Rupert Murdoch shirking responsibility over phone hacking, says police chief
July 24, 2011 No Comment
Sir Hugh Orde contrasts News Corp chairman’s behaviour with Sir Paul Stephenson, who quit over indirect NoW links Sir Hugh Orde, the president of the Association of Chief Police Officers, has lambasted Rupert Murdoch, saying the chairman of News Corporation had shown a complete denial of responsibility for what had gone on in his company. He contrasted Murdoch’s behaviour with the leadership shown by Sir Paul Stephenson, the Metropolitan police commissioner who quit last week over his indirect links with former News of the World editors. Orde is tipped as a possible replacement for Stephenson, and it is the second time in a few days that he has attacked the irresponsibility of News Corps. Speaking on the BBC’s Andrew Marr programme , Orde said “You saw the chief officer of the police service of this country, Sir Paul Stephenson, saying, ‘Look this happened on my watch. I am responsible. I am therefore … It’s on my watch. I am resigning.’ Compare that to Rupert Murdoch – complete denial of any responsibility of his organisation.” Writing in Jane’s Police Review at the weekend, Orde said: “What we have seen over the last few days is police officers standing up, explaining their actions and decisions and being held to account for them. Across the country, in serving our communities, police officers expect to have to do no less. “It is a stark contrast to the way in which others have sought to meet their responsibilities.” News Corporation can respond that top executives have now stepped down, notably Les Hinton , chief executive of News International at the time of the phone hacking, and his successor, Rebekah Brooks . The culture select committee is due to meet on Friday – when it releases a report on football governance – to discuss how to handle the apparent conflict of evidence between James Murdoch, News Corps International chief executive, and other former News International executives, including Colin Myler, the former editor of the now-closed News of the World. Myler said he did show a crucial email – known as the “For Neville” email – to James Murdoch before News International’s decision to pay out around £700,000 to Gordon Taylor, chief executive of the Professional Footballers Association in an out-of-court settlement after Taylor threatened to sue the paper. James Murdoch insisted he did not know about the email, but Myler and Tom Crone, the News Group’s former head of legal affairs, have claimed he is mistaken. Culture select committee members said they hoped to write to Myler and Crone. They will also be writing to the firm of solicitors Harbottle & Lewis to ask the firm to explain the origins of a carefully crafted letter dated 29 May 2007 claiming that it had not found “reasonable evidence” that senior editors were aware of the actions of Clive Goodman – the royal reporter who went to prison for phone hacking -or that “others were carrying out similar illegal procedures”. Harbottle & Lewis reviewed emails from the accounts of Andy Coulson and five other individuals, according to documents published by the culture select committee. A request for information will also be sent to Lawrence Abramson, a former senior partner at the law firm. The firm of solicitors is not yet clear whether it has legal immunity from News Corps to discuss the exchanges. Committee members want to ask for evidence from Jon Chapman, News International’s former director of legal affairs, about his knowledge of the level of phone hacking. It has been suggested that in 2007 Chapman and Daniel Cloke, then News International’s human resources director, reviewed the emails between the six named News of the World members of staff before sending them to Harbottle & Lewis. It is thought unlikely that the committee will meet in public before September, but this does not prevent compilation of written evidence. In a separate development, an opinion poll carried out by YouGov for the Sunday Times showed the proportion of people who believed David Cameron was performing “well” had fallen to 39% while his “performing badly” figure at 55% was the worst of his premiership. At the end of May, Cameron was on 48% – 46% showing a net positive of two. At the same time the proportion who believed Miliband was performing badly had fallen to 50%, down from 60% before the phone-hacking scandal broke. The proportion who believed he was performing well was 35%, up from 25%. So for the first time more people believed Cameron was performing badly than they did Miliband. YouGov surveyed 2749 adults between 21 and 22 July. News Corp management and standards committee has written to all News International staff ordering them to retain all emails and documents regarded as a relevant to police and parliamentary inquiries into phone hacking. The email reads: “if you are uncertain whether a document is relevant or falls within the definition of ‘document’, you should preserve it. Care should be taken to avoid overwriting any electronic file that might be relevant.” Rupert Murdoch News Corporation Phone hacking News International Police Newspapers & magazines James Murdoch Colin Myler National newspapers Newspapers Media business Patrick Wintour guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Hugo Chavez is back on Venezuelan soil after undergoing a week of chemotherapy in Cuba, reports the AP, trumpeting on national television that “This body of mine, of a cadet and a soldier, held up.” The 56-year-old Venezuelan president landed last night to a red-carpet welcome, telling watchers that though…
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Attack comes as country’s president tries to stamp out dissent before Ramadan, when protests expected to intensify Syrian troops have assaulted the village of Sarjeh in the north-west province of Idleb, activists said. The attack was the latest military operation in the area as President Bashar al-Assad tries to quash dissent a week before Ramadan, when protests are expected to intensify. Forces backed by tanks entered the village, electricity and water supplies were cut off and arrests made, the local co-ordinating committees reported. Activists also reported reinforcements entering Homs, the flashpoint city north of Damascus that was the focus of an increased crackdown last week, and a campaign of detentions in Damascus. Arrests in Damascus focused on the Rukn ad-Deen and Qaboun neighbourhoods, activists said, where protests have increased over the past fortnight. Protests have disrupted satellite villages around the capital since the beginning of the uprising, now in its fifth month, but have been creeping closer to the centre in recent weeks. In Harasta, close to the city centre, several protesters who claimed to have been beaten by security forces after demonstrations on 15 July revealed purple eyes and limbs and backs covered in bruises. “We will carry on protesting and try to move into the centre,” said one, who claimed he was taken on board a bus then beaten with an iron bar by security forces. Activists have called this week the “week of detainees” to highlight more than 10,000 people estimated to be held, as a group of Palestinians from Yarmouk camp in Damascus warned that they would join protests after several people were detained in the area. “We considered what is happening in Syria is a domestic issue … but our neutrality will not persist in the presence of ongoing security campaign and arrests,” said a statement posted on the local co-ordinating committees’ facebook page. The crackdown against protesters in which more than 1,500 civilians have been killed drew further criticism after the latest Friday of protests in which 11 more people were shot dead. UN officials spoke of the “serious possibility” of crimes against humanity having been committed in Syria, while the British foreign secretary, William Hague, condemned the regime for stirring sectarian tensions. “President Assad claims that he is holding Syria’s different factions together but his regime’s brutal violence in Homs and other cities risks inflaming these tensions,” Hague said. Nour Ali is a pseudonym for a journalist in Damascus Arab and Middle East unrest Bashar Al-Assad Syria Middle East William Hague Protest guardian.co.uk
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Anders Behring Breivik has confessed to Oslo bombing and Utøya island shootings but denies criminal responsibility The man charged with the twin terror attacks that killed at least 93 people in Norway on Friday is expected to plead not guilty when he appears in court on Monday despite telling his lawyer the atrocities had been “gruesome but necessary”. Anders Behring Breivik has confessed to the bombing in Oslo and the mass shooting at a youth camp on Utøya island, but denied criminal responsibility. He said he wanted to start a revolution in Norwegian society to defeat liberal immigration policies and the spread of Islam. “He thought it was gruesome having to commit these acts, but in his head they were necessary,” Breivik’s lawyer, Geir Lippestad, told the Norwegian broadcaster NRK. After detonating the bomb that killed seven in downtown Oslo, Breivik embarked on a shooting spree at a summer youth camp on Utøya island, killing at least 86, the biggest massacre by a single gunman in modern times. Police say he still had a “significant amount” of ammunition when arrested. Although Breivik told officers he had acted alone, Norwegian police are investigating whether he received help during the attacks. Surgeons, meanwhile, confirmed he used “dum-dum” bullets designed to disintegrate inside the body and cause maximum internal damage. Oslo’s acting police chief, Sveinung Sponheim, said they were investigating witness statements from the island that spoke of more than one gunman. A Norwegian investigator added: “Our priority at the moment is to establish whether he [Breivik] operated alone.” Counter-terrorism police raided a flat owned by Breivik in eastern Osloon Sunday and arrested six people. They were released without charge. As more details emerged of Breivik’s possible affiliations with British extremists, the authorities were investigating whether he had travelled to London to plot his rightwing “crusade”. European security sources confirmed they were investigating claims that Breivik and other far-right individuals attended the inaugural meeting of the far-right Knights Templar group in London in 2002. They said there had been increased internet chatter from individuals claiming they belonged to the Knights Templar, an organisation referred to by Breivik in a 1,500-page manifesto published online hours before he began his killing spree. The admission from Breivik in the manifesto that he had been planning the attacks since 2009 has raised concerns over the intelligence capabilities of the Norwegian authorities. In the manifesto he expresses surprise that he has not been “flagged up” for suspicious activities. Security officials have refused to confirm they were aware of Breivik as a potential threat, although publicly there is little to indicate he was on any watchlist. His only criminal record appears to be a traffic conviction 10 years ago. Other questions over the police response to the massacre remain unanswered after officers confirmed an hour elapsed between being alerted and stopping the massacre. Erik Berga, police operations chief in Buskerud County, said an inadequate boat and a decision to await a special armed unit from Oslo, 30 miles (45km) away, hampered the response. “When so many people and equipment were put into it, the boat started to take on water, so that the motor stopped,” she said. On Sunday it emerged that a police officer had been guarding the island but it is thought he was killed by the gunman. Breivik’s father, Jens, said he had learned of his son’s involvement online. “I was reading the online newspapers and suddenly I saw his name and picture on the net,” he told the VG tabloid. “It was a shock to learn about it. I have not recovered yet,” he said. Jens, who is in his 70s, lives in France and has had no contact with his son since 1995, according to Reuters. The Norway attacks have raised concerns copycat operations may take place in Europe. British Muslim leaders announced on Sunday increased security at mosques. Mohammed Shafiq, the leader of Ramadhan Foundation, one of Britain’s largest Muslim groups, says mosques were being extra vigilant. Shafiq said he was also discussing the need to take extra precautions with other European Muslim leaders, adding that he has spoken to the police about extra protection. Concerns the UK remains vulnerable to such an attack were aired by the foreign secretary, William Hague, who warned that Britain’s security forces may not be able to stop a Norway-style terror attack. However, security experts said the events in Norway last Friday would refocus how far-right groups are dealt with. Dr John Bew, director of the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence at King’s College London, admitted there had been a lack of focus on far-right extremism, with research into Islamism often taking precedence. “We have looked at lone wolves in relation to Islamism but I think we haven’t taken far-right extremism seriously enough.” James Brandon, research head at London’s Quilliam thinktank, said: “The horrific events in Norway are a reminder that white far-right extremism is also a major and possibly growing threat.” Norway is still struggling to come to terms with the attacks, which came within two hours of each other on Friday afternoon. Breivik was arrested after surrendering on the island, where he had shot and killed at least 86 young people at a summer camp run by the ruling Labour Party. Seven civil servants died after he detonated a massive car bomb in Oslo’s government district 90 minutes earlier. Norway Europe The far right Global terrorism Race issues Mark Townsend guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …This much we know: An Iranian man was shot and killed outside his home in Tehran yesterday, reports the BBC, in an attack that also injured his wife. State media initially reported that Darioush Rezaei, a physics professor linked to the country’s nuclear program, was murdered, and blamed Israel’s Mossad…
Continue reading …At 12:01am this morning, gay rights activists Kitty Lambert and Cheryle Rudd became one of the first—perhaps the very first—same-sex couples to wed in New York. The longtime partners, who have 12 grandchildren between them, were pronounced legally married by the mayor just after the clock chimed…
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Lingering risks of contamination from tens of thousands of tonnes of chemicals dumped across UK since first world war Interactive map of UK chemical weapons contamination The Project Cleansweep briefing document The Ministry of Defence has investigated 14 former chemical weapons factories and stores across the UK for contamination, according to an official briefing seen by the Guardian. Tens of thousands of tonnes of mustard gas , phosgene and other lethal chemicals have been made, stored, burned and dumped at sites in England, Wales and Scotland since the first world war. Some areas are still fenced off to protect the public today. After a four-year investigation of the sites considered potentially hazardous – named Project Cleansweep – it has concluded that there is “no indication of significant risk to public health or environment” from the sites. That has been questioned, however, by one expert, who pointed out that there was still no scientific proof that all harmful traces of the weapons have been removed, particularly after they were burnt. Prof Alastair Hay , an expert on chemical weapons and who is a professor of environmental toxicology at the University of Leeds and an official adviser to the health and safety executive , argued that more sampling might still be needed at the sites. Some areas should be kept secure as a failsafe because mustard gas can be very persistent in the environment, he warned. “The more problematic areas are where physical destruction took place,” he said. “Incineration is a well-recognised method of disposal, but you need to ensure all is burned. We have no details of these procedures.” Chemical weapons were extensively used by both sides in the first world war, and have been blamed for 100,000 deaths. Soldiers particularly feared chemical gas attacks because they could cause blindness, blistering and a slow, painful death. The weapons are now outlawed by international agreement in most countries. The MoD launched Project Cleansweep in 2007 to provide “reassurance” that residual contamination at UK sites did not pose a risk to human health or the environment. A briefing on the project has been released in response to requests under freedom of information law. The project initially considered 46 sites, but whittled that down to 14 that required detailed investigation. Although sites may have been cleared in the past, “we do not have scientific evidence that all harmful traces of the agents were removed or disposed of”, the MoD briefing stated. The 14 sites included two former US chemical weapons stores at Aberfoyle in South Lanarkshire and at Worksop in Nottinghamshire. At Bowes Moor in Durham, 17,000 tonnes of chemicals were stored on 564 acres of moorland. According to the MoD, areas historically used for the disposal of mustard gas are still fenced off at Riseley in Bedfordshire and at Spalford Warren in Nottinghamshire . Spalford Warren has also been designated as a site of special scientific interest because of “its importance as a grass-heath habitat”. The sites are now safe, the MoD briefing said, and “suitable for their current use, provided any management systems, restrictions or procedures remain in place”. A comprehensive report on Project Cleansweep is due to be published later this year. Pollution Waste Defence policy Weapons technology Health First world war Rob Edwards guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Amanda Knox’s appeal of her murder conviction has just gotten harder: A forensic scientist involved in her conviction is promising to refute an independent report that declared the DNA evidence she gave was unreliable , reports the Guardian . “I am angry about the false statements in this report and ready to…
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Relations between activists and military pushed to breaking point by armed attack on march from Tahrir Square Strained relations between Egyptian activists and the country’s military rulers appeared close to breaking point on Sunday after dozens of protesters were attacked by assailants during a rally in Cairo at the weekend. The march on Saturday evening began with a two-week sit-in in Tahrir Square, the iconic heart of the revolution, and was heading towards Cairo’s defence ministry when it came under attack by armed baltagiya – Arabic for thugs. The unidentified assailants appeared to be sympathetic to the ruling generals, who were a pillar of the old regime. Thousands of placard-wielding and chanting protesters, who had approached the ministry of defence in the Abbasyia district, were blocked en route by tanks and hundreds of soldiers stationed behind a makeshift barrier of metal frames and barbed wire. They found themselves trapped and were set upon by armed thugs wielding swords, knives and hurling rocks and molotov cocktails. Among the protesters was Hossam El-Hamalawy, a prominent activist, who later wrote on his blog: “We stood our ground, demanding we pass. We were refused. The attack started. Young men carrying swords and knives flocked to our right, while others were stoning us from the side streets. Soldiers kept firing their machine guns into the air, to be followed later by a chopper circulating around our heads. It was a war zone in every sense of the word.” Dozens were injured in the chaos, as they were showered by rocks hurled from rooftops, while others were hurt in the ensuing stampede. The injured, estimated to run into hundreds, were ferried to nearby hospitals. It was reported that at least one journalist was attacked. Among those detained was a prominent Egyptian blogger and human rights researcher, Amr Gharbeia , who was seized by unidentified men as he attempted to leave the scene of the protest. He was incommunicado for several hours, prompting frantic calls for information on his whereabouts and international demands for his release, including from Amnesty International, his former employer. “I am home, safe and resting. Grateful for everybody,” he later wrote on Twitter. The violence in Abbasyia marked a significant escalation in tensions between activists, who have been at the vanguard of the revolution, and Egypt’s military rulers, known as the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, who assumed control of the country on 11 February. While the military has denied any involvement in Saturday’s violence the protesters have accused them of at least being complicit as they did not intervene to protect them from the attacks. A wall of distrust has been building for several weeks as activists have complained that conservative elements, including the military, were betraying their push for freedom and democracy by shielding members of the former regime. Angered by the lack of progress, protesters reoccupied and erected tents in Tahrir Square on 8 July to pressure the military into bringing those accused of killing protesters during the 18-day uprising to trial and to persuade interim rulers to stick to their pledges of bringing social justice, civil liberties and democracy. Activists want them to move faster in bringing former regime officials to justice and set a date for the transition to civilian rule. The military accuse activists of treason, warning protesters against “harming national interests” and calling on “honourable” Egyptians to confront actions that disrupt a return to normal life. As news of the bloody clashes in Abbaysia was relayed back to Tahrir Square on Saturday night, young activists gathered to discuss whether they too might be targeted by military or armed thugs there. Ahmed, a young man who had camped in the square from the earliest days of the revolution, took a microphone and told the crowd to stand strong. “Tonight we may die here,” he bellowed, as some in the audience applauded. “If you are ready to die then stay. If not, then go home.” As the night wore on the injured from Abbasiya returned to the square to receive treatment as fears of an assault dissipated. Many in the camp felt it was a matter of time before another showdown with the military, who they believe will attempt to clear the square of protesters. “The military are just another face of the old regime,” said one demonstrator. Egypt Hosni Mubarak Arab and Middle East unrest Middle East Africa Protest Inigo Gilmore guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Amy Winehouse was a great singer—when sober—who changed pop music and still had her best years ahead of her, say music critics as they eulogize the troubled pop star. “Without Amy, there would have been no Adele, no Duffy, and no Lady Gaga,” writes Adrian Thrills in the…
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