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Ex-Sony president Norio Ohga dies

Opera singer joined company in 1950s and is credited with developing CD format in order to listen to Beethoven’s Ninth Norio Ohga, the former head of Sony who gave up a career as an opera singer to join the fledgling company in the 1950s and is credited with spearheading the development of the CD, has died. Ohga died on Saturday due to multiple organ failure at the age of 81, Sony said. He was the president of the company from 1982 until 1995 and became chairman until 2000. He is credited with leading its expansion from hardware into content, including the music, film and video games business. Ohga studied to be an opera singer at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music before joining Sony, where it was recognised that his musical training and knowledge of sound and electrical engineering would benefit the firm. Later, his musical background led him to push for the 12cm CD format still in use today because it provided enough storage capacity for 75 minutes of music– he particularly wanted to enjoy Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony on a single disc without interruption. Sony sold its first CD in 1982 and, within five years, sales of the format had overtaken those of LPs in Japan. Ohga’s specification has also shaped the format of subsequent home entertainment developments, including the MiniDisc and the DVD. Ohga also played a key role in Sony’s move into the music business with the acquisition of CBS Records, the 1989 deal to buy the Hollywood film studio Columbia Pictures, and the launch of Sony’s PlayStation videogames console. “By redefining Sony as a company encompassing both hardware and software, Ohga-san succeeded where other Japanese companies failed,” Howard Stinger, who took over as the Sony chairman in 2005, said in a statement. “It is no exaggeration to attribute Sony’s evolution beyond audio and video products into music, movies and games, and subsequent transformation into a global entertainment leader to Ohga-san’s foresight and vision.” Ohga remained a senior adviser to Sony at the time of his death. He was also the chairman of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra. Sony Japan Jason Deans guardian.co.uk

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Meet Grady Warren: Tea Party stalwart, presidential candidate, flaming racist

Click here to view this media The next time your Tea Partying/Breitbart-reading brother-in-law challenges you to demonstrate evidence of racism in the Tea Parties, direct them to Grady Warren’s videos. Warren is a sport-fishing promoter in Florida who runs a site called “Conservative Sportsmen” that seems now to have become the launching pad for Warren’s presidential ambitions. As you can see, he’s already declared. His platform: Deport all Muslims. Deport all “illegal aliens.” Force blacks into “re-education camps”. Bring all liberals “to justice.” And deny nonwhites the right to vote. And he voices it so charmingly — especially in his attacks on President Obama: WARREN: Barack, you’re in a fight you will not win. Because you have underestimated how many millions of Americans love this country and have lost loved ones for these United States. You have declared war on the white man in America — putting the wants and needs of moochers, leeches, looters, and criminals ahead of the producers, and the workers of America. And we don’t want 15 to 20 million illiterate Mexicans and Chicanos as our new welfare society, living like rats in our neighborhoods. They must go, and either the government steps up, or the government will have to clean up. They will not stay and get citizenship for breaking the law. Barack, you, your advisers, pollsters, pundits, talking heads, have wanted to know: Who are the pissed-off people in this country? Well, the pissed-off people, sir, are the white people. It’s the white people, stupid. You’ll notice, in fact, that all Warren is doing is taking standard Tea Party rhetoric and just amping it up to the next level — the level, in fact, that you often encounter among the movement’s rank and file, where they’re not as inhibited about believing insane things or saying vicious and bigoted things. This is why the Birther garbage continues to be so popular with this crowd. This was embodied in Warren’s defense of the Tea Party last fall against charges of racism — by, essentially, claiming that racist behavior and beliefs were perfectly legitimate: Click here to view this media Transcript from Julie Driscoll at the Chicago Liberal Examiner : WARREN: Barack Hussein Obama. Mmm mmm hmm. And Ben Jealous of the NAACP. John Conyers, Maxine Waters, Charlie Rangel, and all the other criminals in the Congressional Black Caucus. And Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, and all the nigra race pimps out there. On behalf of the Tea Party we are sick and tired of being called racist when our mission is to educate legal American voters on the most conservative candidates to consider voting for. That’s it. We are good Americans, we are moral Americans. We are religious and non. We are taxpayers, we are civil to our neighbors, and we are law-abiding citizens. We love this country and we are willing to fight for what’s right. Not political correctness, not for the Republicans, not for the Democrats, and especially not for the liberals. The Tea Party is tired of Blacks, nigras, Muslims, and Hispanics, especially the illegals, calling us racist for trying to save the America that we love. So on this 3rd day of November, 2010, I declare a Teahad on political correctness and the groups out to destroy America. Muslims for example have a rich history of infiltrating, procreating and then eliminating. This is a fact of history, therefore we believe in stopping their progress and starting deportations of all Muslims as soon as possible.” Now Blacks, they only make up 13 percent of the population, but somehow they make up 45 percent of the city, state and federal jobs. And we wonder why the government doesn’t work. And we wonder why blacks cause more crimes than all other races combined. Ben, is it racist if I say that every other minority group that has come to America, no matter how they got here, have succeeded – most in just one generation? The Chinese, the Vietnamese, the Cambodians, and many others. But not the blacks. After trillions of dollars have been given in reparations to the blacks, and this has not been given to the other races, blacks are still where they were pretty much 50 years ago. Is that being racist when I ask that question? Well, Ben, I’m sorry, but that’s a fact. Why are most blacks on some form of welfare, and why do we allow billions in fraud each and every year on social programs? Is it racist to want 12-20 million illegal aliens to be deported and the southern border wall completed? Is it racist to scream out loud when we see illegals desecrating the American flag on American streets, grabbing their crotches, flipping us off, basically saying, screw you, on our soil? Is that racist to get upset when we do that? Or when the President puts devout Muslims in charge of Homeland Security? Are we racist because we do not want to kill babies or because we love Christmas, we want God in our lives as Americans? Or is it racist when we ask that our children not be taught that little Johnny’s got two moms or two dads, and that’s normal, desecrating marriage between a man and a woman? Or is it racist because we love Sarah Palin, because she is a female version of Ronald Reagan, and to millions of men she is their fantasy wife? Sarah is all about what’s great in America. Barack Hussein Obama recently told college students that the Tea Party conservatives and white people did not want them of color to vote. You are correct, sir. The 91 percent of blacks that approve of you, you’re damn right. We don’t want ‘em anywhere near the polls. They have not been educated enough to vote. They vote skin color and Democratic, period. And the same goes for the Hispanic community and the rest of the ignorant and uneducated liberals. Is it racist to only want taxpayers and semi-educated folks to vote? Is it racist to want the Fair Tax where every citizen has to pay taxes. Ladies, gentlemen, young people, I will fight the left, the right, Republicans, Democrats, and political correctness. Our Teahad needs you, so please, join me in this fight and to Ben Jealous and all the Black criminal leaders out there, if asking these questions and being good Americans makes the Tea Party members racist, well I guess this Huckleberry is just a racist. As always, when you scratch the surface of a bellicose ultra-right-winger, you find a scam artist not far beneath. It seems that, in addition to his involvement in any number of fishing derbies, Warren also was involved in an earlier scam to claim that people were fishing for sharks with kittens. Mind you, there’s not a lot of evidence that Warren has much actual influence within the Tea Party — he’s just attached himself to the movement. That’s known to happen. But what hasn’t happened is also significant: Warren has neither been denounced by Florida Tea Partiers nor driven from their ranks. As Rick at South Florida Daily Blog observes: Guys like Grady certainly don’t make up the entirety of the Tea Party. But he’s representing and there are plenty on the Right who feel that Grady represents them. More importantly, there is no one on the Right shouting these people down. What is not being said says volumes. Julio Varela has more.

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St. Louis Tornado

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St. Louis Tornado

St Louis Lambert Airport Tornado Closes Terminal. St. Louis Airport damage to close the facility for days. Lambert Airport in St. Louis closed, crews clean up after tornad. St. Louis Tornado Causes Damage, Injuries At Lambert Airport ST. LOUIS — An apparent tornado tore through a section of St. Louis’ Lambert Field on Friday, lifting the roof off a concourse, injuring several people and forcing the airport’s closure. Planes were diverted to other locations as … St. Louis Tornado Causes Damage, Injuries At Lambert Airport | All … St. Louis Tornado Causes Damage, Injuries At Lambert Airport. Number of View: 1. An apparent tornado tore through a section of St. Louis’ Lambert Field on Friday, lifting the roof off a concourse, injuring several people and forcing the … Tornado causes severe damage at St. Louis' airport Radar reflectivity image of the St. Louis tornado taken near 8pm local time on Friday, April 22, 2010. This image is from the high-resolution Terminal Doppler Radar (TDR) at the St. Louis Airport, and shows very fine details of the … St. Louis Tornado 04-22-11 St. Louis Tornado 04-22-11. April 23, 2011 By Kendra Leave a Comment. KDR Media chasers were in areas of initiation on 04-22-11. St Louis was hit the hardest as reports of damage are still coming in and the Lambert/St Louis Airport … The World News Media: St. Louis Tornado Causes Damage, Injuries At … St. Louis Tornado Causes Damage, Injuries At Airport. Green on HuffingtonPost.com. ST. LOUIS — Lambert Field in St. Louis has been closed after an apparent tornado tore through the airport, lifting a roof off the terminal and injuring … librario868 says: Looking at vids of St. Louis tornado damage; also weather channel 4 forecast. http://bit.ly/ijw14E

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Cambridge: fees deter state students

Documents submitted to Office for Fair Access are blow to government expectations on increased access Cambridge University fears it will attract fewer students from the state sector next year, despite government expectations that universities charging £9,000 in tuition fees would “dramatically” increase their intake from disadvantaged communities. Documents submitted to the Office for Fair Access (Offa), and seen by the Observer, reveal that Cambridge’s initial target, following the rise in fees, will be merely to maintain the status quo. A university source told the Observer there were even concerns that the proportion of students enrolled from the state sector could drop next year, as it did in 1999 when fees were first introduced, and in 2004 when they were increased. Offa can only reject Cambridge’s plans to charge the maximum in tuition fees if it believes the university has been “seriously negligent” in its interpretation of the office’s published guidance. The university said that it believed its access statement – submitted to Offa in justification of its fees – was challenging and fair but “realistic”. Cambridge’s submission confirms that its “principal milestone is to increase the proportion of our UK undergraduate intake from schools in the UK state sector”. But it adds: “Given the uncertainty regarding application trends in light of the new financial circumstances, our minimum objective for 2012 will be to maintain our intake profile.” Of the 15,700 students accepted by Cambridge last year, 59% were from state schools. It hopes to increase that figure to between 61% and 63% by 2015. The plans appear to contradict assurances by the deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg. In response to Cambridge’s plans to charge £9,000, he said: “They’re only going to be given permission to do so if they can prove that they can dramatically increase the number of people from poorer and disadvantaged backgrounds who presently aren’t going.” The president of the National Union of Students, Aaron Porter, said: “After months of warnings to the government that huge debts would put students from less well-off backgrounds off going to university … we now see that one of those universities with the worst participation records has secretly acknowledged the negative impacts of rushing to the £9,000 cap.” The government’s access watchdog revealed last week that all universities intend to charge at least £6,000 a year. David Willetts, the universities minister, had initially predicted that universities would charge different levels and that the average would be £7,500. He later revised that to £7,500-£8,000. The shadow universities minister, Gareth Thomas, said: “The government got wrong the number of universities that would charge the full £9,000; ministers were wrong that Offa could control fee levels; and now they’ve been found out on claims of more access.” A spokesman for Cambridge University said: “The access agreement we have submitted clearly shows that there will be a concerted drive to increase state school participation, but we must be realistic and realise that in the first year this will be a challenge.” A spokesman for the Department for Business, Innovations and Skills said: “In order to charge more for tuition, Offa will expect universities to set themselves stretching targets on access, achieving a more representative student body and improving student retention.” Tuition fees University of Cambridge Higher education Students Education policy Daniel Boffey guardian.co.uk

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Chelsea 3-0 West Ham

Chelsea’s late-season surge continues and despite Manchester United still leading them by six points part of the message from Carlo Ancelotti’s side now is that Fernando Torres has finally scored, and may continue to do so until the title is decided. Entering after 77 minutes, the Spaniard registered his first goal since the £50m move from Liverpool in January suggested his sharpness has returned: on the rain-soaked Stamford Bridge turf the ball held up behind the striker but he was able to nonchalantly pirouette before delivering the sweetest of finishes with his left foot. West Ham had begun this game rooted to the bottom, two points off 17th, which for any player in the relegation dog-fight at this juncture of the season can appear a yawning margin. Avram Grant lined his side up in a 4-3-3 that matched Carlo Ancelotti’s formation, and it was Chelsea who had the best of the chances during a first half that would frustrate the Italian yet end the best way. Throughout the opening period Ancelotti had been waving at his side to slide balls in behind Lars Jacobsen, the visiting right-back: after 43 minutes Chelsea finally received the message and they had the lead. Didier Drogba, who had been the focus of most of Ancelotti’s glowering, twisted a pass that released Ashley Cole into a gallop that had the visiting rearguard turned and desperate to regain ground. Before they could manage any damage limitation though, the England left-back zipped over a cross that allowed Frank Lampard to bury a finish beyond Robert Green for a lead that had been coming. First up, Florent Malouda had raced down the inside right channel but unloaded a shot that Green parried with his body. Now Chelsea began proving that they are able to switch tempo when required, which has not always been evident this campaign. When Freddie Sears hacked a clearance away from the touchline the ball went straight to Malouda. He ambled a couple of steps then smacked a pass into Drogba’s feet. An instant turn and the Ivorian blazed a shot at Green that skidded across the sodden surface before the keeper collected. After Ashley Cole swung at a volley with his “wrong” right foot Chelsea again tip-toed through West Ham’s defence. Salomon Kalou laid possession off to Drogba before swivelling into the area where he found the ball returned by the striker only marginally too heavy for him. At this point West Ham appeared to have dug in for an attritional contest in which they would defend while Chelsea came at them in ceaseless waves of blue. Yet from somewhere Grant’s gang found their mojo. Sears sprinted from near halfway past Cole to halt in the home area with the ball at his feet. He sent over a cross for Jonathan Spector to produce a diving header that forced Petr Cech into his opening save. Then, from a Mark Noble corner, Sears backheeled from close range, but Ashley Cole stopped the ball on the line and Cech gathered. Grant had reckoned before kick-off that nine points were required from the final 15 available. Yet if he informed his band at the break that an invaluable draw could be salvaged here, the sight of Kalou hitting Green’s right post might have doused this hope. For a frantic period before Torres’ intervention the drenched pitch levelled the contest as initially Drogba and company hurtled forward before West Ham subsequently went close themselves. Drogba played in Lampard but the midfielder could not finish, then the Ivorian striker appeared in West Ham’s area but his chested control proved too heavy. Next up a David Luiz 20-yard drive crashed off Green’s crossbar. But this presaged West Ham moving into their opponents’ territory. Demba Ba stung Cech’s hands before Robbie Keane – on for Mark Noble – failed to finish. While Malouda smashed home in added time Grant could at least console himself that at least Scott Parker should return immediately, after the newly crowned Football Writers’ Footballer of the Year missed this one with an achilles problem. THE FANS’ PLAYER RATINGS AND VERDICT TRIZIA FIORELLINO, ChelseaSupportersGroup.net When Torres finally scored I thought the ground was going to collapse, the noise was so loud. We were pretty average and our play was pretty slow. When Lampard scored I thought the flood gates would open but it didn’t happen, but it was party time all the way once Torres scored. We keep winning but I think we probably left our run two games too late. The fan’s player ratings Cech 8 ; Ivanovic 8 , Luiz 7 , Terry 8 , Cole 7 ; Essien 7 (Benayoun 57 7 ), Lampard 7 , Mikel 7 ; Malouda 7 , Drogba 9 (Torres 77 8 ), Kalou 6 (Anelka 70 6 ) TIM CONLAN, Observer reader I never thought we would get anything out of this game, especially when I saw the line-up, but I thought we played quite well. Grant gambled at the end with effectively four forwards and we got caught with two late goals, but I thought the scoreline flattered Chelsea. I think we could still stay up with 39 points, but it’s possible rather than probable. We could do with a point at City next week. The fan’s player ratings Green 7 ; Jacobsen 7 , Gabbidon 8 , Da Costa 7 , Bridge 8 ; Hitzlsperger 6 , Noble 6 (Keane 60 5 ), Spector 8 ; Sears 8 (Obinna 82 4 ), Cole 7 (Piquionne 79 5 ), Ba 6 To take part in the Fans’ Verdict, email sport@observer.co.uk Premier League Chelsea West Ham United Jamie Jackson guardian.co.uk

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North-south divide cuts off charities

‘Big society’ under pressure with philanthropy biased towards the capital, says leading thinktank David Cameron’s “big society” emphasis on charities and philanthropy to compensate for public sector cuts will exacerbate the north-south divide, according to one of the UK’s leading thinktanks. A report from the Institute for Public Policy Research North suggests the government’s hopes that the voluntary, business and philanthropic sectors will help transform society at a time of budget cuts across the public sector are misplaced. Depending on philanthropic donations to help achieve this goal will backfire because donations are unevenly distributed in favour of London, the IPPR warns. It found that 40 donations of more than £1m were made in London in 2009, compared with six in the north-east of England, eight in the Midlands and nine in Scotland. “Clearly, the gap between London and the rest of the UK is enormous,” the IPPR says. The rise of the modern philanthropist has been exemplified by Dame Vivien Duffield, who has given more than £200m to good causes, notably an £8.3m donation last month to a number of British arts organisations including Tate Britain, the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company. The IPPR also claims that relying on the private sector to provide the resources to bring about the “big society” will put areas such as London – where many of the largest businesses have their headquarters – at a huge advantage. The south also benefits because it is home to the largest charities and voluntary organisations, which are better equipped to compete for public sector contracts. Conversely, the north suffers because it is home to more voluntary and community organisations that are reliant on public funding. As a result, the IPPR warns public spending cuts could “doubly disadvantage” the north and claims 62% of voluntary and charitable organisations in the north-east have already seen a decrease in funding. “Our research shows that the big society is not currently a fair society and goodwill is beginning to wear thin as the voluntary and community sector try to deal with budget cuts,” said Ed Cox, director of IPPR North. “We need to target what little money there is to organisations that struggle to find it elsewhere. Less attractive organisations that lack donor appeal or those operating in areas where business or corporate gifts are hard to come by should be the

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Squatters deny Tesco attack claims

Stokes Croft group who were raided by riot police say ‘we have nothing to do with the anti-Tesco protest’ The squatters whose treatment by police sparked an anti-Tesco riot near the centre of Bristol have denied any connection with activists campaigning against the supermarket giant. Speaking in the aftermath of one of the most serious outbreaks of disorder in Bristol since the St Pauls riots in 1980, the four occupants of “Telepathic Heights”, which was raided by police on Thursday night, also denied they had been manufacturing Molotov cocktails in the squat. “We had no intention of attacking Tesco whatsoever,” said Gavin Houghton, 28. “It was never on the cards – we have nothing to do with the anti-Tesco protest. They’re a separate group. “This is a nice building and it would be suicide if we started throwing petrol bombs off the roof. We would never do that. It’s not what we’re about.” Avon and Somerset police maintain that the operation was justified and said its officers had found petrol bombs on the roof of the building which had been taken away for tests. A spokesman said its forensic experts were trying to establish who made the bombs. He added: “We need to try and link it to the actual people involved because there are a number of people at the address.” Around 160 police officers in riot gear raided the squat in the Stokes Croft area to arrest a number of people they said posed “a real threat to the local community”. But the operation sparked violent protests amid allegations of heavy-handed tactics. Eight police officers were injured and recently opened Tesco store was badly damaged. Nine protesters were arrested, four of whom appeared before Bristol magistrateson Saturday. None of the four squatters remaining in the building were arrested. Houghton and Salim Noormohammad, also 28, told the Observer that the police raid had been violent and unwarranted. According to the squatters, the night the police arrived most of those living in the house had already moved out. The group had been in contact with Bristol city council’s empty homes agency and were removing the last of their stuff. “We were working on tidying the place up, as you do – it’s a house, so it’s got to be tidy,” says Houghton. “Then Salim said the police were trying to get in the front door, so I stopped painting. My first instincts were that there were going to be a few police to tell us that we were going to be evicted. But when I looked out the window it was a completely different story. “There were 30 to 40 police officers all dressed up in riot gear and they stormed the building.” Noormohammad said that after the officers broke through the door they tipped over the sofas and ripped them open, before emptying the squatters’ recycling box over the floor. “Then,” claimed Houghton, “one of the officers barged me in the face with his shield and pushed me across the room and told me to sit down on the floor. Whilst he was pushing me I said, ‘Leave me alone, I’m not doing anything to you.’ Then he started shouting, ‘Sit there, don’t move.’ “I think once they realised there were only four of us in the building, they calmed down.” Houghton said the police officers told him that they were looking for petrol bombs. According to witnesses the operation to clear the squat attracted a large crowd of people which blocked Cheltenham Road, one of the main routes into the city centre. By 1am on Friday there was serious trouble outside the Tesco store. Barricades were erected, bottle banks were emptied and their contents hurled at police, rubbish bins were set alight and a concrete slab was thrown at an officer who was knocked to the ground. Lewis Clapham, 22, a customer services worker, got caught up in the violence which lasted for several hours. He said: “I wasn’t involved in the protest or the squat. I just happened to be down there and I went up to the police and said I was just passing through, but one of them came and hit me really hard with a baton. I’ve got bruising all down my side now with massive swelling on my elbow.” Squatters Noormohammed and Philip Pezard have degrees in English and photography respectively. Noormohammad and Houghton are unemployed and Pezard works as a chef, but said he still didn’t have enough money to rent a home. They said that none of them imagined squatting after university and all claimed to be busy trying to find jobs rather than mounting a campaign against the supermarket chain. “This thing against Tesco,” said Pezard, “it’s the last thing on my mind.” The general mood in Stokes Croft is somewhat different. Hostility towards Tesco is apparent almost everywhere you look. For more than a year the residents have run a noisy campaign to stop the chain from opening one of its Express stores on the busy road. “No Tesco” graffiti dots walls up and down the road for a mile. Most prominent is a giant mural which gives a clear message to those entering the area: “Think Local, Boycott Tesco.” People have also held sit-down protests outside the store every day since its opening less than a fortnight ago. But, amid fears that violence could continue in Bristol over the bank wholiday weekend, the last residents of Telepathic Heights remained adamant that the police were looking in the wrong place for anti-supermarket activists. Police Protest Tesco Shiv Malik guardian.co.uk

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Rev. Franklin Graham: Maybe Trump is right

Click here to view this media Rev. Franklin Graham, the son of Rev. Bill Graham, told ABC’s Christiane Amanpour that he could see himself supporting Donald Trump for president. “Donald Trump, when I first saw that he was getting in, I thought, well, this has got to be a joke,” Graham explained. “But the more you listen to him, the more you say to yourself, you know, maybe this guy’s right.” “So, he might be your candidate of choice?” Amanpour asked. “Sure, yes,” Graham replied. Trump has gotten a lot of attention in recent days for suggesting that President Barack Obama is not a natural born U.S. citizen. Amanpour’s full interview with Graham is set to air Sunday.

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Rev. Franklin Graham: Maybe Trump is right

Click here to view this media Rev. Franklin Graham, the son of Rev. Bill Graham, told ABC’s Christiane Amanpour that he could see himself supporting Donald Trump for president. “Donald Trump, when I first saw that he was getting in, I thought, well, this has got to be a joke,” Graham explained. “But the more you listen to him, the more you say to yourself, you know, maybe this guy’s right.” “So, he might be your candidate of choice?” Amanpour asked. “Sure, yes,” Graham replied. Trump has gotten a lot of attention in recent days for suggesting that President Barack Obama is not a natural born U.S. citizen. Amanpour’s full interview with Graham is set to air Sunday.

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Police warn of UK threat by new Irish terror groups

Intelligence officials say dissidents are capable of mounting mainland attack, as fears grow of ‘Easter offensive’ in Ulster Dissident republicans have developed the capability to mount an attack on the British mainland, according to the latest security assessment. Senior counter-terrorism sources confirmed the threat from dissidents attacking the mainland “now goes beyond an aspiration” and that they now possess the means to mount an attack across the Irish Sea. Amid rising tension in the province and fears of an “Easter offensive” by dissident groups, police in Northern Ireland also warned that anti-ceasefire republicans were plotting to kill more police officers. The increased threat from republican dissidents is certain to heighten security concerns during the build-up to the royal wedding on Friday, although there is no intelligence suggesting a specific plot related to the event. On Friday another dissident grouping, styling itself “the IRA”, issued a public statement claiming responsibility for the murder of PC Ronan Kerr in Omagh this month. The group, comprising former members of the Provisional IRA, vowed to embark on a bombing campaign. It is understood that the new group includes veteran paramilitaries who were involved in transporting and later detonating the bomb that exploded at London’s Canary Wharf in 1996. Intelligence officials monitoring dissident activity point to a growing sophistication in bomb-making techniques and a widening range of attack techniques as evidence of expanding capability. A senior intelligence source told the Observer : “We feel there is capability to attempt some form of an attack on Britain. Based on our assessment, it goes beyond an aspiration.” Dissident groups have recently deployed command-wire explosive devices, van-mounted weaponry, car bombs and vehicle booby traps, as well as more orthodox military equipment such as hand-grenades. Several individuals are believed to be under surveillance. The mainland has not experienced an Irish republican attack since car bombs exploded at the BBC Television Centre and Ealing Broadway station in London in 2001. The head of MI5, Jonathan Evans, said last September, however, that dissidents posed a “real and increasing security challenge in Northern Ireland” and could be planning attacks elsewhere. According to MI5′s Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre, the official threat level is “substantial”, meaning an attack is a “strong possibility”. On Saturday a man appeared in court facing charges in connection with the murder of Kerr. Gavin Coyle, 33, from Omagh was charged with possession of explosives, firearms and articles likely to be of use to terrorists. He was remanded in custody. The court heard he was linked to a footprint found at a major dissident republican arms dump in Coalisland during investigations into Kerr’s murder. Police have also revealed details of a substantial haul of guns and ammunition found in a vehicle stopped by officers in Keady, near the Irish border, on Friday. Attention has concentrated upon the Real IRA and the smaller but technically able Oglaigh na hEireann, which has improved its explosives technology over the past two years. Analysis suggests that the explosives material being used by dissidents may have originated from a onetime Provisional IRA stockpile whose whereabouts were known by former quartermaster general Michael McKevitt – who formed the Real IRA. Police in Northern Ireland said yesterday that fresh violence was expected. “Dissident terrorist groups are continuing to identify officers and target them with the single objective of killing them,” a spokesman said. In further evidence of growing confidence among extremist republican groups, a leading figure in one of the dissident groups’ political wings announced that the Queen should be considered a “legitimate target” during her visit to Ireland in May. The general secretary of the hardline Republican Sinn Féin party, Josephine Hayden, said she would have no problem with a sniper targeting the Queen. “You might say that she is just a little old grandmother,” said Hayden, “but it is what she represents, what she symbolises that counts. She is a legitimate target.” The Observer has learned that a radical republican group known as Eirígí: for a Socialist Republic is planning to occupy Dublin’s Garden of Remembrance 48 hours before the Queen is scheduled to attend a reconciliation ceremony there. Republicans in Dublin say the splinter group plans to establish a tented camp on the Sunday prior to the visit, creating the possibility that the Garda Siochána will have to forcibly remove protesters before the royal tour begins on 17 May. On 5 May, Northern Ireland is braced for trouble to mark assembly elections and the 30th anniversary of the death of IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands. Future trouble could depend on the reaction from the loyalist community, described by sources as “relatively restrained” until now. A 40-year-old Belfast man was, however, arrested on Saturday in connection with loyalist terrorist activity. UK security and terrorism Northern Ireland Real IRA IRA Royal wedding Mark Townsend Henry McDonald guardian.co.uk

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