Edward Snowden Charged With Espionage

Edward Snowden, the whistleblower who revealed secret government spying programmes, has been charged with espionage by US authorities.

A provisional arrest warrant has been issued and Hong Kong authorities have been asked to detain him.

US prosecutors have filed a criminal complaint, charging Mr Snowden with three offences including unauthorised communication of national defence information, which comes under the Espionage Act, and theft of government property.

He is also charged with willful communication of classified communications intelligence information to an unauthorised person.

All three crimes listed carry a maximum 10-year prison penalty.

The former CIA technician, who has worked for America's National Security Agency (NSA), leaked details of American telephone and internet surveillance programmes.

Court papers list three offences including theft of government property

He revealed the existence of a surveillance system called Prism that was set up by the NSA to track the use of the internet directly from ISP servers.

The NSA and FBI have said that the secret programme provided "critical leads" in preventing "dozens of terrorist events" - although some terror experts dispute the claims.

President Obama has also said the programmes were carried out with "systems of checks and balances" and overseen by the courts and the US Congress.

The Prism revelations sparked outcry in the UK when The Guardian reported that the GCHQ eavesdropping agency had been accessing information about British citizens through Prism.

Mr Snowden fled to Hong Kong on May 20 after copying the last set of documents he intended to disclose at the NSA's office in Hawaii.

Protests in support of Mr Snowden have taken place in Hong Kong

Sky News Asia correspondent Mark Stone said the move marks the official start of government attempts to bring him back to the US.

"We are yet to hear from the Hong Kong police and authorities on whether or not they will act on the request by the Americans to arrest Edward Snowden.

"It's my understanding that they know exactly where he is. The Americans haven't yet asked for his extradition, they have simply asked the authorities to arrest him."

There are reports a private plane is on standby to take Mr Snowden from Hong Kong to Iceland, where he hopes to get asylum.

The latest documents from Mr Snowden claim to show that British spies have secretly accessed fibre-optic cables carrying emails, Facebook messages and other communications.

The Guardian reports that GCHQ can analyse data from the network of cables that carry global phone calls and internet traffic under an operation codenamed Tempora.

It claims that communications between innocent people are being processed, as well as those from people marked out as security threats.

The NSA programme helped to prevent terror attacks, say US spy chiefs

"It's not just a US problem," Mr Snowden told The Guardian.

"The UK has a huge dog in this fight. They (GCHQ) are worse than the US."

Mr Snowden worked for the NSA as an employee of various outside contractors, including Dell and Booz Allen Hamilton.

"I can't in good conscience allow the US government to destroy privacy, internet freedom and basic liberties for people around the world with this massive surveillance machine they're secretly building," Mr Snowden previously told The Guardian.

16.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Canada Floods Force Thousands Of Evacuations

Around 75,000 people have been evacuated from their homes and at least three have died following severe flooding to communities around Calgary in western Canada.

Roads and bridges have been washed away and swathes of the city are under water.

Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who toured the area on Friday, called the level of flooding "stunning".

"This is incredible. I've seen a little bit of flooding in Calgary before. I don't think any of us have seen anything like this before. The magnitude is just extraordinary," he said.

"We're all very concerned that if gets much more than this it could have real impact on infrastructure and other services longer term, so we're hoping things will subside a bit."

Royal Canadian Mounted Police sergeant Patricia Neely said three people had died and two bodies had been recovered.

Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi said the water levels have reached a peak, but have not declined.

"We've sat at the same level for many, many hours now," he said.

"There is one scenario that would it go even higher than this, so you'll either see the Bow river continue at this level for many hours or you will see it grow even higher and we're prepared for that eventuality."

Twenty-five neighbourhoods in the city, with an estimated 75,000 people, have already been evacuated in the city.

A spokesman for Canada's defence minister said 1,300 soldiers are being deployed to the flood zone.

Water levels have reached a peak, the city's mayor says

In downtown Calgary, the home rink of the National Hockey League's Calgary Flames has flooded and the water inside is 10 rows deep.

"I think that really paints a very clear picture of what kinds of volumes of water we are dealing with," said Trevor Daroux, the city's deputy police chief.

The floods are also forcing emergency plans at the Calgary Zoo, which is situated on an island near where the Elbow and Bow rivers meet.

Lions and tigers are being prepared for transfer, if necessary, to prisoner holding cells at the courthouse.

Calgary is not alone in its weather-related woes. Flashpoints of chaos have spread from towns in the Rockies south to Lethbridge.

More than a dozen towns have declared states of emergency. Entire communities, including High River and Bragg Creek, near Calgary, are under mandatory evacuation orders.

16.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Brazil Protests: President Promises Reforms

Brazil's President has promised to improve public services but says any further violence will not be tolerated in a speech to the nation rocked by mass protests.

During a TV broadcast Dilma Rousseff appealed for unity and said the government knew there were many things "we can do quicker and better".

"I am the president of all Brazil. Of those who support the demonstration and those who do not."

Dilma Rousseff has condemned the violence by 'a minority'

Reaching out to those who feel the government should direct more money to public services rather than on hosting major sporting events, she insisted that "football and sport are symbols of peace and peaceful coexistence".

But she added she would not stand by if demonstrations turned violent, as has been the case in several cities hit by cases of looting and attacks on public buildings including the foreign ministry and several government offices.

"The government cannot stand by as people attack public property ... and bring chaos to our streets," she stressed.

President Rousseff supports peaceful protest

"We need to inject oxygen into our political system, and make it more transparent and resistant to the tough challenges facing a countries marked by extreme disparity between rich and poor."

But she insisted that "we cannot put up with violence".

"People have a right to criticise," added Ms Rousseff saying she would staunchly defend that right.

She added: "We need to oxygenate our political system ... and make it more transparent."

Ms Rousseff, a former Marxist rebel who fought against Brazil's 1964-85 military regime and was imprisoned for three years, pointedly referred to sacrifices her generation made to free the nation from dictatorship.

Her comments came after nearly one million demonstrators took to the streets on Friday across the country to denounce alleged corruption, poor public services and billions of dollars spent preparing for next year's World Cup soccer tournament and the 2016 Olympics in Brazil.

Ms Rousseff had cancelled a trip overseas because of the unrest, but stayed away from the public eye for most of the week.

Nearly a million protesters took to the streets on Friday

But critics of Ms Rousseff and her government have accused them of paying "lip service".

Carlos Cardozo, a 62-year-old financial consultant who joined Friday's protest in Rio, said he thought the unrest could cost Ms Rousseff next year's elections.

"Her paying lip service by saying she's in favour of the protests is not helping her cause," Mr Cardozo said. "People want to see real action, real decisions, and it's not this government that's capable of delivering."

At least one protester was killed in Sao Paulo on Thursday night when a motorist - apparently enraged about being unable to drive along a street - rammed his car into a crowd of demonstrators.

Unconfirmed news reports also said a 54-year-old cleaning woman had died on Friday after inhaling tear gas.

16.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

UFO Desk: Why MoD Shut Real-Life X-Files

The mystery behind the closure of the Ministry of Defence's UFO desk and hotline in 2009 has been solved with the release of declassified files.

The Government shut down its UFO operations because they served "no defence purpose" and were taking staff away from "more valuable defence-related activities", according to 25 files from the National Archives.

Documents reveal 643 sightings were reported in 2009, treble the previous year and the second highest recorded since 1978 when 750 sightings were logged.

Diagram of 'UFO sightings' in Derbyshire and Staffordshire in 2009

They include accounts of alleged abductions, contact with aliens - including a person who claimed they'd been living with an alien - and UFO sightings near UK landmarks like the Houses of Parliament.

Despite these, in a briefing for then defence minister Bob Ainsworth in November 2009, Carl Mantell, of the RAF's Air Command, said in more than 50 years, "no UFO sighting reported to (MoD) has ever revealed anything to suggest an extra-terrestrial presence or military threat to the UK".

The memo said there was "no defence benefit" in the recording, collating, analysis or investigation of the sightings, adding: "The level of resources diverted to this task is increasing in response to a recent upsurge in reported sightings, diverting staff from more valuable defence-related activities."

An apparent UFO sighting at Stonehenge in 2009

Officials predicted a backlash from "ufologists" to the decision to close the UFO desk, and also noted that they had "deliberately avoided formal approaches to other governments on the issue" amid fears of "international collaboration and conspiracy".

The files also revealed campaigns by ufologists for the Government to investigate sightings more thoroughly, with letters sent to senior ministers, former prime minister Gordon Brown and even the Queen, calling for more action.

After the closure, air traffic control centres and local police forces were advised to no longer refer UFO sightings to the MoD.

An official MoD statement said: "The Ministry of Defence has no opinion on the existence or otherwise of extra-terrestrial life.

Image of an apparent UFO taken by a correspondent in Swansea

"However, in over 50 years, no UFO report has revealed any evidence of a potential threat to the United Kingdom.

"The MoD has no specific capability for identifying the nature of such sightings. There is no defence benefit in such investigation and it would be an inappropriate use of defence resources.

"Furthermore, responding to reported UFO sightings diverts MoD resources from tasks that are relevant to defence.

"MoD will no longer respond to reported UFO sightings or investigate them."

Photograph of a 'UFO' taken at Blackpool Pier in 2008

Sightings recorded in the documents, which cover the years 2007 to 2009, include:

:: A letter from a school child to the MoD asking for the truth about UFOs after she had seen some strange lights, and including a drawing of an alien in a UFO waving.

:: A report received via the UFO hotline by someone who had been "living with an alien" in Carlisle for some time, and one from a man from Cardiff who claimed a UFO abducted his dog, car and tent while he was camping with friends in 2007.

:: Sightings of UFOs over the Houses of Parliament, Stonehenge and Blackpool Pier.

An apparent UFO seen over Duns, Scottish Borders in 2008

Nick Pope, who previously worked on the MoD's UFO desk, said: "I hope people have as much fun reading these real-life X-Files as I had working on them.

"These documents don't resolve the UFO mystery, but they certainly show how the phenomenon was just as intriguing to the Government as it is to the public.

"These are the real-life X-Files. Most UFO sightings had conventional explanations, but a small percentage remained unexplained.

"These included cases where UFOs were seen by police officers, chased by pilots and tracked on radar.

A letter and drawing from a Manchester schoolgirl sent in 2009

"Whatever you think about UFOs, the release of these files shines a light on one of the most intriguing subjects ever studied by the British Government".

The files include 4,400 pages and cover the work carried out in the final two years of the MoD's UFO desk, from late 2007 until November 2009.

Also contained in the files are briefings about possible reasons for the surge of UFO sighting reports.

The files suggest that it was believed the increase could be partly a result of the craze for releasing Chinese lanterns at weddings and public holidays.

16.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Syria: Rebels Risk Own Lives Over DIY Weapons

By Sam Kiley, Middle East Correspondent, in northern Syria

High explosive powder is shaken into the nose cone of an improvised missile through a funnel fashioned from a mineral water bottle.

Then along comes a man with a long bolt. He shoves it down into the powder and starts whacking it with a steel-headed hammer.

One spark, a drift of cigarette ash, and the detonation of this arms factory would be heard and seen for many, many miles.

We agreed with our hosts, Syrian rebels with no connection to al Qaeda-linked groups, that we would not reveal the location of this installation. The reason was obvious.

For more than two years the rebels fighting Bashar al Assad had been begging the outside world for help.

They had seen how effective a no-fly zone had been in Libya.

Some of the extraordinary weapons being produced

A generous interpretation of a United Nations Security Council Resolution which mandated the use of "all necessary means" to protect Libya's civilian population had meant that Nato and her allies were able to deploy aircraft effectively as the rebel air force.

Surely, given the scale of Mr Assad's assault on his own people, the Syrian fighters reasoned, they would get the same sort of support their Libyan brothers had enjoyed. They were wrong.

The West, led by the US, was heavily focused on getting out of, not into, conflicts in the Islamic world. Namely Iraq and Afghanistan.

And there was no chance that Russia would allow a UN resolution that sanctioned the use of air power against its ally in Damascus.

So no no-fly zone and no weapons shipments - aside from limited supplies from Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

The rebels were forced to improvise, or die. Weapons had to be made if they could not be given, or captured.

This explosive device looked like a cartoon bomb

The factory we saw turned out some extraordinary weapons.

The most primitive was a "cannon" which ejected an explosive charge, made from a length of pipe stuffed with explosive which was detonated by a fuse that had to be lit with a match before being fired. It looked like a cartoon bomb.

A similar, smaller, contraption had been made from an old shotgun. The rebels make their explosive out of fertiliser and sugar.

Mortar barrels and rockets are turned on industrial lathes, using pipes bought from a builders' merchant.

The rocket detonators are hand turned. A worker dropped one last week, and paid for the mistake with his life.

"We have invested a lot of money and effort in trying to get better at this, some of us have been killed working here - one man died last week, and many have lost pieces of themselves," said Abu Yahya, the manager of the factory.

The weapons-makers are self-taught engineers

The US has recently decided to send lethal aid to the rebels - not game-changing equipment such as anti-aircraft weapons or tank-killing missiles - just small arms and rocket-propelled grenades.

These will be welcome - but they are the sort of thing that the rebels make for themselves.

The US is reluctant to send more powerful equipment because of fears that it could find its way into the hands of al Qaeda-affiliated groups which could then use anti-aircraft missiles to shoot down civilian aircraft.

Prime Minister David Cameron supports arming those rebels with no affiliations to al Qaeda - but whether he can sell the idea to Parliament remains in question.

Many British MPs do not believe that their national interests would be served by backing rebels who may turn against Europe.

But there remains another, more subtle, problem.

The arms factory we saw was a hive of innovation and improvisation. The self-taught engineers were making a remote-controlled rocket launcher out of plastic drainage pipes, the working parts of an adjustable TV satellite receiver and an old starter motor.

That level of artisanal arms manufacturing may, one day, pose a threat to the outside world from people who were abandoned by it.

16.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Clashes In Brazil As One Million March

The Brazilian government will hold an emergency meeting later amid spiralling protests over alleged corruption and high prices which have seen one million people take to the streets.

The demonstrations, which have spread to more than 80 cities across the country, look set to continue into a second week, prompting President Dilma Rousseff to assemble her top cabinet members and forcing her to cancel an overseas trip.

In Sao Paulo state, a protester was killed when a driver - apparently enraged about being unable to drive along a street - rammed his car into a crowd of demonstrators.

Riot police in Rio were faced with the largest demonstrations

In Rio de Janeiro, 300,000 people staged a demonstration near City Hall, while in the capital Brasilia, hundreds of protesters tried to storm the foreign ministry building, leaving authorities "frightened", according to local newspaper O Estado de Sao Paulo.

Clashes have also taken place in the Amazon jungle city of Belem, in Porto Alegre in the south, in the university town of Campinas north of Sao Paulo and in the northeastern city of Salvador.

Sky correspondent Jason Farrell, in Rio de Janeiro, said protests there began with a "carnival atmosphere", as demonstrators arrived "draped in flags or with stripes of Brazil's national green, yellow and blue painted onto their faces".

More than 300,000 people joined protests in Rio de Janeiro

However, peaceful protesters were caught up in clashes between rioters and police, who fired tear gas and pepper spray into the crowds.

Law student Wallace Tarenta told Sky News: "I have come here because we need more money for hospitals and teachers and security - not more stadiums for the World Cup."

Protester Jorge Vieira added: "Brazil is a strong country, we have good natural resources and a strong government - but nothing goes to the people."

Riot police in Belem were confronted by stone-throwing demonstrators

The protests in Brazil were sparked by public anger about the rising cost of public transport.

Several city leaders have already revoked planned increases to bus and subway fares.

However, Sky's Jason Farrell said anger has now turned to a perceived lack of investment in public services, as well as the $15 billion cost of hosting next year's football World Cup.

Celebrations in Sao Paulo, where planned fare hikes have been dropped

"On the face of it, Brazil has it all: a growing economy, a World Cup and the 2016 Olympics to look forward to," he said.

"But protesters say a corrupt government is damaging the lives of working people while squandering money on showcase stadiums.

"With riots breaking out in cities across the country, the world is now watching Brazil and wondering how it will cope with the pressures of hosting two of the world's biggest sporting events."

16.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

TWA Crash: 'New Evidence' Of Missile Strike

By Sky News US Team, in New York

Calls have been made for a new inquiry into the 1996 crash of a TWA jet off the coast of New York amid fresh claims that a missile was involved.

TWA Flight 800 came down just minutes after taking off from JFK airport, killing all 230 people on board.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) concluded that a centre fuel tank explosion, sparked by faulty wiring, was to blame.

However, former investigators now say that new evidence points to the often-discounted theory that a missile had been fired at the aircraft, which was destined for Paris.

The investigators raise doubts about the NTSB's findings in a documentary out next month to coincide with the 17th anniversary of the crash.

Re-assembled sections of the jumbo set sit in a hangar

In a petition seeking to reopen the probe, they say they have "reviewed the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) radar evidence along with new evidence not available to the NTSB during the official investigation".

Those calling for a review of the investigation include former NTSB accident investigator Hank Hughes and Bob Young, a former senior accident investigator for the now-defunct airline.

Tom Stalcup, a physicist and co-founder of a group called Flight 800 Independent Researchers Organisation, also questions the NTSB's original findings and is featured prominently in the documentary.

The NTSB said it was aware of the documentary.

Investigators pull wreckage from the flight to shore

Agency spokeswoman Kelly Nantel said: "All petitions for reconsideration are thoroughly reviewed, and a determination is usually made within about 60 days."

She added: "While the NTSB rarely re-investigates issues that have already been examined, our investigations are never closed and we can review any new information not previously considered by the board."

Ms Nantel noted the TWA Flight 800 investigation lasted four years.

"Investigators took great care reviewing, documenting and analysing facts and data and held a five-day hearing to gather additional facts before determining the probable cause of the accident during a two-day board meeting," she said.

A memorial to the victims of TWA Flight 800 was unveiled in 2006

The former investigators calling for a new probe contend that the testimony of more than 200 witnesses who reported seeing streaks of light headed toward the plane should be reconsidered.

The NTSB said after the first investigation that it found no evidence of a missile strike.

It explained that what witnesses saw was probably the jet pitching upward in the first few moments after the explosion, but some witnesses still maintain that the streak of light they saw came from the waterline.

John Seaman, the leader of an organisation of TWA 800 victims' families, said there have been several attempts over the years to reopen the investigation.

"Unless something was to develop that would be very clear and compelling, then a lot of these interested parties are not really helpful," said Mr Seaman, whose niece died on the flight.

"They reopen wounds," he said of the petitioners. "Personally I can't keep going over it again and again. I think most families feel that way."

16.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Sopranos Star James Gandolfini Dies Aged 51

James Gandolfini has died of a suspected heart attack while on holiday in Italy at the age of 51.

The star was best known for his Emmy-winning portrayal of New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano in television series The Sopranos.

He died on Wednesday in Rome, and had been due to appear at a film festival in Sicily at the weekend.

No cause of death has been given, but unconfirmed reports suggested a heart attack or stroke.

Sopranos creator David Chase said Gandolfini was one of the greatest actors of all time.

A photograph of Gandolfini is displayed in a restaurant window in New York

"He was a genius. Anyone who saw him even in the smallest of his performances knows that.

"He is one of the greatest actors of this or any time. A great deal of genius resided in those sad eyes."

Gandolfini married former model Deborah Lin in 2008, and their daughter was born last year. He also has a son from a previous relationship.

Many fans have flocked to the diner featured in the final scene of The Sopranos to pay their respects.

TV network HBO, which was behind the hit series, described him as a "special man" and a "great talent".

The Sopranos cast accept an Emmy at the 2007 awards

"We're all in shock and feeling immeasurable sadness at the loss of a beloved member of our family," a statement said.

"He was a special man, a great talent, but more importantly a gentle and loving person who treated everyone - no matter their title or position - with equal respect."

Since The Sopranos ended in 2007, Gandolfini has appeared in a number of big-screen roles, including thriller Zero Dark Thirty and the comedy The Incredible Burt Wonderstone.

Gandolfini also shared a Broadway stage in 2009 with Jeff Daniels, Hope Davis and Marcia Gay Harden in a celebrated production of God Of Carnage, where he earned a Tony Award nomination for best actor. He also was in On The Waterfront with David Morse.

At the time of his death, he had been working on a new HBO series titled Criminal Justice.

"It is with immense sorrow that we report our client James Gandolfini passed away today while on holiday in Rome, Italy," his managers said in a statement.

"Our hearts are shattered and we will miss him deeply. He and his family were part of our family for many years and we are all grieving."

In a December 2012 interview, Gandolfini said he gravitated to acting as a release to get rid of anger.

"I don't know what exactly I was angry about," he said. "I try to avoid certain things and certain kinds of violence at this point.

"I'm getting older, too. I don't want to be beating people up as much. I don't want to be beating women up and those kinds of things that much any more."

16.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Poor Children Are Being 'Failed By Schools'

Disadvantaged children are being failed by the education system, according to the chief inspector of schools.

In a speech later - which will be broadcast live on Sky News - Sir Michael Wilshaw will warn there is an "invisible minority" of disadvantaged children living in "leafy suburbs, market towns or seaside resorts" who are being let down by their schools.

He believes an army of top teachers employed by the Government is necessary, used to target schools that are failing.

"The quality of education is the most important issue facing Britain today," he will say.

Sir Michael Wilshaw says some schools are "coasting"

"In the long term, our success as a nation - our prosperity, our security, our society - depends on how well we raise and educate our young people across the social spectrum."

Sir Michael was once head of Mossbourne Academy, Hackney, a failing school which under his direction has become one where places are sought after.

He said: "Nothing is predictable or predestined about poverty leading to failure - I've always believed that. Poor children can do well."

The head now is Peter Hughes. He said: "Mossbourne has shown the rest of Hackney what can be achieved. People now believe it is possible. People come and see how we've done it and that's having a ripple effect."

In the last 20 to 30 years, standards in schools in major cities such as London, Birmingham, Greater Manchester, Liverpool and Leicester have been transformed, and problems of under-achievement have shifted to deprived coastal towns and rural areas of the country, especially in the East and South East of England, Sir Michael will argue.

There are also a significant number of poorer children in reasonably rich areas such as Kettering, Wokingham, Norwich and Newbury, who are being failed by their schools.

"Today, many of the disadvantaged children performing least well in school can be found in leafy suburbs, market towns or seaside resorts," he is expected to say.

"Often they are spread thinly, as an 'invisible minority' across areas that are relatively affluent.

"These poor, unseen children can be found in mediocre schools the length and breadth of our country. They are labelled, buried in lower sets, consigned as often as not to indifferent teaching. They coast through education until - at the earliest opportunity - they sever their ties with it."

Sir Michael will urge the consideration of a "National Teaching Service", with teachers employed directly by the government who can be sent to struggling schools.

:: Watch Sir Michael Wilshaw's speech live at 10am on Sky News - satellite channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602 and freeview Channel 82.

16.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bankers Should Face Jail Terms, Report Says

By Mark Kleinman, City Editor

A new criminal offence punishing bankers for "reckless misconduct" while running their institutions is the centrepiece of proposals unveiled by a group of MPs and peers aimed at reforming the industry.

The Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards (PCBS), which was set up after last summer's Libor-manipulation scandal led to Barclays being fined £290m, said in its final report that all areas of British banking required urgent change.

Citing "a profound loss of trust born of profound lapses in banking standards", the commission said a string of measures were needed to repair the industry's reputation.

In its 553-page report called Changing Banking For Good, the PCBS argued that individual accountability among senior bankers was lamentable, that industry pay schemes required a radical overhaul, and that executives should face a new sanctions regime that would dish out appropriate penalties, replacing a system that "looked good but achieved little".

It also said, as expected, that the Treasury's strategy for managing its 82% stake in Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) was not working adequately and that options, including analysis of a break-up of the bank, should be conducted in the coming months.

The commission's hard-hitting recommendations underline the scale of public anger that so few British bank executives have faced punishment over the crisis that led to hundreds of billions of pounds of public money being put at risk to rescue them.

Only a small handful of senior bankers have been sanctioned by regulators for their roles prior to the bailouts of 2007 and 2008, while relatively few have been hit in the pocket despite mis-selling scandals such as the one involving payment protection insurance.

Andrew Tyrie, the Conservative MP who chaired the commission, said that senior bankers had hidden "behind an accountability firewall" but warned that governments and regulators had also been culpable for the decline in standards.

Among the concrete measures recommended by the PCBS are:

:: The introduction of a new criminal offence for reckless misconduct that would carry a custodial sentence.

:: Bankers' pay should be deferred for up to 10 years and should be more closely aligned to the safety and soundness of a firm.

:: Regulators should gain powers to cancel the pay and pensions of executives at banks which require taxpayer support.

:: UK Financial Investments, the body responsible for managing taxpayers' stakes in Lloyds and RBS, should be scrapped.

:: New senior persons and licensing regimes to ensure that regulators can take tougher action against bankers whose actions damage their employer's reputation or finances.

:: Reforms aimed at bolstering competition in retail banking, including, as Sky News revealed this month, a review of the costs and benefits of full current account portability.

Parts of the banking industry, whose main lobbying group the British Bankers' Association refused to respond on camera to the report, are expected to argue that some of the proposed reforms would undermine the City's international competitiveness.

Measures to defer pay for up to a decade would go further than any other major banking centre, but the PCBS argued that it was essential to do so if the industry's culture was to be genuinely reformed.

"The scale of remuneration in banking, the way it has been set and the form in which it has been paid have all incentivised misconduct and excessive risk-taking. The rewards for fleeting, often illusory, success have been huge, while the penalties for failure have been much smaller, or non-existent," it said.

"Many bankers were on to a one-way bet. Unlike unlimited liability partnerships, they had little or no skin in the game."

The Government is expected to consult on the PCBS recommendations that would require legislative change.

In a statement, the Treasury welcomed the commission's report, saying there were "many recommendations in it which will help the government's plan to create a stronger and safer banking system".

"The Government publicly welcomes the commission's recommendations on increased personal responsibility especially at a senior level, increased professional judgement by regulators and better functioning markets.

"We will now get on with a swift response and will report before the summer recess."

In his annual Mansion House speech on Wednesday night, George Osborne is likely to back the commission's call for a review of the options for the Government's stake in RBS, according to Treasury aides.

Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, also welcomed the report, backing calls for banks to relinquish ownership of the payments system and for a new approvals regime for bank staff.

16.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

NHS Watchdog In 'Hospital Scandal Cover-Up'

Senior officials at an NHS watchdog have been accused of a cover-up after destroying their own report into a hospital maternity unit at the centre of a care scandal.

An independent investigation has found the Care Quality Commission failed to properly inspect University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust, where the deaths of up to 16 babies are being investigated by the police.

Concerns were first raised in 2008, but in 2010 the CQC gave the trust, which serves 365,000 people in South Cumbria and North Lancashire, a clean bill of health.

Wednesday's report suggests that CQC bosses were so concerned about protecting the watchdog's reputation that they ordered an internal review to be deleted because it showed that their original inspection was flawed.

The new report details one official saying that he was told by a senior manager in March last year to destroy his review because it would expose the regulator to public criticism.

Furness General Hospital in Cumbria

It says: "He informed us that he was instructed by a member of senior management at CQC to 'delete' the report of his findings.

"We think that the information contained in the report was sufficiently important that the deliberate failure to provide it could properly be characterised as a 'cover-up'."

James Titcombe, whose baby son Joshua died aged just nine days old in Furness General Hospital in 2008 after staff failed to spot and treat an infection, described the report as "shocking".

"It embodies everything that is wrong with the culture in the NHS. It's something that's been rotten really about the system," he said.

Westmorland General Hospital, where Morecambe Bay NHS Trust is based

"We need it to change. We need that culture to change. Patient safety should be the number one priority, and organisations that work within regulation need to be aligned with that principle."

Responding to the report's findings, the regulator said: "We let people down, and we apologise for that.

"This report reveals just how poor the Care Quality Commission's (CQC) oversight of University Hospitals Morecambe Bay (UHMB) was in 2010.

"This is not the way things should have happened. It is not the way things will happen in the future. We will use the report to inform the changes we are making to improve the way we work and the way we are run."

It insisted there was "no evidence of a systematic cover-up" and promised "more thorough inspections".

CQC chairman David Prior said: "The publication draws a line in the sand for us. What happened in the past was wholly unacceptable.

"The report confirms our view that at a senior level the organisation was dysfunctional. The board and the senior executive team have been radically changed."

Shadow health minister Jamie Reed said: "First, we need to know who took the decision to delete this report, who else was party to the decision and what the justification was for so doing.

"Second, urgent clarity is needed on whether the CQC had any contact with the Department of Health about this matter and if so, what was the nature of that contact."

The CQC, which faces at least 30 civil negligence claims, is to be subject to a public inquiry.

16.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Jill Meagher Killer Sentenced To Life In Prison

By Jonathan Samuels, Australia Correspondent

A man has been jailed for life for the murder of Irishwoman Jill Meagher in Melbourne, Australia.

Adrian Ernest Bayley, who had pleaded guilty to raping and murdering the 29-year-old on September 22 last year, was told he will not be able to apply for parole for at least 35 years.

The 41-year-old was sentenced to life imprisonment for the killing, plus 15 years for the rape.

Victorian Supreme Court Justice Geoffrey Nettle told Bayley: "The nature and gravity of your offending and its antecedence ensure that nothing but life imprisonment will suffice.

Jill Meagher's father praised police and prosecutors after the trial.

"It was a savage, violent rape of the worst kind. Your killing of the deceased ranks among the worst kind conceivable.

"I am satisfied beyond reasonable doubt you pose a risk to the sexual safety of the community."

Justice Nettle said Bayley would not have received a minimum term if he had not pleaded guilty.

Ms Meagher was attacked as she walked back to her flat after having drinks with colleagues from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Bayley dragged her into an alleyway before raping and murdering her.

A woman held a sign as Bayley's prison van was driven away from court

The serial sex offender was on parole at the time after serving eight years in prison for raping five women previously.

He was also on bail, after causing serious injury to a man outside a nightclub.

Ms Meagher's heartbroken family, including husband Tom, brother Michael and mother Edith McKeon, were in court to hear the sentence.

Her father, George McKeon, made an emotional statement afterwards, saying: "Jill was brutally raped and murdered, and is never coming back.

Jill Meagher on her wedding day

"Because of Ben Leonard and the team at Victoria Police and Richard Lewis and his colleagues at Public Prosecutions Victoria, justice has now been done."

The court heard Ms Meagher, in all probability, had the greatest and best of her life ahead of her, before she was stolen from her husband and parents by Bayley.

Her husband had been robbed of the love and companionship of his life partner, Justice Nettle said.

"You were determined to have your way with her and so you overpowered her and raped her where she stood," the judge said.

"You are a recidivist violent sexual offender who has had little compunction about sexually offending when the mood takes you.

A memorial service was held for Mrs Meagher last year after her murder

"You dragged her off the street at night while she was quietly going about her business a stone's throw from her home. The rape was savage and degrading."

At a previous hearing the court heard Tom Meagher's victim impact statement where he said he was haunted by visions of what happened to her.

He said his future had been taken away and replaced with a life of fear, insomnia and anger.

"What was stolen from me on the 22nd of September 2012 was love, my best friend and my entire world," Mr Meagher said in his statement.

"I think of the waste of a brilliant mind and a beautiful soul. I am half a person because of this crime."

At the same hearing Ms Meagher's brother, Michael McKeon, said there were no adequate words to describe the impact of the loss of his sister.

Serial rapist Bayley had led police to the site where he buried Mrs Meagher

"I am in dreadful pain, I must carry on with living a full life, yet I will never forget my sister," he said in a statement read to the court.

The couple had moved to Australia in 2009 after getting married and set up life in Melbourne.

Six days after the attack Bayley led police to her body, buried in a shallow grave on the outskirts of the city.

Her murder struck a chord in Melbourne with 30,000 people marching through the city to remember Jill and also highlight wider concerns about violence against women.

16.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

G8 Summit: Syria Dominates Lough Erne Talks

David Cameron and Barack Obama hope to increase the pressure on Russia at the G8 summit over its continued support of Bashar Assad's regime in Syria.

A late-night showdown saw Western nations struggling to hide their differences with Russian president Vladimir Putin over an issue that threatens to overshadow the gathering of leaders in Northern Ireland.

Downing Street welcomed a "very positive" response from Mr Putin at the summit dinner, reviving hopes for a peace conference to pave the way for a political transition in the war-torn Middle Eastern state.

Differences persist between the US and Russia over Syria

While British officials also said the other seven G8 nations could go as far as issuing their own end-of-conference statement on Syria without Russia, there were signals that Mr Putin was ready to sign up.

The Russian president and his US counterpart met for an hour of talks at Enniskillen's Lough Erne golf resort and in a grim-faced news conference afterwards said they had agreed to push all the parties in the conflict to attend a Geneva conference.

"Of course our opinions do not converge, but all of us have the intention to stop the violence in Syria and stop the growth in the number of victims," said Mr Putin, who has been dismissive of White House plans to begin arming selected rebel groups in Syria.

He said he and the US president agreed that the vicious civil war must end "peacefully" and through peace talks.

"We agreed to push the parties to the negotiating table."

Mr Obama simply acknowledged that they had "different perspectives" on Syria.

While nobody at the summit was in any doubt about the continuing differences between Moscow and the West, sources suggested Mr Putin was ready to sign up to five key principles discussed at last night's dinner.

Poles apart? David Cameron meets Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G8

The five points include support for a transitional authority that will command the support of all Syria's communities - effectively ruling out a place for Mr Assad.

Mr Cameron described last night's discussions on Syria as "encouraging".

But British Chancellor George Osborne told Sky News that divisions remained between Russia and other nations.

"There was the discussion on Syria and no-one's going to pretend that everyone saw eye-to-eye," he said.

Free Syrian Army fighters fire a rocket at Assad forces in Aleppo

"Everyone knows that Russia's got a different position. The Prime Minister told me that at the end of the dinner there was a clear commitment around the table to push for a political solution to this humanitarian tragedy."

The annual gathering of world leaders comes days after Mr Obama suggested the US may send weapons to opposition forces.

Mr Putin has warned that weapons could end up in the hands of extremists opposed to European values, who "eat the organs" of their enemies. He has also said he is ready to supply Mr Assad with anti-aircraft missiles.

Mr Cameron also hopes to secure agreement today on action to block the payment of ransoms to terrorist kidnappers, as well as an international initiative to tackle tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance by sharing information between tax authorities.

But campaigners raised concerns that any agreement on tax information-sharing may be confined only to the rich world, leaving out the developing countries which miss out on billions in tax revenues because of individuals and companies secreting their wealth in offshore bolt-holes.

16.09 | 0 komentar | Read More