Skywatchers anticipate spectacular lunar elipse tonight as the moon will rise in the Earth’s shadow The moon will rise in Earth’s shadow this evening in a rare lunar eclipse that could turn our natural satellite a deep shade of red. With clear skies, the celestial spectacle will be visible across the UK, with the exception of northern Scotland, as soon as the moon rises after sunset. Moonrise time varies with location, but for observers in London, the show will begin at 9.13pm. Further north, in Glasgow, moonrise begins at 9.58pm. A total lunar eclipse happens when the moon, Earth and sun line up, and our home planet casts a vast shadow that engulfs the moon. When the moon moves into the darkest part of the Earth’s shadow, the umbra, it will turn a slate grey or brick red colour. The moon changes colour because blue light – and other short wavelengths – scatter more in the Earth’s atmosphere, with more red light getting through. The Royal Astronomical Society said the eclipse, if visible, could be a spectacular opportunity for photographers. The moon will remain low in the night sky, so observers will need a clear horizon and cloudless skies to see it well. Unlike solar eclipses, a lunar eclipse is safe to watch with the naked eye. The event will be visible in Australasia, southern Japan, a large area of Asia, India, Africa, Europe and the eastern part of South America. The total eclipse ends at 22.03pm, when the Moon starts to leave the darkest part of the umbra. At this time, the moon will be only five degrees above the south-eastern horizon from London, whilst in Glasgow the whole of the lunar disk will not yet have appeared and from northern Scotland it will not be visible at all. In the final stage of the eclipse, the moon moves into the lighter part of Earth’s shadow, the penumbra, and will likely take on a yellowish hue. The eclipse will be over just after midnight, at 00.02am Thursday morning. Lunar eclipses Astronomy Space Ian Sample guardian.co.uk
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Fifth of native ladybird species in decline across the British Isles, first comprehensive census shows • In pictures: The great harlequin ladybird invasion More than one-fifth of native ladybird species are in decline across the British Isles as environmental changes and competition from voracious alien invaders take their toll on the insects’ numbers. The grim outlook for 10 of the 47 ladybird species found in the UK and Ireland is revealed in the first comprehensive census compiled with help from tens of thousands of volunteer spotters. Distribution maps drawn up from sightings over the last 20 years show worrying declines in the common 10- and 14-spot ladybirds, and numbers of rarer species, including the unusual water and hieroglyphic ladybirds, have also suffered substantial falls. The environmental factors behind the declines are not affecting all species equally, however. The survey shows substantial increases in the populations of five ladybird species, including the 24-spot and pine varieties. Some native ladybirds are struggling to survive alongside species that have recently become established in Britain. A decline in the two-spot ladybird has been blamed on the arrival and spectacular rise of the Asian harlequin ladybird, which was introduced into Europe to control pests. The harlequin arrived from the continent in 2003. It is larger, breeds faster, competes with others for food and even preys on the larvae of smaller insects, such as the two-spot ladybird. The species is now common in England and Wales and has recently been sighted in Scotland. Helen Roy, of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) in Oxfordshire, and one of the authors of the Ladybird Atlas of Britain and Ireland, said: “What’s quite striking is that in the same way as butterflies and moths have seen very common species going into decline, we’re seeing the same happen with ladybirds. “What is particularly worrying about the declines is that many of these are common species, the ones people will be most familiar with in their gardens. We have not unravelled all the causes behind the declines, but a warming climate and changes in land use are expected to have an impact. “They are telling us there are changes going up through the food chain. Ladybirds can be used as indicators of wider changes in our environment,” Roy said. Contrary to popular perception, ladybirds are top predators in their ecological niches. Their voracious appetites for plant-destroying aphids and small, parasitic-scale insects have made them a favourite among gardeners. They thrive in warmer conditions and are most diverse in southern England, but many species are now extending their ranges in Scotland as temperatures become more inviting. The kidney spot ladybird, which resembles a miniature bowler hat daubed with two red spots, has been recorded in Scotland for the first time in recent years, “almost certainly as a consequence of climate change”, Roy said. An explosion in orange ladybirds, which feed on mildew, is thought to be linked to warmer, damper conditions in parts of Britain in the past two decades. One of the greatest surprises recorded by the survey is the recolonisation of Britain by the 13-spot ladybird, which was once considered extinct here. Sightings of the ladybird in Cornwall, Devon and the New Forest suggest the insects are becoming re-established after arriving from the Channel islands or France. Ladybirds can be carried on cars and ferries, but have also been known to travel long distances over water on air currents. Further analysis of the survey data will give researchers unique insights into the ecological roles of different species of ladybird and how they respond to changes in their habitat and the environment. A project was begun in the 1960s to compile records of ladybird sightings across the British Isles. Originally filled with sightings from experts, it has since been opened up to include amateur enthusiasts. Sightings are usually backed up with specimens or photographic evidence before a record is made official. The earliest record included in the publication is that of a rare 13-spot ladybird seen near Oxford in 1819. The most commonly recorded species, with 27,000 records, is the seven-spot ladybird, closely followed by the harlequin, with over 25,000 records. The atlas is a collaborative project between researchers at the CEH, Anglia Ruskin University, Clifton College and the wildlife enthusiast Robert Frost. Peter Brown, at Anglia Ruskin, said the response from volunteer ladybird spotters was “staggering”, and crucial to assess changes in the insects’ distributions over time. The survey is an ongoing project that will continue to monitor ladybird populations in the years ahead. Insects Wildlife Biodiversity Ian Sample guardian.co.uk
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Report reveals threat of civil unrest from energy shortages, which has been played down as ‘alarmist’ by ministers The government was warned by its own civil servants two years ago that there could be “significant negative economic consequences” to the UK posed by near-term “peak oil” energy shortages. Ministers were told it was impossible to know exactly when production might fail to meet supply but when it did there could be global consequences, including “civil unrest.” Yet ministers consistently played down the threat with the contemporaneous Wicks Review into energy security (pdf) effectively dismissing peak oil as alarmist and irrelevant. The report on the risks and impacts of a potential future decline in oil production has just been published – but only after the Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) was repeatedly threatened under the Freedom of Information Act with forced disclosure . The information is revealed at a critical time when oil prices have soared to historic highs of around $115 (£71) a barrel hitting motorists through higher petrol costs and helping to drive up household gas bills. The price of oil and gas tend to be linked due under the terms of many wholesale gas contracts. This report admits it is not possible to predict with any accuracy when crude production will peak and go into steady but final decline. But it goes on to say that “if peak oil happened before 2015, this would have significant negative economic consequences for some of the main importers of UK goods and services resulting in a negative impact on the UK economy in the longer term.” Civil servants from the department of energy and climate change argued that while global oil reserves were still plentiful, it is “clear” that existing fields are maturing and new production is being slowed by bottlenecks. Yet it concludes that “alternative technologies to oil will take a long time to develop and deploy at scale.” And it says that the risk of high and volatile oil prices “provides a further rationale for pressing forward with policies that reduce our CO2 emissions in the transport sector.” The Decc report has been finally been published alongside other documents on peak oil as the government finally goes through a major rethink on the subject. The department’s chief scientist, David MacKay, recently called for information and views on peak oil amid rising pressure from industrialists to take it more seriously. High-profile names such as Sir Richard Branson have joined an increasingly strident campaign group, the UK Industry Task Force on Peak Oil and Energy Security , pressing for change. It warned last year in its own report The Oil Crunch that there could be serious shortages of oil by 2015. Meanwhile the US Military Joint Forces Command issued its own review in 2010 predicting surplus oil production could disappear as early as next year. And the University of Uppsala in Sweden argued in The Peak of the Oil Age report that oil production may already have passed its maximum. Energy academics there have repeatedly claimed that many governments and their watchdog, the International Energy Agency, have been playing down their fears for many years. There has long been speculation that the UK government had its own worrying peak oil report from 2007 that it was refusing to publish. Lionel Badal , who has been pursuing the subject while at Exeter University and then King’s College, London, acquired the report, marked “sensitive”, through an FoI request. He was refused by Decc but won a ruling under the FoI appeals procedure that the information must be handed over. The department insists it was going to make public some of the findings and denies the report’s publication was triggered by the FoI demand. The report was slipped out last Wednesday in the middle of one of the most important meetings in the history of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries. That summit broke up in disarray after Saudi Arabia, the biggest oil producer, failed to win agreement from hardline states such as Iran to turn the taps on to help oil consuming countries in the west. Oil Energy Fossil fuels Terry Macalister guardian.co.uk
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NPR counter-terrorism correspondent Dina Temple-Raston walked into a testy confrontation recently when she spoke to a YWCA “Women of Distinction” luncheon in Darien, Connecticut. A local journalist was amazed that she would insist on no video or audio taping of her remarks there. The journalist, Jim Cameron, wrote about the fight on his blog . He was upset that print reporters could cover it, but he couldn't record for a cable-access TV channel: A day before the event, at my request, the Y sponsors circled back to me with more information. Apparently her agent was wrong. It was not an NPR rule about no taping, it was Ms. Temple-Raston's rule. Clearly, the Juan Williams case (of NPR staffers speaking off-air) has had a chilling effect on those NPR staffers' outside, money-making speaking gigs . The day of the event I decided to give full coverage a final try. Arriving at the Woodway Country Club, I told the YWCA organizers that the community deserved to see the award winners and I promised to record only that… if I could speak to Ms. Temple-Raston and make a final appeal. Seconds later, she appeared and we shared a rather contentious two minute conversation. “You know you cannot tape my speech”' she said. “So I've heard,” I said, “But why? Is it really an NPR rule?”. “No,” she said, “It's just my personal preference. I am on vacation today.” Then I tried appealing to her as a fellow fifth-estater. “As a journalist are you comfortable in stopping my coverage of your speech?” “Absolutely,” she said without hesitation. “You're lucky I'm allowing you to tape the awards presentations!” “That's not your call,” I told her. “I'm here at the invitation of the YWCA.” ” Well, that camera better be off. That's an ethical issue, ” she said, and then added icing to the cake… “and this conversation is off the record.” “No, this conversation is ON the record, Dina, and it is part of my coverage,” I said. At this point two other videographers arrived, one from The Patch and the other from News12, our local cable news operation. Dina visibly flinched, turning to both and reminding them they too could not tape her speech. “No problem,” said one of them. Her final comment came as a somewhat rhetorical question… ” why are you being so hard-assed (about this)?” Why? Because you, Ms Temple-Raston, can't have it both ways. You cannot promote your private, paid speaking business on the basis of your NPR work and then pretend that your comments are somehow private. Nobody came to pay $85 to hear you as an individual. They came to bask in the glory of your media aura. If you brand yourself as part of NPR, your remarks should be open to public coverage. I’m guessing that you would tolerate no less in your own journalistic endeavors, would you? Cameron thought of appealing to the ACLU — not a great idea, since Temple-Raston co-wrote a book about those horrible Bush terrorism policies with the executive director of the ACLU. One local paper suggested the NPR lady told the women's lunch that she thought the ladies were better journalists: Dina Temple-Raston, National Public Radio National Security and Counterterrorism Correspondent, spoke of her experiences in the Arab-speaking world, suggesting that female journalists can often succeed where male counterparts can't. “Women are instinctively more aware of their surroundings than men and more alert to dire developments,” she said. Earlier: Temple-Raston Insists Buffalo Wif'e's Beheading by Muslim Outreach TV Founder Has No Islamic Overtones
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Eight people killed and four wounded in attack, while mortar blasts country’s largest police training facility A suicide bomber has killed eight people and wounded four in an attack on a governor’s office in north-east Afghanistan, while a mortar targeted a building where Nato and Afghan officials were inaugurating the country’s largest police training facility in central Afghanistan. The two attacks occurred at about the same time. Provincial spokesman Halim Ayar said the bomber blew himself up about 200 metres from the office of the governor, Azizul Rahman Tawab, in the north-east Kapisa province. He said four of the dead were police officers and four were civilians. All the wounded were civilians, he added. The interior ministry said: “The leadership of Ministry of Interior of Afghanistan condemns this inhumane and cowardly suicide attack. Such attacks will never weaken the determination of the Afghan National Police.” Meanwhile, in central Wardak province, a mortar landed next to a large building where Afghan ministers and Nato officials were celebrating the opening of the flagship centre of a multibillion dollar Nato programme to train Afghan national security forces before the planned withdrawal of US-led coalition forces at the end of 2014. Afghanistan’s second vice-president, Mohammed Karim Khalili, and interior minister Bismullah Khan Mohammadi were in attendance when the blast shook the building and more than 500 police recruits ducked for cover. Gunshots rang out after the attack. Bodyguards rushed Afghan and Nato officials into a hardened shelter before evacuating them on helicopters. The area has seen increasing attacks by insurgents as the Taliban press a spring campaign against Afghan and Nato forces. It was unclear if Khalili, who was born in Wardak, was the intended target of the attack, but the mortar seemed to have been aimed at the building where he had just finished delivering his speech. The $106m (£65m) facility houses 725 recruits but will expand to 3,000, making it the largest of its kind in the country. A mostly US-funded programme has been spending about $10bn a year in 2010 and 2011 to train, equip and build infrastructure for a range of Afghan forces, including police, soldiers and an air force. That programme calls for increasing the number of Afghan police to 134,000 by October, from the 81,509 of two years ago. US Major General James Mallory told the Associated Press that Nato would be able to properly train and support an estimated 157,000 police officers before the coalition’s planned withdrawal in 2014. However, he acknowledged there would be long-term legacy costs that the international community would need to bear for the country as it struggles economically, especially as 86% of incoming recruits cannot read or write. “We’re dealing with a lost generation,” Mallory said. He spoke just before the mortar attack. Afghanistan Taliban Nato US military United States US foreign policy guardian.co.uk
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Pair arrested near singer’s home in Devon were reportedly in possession of swords, rope and body bag Two men are being questioned on suspicion of conspiracy to rob and murder after being arrested close to the home of the singer Joss Stone. The men were detained in Cullompton, Devon, at around 10am on Tuesday after residents reported a suspicious looking vehicle. The pair, aged 30 and 33, were initially arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and going equipped to burgle/steal. The 30-year-old was also arrested for driving while disqualified. After further inquiries the police said the men were being questioned on suspicion of conspiracy to rob and conspiracy to murder. The Sun reported that police found swords, rope and a body bag as well detailed maps and aerial photos of Stone’s property when they arrested the pair. Detective Inspector Steve Parker, leading the investigation, said: “The two men in custody had in their possession information relating to an individual in the Cullompton area and items which lead us to suspect that they may have intended to commit a criminal offence. Police inquiries continue and the men remain in custody.” Stone has sold more than 11m records globally and is estimated to be worth £9m . The singer, 24, was recently asked to join a new “supergroup” formed by Mick Jagger, featuring Dave Stewart, from the Eurythmics, Damian Marley, the Grammy-winning youngest son of Bob Marley, and the Bollywood composer AR Rahman. Stone is a friend of Prince William and attended the royal wedding. Joss Stone Crime Haroon Siddique guardian.co.uk
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• Unemployment rate down to 7.7% • But number of people claiming jobless benefits rises • Wage growth up just 1.8% in a year • Public sector sheds 24k jobs, private sector gains 104k Unemployment is falling at its fastest pace in a decade, official figures reveal, in a boost for George Osborne as he prepares to deliver his Mansion House speech . The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the number of people unemployed fell by 88,000 in the the three months to April, to 2.43 million — the largest drop since the summer of 2000. The unemployment rate was 7.7%, down from 8% three months earlier. The positive jobs figures are good news for the chancellor, who has been forced to defend his economic policy in the face of flagging growth. However, analysts warned that there were signs of weakness in the data, with the more timely claimant count measure of unemployment showing a much worse than expected rise of 19,600 in May to 1.49 million. That was the third consecutive increase in the claimant count. Alan Clarke, of Scotia Capital, said the claimant count was an early sign that the labour market could deteriorate. “With GDP growth unlikely to stray very far above zero over the next 6 months, we should brace for further increases in unemployment.” There was also fresh evidence of the painful squeeze facing households, as pay increased at an annual rate of just 1.8%. That means on average, incomes are rising at less than half the rate of inflation, eating into families’ standard of living. Hetal Mehta, of Daiwa Securities, said that weak wage growth would reassure the doves on the Bank of England’s monetary policy committee who want to leave interest rates on hold at their record low. “Wage growth remains well below levels that the Bank would consider a threat to inflation. This combined with inflation remaining steady and weak retail indicators reinforce our view that the Bank of England will stay in wait-and-see-mode with regard to interest rates until next year,” she said. Separate figures also revealed the rapid pace of job-shedding in the public sector in the first three months of the year, with the bulk of job cuts concentrated in local government. The ONS said the number of people employed in the public sector fell by 24,000 in the first quarter of 2011 – or 39,000 when temporary staff hired to work on the census are removed. Over the same period, employment in the private sector increased by 104,000, more than soaking up the government job losses. Unemployment and employment statistics Economics Unemployment Economic policy Heather Stewart guardian.co.uk
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Public and Commercial Services Union leader Mark Serwotka says industrial action will mount over coming months unless the government changes tack The leader of the largest civil service union has warned that co-ordinated strike action by public sector workers will intensify over the coming months as millions of staff face pay freezes, mass job losses and pension reforms branded as nothing short of “daylight robbery”. Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the Public and Commercial Services Union, issued the warning to the government ahead of his union’s strike ballot result, due on Wednesday, which is expected to result in civil servants joining teachers and lecturers for a walkout on 30 June bringing schools, colleges, universities, courts, ports and jobcentres to a standstill. The National Union of Teachers and the Association of Teachers and Lecturers announced their ballot result yesterday over proposed pension reforms that unions say will leave their members paying more, working longer and receiving less when they retire. Ministers say they are crucial to get public spending under control. Dave Prentis, the general secretary of Unison, the biggest public sector union, signalled a further wave of unrest in the autumn by announcing on Monday that he was preparing to ballot 1.2 million state employees for sustained and co-ordinated strike action. Francis Maude, the minister for the Cabinet Office, who is steering government relations with the public sector unions, hit back by saying the government was keeping under review the possibility of making it harder for workers to go out on strike. “We have not ruled it out,” said Maude on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme. Maude issued the warning as unions signalled plans for mass action in what would be the strongest industrial act of defiance yet against the government’s cuts programme. Serwotka said he believed co-ordinated action would mount over the coming months as the government showed no sign of having “second thoughts” over the pension proposals, which would leave members across the public sector significantly worse off. It made sense to make “common cause” with other unions whose members face the same threat to their pensions, he said. Speaking ahead of Maude, Serwotka told Today: “He knows as well as I do, because I’m in these talks, that what they’ve told us at every meeting that they will not compromise on putting up the pension age, they will not compromise on forcing us to pay three times the contribution and they will not compromise on people’s value of their pension being slashed. “So in reality the talks are a farce and he knows it, and therefore if you’re faced with mass job loss, with privatisation, with pay restraint and then the biggest slashing of your pensions there’s ever been, I don’t think it’s surprising that people want to defend themselves. It obviously makes sense that you make common cause with council workers, health workers and teachers because we all face the same attacks. Serwotka said the size of public sector pensions has been greatly exaggerated. “Many people therefore fall for the line of ‘the government and their gold-plated pensions’ and actually the average civil service pension is £4,000 a year,” he said. “It reflects the fact that most people are on extraordinarily low wages and even though we have a defined benefit pension scheme, it produces a very small amount of money at the end of it.” Maude denied that the talks were a “farce” and claimed public sector pensions represented an excellent deal, and would continue to do so when they had been reformed. As the country heads for the first wave of industrial unrest later this month, Maude warned striking teachers that they should be prepared for a public backlash. People would be “very angry” that a school “randomly closes down” when talks were still underway, he said. And he said turnout for the ballots suggested that the majority of NUT and ATL members were not in favour of strikes. “The idea that all these teachers are rising up in fury is rubbish,” he said. Asked if he supported calls made by Boris Johnson, the London mayor, and the Confederation of British Industry, to tighten strike laws by establishing a threshold turnout of between 40% and 50%, Maude said the government had not ruled this out. “There have been a lot of proposals made from outside about how strike laws might be reformed. It is notable that the teaching union ballots yesterday were on a very low turnout… There’s not a sense of the whole of the union membership rising up en masse. “We think the strike laws work pretty well at the moment. We certainly don’t rule anything out, but we’ve got no plans to make changes at the moment.” The CBI seized on planned strike action by tube unions to step up its call for changes to employment law so that more workers would have to take part in a ballot before a strike could be held. Talks will be held today to avert a walk-out by members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union over the sacking of a driver. Katja Hall, CBI chief policy director, said: “This strike is an attempt to cause maximum disruption for Londoners on a minimal turnout. “It can’t be right that just 29% of the balloted workforce voted in favour of this strike and that the tribunal case at the centre of this dispute has not even been decided. “Yet the travelling public now faces a difficult period trying to get in and around the capital. We are calling for the law to be changed so strikes can only go ahead with the backing of a significant proportion of the workforce.” Bob Crow hit back at the CBI, saying: “Who elects their members who have the power to ruin the lives of entire communities and plunge tens of thousands of vulnerable people into uncertainty at Southern Cross? There is no ballot threshold there and these greed merchants should keep their noses out of our business.” Trade unions Public sector cuts Public services policy Public finance Public sector pay Public sector pensions Local government Mark Serwotka Teaching Dave Prentis Bob Crow Hélène Mulholland guardian.co.uk
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Foreign office minister ‘shocked by horrific scenes’ in Channel 4 film that apparently show summary execution of prisoners Britain has renewed calls for Sri Lanka to investigate allegations of war crimes after video footage apparently showing the summary execution of naked and bound prisoners was broadcast on UK television. The film, shown on Channel 4, reportedly shows “trophy videos” taken on mobile phones by Sri Lankan soldiers taking part in the military operation in 2009 to crush the Tamil Tiger insurgency and end a 25-year civil war. The broadcast came as the Home Office prepared to deport some 40 Tamils to the south Asian island state, including five who claim that their safety has been put in danger after UK officials passed papers in their case to the authorities in Colombo. Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt said he was “shocked by the horrific scenes” in the Channel 4 film, Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields, which he said contained “convincing evidence of violations of international humanitarian and human rights law”. Burt said the UK was ready to join the rest of the international community in pursuing “all options available” to put pressure on the government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa to take action. The film was shown to the United Nations Human Rights Council in May. Presenter Jon Snow said it was “one of the most shocking films” the channel had ever produced. It included footage of apparent extrajudicial killing of prisoners by government forces, the aftermath of targeted shelling of civilian hospitals and the bodies of female Tamil fighters who appear to have been sexually assaulted. It also examined atrocities carried out by the Tamil Tigers, including the use of human shields and a suicide bombing in a government centre for the displaced. Sri Lanka’s civil war ended in 2009, as the Colombo government claimed victory over the insurgents after a bloody military operation that killed thousands of people and displaced many more. A panel of experts convened by the United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, reported this year that it had found “credible allegations” of war crimes on both sides and said that a civilian death toll of 40,000 or more could not be ruled out. In its annual human rights report for 2010, published in March, the Foreign Office voiced concern about continued human rights violations, disappearances, extrajudicial killings and arbitrary arrests in the country after the end of the war. Responding to the film, Burt said: “The recent UN panel of experts’ report, this documentary and previously authenticated Channel 4 footage constitute convincing evidence of violations of international humanitarian and human rights law. “The whole of the international community will expect the Sri Lankans to give a serious and full response to this evidence. “Since the end of the conflict the UK has called for an independent, thorough and credible investigation of the allegations that war crimes were committed during the hostilities and the UK government expects to see progress by the end of the year. I reiterated this message to the Sri Lankan foreign minister on 14 June. “If the Sri Lankan government does not respond we will support the international community in revisiting all options available to press the Sri Lankan government to fulfil its obligations. “Unless this is done, Sri Lanka will not be able to move on, and the prospects for reconciliation between Sri Lanka’s communities will be curtailed. It is of the greatest importance that this does not happen.” Channel 4 News highlighted the case of 40 Tamils being held at a detention centre at Heathrow airport and who are due to be returned to Sri Lanka on a deportation flight on Thursday. The programme quoted one of the asylum seekers – who was not named – as saying he feared he would be killed if he was sent back. His lawyer said that the provision of potentially incriminating documentation on his case to the Sri Lankan authorities amounted to a serious breach of confidentiality in contravention of UN guidelines and Home Office rules. Sri Lanka Tamil Tigers Channel 4 Human rights United Nations War crimes guardian.co.uk
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Detention of five CIA informants involved in leadup to Osama Bin Laden killing seen as sign of fresh Pakistan-US discord Pakistan’s top military spy agency has arrested five CIA informants who fed information to the US spy agency before the raid last month which killed Osama bin Laden, the New York Times reported on Wednesday. One of the detainees was reported to be a Pakistani army major whom officials said copied licence plates of cars visiting the al-Qaida leader’s compound 30 miles northwest of Islamabad. The fate of the CIA informants arrested in Pakistan is unclear, the newspaper reported, citing American officials. Outgoing CIA director Leon Panetta raised the issue of the informants’ detention during a trip to Islamabad last week where he met with with Pakistani military and intelligence officers, the newspaper said. Some in Washington see the arrest as another sign of the deep disconnect between US and Pakistani priorities in the fight against extremists, the New York Times reported. The United States kept Islamabad in the dark about the May 2 raid by Navy SEALs until after it was completed, humiliating Pakistan’s armed forces and putting US military and intelligence ties under serious strain. Last week, at a closed Senate Intelligence Committee briefing, Deputy CIA director Michael Morell rated Pakistan’s cooperation with the United States on counterterrorism operations a “three” on a scale of 1 to 10, the New York Times reported, citing officials familiar with the exchange. Other officials cautioned that his comments did not represent the administration’s overall assessment, the newspaper said. “We have a strong relationship with our Pakistani counterparts and work through issues when they arise,” CIA spokesman Marie Harf told the newspaper. “Director Panetta had productive meetings last week in Islamabad. It’s a crucial partnership, and we will continue to work together in the fight against al-Qaida and other terrorist groups who threaten our country and theirs.” Asked about the report, a CIA spokeswoman neither confirmed nor denied it and said she had no further comment. Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States, Husain Haqqani, was quoted as saying that the CIA and the Pakistani spy agency “are working out mutually agreeable terms for their cooperation in fighting the menace of terrorism. It is not appropriate for us to get into the details at this stage”. Pakistan United States Osama bin Laden CIA guardian.co.uk
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