Prime minister reveals willingness to work with spy agencies but urges Pakistan to ‘make its wealthy pay more tax’ David Cameron has taken a calculated and expensive diplomatic gamble by agreeing to put his faith in the Pakistani security services to help Britain leave Afghanistan, in the hope of preventing the export of terrorism to Britain. Nearly half of the terrorist plots against Britain come from Pakistan’s lawless north-west frontiers. On a visit to Islamabad, Cameron promised £950m in aid to fund 4m school places and 8,000 teachers, arguing that education is the best antidote to terror. Pakistan is now the largest beneficiary of UK aid. Cameron said he could justify the move domestically only if the Pakistani elite paid more taxes. He said bluntly, in a speech, that Pakistan suffered from “weaknesses in terms of government capacity and waste”. But he revealed a new willingness to work with Pakistani intelligence agencies to secure a political settlement in Afghanistan before Britain leaves in 2015. A year ago, Cameron put UK-Pakistan relations in deep-freeze by criticising the Pakistanis for facing both ways in the fight against terror. On Tuesday he talked of a fresh start and a new era of co-operation. British officials say they are now convinced that the growing internal Islamist terrorist threat inside the country has caused the intelligence service, the ISI, to take a tougher role in combating the Taliban and al-Qaida inside Pakistan. British officials said the Pakistani prime minister, Yusuf Raza Gilani, and the president, Asif Ali Zardari, recognised they were involved in “an existential battle” with terrorists. During his one-day visit, Cameron offered the president unprecedented intelligence co-operation and agreed to set up a joint “centre of excellence” in Pakistan to exchange knowledge on improvised explosive devices. He also sought to reassure his hosts that he does not see India as Britain’s preferred partner in the region. He set a goal of Anglo-Pakistani trade rising from £1.9 bn to £2.5bn by 2015. In a sign of the importance of the trip to UK national security, Cameron was accompanied by Sir Peter Ricketts, the national security adviser, Sir David Richards, the chief of the defence staff, and Sir John Sawers, head of MI6. The three were in Islamabad only a month ago to prepare the ground for what is being billed as an “enhanced security dialogue”. The aim was to build a less transactional relationship, officials said, and to work on the basis of broader, long-term trust. At a joint press conference, Gilani said: “I want to assure you that Pakistan has the resolve and the commitment to fight against extremism and terrorism. We’ve paid a heavy price for that.” He pointed out that 30,000 civilians had been killed and a similar number disabled. He said: “The political leadership has been targeted. The bombs have gone off in girls’ schools, hospitals, the malls, the police stations and even in the intelligence service headquarters.” Cameron praised his hosts: “What you see in Pakistan is a huge fight by the government taking place against terrorism.” He defended the size of the projected aid package, saying he would “struggle to find an example of a country” whose progress and success were more in Britain’s national interest than were those of Pakistan. But, unusually, he challenged Pakistan by pointing out that it currently spends only 1.5% of national income on education, and has one of the lowest tax revenues, relative to GDP, of any country in the world. “You are not raising the resources necessary to pay for things that a modern state and people require,” he said. “Too few people pay tax. Too many of your richest people are getting away without paying much tax at all. And that’s not fair.” British officials indicated that they had asked the Pakistan military as diplomatically as possible when it planned to enter North Waziristan, the tribal heartland and sanctuary from which many terrorist groups operate. British intelligence and the CIA consider the region to be the place where suicide bombings and cross-border attacks originate. Cameron made a partial reference in his speech, saying: “Neither the Pakistan army nor Nato forces must ever tolerate sanctuaries for people plotting violence.” The Pakistani army has suffered big losses as a result of clearing out other federally administered tribal areas, and seems to be holding back from tackling North Waziristan, partly due to a peace deal having been struck. Pakistani troops moved into South Waziristan in 2009. Pakistan says it lacks military capacity to lead an assault on a mountainous area that could lead to a mass exodus of refugees. In the absence of troops on the ground, Britain supports what it sees as the highly effective use of US unmanned drones to bomb terrorist targets in the area, a practice that Pakistani politicians regularly denounce as being counter-productive and in breach of their sovereignty, and leading to the slaughter of innocent tribal elders. Only last week, Pakistan pulled out of tripartite talks on Afghanistan in anger at the US attacks. Since 2007, about 164 drone strikes have been carried out, killing almost 1,000 militants. David Cameron Pakistan Global terrorism UK security and terrorism Foreign policy International education news Patrick Wintour guardian.co.uk
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UN says it has received calls from Gbagbo’s top generals, as president shelters in basement of his palace Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo has been holed up in a bunker with his family and a handful of supporters as army generals negotiated his surrender. The former history professor turned politician, who refused to accept that he had lost last year’s election, is facing an ignominious end to his 10-year rule after waging a desperate war to preserve it. As he sheltered in the basement of his presidential palace surrounded by forces loyal to his rival, Alassane Ouattara, the UN said that it had received calls from Gbagbo’s three top generals – the head of the armed forces, the head of the police and the head of the elite republican guard – offering to negotiate terms for surrender in return for guarantees of safety. The negotiations came after a dramatic 24 hours in Ivory Coast. On Monday night, UN and French forces opened fire with attack helicopters on Gbagbo’s arms stockpiles and bases. Earlier, columns of foot soldiers allied to Ouattara finally pierced the city limits of Abidjan. Gbagbo’s spokesman, Ahoua Don Mello, told Reuters there were “direct negotiations based on African Union (AU) recommendations which said Alassane Ouattara is president. They are also negotiating judicial and security conditions for Gbagbo’s camp and his relatives.” But defiant to the last, Gbagbo’s foreign minister, Alcide Djedje, insisted he was at the residence of the French ambassador in Abidjan to negotiate a “ceasefire” rather than “surrender”. He also denied his leader would go into exile. “I was sent by President Gbgabo to negotiate a ceasefire and we negotiated all night and reached an agreement this morning at 10.00 GMT,” he said. Ouattara has urged forces loyal to him to take Gbagbo alive, and his advisers have called for Gbagbo to stand trial at the international criminal court. Although the four-month stalemate between the rival presidents seemed to be all but over, there have been continued reports of sporadic fighting and fears of revenge attacks and looting. Ouattara will face a massive challenge to unite the deeply divided, war-torn country and rebuild its shattered economy. “One might think that we are getting to the end of the crisis,” Hamadoun Toure, spokesman for the UN mission in Ivory Coast, told the Associated Press. “We spoke to his close aides, some had already defected, some are ready to stop fighting. He is alone now, he is in his bunker with a handful of supporters and family members. So is he going to last or not? I don’t know.” France, the former colonial power, said both it and the UN required Gbagbo to agree in writing that he was giving up power before any agreement is reached. Alain Juppé, the French foreign minister, told parliament he had spoken to the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, and they agreed that “the departure of Gbagbo be preceded by the publication of a document with his signature in which he renounces power”. The UN and French offensive on Monday night, an unprecedented escalation in the international community’s efforts to oust Gbagbo, was carried out in the name of civilian protection but also proved useful to the rebels backing Ouattara. President Nicolas Sarkozy spoke to Ouattara, whose victory in last November’s election has been endorsed by the UN, US, the AU and EU, twice on Tuesday. Barack Obama said he welcomed the role of UN and French forces in Ivory Coast. “To end this violence and prevent more bloodshed, former president Gbagbo must stand down immediately, and direct those who are fighting on his behalf to lay down their arms,” the US president said. “Every day that the fighting persists will bring more suffering, and further delay the future of peace and prosperity that the people of Côte d’Ivoire deserve.” But the president of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, the current head of the AU, condemned foreign military intervention in Ivory Coast and Libya, saying Africa must be allowed to manage its own affairs. France said its military would intervene only as long as requested by the UN. France’s intervention infuriated Gbagbo’s camp, which already blamed Paris for supporting the north of the country in a 2002-03 civil war. Even before the latest offensive, post-election violence had left at least 1,500 people dead – most of them Ouattara supporters – and forced up to 1 million to flee their homes. Many civilians in Abidjan, a city of about 4 million people, remain trapped in their homes and in urgent need of food and water. The prosecutor of the international criminal court, José Luis Moreno-Ocampo, said he was analysing information on last week’s massacre in the western town of Duékoué, where at least 800 people were reportedly killed, and wanted to open a formal investigation. Moreno-Ocampo said on Tuesday it was not yet clear who was responsible for the massacre. The Elders, a group of eminent global leaders, called on Ouattara to unite the nation through reconciliation. Its chairman, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, said: “I urge President Ouattara to commit publicly to a process of accountability. His actions and words in the coming days are critical to the future of Côte d’Ivoire. The people need reconciliation, not retaliation.” Ivory Coast Laurent Gbagbo United Nations Selay Kouassi David Smith guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Once again, a government shutdown looms Friday—and another delay will cost $12 billion in budget cuts if the GOP has its way. The House Appropriations Committee is drafting a bill that will, for another $12 billion in new cuts, keep domestic agencies and the State Department running for one…
Continue reading …In the very last days of his presidency, George W. Bush was so desperate to locate Osama bin Laden that he reportedly invited son Omar bin Laden to the White House. This, of course, according to Omar bin Laden himself; a spokesperson for the White House refused to confirm or…
Continue reading …Ivory Coast strongman Laurent Gbagbo is reportedly negotiating his surrender, as troops loyal to Alassane Ouattara have, with the help of helicopter attacks by the UN and the French, pushed their way to the heart of Abidjan to reach Gbagbo’s home. The BBC reports that a source says Gbagbo and…
Continue reading …The FBI has begun questioning the thousands of Libyans living in the US, in the hopes of routing out any that might be agents of Moammar Gadhafi. The interviews, which began this week, will initially focus on people with personal or professional ties to Libya, with a particular emphasis on…
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• Hit the auto-update button for the latest posts • Send your thoughts to paul.doyle@guardian.co.uk • Follow minute-by-minute coverage of Inter v Schalke • And keep up to speed with all of tonight’s live scores 7:42pm: “My god, I thought the San Siro was the best football stadium on the planet but having walked out here a moment ago – my god, this is the best football stadium on the planet,” exults Ray Wilkins on Sky. 7:35pm: Either the noise in the Bernabeu is incredibly loud, or Sky are using some canned cheers to drown out the analysis of Glenn Hoddle … Mr ‘Arry Redknapp, live from the tunnel: “The plan is to make sure we stay in the game tonight. We’re going to make sure we use the pace we have in the wide positions and attack them at every opportunity.” The Special One on Spurs: “They are the team that has improved the most since I left England. I like the way they play, they can mix an English style and a continental style.” 7:25pm: “Hey Paul, why do you have a press photo from Two and a Half Men at the top of this report?” jabbers Phil West. “Charlie Sheen looks remarkably well but Jon Cryer doesn’t appear to have taken the cancellation so well. and how about 3-2 to Spurs for a prediction? OK, the first bit was funnier ….” Preamble: Tonight we go some way to finding out who Spurs are: are they this season’s Monaco or Valencia, the unheralded side who win the admiration of neutrals by striding fearlessly all the way to the Champions League final? Or are they basically streakers, a band of amusing interlopers who briefly entertain the crowd before being put back in their place with a colossal kick up their scrawny backsides? Spurs are sure to attack tonight, or at least try to. But how effectively can they do that? Their forwards have let them down in the Premier League this season, which is why Everton, Bolton, Newcastle and Blackpool have all scored more goals than them, but in Europe they have tended to be more clinical: they may have mustered fewer shots and corners than any of the other quarter-finalists, yet they are the tournament’s joint top-scorers … along with Real. The home side will certainly go for the kill tonight – and the stony-paced Corluka is in for a severe trial at the hands of Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcelo – but the presence of Lennon and Bale means they have the wherewithal to punish Real rampaging full-backs on the counter, especially Sergio Ramos. If Peter Crouch and Rafa Van der Vaart have their shooting boots on, Spurs could get an away goal or two to set up a gigantic return match at White Hart Lane. Prediction? How about 3-1 to Real, with Bale to pull up injured after 20 minutes, Van der Vaart to do likewise after about 50 minutes, Gallas and Adebayor to be red-carded for an almighty strop-off, and Jose Mourinho to hijack the headlines by cartwheeling across the pitch around the 88-minute mark and/or jumping into the stands to nut Joe Jordan. Teams: Real: Casillas; Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Carvahlo, Marcelo; Di Maria, Xabi Alonso, Ozil, Khedira; Adebayor, Cristiano Ronaldo Subs: Adan, Kaka, Diarra, Granero, Arbeloa, Garay, Higuain Spurs: Gomes; Corluka, Gallas, Dawson, Assou-Ekotto; Lennon, Sandro, Modric, Bale; Van der Vaart; Crouch Subs: Cudicini, Huddlestone, Jenas, Pavlyuchenko, Defoe, Bassong, Kranjcar Referee (and also a banker, so altogether a very popular man, no doubt): F Brych (Germany) Champions League Real Madrid Tottenham Hotspur Paul Doyle guardian.co.uk
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Search is on for two Tennessee plant workers after 12m litres of sewage leak from holding tank, contaminating local river Two workers are missing after a sewage treatment plant in Tennessee spilled millions of litres of sewage. The Tennessee emergency management agency (Tema) said a holding tank at the plant had given way, leaking sewage into the Little Pigeon river. Up to 12m litres (2.6m gallons) of sewage spilled, according to Tema spokesman Jeremy Heidt. Some of the spill entered the small river that flows through Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. Both cities are top destinations for tourists visiting the Great Smoky Mountains national park. Eric Brakins, the assistant city manager for Pigeon Forge, said his city was helping to look for the two workers. The cause of the failure has not yet been determined, state officials said. The Mountain Press newspaper in Sevierville reported there had been a mudslide or rockslide in the area after heavy rains. It said the breach was accompanied by what sounded like an explosion and that water began rushing out. “There was a catastrophic failure of a holding tank at the plant,” said Bob Miller, a spokesman for the national park. The national park service has gone to the scene because the sewage flowed into the river, which is on park land. Tisha Calabrese-Benton, spokeswoman for the Tennessee department of environment and conservation, said its officials were on the way to the accident site. People are being warned not to come in contact with the river until more is known about the accident, she said. “Obviously, we are not going to want people to have contact with the water until we know what is going on, until we can sample and determine what cleanup is needed.” United States Waste Pollution guardian.co.uk
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Campaigners call for the US soldier, whose mother is Welsh, to get consular access in the military prison where he is held Campaigners on behalf of Bradley Manning, the US soldier accused of leaking classified cables to WikiLeaks, have welcomed assurances that the British government will restate its “concerns” to Washington over the soldier’s treatment. Manning, whose mother is Welsh, is being held in a military prison in Virginia, after being arrested in May 2010 on suspicion of leaking data including 250,000 diplomatic cables to the site. His supporters argue that the conditions of his imprisonment – he is held in solitary confinement, stripped of his clothes every night and subjected to continual checks because he is deemed a suicide risk – are punitive and unduly harsh. The UN has launched an inquiry into whether his conditions amount to torture. In a parliamentary debate late on Monday, the Foreign Office minister Henry Bellingham said staff at the British embassy in Washington had expressed concerns to the state department on 29 March about the treatment of Manning, who has not been tried or convicted. In response to the debate, he said, “we will instruct our officials at our embassy in Washington again to report our concerns to officials in the state department”. While acknowledging that Manning’s lawyer has stated that he does not hold a British passport or consider himself to be British, the minister stressed that the soldier “is British by descent” despite being born in the US, thanks to his mother’s nationality. Naomi Colvin, from the UK Friends of Bradley Manning, welcomed the sympathetic approach of British ministers, adding: “We want Bradley to be given consular access. The British government should now support his family here in Wales, and somebody from the embassy should be visiting Bradley to report back.” The question of the 23-year-old soldier’s conditions of detention was becoming a “strongly-felt issue” in Wales, said Colvin, “and Welsh nationalists in Plaid Cymru are keen to take this on”. Manning’s father Brian, now divorced from his mother, met and married her when he was himself in the US military and stationed at Brawdy, near Haverfordwest. Manning was born in Oklahoma but spent some of his teenage years in Wales. The case was raised in parliament by the Labour MP Ann Clwyd, who chairs the all-party parliamentary group on human rights. She said Manning’s treatment was “cruel and unnecessary and we should be saying so”. In response, Bellingham acknowledged that the US president, Barack Obama, had received assurances from the US military that Manning’s treatment was “appropriate” and met “basic standards”, but restated the government’s commitment to “a foreign policy that will always have support for human rights … at its irreducible core.” “As far as Her Majesty’s government are concerned, the conditions in which an individual is detained must meet international standards,” he said. “Conditions that fail to meet this standard may amount to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. This is particularly important for an individual in pre-trial detention.” Bradley Manning WikiLeaks Foreign policy Esther Addley David Leigh guardian.co.uk
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Total number of victims up to eight as authorities scour several square miles of sand dunes and thick undergrowth Police have returned to an overgrown stretch of land off Long Island a day after three more bodies were found, taking the number of victims of a suspected serial killer in the New York city area to eight. It is a huge crime scene – several square miles of windswept sand dunes and thick undergrowth – that has been scoured several times by police searchers, but more bodies keep turning up. All of the corpses identified so far are young, white women who worked as prostitutes, and police believe they are dealing with a serial killer, or killers. The victims found their clients on Craig’s List or other similar websites and police believe some of them, perhaps all, were killed elsewhere and then dumped on Oak Island, a narrow barrier island an hour’s drive from Manhattan. The grisly harvest of bodies has come in several batches. In December, police began to search for a missing prostitute, Shannan Gilbert, 24. She had fled a client’s beachside house early one morning in May, screaming for help then disappearing into the dunes. They never found her. The client was cleared from being a suspect after police searched his home and vehicle. While looking for Gilbert, they found four bodies hidden in and around Gilgo Beach. All were wrapped in hessian sacks and appeared to have been deposited during the past three years. None were Gilbert. More than three months later and with no one caught for the crimes, police have made yet more grim findings. At the end of last month and about a mile from the original dumping ground, a policeman passing Oak Beach in his patrol car noticed an object. It turned out to be yet another body of a young woman. Immediately a mini-army of police and firefighters, helicopters and dog handling teams, sealed off the huge area with police tape, scouring the tick-infested scrub. They later found three more bodies. The authorities are working 12-hour days, searching the area again and again. None of the new bodies has yet been officially identified, but police are working on the assumption that they fit the pattern of the earlier victims. Investigators are appealing for information from people involved in the local sex trade. “They certainly must have some information. Anything that they may deem to be significant or even insiginificant may be significant to us,” said Thomas Spota, the Suffolk County district attorney. Forensic experts are trying to identify the latest remains and see if they include Gilbert. Her disappearance might harbour key clues. She was last seen running from a client’s house and shouting: “They’re trying to kill me.” She banged on a neighbour’s door but ran off before the police were called. Police spoke to her later on her mobile phone but she was disorientated and told them she was on a different beach. She was never heard of or seen again. The victims identified so far are Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25; Melissa Barthelmy, 24; Megan Waterman, 22; and Amber Lynn Costello, 27. Police insist that they have devoted huge resources and they continue to appeal to the public not to be prejudiced by the fact that at least some of the victims so far have been sex workers. “What activities these victims may have engaged in prior to their murder does not matter. They were young women whose lives were cut tragically short,” said Richard Dormer, Suffolk County’s police commissioner. New York United States Paul Harris guardian.co.uk
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