Photographers Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros are among those killed in latest attacks on rebels’ western stronghold Misrata, the besieged rebel stronghold in western Libya, has come under heavy mortar fire, killing at least 10 civilians and leaving more than 100 injured, according to medical staff. Among those killed were Tim Hetherington, a British-born photographer and Oscar-nominated documentary director, and Chris Hondros, a US photographer for Getty Images . Seven Libyan civilians and a Ukrainian doctor have also died in the most recent fighting, doctors told Reuters, with around 120 people injured. Three rebel fighters died and 17 were wounded early on Thursday in a mortar attack on Tripoli Street, a major thoroughfare in the town that has been the scene of heavy fighting in recent days. Weeping rebels stood over the bodies of their dead comrades in the town hospital. “Some of us were standing outside in the street and some in buildings when the mortars landed,” a rebel spokesman clutching part of a mortar bomb told Reuters. The Mediterranean port of 300,000 people, Libya’s third-largest city, remains divided into zones controlled by rebels and government forces amid a siege by troops loyal to Muammar Gaddafi which has lasted seven weeks. Residents accuse Gaddafi’s forces of using mortars, tank shells, rockets and cluster bombs , as well as snipers, to terrorise the population of the city, where the current civil war erupted in February. The UN’s human rights commissioner, Navi Pillay, has said government troops may be committing war crimes in the way they are targeting civilians with heavy weaponry. Since the siege began at least 365 people have been confirmed killed and around 4,000 wounded. Among those injured on Thursday were two other foreign photographers, Guy Martin, a British national from the Panos agency, and Michael Christopher Brown. Residents say the intensity of the fighting has increased, making life almost impossible. “The number of artillery shells and mortars is truly amazing,” Abdul-Athim Salim, a professor of geography at the local university told the Associated Press. “The only break is when they are changing ammunition. Other than that, it’s continuous. It just keeps going.” The danger was constant, he added: “About three times, I have just been out driving my car and a mortar has landed in front of me on the road.” Mohammed al-Fagieh, chief surgeon at Misrata’s Hilal hospital, told the Associated Press that on Wednesday the facility had received three bodies, 12 badly injured people and about 25 others who were less badly hurt, saying this was about average. Fagieh, formerly an oncologist whose specialist hospital was destroyed earlier in the fighting, described treating a woman hit by shrapnel while praying. He said: “Most of the injuries are civilians who are in their own homes. There are some injured in the battles, but most of those die right away.” Residents and rebels complain that Nato should be carrying out more air strikes against government positions but the alliance says it can do little when these are nestled so closely against civilian homes, though it claims to have destroyed more than 40 tanks in the city so far. “There is a limit to what can be achieved by air power to stop fighting in a city,” said Brigadier General Mark van Uhm in Brussels. France’s president, Nicolas Sarkozy, has pledged more Nato support after meeting the leader of the opposition Libyan National Council, Mustafa Abdel Jalil, in Paris. “We are indeed going to intensify the attacks and respond to this request from the national transition council,” Sarkozy told him, according to officials. France has also joined Britain and Italy in saying it will send up to 10 military advisers to help train and assist rebel forces. Despite concerns about “mission creep” for Nato, no member of the alliance plans to despatch fighting troops as yet. Very little ordinary life is taking place in Misrata, with most shops closed and long queues at petrol stations. With minimal mains electricity there is increasing demand for generators. Other than Misrata, Gaddafi’s forces control the bulk of western Libya while the rebels are dominant in the east. A rebel spokesman said there had also been fighting around Zintan and Nalut in the west of the country, Reuters reported. He said: “Clashes are currently occurring in Nalut and have been going on since Monday. The Gaddafi forces are using Grad missiles and mortar rounds to attack Nalut. It’s not an even battle. The rebels are not well-armed.” Early on Thursday, Libyan state TV said there had been more Nato air strikes on the capital, Tripoli, killing seven people. The report could not be verified. Libya’s government has repeatedly denied it is shelling Misrata or using cluster bombs, saying it would welcome “any objective investigation of the actions of our army, our government and our officials”. Libya Arab and Middle East unrest Muammar Gaddafi Middle East Peter Walker guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Though the timing may be opportunistic, Ed Miliband is right. Libel reform, privacy and media standards need looking at Two cheers for Ed Miliband. In calling for an independent review of the way newspapers behave he is taking a big political risk, opening the door to concerted hostility from media magnates. He also happens to be right on the principle that freedom of expression and holding truth to power are not synonymous with dodgy journalistic practice. He might deserve a third cheer if it were not for the brazen opportunism he and his party are showing by taking on Rupert Murdoch only now that the love is lost. Before the caveats and the cavilling, credit should be given where it is due. Miliband is seeking to take on the good work carried out two years ago by the cross-party Commons select committee on culture, media and sport. When the MPs issued their report they correctly identified and separated out three related strands: the need for libel reform; issues of privacy; and press standards. Their inquiry looked at the media in the round, but also at some egregious cases of abuse. This included the hounding of Gerry and Kate McCann , and the bugging of telephones of politicians and celebrities by the News of the World – which News Corporation is only now, drip by drip, beginning to admit. The MPs made a point that should be blindingly obvious to the media profession – that legitimate investigation is vital to keeping checks on the powerful, but that intrusion into people’s lives, particularly through subterfuge, is not. Seen from one level, the British media are forced to operate under considerable constraint. Until now England and Wales have been global pariahs, sporting some of the most restrictive libel laws in the developed world. It is a tribute to all political parties, but mostly the coalition, that the Libel Reform Campaign led by Index on Censorship and its partners has produced draft legislation that goes some way to removing the chill on free expression and investigative journalism. Sure, the bill is not perfect, but the great should not be the enemy of the good. After all, this is the first serious attempt in 70 years to tackle the problem. Privacy is the thorniest problem. Hypocrisy should be exposed. What about the celebrity who parades their private life in choreographed photoshoots for glossy magazines but then wishes to hide from public view when things go awry? That is a moot point. Assuming you are a public figure but you make no pronouncements on lifestyles or ethics and you do not parade your life in the glare of the cameras, surely you are entitled to privacy? You are, thanks to the Human Rights Act . But as ever, our suspicious judges are interpreting the legislation in a manner hostile to a free media. Ranged against the long lens is the epidemic of the super-injunction . The master of the rolls (the second most senior judge in England and Wales) is due to report on an issue that serves as a perfect example of rich man’s justice. The very idea that the media should be gagged and that the public is prevented from knowing that such an order exists is more in keeping with a dictatorship. This brings us back to media standards. One of the biggest hindrances to strong investigation is cost. Editors and the bean counters who oversee them are reluctant to invest in long-term projects that might prove fruitless. The democratic deficit in the demise of
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Once scholars agonised for years over additions to language. Now, online dictionaries enable instant updates The other week Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the South Park creators , told the audience of the Late Show With David Letterman about the time they decided to go to the Academy Awards in drag. They had gone to the trouble of
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Official figures will show if chancellor George Osborne is on target with his deficit-reduction programme Official figures being published on Thursday will reveal whether the government hit its public borrowing forecasts for the last financial year. Economists expect public borrowing for the year to March, excluding financial interventions such as bank bailouts, to modestly undershoot chancellor George Osborne’s expectations of £146bn by about £3.5bn. The final monthly public finance figures for the 2010-11 financial year are predicted to show borrowing increased by £18bn-19bn in March, bringing the total for the year to as much as £142.5bn. The chancellor has set out austerity measures including £81bn of spending cuts and January’s 20% hike in VAT, resulting in hundreds of thousands of public sector jobs being axed. Osborne’s forecast, set by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility, was revised down from £148.5bn when he delivered the annual budget in March. Howard Archer, chief UK and European economist at IHS Global Insight, said with the fiscal squeeze now kicking in, attention would now focus on how quickly the public finances improve over the coming months. He said: “The chancellor is looking to reduce the public sector net borrowing excluding financial interventions to £122bn in fiscal 2011-12. While this was raised in the March budget from a previous target of £117bn, it still looks challenging given the headwinds facing the economy.” The improved overall economic performance through the past year and the VAT hike should have lifted tax receipts compared with March 2010. Government borrowing Economics Budget deficit Budget Tax and spending George Osborne guardian.co.uk
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British oil firm claims every safety device failed before Gulf of Mexico explosion a year ago BP is suing the owner of the Deepwater Horizon rig and the maker of the device that failed to stop last year’s calamitous Gulf oil spill, alleging that negligence by both companies helped to cause the disaster. The British company said in papers filed in a federal court in New Orleans that it was suing the rig owner, Transocean, for at least $40bn (£24bn) in damages, accusing it of causing the deadly blowout in the Gulf of Mexico that led to the worst offshore oil spill in US history. BP says every safety system, device and well control procedure on the Deepwater Horizon rig failed. It is also suing Cameron International, claiming it provided a blowout preventer with a faulty design that caused an unreasonable amount of risk. Both companies have filed counter claims against BP. The filings are essentially legal manoeuvres to preserve the companies’ claims. A federal trial is scheduled for next year that will determine which companies are at fault and how much their liability should be. The lawsuits, filed on the first anniversary of the explosion that led to the spill, seek damages to help BP pay for the tens of billions of dollars in liabilities it has incurred from the disaster. Though BP has estimated its liabilities at $40.9bn, it could face tens of billions of dollars more in civil and criminal fines and penalties from the US government. “The Deepwater Horizon BOP was unreasonably dangerous, and has caused and continues to cause harm, loss, injuries, and damages to BP (and others) stemming from the blowout of Macondo well, the resulting explosion and fire onboard the Deepwater Horizon, the efforts to regain control of the Macondo well, and the oil spill that ensued before control of the Macondo well could be regained,” BP said in the lawsuit against Cameron. BP wants the court to award it damages against Cameron and to declare that the device maker caused or contributed to the disaster and is responsible for some or all costs incurred by BP. Eleven people were killed when the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded on 20 April 2010, leading to more than 200m gallons (757m litres) of oil spewing from an undersea well. A testing firm hired by the government determined last month the blowout preventer had a faulty design. It also cited other problems related to rig crew actions. BP said in a statement that it wanted Transocean to pay its “proportionate” share of all damages and liabilities from the disaster. In a statement, Transocean called BP’s lawsuit “desperate”, “specious” and “unconscionable”. “The Deepwater Horizon was a world-class drilling rig manned by a top-flight crew that was put in jeopardy by BP, the operator of the Macondo well, through a series of cost-saving decisions that increased risk, in some cases severely,” it said. Houston-based Cameron noted that Wednesday was the deadline under the relevant statute for all parties to file claims against each other. “It is not surprising that the companies are filing to protect their indemnity rights (except in the case of BP) and whatever claims they believe they have,” it said. “Additionally, in order to protect ourselves, we, too, have filed crossclaims and counterclaims, including our indemnity claims, against other parties to the litigation.” Cameron, one of the largest makers of blowout preventers, has defended the integrity of its devices and workmanship. Transocean also filed court papers demanding that judgments be made against BP, Cameron and other companies in its favour. Among other things, Transocean wants a judgment against BP for $12.9m and a judgment against the cement contractor Halliburton and other companies for $20m. Transocean said the figures stemmed from contractual obligations and the money it lost when the rig sank. BP oil spill BP United States Oil spills Pollution Oil Oil Oil and gas companies Energy industry guardian.co.uk
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Under the order, which goes into effect at midnight local time, it will be illegal to enter a 20km (12-mile) evacuation zone around the Fukushima nuclear reactor Tens of thousands of people who were evacuated from near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant risk arrest if they return home, after the government declared the area a no-entry zone due to high radiation levels. Under the order, which goes into effect at midnight local time, people living within a 20-kilometre radius of the atomic plant will be given up to two hours to enter the area to collect belongings. The move came amid concern over the long-term health risks posed by high levels of accumulated radiation, despite signs of progress in bringing the stricken facility under control. The government has also extended the evacuation zone to several locations outside the 20-kilometre zone, including areas in which as many as 130,000 people had initially been asked to leave voluntarily or stay indoors. Residents in those areas will be given a month to evacuate. The government’s chief spokesman, Yukio Edano, urged people living inside the new no-entry zone to abide by the order for the sake of their health. “The plant is not stable,” he told reporters. “We have been asking residents not to enter the area as there is a huge risk to their safety.” Under the order, people who enter the zone without permission face fines of up to 100,000 yen and possible arrest. “We beg the understanding of residents,” Edano said. “We really don’t want them to enter the area, but unfortunately some people are still living there.” Almost all of the 8,000 people living in the 20-kilometre zone have been evacuated, but some have refused to abandon their livestock or move from their homes into evacuation centres. Police said about 60 families had defied the evacuation order imposed after the crisis began, adding that some had been persuaded to leave. The contaminated bodies of as many as a 1,000 people who died in the 11 March earthquake and tsunami have yet to be recovered from the area. The stricter measure was introduced to stop people from returning to collect belongings and to prevent theft. Until now, police have not had the legal authority to block returnees. Edano said that over the next one to two months, one resident per household would be permitted to return home on chartered buses to collect belongings. They will all be required to undergo radiation screening on their way out. Those living within three kilometres of the plant and other areas where very high levels of radiation have been detected will not be allowed to return, even for a short period, Kyodo said. “We realise this is extremely inconvenient for residents, but we urge you to be patient,” Edano said. The prime minister, Naoto Kan, flew to Fukushima prefecture on Thursday to explain the order to officials and evacuees. Kan, whose approval rating has fallen over his handling of the nuclear crisis, said the government would enforce the no-go zone order. He asked the prefecture’s governor, Yuhei Sato, to help win the understanding of local communities, according to Kyodo news agency. Tens of thousands of people affected by the nuclear crisis, many of whom fled with nothing but the clothes they were wearing, face many more months living in evacuation centres. The plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power [Tepco], said last week it would take between six and nine months to bring down radiation levels and make the facility safe, a time line some experts have described as optimistic. Edano conceded that Tepco had not been adequately prepared to cope with the disaster. “Leaving aside the question of whether the accident could have been predicted, it is clear that there was insufficient preparation. “We urge all nuclear plant operators to immediately take every possible precaution in light of the Fukushima disaster.” A Tepco official on Wednesday admitted that ful inside the plant’s No 1 reactor could be melting. ”I can’s say with absolute certainty that [the fuel] jas not melted,” Junichi Matsumoto said, adding that the firm had been unable to confirm the condition of the reactor’s core. Japan disaster Japan Nuclear power Natural disasters and extreme weather Justin McCurry guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Under the order, which goes into effect at midnight local time, it will be illegal to enter a 20km (12-mile) evacuation zone around the Fukushima nuclear reactor Tens of thousands of people who were evacuated from near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant risk arrest if they return home, after the government declared the area a no-entry zone due to high radiation levels. Under the order, which goes into effect at midnight local time, people living within a 20-kilometre radius of the atomic plant will be given up to two hours to enter the area to collect belongings. The move came amid concern over the long-term health risks posed by high levels of accumulated radiation, despite signs of progress in bringing the stricken facility under control. The government has also extended the evacuation zone to several locations outside the 20-kilometre zone, including areas in which as many as 130,000 people had initially been asked to leave voluntarily or stay indoors. Residents in those areas will be given a month to evacuate. The government’s chief spokesman, Yukio Edano, urged people living inside the new no-entry zone to abide by the order for the sake of their health. “The plant is not stable,” he told reporters. “We have been asking residents not to enter the area as there is a huge risk to their safety.” Under the order, people who enter the zone without permission face fines of up to 100,000 yen and possible arrest. “We beg the understanding of residents,” Edano said. “We really don’t want them to enter the area, but unfortunately some people are still living there.” Almost all of the 8,000 people living in the 20-kilometre zone have been evacuated, but some have refused to abandon their livestock or move from their homes into evacuation centres. Police said about 60 families had defied the evacuation order imposed after the crisis began, adding that some had been persuaded to leave. The contaminated bodies of as many as a 1,000 people who died in the 11 March earthquake and tsunami have yet to be recovered from the area. The stricter measure was introduced to stop people from returning to collect belongings and to prevent theft. Until now, police have not had the legal authority to block returnees. Edano said that over the next one to two months, one resident per household would be permitted to return home on chartered buses to collect belongings. They will all be required to undergo radiation screening on their way out. Those living within three kilometres of the plant and other areas where very high levels of radiation have been detected will not be allowed to return, even for a short period, Kyodo said. “We realise this is extremely inconvenient for residents, but we urge you to be patient,” Edano said. The prime minister, Naoto Kan, flew to Fukushima prefecture on Thursday to explain the order to officials and evacuees. Kan, whose approval rating has fallen over his handling of the nuclear crisis, said the government would enforce the no-go zone order. He asked the prefecture’s governor, Yuhei Sato, to help win the understanding of local communities, according to Kyodo news agency. Tens of thousands of people affected by the nuclear crisis, many of whom fled with nothing but the clothes they were wearing, face many more months living in evacuation centres. The plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power [Tepco], said last week it would take between six and nine months to bring down radiation levels and make the facility safe, a time line some experts have described as optimistic. Edano conceded that Tepco had not been adequately prepared to cope with the disaster. “Leaving aside the question of whether the accident could have been predicted, it is clear that there was insufficient preparation. “We urge all nuclear plant operators to immediately take every possible precaution in light of the Fukushima disaster.” A Tepco official on Wednesday admitted that ful inside the plant’s No 1 reactor could be melting. ”I can’s say with absolute certainty that [the fuel] jas not melted,” Junichi Matsumoto said, adding that the firm had been unable to confirm the condition of the reactor’s core. Japan disaster Japan Nuclear power Natural disasters and extreme weather Justin McCurry guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Under the order, which goes into effect at midnight local time, it will be illegal to enter a 20km (12-mile) evacuation zone around the Fukushima nuclear reactor Tens of thousands of people who were evacuated from near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant risk arrest if they return home, after the government declared the area a no-entry zone due to high radiation levels. Under the order, which goes into effect at midnight local time, people living within a 20-kilometre radius of the atomic plant will be given up to two hours to enter the area to collect belongings. The move came amid concern over the long-term health risks posed by high levels of accumulated radiation, despite signs of progress in bringing the stricken facility under control. The government has also extended the evacuation zone to several locations outside the 20-kilometre zone, including areas in which as many as 130,000 people had initially been asked to leave voluntarily or stay indoors. Residents in those areas will be given a month to evacuate. The government’s chief spokesman, Yukio Edano, urged people living inside the new no-entry zone to abide by the order for the sake of their health. “The plant is not stable,” he told reporters. “We have been asking residents not to enter the area as there is a huge risk to their safety.” Under the order, people who enter the zone without permission face fines of up to 100,000 yen and possible arrest. “We beg the understanding of residents,” Edano said. “We really don’t want them to enter the area, but unfortunately some people are still living there.” Almost all of the 8,000 people living in the 20-kilometre zone have been evacuated, but some have refused to abandon their livestock or move from their homes into evacuation centres. Police said about 60 families had defied the evacuation order imposed after the crisis began, adding that some had been persuaded to leave. The contaminated bodies of as many as a 1,000 people who died in the 11 March earthquake and tsunami have yet to be recovered from the area. The stricter measure was introduced to stop people from returning to collect belongings and to prevent theft. Until now, police have not had the legal authority to block returnees. Edano said that over the next one to two months, one resident per household would be permitted to return home on chartered buses to collect belongings. They will all be required to undergo radiation screening on their way out. Those living within three kilometres of the plant and other areas where very high levels of radiation have been detected will not be allowed to return, even for a short period, Kyodo said. “We realise this is extremely inconvenient for residents, but we urge you to be patient,” Edano said. The prime minister, Naoto Kan, flew to Fukushima prefecture on Thursday to explain the order to officials and evacuees. Kan, whose approval rating has fallen over his handling of the nuclear crisis, said the government would enforce the no-go zone order. He asked the prefecture’s governor, Yuhei Sato, to help win the understanding of local communities, according to Kyodo news agency. Tens of thousands of people affected by the nuclear crisis, many of whom fled with nothing but the clothes they were wearing, face many more months living in evacuation centres. The plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power [Tepco], said last week it would take between six and nine months to bring down radiation levels and make the facility safe, a time line some experts have described as optimistic. Edano conceded that Tepco had not been adequately prepared to cope with the disaster. “Leaving aside the question of whether the accident could have been predicted, it is clear that there was insufficient preparation. “We urge all nuclear plant operators to immediately take every possible precaution in light of the Fukushima disaster.” A Tepco official on Wednesday admitted that ful inside the plant’s No 1 reactor could be melting. ”I can’s say with absolute certainty that [the fuel] jas not melted,” Junichi Matsumoto said, adding that the firm had been unable to confirm the condition of the reactor’s core. Japan disaster Japan Nuclear power Natural disasters and extreme weather Justin McCurry guardian.co.uk
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Local residents say that Peugeot 807 was clipped by car, sending it into reservoir, where only female driver escaped A man has been arrested after four people died when a car plunged into a reservoir in Wales. The female driver survived the accident, which happened at the Bwlch y Gle Dam, Clywedog, Llanidloes, in mid Wales, on Thursday police said. A spokesman for Dyfed Powys police said: “A local man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and is in custody at present.” The body of one man had been recovered but three bodies remain in the submerged Peugeot 807. “We can confirm that the woman holidaymaker driving the Peugeot managed to escape from the car and is now receiving medical attention – but tragically four other occupants of that car have been killed,” the police spokesman said. There have been unconfirmed reports that the five occupants of the car were all members of the same family and that those left inside it were children. Police declined to comment. It was understood the family had travelled to the area from Pontypridd for a holiday. “The body of a man has been recovered from the car, but the other bodies remain submerged and arrangements are being made to recover them,” said the spokesman. He said the road had been closed and would remain so for some time. “We are in the process of informing next of kin, and no further information in relation to the victims will be released until this process has been completed,” he said. The section of road where the accident happened goes down to the edge of the reservoir and is flanked by rolling hills. The immediate area is regarded as a local beauty spot and is sparsely populated, largely by farming families. Police were called to the scene at around 2.30pm on Thursday. A rescue crew on board a Sea King helicopter from RAF Valley, based in Anglesey, also arrived quickly at the scene. The RAF said: “We were called to reports that a car had gone into the water with five people inside. We sent a crew and the incident is ongoing.” Mid and West Wales fire and rescue service said two fire crews and two boats were involved in the operation. A woman working in a nearby car showroom said she had heard one car had clipped another, sending one of the vehicles crashing into the water. “We saw lots of police cars going past, ambulances and two recovery boats,” said the woman, who did not want to be named. “The story is one car clipped another and one went into the dam. “They have closed the road, it’s a B-road, it’s not somewhere where spectators can go. “There was an ambulance coming up with its sirens going – it was going out of the valley on its way to either Shrewsbury or Aberystwyth.” Wales Crime Transport David Batty guardian.co.uk
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Around 400 people are held at Villawood, many of them are asylum seekers, but the facility also houses people who have overstayed their visas Rioters at an Australian immigration detention centre have set fire to several buildings, climbed onto rooftops and hurled tiles at officials who were scrambling on Thursday to bring the chaotic protest to an end. Up to 100 people being held at Sydney’s Villawood Detention Centre were involved in the riots, which began Wednesday night when two detainees climbed onto a roof, immigration officials said. Protesters set an oxygen cylinder alight, which led to an explosion, and nine buildings including a medical centre and dining hall were gutted by fire. Firefighters brought the blaze under control early Thursday and no one was injured. Around 400 people are held at Villawood. Many of them are asylum seekers, but the facility also houses people who have overstayed their visas. On Thursday, seven detainees remained on the roof of one of the complex’s buildings, next to a large sign that read: “We need help.” Immigration department spokesman Sandi Logan said he could not confirm reports the men were protesting because their visa applications had been rejected. “But any suggestion that they’re not being informed of the progress of their claim is nonsense. … I don’t know the motivation,” Logan said. “But it’s clearly not going to help, in terms of endearing their settlement in Australia.” Logan said officials would not negotiate with the protesters until they came down off the roof. Criminal charges could be filed against the rioters, some of whom threw roof tiles and pieces of furniture at officials trying to get the blaze under control, Logan said. “This is obviously unacceptable behaviour that will have to be investigated,” Acting Prime Minister Wayne Swan said. Mohamed Alameddine, who lives across the street from the facility, said he heard a massive bang as the oxygen cylinder exploded, and the screaming and shouting of protesters and the riot squad. “It was just like black fumes going up the sky. Buildings one after one they just went down,” Alameddine, 17, said. “You could see the riot squad in there everyone was just going crazy.” Australia has seen a surge of asylum seekers fleeing Sri Lanka, Iraq and Afghanistan, and protests at detention centres have become relatively common. The influx has led to a heated political debate as opposition politicians blame the flow on a relaxation of immigration policies by the ruling Labor Party. The government says detention is necessary for national security, but critics of the current policy say indefinite detention is cruel and leads to mental illness, noting people can spend years locked up before their status is determined. Australia guardian.co.uk
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