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Thursday 14 April 2011

The News of the World reacted to the unexpected arrest of one of its most senior reporters by clearing his desk.



Despite the paper having promised that it would co-operate fully with police inquiries, executives descended on the desk of former news editor James Weatherup moments after learning of his arrest. Under the eyes of their legal team, they bagged up notebooks, papers and recording machines and removed them "via our lawyers", a firm whose identity the publisher refused to confirm.

A few hours later, the police arrived and took the bags to Scotland Yard.

The unexpected arrest of Weatherup, one of the most senior journalists at the News of the World, at his home leaves little room for doubt that the new police team investigating the phone-hacking scandal is determined to succeed where its much-criticised predecessors failed.

It was three weeks ago that the News of the World dumped a vast archive of data at Scotland Yard's door – a trove that has turbo-charged the Met investigation.

The data, which comprises millions of emails from everyone at the newspaper – and which the NoW previously claimed had been lost – could implicate the paper in more instances of malpractice than have been previously suggested.

There are 8,000 emails relating to Sienna Miller alone. An examination of their contents could reveal that many more public figures were also targeted by the newspaper, in addition to the 24 who are already bringing legal actions, including football agent Sky Andrew and the former culture secretary, Tessa Jowell.

It was also anticipated that the archived data would include email exchanges between the most senior executives on the NoW, including its former editor Andy Coulson, who resigned as David Cameron's media adviser in January, and Ian Edmondson, Greg Miskiw, and Neville Thurlbeck, journalists on the paper.

Edmondson and Miskiw had already been implicated in the affair by paperwork seized from Glenn Mulcaire, the private investigator who was on the NoW's books.

What was not expected, however – even by the most senior executives at the paper – was that a new name would be discovered amid the mountains of data, along with evidence so strong that an arrest could be made.

Weatherup's arrest stunned those at the highest level of the paper. News International executives have been saying privately that they were confident Edmondson and Thurlbeck were the only staffers still working at the paper who were likely to be implicated in hacking. The Met were so determined to conceal the new direction of their investigation that Weatherup, 55, was not given notice that he was being investigated by police officers.

Unlike his colleague and former colleague Thurlbeck and Edmondson – who were arrested last week on suspicion of unlawfully intercepting mobile phone voicemail messages – he was not given the chance to voluntarily attend a police station before being placed under arrest.

Instead, Weatherup – the third news editor under Coulson and one of a handful of senior employees who would take part in private discussions of major news stories with other senior members of the paper – was arrested in an early-morning swoop that left both his family and News International reeling.

Not only was his house in Romford, Essex, searched but the contents of his desk are now being examined by police – the third time Scotland Yard has seized all official and personal material belonging to a NoW employee in little more than a week. What is also significant about yesterday's arrest of a hitherto relative unknown is that the police have worked at such intensity and speed.

Until last week, former royal editor Clive Goodman, jailed in January 2007, was the only News of the World journalist to be arrested for listening to private voicemail messages. No other reporters or executives were questioned by the initial police investigation. It was only after a series of high court cases brought by Miller, the football pundit Andy Gray and others that the Met was forced to reveal material found on Mulcaire's computer, during a 2006 raid of his home.

In contrast, the 45-member new team, Operation Weeting, have arrested three current or former NoW journalists in the past nine days alone over possible involvement in alleged phone hacking at the paper.

Wednesday 13 April 2011

former soap star has appeared in court today accused of murdering a nightclub doorman who was shot dead in the street.



Brian Regan, 53, who played Terry Sullivan in the Channel 4 drama Brookside, appeared before magistrates in Liverpool accused of the murder of Bahman Faraji, known locally as Batman.

Faraji, a 44-year-old father of one, was killed as he left a pub in the suburb of Aigburth, Liverpool, on 24 February. Regan, of Garston, Liverpool, who starred in Brookside for 14 years, is also charged with perverting the course of justice. No pleas were entered.

He appeared in the dock alongside co-accused Lee Dodson, 42, of Garston, who is also charged with murder.

During the brief appearance, both men spoke only to confirm their names and addresses and were remanded in custody until a preliminary hearing at Liverpool crown court on 18 April.

A third accused, Edward Heffey, 40, of Dingle, Liverpool, was charged with murder earlier this month and will also appear at the crown court that day.

Thursday 7 April 2011

Japan's meteorological agency says it has now lifted a tsunami warning for the north-eastern coast after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck offshore.



The quake hit about 11.30 pm today Japan time. It has rattled nerves nearly a month after the devastating earthquake and tsunami that flattened the same area of coastline.

Announcers on Japan's public broadcaster NHK had told residents in the north-east to move to higher ground away from the shore.

Rebels in eastern Libya say their forces have been mistakenly hit in a Nato air raid.


Rebels in eastern Libya say their forces have been mistakenly hit in a Nato air raid.

Doctors in Ajdabiya told the BBC at least 13 rebel fighters had been killed by the strike on a rebel tank position.

The BBC's Wyre Davies reports chaotic scenes on the outskirts of Ajdabiya, with rebel forces in retreat reporting being hit by Nato air strikes.

It is the third such incident in recent days involving international forces deployed to protect Libyan civilians.

One rebel commander told the BBC he saw at least four missiles land among rebel fighters.

Many people have been killed and many more have been injured, he said.

Civilians are reported to be fleeing Ajdabiya in their thousands, according to the latest wire reports, after rumours spread that Gaddafi forces were preparing to attack the city.

Rebel anger
The rebels had been taking a group of tanks, armoured vehicles and rocket launchers near the front line between the towns of Ajdabiya and Brega in more than 30 transporters.



Nato, with all the equipment they have - is this the second mistake? Is it really a mistake or something arranged secretly?”


Whether or not a Nato pilot mistook all of that heavy armour for Gaddafi weaponry remains unclear.

Following the apparent Nato attack, ambulances were seen heading in the opposite direction, towards the hospital in Ajdabiya.

There is considerable anger among rebel troops after what appears to have been a terrible mistake.

They are asking why rebel units were hit, when they could be seen clearly advancing in a westerly direction towards the front line.

"It is unbelievable," said one Benghazi resident. "Nato, with all the equipment they have - is this the second mistake? Is it really a mistake or something arranged secretly?"

Another said: "The allies and the UN Security Council must allow us to be armed. We don't want anything, just to be armed to defend ourselves against this dictator and fascist."

Rebel forces in the area began retreating on Wednesday after heavy bombardment from government forces.

They had been calling for more Nato air strikes in recent days.

Nato is said to be looking into the incident.

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