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Homs bombardment resumes as Russian minister heads to Syria (mar, 07 fév 2012)
Rebel stronghold remains under siege, as Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov prepares to meet Assad The city of Homs has come under fresh bombardment by the Syrian regime on Tuesday morning as Russia's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, heads to a meeting where he will press President Bashar al-Assad to implement swift reform aimed at ending 11 months of deadly fighting. Gunfire was reported as dawn broke in Homs where the main opposition Syrian National Council says at least 50 people were killed on Monday and activists claim 200 died in shelling over the weekend. Syrian authorities, who have denied firing on houses, said security forces killed "tens of terrorists" in Homs on Monday morning. An interior ministry statement said six members of the security forces were killed in the clashes. Activists said a blast hit an oil pipeline feeding a main refinery in Homs on Monday, the second attack in a week. Separately, three people died when the opposition-held town of Zabadani, near the Lebanese border, came under fire on Monday. Local fighters said they would hit "regime targets" if the army did not pull back by Tuesday morning. China and Russia on Saturday vetoed a UN security council resolution backing an Arab League call for Assad to give up power and start a political transition. The United States shut its embassy in Damascus and said all staff had left the country due to worsening security. Belgium and Britain recalled their ambassadors from Syria, and London said it would seek further European Union sanctions against the country. The US president, Barack Obama, said that however hard western countries were prepared to lean on Assad diplomatically, they still had no intention of using force to topple him, as they did against Muammar Gaddafi in Libya last year. "I think it is very important for us to try to resolve this without recourse to outside military intervention. And I think that's possible," he told NBC's Today show. Russia fought back against criticism from the west for blocking the UN resolution. Lavrov said condemnations of Moscow's veto had verged on "hysteria". Lavrov's ministry said he was heading to Syria on Tuesday because Moscow sought "the swiftest stabilisation of the situation in Syria on the basis of the swiftest implementation of democratic reforms whose time has come". Assad has promised political reforms including a new constitution followed by a parliamentary election, but has also pledged to crush "terrorists" he blames for the violence. Syria's opposition, which rejected a Russian invitation for talks with Syrian officials in Moscow, says Assad's promised reforms are not credible after his crackdown on protests in which the United Nations says 5,000 people have been killed. In addition to months of national unrest, the Syrian capital was hit by suicide bombings in December and January. The Arab League secretary general, Nabil Elaraby, told Reuters he spoke to Lavrov on Monday and the foreign minister would present an initiative to Damascus. He gave no details and when asked if he thought it could end the crisis, he replied: "They believe so." Russia argued that Saturday's draft UN resolution was one-sided and would have amounted to taking the side of Assad's opponents in a civil war. China also vetoed the measure, by most accounts following Russia's lead. "Some of the voices heard in the west with evaluations of the results of the vote in the UN security council on the Syria resolution sound, I would say, improper, somewhere on the verge of hysteria," Lavrov said. A chorus of European officials – and the US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, who called the veto a "travesty" – condemned Russia and China in terms unusually harsh by diplomatic norms and said they would bear responsibility for future bloodshed. The French defence minister, Gerard Longuet, said on Monday: "There are political cultures which deserve a kick in the ass ... To accept that a dictator can operate freely is disgraceful for governments that accept it." Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim, who leads the Arab League's ministerial committee on the Syrian crisis, told al-Jazeera he was shocked by Moscow and Beijing's stance and called for "clear steps to stop the bloodbath in Syria". Clinton said on Sunday the United States would work with other nations to try to tighten sanctions against Assad's government and deny it arms in the absence of a UN resolution. Syrian army defectors announced they were organising a new "Higher Revolutionary Council" to supersede the Free Syrian Army (FSA) as the main armed force battling Assad's rule. The new body would be commanded by General Ahmed al-Sheikh, the highest-ranking officer to defect to Turkey from government forces. Russia, seeking to retain a foothold in the Middle East centred on its military ties with Damascus, may be torn between trying to bolster Assad and seeking his exit. It could take a middle path, trying to buy time by counselling the government to make some concessions and reduce the bloodshed. "I think that now, after Russia imposed a veto, Lavrov [is] travelling to tell Assad that we did everything possible," said Fyodor Lukyanov, editor of the journal Russia in Global Affairs. "Now the main task for Lavrov is to tell Assad that if there is no visible change in Syria, then regardless of the Russian position he should be bracing for external military measures." Syria Russia United Nations Bashar al-Assad guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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Disbelief as Greek politicians delay deal on €130bn rescue package (lun, 06 fév 2012)
• Exasperated Angela Merkel warns 'time is of the essence' • Portugal's PM says 'we will not allow it to happen here' Greece appeared intent on taking make-or-break talks over a €130bn (£108bn) rescue programme for the debt-choked country down to the wire tonight as officials announced that the discussions would be delayed. Confounding market expectation and European hopes, the government said agreement over the conditions attached to further aid could not be reached as a meeting between political chiefs and the prime minister, Lucas Papademos, had been deferred until today. "All parties have basically accepted the deal," said a well-briefed source, referring to the three elements in Papademos's national unity coalition. "But it is felt that the details have to be fine-tuned. The leaders want to know what they are signing up to." With Greece staring at the spectre of bankruptcy – barely six weeks before it has to make bond repayments worth €14.5bn – EU officials expressed disbelief that politicians could not finally put their name to an accord. Unable to conceal her own exasperation, the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, said: "I honestly can't understand how additional days will help. "Time is of the essence. A lot is at stake for the entire eurozone," she said after holding debt crisis talks in Paris with the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy. Papademos, a technocrat who was appointed to the post with the express purpose of passing the measures to secure the bailout deal, originally told the leaders to conclude talks by midday. But the deadline came and went. Infuriated, Amadeu Altafaj-Tardio, a spokesman for the European economic affairs commissioner Olli Rehn, said: "The truth is we are already beyond deadline … the ball is in the court of the Greek authorities." Hours later, the prime minister's office announced that the meeting would take place in the "late afternoon". Rumours swirled that a deal was near, with headway made on the highly contentious issues of wage cuts in the private sector. In anticipation, the Athens stock market rallied. By mid-afternoon, however, the meeting had been cancelled with officials saying Papademos would instead hold talks with visiting inspectors from the European Union, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund, the "troika" propping up the insolvent Greek economy. The postponement confirmed that ahead of general elections in April the high-stake talks have also been turned into a high-stakes game of brinkmanship. Acutely aware of the uproar that further austerity is bound to ignite among a populace that has endured unprecedented belt-tightening but seen little in return as Athens repeatedly misses fiscal targets, Greece's political class has worked furiously to disassociate itself from reforms increasingly seen as counter-productive. Emerging from a marathon session of similar talks on Sunday, Giorgos Karatzaferis, the media-savvy leader of the populist Laos party, said: "I'm not going to contribute to the explosion of a revolution [by backing] a wretchedness that will then spread across Europe." Racheting up the pressure on politicians, powerful unionists in both the public and private sector warned that the reaction to any agreement entailing further austerity would be "ferocious and possibly uncontrollable". A general strike was called for Tuesday with civil servants and workers saying they would step up action later in the week. Ilias Iliopoulos, at the civil servants' union ADEDY, said: "We don't care if they feel forced to accept such measures. The fact is 500,000 families are not even earning a euro a week and another million only have work sporadically." "Greek people can't take the burden of any more measures. If our politicians are foolish enough to agree to what our so-called saviours say, if they go ahead with yet more cuts and job losses, there will be an explosion. The reaction will be uncontrollable." The deadlock immediately raised fears that three years into the crisis, Greece might finally be heading for the disorderly default international creditors, lead by Germany in the EU, have tried to avert. But in Athens analysts insisted that the real threat to keeping bankruptcy at bay lay not so much in the negotiating arena as in a society seething with anger over the prospect of more austerity. "The Greek side has no cards in its hand," said Theodore Pelagidis, professor of economics at Piraeus University. "This is not about not accepting the bailout but about politicians wanting to convince Greeks that they have not just submitted to the demands of foreign lenders but done their utmost to get the best deal. Yes, there are a lot of painful details that have to be discussed but all these delays are actually part of a show." Eurozone finance ministers have told Greece that they want a blueprint of a basic deal to be approved by Wednesday's meeting in Brussels. No longer willing to take any chances, Papademos on Monday ordered the finance ministry to outline what consequences bankruptcy might have on society and the economy. One Greek official said it would make Argentina "look like a picnic". Papademos's plan is to present the findings to Greece's squabbling political leaders on Tuesday to ensure they sign off on the deal immediately. As Greece failed to resolve its crisis, the Portuguese prime minister attempted to stave off speculation that his country would be the next to find itself in talks over a rescue package. Pedro Passos Coelho said Portugal's debts were under control and could be contained without the need of a fresh injection from the EU. "We will not allow what happened in Greece to happen here," he said. "We hope that there will be the will to reach a new aid programme for Greece." Coelho likened Portugal to Ireland, which he said had a debt structure that would delay the need for loan repayments until next year. "Our debt profile is very similar to Ireland's, both in absolute value and in debt to GDP terms," he said. Eurozone crisis Greece Europe European Union European monetary union Economics Banking European banks Financial crisis Financial sector Euro European Central Bank IMF Phillip Inman Helena Smith guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. 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Quarter of children performing poorly due to problems at home, study finds (mar, 07 fév 2012)
Researchers found children were likely to have educational development impaired if families had multiple social issues More than a quarter of children in the UK are not reaching their potential at school because of poor living conditions and unwell parents, a study has found. Researchers from the University of London's Institute of Education and the University of Sussex analysed the intellectual development of 18,000 children between the ages of nine months and five years. They found that children were likely to have stunted intellectual development if they were exposed to two or more disadvantages, such as having a parent who suffered from depression, and living in an overcrowded home. Some 28% of the children they studied came from families that faced two or more disadvantages. In most cases, these children had a considerably reduced vocabulary or behaved worse than their peers. In their study, multiple risk factors in young children's development, the academics highlight 10 situations that can impair a child's development. These include living in an overcrowded home; having a teenage mother; coming from a family with poor basic skills or a history of drug or alcohol abuse. Some 30% of the children analysed in the study came from families facing one of these disadvantages, but it was only when children faced at least two disadvantages that their development was impaired. Some 41% of the children did not face any of the disadvantages the academics listed. The researchers found that Bangladeshi children were most likely to be exposed to multiple family problems. Almost half – 48% – came from families that faced two or more disadvantages, compared to 20% of children of Indian heritage. Professor Shirley Dex, one of the authors of the study, said politicians should concentrate on individual disadvantages, rather than "clusters of disadvantage". She said: "Any combination of disadvantages only represents a small proportion of families, so if you have a targeted policy that addresses parental depression, excessive alcohol consumption and a lack of basic skills, we might only get to a small proportion of children." In December, David Cameron announced that he expected each large local authority to appoint troubleshooters to address the problems facing chaotic families. The scheme is formally voluntary, but if a family refuses to co-operate, councils already have the powers to evict tenants, take children into care or issue antisocial behaviour orders. The study will be published by the Institute of Education's Centre for Longitudinal Studies. Children Schools Child protection Social care Parents and parenting Family Parents Jessica Shepherd guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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Backers of NHS shake-up turn against Andrew Lansley's plans (mar, 07 fév 2012)
Leading doctors voice concerns that reforms will suffocate GPs and jeopardise promised freedom to commission care Two prominent backers of the coalition's NHS shake-up have joined the growing chorus of critics by claiming that GPs will be "suffocated rather than liberated" by the planned changes. Dr Charles Alessi and Dr Michael Dixon have helped Andrew Lansley claim credibility for his plans among doctors over the past 18 months by strongly supporting his radical restructuring. They are leading lights in the NHS Alliance and the National Association of Primary Care, two key pro-reform organisations. But they now fear that the new consortiums of local doctors, which will start commissioning healthcare for patients in England from next year, will not have the freedom that the health secretary has repeatedly pledged. Lansley has attempted to persuade sceptics that his reorganisation will put family doctors in charge of healthcare. NHS primary care trusts (PCTs) and strategic health authorities (SHAs) are due to be abolished next year. But the doctors are worried that the GP-led clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), which will replace PCTs, will find themselves unexpectedly under the control of another organisation, the NHA National Commissioning Board (NCB). In July the NHS chief executive, Sir David Nicholson, said "CCGs will be the engine of the new system" and that the reformed NHS "gives pride of place to clinical leaders". But the reality is that primary care doctors and clinical commissioners will not have the promised ability to make key decisions because the current bureaucracy is simply being replaced by another that is growing up around the NCB, the pair claim. The Department of Health's latest document about the design of the new board involves "layers of bureaucracy and management, with complex guidelines. The old 'footprint' [of the PCTs and SHAs], ie 50 local offices, remains there, plus four sector outposts, all using a single operating model," the two organisations said in a joint statement . The fact that many of the staff of the new NCB will simply be staff who have joined from PCTs and SHAs "adds to clinical commissioners' concerns and perceptions that they will be suffocated, instead of liberated, which in our view is fundamental to the success of clinically-led commissioning", they added. "What we are hearing and seeing are the same old messages and the same old structures, albeit with new nomenclatures", said Alessi, a key figure in a CCG in south-west London. "If we put the same ingredients into the mix, the likelihood is that we shall deliver the same inefficient environment and outcomes. This is insupportable in an economy of tight financial restraint." Most CCGs now see the new board as the greatest threat to their effective functioning, added Dixon, a GP in Devon and chair of the NHS Alliance. The pair's comments are another blow to the health secretary as his health and social care bill prepares to undergo its report stage in the House of Lords, when peers will seek to force the government to accept further amendments to its plans. Labour seized on the men's remarks as further evidence of the growing concerns the bill is causing. "Things are going from bad to worse for Andrew Lansley. In the last fortnight there has been a deepening crisis of professional confidence in the government's health bill, but until now the health secretary could rely on the support of the NHS Alliance and the National Association of Primary Care," said Andy Burnham, the shadow health secretary. "Yet the bill's biggest cheerleaders are now lambasting the increasing layers of bureaucracy. Even the health bill's greatest supporters are now concerned that Lansley's plans are so complex and full of worrying uncertainties that they risk thwarting the principle of true clinician-led commissioning." The British Medical Association also fears CCGs' freedom will be curtailed. "There are significant concerns that CCGs will not have genuine freedoms and sufficient independence to make locally sensitive, locally accountable, patient-focussed decisions," it said. In a briefing to peers ahead of the report stage it says that, despite ministers agreeing to amend several aspects of the bill, the legislation should still be dropped because it involves too much use of "market forces", and could also affect doctors' relationship with their patients through financial incentives for CCGs. The Department of Health said: "By handing power and responsibility for choosing and purchasing services to doctors and nurses on the ground, we are shifting the decision making closer to patients and building on the trusted role that GPs and other front line professionals already play throughout the NHS. "The NHS commissioning Board will provide national standards, but doctors and nurses will have the freedom to make decisions about their patients and their organisations." NHS Health Andrew Lansley GPs Doctors Denis Campbell guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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How £50m in UN food aid for starving went to buy wheat from Glencore (lun, 06 fév 2012)
£50bn merger with Xstrata will be latest City coup for billionaires behind commodities trader More than £50m of World Food Programme aid to feed the starving has ended up in the hands of a London-listed commodities trader run by billionaires, despite a pledge by the United Nations agency to buy food from "very poor farmers". Glencore International, which buys up supplies from farmers and sells them on at a profit, was the biggest single supplier of wheat to the WFP over the last eight months, the Guardian can reveal. Glencore, which was able to operate with secrecy from its base in Baar, Switzerland, until it floated on the London stock exchange last May, is expected on Tuesday to announce a merger with mining group Xstrata to become one of the 10 biggest FTSE 100 companies with a market value of more than £50bn. Details of the dealings with Glencore, which controls 8% of the global wheat market, emerged a year after the head of the WFP committed to buying food from local farmers. "Our new motto is to help people feed themselves," Josette Sheeran, the executive director of the WFP, told China's state news agency. "When we can, we purchase our food from the very poor farmers who suffer because they are not connected to local markets." Raj Patel, an economist expert in the global food trade and former UN employee, said it was shocking how much food aid money was "funnelling to one of the largest commodity traders". The rising price of wheat has squeezed the incomes of millions of the world's poorest people. Many have been forced to turn to the WFP, which last year fed more than 90 million people in 73 countries. Over the last eight months Glencore has sold wheat worth $78m (£50m) to the WFP, according to details of contracts published on the agency's website. In the biggest single deal, the WFP bought $22.5m of Glencore wheat in July last year to feed Ethiopians in one the worst famines in recent memory. The WFP also bought Glencore wheat, sorghum and yellow split peas for Kenya, Djibouti, Bangladesh, Sudan, North Korea and Palestine. Last month the WFP spent $10.8m on wheat for drought-stricken Djibouti. In its latest half-year financial results Glencore, which previously attracted controversy for environmental breaches and accusations of dealing with rogue states, including Iraq under Saddam Hussein, reported that revenue from agricultural products doubled to $8.8bn. The company said its performance had been "driven by stronger profits in grains and oil seeds" for which "prices were substantially higher in H1 [the first half of] 2011 compared to H1 2010". The company said: "There were increased geographic arbitrage opportunities [buying commodities cheaper in order to sell them on later at a higher price] available in wheat and edible oils." It said the average wheat price of a bushel [8 gallons] of wheat increased by 60% over the previous year to $778. A spokeswoman for the WFP said: "As a humanitarian agency that depends entirely on voluntary donations we always aim to get the most competitive price when purchasing food on the open markets. Rising food prices do have an impact on our budget and they can be driven up by any number of factors, including speculation." Glencore said it won the WFP tenders because "we were able to offer the commodities needed at the lowest possible price". Rob Bailey, a senior research fellow in food security at Chatham House in London, said the WFP often buys from traders such as Glencore, Cargill and Viterra, because food donations are not available and local farmers cannot provide the quantities needed. "It is concerning that the World Food Programme is left at the whim of international markets precisely when prices are high," he said. "Such crisis periods of high volatility are also when the big traders make the most money, because they have the best information on likely supply and demand and how markets are going to evolve, allowing them to take positions in the market to turn profits." John Hilary, the executive director of the War on Want, said: "Glencore's self-confessed speculation on grain markets last year forced up prices at a time of world shortage, driving more people into extreme hunger. The WFP needs to rethink its priorities and support local markets rather than corporate giants such as Glencore." Patel, the author of Stuffed and Starved: Markets, Power and the Hidden Battle for the World's Food System, said: "It's a shocking amount of money to be funnelling to one of the largest commodity traders. That financial entities are now making their presence felt – and Glencore is among the most powerful of these new corporations – points to the increasing financialisation of food in the 21st century." Glencore admitted that it bet on a rising wheat price after drought in Russia, according to investment bank UBS. "[Glencore's] agricultural team received very timely reports from Russia farm assets that growing conditions were deteriorating aggressively in the spring and summer of 2010, as the Russian drought set in … This put it in a position to make proprietary trades going long on wheat and corn," UBS said in a report to potential investors, disclosed by the Financial Times. On 3 August 2010 the head of Glencore's Russian grain business, Yury Ognev, urged Moscow to ban grain exports, according to the UBS report. Two days later Russian authorities banned wheat exports, which forced prices up by 15% in two days. On Monday Glencore said UBS's account of its role in the Russian grain crisis was "simply untrue. In any case, the export ban did not help our business". A spokesman said: "We share the view that financial speculation in agricultural products markets can be harmful. Our business is physical – we produce, buy, store and blend agricultural commodities. "We bridge the gap between harvests that last for a couple of weeks and demand which is fairly constant throughout the year. "Because we are physical holders, we are always net sellers in the agricultural products futures markets which actually has a downward effect on the prices of agricultural products futures." Glencore's chief executive, Ivan Glasenberg, earned the moniker "the $10 billion man" when his stake was valued at £5.76bn at last May's flotation. Four other partners – Daniel Maté, Telis Mistakidis, Tor Peterson and Alex Beard – were also made paper billionaires. More than $3.6bn was given to the WFP last year, with the US contributing $1.2bn and the UK £144m. Merger deal anticipated Glencore is on Tuesday expected to announce plans to merge with mining group Xstrata to become one of the 10 biggest companies listed on the London stock market. It will be the latest move in Glencore's journey from secretive trading house founded by Marc Rich, a commodities traderwho was charged by US authorities with selling oil to Iran during the 1979-81 hostage crisis, to global powerhouse in the sale of commodities from copper and coal to sugar and wheat. The largest shareholder in the combined company – dubbed Glenstrata – will be Ivan Glasenberg, Glencore's multibillionaire chief executive. But Glasenberg, who makes so much money he indirectly funded a generous Christmas tax break for the other residents of the Swiss village where he lives, is understood to be planning to step aside to become deputy to Mick "the miner" Davis, the head of Xstrata. Davis, already one the highest paid executives in the FTSE 100, is likely to be offered a "golden handcuffs" deal to stay at the company. A change of control clause could also see Davis collect an additional £10.7m in long-term shares. The deal is likely to see Glencore pay about an 8% premium to buy up the Xstrata shares it does not already own. Sir John Bond, Xstrata's chairman and a former chair of HSBC and Vodafone, will lead the Glenstrata board, while Glencore's chairman Simon Murray, who has been attacked for his "unbelievably primitive" views on women in business, is likely to step aside. Tony Hayward, the former boss of BP, is likely to be appointed the senior independent director of the combined company, which will have more than 120,000 staff across five continents. Glencore United Nations Stock markets IPOs Food security Famine Farming Xstrata Rupert Neate guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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Abu Qatada release: Home Office fury as judge frees 'Bin Laden aide' (lun, 06 fév 2012)
Radical Islamist cleric will walk free from Long Lartin maximum security prison after more than six years without trial The Home Office clashed openly with judges on Monday when it criticised a decision to free on bail within days the radical Islamist cleric Abu Qatada, who is accused of posing a grave threat to British national security. The decision by Mr Justice Mitting will see Abu Qatada, once described as Osama bin Laden's righthand man in Europe, walk out of Long Lartin maximum security prison in Worcestershire after more than six and a half years in detention without trial – the longest period in modern times. The special immigration appeals commission (Siac) has imposed some of the most draconian bail conditions seen since 9/11, including a 22-hour curfew, but this did little to assuage the anger of the Home Office ministers or politicians from all parties at the decision. The clash takes the battle between politicians and the judiciary into new territory as Abu Qatada is a major international terror suspect. He was first detained without trial in Britain under the quashed Belmarsh regime nearly a decade ago, in October 2002. The decision taken by the high court judge at Siac follows the ruling by the European court of human rights that he could not be deported to Jordan because he would face a "flagrant denial of justice" – a retrial based on evidence obtained through torture. Abu Qatada had been detained under immigration laws for the past six and half years pending his deportation to Jordan. A Home Office spokesperson said he should remain in detention: "This is the argument we made in court and we disagree with its decision. This is a dangerous man who we believe poses a real threat to our security and who has not changed in his views or attitude to the UK." The Home Office said it will consider an appeal against the European court's ruling. It will also continue a fresh attempt to secure diplomatic assurances from Jordan that Abu Qatada will not face a trial based on torture-tainted evidence. The British ambassador held two meetings last week with the Jordanian authorities to try to open talks on the issue. But the decision angered both Labour and Conservative backbenchers. The former Labour home secretary David Blunkett said the decision had left the government facing a very real difficulty: "It is an unholy mess. We are left in the absurd position of not being able to remove a man even though everyone accepts he won't be tortured, not being able to keep him in prison because his human rights trump the protection of the British people, and a government that has watered down control orders so that they are more lax than was previously the case." The Conservative backbencher Dominic Raab echoed Blunkett's anger: "This result is a direct result of the perverse ruling by the Strasbourg court. It makes a mockery of human rights law that a terrorist suspect deemed 'dangerous' by our courts can't be returned home, not for fear that he might be tortured, but because European judges don't trust the Jordanian justice system." The bail conditions set down by Mr Justice Mitting are draconian, comprising a 22-hour curfew rather than the "overnight residence requirement" specified in the coalition's replacement for control orders. They include an electronic tag, MI5 vetting of all his visitors except for immediate family, and monitoring of his communications. The delay in his release is to allow the security services to check the proposed bail address and organise their surveillance operation. In his ruling, the judge said that although the six and half years Abu Qatada had been detained under immigration powers was "unusually long", he agreed with the home secretary that it was also lawfully justified. However, he added: "The time will arrive quite soon when continuing detention or deprivation of liberty could not be justified." The Siac judge warned the home secretary, Theresa May, that Abu Qatada's "highly prescriptive" bail terms would be relaxed after three months if there is no "demonstrable progress" made with the Jordanians. The bail conditions mirror those set in 2008 when he was released for six months before being returned to prison on unspecified national security grounds. The judge said the risks to national security and of absconding in the case had not significantly changed since then. During the one-day bail hearing, Edward Fitzgerald QC, representing Abu Qatada, argued that his detention had gone on too long to be reasonable and there was no prospect of the detention ending in any reasonable period. Even if new diplomatic assurances were secured it would only trigger a new round of litigation in the English courts."There comes a time when it's just too long, however grave the risks," said Fitzgerald. The shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper, said May had to explain urgently what action she was taking on the national security implications of the ruling. "Abu Qatada should face terror charges in Jordan, and the home secretary needs to urgently accelerate discussions with the Jordanian government to make that possible," she said. The home secretary also had to spell out the counter-terror safeguards that will be taken to lower the national security risk. The security services have never disclosed the actual cost of mounting round-the-clock surveillance operations on terror suspects such as Abu Qatada but it does have serious implications for their resources. Abu Qatada, whose real name is Omar Othman, 51, featured in hate sermons found on videos in the flat of one of the 9/11 bombers. Since his original detention in October 2002, every attempt to deport him to Jordan has been frustrated. The law lords ruled three years ago that he could be sent back but the Strasbourg decision overturned that ruling. Terrorism policy Abu Qatada Global terrorism UK security and terrorism Immigration and asylum Jordan Human Rights Act Human rights Alan Travis guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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Obama orders Iranian Central Bank freeze in new wave of sanctions (lun, 06 fév 2012)
Executive order halts transactions by Iranian bank in US, despite concerns that it may drive up petroleum costs Barack Obama has ordered the freezing of Iranian government assets in the US, including transactions by the Iranian Central Bank, in tightened sanctions over Tehran's nuclear programme. The White House said the executive order by the president "re-emphasises this administration's message to the government of Iran – it will face ever-increasing economic and diplomatic pressure until it addresses the international community's well-founded and well-documented concerns regarding the nature of its nuclear programme". The new sanctions, which also include the threat of prosecution for foreign financial institutions if they do certain kinds of business directly with Iran, also appeared timed to fit in with measures introduced in other countries, including Britain which has already moved against Iran's banking system by cutting it off from London's financial sector. The administration had previously shied away from direct action against the central bank fearing that if Tehran is unable to carry through financial transactions necessary to sell its oil, that could force the cost of petroleum up and hit the US economy. But Congress pushed sanctions against the bank through in legislation attached to the US's annual defence spending bill. The president had the power to stall them but that was politically sensitive with a growing chorus of Republicans and some Democrats demanding stronger measures against Tehran. Obama said in a statement to Congress that the new sanctions are required in part because the central bank is using "deceptive practices" to get around earlier measures. "I have determined that additional sanctions are warranted, particularly in light of the deceptive practices of the Central Bank of Iran and other Iranian banks to conceal transactions of sanctioned parties, the deficiencies in Iran's anti-money laundering regime and the weaknesses in its implementation, and the continuing and unacceptable risk posed to the international financial system by Iran's activities," he said. The scale of Iranian official assets in the US is unclear given more than three decades of sanctions since the 1979 Islamic revolution. In November, the US announced measures intended to limit Tehran's ability to refine its own fuel as well as targeting Iran's Revolutionary Guards' financial interests. The US and European Union have also imposed additional sanctions on Iran's oil industry in recent weeks. The new sanctions also come as Obama tries to dissuade Israel from a unilateral strike against Iranian nuclear facilities. Last week, US defence secretary Leon Panetta said he believes Israel may launch an attack before June. On Sunday, Obama said he does not believe Israel has yet made the decision whether or not to attack. But he told NBC that all options remain on the table for US action if Iran presses ahead with developing a nuclear weapon. "I think we have a very good estimate of when they could potentially achieve breakout capacity, what stage they're at in terms of processing uranium. But do we know all the dynamics inside Iran? Absolutely not," he said. "Knowing who is making decisions at any given time inside Iran is tough but we do have a pretty good bead on what's happening with the nuclear programme." Iran United States Nuclear weapons Chris McGreal guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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Ian Paisley taken to hospital after suffering respiratory problems (lun, 06 fév 2012)
Former Northern Ireland first minister, 85, is being treated in Ulster hospital, his wife confirms Former Northern Ireland first minister Ian Paisley is in intensive care in hospital after suffering respiratory problems. The family of the 85-year-old founder of the Democratic Unionist party, now officially known as Lord Bannside, confirmed that he was being treated in Ulster hospital on the outskirts of east Belfast. In a statement issued on Monday afternoon his wife, Lady Paisley, requested that "the family's privacy be respected at this time". The veteran unionist politician and fundamentalist Protestant preacher took ill at the family home in east Belfast on Sunday. DUP members of the Northern Ireland assembly were briefed on their ex-leader's medical condition in the Stormont parliament. Last year Paisley had a pacemaker fitted at St Thomas's hospital in London after he fell ill at Westminster. Paramedics had to revive him after he collapsed in parliament. Since he stepped down as first minister Paisley has slowly retreated from public life. In December he announced his retirement as a preacher in the Free Presbyterian church, the hardline Protestant sect he founded in the 1960s. His final sermon took place last week in the Martyrs Memorial Church in Belfast. He told worshippers inside the church he helped build that he wanted to take time out to write his autobiography. For nearly five decades Paisley was a colossal presence in Ulster politics. He established the DUP in 1971 and opposed every attempt by successive British and Irish governments to create a power-sharing government between nationalists and unionists in Northern Ireland. When he moved aside as DUP leader he was succeeded by his long-time deputy and closest political confidant Peter Robinson. However, Paisley stunned the political world in 2006 when, after the St Andrews agreement, he indicated that the DUP would share power with their former enemies in Sinn Féin. As a result, he and ex-IRA member Martin McGuinness became first and deputy first ministers of Northern Ireland. The pair struck up an unlikely rapport and gained the nickname "the Chuckle Brothers" because at public events they were often seen smiling together. During his long reign as head of the Free Presbyterian church Paisley embarked on several moral crusades, including an unsuccessful battle to oppose the legalisation of homosexuality in Northern Ireland. In opposition to Paisley's "Save Ulster from Sodomy" campaign, the Northern Ireland Gay Rights Movement depicted him as an "ayatollah" who was watching everyone in the province. Ian Paisley Northern Ireland Henry McDonald guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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Chinese worker's body found in Sudan (mar, 07 fév 2012)
Chinese man went missing and 29 others were taken hostage in attack by Sudan People's Liberation Army on construction site The body of a Chinese worker who went missing during a rebel attack on a building site in Sudan has been found, according to China's state media. The Xinhua news agency said China was told of the recovery by Sudanese officials in South Kordofan. The man went missing on 28 January when a group belonging to the Sudan People's Liberation Army attacked 47 Chinese workers at a road construction site. Seventeen others escaped and 29 were taken hostage. Xinhua quoted Sudanese media as saying the 29 were expected to be released in the next few days following mediation by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Xinhua said the ICRC was mediating between officials in the capital, Khartoum, and the Sudan People's Liberation Army, a branch of a guerrilla movement that has fought various regimes in Khartoum for decades. Its members are from a minority ethnic group in control of much of South Sudan, which became the world's newest country six months ago when it broke away from Sudan. Sudan has accused South Sudan of arming groups in South Kordofan. The government of South Sudan says the accusations are a smokescreen intended to justify a future invasion of the South. Chinese companies have invested heavily in Sudanese oil production. The two Sudans are in a bitter dispute over oil, which is produced primarily in the South but goes through its neighbour's pipelines for export. Sudan China South Sudan Middle East and North Africa Africa Asia Pacific guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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Defra to issue new guidelines for building on polluted land (mar, 07 fév 2012)
Developers could find it easier to obtain permission to construct homes and schools on contaminated sites Building on land contaminated by industrial pollution or even asbestos will be made easier after government regulations are published today, experts claim. The environment department, Defra, is expected to publish fresh guidelines for building on contaminated land to make it easier for developers to get permission for putting up homes or schools on the sites. But the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, the professional body for the industry, has said the new regulations would lead to fewer sites having to be treated before they are built on. That will result in "reducing costs, in particular for developers, but at the same time reducing the level of health protection offered … to users of the land," says a briefing document from the institute. The new rules would "water down" the current science-based risk assessments and rely on a new "qualitative" approach, despite Defra's own consultation admitting "it is inherently difficult to prove causality and there are good science-based reasons to be concerned that some sites pose significant risks from long-term exposures," it adds. The institute estimates that as much as 300,000 hectares of land would be covered by the new rules – an area greater than the size of Greater London and Birmingham combined. Mary Creagh, the shadow environment secretary, said: "I am horrified at these proposals which show, once again, how out-of-touch the Conservatives are on the environment. After the forests sell-off and planning fiascos, Ministers now want to make it easier for developers to build on contaminated land. "Strong environmental protections are key to creating green jobs and healthy, sustainable homes yet the government seems hell bent on destroying them.The collapse in construction is caused by lack of bank lending, and companies hoarding cash and land as a buffer against economic uncertainty rather than these guidelines." Defra, however, denied the new rules would weaken protection of public health. It said: "We have made clear all along that our intention is to reduce the burden of regulation rather than the environmental outcomes they are designed to achieve. The current system for identifying and decontaminating brownfield sites is currently unclear and difficult to put into practice. We are therefore looking to simplify the guidance available – so we are protecting the environment, ensuring land is safe to be built on and removing unnecessary bureaucracy." The rules for building on contaminated land were introduced by the last Conservative government's environment minister John Gummer, though not brought into effect in England until 2000. Since then, nearly 800 sites in England and Wales have been identified as contaminated, including some with homes built on them and one which is now an infant school. Defra took action after concern rose about how many sites were being left in limbo because experts said there were not clear guidelines for local authorities to decide if the pollution was harmful on serious enough scale. The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, CIEH, argues that what is needed is more detailed rulings by the Environment Agency on "how nasty the stuff is and how much of it people especially are likely to come into contact with", especially the Soil Guideline Values which would state how much of a pollutant would pose "significant possibility of significant harm" and so trigger a site to be judged contaminated land. Its briefing, which claims many local authorities and other professional bodies have also criticised the proposed guidelines, accuses the government of "legislating by the backdoor", and urges MPs to stop them, adding: "it is important that MPs are not seduced by the label 'Guidance' into thinking that this is trivial and that its laying before Parliament is a mere formality, and allow it to be adopted without comment." The contaminated land guidelines were identified by Defra as part of last year's Red Tape Challenge to all government departments to reduce unnecessary regulations. At that time, Defra said: "the guidance is overly complicated which means businesses and developers face expensive clean-ups that create a burden for the housing industry, put extra costs on homebuyers and fail to achieve the intended environmental benefit. We plan to simplify the guidance to clarify when remediation is needed and how to ensure land is decontaminated to a high standard."Last month the Guardian reported that the cabinet office minister Oliver Letwin, usually a strong supporter of the environment, had proposed that nearly 300 environmental regulations be reduced to 50 pages. Defra and the Cabinet Office would not comment on the claims, but an Environment Agency spokesman said: "The meeting was about simplifying advice to business about environmental regulation and was positive." Housing Construction industry Communities Juliette Jowit guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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LA Miramonte school removes entire faculty over sex abuse claims (mar, 07 fév 2012)
Two teachers are accused of committing lewd acts on children, leading to extraordinary move by district The entire teaching staff has been suspended at Miramonte elementary school in Los Angeles, where two teachers have been arrested on suspicion of sexually abusing children. The Los Angeles school superintendent, John Deasy, announced the extraordinary move, telling parents that replacement teachers would be taking over classrooms and psychiatric social workers would be placed with each class to help students and staff. Miramonte teacher Mark Berndt was charged last week with committing lewd acts on 23 children, while Martin Springer was arrested on Friday suspected of abusing two girls in his classroom. Berndt, who worked at the school for 32 years, abused children of ages six to 10 between 2005 and 2010, it is alleged. The acts cited by authorities include blindfolding children in a classroom and feeding them his semen in what children were allegedly told was a tasting game. Berndt, 61, remains jailed on $23m (£14m) bail and could face life in prison if convicted. Springer, 49, is being held on $2m bail. Springer taught at Miramonte for his entire career, which started in 1986, the district said. He taught second grade. The school board is scheduled to discuss firing him in a closed-door meeting on Tuesday. Investigators said they knew of no connection between the Miramonte cases, though the Los Angeles Times said Berndt and Springer knew each other and had taken their classes on at least two joint field trips in the past decade. More than a quarter of the students at Miramonte were absent on Monday while parents demanded more protection at the school. About three dozen parents and supporters protested in front of the main doors of the school, some carrying a banner that read: "We the parents demand our children be protected from lewd teacher acts." Maria Jimenez, 51, said the parents whose children are enrolled at Miramonte were divided over the removal of the entire staff. "Some are in favour. Others are against it because they did this without advising us or consulting us," Jimenez said. California United States Child protection guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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Archbishop receives racist emails (mar, 07 fév 2012)
Dr John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York, received threatening messages prompting police to launch investigation Police are investigating racist emails that were sent to the Archbishop of York following an interview last month in which he spoke of his early experiences of being on the receiving end of racial abuse after he came to the UK from Uganda. A spokeswoman for Dr John Sentamu, the second most senior bishop in the Church of England, said: "A large quantity of correspondence was received in response to the archbishop's interview with the Daily Telegraph, which touched on a wide range of issues. "Among many positive emails that he has received, there have been a small number of abusive and threatening emails of a racist nature which North Yorkshire police are investigating as hate crimes." A spokesman for North Yorkshire police said: "We can confirm that a complaint has been received from the office of Archbishop John Sentamu, following the receipt of emails containing racially offensive statements. "The emails are being investigated as a hate crime." Sentamu, who trained as a lawyer in Uganda but left after he was beaten by members of Idi Amin's regime, spoke about racist abuse he received from some parishioners in south London in the 1980s. He said: "There was a lady who didn't want me to take her husband's funeral because I was black. I took one funeral and at the end a man said to me, 'Why did my father deserve to be buried by a black monkey?' We received letters with excrement in." The archbishop was denounced by gay rights campaigners after he used the interview to speak out against legalising gay marriage, saying: He said: "If you genuinely would like the registration of civil partnerships to happen in a more general way, most people will say they can see the drift. But if you begin to call those marriage, you're trying to change the English language." Peter Tatchell, co-ordinator of the Equal Love campaign, told a protest at York minster last week: "Archbishop Sentamu is a religious authoritarian who wants to impose his personal opposition to same-sex marriage on the rest of society." John Sentamu Uganda Daily Telegraph National newspapers Ben Quinn guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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Philippines earthquake toll rises as dig continues for landslide casualties (mar, 07 fév 2012)
Houses flattened in remote villages on Negros island that have been cut off by fallen bridges and damaged roads Rescuers have found no further survivors among dozens of people buried by landslides on a central Philippine island after an earthquake. The death toll has climbed to 15, with more than 70 people missing. The 6.9-magnitude earthquake on Monday also collapsed bridges and damaged roads on Negros island. Soldiers and firefighters had to hike into mountains to reach remote villages. Most of the confirmed deaths were in Planas village, a part of Guihulngan town, where about 30 houses were flattened. The Guihulngan mayor, Ernesto Reyes, said crews were using earthmoving equipment in the search for casualties. The damage may be worse than officials first realised because the quake cut off communications to some villages, Reyes said. "We have no water and power because electric posts were toppled. Many of our roads were damaged, including bridges, and stores are closed. We're isolated." In the mountain village of Solongon in La Libertad town, an unknown number of people were trapped under about 100 houses. The president, Benigno Aquino, sent air force helicopters and navy and coastguard vessels to the aid of rescuers, some of whom had been digging with picks and shovels. Workers were clearing roads and fixing and bridges to bring in equipment, food and medicine. The undersea quake was centred 44 miles north of Dumaguete, capital of Negros Oriental province, about 400 miles south-east of the nation's capital, Manila. The Negros Oriental police chief, Edward Carranza, said at least 73 people remained missing in the province. The casualties could top a 2004 quake on Mindoro Island, south of Manila, in which 78 people died, about half of them in a quake-triggered tsunami. A local tsunami alert was issued following Monday's quake but was soon cancelled. Reyes said 13 residents died and at least 29 remained missing in the landslide in Planas, where an army platoon was digging for survivors. Meanwhile the landslide had blocked a mountain river that was threatening to back up and swamp houses along its banks. Residents had been told to leave. Philippines Natural disasters and extreme weather Asia Pacific South Pacific guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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Allen Stanford trial hears of scramble to cook books as last millions ran out (mar, 07 fév 2012)
Texan financier's former deputy tells how bankers planned real estate transactions to revalue $64m in property at $3.2bn Allen Stanford used fake accounting to prop up his offshore bank in its waning days as withdrawal requests from investors poured in, Stanford's former top deputy has said. Faced with a worrying number of withdrawals in 2008, Stanford came up with a plan to make a $600m (£380m) capital infusion into the bank, said James Davis, Stanford's former chief financial officer and the US government's top witness. Stanford is on trial in federal court in Houston charged with running a $7bn Ponzi scheme from his bank in Antigua. Prosecutors allege Stanford, who has pleaded not guilty, sold fraudulent certificates of deposit and used the proceeds to buy jets, luxury homes and Caribbean real estate. In the spring of 2008 Stanford's accountants are alleged to have inflated the value of about 1,500 undeveloped acres in Antigua that Stanford had bought for $64m. The accountants planned a series of property transfers to put the real estate back on the bank's books with a value of more then $3.2bn, Davis told the court. "No actual cash or assets were going into the bank?" William Stellmach, a federal prosecutor, asked Davis. "No, sir," Davis replied. The transaction was meant to fill a hole left by Stanford's spending, which became apparent as investors took their money out of the bank, Davis said. But by the end of December 2008 Stanford International Bank had only $88m in cash, far less than the $1bn it claimed to hold, according to documents Stellmach showed to jurors. The US Securities and Exchange Commission seized Stanford's businesses and assets in February 2009. Davis, 63, said stress related to keeping the scheme going eventually took a toll on his health, causing him both physical and mental problems. "The fraud that I was participating in was killing me," Davis told the jury. Stanford, the largest private landowner in Antigua and a onetime 20-20 cricket mogul, was known as "Sir Allen" after being knighted by the island's former prime minister. Stanford was once considered one of the United States' wealthiest people, with an estimated net worth of more than $2 billion. He's been jailed without bond since being indicted in 2009. He is on trial for 14 counts, including mail and wire fraud, and faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. Stellmach asked Davis why, after realising there was fraud, he continued working for the financier. "I wanted to please Mr. Stanford. I was a coward. I was embarrassed and he signed my paycheck," said Davis, who told jurors he made $14m in salary and bonuses during his employment. Davis pleaded guilty in 2009 to three counts: conspiracy to commit mail, wire and securities fraud; mail fraud; and conspiracy to obstruct a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation. The plea is part of a deal Davis made with the US justice department in exchange for a possible reduced sentence. Allen Stanford Antigua & Barbuda United States Banking Texas guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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Paul Dacre calls for new certifying system for journalists (lun, 06 fév 2012)
Daily Mail editor in chief tells Leveson inquiry he wants tough sanctions for those who break the law or lower standards The editor in chief of the Daily Mail has called for a new system of certifying journalists, with tough sanctions for those who fall below acceptable standards or break the law. Paul Dacre also called on the industry to introduce a transitional arrangement to replace the much-criticised Press Complaints Commission as soon as possible to show newspapers had "good intentions" to break from a past tarnished by allegations of phone hacking, corruption and computer hacking. Outlining his vision of the future, Dacre said the new system of accreditation of journalists would act as a "Kitemark" for standards. He suggested that journalists not carrying an accredited card would be barred from covering events such as key government briefings or interviews relating to sporting fixtures. A new ombudsman for standards should also have the right to recommend a journalist be struck off, just as doctors can be struck off by the General Medical Council, he said. "The public at large would know the journalists carrying such cards are bona fide operators, committed to a set of standards and a body to whom complaints can be made." Over three and a half hours, an at times testy Dacre was questioned at the Leveson inquiry about the behaviour of his own staff in relation to a litany of stories that have been criticised by other Leveson witnesses, including ones on Madeleine McCann, Christopher Jefferies, Hugh Grant and the late Boyzone singer Stephen Gately. He launched a robust defence of his decision to describe Grant's evidence as "mendacious smears", declaring that the actor's claim that a story about him may have been sourced from phone hacking was damaging to his newspaper. "If I had allowed it to stand it would have been devastating for our reputation and it needed rebutting instantly." Dacre repeatedly claimed that Grant had brought much of the attention he complained about upon himself. He said Grant "invaded his privacy with great proficiency" by frequently talking in public about private matters, including his desire to have a child. But he did accept that the behaviour of the paparazzi about whom Grant and others have complained was an issue. "I think there are broader issues that the industry needs to look at. The problem of paparazzi, that worries me – I think we need to try to look at that." Dacre admitted that he knew the newspaper had used a private detective, Steve Whittamore, who was convicted in 2005 of illegally accessing confidential records such as ex-directory numbers. He said he thought he became aware of the use of Whittamore "some time about 2004, 2005-ish" but said he was not aware of the extent of his use or that he might have been obtaining information illegally. Asked whether he thought it was acceptable to get hold of a person's "friends and family" telephone numbers, he said the information could have been obtained legally but Whittamore "was a quick and easy way to get that information". He said he would now accept there was a "prima facie case that Mr Whittamore could have been acting illegally" but he did not accept this as "evidence our journalists were actively behaving illegally". At times exasperated by the inquiry's line of questioning, Dacre pressed the point that he had demonstrated "huge willpower and vigour to stamp out and change of all of this", banning the use of detective agencies, writing the Data Protection Act into journalists' contracts and holding seminars for staff. He told Leveson: "Goodness knows, I don't know what more I could have done." Dacre also mounted a staunch defence of Jan Moir, the columnist who was the subject of 25,000 complaints following a piece she wrote about the death of Gately. "I would die in the ditch to defend any of my columnists' rights to say whatever they wish", he said, adding that she hadn't "a homophobic bone in her body". But he did observe that her column could have benefitted from some "judicious subbing [editing]" that day. Dacre told the inquiry he had turned down an offer to edit the Times because it would have curbed his independence. He described Rupert Murdoch as a "great proprietor in his time" but said he would not have given him the necessary freedom. He said there was no doubt Murdoch "had strong views" which he expected to be followed by his editors. "The classic case is the Iraq war" and the "implacable support" he gave Tony Blair, said Dacre. Dacre reserved the more forceful side of his personality for the issue of the importance of the press to society. He said his paper had written hundreds and thousands of stories and the inquiry was alighting on a few negative examples. The British public were being given "a very bleak, one-sided view" of an industry that employs thousands. Leveson inquiry Paul Dacre Daily Mail Newspapers & magazines National newspapers Lisa O'Carroll guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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