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.

18.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Mandela Stranded By Ambulance Breakdown

An ambulance carrying seriously ill Nelson Mandela to hospital broke down in freezing temperatures, it has emerged.

The military vehicle broke down at the side of the highway, leaving the iconic ex-president - known as Madiba - stranded for 40 minutes, according to CBS News.

Government spokesman Mac Maharaj confirmed the breakdown on June 8, the night the 94-year-old was taken to hospital in Pretoria, but said his convoy was well staffed with intensive care medical staff.

In a statement he said: "We confirm the media reports that the military ambulance transporting Madiba had an engine problem on the 8th and that the doctors are satisfied that the former president suffered no harm during this period.

"The fully-equipped military ICU ambulance had a full complement of specialist medical staff including intensive care specialists and ICU nurses.

President Jacob Zuma has said Mr Mandela's health is improving

"The convoy also included two quick response vehicles.

"When the ambulance experienced engine problems it was decided that it would be best to transfer to another military ambulance which itself was accompanied for the rest of the journey by a civilian ambulance.

"All care was taken to ensure that the former president Mandela's medical condition was not compromised by the unforeseen incident."

Speaking to eNews Channel Africa, he said: "It happens in life, no-one can predict (that a) fully functional vehicle would have a breakdown."

Children have been sending "get well soon" messages to the ex-president

Mr Maharaj slammed reports that Mr Mandela was unresponsive and hadn't opened his eyes in days, branding them "highly reckless".

He said he had no information on when the former leader would be discharged as that was a decision for his doctors.

Mr Mandela has been in intensive care since he was admitted to hospital for the third time this year.

President Jacob Zuma has said his health continues to improve but he remains in a serious condition.

The anti-apartheid leader became South Africa's first black president in 1994 and made his last public appearance at the World Cup closing ceremony in Johannesburg in 2010.

18.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Motorway Speed Limit Plans Put In Slow Lane

Plans to raise the motorway speed limit to 80mph have been moved into the slow lane after it was decided the idea was "not a priority".

The policy change was proposed in 2011 by then Transport Secretary Philip Hammond but his successor, Patrick McLoughlin, is said not to share his enthusiasm.

Mr Hammond claimed the 70mph limit, introduced in 1965, had been "discredited" and a rise to 80mph would boost the economy.

But the idea has been condemned by road safety groups and Downing Street reportedly feared raising the speed limit would alienate women voters.

In an interview with The Times, Mr McLoughlin said the policy was not a priority: "You would have to do trials in certain areas so it's not something that's a high priority."

A source close to the Transport Secretary told the newspaper: "This is not going to happen with Patrick McLoughlin as Transport Secretary.

"Safety is paramount to him and his view of how to run the roads and he would not be confident about how you would do it."

A Department for Transport spokesman confirmed that Mr McLoughlin's reported remarks were correct.

The plans have not been completely abandoned, but are no longer a priority, said the spokesman.

Mr Hammond announced the plan at the 2011 Tory party conference, saying the 70mph limit had resulted in millions of motorists routinely breaking the law.

The 70mph speed limit was first introduced in the 1960s

He said: "The limit was introduced way back in 1965 - when the typical family car was a Ford Anglia."

He claimed a rise to 80mph would "restore the legitimacy" of the system and benefit the economy by "hundreds of millions of pounds".

But last year campaign groups estimated that raising the motorway speed limit to 80mph would cost society an extra £1bn a year, including £766m in fuel bills and more than £62m in health costs.

The groups, which include road safety charity Brake, the Campaign for Better Transport (CBT) and Greenpeace, also estimated that the higher limit would lead to 25 extra deaths and 100 serious injuries a year, as well as 2.2 million more tonnes of carbon emissions.

However, Neil Greig, director of policy and research at the Institute of Advanced Motorists, said: "Once again we are getting confused messages from the Department for Transport on this issue.

"With a little imagination and some investment the Dutch have shown that you can have a safe 80mph limit on the best parts of the motorway network.

"What Patrick McLoughlin has learned from Holland, however, is that the policy was not as popular as the politicians thought it would be and they promptly lost the next election."

Professor Stephen Glaister, director of the RAC Foundation, said: "The real stumbling block is likely to have been enforcement.

"Police already tend to give speeding drivers some leeway, so it was quite feasible that an 80 mph limit would have actually meant 90 mph in practice and that proved a step too far for ministers."

18.25 | 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.

18.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Baby Deaths: CQC Exec 'Wanted To Speak Out'

CQC media manager Anna Jefferson says she wanted to "actively waive her anonymity" after being implicated in an alleged cover-up of the organisation's failure to investigate baby deaths in Cumbria.

The health watchdog has revealed its ex-chief executive Cynthia Bower, her former deputy Jill Finney and Ms Jefferson were present during a discussion about deleting an internal review which criticised CQC inspections of University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, where a number of mothers and babies had died.

The three women deny that they tried to cover up the report and Ms Bower insists she "gave no instruction to delete" the report.

Since their names were revealed, Ms Bower has resigned from her current post as a non-executive trustee of the Skills for Health lobbying body, while Ms Finney has been sacked as chief commercial officer of internet domain company Nominet.

More than 30 families have taken action against Furness General - run by Morecambe Bay NHS Trust - in relation to deaths and injuries to mothers and babies since 2008.

It is claimed Ms Jefferson, who still works for the CQC, said during the key meeting, "Are you kidding me? This can never be in the public domain nor subject to FOI (a Freedom of Information request)."

Anna Jefferson denies suggesting the CQC review should be suppressed

But Ms Jefferson told Sky News she "felt sick" and wanted to waive her anonymity when she realised she was implicated in a review by City consultants Grant Thornton, which was published on Wednesday.

She said she does not remember any instruction to delete the review being given and denies suggesting it could never be made public.

She claimed she pushed for proper external scrutiny of the CQC's actions regarding Morecambe Bay "several times", the last time on July 17, 2012, during a meeting where the CQC's current chief executive David Behan was present.

She said: "The thought of what the families who have lost babies at this hospital have gone through is heartbreaking.

The Health Secretary said those behind any "cover-up" could lose pensions

"I would never have conspired to cover up anything which could have led to a better understanding of what went wrong in the regulation of this hospital and I am absolutely devastated that I have been implicated in this way."

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has suggested that current or former CQC staff found to have been involved in a cover-up could be stripped of their pensions.

He said the CQC must follow "due process" but he would back the regulator "absolutely to the hilt" if it chose to take action against individuals.

Asked what action should be taken against those responsible, Mr Hunt told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "These are very, very serious allegations and they should have very, very serious consequences if they are proved.

Joshua Titcombe's family raised concerns after he died at Furness Hospital

"I know the CQC are looking into disciplinary procedures and what can be done, what sanctions are available, whether you can have forfeiture of pensions, all those things.

"There has to be due process, but... it is totally appalling that this kind of thing should happen. It's exactly what shouldn't be happening in our NHS.

"It lets down the millions of doctors and nurses who do an amazing job day in, day out, and we have to root it out."

Morecambe Bay NHS Trust was given a clean bill of health by the CQC in 2010, but an internal review was ordered by the hospital regulator in 2011 into how failings resulting in deaths had gone unnoticed.

Grant Thornton's investigation found that the report was not made public because it was decided it was too critical of the CQC.

The investigators concluded this "might well have constituted a deliberate cover-up" by the CQC employees who decided it should not be made public.

18.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Google Faces Criminal Action Over Data Theft

Internet giant Google has been threatened with criminal proceedings over personal data collected from wifi networks.

The internet giant has been handed an enforcement notice by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) after further personal data unlawfully collected by its Street View cars was discovered.

The watchdog has demanded that it destroy four discs containing information it took from unsecured wifi networks.

Google had previously pledged to destroy all data collected in this manner - but admitted last year that it had "accidentally" retained the additional discs.

The ICO has warned Google that failure to comply with the legal order will be considered as contempt of court, which is a criminal offence.

More follows...

18.25 | 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".

Gandolfini with co-stars Steven Van Zandt (L) and Tony Sirico (R). Pic: HBO

"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.

The Sopranos cast accept an Emmy at the 2007 awards

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."

18.26 | 0 komentar | Read More

James Gandolfini Dies: Actors Lead Tributes

The cast of hit television series The Sopranos have led tributes to James Gandolfini, describing him as a "giant" and "the most humble and gifted actor".

The star, who was 51, died after a suspected heart attack while on holiday in Italy.

Lorraine Bracco, who played his character Tony's psychiatrist Dr Melfi in the popular show, said: "We lost a giant today. I am utterly heartbroken."

Joe Gannascoli, who played Vito Spatafore, said his death came "way too young".

"James is one guy who never turned his back on me," he told TMZ. "He was the most humble and gifted actor and person I have ever worked with ... and I will forever be indebted to him."

Gandolfini worked alongside some of the biggest names in showbiz during a career spanning more than 25 years.

He co-starred with Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts in 2001 comedy The Mexican and teamed up with Denzel Washington and John Travolta for 2009 thriller The Taking of Pelham 123.

He worked with Sean Penn, Jude Law and Kate Winslet in 2006 political drama All the King's Men, as well as Nicholas Cage in 1999's 8MM.

Among the Hollywood actors to pay tribute to him were Samuel L Jackson, who tweeted: "Massive blow to the acting community today ... the passing of James Gandolfini. So talented. My heart goes out to his family!"

"Shocked and saddened by James Gandolfini's passing," wrote Michael J Fox. "My deepest sympathies to his family and friends."

Robin Williams described him as an "extraordinary actor", while Russell Crowe added: "Sad to hear about James Gandolfini. First met Jimmy back in '94. He was roommates in NY with Lenny Loftin. Lovely man. RIP Jimmy."

18.26 | 0 komentar | Read More

South Wales School Car Crash: Several Casualties

A car has overturned after smashing into children and adults outside a primary school in South Wales, injuring nine people.

An air ambulance was scrambled to the "very serious" accident at Rhoose Primary School and treated casualties at the scene. Five children and four adults - including the driver of the car and a lollipop lady - were taken to hospital.

Police said no-one had been killed in the collision, which was not thought to have been deliberate. They say the 61-year-old male driver of the vehicle is assisting officers with enquiries.

A black Audi was seen on its roof on the pavement just yards from a pelican crossing near the school, before being removed by recovery workers.

The school is in the Vale of Glamorgan

A lollipop stick lay on the ground near various items of clothing.

Local radio reporter Lucy Short spoke to Sky News from outside the school in Fontygary Road.

"Reports that I've got from people who witnessed the accident say that the car was pulling off at quite a slow rate of speed and accelerated suddenly," she said.

"It's not known why that happened. It would appear to be a sad but freak accident.

"It was pulling off and hit the children who the crossing lady (was helping) cross outside the school. The car is overturned but on the road still.

"It appears that as it went over the speed bump where the crossing is, it may have turned over because of that and the collision with the pedestrian."

A lollipop lady's sign could be seen lying at the side of the road

South Wales Police say the accident caused a mixture of serious and minor injuries, but no fatalities. The ages of those hurt is not yet known.

Steve Francis from Captial radio told Sky News that witnesses reported hearing an "incredible bang".

He said he could see "blood everywhere" outside the school, which teachers could be seen attempting to clear.

A number of people at the scene were said to be in tears.

Ian Morris, divisional manager for surgery at University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, said: "The emergency unit at University Hospital of Wales is treating adults and children involved in the incident in Rhoose."

A spokeswoman for Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust said a "major incident" had been declared and that casualties had been treated at the scene for more than an hour before being taken to hospital.

The road has been closed and emergency services have asked motorists to avoid the area in the Vale of Glamorgan.

More follows...

18.26 | 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.

Joshua Titcombe died in Furness General Hospital after staff failures

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, which has been criticised

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'."

MP Tim Farron called for an urgent question to be tabled in the Commons

Stephen Dorrell, chair of the Health Select Committee, told Sky News: "This report makes very depressing reading.

"Unfortunately it repeats many of the points that have been made or gives further colour or substance to concerns and complaints.as a regulator.

But he added: "The new management is willing to face the truth and this report is part of that process of facing the truth about the record of the CQC."

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt is due to make an announcement in the Commons following Prime Minister's Questions this afternoon.

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.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt is to make a statement after PMQs

"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."

Westmorland General Hospital, where Morecambe Bay NHS Trust is based

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.

18.25 | 0 komentar | Read More