Category: news

Downing Street communications chief Andy Coulson has told the Metropolitan Police he is happy to meet them voluntarily about phone-hacking claims.

Former News of the World reporter Sean Hoare has alleged former editor Mr Coulson asked him to hack into phones, a claim Mr Coulson denies.

The Met said new material had emerged that would be considered by officers.

Shadow Home Secretary Alan Johnson has requested an urgent question in the House of Commons over the issue.

A spokesman for Mr Coulson said: “Andy Coulson has today told the Metropolitan Police that he is happy to voluntarily meet them following allegations made by Sean Hoare.

“Mr Coulson emphatically denies these allegations. He has, however, offered to talk to officers if the need arises and would welcome the opportunity to give his view on Mr Hoare’s claims.”

The News of the World’s royal editor, Clive Goodman, was jailed for conspiracy to access phone messages in 2007, along with private investigator Glenn Mulcaire, but the paper insists it was an isolated case.

While critical of the conduct of the News of the World’s journalists, the House of Commons Culture and Media Committee found no evidence that Mr Coulson either approved phone-hacking by his paper, or was aware it was taking place.

In 2009, the Metropolitan Police chose not to launch an investigation following the Guardian’s claims that News of the World journalists were involved in widespread phone hacking of several thousand celebrities, sports stars and politicians.

Mr Coulson came under fresh pressure last week after former journalists told the New York Times that the practice of phone hacking was far more extensive than the newspaper acknowledged at the time.

In light of the new information, Met Police Assistant Commissioner John Yates told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We’ve always said that if any new material or new evidence was produced then we would consider it.

“We’ve heard what Mr Hoare’s had to say, we’ve been in touch with the New York Times for many months prior to the publication of the article, seeking any new material or new evidence that they had. They didn’t produce any until they published this with Mr Hoare.

“It is new and we’ll be considering it, and consulting with the Crown Prosecution Service before we do.”

Mr Johnson will try to ask Home Secretary Theresa May in the Commons to explain what she intended to do in light of accusations that current members of the House may have had their phones tapped.

On Sunday she said there were no grounds for a public inquiry.

Mr Johnson said he wanted to know whether the practice was widespread at the News of the World, and whether every victim had been properly informed that they might have been hacked.

“I feel that as the home secretary last year, I was meticulous about not getting into the political ramifications of this given Andy Coulson’s position with the then leader of the opposition, and that this should be based on evidence that came forward,” he said.

“There’s a whole host of evidence now that needs to be investigated and so I feel that is a job that needs to be completed. I’ll be asking the current home secretary about that.”

The Speaker has granted an urgent question from MP Tom Watson, which the home secretary will respond to.

Culture committee chairman John Whittingdale told the BBC he was against MPs reopening their inquiry into the claims.

He said the committee’s previous investigation was as detailed as it could be at the time and it stood by its conclusions.

Home Affairs Select Committee chairman Keith Vaz said Mr Yates would be asked about the latest developments in the inquiry when he appears before it on another matter on Tuesday.

The prime minister’s spokesman said David Cameron had full confidence in Mr Coulson, who continues to do his job.

The spokesman said: “We have a number of stories in the newspapers. These allegations have been denied.”

As far as the prime minister was concerned nothing had changed said the spokesman, adding: “These matters have been gone over many times in the past.”

Mr Hoare told the New York Times he was fired from the News of the World during a period when he was struggling with drink and drugs.

The News of the World has rejected “absolutely any suggestion there was a widespread culture of wrongdoing” at the newspaper.

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Carbon-rich organic molecules, which serve as the building blocks of life, may be present on Mars after all, say scientists – challenging a widely-held notion of the Red Planet as barren.

When Nasa’s two Viking landers picked up and examined samples of Martian soil in 1976, scientists found no evidence for carbon-rich molecules or biology.

But after the Phoenix Mars Lander discovered the chlorine-containing chemical perchlorate in the planet’s “arctic” region in 2008, scientists decided to re-visit the issue.

They travelled to the Atacama Desert in Chile, where conditions are believed to be similar to those on Mars.

After mixing the soil with perchlorate and heating it, they found that the gases produced were carbon dioxide and traces of chloromethane and dichloromethane – just like the gases released by the chemical reactions after the Viking landers heated the Martian soil more than three decades ago.

Surprising result

They also found that chemical reactions effectively destroyed all organic compounds in the soil.

“Our results suggest that not only organics, but also perchlorate, may have been present in the soil at both Viking landing sites,” said the study’s lead author, Rafael Navarro-González of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City.

But despite the excitement about the finding, the researchers warn it is too early to conclude that the Red Planet has ever had life.

“This doesn’t say anything about the question of whether or not life has existed on Mars, but it could make a big difference in how we look for evidence to answer that question,” said Chris McKay of Nasa’s Ames Research Center, California.

He explained that organics can come from either biological and non-bio sources – many meteorites that have fallen on Earth have organic material.

Perchlorate, an ion of chlorine and oxygen, could have been present on Mars for billions of years and only manifest itself when heated, destroying all the organics in the soil.

When scientists originally examined the data from the Viking probes, they interpreted the chlorine-containing organic compounds as contaminants from cleaning fluids carried on the spacecraft.

It is not yet clear whether the organic molecules are indigenous to the Red Planet or have been brought by meteorites.

This will be one of the goals of upcoming missions to Mars. In 2011, Nasa is planning to kick off its Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission, with the Curiosity rover designed to search for organic material on the planet.

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Police in Mozambique have arrested 142 people over last week’s riots which led to 10 deaths.

A jump in the price of bread and other goods sparked three days of protests on the streets of the capital Maputo.

A further six have been detained, accused of inciting violence in the northern Nampula province.

The Mozambique government has resisted calls to take action to reduce the price of bread, saying the hikes are “irreversible”.

The price of petrol and electricity has also increased.

Text messages have been circulating, urging people to continue with the violence.

There are some reports that the six arrested in Nampula were accused of sending texts but this was denied by local police spokesman Inacio Dina, who said they were organising a meeting to plan violence.

One of those detained, however, said the meeting was for the opposition Renamo party.

Maputo is reported to be calm on Monday but with a heavy police presence in the suburbs where the riots broke out.

Some 443 people have also been injured since the riots began, Health Minister Ivo Garrido said on Friday.

There have also been clashes in the central city of Chimoio.

The price hikes were partly caused by a decline in the value of the Mozambican currency against the South African rand, analysts say.

But they come as global wheat prices soar following a drought in Russia, one of the world’s main exporters.

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Tiffin carriers in the Indian city of Mumbai learn English and basic computer skills to improve their business prospects.

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The Brit Awards are to move to the O2 arena in south east London from Earl’s Court in the west of the city.

The annual UK music awards ceremony has been held at Earl’s Court for the past 11 years.

The O2, which became a music venue in 2007 and was built largely within the former Millennium Dome, is based in North Greenwich.

Next year’s Brit awards will be held on 15 February.

Brits bosses have also announced a further three-year deal with ITV to show the event live on television.

“Looking at what The Brits stands for – the ‘must-see’ spectacle – it was clear that moving to a state-of the art venue like the O2 was an obvious evolution,” said Brit Awards chairman David Joseph.

This year’s big Brits winners were Lady Gaga and JLS.

Robbie Williams received the honorary award for outstanding contribution to music, ending the show with a live medley of his greatest hits including Let Me Entertain You, No Regrets and Angels.

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A former boarding school head teacher who sexually abused and hit pupils has been jailed for 21 years.

Derek Slade, 61, of Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, was convicted of the offences against 12 boys aged between eight and 13.

Ipswich Crown Court heard the abuse took place between 1978 and 1983 at private schools in Wicklewood, Norfolk, and Great Finborough in Suffolk.

Slade hit boys with a slipper, a table tennis bat and his hand, jurors heard.

Police were first contacted in June 2000 with allegations of assault by a former pupil but detectives could not trace Slade.

In 2008 and 2009 more former pupils came forward to police in Norfolk and Suffolk claiming Slade had abused them.

Oxford-educated Slade, who had no teaching qualifications, was arrested in Derbyshire earlier this year.

He had admitted assault, indecent assault and child pornography offences.

He denied other allegations of assault and indecent assault but was found guilty after a month-long trial.

Former pupil Simon Wilshire was not sexually abused by Slade but described the former head teacher as “experienced in the art of beating”.

Mr Wilshire, now 45, recalled the first time Slade hit him on his second day of school when he was 13 after being caught smoking.

He said: “We were called into his bedroom one at a time to be whacked on the bare backside.

“He always let us wait – he was a master at letting the fear kick in.”

Mr Wilshire added: “We would be beaten at least every week, pretty much at Slade’s whim, it was relentless.

“The school was an incarceration facility where boys were beaten – and now it turns out they were molested there as well.

“Slade must never leave prison as long as he lives.”

Det Ch Insp Adrian Randall said: “Whilst Slade may have committed these offences 30 years ago, for the victims their pain remains very real.

“I cannot begin to imagine how difficult it must have been for these men to come forward and try to make sense of what happened to them decades ago as defenceless young boys.”

He said more information had come to light as a result of publicity about Slade’s trial and police inquiries were continuing.

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The suspicious object was left in the playground of St Comgall’s Primary School and picked up by an eight -year-old pupil.

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A suspected suicide car bombing in north-west Pakistan has killed at least six people, officials say.

The explosion took place at a police station in the town of Lakki Marwat in the Khyber region south of Peshawar.

There are reports that police officers are among the casualties.

Nearly 100 people were killed in suicide bomb attacks on Shia Muslim processions in the cities of Lahore and Quetta last week. The attacks ended a lull in violence during severe floods.

A police official in Lakki Marwat said a car bomb was driven into the police station.

“A suicide attacker drove his bomb-laden vehicle into the back of the police post,” Gul Wali Khan told the AFP news agency.

Pakistan’s security forces have been fighting Taliban and al-Qaeda militants based in the north-west of the country.

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Children as young as seven are stealing and driving cars on the streets of Oxford, the city’s priority crime team reveals.

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The Spanish government has denounced as “insufficient” a ceasefire by the Basque separatist group Eta.

Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba said Eta must renounce violence forever.

In a tape obtained by the BBC at the weekend, Eta said it would no longer carry out “armed actions”.

Eta’s campaign for a separate Basque state has led to more than 820 deaths over the past 40 years.

The group has called two ceasefires in the past, but abandoned them both. It is unclear whether the latest is meant as a permanent or temporary move.

It comes after the arrests of numerous Eta leaders.

In the video obtained by the BBC, three hooded Eta fighters are shown sitting behind a desk with the Eta flag pinned up behind them.

One reads out a statement defending Eta’s campaign of violence, but towards the end says the group now wants to achieve its aims by peaceful means.

“Eta confirms its commitment to finding a democratic solution to the conflict,” the statement says.

It adds that the group is seeking dialogue with the Spanish government.

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Striker Wayne Rooney flies out with the England squad for their Euro 2012 qualifier against Switzerland amid allegations about his private life.

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Tony Blair has hinted that he could signal a book signing in London on Wednesday to prevent causing the police “a lot of hassle”.

The comments follow eggs and shoes being thrown at the former UK prime minister at a similar event in Dublin at the weekend.

Mr Blair told Daybreak on ITV1 it was “not as if we need” to do signings to sell copies of his memoirs.

But people should not try to prevent him from holding the events, he added.

Four men were arrested after eggs, bottles and shoes were thrown at him during anti-Iraq war protests at the Dublin signing following the release of his memoirs last week..

Mr Blair described those involved as a “minority”, adding that, on such occasions, “the protesters get all the publicity”.

Another event is planned for Waterstone’s in Piccadilly, central London, on Wednesday, with rigorous security measures in place.

But Mr Blair, prime minister from 1997 to 2007, said: “I’m concerned that I don’t want to put people through a lot of hassle at this Wednesday’s signing.”

He added that he had heard the British National Party “had wanted to get involved in the action”.

With the book, called A Journey, reportedly selling well, Mr Blair said: “It’s not as if we need to do it [the signing].”

But he added that cancelling would be “sad at the same time”, saying: “People should protest but not physically try to prevent you from doing it.”

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The Metropolitan Police has said it may reopen the investigation into claims of phone hacking by the News of the World if it uncovers new evidence.

Assistant Commissioner John Yates said officers would consider any new information – and examine if further action should be taken.

A former reporter on the paper has claimed the paper’s former editor, Andy Coulson asked him to hack into phones.

Mr Coulson has denied using or condoning the practice while editor.

Mr Coulson – who is David Cameron’s director of communications – has received strong backing from No 10 which says he “totally and utterly” rejects claims he was aware of any wrongdoing.

Mr Coulson came under fresh pressure last week after former journalists told the New York Times that the practice of phone hacking was far more extensive than the newspaper acknowledged at the time.

One reporter – Sean Hoare – said he had been personally told by Mr Coulson to intercept phone messages. In a statement, Mr Yates said the Met has asked the New York Times to provide officers with any new material it has relating to the case.

He said the Met had been clear on its stance and so far had seen no new evidence which would merit reopening the case but it would consider changing its position if that situation changed.

He said: “The New York Times contacted the Metropolitan Police Service about their investigation. Our stance remains as before. We have repeatedly asked them for any new material that they have for us to consider.

“We were never made aware of the material from Sean Hoare before the article’s publication. We have sought additional information from them and will consider this material, along with Sean Hoare’s recent BBC Radio interview, and will consult the Crown Prosecution Service on how best to progress it.”

The News of the World’s royal editor, Clive Goodman, was jailed for conspiracy to access phone messages in 2007, but the paper insists it was an isolated case.

In 2009, the Metropolitan Police chose not to launch an investigation into claims that News of the World journalists were involved in widespread phone hacking of several thousand celebrities, sports stars and politicians.

Home secretary Theresa May told the BBC on Sunday there were no grounds for a public inquiry.

She told Radio 5 Live: “It was thoroughly looked into at the time when it was raised and what was clear was that it wasn’t just politicians looking into it.

“The police looked into it and decided there were no grounds for taking the issue further and I thought that was pretty conclusive at the time.

Earlier on Sunday Education Secretary Michael Gove told the BBC’s Andrew Marr programme that the New York Times allegations “seem to be a recycling of allegations we have heard before” and said it may have been a product of newspaper “circulation wars” in the US.

There has been speculation that the New York Times’ decision to send a team of reporters to the UK to investigate the hacking story may have been linked to media rivalry with the Wall Street Journal – which like the News of the World is owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation.

Mr Gove said a House of Commons committee also found no evidence last year that Mr Coulson either authorised or was aware of any illegal activity by reporters in his time as editor.

He said it was often “overlooked” that Mr Coulson, by resigning as editor in 2007, had taken responsibility for what had happened over the Goodman case even though there “was no evidence he knew what was going on”.

Labour leadership contender Ed Balls, former Labour minister Tessa Jowell, who says her phone was hacked 28 times, and former deputy prime minister Lord Prescott, who also believes he was targeted, have all called for action.

Mr Balls said Mr Coulson’s role at the heart of No 10 meant that the government’s “integrity” was under question.

Lord Prescott threatened legal action in his bid to gain access to documents relating to his records.

But in his statement on Sunday Mr Yates said: “There remains to this day no evidence that his phone was hacked by either [Glenn]Mulcaire or Goodman. This is a matter of public record.”

He said that Lord Prescott had been given the information the police had in its possession that were relevant to him but added: “However, we are not permitted to supply the actual documents except under a court direction.

“This is because the material was obtained for the purpose of a criminal investigation and cannot be used for another purpose, i.e. a civil action. Lord Prescott and his solicitors will be aware of this.”

The News of the World has said the latest allegations were “unsubstantiated” and the claims of “disgruntled” former employees should be treated with “extreme scepticism”.

The newspaper said it rejected absolutely suggestions “of a widespread culture of wrongdoing”.

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Stand-up comic Robert Schimmel, a regular guest on Conan O’Brian’s show, has died following a car accident.

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The first 16 ‘free schools’ to be set up are named by Education Secretary Michael Gove.

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