might be gay, MSNBC's Thomas Roberts, who is himself openly gay , told viewers today the Republican presidential contender would try to wipe out gays and lesbians. ” But you will replace [Obama] with a person who would extinguish you ,” Roberts protested Friday morning to Jimmy LaSalvia, executive director of GOProud, a gay conservative organization opposing Obama's reelection. [VIDEO BELOW THE FOLD. MP3 audio here .] Roberts's outburst came in response to
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Footage shows ‘disturbing normality’ of public executions with convicts hanged from bridge in front of crowds, including children A disturbing video of the public execution of three men in Iran has sparked anger among human rights activists. The graphic video, released by Amnesty International on Thursday , showed guards standing on top of buses draping ropes around necks of three convicts sentenced to death by hanging after being convicted of rape. The men were later hanged from an overhead bridge after the vehicles drove away. The executions, which took place on 19 July in the western city of Kermanshah, home to Iran’s Kurd minority, attracted significant crowds, including children. Some of the crowds appear to be filming hangings by mobile phones. The video, which was supplied to Amnesty by an Iranian human rights activist, Fazel Hawramy from kurdishblogger.com , highlights the use of public executions, in which officials publicly hang convicts from a large crane or a high place in front of crowds. “What is so alarming about this video is the apparent normality of the event. Thousands of people are watching as if it were a football match. People are shouting and cheering. But what is most shocking is the participation of children in this barbaric ‘spectacle’,” Hawramy said. The release of the video follows human rights groups’ alarm alarm over the sharp escalation in capital punishment in Iran . Activists said two weeks ago that Iran has executed an average of almost two people a day in the first six months of this year. Iran insists the executions are related to serious crimes such as drug-trafficking although at least two political activists have been identified among those hanged in the first half of 2011. Amnesty said Iranian authorities have acknowledged public executions of at least 28 people so far this year. Speaking to the Guardian by phone from Kermanshah, the Iranian who filmed Amnesty’s video said: “I was there, the executions took place at the centre of the city in Azadi Square at 10 in the morning when people were busy with their businesses or shopping. “Authorities didn’t have any consideration for innocent children who were accompanying their parents and suddenly watched an execution which I would guess would be carved in their mind forever.” Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Amnesty International Middle East and North Africa deputy director, said: “Not only those executed, but all those who watch public executions, including, children, are brutalised and degraded by the experience. These public displays of killing perpetuate a culture of acceptance of violence and bloodlust, rather than a belief in justice.” She added: “It is deeply disturbing that despite a moratorium on public executions ordered in 2008, the Iranian authorities are once again resorting to this inhuman practice.” Amnesty said Kermanshah’s executions follow “several widely publicised gang rapes of women this year in Iran. In some cases, officials blamed the victims for failing to adhere to the official code on dress or gender segregation.” In criticism to Iran’s use of capital punishment as a solution to the country’s rape issue, Hadj Sahraoui said: “Executions after speedy, unfair trials are no solution to the extremely serious problem of rape in Iran, which feeds on the acceptance of violence against women at all levels of society. “The Iranian authorities should be aiming to combat this culture of violence rather than perpetuate it through these public displays of brutality.” Rebin Rahmani of HRANA, a human rights website, said 450 people in Kermanshah prison, convicted of charges such as rape or drug-trafficking, have been handed down death sentence and are currently awaiting execution. Iran Middle East Capital punishment Amnesty International Protest Human rights Saeed Kamali Dehghan guardian.co.uk
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Energy secretary and his former wife are reinterviewed over claims she took penalty points on her licence for him The energy secretary, Chris Huhne, has been questioned for a second time by detectives over claims that he made his former wife take speeding points for him. Vicky Pryce was also interviewed by police in Essex on Wednesday regarding the allegation, according to sources. Essex police said they are preparing a file to be sent to the Crown Prosecution Service. Huhne and Pryce were reinterviewed this week after police obtained a court order last month to take possession of a tape recording in which the former couple apparently discuss the case. The material was handed over on 1 July. The pair were first interviewed by detectives in May over the claims Chris Huhne guardian.co.uk
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An explosion has damaged government buildings in Oslo with injuries reported. The cause of the blast has yet to be ascertained. If you have any information please email me at haroon.siddique@guardian.co.uk or contact me via Twitter @haroon_siddique 4.39pm: According to reports from the newspaper Dagsbladet, the bomb was meant to target the office of the oil and energy ministry, Lars Eriksen in Demark informs me. Rumours have been rife of additional bombs (possibly two more) in Oslo. NRK (the state broadcaster) is saying police believe there are no more bombs. But Nicholas Karlsen in Oslo emailed me to say that Aftenposten newspaper is reporting police believe it is possible there two more bombs that they haven’t located yet. 4.25pm: Peter Beaumont, foreign affairs editor at the Observer, says a jihadist group is most likely to be behind the blast: It has been known for some time that al-Qaida core and other related “franchises” – including in the most active in Yemen – have been attempting to develop operations. Which leads to a second question: why Norway?… The answer to that is three fold. In then first instance, with the increased levels of security and surveillance in the UK and the US as well as other European capitals, Norway might have been seen as a softer target despite the recent breaking up of an al-Qaida cell in Norway. A more detailed explanation of the problems that Norway has had with Al Qaeda were supplied a year ago by the Atlantic magazine i n an article by Thomas Hegghammer , a senior fellow at the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment in Oslo, and Dominic Tierney. That piece followed the arrest of three men in Norway and Germany for allegedly plotting a terrorist attack involving peroxide explosives. All of those arrested were were Muslim immigrants to Norway. The first explanation,” wrote Hegghammer and Tierney, “is Afghanistan. Norway has been part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan from its foundation in late 2001…. In late 2007, for example, Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaida’s second-in-command, said that the group had previously threatened Norway because it “participated in the war against the Muslims… A second contributory factor for why Norway may have been eyed in the past for potential jihadi terrorist attack is the fact that in 2006, a Norwegian newspaper reprinted a series of Danish cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad which prompted threats against the country. A third potential explanation is the recent decision last week by a Norwegian prosecutor filed terror charges against an Iraqi-born cleric for threatening Norwegian politicians with death if he’s deported from the Nordic country. The indictment centered on statements that Mullah Krekar – the founder of the Kurdish Islamist group Ansar al-Islam – made to various media, including American network NBC. 4.14pm: The Norwegian state broadcaster now says two people are confirmed dead . 4.11pm: Oslo police also referred to “deaths and injuries” but did not specify numbers. So far one person has been confirmed dead as a result of the explosion, which police now say was caused by a bomb. 4.09pm: Oslo police have said the explosion was caused by a bomb, the BBC just said. 4.05pm: ABC News reports that the “was [the] result of a massive vehicle bomb, according to US government sources on the scene”. Swedish reporter Carl Kleberg has tweeted this: Police stops reporter of #Norway’s Aftenposten: “because there are still two bombs that we don’t know where they are.” #Oslo 3.59pm: An Icelandic MP has tweeted that seven people have been admitted to hospital in Oslo. Eyewitnesses say there are many ambulances on the scene. Mike Emery, working in Norway for a charity, emailed me: According to NRK (Norwegian public service broadcaster) there is broken glass up to 1km from the blast site. July is the holiday month in Norway and almost everyone goes on vacation. We have to hope that many people are on holiday. The blast happened after 3.15pm and Norway is on Summer Working Hours meaning people leave work at 3pm. Let’s hope this is the case. 3.51pm: Here’s another video showing the extent of the devastation wreaked by the explosion . _ 3.45pm: NRK, the Norwegian broadcaster, says that one person has been killed , Lars Eriksen in Denmark informs me. Senior adviser Oivind Ostang told Norwegian TV2. We can confirm that everybody who was working in the prime minister’s office today are safe. The only thing I know is that there has been a fire or something approaching a fire in the R4-buildling which houses the oil- and energy office. 3.42pm: This video shows windows blown out and people walking over pavements covered in shattered glass . 3.40pm: A Norwegian reporter told the BBC she is in a buidling five blocks away and its windows have been blown out by the explosion. She used the word “bomb” before clarifying that she had no evidence the cause of the explosion was a bomb but suggested that she could not see what else would cause an explosion of such magnitued. 3.34pm: Several people have been injured in a large explosion which has damaged government buildings in central Oslo, including the office of the Norwegian prime minster. A Reuters correspondent said he counted at least eight injured people after the unexplained blast. The tangled wreckage of a car was outside one building but the cause of the blast was unknown with police and fire officials refusing to comment. The explosion at around 3.30pm (2.30pm BST) blew out most windows on the 17-storey building housing prime minister Jens Stoltenberg’s office, as well as nearby ministries including the oil ministry, which was on fire. Norwegian news agency NTB said the prime minister is safe. Newspaper offices in the area were also reportedly damaged. The city centre – which usually empties in July as Norwegians take holidays – is currently closed off with all public transport to and from the centre suspended. Norway Haroon Siddique guardian.co.uk
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