Unnamed man, believed to be former NoW managing editor Stuart Kuttner, taken into custody for questioning A key new arrest has been made in the ongoing phone-hacking scandal. The unnamed man, believed to be former News of the World managing editor Stuart Kuttner, apparently did not know he was going to be taken into custody when he arrived by appointment at a police station in London at 11am on Tuesday to answer questions about the phone-hacking scandal. Police from both Operation Weeting, the Metropolitan police investigation into alleged phone hacking, and Elveden, the investigation into allegations of inappropriate payments to police, are understood to have been involved. The development is the latest in a scandal that has already caused the closure of a 168-year-old newspaper, the News of the World, and the resignation of two top police officers, as well as 10 arrests. The man at the centre of the new arrest is s understood to have been arrested on suspicion of conspiring to intercept communications, contrary to Section1 (1) Criminal Law Act 1977, and on suspicion of corruption allegations contrary to Section 1 of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1906. They are the same allegations that Rebekah Brooks, the former News of the World editor and ex-News International chief executive, faces since her arrest last month. After being questioned by police – a process that, judging by previous arrests, could last for many hours – the man is expected to be released on bail until October. Others arrested and bailed have included Brooks, ex-NoW editor Andy Coulson, ex-NoW assistant editor Ian Edmondson, ex-NoW chief reporter Neville Thurlbeck, senior ex-NoW journalist James Weatherup, freelance journalist Terenia Taras, an unnamed 63-year-old man, and ex-NoW royal editor Clive Goodman. Phone hacking Newspapers & magazines National newspapers Newspapers Amelia Hill guardian.co.uk
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From Martin Creed’s Scotsman Steps to Robert Rauschenberg at Inverleith House, we take you up close – in pictures – to what’s on at the Edinburgh art festival
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From Martin Creed’s Scotsman Steps to Robert Rauschenberg at Inverleith House, we take you up close – in pictures – to what’s on at the Edinburgh art festival
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Government calls for all young children to ‘have a book on the go’ to improve literacy skills as third of pupils still do not have good grasp of three Rs The government has appealed for every family in the country to “have a book on the go” for young children, after school test data showed that a third of pupils still leave primary school without a full grasp of reading, writing and maths. Interim results of Sats tests show a three percentage point improvement on last year, taking success at level 4 – the national benchmark for the age group – in the three basic subjects to 67% of 11-year-olds. As usual, girls have outperformed boys in all tests except maths, where the boys are on level pegging and indeed pull ahead slightly at the higher level 5. The figures from tests largely tally with teacher assessments of children’s work over the year, which together form the data for key stage 2. Overall, they show that 67% of 11-year-olds in England achieved at least level 4, up from 64% last year. Some 183,000 pupils form the 33% who did not make the grade in the three subjects combined. There was a slight drop in achievement at level 5. Overall, only 13% of pupils reached this mark, a fall of one percentage point from last year, and the share for reading tests dropped to 42% from 50% last year. The schools minister, Nick Gibb, said: “A third of children are still struggling in the three Rs. There has been a decline in the proportion of children – both boys and girls – who can read and write beyond the expected level [ie to level five]. And the results of our weakest readers and writers also remain a real concern. “We are determined to raise standards of reading. There will always be some children for whom reading is a struggle. However, we can and must do much better for the one in 10 boys who at the age of 11 can read no better than a seven-year-old. “It is critical that children read for pleasure. All primary school children should have a reading book on the go at home. Evidence from around the world indicates that the more a child reads, the better their attainment in all subjects – not just reading – will be.” Questions about the quality of the KS2 tests have been raised by the National Association of Head Teachers, which described some of the marking as “making a mockery of pupils’ and teachers’ efforts”. The union’s general secretary, Russell Hobby, said complaints from schools had exposed multiple inconsistencies and poor quality control . Sats Primary schools Schools Teaching Literacy Martin Wainwright guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Government calls for all young children to ‘have a book on the go’ to improve literacy skills as third of pupils still do not have good grasp of three Rs The government has appealed for every family in the country to “have a book on the go” for young children, after school test data showed that a third of pupils still leave primary school without a full grasp of reading, writing and maths. Interim results of Sats tests show a three percentage point improvement on last year, taking success at level 4 – the national benchmark for the age group – in the three basic subjects to 67% of 11-year-olds. As usual, girls have outperformed boys in all tests except maths, where the boys are on level pegging and indeed pull ahead slightly at the higher level 5. The figures from tests largely tally with teacher assessments of children’s work over the year, which together form the data for key stage 2. Overall, they show that 67% of 11-year-olds in England achieved at least level 4, up from 64% last year. Some 183,000 pupils form the 33% who did not make the grade in the three subjects combined. There was a slight drop in achievement at level 5. Overall, only 13% of pupils reached this mark, a fall of one percentage point from last year, and the share for reading tests dropped to 42% from 50% last year. The schools minister, Nick Gibb, said: “A third of children are still struggling in the three Rs. There has been a decline in the proportion of children – both boys and girls – who can read and write beyond the expected level [ie to level five]. And the results of our weakest readers and writers also remain a real concern. “We are determined to raise standards of reading. There will always be some children for whom reading is a struggle. However, we can and must do much better for the one in 10 boys who at the age of 11 can read no better than a seven-year-old. “It is critical that children read for pleasure. All primary school children should have a reading book on the go at home. Evidence from around the world indicates that the more a child reads, the better their attainment in all subjects – not just reading – will be.” Questions about the quality of the KS2 tests have been raised by the National Association of Head Teachers, which described some of the marking as “making a mockery of pupils’ and teachers’ efforts”. The union’s general secretary, Russell Hobby, said complaints from schools had exposed multiple inconsistencies and poor quality control . Sats Primary schools Schools Teaching Literacy Martin Wainwright guardian.co.uk
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Pair were being hunted over violence in Xinjiang that left 11 dead and was blamed on extremists trained in Pakistan Chinese police have shot dead two suspects they were hunting in connection with a deadly attack in the troubled north-western region of Xinjiang, say officials. Police have imposed a nighttime curfew in the centre of Kashgar and armed paramilitary police are guarding major junctions following the weekend’s violence. Officials have blamed extremists trained in camps in Pakistan for Sunday’s attack, which left 11 dead. Pakistan, one of China’s closest allies, has condemned the violence and pledged support in tackling terrorism. A police officer said the incident appeared to be linked to violence the previous night – when two blasts and a knife attack left seven dead, including one assailant – but authorities have yet to say who was responsible for that assault. A notice posted on the Xinjiang regional government website said police shot Memtieli Tiliwaldi, 29, and Turson Hasan, 34, who had been hiding in fields on the outskirts of Kashgar. Police had issued a reward of 100,000 yuan (£9,400) for information leading to their arrest, believing they were among a group who stormed a restaurant on Sunday, killing the owner and waiter and setting fire to the building. The assailants then hacked to death four people on the street and wounded 12 more. Police shot dead five suspects at the scene and arrested four others. Authorities later said the group’s leaders received firearms and explosives training at terrorist camps in Pakistan run by the separatist East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM). The region’s Communist Party boss, Zhang Chunxian, has ordered a crackdown on “illegal religious activities” in the wake of the attacks, the state news agency Xinhua added. It is less than a fortnight since officials said 18 people were killed in an attack on a police station in Hotan, another city in the region. Uighur exiles disputed that account. Exiled Uighur leader Rebiyah Kadeer, president of the World Uyghur Congress, said she opposed violence but blamed the Chinese government for Sunday’s attacks. Kadeer said in a statement: “I am saddened that Han Chinese and Uyghurs have lost their lives. At the same time, I cannot blame the Uighurs who carry out such attacks for they have been pushed to despair by Chinese policies. I condemn the Chinese government for the incident. “The Chinese government has created an environment of hopelessness that means it must take responsibility for civilian deaths and injuries caused by their discriminatory policies.” She added that the congress was sceptical of claims the attackers had connections to international terrorist groups. The Uyghur American Association said in a statement that it feared Uighurs could face arbitrary detention and torture. “Chinese officials have sown the seeds of instability in East Turkestan through the repressive measures they have enforced since the unrest of July 5, 2009″, added president Alim Seytoff. Xinjiang has been under tight security since the ethnic riots in the capital Urumqi, which killed almost 200 mostly Han Chinese people. Professor Rohan Gunaratna of Singapore’s International Centre for Violence and Terrorism Research said he believed the weekend’s attacks were carried out by ETIM or people inspired by the group. He added that ETIM – which he believes is the same organisation as the Turkestan Islamic Party – had been in decline since its leader was killed in 2003. Its size and influence was further reduced by the death of a new leader in a US missile strike in Waziristan last year. Gunaratna said ETIM now numbered a few dozen members and relied on overseas terrorist groups for training because it did not have its own infrastructure. While there is evidence of links between al-Qaida and ETIM, some experts question whether the contacts were substantial and how long they lasted. There are also disputes about whether ETIM is a group as such, or little more than an umbrella term. Nicholas Bequelin, senior Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch, said: “The reason the Chinese government always points at foreign involvement in violent incidents in Xinjiang is to take the focus off local discontent.” Many in the large Uighur Muslim population are angered by religious and cultural controls, economic discrimination and large-scale Han migration. China Global terrorism Pakistan Tania Branigan guardian.co.uk
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• Spanish and Italian bond yields hit record highs • UK emerges as ‘safe haven’ amid global crisis • Barclays boss backs chancellor’s austerity measures • Italian stock market hits 27-month low The eurozone debt crisis threatened to erupt again on Tuesday as Italy and Spain’s borrowing costs hit record highs, helping to drive Britain’s own borrowing costs down to a record low. The euro also lost ground against most major currencies and the Italian stock market hit a 27-month low, as investors appeared to lose faith in the latest European rescue package . The yield, or interest rate, on Italian 10-year bonds rose to nearly 6.3% at one stage, with the equivalent Spanish bonds yielding almost 6.5% early on Tuesday. If yields reach 7%, a country has effectively lost the support of the international markets. In contrast, UK 10-year gilt yields hit an all-time modern low of 2.76%, amid suggestions that the UK has become a relative safe haven in response to the debt crises raging in both Europe and America. Jane Foley, senior currency strategist at Rabobank, said that Britain’s economic fundamentals are “far from attractive”, but less grim than other countries. “Slow economic growth, low interest rates, a highly indebted consumer sector and a large government fiscal deficit suggest there are clear similarities with the US,” said Foley. “The UK government, however, has proved itself to be better positioned to tackle its deficit demons and although there has been a lack of progress to date on achieving deficit reduction in the UK, at least there is no crisis at present.” Italy under pressure The cost of insuring Portuguese, Italian and Spanish debt also rose sharply on Tuesday, according to data from financial information provider Markit. Although Italy pushed through a four-year austerity plan in July, the scale of the country’s borrowing needs are alarming investors. Last month’s Greek bailout, which will see private creditors take a “haircut” on their loans, has also deterred some fund managers from buying more Italian debt. “We are not convinced that this is the finality of the haircuts,” Johannes Jooste, a senior portfolio strategist at Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management, told Bloomberg . Representatives from the Italian economy ministry, the Bank of Italy and market authorities are to meet on Tuesday to discuss the market turbulence, Reuters reported. Prime minister Silvio Berlusconi will address Italy’s parliament on the crisis on Wednesday. Italy’s blue-chip share index, the FTSE MIB, fell 1.5% on Tuesday, hitting its lowest level since April 2009. Osborne’s wins Diamond’s approval The record lows for gilts came as Bob Diamond, the American who runs Barclays, endorsed the chancellor’s austerity measures and indicated that the policy was necessary to ensure that Britain retained its AAA debt rating. He also warned that the eurozone would be subject to “chronic event risk”. At a time when the market is expecting the US to be stripped of its top-notch rating, Diamond said it would be “more serious” if the UK were to be downgraded. Market experts reckon that while the US, because of the sheer size of its bond market, might not incur punitive increases in its borrowing cost in the event of a downgrade, the UK would likely endure a sharp rise in bond yields. This would mean the UK would need to pay more to borrow. He said it was “very positive” that the UK was ahead of its rivals in the EU with its cost-cutting measures – some £81bn of cuts are earmarked to take place in four years. “It’s important to support the prime minister and the chancellor,” he said, in the efforts to cut the deficit and cut public spending. Diamond, who was dubbed the “unacceptable face of banking” by Lord Mandelson while Labour was in office, also endorsed efforts by the government to shift the focus for economic growth on to the private sector from the public sector. Recent data shows the UK economy is stalling . The manufacturing sector contracted for the first time in two years in July while UK output grew just 0.2% in the three months to June. European debt crisis Gilts Europe Bonds Bob Diamond Banking Barclays Alex Hawkes Jill Treanor guardian.co.uk
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Matthew Green, 40, who suffered failure of both chambers of his heart, is preparing to go home after groundbreaking surgery A 40-year-old man has become the first person in the UK to receive a totally artificial heart. Matthew Green had been critically ill, suffering from end-stage failure of both chambers of his heart. But now he is preparing to return home after undergoing the groundbreaking surgery at Papworth hospital, near Cambridge. The operation – which has also been completed successfully in the US and parts of Europe – could help cut transplant waiting times in the future. Green said: “Two years ago, I was cycling nine miles to work and nine miles back every day but by the time I was admitted to hospital I was struggling to walk even a few yards. “I am really excited about going home and just being able to do the everyday things that I haven’t been able to do for such a long time, such as playing in the garden with my son and cooking a meal for my family. “I want to thank all the wonderful staff at Papworth hospital who have been looking after me and who have made it possible for me to return home to my family.” During a six-hour operation last month, surgeons replaced Green’s damaged heart with the device, which will serve the role of both ventricles and heart valves. It provides a blood flow of up to 9.5 litres, eliminating the symptoms and effects of severe heart failure. The artificial heart will be powered by a “freedom portable driver”, worn like a backpack or shoulder bag. The transplant team at Papworth, led by Steven Tsui, consultant cardiothoracic surgeon and director of the transplant service, underwent training in Paris and was assisted by Latif Arusoglu, an expert artificial heart surgeon from Bad Oeynhausen, Germany. Green suffered from arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathia, a heart muscle disease which results in arrhythmia, heart failure and sudden death. Tsui said: “At any point in time, there may be as many as 30 people waiting for a heart transplant on our waiting list at Papworth, with one third waiting over a year. “Matthew’s condition was deteriorating rapidly and we discussed with him the possibility of receiving this device, because without it he may not have survived the wait until a suitable donor heart could be found for him. “The operation went extremely well and Matthew has made an excellent recovery. I expect him to go home very soon, being able to do a lot more than before the operation with a vastly improved quality of life, until we can find a suitable donor heart for him to have a heart transplant.” Health Health & wellbeing guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Matthew Green, 40, who suffered failure of both chambers of his heart, is preparing to go home after groundbreaking surgery A 40-year-old man has become the first person in the UK to receive a totally artificial heart. Matthew Green had been critically ill, suffering from end-stage failure of both chambers of his heart. But now he is preparing to return home after undergoing the groundbreaking surgery at Papworth hospital, near Cambridge. The operation – which has also been completed successfully in the US and parts of Europe – could help cut transplant waiting times in the future. Green said: “Two years ago, I was cycling nine miles to work and nine miles back every day but by the time I was admitted to hospital I was struggling to walk even a few yards. “I am really excited about going home and just being able to do the everyday things that I haven’t been able to do for such a long time, such as playing in the garden with my son and cooking a meal for my family. “I want to thank all the wonderful staff at Papworth hospital who have been looking after me and who have made it possible for me to return home to my family.” During a six-hour operation last month, surgeons replaced Green’s damaged heart with the device, which will serve the role of both ventricles and heart valves. It provides a blood flow of up to 9.5 litres, eliminating the symptoms and effects of severe heart failure. The artificial heart will be powered by a “freedom portable driver”, worn like a backpack or shoulder bag. The transplant team at Papworth, led by Steven Tsui, consultant cardiothoracic surgeon and director of the transplant service, underwent training in Paris and was assisted by Latif Arusoglu, an expert artificial heart surgeon from Bad Oeynhausen, Germany. Green suffered from arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathia, a heart muscle disease which results in arrhythmia, heart failure and sudden death. Tsui said: “At any point in time, there may be as many as 30 people waiting for a heart transplant on our waiting list at Papworth, with one third waiting over a year. “Matthew’s condition was deteriorating rapidly and we discussed with him the possibility of receiving this device, because without it he may not have survived the wait until a suitable donor heart could be found for him. “The operation went extremely well and Matthew has made an excellent recovery. I expect him to go home very soon, being able to do a lot more than before the operation with a vastly improved quality of life, until we can find a suitable donor heart for him to have a heart transplant.” Health Health & wellbeing guardian.co.uk
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Anders Behring Breivik wants government to resign and the Japanese to investigate his mental state, his lawyer reveals The lawyer defending the man who has confessed to Norway’s bomb and shooting attacks says his client has presented a long list of “unrealistic” demands, including the resignation of the government and that his mental condition be investigated by Japanese specialists. Geir Lippestad said Anders Behring Breivik is linking these demands to his willingness to share information about two other alleged terrorist cells he has mentioned during questioning. Lippestad said the 32-year-old Norwegian wants to be investigated by Japanese specialists because “the Japanese understand the idea and values of honour”. The 22 July Oslo bombing and shooting massacre at a youth camp killed 77. Anders Behring Breivik Norway Europe The far right guardian.co.uk
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