Delays As Eurostar Resumes After Fire

'Unnatural Sex' File Given To Abuse Inquiry

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 21 Januari 2015 | 18.25

By Tom Parmenter, Sky News Correspondent

A secret Government file has been unearthed that documents "unnatural" sexual behaviour taking place when the Westminster paedophile scandal was at its height.

It has been kept under lock and key for 35 years on grounds of national security - but will now be released to the child abuse inquiry established by the Government.

Security and intelligence expert Dr Chris Murphy stumbled across it last November while searching documents at the National Archives in Kew.

He was immediately alerted by the title: "PREM19/588 - SECURITY. Allegations against former public [word missing] of unnatural sexual proclivities; security aspects 1980 Oct 27 - 1981 Mar 20."

"I was looking through the 'PREM' Prime Minister file series for the 1980s," the University of Salford lecturer told Sky News.

"I think I did a double-take and then started wondering what the potential implications of the title, which is a little vague, could be."

It is highly likely then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher saw the documents, and was briefed on the security implications, but the identities of those within them remain secret.

Dr Murphy added: "The fact that this file is concerning the Prime Minister and these allegations are being taken to the Prime Minister I think would strike anybody of being potentially of some interest."

Sky News highlighted the existence of the file to the Cabinet Office earlier this month.

A spokesperson for the department said: "In this case, the file was kept closed and retained as it contained information from the security services and advice from the Law Officers.

"These classifications are reviewed periodically."

The department would not reveal whether David Cameron or Home Secretary Theresa May were aware of the contents, but promised it would be made accessible to the child sex abuse inquiry.

"We are clear that any files that are pertinent to the historical child sex abuse inquiry will be made available to the panel," the spokesperson added.

Mrs Thatcher's former press secretary, Sir Bernard Ingham, told Sky News he could not recall the file.

He did though confirm that both he and Mrs Thatcher were aware of allegations against a Government minister in the early 1980s.

Sir Bernard would not name the individual, but said: "I asked him about it and he denied it, so no, I didn't do anything else. What was the alternative?"

In July last year, the Prime Minister promised the survivors of sexual abuse that "no stone would be left unturned" in the pursuit of the truth.

Officials at the Cabinet Office have previously attempted to block requests for information relating to Cyril Smith, the late Liberal politician who is now known to have abused youngsters.

Simon Danczuk MP, who exposed the extent of Smith's offending, told Sky News the "sexual proclivities" file had to be released.

"I think it is right and proper that the Government now open up this document, let us know what is in there," he said.

"I think there is a culture within Government departments of not releasing information and that has caused some of the problems we now have in getting to the bottom of who was involved in this paedophile network and who was involved in covering it up."

The abuse inquiry was announced in July but currently has no chairman, after first Lady Butler-Sloss and then Fiona Woolf were appointed and then stepped down following concerns over their links to the political establishment.

It is still yet to appoint someone to lead it amid growing calls for action from survivors and campaign groups.

18.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Iraq Inquiry: The Key Points Explained

Disagreements over confidential messages between then prime minister Tony Blair and US President George W Bush have delayed the publication of the Chilcot inquiry into the Iraq War.

The inquiry was set up to examine the initiation and conduct of the war, which began in 2003, and was officially launched nearly six years ago.

A panel of five Privy Counsellors, chaired by Sir John Chilcot, has summoned key figures to give evidence and examined thousands of documents about the arguments behind the decision to go to war.

:: Announced by then-PM Gordon Brown on 15 June 2009, the Iraq Inquiry was officially launched on 30 July.

:: It was set up following calls for an inquiry into the initiation and conduct of the Iraq War in 2003.

:: The panel is comprised of: chairman Sir John Chilcot, former Permanent Secretary at the Northern Ireland Office and a non-party member or chairman of a number of reviews and inquiries; Baroness Usha Prashar, Deputy Chair of the British Council and member of House of Lords; Sir Roderic Lyne, former British ambassador to the Russian Federation; Sir Martin Gilbert, former history don at Oxford University and author; Sir Lawrence Freedman, professor of War Studies at King's College London since 1982.

:: In his opening statement, Sir John said the inquiry would "consider the period from the summer of 2001 to the end of July 2009, embracing the run-up to the conflict in Iraq, the military action and its aftermath.

"We will therefore be considering the UK's involvement in Iraq, including the way decisions were made and actions taken, to establish, as accurately as possible, what happened and to identify the lessons that can be learned," he said.

:: In its terms of reference, the inquiry states it is "not a court of law" and that "nobody is on trial".

:: Of particular interest in the inquiry is the 2002 dossier which established "beyond doubt" that Saddam Hussein had and was continuing to produce Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). This dossier continued the "45 minute" claim, which stated that Saddam could ready these weapons in 45 minutes and led to claims the dossier had been "sexed up".

:: The Iraq War began on 20 March, 2003, with a "shock and awe" surprise attack, followed by a US-led ground invasion of Iraq. Saddam Hussein was captured in December 2003, but the conflict continued for several years as sectarian violence between Shia and Sunni militias erupted with the deaths of hundreds of thousands of civilians as well as an insurgency against coalition troops. The UK deployed 46,000 troops during the initial invasion, who were withdrawn in 2011. Some 179 British soldiers were killed during the conflict.

:: The first round of hearings began on 24 November 2009, and ran until February 2010.

:: The second round began on 29 June to 30 July 2010.

:: The final round started on 18 January and ran until 2 February 2011.

:: More than 200 Cabinet and Cabinet Committee meetings have been examined.

:: 25 notes from Tony Blair to President Bush have also been investigated, along with more than 130 records of conversations between Mr Blair or Mr Brown and the former US president.

:: The total cost of the inquiry currently stands at £9,016,500.

:: Evidence has been heard from a number of witnesses, including Mr Blair who was called twice. He insisted he had no regrets over the decision to go to war, and described the Iraqi leader as a "monster".

:: The delays have been triggered by disagreements over messages between Mr Blair and President Bush. They have also been caused by the "Maxwellisation process" - the procedure where individuals due to be criticised in an official report are sent details of the criticisms in advance so they can respond prior to the publication of the report.

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Gallery: Protests At Tony Blair's Chilcot Appearances In 2010 And 2011

Protesters gather outside Westminster's Queen Elizabeth II building for Tony Blair's appearances before the Chilcot Inquiry in 2010 and 2011

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Iraq War Report Delayed For 'Some Months'

The Chilcot inquiry into the Iraq war will not be published until after the General Election, it has emerged in a series of letters.

In a letter to Prime Minister David Cameron, chairman Sir John Chilcot said "very substantial progress" has been made in the inquiry, but there was "no realistic prospect" it could be published before May and that completion of the work would take "some further months".

Sir John said he had reached an agreement on the details of notes and conversations between former prime minister Tony Blair and US president George W Bush, which will be published in the report.

The report has been delayed by disagreement over the release of the confidential messages, but the agreement means the "gist" of the communications would be published after Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood blocked the publication of the full exchanges.

Sir John added that the "Maxwellisation process" - the procedure where individuals due to be criticised in an official report are sent details of the criticisms in advance so they can respond prior to its publication - was currently underway into the inquiry's draft report.

The inquiry was set up by the Labour government six years ago and heard from its final witnesses in February 2011.

Mr Cameron wrote to Sir John saying that he would have liked to have seen the report released before the election, but accepted that publication was a matter for the inquiry.

He wrote: "I have to respect your decision and fully accept that it will not now be possible for you to submit your final report to the Government and Parliament until after the election.

"I hope very much that you will be able to do so shortly thereafter."

Speaking at Downing Street on Wednesday, he rejected suggestions that the delay made it appear a cover-up was taking place.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg says the public will find the latest delay "incomprehensible".

In a letter to Sir John, Mr Clegg wrote: "Neither administrative processes nor a constant back and forth between the inquiry and witnesses criticised should frustrate an independent report so important to the country's future from being published as soon as possible .

"If the findings are not published with a sense of immediacy, there is a real danger the public will assume the report is being 'sexed down' by individuals rebutting criticisms put to them by the inquiry, whether that is the case or not.

"The inquiry into Iraq will both resolve the issues of the past, and set the tone for future British foreign policy. We cannot wait any longer for these lessons to be learned."

The latest news of a delay comes as MPs prepare to stage a Commons debate next week on the matter.

Former Attorney General and Conservative MP Dominic Grieve said the public deserved reasons for the "extraordinary delay".

He told Sky News: "It's absolutely imperative we should have an explanation as to what is going on. I think a chronology setting out what's happened... is essential."

Liberal Democrat MP Norman Baker told Sky the delay was "not acceptable to the British people" and that the public should have had the findings before the election.

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Gallery: Protests At Tony Blair's Chilcot Appearances In 2010 And 2011

Protesters gather outside Westminster's Queen Elizabeth II building for Tony Blair's appearances before the Chilcot Inquiry in 2010 and 2011

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Boko Haram 'Abducts' 50 Children In Cameroon

Written By Unknown on Senin, 19 Januari 2015 | 18.25

Suspected Boko Haram fighters have abducted up to 80 people, many of them children, in a deadly assault on villages in northern Cameroon, officials say.

"According to our initial information, around 30 adults, most of them herders, and 50 young girls and boys aged between 10 and 15 years were abducted," a senior army officer deployed to northern Cameroon told news agency Reuters.

That would make it Boko Haram's largest abduction in Cameroon to date.

Government spokesman Issa Tchiroma Bakary confirmed that three people were killed in the attack on Sunday, which targeted the village of Mabass and several others along the Nigerian border.

He said soldiers had intervened and exchanged fire with the assailants for around two hours.

He added that up to 80 houses were destroyed.

The assault comes just days after Amnesty International released satellite images of "catastrophic" Boko Haram attacks on two towns in Nigeria.

It believes hundreds of people were killed and that over 3,700 structures were either damaged or destroyed in the attacks in Baga and neighbouring Doron Baga earlier this month.

The campaign group said the pictures, taken on 2 and 7 January, provided "indisputable and shocking evidence" of the scale of the assaults.

The Islamist organisation was also responsible for the kidnap of more than 200 teenage girls from a school in the northern Nigerian town of Chibok last April.

Boko Haram has been fighting a bloody six-year insurgency to create an Islamic state which has left thousands dead and forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes.

Attacks are increasing in frequency as Boko Haram continues to seize territory in northern Nigeria, and expands its insurgency across the border.

Chadian troops began to arrive in Cameroon on Sunday in order to help repel the extremists' offensive.

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Imams 'Must Do More' To Root Out Radicals

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has written to over 1,000 mosques in Britain urging them to do more to root out extremists - but the move has been branded divisive by some Muslim leaders.

In the letter, Mr Pickles stressed he was "proud" of the way Muslims in Britain had responded to the terror attacks in Paris, but there was "more work to do".

There are fears about the spread of terrorism after the Paris attacks that left 17 people dead and the arrest of more than two dozen people in anti-terror raids in Belgium, Germany and France.

EU foreign ministers, including Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, are meeting today in Brussels to discuss the terror threat in Europe. Building an alliance - including with Muslim countries - is high on the agenda.

Mr Hammond said: "The Muslim countries of the world are the ones who have suffered the greatest burden of terrorism and they will continue to be in the frontlines.

"We have to work closely with them to protect both those countries and the EU countries."

Mr Pickles insisted Whitehall could not combat jihadist ideology alone and Imams must explain to young people what it means to be British.

"You, as faith leaders, are in a unique position in our society. You have a precious opportunity, and an important responsibility: in explaining and demonstrating how faith in Islam can be part of British identity," he said in the letter.

"We believe together we have an opportunity to demonstrate the true nature of British Islam today.

"There is a need to lay out more clearly than ever before what being a British Muslim means today: proud of your faith and proud of your country.

"We know that acts of extremism are not representative of Islam; but we need to show what is."

Mr Pickles also sought to reassure the leaders that he had been in touch with police chiefs "to make sure they are providing the support that mosques need" - a concern that some imams expressed in recent discussions.

But the letter immediately drew criticism from some Islamic leaders.

Harun Khan, deputy secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, said: "We will be writing to Mr Eric Pickles to ask that he clarifies his request to Muslims to 'explain and demonstrate how faith in Islam can be part of British identity'.

"Is Mr Pickles seriously suggesting, as do members of the far right, that Muslims and Islam are inherently apart from British society?"

But communities minister Lord Ahmad, who also signed the letter, rejected the criticism.

He told Sky News: "This is a positive initiative from the Government, it's not seeking to target any particular community.

"It's reaching out across the board, across the country, to say we want to tackle this issue of extremism."

The letter emerged as the Metropolitan Police announced it had increased security around its buildings and bolstered numbers of firearms officers available.

Home Secretary Theresa May also promised to up the Government's efforts to tackle the terrorist threat and a "chilling" rise in anti-Semitism.

Mr Hammond and his US counterpart John Kerry will also host talks in London on Thursday with ministers from around 20 countries, including Arab states, to discuss ways of tackling Islamic State.

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Cameron Puts Jobs Vow At Heart Of Campaign

David Cameron has been setting out his plan for full employment, promising to make Britain the "jobs factory of Europe" as the economy returns to health.

The Prime Minister, who was speaking in Ipswich, said the country is "coming out the other side" after a "tough few years".

With just months before the general election, he has promised to treble start-up loans for young business people and urge voters to stick with his recovery plan.

Labour however, has said the Tories are out of touch if they think the economy is "fixed" and that most workers are now worse off.

In his speech, Mr Cameron said: "Full employment may be an economic term, but this is what it means in human terms: it means more of our fellow men and women with the security of a regular wage; it means you, your family and your children having a job and getting on in life.

"We are the jobs factory of Europe; we're creating more jobs here than the rest of Europe put together.

"The Conservatives are the party of small businesses," Mr Cameron said. "We're the party of the roofers and the retailers; the builders and the businesswomen.

His plans to boost jobs include: three million more apprenticeships; controlling immigration and migrant benefits to get more Britons back to work; extra support for small business, such as cutting red tape and keeping taxes low; investment in infrastructure.

The Prime Minister said the boost in start-up loans - which are typically around £5,000 - will create at least 100,000 jobs by 2020.

In a wide ranging speech and question and answer session afterwards, he also said it was the government's ambition to lift the amount people had to earn before they paid tax to £12,500, and to cut the benefits cap to £23,000 from £26,000.

Labour has hit out at the PM's boasts about a healed economy, saying it shows they are out of touch with normal working people.

Rachel Reeves MP, Labour's shadow work and pensions secretary, said the party had presided over "five years of talents wasted and opportunities denied".

"The average wage has fallen more than £1,600 per year, 3.5 million people want to work more hours, and the number of people paid less than a living wage has risen to nearly five million," said Ms Reeves.

She said a Labour government would also show strong support for small business and help low-paid workers.

"[We] will bring in a Compulsory Jobs Guarantee to get the long-term unemployed off benefits and into work," said Ms Reeves.

"We will ban exploitative zero-hours contracts, boost apprenticeships, raise the minimum wage to £8 per hour and get more workers paid a living wage."

The Prime Minister's jobs pledge comes as the gap between Britain's best and worst-performing cities has "dramatically widened", according to a new study.

The Centre for Cities research group says for every 12 jobs created since 2004 in cities in southern England, only one was created in cities in the rest of the country.

In The Margins: The 150 Key Election Constituencies

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Indonesia: Foreigners Executed By Firing Squad

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 18 Januari 2015 | 18.25

Six people, including five foreign nationals, have been executed by firing squad in Indonesia after they were convicted on drug charges.

The foreigners, from Brazil, the Netherlands, Vietnam, Malawi and Nigeria, were executed at around midnight, authorities said, despite international appeals.

The sixth, an Indonesian woman identified as Rani Andriani, was also killed.

"The execution of the six convicts has been carried out," spokesman for the attorney general's office, Tony Spontana, told news agency AFP.

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff had issued a last-minute plea to Indonesian authorities to spare former pilot Marco Moreira.

It was rejected by Indonesian President Joko Widodo who said the judicial proceedings had followed Indonesian law.

The Dutch government had issued a similar appeal for its citizen Ang Kiem Soei.

Brazil and the Netherlands have recalled their ambassadors from Indonesia in the wake of the executions.

Clemency appeals for the pair, as well as Namaona Denis of Malawi, Daniel Enemuo of Nigeria, and female convict Tran Thi Bich Hanh of Vietnam were rejected in December.

All six had been sentenced on drug charges from 2000 to 2011.

"What we do is merely aimed at protecting our nation from the danger of drugs," Attorney General Muhammad Prasetyo told reporters on Thursday.

"There is no excuse for drug dealers, and hopefully this will have a deterrent effect."

Five of the convicts were killed on Nusakambangan Island, off the south coast of the Indonesian island of Java.

The sixth was killed in Java's Boyolali district.

They were the first executions carried out since President Widodo took office in October.

At least 138 people are on death row in Indonesia, mostly for drug offences.

Roughly a third of them are foreigners.

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Delays As Eurostar Resumes After Fire

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Passengers are being warned to expect delays on Eurostar services after a lorry fire left thousands stranded on both sides of the Channel.

Eurostar and the Eurotunnel Le Shuttle car service were stopped on Saturday after the fire on the French side of the railway's south tunnel.

The incident on Saturday morning led to long queues at St Pancras station in London as services were cancelled for most of the day.

Queues formed again at the station this morning, where Eurostar services resumed after 8am.

There were also delays in Paris.

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Gallery: Travel Chaos In London And Paris

This is the scene at St Pancras International station in London as Eurostar services are cancelled in both directions

The company said trains would not be running on Saturday

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Large queues of passengers have formed - but they are being told they will be unable to travel

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It is a similar scene at Gare du Nord station in Paris - this board shows all services have been cancelled

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Passengers are having to make alternative arrangements

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Eurostar plans to run a full service today, but only "for passengers who have an existing reservation for this date".

Trains are expected to be delayed by between 30 minutes and an hour.

The company added that people whose trains were cancelled on Saturday are advised not to arrive at stations unless they had already been re-booked.

A Eurostar spokesman said: "All passengers who are booked to travel tomorrow, Sunday 18 January, should check in as normal half an hour before departure.

"Eurostar services tomorrow are already very busy and availability is limited."

Eurotunnel services resumed at 2.45am UK time.

Earlier, Eurotunnel spokesman John O'Keefe said a "smouldering load" was found in the trailer of the lorry.

The alarm was triggered after CO2 detectors were activated in one tunnel, Eurotunnel said. No one was injured.

In March, hundreds of Eurostar passengers were delayed after a lightning strike triggered a fire in a building close to the entrance to the tunnel in Kent.

Although there was no damage to the track, four trains in and out of England were affected.

Three eventually reached their destination but the fourth, which had been heading to Paris, was forced to turn back to London.

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Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 17 Januari 2015 | 18.25

At least four people have died in Niger in violent protests over the Charlie Hebdo's publication of a new cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed.

Forty five people were also injured in the clashes in the second city of Zinder, with demonstrators ransacking three churches and setting fire to the French cultural centre.

Tear gas was fired during further protests in Niger on Saturday.

In Karachi, Pakistan, people were injured when protesters clashed with police outside the French consulate.

Protesters in Senegal and Mauritania torched French flags, and Qatar and Bahrain warned that the cartoon could fuel hatred.

Thousands of people around the world have been taking to the streets to vent anger at the French satirical magazine's front-cover cartoon, which features the Prophet holding a Je Suis Charlie sign under the headline "All Is Forgiven".

In Pakistan, police fired water cannon and tear gas into the air as they clashed with protesters from the Jamaat-e-Islami religious party.

The nationwide rallies followed comments by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who led parliament in condemning the cartoons in Charlie Hebdo, whose Paris offices were attacked last week, leaving 12 people dead.

A statement from one faction of the Pakistani Taliban has issued a statement lauding the Islamist Kouachi brothers who carried out the massacre, saying: "They freed the Earth from the existence of filthy blasphemers."

Insulting the Prophet carries the death penalty under Pakistan's blasphemy laws, with 14 people currently on death row.

In Jordan's capital Amman, around 2,500 protesters set off from Al Husseini mosque under tight security, holding banners that read "insulting the Prophet is global terrorism".

In Algiers, there were clashes as up to 3,000 marchers chanted: "We are all Mohammed."

Around 100 protesters rallied in Istanbul in response to a call by a group calling itself the Fraternal Platform of the Prophet's Companions, with some holding pictures of the Kouachis.

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Gallery: Faces Of French Terror Victims

Charlie Hebdo editor Stephane Charbonnier, 47, had received death threats in the past and was living under police protection. Known as Charb, He and his nine colleagues, along with the two policemen were killed at the Charlie Hebdo offices in Paris

Bernard Maris, 68, was an economist and contributor to Charlie Hebdo. He also held shares in the magazine

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Popular Posts Today

'Unnatural Sex' File Given To Abuse Inquiry

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 21 Januari 2015 | 18.25

Iraq Inquiry: The Key Points Explained

Iraq War Report Delayed For 'Some Months'

Boko Haram 'Abducts' 50 Children In Cameroon

Written By Unknown on Senin, 19 Januari 2015 | 18.25

Imams 'Must Do More' To Root Out Radicals

Cameron Puts Jobs Vow At Heart Of Campaign

Indonesia: Foreigners Executed By Firing Squad

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 18 Januari 2015 | 18.25

Delays As Eurostar Resumes After Fire

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