Category: news

The parliamentary aide says she feels sure she will successfully fight her deportation case

Russia’s top diplomat in the UK has suggested British officials might have “orchestrated” stories about the arrest of an MP’s aide for allegedly spying for Moscow to whip up ill-feeling.

Alexander Sternik, charge d’affaires at the Russian embassy in London, said reports were a “PR stunt” to undermine improving Russian-British relations.

The arrest of Katia Zatuliveter, 25, a Russian working for MP Mike Hancock, was first revealed in the Sunday Times.

Miss Zatuliveter denies she is a spy.

She has said she will fight her deportation and feels sure she will win.

Mr Sternik, temporary head of Russia’s mission in London until a new ambassador arrives from Moscow early next year, said he strongly hoped the media reports were a “spontaneous, sporadic and not orchestrated campaign against Russia”.

But he said: “It is very conspicuous that as soon as the green shoots show through the rubble in the Russian-British relationship, these sorts of scandals break out. That’s a fact of life.”

Mr Sternik said “spy scare” stories appeared periodically in the British media and were usually a “PR stunt to make sure that the attention is not focused where it should be”.

“These problems are many over the last couple of months. You can cite, for example, the very unflattering leaks from the WikiLeaks site, the unsuccessful [World Cup] bid in Zurich or some other stories,” he said.

Mr Sternik said he was also “disappointed” with the Foreign Office’s failure to alert the embassy about Miss Zatuliveter’s arrest.

“We have a bilateral consular convention which specifically prescribes the sides to immediately notify each other should arrest or detention of their citizens take place,” he said.

Mr Sternik said the Foreign Office had eventually told the embassy that Miss Zatuliveter had been detained under immigration legislation, but “it had not received, although we insisted on this, any clarification as to the motives and the reasons that this detention was made”.

Lib Dem MP Mike Hancock has backed Miss Zatuliveter

Russian consular officials had still not been allowed access to Miss Zatuliveter, he added.

Asked if Miss Zatuliveter had done anything that could be construed as spying, Mr Sternik said: “What we know is she is a legal resident in the UK with a valid visa.

“She received at some point a new passport in our consular section and I think this sums up all the formal relationship between the Russian embassy and this person.”

British officials have indicated that to meet a deportation order, the case against the Russian researcher does not have to be “beyond reasonable doubt”.

The Home Office has not confirmed whether there are plans to deport her.

Miss Zatuliveter was taken into custody on Thursday, reportedly on the orders of MI5, because her presence was alleged to be not “conducive to national security”.

She had been interviewed by police on several occasions since the summer.

The researcher started working for Mr Hancock in 2008 and had previously been an intern at the House of Commons.

She is alleged to be the first Russian spy caught in Parliament since the Cold War.

Miss Zatuliveter vowed to fight her deportation case in an e-mail sent to the BBC Russian Service from the immigration centre where she is being held.

Mr Hancock, who sits on the House of Commons Defence Select Committee, has backed Miss Zatuliveter, saying she was not involved in any sensitive work.

He said he had “no reason to believe she did anything but act honourably during the time she was working for me”.

Foreign Secretary William Hague has said the government was “vigilant” about the risk of foreign spies in Whitehall.

The latest allegations come after 10 Russian agents, including Anna Chapman, who had dual Russian-UK citizenship, were expelled from the US in July.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

More than 150 lots will be auctioned in the February sale

Rock star Eric Clapton is to sell off part of his extensive guitar collection to raise money for his rehab clinic.

Highlights of the sale will include a guitar the musician played at the Cream reunion shows in 2005, estimated to sell for more than £13,000.

More than 150 lots will be auctioned in the New York sale next year.

Money raised will go towards the Crossroads Centre in Antigua, which Clapton founded in 1998 to help treat drug and alcohol addiction.

The sale will also feature a vast collection of amps and speakers – including a pair of Marshall speaker cabinets, used during the 1970s when the star was performing with Derek And The Dominos, which is expected to fetch more than £5,000.

Guitars donated by Jeff Beck, JJ Cale and Joe Bonamassa will also go under the hammer.

Stephanie Connell, head of entertainment memorabilia at Bonhams, said: “We are delighted to be offering such a fantastic collection of guitars and amps from such an iconic musician and hope the auction will raise a lot of money for this worthwhile cause.”

Clapton has previously held auctions in 1999 and 2004.

In the latter sale, Clapton’s treasured Fender Stratocaster called Blackie fetched a record $959,500 (£607,500) at auction.

Items will go on display at Bonhams in London from 23-26 January before the sale on 9 February.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

What are the Wikileaks ‘revenge’ attacks?

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Jamie’s 30-Minute Meals was made into a television series for Channel 4

Jamie Oliver’s latest cookbook has become the fastest selling non-fiction title of all time.

Jamie’s 30-Minute Meals has sold 735,000 copies in 10 weeks, beating the previous record held by comedian Peter Kay’s memoir, The Sound of Laughter.

In the past week, its sales were more than twice that of its nearest rival, Guinness World Records.

Delia Smith’s How To Cook (Book 1) is the bestselling cookbook of all time, with more than a million copies sold.

Jamie’s 30-Minute Meals, which contains recipes for 50 quick three-course dinners, was made into a television series for Channel 4.

The past week has been the biggest for sales so far, with 110,000 copies bought.

Tom Tivnan, features editor of The Bookseller magazine, said: “It really is quite phenomenal to have sales like that when the TV series is finished and the book has been out a few weeks.

“I am pretty sure it will go on to be the biggest selling cookbook ever.”

According to official figures compiled by The Bookseller, the second placed title, Guinness World Records, sold just 50,444 copies in the past seven days.

In third place in the overall chart was The Simples Life, by The Meerkat, with sales of 37,640.

Mr Tivnan said cookbook sales as a whole had flattened off in recent years, but there was certainly “much more of a foodie interest” in Britain now than a decade ago.

“There are really four or five cookbook writers who dominate the market and they’re the ones we know by their first name – Jamie, Delia, Gordon, Nigella,” he told the BBC.

“But I think accessibility is really the key to Jamie’s success. He almost single-handedly introduced the idea that you could have great meals without spending hours and hours cooking.

“I also think he’s really matured. He’s become a national treasure rather than the ‘pukka punk’ he used to be.”

Although its list price is £26, many shops are offering discounts of up to 50%.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

A judge criticises Nottinghamshire police after a senior officer was initially only cautioned for speeding.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Hanson has said there are no health risks at the plant

Investigations into health concerns over a Flintshire cement plant have found that new diagnoses of cancer are “significantly higher” than the national average in one area nearby.

Public Health Wales identified higher new cancer rates in the area comprising Caergwrle, Hope and Llanfynydd.

In six other areas examined, the number of new cancer cases “was similar to or better than Wales as a whole”.

Hanson said it was a step towards showing people had “nothing to fear”.

Health Minister Edwina Hart ordered Public Health Wales (PHW) to investigate earlier this year after some residents claimed there was an “increase in the cases of various cancers” in the areas surrounding the company’s plant.

PHW held drop-in sessions to invite comments and concerns.

Although the investigation is still ongoing, PHW, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, the Health Protection Agency, Environment Agency Wales, the Food Standards Agency and Flintshire County Council reported on the views of local people on Thursday.

They also presented a draft report, describing the health of people in the area compared with other parts of Wales.

Although it does not examine cause and effect, the report examined 21 indicators of health in each of seven defined locations.

Of those indicators, 20 were found to be similar to or better than Wales as a whole in all seven areas.

One indicator – people with a new diagnosis of cancer – was similar to or better than Wales as a whole in six of the seven areas.

However, in one of the seven areas – Hope, Caergwrle and Llanfynydd – the figure for new diagnoses of cancer is “significantly higher than Wales as a whole”.

According to PHW: “There are 13 other locations in north Wales, not near to the cement works, where similar rates can be found.”

Dr Roland Salmon, a consultant epidemiologist with Public Health Wales, who presented the report, said: “Factors contributing to health are complex. Effects such as deprivation are known to make an impact.”

He added: “Our investigations are not at a stage where we can make conclusions about the causes of cancer.

“There are many types of cancer and each of them is associated with different causes. More detailed work on cancer is already being undertaken.”

A Hanson spokesman said: “This is just another step in the process of reassuring people living around the site that they have nothing to fear from our operations.

“Hanson has been impressed by the thorough and even-handed way Public Health Wales has carried out its review but we would like now to see a speedy resolution, so as not to cause unnecessary anxiety among local people.”

Representatives of 107 community groups were invited to attend six focus groups during the investigation.

Two public drop-in sessions were held and PHW staff approached people with questions in seven ‘walkabouts’.

The investigation team also distributed 19,600 newsletters

PHW said 175 people gave their views. Of the 104 people approached directly in walkabouts, 34 declined to respond.

Andrew Jones, executive director of public health for Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, and chair of the investigation, said: “There are a significant number of people who have chosen not to tell us what they think.

“There is evidence that some people do not have concerns about Hanson Cement. Of those who do have concerns, the most common are health especially cancer and respiratory disease.”

Most complaints came from places closest to the site, with noise being the main problem for people living in the direction of Padeswood.

Complaints about dust were more widespread but came mainly from the area towards Penyffordd.

Dr Judy Hart, a consultant in communicable disease control with Public Health Wales, will present a description of complaints about Hanson Cement to the company, Environment Agency Wales and Flintshire County Council.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

The Tommy Sheridan perjury trial is told the former MSP did not admit to colleagues to visiting a sex club.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

The number of children entering the social services system at Denbighshire increases by 58% in recent years.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

A school pupil who faces deportation after he turns 18 this month says he is not giving up hope of being allowed to stay.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

The UN Security Council, after days of deliberation, issues a statement saying Ivory Coast opposition candidate Alassane Ouattara won the disputed presidential election.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

The head of the BBC believed a “miserable, second-rate American woman” was behind the abdication of Edward VIII, archive documents reveal.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Ch Supt Chris McKeogh said local communities had been consulted

Sensors used in the US to detect gunshots being discharged have been installed in areas of Birmingham with a high number of firearms incidents.

It is the first time the Shotspotter Gunshot Location System – which can pick up gunshots within a 25m (82ft) radius – has been deployed in the UK.

West Midlands Police said the sensors had been placed high up on buildings in north-west areas of the city.

The £150,000 system records an audio clip and sends police a GPS location.

A police officer trained to listen to the clips then makes a judgement on what they have heard before deploying officers.

The system, funded by the Home Office through Birmingham Safer Partnerships, has an 85% accuracy rate, Ch Supt Chris McKeogh said.

It can tell if multiple shots were fired, or if they were fired from a stationary or moving location, the number of weapons used and in which order they were fired, according to the manufacturers.

The system has been introduced in more than 50 US cities since 1995.

“The sound waves a bullet produces has a particular signature, if you like, and that should be recognisable to our force control room officers that have been trained up to listen,” Mr McKeogh said.

“Shots, or a shot, being fired outside have the best chance (of being detected).

“Inside, or with a silencer, the ability is not so good, understandably.”

The system, called Project Safe and Sound, will be active from Thursday. It is being used in the West and Central local policing unit, which covers areas including Handsworth and Aston.

Figures show the unit has the highest rate of gun crime in the force area.

A police report said this justified the use of the system, which it said was not targeting people in black and Asian communities.

Overall, the number of firearm incidents recorded in Birmingham has gone down since 2007/8.

The sensors have been placed on buildings owned by the council, some schools and private businesses.

Police will not elaborate on exactly where they are or what they look like.

Because the sensors record decibels and not voices, there is no surveillance issue, the force has said.

Mr McKeogh said members of the neighbourhoods concerned had been consulted since the inception of the project some 18 months ago after West Midlands officers saw the system at work in the US.

Last month the force agreed to remove so-called spy cameras installed in parts of Birmingham with large Muslim populations after being criticised for not properly consulting residents.

Raj Rattu, a member of Handsworth residents’ group and part of the force’s Trust and Confidence group, said he was reassured by the approach the force had adopted for the gunshot sensors project.

He said 400 residents attended one meeting, where “mixed views” were expressed.

“Some are for it, some are against it, and we understand police are caught in a dilemma.

“We want guns off our streets and gun crime is falling, but we are reassuring residents that the areas are safe and we’re working with the police.”

The project will be reviewed after six months and again after a year.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Inspector Greg Bates of West Midlands Police explains how the “Shotspotter” network locates where sounds, including gunshots, have come from.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has been arrested by UK police

Internet hacktivists have fired the latest salvo in the Wikileaks infowar.

A group called Anonymous has hit sites that have refused to do business with the controversial whistle-blowing site with a series of distributed denial-of-service attacks.

It mirrors similar attacks aimed at the Wikileaks site.

Targets include the Swiss bank that froze founder Julian Assange’s assets and PayPal which has stopped processing donations to Wikileaks.

Anonymous is a loose-knit group of hacktivists, with links to the notorious message board 4chan.

A member of Anonymous who calls himself Coldblood told the BBC that “multiple things are being done”.

“Websites that are bowing down to government pressure have become targets,” he said.

“As an organisation we have always taken a strong stance on censorship and freedom of expression on the internet and come out against those who seek to destroy it by any means.”

“We feel that Wikileaks has become more than just about leaking of documents, it has become a war ground, the people vs. the government,” he said.

So far the denial-of-service attacks (DDoS), which swamp a site with so many requests that it becomes overwhelmed, have failed to take any sites offline although that is not the point of the attack, according to Coldblood.

“The idea is not to wipe them off but to give the companies a wake-up call,” he said. “Companies will notice the increase in traffic and an increase in traffic means increase in costs associated with running a website.”

DDoS attacks are illegal in many countries, including the UK.

Coldblood admitted that such attacks “may hurt people trying to get to these sites” but said it was “the only effective way to tell these companies that us, the people, are displeased”.

Anonymous is also helping to create hundreds of mirror sites for Wikileaks, after its US domain name provider withdrew its services.

“At the last count there were 507 mirrors of Wikileaks,” said Coldblood.

Ending contracts

Wikileaks has been hit by a series of denial-of-service attacks, following the release of a quarter of a million US embassy cables.

It is unclear who is behind the attacks but it seems that Wikileaks is getting too hot to handle as many of the businesses that work with the site, distance themselves from it.

On 3 December, domain name provider EveryDNS cut off service, citing the denial-of-service attacks as the reason.

Amazon also ended an agreement to host the site, saying Wikileaks failed to adhere to its terms of service.

It said that Wikileaks was unable to ensure that it “wasn’t putting innocent people in jeopardy” by leaking classified documents.

Online payment company, PayPal, has permanently restricted Wikileaks’ account, making it harder for supporters to make donations.

MasterCard Worldwide is also choking payments to the site.

The Swiss bank, PostFinance has closed the account of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.

In all cases, the companies have insisted their decisions are not politically motivated.

PayPal said Wikileaks’ account had violated its terms of services.

PostFinance, meanwhile, claimed Assange had provided false information when opening his account.

BitTorrent file

But some have taken a different view.

French internet service provider OVH said it had no plans to end the service it provides to Wikileaks.

“OVH is neither for nor against this site. We neither asked to host this site nor not to host it. Now it’s with us, we will fulfil the contract,” said OVH managing director Octave Klaba.

“It’s neither for the political world nor for OVH to call for or to decide on a site’s closure,” he added.

French industry minister Eric Besson had called for the site to be shut down, saying France could not host internet sites that “violate the confidentiality of diplomatic relations and put in danger people protected by diplomatic secrecy”.

But on 6 December, a French judge declined to force OVH to shut Wikileaks down, saying the case needed further argument.

Wikileaks has amassed some high-profile enemies including Senator Joe Lieberman, who chairs the US Homeland Security Committee.

He has urged the US government to “use all legal means necessary to shut down Wikileaks before it can do more damage by releasing additional cables”.

Dr Joss Wright, a research fellow at the Oxford Internet Institute thinks it could be too late to legislate Wikileaks offline.

“Wikileaks has released an encrypted file containing all of the embassy cables,” says Dr Wright. “The information is already out there.”

Dozens of copies of that encrypted file have been shared using peer-to-peer networks, such as BitTorrent. “Once the information is there, it’s virtually impossible to stop people sharing it,” said Dr Wright.

Founder of Wikileaks Julian Assange has been arrested and is due to appear at City of Westminster Magistrates’ Court later.

He is accused by the Swedish authorities of sexual assault.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Ronni Chasen was shot and killed last month while in her car in Hollywood

The gun a man used to commit suicide as police tried to talk to him about the murder of Hollywood publicist Ronni Chasen appears to have been the one used in her killing, police have said.

Harold Martin Smith shot and killed himself when Los Angeles police went to interview him at a hotel last week.

Ms Chasen was shot in the chest multiple times while driving her car in Beverly Hills last month.

Smith was described by police as a “person of interest” in the inquiry.

Police approached Smith after being tipped off by a viewer of the US television show America’s Most Wanted.

Ms Chasen, 64, had just attended the premiere of the Cher movie Burlesque, which she had been promoting.

The attack shocked Hollywood, where Ms Chasen was a revered figure. She promoted the Oscar-winning film “Driving Miss Daisy” and other major movies and stars since the 1970s.

Smith had been convicted twice of burglary and was most recently released in 2007 following a sentence for robbery.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.