Three senior army figures defect to side of protesters calling for removal of President Ali Abdullah Saleh Three Yemen army commanders, including a top general, have defected to the opposition calling for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down, as tanks were deployed in the streets of the capital. The most senior of the three officers is Major General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, a long-time confidant of Saleh and commander of the army’s powerful 1st Armoured Division. Units of the division were deployed on Monday in a major square in Sana’a, where protesters have been camping out to call for Saleh to step down. All three officers belong to Saleh’s Hashid tribe, which called on the president to step down on Sunday, delivering a serious blow to his attempts to cling on to power. The two others are Mohammed Ali Mohsen and Hameed al-Qusaibi, both brigadiers. News of the defections came one day after crowds flooded cities and towns across Yemen to mourn dozens of protesters killed on Friday, when Saleh’s security forces opened fire from rooftops on a demonstration in Sana’a . Ahmar has been a close aide of Saleh for most of the 32 years the Yemeni president has been in power. He is a veteran of the 1994 civil war in which Saleh’s army suppressed an attempt by southern Yemen to secede four years after the two parts of the impoverished Arab nation united. The south had until then been a separate nation. Ahmar also fought in recent years against Shia rebels in the north. Ahmar announced his defection in a message delivered by a close aide to the protest leaders at the Sana’a square, the epicentre of their movement. Yemen Middle East Arab and Middle East protests guardian.co.uk
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Estimated three-quarters of the 14m Egyptians who voted back election blueprint but calls for reform in Syria and Saudi Arabia meet show of force Egyptians have strongly endorsed amendments to the country’s constitution as aftershocks from the Arab spring revolts rumbled into the furthest reaches of the region. More than 77% of the estimated 14 million-plus people who voted supported changes that will provide a blueprint for parliamentary and presidential elections to be held within the next six months. Voting was mostly problem-free across the country, a significant result in a country that is emerging from more than three decades of dictatorship, when elections merely served to rubber-stamp ousted president Hosni Mubarak’s rule, and voter turn out was low. Elsewhere in the Arab world, tentative calls for democratic freedoms were met with force in both Saudi Arabia and Syria. In the Syrian town of Daraa, a second day of clashes with state security officers reportedly left one protester dead, in addition to the four reported killed on Saturday. A council building in the centre of town was burned down during the clashes. Some reports claimed it was a local headquarters of the Baath party, however they could not be verified. In Saudi Arabia, where demonstrations are banned, protesters tried to force their way into the interior ministry in Riyadh demanding the release of prisoners who they said had been detained for up to two years without trial. Around 15 people were arrested, but no serious violence was reported. However, the spectre of protests in the Saudi capital is something the Islamic kingdom’s leader, King Abdullah, has been trying to avoid as he battles to contain an uprising in Bahrain on his northern border. The Saudi government holds grave fears that the Shia protests in Bahrain could stir unrest in eastern Saudi Arabia, which is home to most of the 12% Shia population. Bahrain’s rulers have claimed to have uncovered a plot involving outside powers – an implicit reference to neighbouring Iran. The government asked Iranian diplomats to leave the tiny Gulf state and later called Lebanon’s Hezbollah a terrorist organisation that was destabilising the region and impinging on Bahrain’s sovereignty. The unusually vehement tones underscore the sensitivity in the Gulf, where all the petro-states have been under pressure from their citizens to introduce widespread reforms. Bahrain is in its second week of a three-month period of martial law, which was introduced after weeks of violent clashes between citizens and riot police. The clashes have taken on a sectarian tone that the kingdom is anxious to play down. Meanwhile, in the south of the Arabian Peninsula, the embattled leader of Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh, has sacked his cabinet in the latest of a spate of moves designed to keep power. The clean sweep came two days after a massacre of more than 40 unarmed pro-reform protesters in the capital, Sana’a, which has drawn widespread condemnation and placed further pressure on Saleh to step down after more than 30 years in office. The attacks on Libya have left the Arab world largely mute, unlike the opposition voiced before the last western assault on an Arab capital eight years ago. Amid unrest and rebellion across the Middle East, a clear distinction has been made between the invasion of Baghdad and the bombing of selected targets in Libya. The former was widely condemned by many states that have had no such reservations about the bombing of Gaddafi’s forces by US and European planes. A key reason for that appears to be the west’s stated desire not to overthrow Gaddafi but to leave his fate to be
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Estimated three-quarters of the 14m Egyptians who voted back election blueprint but calls for reform in Syria and Saudi Arabia meet show of force Egyptians have strongly endorsed amendments to the country’s constitution as aftershocks from the Arab spring revolts rumbled into the furthest reaches of the region. More than 77% of the estimated 14 million-plus people who voted supported changes that will provide a blueprint for parliamentary and presidential elections to be held within the next six months. Voting was mostly problem-free across the country, a significant result in a country that is emerging from more than three decades of dictatorship, when elections merely served to rubber-stamp ousted president Hosni Mubarak’s rule, and voter turn out was low. Elsewhere in the Arab world, tentative calls for democratic freedoms were met with force in both Saudi Arabia and Syria. In the Syrian town of Daraa, a second day of clashes with state security officers reportedly left one protester dead, in addition to the four reported killed on Saturday. A council building in the centre of town was burned down during the clashes. Some reports claimed it was a local headquarters of the Baath party, however they could not be verified. In Saudi Arabia, where demonstrations are banned, protesters tried to force their way into the interior ministry in Riyadh demanding the release of prisoners who they said had been detained for up to two years without trial. Around 15 people were arrested, but no serious violence was reported. However, the spectre of protests in the Saudi capital is something the Islamic kingdom’s leader, King Abdullah, has been trying to avoid as he battles to contain an uprising in Bahrain on his northern border. The Saudi government holds grave fears that the Shia protests in Bahrain could stir unrest in eastern Saudi Arabia, which is home to most of the 12% Shia population. Bahrain’s rulers have claimed to have uncovered a plot involving outside powers – an implicit reference to neighbouring Iran. The government asked Iranian diplomats to leave the tiny Gulf state and later called Lebanon’s Hezbollah a terrorist organisation that was destabilising the region and impinging on Bahrain’s sovereignty. The unusually vehement tones underscore the sensitivity in the Gulf, where all the petro-states have been under pressure from their citizens to introduce widespread reforms. Bahrain is in its second week of a three-month period of martial law, which was introduced after weeks of violent clashes between citizens and riot police. The clashes have taken on a sectarian tone that the kingdom is anxious to play down. Meanwhile, in the south of the Arabian Peninsula, the embattled leader of Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh, has sacked his cabinet in the latest of a spate of moves designed to keep power. The clean sweep came two days after a massacre of more than 40 unarmed pro-reform protesters in the capital, Sana’a, which has drawn widespread condemnation and placed further pressure on Saleh to step down after more than 30 years in office. The attacks on Libya have left the Arab world largely mute, unlike the opposition voiced before the last western assault on an Arab capital eight years ago. Amid unrest and rebellion across the Middle East, a clear distinction has been made between the invasion of Baghdad and the bombing of selected targets in Libya. The former was widely condemned by many states that have had no such reservations about the bombing of Gaddafi’s forces by US and European planes. A key reason for that appears to be the west’s stated desire not to overthrow Gaddafi but to leave his fate to be
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• Ofgem wants single tariff and no tie-ins for consumers • Watchdog wants suppliers to sell a fifth of generating capacity • Evidence companies put up bills quicker than they cut them in response to costs Britain’s electricity and gas suppliers have been ordered to reform their pricing and stop confusing customers, or face a formal referral to the Competition Commission. In a damning verdict on the UK energy market, industry regulator Ofgem said consumers are being “bamboozled”, with more than 300 different energy tariffs now available . It pledged to “sweep away this complexity”, so that households can easily compare prices and pick a good deal. The UK’s Big Six suppliers have just two months to accept wide-ranging reforms that will prevent them from continuing to fail customers, Ofgem warned. The regulator wants suppliers to sell off up to a fifth of their electricity generation capacity to inject much-needed competition into the industry. It also said that, for the first time, there was clear evidence that energy firms have adjusted their prices in response to rising costs more quickly than they reduced them when costs fell. “Ofgem’s proposals should force open the electricity and gas markets to ensure the market works effectively for consumers,” said Ofgem’s chairman, Lord Mogg. “The energy supply companies have eight weeks in which to engage constructively with Ofgem’s proposals. If firms frustrate reforms they risk ending up at the Competition Commission (CC). This is a holistic package of changes.” Three years ago, Ofgem conducted a probe into the energy market , which resulted in new measures that were meant to improve competition. It admitted on Monday that the industry’s response to the 2008 investigation had been “disappointingly poor”. It now wants to tighten licence conditions, so that suppliers comply with the spirit, as well as the letter, of the law. “Consumers must have confidence that energy companies are playing fair at a time when they are being asked to foot the £200bn bill to pay for the investment Britain needs to ensure secure and sustainable energy supplies,” said Ofgem’s chief executive, Alistair Buchanan. Britain’s electricity and gas market was fully deregulated in the late 1990s , giving consumers the ability to take their energy from a range of suppliers. More than a decade on, though, the landscape is dominated by six companies – British Gas, EDF Energy, E.ON, Npower, Scottish and Southern Energy and Scottish Power. According to Ofgem, these companies reap higher profits from customers who take both electricity and gas – the “dual-fuel” option – from the company which supplied them before deregulation. It hopes that forcing companies to auction off some of their generation capacity will help new firms to enter the market. On pricing, Ofgem proposes that suppliers would only be allowed to offer one single domestic tariff for each payment method, for so-called “evergreen” products which do not tie consumers into a fixed-term. This would make it easy to compare the suppliers’ “per unit” price. The regulator also announced that it has launched an investigation into Scottish Power over concerns that consumers are being frustrated when they try to switch to another supplier. It is already investigating how British Gas, EDF Energy and npower deal with consumers’ complaints, and is also conducting a separate probe into allegations of mis-selling by EDF Energy, npower, Scottish Power, and Scottish and Southern Energy. Ofgem’s proposals will now enter a consultation period, which will close on 1 June 2011. Utilities Energy industry Energy bills Consumer affairs Household bills EDF Energy Scottish and Southern Energy Graeme Wearden guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …• Ofgem wants single tariff and no tie-ins for consumers • Watchdog wants suppliers to sell a fifth of generating capacity • Evidence companies put up bills quicker than they cut them in response to costs Britain’s electricity and gas suppliers have been ordered to reform their pricing and stop confusing customers, or face a formal referral to the Competition Commission. In a damning verdict on the UK energy market, industry regulator Ofgem said consumers are being “bamboozled”, with more than 300 different energy tariffs now available . It pledged to “sweep away this complexity”, so that households can easily compare prices and pick a good deal. The UK’s Big Six suppliers have just two months to accept wide-ranging reforms that will prevent them from continuing to fail customers, Ofgem warned. The regulator wants suppliers to sell off up to a fifth of their electricity generation capacity to inject much-needed competition into the industry. It also said that, for the first time, there was clear evidence that energy firms have adjusted their prices in response to rising costs more quickly than they reduced them when costs fell. “Ofgem’s proposals should force open the electricity and gas markets to ensure the market works effectively for consumers,” said Ofgem’s chairman, Lord Mogg. “The energy supply companies have eight weeks in which to engage constructively with Ofgem’s proposals. If firms frustrate reforms they risk ending up at the Competition Commission (CC). This is a holistic package of changes.” Three years ago, Ofgem conducted a probe into the energy market , which resulted in new measures that were meant to improve competition. It admitted on Monday that the industry’s response to the 2008 investigation had been “disappointingly poor”. It now wants to tighten licence conditions, so that suppliers comply with the spirit, as well as the letter, of the law. “Consumers must have confidence that energy companies are playing fair at a time when they are being asked to foot the £200bn bill to pay for the investment Britain needs to ensure secure and sustainable energy supplies,” said Ofgem’s chief executive, Alistair Buchanan. Britain’s electricity and gas market was fully deregulated in the late 1990s , giving consumers the ability to take their energy from a range of suppliers. More than a decade on, though, the landscape is dominated by six companies – British Gas, EDF Energy, E.ON, Npower, Scottish and Southern Energy and Scottish Power. According to Ofgem, these companies reap higher profits from customers who take both electricity and gas – the “dual-fuel” option – from the company which supplied them before deregulation. It hopes that forcing companies to auction off some of their generation capacity will help new firms to enter the market. On pricing, Ofgem proposes that suppliers would only be allowed to offer one single domestic tariff for each payment method, for so-called “evergreen” products which do not tie consumers into a fixed-term. This would make it easy to compare the suppliers’ “per unit” price. The regulator also announced that it has launched an investigation into Scottish Power over concerns that consumers are being frustrated when they try to switch to another supplier. It is already investigating how British Gas, EDF Energy and npower deal with consumers’ complaints, and is also conducting a separate probe into allegations of mis-selling by EDF Energy, npower, Scottish Power, and Scottish and Southern Energy. Ofgem’s proposals will now enter a consultation period, which will close on 1 June 2011. Utilities Energy industry Energy bills Consumer affairs Household bills EDF Energy Scottish and Southern Energy Graeme Wearden guardian.co.uk
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• Coalition forces launched a second wave of strikes • Dispute over whether civilians have been killed • Italy joins France, US, Britain and others • Gaddafi officials announce a fresh ceasefire Follow live updates here 9.34am: The EU’s top foreign policy official is trying to play down cracks in the coalition. Catherine Ashton says the head of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, was misquoted when he expressed alarm at reported civilians deaths in the first raids. “Moussa was misquoted, as I understand it,” said Ashton, without elaborating on what she thought what Moussa actually said. Shortly after the air strikes began, Moussa yesterday told reporters in Cairo that, “What happened differs from the no-fly zone objectives. What we want is civilians’ protection not shelling more civilians.” 9.25am: British commanders have insisted that the targets so far have been “carefully selected to avoid civilian casualties”. Earlier we heard France say it had no evidence of any civilian casualties , apparently in response to the Arab League calling for an emergency meeting and claiming coalition strikes had “led to the deaths and injuries of many Libyan civilians”. The Guardian’s security and defence correspondent, Nick Hopkins, has been speaking to Air Vice Marshall Phil Osborn, who said the military are “hugely aware of the risks”. “The targeting would have been highly detailed. We will not proceed against targets if the risk is deemed to be unacceptable. The risk of collateral damage is at the forefront of our minds.” Major General John Lorimer told Nick: “Targets were carefully selected to avoid civilian casualties and to strike at key military instillations in Libya.” 9.12am: The Guardian’s Chris McGreal is at “what is now the front line”, 9km outside Ajdabiya, having travelled with rejuvenated rebel forces from Benghazi. He says rebel forces have gained 150km of ground , and a substantial amount of morale, since coalition air strikes began on Saturday morning. He says Gaddafi’s forces have been driven all the way back to the edge of Ajdabiya – having previously been on the outskirts of Benghazi – but are repelling any further advance by the rebels. There definitely is continuing resistance. There have been a number of incoming tank rounds from Gaddafi’s forces, which suggests that they’ve still got tanks, they may still have some rockets. But above us now we can hear planes, which we have to assume are coalition planes, and we have heard a number of very deep explosions in the past few minutes which suggests those are attacks by coalition forces, possibly on those same tanks which were shelling us just a few minutes earlier. Chris says: “If the coalition air forces are now turning their attention to those Gaddafi forces around Ajdabiya I can only imagine they’re going to meet the same fate as they did on the edge of Benghazi, which was fairly comprehensive destruction”. 9.06am: Reports of air strikes on or around Gaddafi-held Ajdabiya in the last few minutes. More shortly. 8.50am: I’ve just been speaking to the Guardian’s Ian Black , who is in Tripoli and has more on the alleged bombing of Gaddafi’s compound in the capital by coalition forces. The compound was famously bombed in 1986 by the US in retaliation for a terrorist attack blamed on Libya against US troops in Germany, which gives a “symbolic significance” to the strike, Ian says. Something happened, certainly, in the centre of Tripoli last night I could certainly see a substantial column of smoke rising from the general direction of it, maybe a couple of miles from where I am. There was a lot of very, very loud, but pretty erratic, anti-aircraft fire going up around the same time, and later on in the middle of the night some reporters were taken to the compound to see the damage. Ian says journalists were shown a three storey building that was “in ruins”, but there was no smoke or flames at the scene. He adds: “Whatever happened has been used quite energetically by the Libyan propaganda system to present its view of what is going on. It’s hard to say what exactly did happen.” 8.27am: The head of the Gulf’s main political bloc, the Gulf Cooperation Council, has said Qatar and the United Arab Emirates remain part of the international military coalition. Abdul Rahman bin Hamad al-Attiyah said the two states are part of the coalition, despite criticism from Arab League’s Secretary-General Amr Moussa that the attacks had killed civilians. Al-Attiyah did not clarify Qatar and the UAE’s role or say whether they have taken part in air strikes. He spoke on the sidelines of a regional security meeting in Abu Dhabi. The GCC includes Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. 8.13am: Yesterday we heard that supporters of Gaddafi had formed a human shield around his compound in Tripoli, with men, women and children singing songs against the rebel “germs”. But it is likely such fervour does not quite sum up the mood of all those in the capital, with many tweets suggesting less warmth towards the Libyan leader. @OurLibya Tripoli’s silence is not a sign of consent. it is muted by Gaddafi brutality.I live in Tripoli and I know what I am talking about.#Libya 8am: Good morning, welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the continuing military intervention in Libya, as Gaddafi remains in power. • Coalition forces have launched the second night of air strikes on Libya after halting the advance of Muammar Gaddafi’s forces on Benghazi and targeting air defences to allow their planes to enforce the no-fly zone. Vice Admiral Bill Gortney, director of the US military’s Joint Staff, told reporters there had been no new Libyan air activity or radar emissions, but a significant decrease in Libyan air surveillance, since the strikes began on Saturday. Benghazi was not yet free from threat, Gortney said, but Gaddafi’s forces in the area were in distress and “suffering from isolation and confusion” after the air assaults. • France – the first country to bomb Libya on Saturday – said on Monday morning it has no evidence of civilians being killed, contradicting the Arab League, which had said the strikes had “led to the deaths and injuries of many Libyan civilians”. A Libyan government health official said 64 people had been killed by Western bombardment on Saturday and Sunday morning, while the Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa called for an emergency meeting of the group’s 22 states to discuss Libya. He requested a report on the bombardment, which he said had “led to the deaths and injuries of many Libyan civilians”. “What is happening in Libya differs from the aim of imposing a no-fly zone, and what we want is the protection of civilians and not the bombardment of more civilians,” Egypt’s state news agency quoted him as saying. French government spokesman Francois Baroin told television Canal+ that “there is no information of killed civilians that the French command is aware of”. • Italy joined the attacks on Sunday night, as Gaddafi officials claimed the Libyan leader’s Tripoli compound had been targeted. Libyan officials took Western reporters to Gaddafi’s compound in Tripoli – a sprawling complex that houses his private quarters as well as military barracks, anti-aircraft batteries and other installations – to show what they claimed was the site of a missile attack two hours earlier. “It was a barbaric bombing,” said government spokesman Mussa Ibrahim, showing pieces of shrapnel that he said came from the missile. “This contradicts American and Western [statements] … that it is not their target to attack this place.” The Guardian has been unable to confirm the damage was caused by coalition air strikes. • The onslaught resumed last night despite a ceasefire announced by the Libyan authorities at 7pm UK time. “We, the Popular Social Leadership of Libya, recommend to the armed forces to announce an immediate ceasefire to all military units,” said regime spokesman Ibrahim Moussa in a pre-prepared statement. Earlier in the day, the Libyan dictator had threatened “a long war”, and his forces launched a fresh assault on rebels in Misrata, where one resident in the town said pro-Gaddafi boats in the port were preventing aid from reaching the town. Libya Arab and Middle East protests Protest Muammar Gaddafi Military Adam Gabbatt guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …• Coalition forces launched a second wave of strikes • Dispute over whether civilians have been killed • Italy joins France, US, Britain and others • Gaddafi officials announce a fresh ceasefire Follow live updates here 9.34am: The EU’s top foreign policy official is trying to play down cracks in the coalition. Catherine Ashton says the head of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, was misquoted when he expressed alarm at reported civilians deaths in the first raids. “Moussa was misquoted, as I understand it,” said Ashton, without elaborating on what she thought what Moussa actually said. Shortly after the air strikes began, Moussa yesterday told reporters in Cairo that, “What happened differs from the no-fly zone objectives. What we want is civilians’ protection not shelling more civilians.” 9.25am: British commanders have insisted that the targets so far have been “carefully selected to avoid civilian casualties”. Earlier we heard France say it had no evidence of any civilian casualties , apparently in response to the Arab League calling for an emergency meeting and claiming coalition strikes had “led to the deaths and injuries of many Libyan civilians”. The Guardian’s security and defence correspondent, Nick Hopkins, has been speaking to Air Vice Marshall Phil Osborn, who said the military are “hugely aware of the risks”. “The targeting would have been highly detailed. We will not proceed against targets if the risk is deemed to be unacceptable. The risk of collateral damage is at the forefront of our minds.” Major General John Lorimer told Nick: “Targets were carefully selected to avoid civilian casualties and to strike at key military instillations in Libya.” 9.12am: The Guardian’s Chris McGreal is at “what is now the front line”, 9km outside Ajdabiya, having travelled with rejuvenated rebel forces from Benghazi. He says rebel forces have gained 150km of ground , and a substantial amount of morale, since coalition air strikes began on Saturday morning. He says Gaddafi’s forces have been driven all the way back to the edge of Ajdabiya – having previously been on the outskirts of Benghazi – but are repelling any further advance by the rebels. There definitely is continuing resistance. There have been a number of incoming tank rounds from Gaddafi’s forces, which suggests that they’ve still got tanks, they may still have some rockets. But above us now we can hear planes, which we have to assume are coalition planes, and we have heard a number of very deep explosions in the past few minutes which suggests those are attacks by coalition forces, possibly on those same tanks which were shelling us just a few minutes earlier. Chris says: “If the coalition air forces are now turning their attention to those Gaddafi forces around Ajdabiya I can only imagine they’re going to meet the same fate as they did on the edge of Benghazi, which was fairly comprehensive destruction”. 9.06am: Reports of air strikes on or around Gaddafi-held Ajdabiya in the last few minutes. More shortly. 8.50am: I’ve just been speaking to the Guardian’s Ian Black , who is in Tripoli and has more on the alleged bombing of Gaddafi’s compound in the capital by coalition forces. The compound was famously bombed in 1986 by the US in retaliation for a terrorist attack blamed on Libya against US troops in Germany, which gives a “symbolic significance” to the strike, Ian says. Something happened, certainly, in the centre of Tripoli last night I could certainly see a substantial column of smoke rising from the general direction of it, maybe a couple of miles from where I am. There was a lot of very, very loud, but pretty erratic, anti-aircraft fire going up around the same time, and later on in the middle of the night some reporters were taken to the compound to see the damage. Ian says journalists were shown a three storey building that was “in ruins”, but there was no smoke or flames at the scene. He adds: “Whatever happened has been used quite energetically by the Libyan propaganda system to present its view of what is going on. It’s hard to say what exactly did happen.” 8.27am: The head of the Gulf’s main political bloc, the Gulf Cooperation Council, has said Qatar and the United Arab Emirates remain part of the international military coalition. Abdul Rahman bin Hamad al-Attiyah said the two states are part of the coalition, despite criticism from Arab League’s Secretary-General Amr Moussa that the attacks had killed civilians. Al-Attiyah did not clarify Qatar and the UAE’s role or say whether they have taken part in air strikes. He spoke on the sidelines of a regional security meeting in Abu Dhabi. The GCC includes Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. 8.13am: Yesterday we heard that supporters of Gaddafi had formed a human shield around his compound in Tripoli, with men, women and children singing songs against the rebel “germs”. But it is likely such fervour does not quite sum up the mood of all those in the capital, with many tweets suggesting less warmth towards the Libyan leader. @OurLibya Tripoli’s silence is not a sign of consent. it is muted by Gaddafi brutality.I live in Tripoli and I know what I am talking about.#Libya 8am: Good morning, welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the continuing military intervention in Libya, as Gaddafi remains in power. • Coalition forces have launched the second night of air strikes on Libya after halting the advance of Muammar Gaddafi’s forces on Benghazi and targeting air defences to allow their planes to enforce the no-fly zone. Vice Admiral Bill Gortney, director of the US military’s Joint Staff, told reporters there had been no new Libyan air activity or radar emissions, but a significant decrease in Libyan air surveillance, since the strikes began on Saturday. Benghazi was not yet free from threat, Gortney said, but Gaddafi’s forces in the area were in distress and “suffering from isolation and confusion” after the air assaults. • France – the first country to bomb Libya on Saturday – said on Monday morning it has no evidence of civilians being killed, contradicting the Arab League, which had said the strikes had “led to the deaths and injuries of many Libyan civilians”. A Libyan government health official said 64 people had been killed by Western bombardment on Saturday and Sunday morning, while the Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa called for an emergency meeting of the group’s 22 states to discuss Libya. He requested a report on the bombardment, which he said had “led to the deaths and injuries of many Libyan civilians”. “What is happening in Libya differs from the aim of imposing a no-fly zone, and what we want is the protection of civilians and not the bombardment of more civilians,” Egypt’s state news agency quoted him as saying. French government spokesman Francois Baroin told television Canal+ that “there is no information of killed civilians that the French command is aware of”. • Italy joined the attacks on Sunday night, as Gaddafi officials claimed the Libyan leader’s Tripoli compound had been targeted. Libyan officials took Western reporters to Gaddafi’s compound in Tripoli – a sprawling complex that houses his private quarters as well as military barracks, anti-aircraft batteries and other installations – to show what they claimed was the site of a missile attack two hours earlier. “It was a barbaric bombing,” said government spokesman Mussa Ibrahim, showing pieces of shrapnel that he said came from the missile. “This contradicts American and Western [statements] … that it is not their target to attack this place.” The Guardian has been unable to confirm the damage was caused by coalition air strikes. • The onslaught resumed last night despite a ceasefire announced by the Libyan authorities at 7pm UK time. “We, the Popular Social Leadership of Libya, recommend to the armed forces to announce an immediate ceasefire to all military units,” said regime spokesman Ibrahim Moussa in a pre-prepared statement. Earlier in the day, the Libyan dictator had threatened “a long war”, and his forces launched a fresh assault on rebels in Misrata, where one resident in the town said pro-Gaddafi boats in the port were preventing aid from reaching the town. Libya Arab and Middle East protests Protest Muammar Gaddafi Military Adam Gabbatt guardian.co.uk
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• World Bank says economy will take years to recover • Officials update casualty estimates • Fukushima plant electricity restored The human and financial cost of the tsunami continues to rise, after police estimates showed more than 18,000 people have died in the disaster and the World Bank said it may cost Japan as much as £145bn to repair the damage. The gloom was lifted slightly by news of further progress at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, where engineers have connected power cables to three reactors and plan to test the pumps soon. The electricity supply has been restored to another reactor, but the No 3 and No 4 units are still giving cause for concern. Engineers hope to connect those reactors to power supplies on Tuesday, the public broadcaster NHK said. The nuclear emergency is far from over, however. On Monday, it was reported that the No 3 reactor had experienced a surge in pressure that may require workers to vent radioactive steam, a tactic that set off hydrogen gas explosions at the facility last week. The government’s chief spokesman, Yukio Edano, conceded that the buildup of pressure was unsettling. “We knew that even if things went smoothly, there would be twists and turns,” he told reporters. “At the moment, we are not so optimistic that there will be a breakthrough.” That is causing concern because the reactor is the only one of the six that contains plutonium-uranium mixed oxide fuel – or MOX – and would release highly toxic plutonium in the event of a meltdown. The fuel in the other reactors is uranium. The country’s self-defence forces resumed work on Monday to cool down the No 4 and No 3 reactors with seawater. Japan’s nuclear safety agency said it did not believe much water from the two reactors had seeped underground. Radiation leaks from stricken reactors continued to spread through the region’s food supply, though at levels too low to endanger health. The agency acknowledged that workers at the site risked inhaling radioactive dust, but said it had so far found no evidence of that happening. Radiation in excess of government standards was found in canola and chrysanthemum greens grown in the Fukushima area, a day after authorities reported that milk and spinach had been contaminated, as well as tap water in Tokyo, 150 miles away. The health ministry advised 6,000 villagers in Iitate, 19 miles from the power plant, not to drink tap water after tests revealed it contained abnormal, though not harmful, amounts of iodine-131, a radioactive substance. “We think we have arrived at the point where we are very close to getting the situation under control,” the deputy cabinet secretary, Tetsuro Fukuyama, said. Graham Andrew, a senior official of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said: “There have been some positive developments in the last 24 hours but overall the situation remains very serious.” The US health secretary, Steven Chu, told CNN that he believed the worst of the nuclear crisis was over, but added, “I don’t want to make a blanket statement”. Attention is turning to the humanitarian crisis on Japan’s north-east coast and the cost of the cleanup and reconstruction operations. The World Bank said on Monday that it could take Japan five years, and cost between £75bn and £145bn – equivalent to 4% of Japan’s GDP – to overcome the catastrophe, while private insurers face a combined bill of up to $33bn. “Damage to housing and infrastructure has been unprecedented,” the bank said. “Growth should pick up though in subsequent quarters as reconstruction efforts, which could last five years, accelerate.” The bank said damage from the tsunami could also affect trade in the region. The price of some Japanese-made memory chips have risen 20% because of disruption to production lines, while car plants in Asia face shortages of auto parts. “Disruption to production networks, especially in automotive and electronics industries, could continue to pose problems,” the World Bank said. “Japan is a major producer of parts, components and capital goods which supply east Asia’s production chains.” While hundreds of workers battle to render the nuclear plant safe, Japan continues to count its dead. Police estimates show more than about 18,400 died– 10,500 in Miyagi prefecture alone. A further 452,000 people are living in shelters. “It is very distressing as we recover more bodies day after day,” said police spokesman Hitoshi Sugawara. Japan disaster Japan World Bank Global economy Economics Justin McCurry guardian.co.uk
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Culture secretary to consider extending public interest laws which could mean News Corporation facing further sanctions Jeremy Hunt is to consider extending the public interest rules that govern the UK media industry so that Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation could face further sanctions if it becomes progressively more dominant without making any more British acquisitions. The culture secretary will next month publish a discussion document to kickstart a consultation with the media industry ahead of a green paper towards the end of this year. Legislation will follow in the second half of this parliament. Hunt – speaking in an interview with MediaGuardian – said he was sympathetic to a problem identified by Ofcom, the communications regulator, when it examined News Corp’s proposed £8bn buyout of BSkyB under the public interest tests. The tests, Ofcom said, could only be applied in a merger situation under current law. Hunt said Ofcom had “made an important point” because the public interest provision could not be invoked “because of a media organisation’s economic growth”. He said extending the rules is something “we should look at” in the consultation. Earlier this month Hunt proposed that Murdoch should be allowed to go through with the buyout on the condition that Sky News is spun off, with News Corp only allowed to own up to 39%. Monday is the last day for critics to lodge objections to that plan. Those hostile to the deal – including the companies behind the Guardian, the Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail – argue that News Corp will become progressively more dominant in Britain. Sky is growing rapidly, and by 2015 News Corp is expected to have a UK turnover of about £9bn, more than double that of the next biggest media group, the BBC. A YouGov poll published Monday conducted for online pressure group Avaaz, which is also opposed to the merger, concluded that nearly 60% of the public thought Murdoch had too much influence on British politics, while 64% said that the merger will give News Corp too much power over the media. Only 5% of the 2300 people polled backed the deal. However, despite the olive branch, Hunt robustly defended his decision, arguing that he had to base it on the “concentration of media ownership, not about market power” – which was why the only appropriate remedy was to keep Sky News separate from the Times and the Sun. He indicated that the controversy over phone hacking by private investigators employed by the News of the World did not influence his decision, but noted that he expected deputy assistant commissioner Sue Akers heading up the latest investigation for the Metropolitan police would do a “thorough job”. The consultation document Hunt will launch next month will also set out three areas for discussion starting with how to foster innovation in areas such as games, telemedicine, home education and “micro-broadcasting” or local television. It will also include a section on deregulation with the minister saying there was a “a need to look at” the rules governing how ITV is able to sell advertising space. But deregulation will not cover “taste and decency” or quantity of advertising broadcasters are allowed to air. The final part is to create a coherent framework of content control that could see online video treated more like television. He said he was concerned about internet content streamed onto a home television, which he said “feels like TV” but is not regulated by decency rules. Jeremy Hunt Rupert Murdoch BSkyB News Corporation Newspapers Ofcom Media law Mergers and acquisitions Regulators Dan Sabbagh guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …This can’t be good: Der Spiegel has published photographs that depict two US soldiers posing with the body of an Afghan man just after he was killed last year. In one photo published in a print edition of the magazine that will be distributed tomorrow, Cpl. Jeremy Morlock grins as…
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