Pirates anchor hijacked supertanker Sirius Star off Somalia coast The Saudi Arabia-owned supertanker hijacked by Somali pirates in a raid several hundred miles out to sea is understood to have anchored off the coast of Somalia. The Sirius Star, which is fully loaded with crude oil, is understood to be at anchor close to a headland called Raas Cusbad, near Hobyo. The owner of the ship, Vela International Marine, said the 25 crew members on board were safe. The company said response teams had been established and were working to ensure the release of the crew and the vessel, which was seized by pirates on Saturday. The president of the company, Salah Kaaki, said it was working with relevant embassies while awaiting further contact with the pirates. "Our first and foremost priority is ensuring the safety of the crew. We are in communication with their families and are working towards their safe and speedy return," he said. Two Britons are among the crew of the Sirius Star, which was captured 450 miles (725km) south-east of the Kenyan port of Mombasa. The British government today appealed for the immediate release of the hijacked crew. The armed forces minister, Bob Ainsworth, speaking from Kenya, said the hijacking of the Sirius Star underlined the scale of the challenge presented by piracy. "Alongside our international partners, the government is deeply concerned, not least because two of the crew are British," he said. "We call on those holding the men to release them and the rest of the crew immediately. We are sending a strong message to pirates that their activities will not be tolerated and that the global community is united in its efforts to deter and disrupt them." Saudi's foreign minister today described the hijacking as "an outrageous act". In the first public comments made by the Saudi government on the issue, Prince Saud Al-Faisal said: "Piracy, like terrorism, is a disease which is against everybody, and everybody must address it together." The Rail, Maritime and Transport union, which represents seafarers, urged the government to push for an expansion of patrolling and escorts to help counter the threat of piracy. The union's general secretary, Bob Crow, said the growth of piracy was a threat faced by the shipping industry on a global scale and required a global response. "The most important immediate task is to get the Sirius Star, and the many other vessels already being held by pirates, released with their crews unharmed,'' he said. "Like all workers, seafarers should be able to work without the fear of imminent attack, and the ordeal faced by seafarers held to ransom is unimaginable." Nato and other international warships have increased patrols around northern Somalia to try to deter the heavily armed Somali pirate gangs who have seriously disrupted one of the world busiest shipping lanes. The pirates are holding about a dozen vessels hostage and more than 200 foreign crew. They are believed to have already netted more than £20m in ransoms this year. Most of the captured ships were attacked in the Gulf of Aden, which connects the Red Sea to the Arabian Sea. But the seizure of the Sirius Star, a new ship more than 300 metres long and weighing three times as much as a typical aircraft carrier, took place in unpatrolled waters, hundreds of miles south of Somalia, at a latitude intersecting with Tanzania. The ship was on course to sail around the Cape of Good Hope to the US when it was seized. The oil on board represents more than a quarter of Saudi Arabia's daily output. News of the hijacking caused the price of oil to jump by more than $1 a barrel. The US navy would not comment on a possible rescue operation, saying only that it was evaluating the situation. A spokesman for the Royal Navy said he could not say whether British servicemen were involved in any attempts to rescue the vessel. "It is our policy not to discuss operational matters," he said. The Foreign Office confirmed two Britons were on board the ship. The other seamen are from Croatia, Poland, Saudi Arabia and the Philippines. The pirates seldom harm crew members as they wait for ransoms to be paid. A fisherman, Abdinur Haji, described seeing the Saudi tanker just a few miles from the shore this morning. "As usual, I woke up at 3am and headed for the sea to fish, but I saw a very, very large ship anchored less than three miles off the shore," he said. He said two small boats floated out to the ship and 18 men, presumably pirates, climbed aboard with ropes woven into a ladder. "I have been fishing here for three decades, but I have never seen a ship as big as this one," he said. "There are dozens of spectators on shore trying to catch a glimpse of the large ship, which they can see with their naked eyes." In a typical pirate attack, a gang of young Somali men in a high-powered speedboat ambush a passing ship, firing automatic weapons and even rocket propelled grenades if an order to stop is ignored. Captain Pottengal Mukundan, the director of the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), said the distance from the shore where the Sirius Star was attacked meant the pirates must have launched their skiff from a "mother ship" they had previously seized. "The huge size of a vessel does not seem to daunt the pirates," he said. "It shows their high degree of audacity and resources." The hijacking is likely to send shudders through the shipping industry. Insurance premiums for companies using the Gulf of Aden have soared this year as Somalia leapt to the top of world piracy charts. So lucrative is the crime - a typical western-owned ship can fetch more than £1m - that there are now at least five Somali pirate gangs employing more than 1,000 gunmen, according to the East African Seafarers' Association in Mombasa. Between July and September there were 47 attacks off Somalia's coast, the longest in Africa, and 26 were successful. The US navy said shipping firms were partly to blame for the hijackings. Vice Admiral Bill Gortney, commander of the combined maritime forces, said 10 out of 15 of the most recent attacks around Somalia involved ships that had ignored the IMB's advice to stay about 250 miles away from the coast or had failed to employ security guards on board. "Companies don't think twice about using security guards to protect their valuable facilities ashore," he said. "Protecting valuable ships and their crews at sea is no different." Graeme Gibbon Brooks, managing director of Dryad Maritime Intelligence Service, said the pirates probably did not know how much oil the ship was carrying. "They have hit the jackpot," he said.
BNP membership list leaked online The British National party tonight vowed to take legal action after its entire membership list was published online in breach of a court injunction. The party blamed disgruntled former employees for posting details of the names, postal and email addresses and ages of more than 10,000 supporters. Details of the hobbies, professions and other areas of expertise of many members are thought to be included. The membership list dates from late last year, the BNP said, and its publication had been prevented under a high court injunction obtained in April. Embarrassed party bosses have complained to the police and are seeking legal advice to prevent the further spread of the data. Simon Darby, the BNP's spokesman, said he found out this morning that the injunction had been broken, describing the posting as "malevolent and spiteful". "This is being done to destabilise the party after a successful conference in Blackpool and before the elections for the European parliament in June next year." He said the membership list, which was password protected and encrypted, had been stolen from the party. "This isn't a question of us mislaying the information, this is theft," he said. Darby claimed the list contained the names of people who had never been members of the party as well as the names of current and former members. Although the party is taking action to take down the list, Darby conceded: "Once it's out, it's out." "We are worried because kids' names are on the list. It is not information that should be in the public domain," he added. "We are always receiving death threats." He said the party discovered the information had been leaked when its members started receiving unsolicited mail. "We found that members were being sent propaganda. We went to the Manchester high court and obtained an injunction. It cost tens of thousands of pounds," he said. Darby said the party had complained to Dyfed Powys police – the BNP carries out much of its administration in Welshpool – but the force was unable to confirm that a complaint had been made. The publication sparked alarm among the BNP's membership. "I'm also on the list, what the fuck is going on? I could lose my job," posted one member on a north-west England BNP forum. Another wrote: "God help anyone who is in the army, the prison service, health care, police officer or a teacher." Since 2004, police officers have faced dismissal if found to be members of the BNP.
Inflation drops to 4.5% Lower petrol prices pull consumer prices inflation down sharply from 16-year high and clear way for further big rate cuts Publ.Date : Tue, 18 Nov 2008 09:46:51 GMT
David Cameron abandons commitment to match Labour spending David Cameron today abandoned his commitment to matching Labour's spending plans from 2010 as he warned of a future "tax bombshell" if Gordon Brown presses ahead with plans to borrow £30bn to boost the British economy. In a keynote speech on the economy in London, the Conservative leader insisted increased borrowing today would mean higher taxes tomorrow as he ripped up his pledge to follow the government's spending commitment in 2010. Cameron predicted tax rises equivalent to an 8% increase in income tax if the government went ahead with a "borrowing binge". "We can't afford a spending splurge," the Tory chief said. "Gordon Brown knows that borrowing today means higher taxes tomorrow and if he doesn't tell you that he's misleading you." Cameron rejected suggestions the announcement would lead to real-terms spending cuts, claiming it would simply amount to "lower levels of increases". "The right thing to do for the long term isn't always the easiest thing in the short term," Cameron said. The Conservative leader said he was a "practical man not an ideologue". "I believe in simpler taxes and lower tax rates," he added. Insisting that "free enterprise is best", Cameron warned against political interference with the Bank of England's independence to cut interest rates. After Cameron became leader he promised to match Labour's spending plans up until the 2010-11 financial year. The policy was particularly important at a time when it was thought Brown might call an early election and it meant the Conservatives were protected against the Labour charge that a Cameron government would slash spending on essential public services. In his speech today, Cameron claimed Labour would no longer be able to use this line of attack successfully because people would not believe them. "Of course, Labour will try their old lies about Tory cuts. If they do, we will know they are planning tax rises. But they don't understand what has changed. "The world has moved on. People are not fools. They can see that reducing the increase in government spending is not a cut, but what it says: less of an increase. And in any case, after 11 years of waste and broken promises from Labour, they can see that spending more and more alone does not guarantee that things get better." Cameron did not say how he would reduce spending. He said he had asked all shadow ministers to review every spending programme to see "if it is really necessary and really justifiable". Taking questions from reporters, he refused to say whether the Conservatives would vote against tax cuts the government was expected to announce in its pre-budget report. He said that until the party saw exactly what was proposed, he could not say whether or not he would support them. Alistair Darling, the chancellor, hit back, accusing the Conservatives of turning their back on the electorate. "There is a consensus here and right across the world that governments need to support people and support the wider economy," he said. "We will not be turning our back on on people like the Tories. Yes, we will be tightening our belts, just like the country is tightening its belt, in the face of a slowing economy." Peter Mandelson, the business secretary, also waded into the row, arguing that there would be "very serious" consequences if the government did not do "all it could to help British businesses survive".
Jonathan Ross's return to BBC hinges on the BBC Trust, Sir Michael Lyons tells MPs BBC Trust chairman Sir Michael Lyons has expressed his displeasure at the announcement of Jonathan Ross's return date to his Radio 2 show before the 'Sachsgate' inquiry had been completed. By John Plunkett Publ.Date : Tue, 18 Nov 2008 11:55:52 GMT
Football: Maradona shrugs off Butcher snub and vilifies English achievements of 1966 Diego Maradona took a World Cup semi-final place from England in 1986 and today he took the urine. Argentina's new head coach told a captive audience in Glasgow that it was hypocritical of the English to vilify him for the Hand of God when Sir Alf Ramsey's side had bent the rules to win their own World Cup at Wembley two decades before. A warm reception is anticipated for the 48-year-old when he steps into international management against Scotland tomorrow night . Maradona's accusation was delivered with mirth rather than menace as he held his first besieged official press conference since being unveiled as the surprise successor to Alfio Basile earlier this month. His first game brings him into confrontation with Terry Butcher, the Scotland assistant manager who was part of the England team beaten by Maradona's duplicity and brilliance in Mexico 22 years ago and who this week expressed a lingering wish to punch the former Argentina captain for that infamous first goal. "I don't know why Butcher is taking this attitude," said Maradona, rolling his eyes and feigning hurt when informed by a translator that George Burley's number two will not be shaking his hand at Hampden Park. "I am fine with people who are fine with me and I don't understand why Butcher takes this attitude. Let Butcher get on with his life and I will get on with mine. If he doesn't shake my hand I will still be alive the next morning. I'm not going to lose any sleep over it." A female journalist then asked whether he would not feel resentment at being cheated out of a World Cup quarter-final. Maradona paused, then smiled, then drew a parallel between the Hand of God and Geoff Hurst's second goal against West Germany in the 1966 World Cup Final. "I say to the young lady, England won a World Cup with a goal that never crossed the line. It was plain to everyone who saw it that it never went in, so I don't think it's fair that everyone should judge me when stuff like that went on." Warming to his theme, Maradona held his hands a foot apart and added: "It was this much before the line. They just never used to have action replays in those days." Cue raucous laughter from the Scottish and Argentinean contingent inside the Radisson Hotel. England-baiting aside, there was a seriousness to Maradona's address befitting a man with his troubled history and a manager who, prior to taking on the role of leading one of international football's superpowers, had overseen just 23 games from the sidelines as coach of Deportivo Mandiyu and Racing Club in the mid-1990s. The legendary player dismissed the suggestion he has plenty to prove as coach of an Argentina side that has won only one of its last eight matches and lost its last World Cup qualifying game to Chile. "I don't feel under pressure at all," said Maradona, who will work alongside his World Cup winning coach, Carlos Bilardo, in the national set-up. "If I hadn't accepted the offer I would have been a coward and I didn't want to shy away from the challenge. We have a long hard road ahead of us, it is not going to be easy, but the Argentinean national team needed someone to guide and help them and now we are on a mission together. Hopefully we will have a collective experience on the road to South Africa." Inexperience is not the only charge levelled against Maradona since his appointment, with his temperament also on trial in the international spotlight. As a player he blamed a failed drugs test at the 1994 World Cup on a FIFA-led conspiracy to hound him from the game while his cheerleading displays at the 2006 World Cup in Germany are clearly ill-suited to the technical area. "I am the manager of Argentina now and I'm not going to get involved in anything like that," he said of football's politics. "As for the touchline, it depends on how the team are playing. If they are making me feel safe and sound then I'll be fine. If they are making me nervy then maybe I will behave like you saw in Germany." Maradona scored his first international goal against Scotland at Hampden Park in 1979 and flirted with the possibility of one day managing in Britain. He also refuted the theory that great players do not make great coaches. "Cruyff showed in his time with Barcelona, with what he achieved there, that that can be the case," he reasoned. It was when asked to describe his own personal journey, one that has entailed cocaine addiction and a fight for his life in a Cuban clinic offered by Fidel Castro, that Maradona gave the shortest reply of all. "I get up every morning, simple as that," he said. "I get up every morning."
When stars take charge
Franz Beckenbauer West Germany Transferred his leadership qualities from pitch to dugout, winning the World Cup as the captain in 1974 and as the manager in 1990, still the only man to do so Marco van Basten Holland Began his managerial career in the national job in 2004 and made a name for discarding big guns, dropping Ruud van Nistelrooy en route to defeat to Portugal in the 2006 World Cup second round Michel Platini France Appointed as the national coach in 1988 a year after his retirement but failed to reach the 1990 World Cup. Stepped down after early exit at Euro 92 Gheorghe Hagi Romania The Maradona of the Carpathians bombed as the national coach and was sacked after six maverick months
Barack Obama renews promise to break with George Bush on environment in video shown at Arnold Schwarzenegger summit Barack Obama today renewed his promise to make a decisive break with George Bush on the environment, using a summit convened by Arnold Schwarzenegger to promise a "new chapter in America's leadership on climate change". The video appearance by Obama confirmed Schwarzenegger's role as a global leader on climate change, a position shored up only hours before when the California governor set a bold new target for his state to get a third of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020. In his address, the president-elect accused Bush of failing to show leadership on the issue of climate change. "That will change when I take office," he said. He went on to lay out an ambitious agenda, beginning with targets aimed at reducing greenhouse gas ambitions to 1990 levels by 2020. He also reiterated a campaign pledge to invest $15bn each year in development of clean technology - including coal and nuclear power. "This investment will not only help us reduce our dependence on foreign oil, making the United States more secure. And it will not only help us bring about a clean energy future, saving our planet. It will also help us transform our industries and steer our country out of this economic crisis by generating 5m new green jobs that pay well and can't be outsourced." Schwarzenegger's targets for electricity generation as well as Obama's appearance at the conference confirmed the governor's leadership role in efforts to curb green house gas emissions at a time when there has been a vacuum at the federal government level. Yesterday, the governor signed an executive order committing California to obtain a third of its electricity from renewable sources. "I am proposing we set the most aggressive target in the nation for renewable energy," he told reporters. The state legislature still must pass the goal into law. Even before yesterday's order, California was already committed to producing 20% of its power from wind and solar power by 2010, and new plants are under construction in the state. "Today is all about changing our goals and raising the bar," Schwarzenegger said. Today's summit comes at a pivotal time, ahead of the United Nations meeting on climate in Poland next month and amid expectation of a dramatic shift in US environmental policy once Obama is in the White House. As Obama noted in the video address, he will not attend the meeting in Poland but had asked members of Congress who will be there to report back to him. "Once I take office, you can be sure that the United States will once again engage vigorously in these negotiations, and help lead the world toward a new era of global cooperation on climate change," he said. "When I am president, any governor who's willing to promote clean energy will have a partner in the White House. Any company that's willing to invest in clean energy will have an ally in Washington. And any nation that's willing to join the cause of combating climate change will have an ally in the United States of America." Schwarzenegger's meeting brought together European, Indian and Chinese officials, oil company executives and environmentalists along with a handful of Schwarzenegger's fellow governors. Schwarzenegger invited his 49 fellow governors to the summit, but only four - from Florida, Illinois, Kansas and Wisconsin - were expected to make an appearance. Representatives from Michigan, Colorado, Utah and Washington state were also on hand. Although California is unable to sign international treaties on climate change, Schwarzenegger has built a reputation for his efforts to cut emissions both in California and abroad. He set up a cape-and-trade emissions market between western US states and Canadian provinces. The governor is expected to follow up on those efforts at the summit with a declaration in which participating leaders will pledge to work together to reduce emissions. "This declaration will help advance efforts being undertaken by our national governments for the next global agreement on climate change," Schwarzenegger's office said in a statement. Schwarzenegger is also expected to sign agreements with Indonesia and Brazil making it easier for California companies to invest in reforestation projects in those countries. However, the governor was also accused of trying to pre-empt Obama, who has committed to bringing in a national emissions reduction plan within two years. The agenda for the summit carries a disclaimer saying it is not intended to displace any action by the federal government. Schwarzenegger said in a statement that the summit was aimed at a global audience. "We are sending a powerful message to the rest of the world, while striving to influence the position our national governments take in the next global agreement on climate change," he said.
Russia to build nuclear reactor for Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez Russia's deepening strategic partnership with Venezuela took a dramatic step forward today when it emerged that Moscow has agreed to build Venezuela's first ever nuclear reactor. President Dmitry Medvedev is expected to sign a nuclear cooperation agreement with his Venezuelan counterpart, Hugo Chávez, during a visit to Latin America next week, part of a determined Russian push into the region. The reactor is to be named after Humberto Fernandez Moran, a late Venezuelan research scientist and former science minister, Chávez has announced. It is one of many accords he hopes to sign while hosting Medvedev in Caracas next week. The prospect of a nuclear deal between Moscow and Caracas, following a surge in Russian economic, military, political and intelligence activity in Latin America, is likely to alarm the US and present an early challenge to the Obama administration. "Hugo Chávez joins the nuclear club," Russian's Vedomosti newspaper trumpeted today. Venezuela's socialist leader said the reactor may be based in the eastern state of Zulia. He stressed that the project would be for peaceful purposes. As if to underline that point, four Japanese survivors from the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs visited Venezuela this week at the government's invitation. The energy ministry, which is scouting locations, said the project was at a very early stage. A report which mooted a nuclear reactor long before Chávez came to power has been dusted off. Despite abundant oil reserves, Venezuela's energy infrastructure is creaking and prone to blackouts. A nuclear reactor would enable the country to utilise its rich uranium deposits and allay criticism that the government has neglected energy investment. More importantly for Moscow and Caracas, a nuclear deal will showcase a partnership which advocates creating new "poles" of power to check American hegemony. Nick Day, a Latin American specialist, said the nuclear deal was deliberately timed to pile pressure on the US administration during a moment of transition and weakness. "Russia is manoeuvring hard in the time between Obama's election and his inauguration. What the Russians are trying to do is to set up a chessboard that gives them greater mobility in negotiations when he [Obama] comes to power," Day said. He added: "Russia's message is: 'We can exert influence in your backyard if you continue to exert influence in our backyard. If you don't take your missiles out of Poland and end Nato expansion we're going to increase our influence in Latin America and do things to provoke you.'" According to Sergei Novikov, spokesman for Russia's federal nuclear agency, no reactor can be built until both countries have signed a preliminary agreement on nuclear cooperation. This will be signed next week, Novikov told Vedomosti. Both presidents are also expected to firm up details of a Russian-Venezuelan energy consortium to jointly produce and sell oil and gas. Russian companies which are already exploring oilfields in Venezuela could then extend their reach to fields in Ecuador and Bolivia. Venezuela has bought $4bn of Russian arms, including Sukhoi fighter jets, making it one of Moscow's best clients. Chávez has spoken of also buying Project 636 diesel submarines, Mi-28 combat helicopters, T72 tanks and air-defence systems. Despite the spending spree, Venezuela's military has not tipped the regional balance of power. Chávez's armed forces lag behind that of Brazil, Chile and Colombia and analysts question Venezuelan effectiveness. For Russia's president, however, Caracas is a valuable springboard into Latin America. In addition to Venezuela, Medvedev will visit Peru, Brazil and Cuba — the first trip by a Russian leader to Havana in eight years. Moscow has spoken of reviving Soviet-era intelligence cooperation with the communist island and in a sign of dramatically improved ties, President Raul Castro last month attended the opening of a Russian Orthodox cathedral in Havana.
Miliband: Syria can kickstart Middle East peace process Syria should play a "constructive role" in the search for Middle East peace, David Miliband urged on his groundbreaking visit to Damascus today. But the foreign secretary said that rocket attacks by Hamas, supported by Syria, were harming that process. Speaking after talks with the country's president, Bashar al-Assad, Miliband mixed flattery with a warning that a commitment to peace was not compatible with backing for the Palestinian Islamists who now control the Gaza Strip. "Syria is a very important country with important responsibilities," the foreign secretary told reporters at a joint press conference with his Syrian counterpart, Walid al-Muallem. "Syria has the opportunity to play a constructive role for peace in the region." But he added pointedly: "I argue that Hamas's violence hurts Syria, which says it believes in a comprehensive peace." Muallem sidestepped a question about Syrian support for Hamas and the Lebanese Shia movement Hizbullah, both of which are treated by Britain and the US as terrorist organisations. Miliband's visit to Damascus is the first by a British cabinet minister since Tony Blair was publicly lectured by Assad shortly after the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001. According to Syria's official news agency, Sana, Assad told Miliband today that peace needed "seriousness" from Israel and an "honest sponsor and an effective European role". The president said that a comprehensive peace based on UN resolutions was the "only way to bring about security and stability in the region". Miliband's 24-hour stay represents a significant thaw in relations between the two countries. By engaging with Syria the UK hopes to encourage signs that Barack Obama, the US president-elect, will reverse the George Bush-era policy of boycotting and sanctioning the Assad regime, Iran's only Arab ally. Miliband said he believed the election of a new administration in the United States "does represent a new opportunity for engagement by the US in the Middle East region". Syria is delighted with the visit – a speedily arranged return fixture after Muallem came to London three weeks ago. Damascus feels things have been going its way since the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, broke the ice in the summer by inviting Assad to an EU summit in Paris. Britain points to tightening Syrian control of its border with Iraq, its improving relations with Lebanon and its desire to continue negotiating with Israel. Last month Syria formalised its diplomatic ties with Lebanon after dominating it for nearly three decades until 2005. It also held indirect peace talks with Israel through Turkish mediation. The foreign secretary told the BBC: "Syria certainly has had some big questions to answer about the flow of foreign fighters into Iraq, about the situation in Lebanon, about its contribution to the stability of the region." The Israeli president, Shimon Peres, visiting London, expressed concern that Syria was "divided" – wanting both peace with Israel and continued relations with Hizbullah and Iran. "I am afraid that Syria thinks it can make two moves – forwards and backwards – and that is a problem," Peres said. "If Syria will understand that they can't have the Golan Heights and keep Lebanon as a base for the Iranians, then the decision will be clear. But if she wants the Golan Heights back and keeps her bases in Lebanon - which are really controlled and financed by the Iranians - no Israeli will agree to have Iranians on our borders." Syria's Golan Heights have been occupied by Israel since 1967. Moallem also disputed that the UN nuclear agency's discovery of uranium traces at a bombed site was an indication that Syria was building a nuclear reactor. He reiterated that the site was "under construction and it's not operational ... It's a military establishment and not for nuclear purposes."
Northern Ireland parties reach devolution agreement on police and justice The five-month deadlock that reduced the Northern Ireland assembly at Stormont to a political stalemate was broken today. The province's two largest parties, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Sinn Féin, announced that they had agreed a deal on devolving policing and justice powers. The protracted dispute over when to transfer responsibility for the police and courts from Westminster to Northern Ireland has prevented other business being carried out. The governing executive in Belfast has not met since June. Both the first minister, Peter Robinson, of the DUP, and the deputy first minister, Martin McGuinness, of Sinn Féin, confirmed the new deal would enable cabinet meetings to resume from Thursday, and Robinson called on Gordon Brown to help finalise the process. "We believe these agreements are capable of gaining the confidence of the community," Robinson said, "and we look to the prime minister to make good his commitment of helping to resolve the financial arrangements relating to the devolution of these powers. "The executive … meetings will continue each week until business is up to date; we will then revert to our fortnightly meeting. "The agreement we have reached represents a very satisfactory resolution," Robinson added. Brown said: "This is a historic day for Northern Ireland which writes a new chapter in their history. "For the first time we have seen a breakthrough in the deadlock over the devolution of policing and justice, and this is the last building block in the process for bringing peace and democracy to Northern Ireland." The Northern Ireland Secretary of State, Shaun Woodward, said the deal was all the stronger for having been brokered by Northern Ireland's own parties. "This is homegrown," he said. "It is something authored by the politicians of Northern Ireland. It will actually mark a maturing of the political process." In Dublin, the Taoiseach, Brian Cowen, said the Irish government welcomed the deal: "It is of great importance that devolution of policing and justice powers proceed. Its successful completion will be the final piece of the jigsaw of the peace process." The Conservative shadow secretary for Northern Ireland, Owen Paterson, also welcomed the deal. Secret talks have been ongoing between Sinn Féin and the DUP over the last few weeks to end the potential crisis in the fragile Stormont coalition. The impasse had been caused by disagreement over when policing and judicial powers are to be transferred from London to Belfast. Sinn Féin appeared not to have realised its goal of setting a precise date for devolving the powers to Stormont. Instead McGuinness and Robinson agreed to a series of steps leading to the eventual transfer of those powers. Under the deal, temporary arrangements for electing a justice minister will be replaced by permanent rules by May 2012. There is no timetable but both parties have committed to seeing the process through. McGuinness said "significant progress" had been made, and both ministers said they wanted devolution to happen "without undue delay". "We are both agreed that policing and justice functions should be devolved; every leading politician in this community is committed to this outcome," McGuinness said. The Sinn Féin MP joked that this Thursday marks his 34th wedding anniversary and said he hoped he would back from the cabinet meeting in time for dinner with his wife Bernie. The ministers were speaking after a private meeting of the assembly and executive review committee. Under the deal a new attorney general is to be appointed for Northern Ireland. Currently, the attorney general for England and Wales also holds the Northern Irish post. The two ministers said they are "minded to invite" barrister John Larkin QC to take the post. Larkin is a Catholic who was educated at a Christian Brothers grammar school in west Belfast. He previously held the Reid Professor of Law post at Trinity College, a chair once occupied by the Irish President, Mary McAleese. It has been speculated the centrist Alliance party, currently in opposition in the assembly, may be invited into government and offered the justice ministry as a compromise measure. An Alliance spokesman said it would call for extra sessions of the assembly to be held in the weeks before Christmas to catch up on lost business and demonstrate cross-party commitment to power-sharing. Asked whether the party could take the justice portfolio, he said: "We are willing to be constructive for the people of Northern Ireland." Alternatively, the ministry could be offered to another party at Stormont, such as the nationalist SDLP or the Ulster Unionist party.
Congo army chief sacked after defeats by Laurent Nkunda's rebels The head of the army in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been sacked after a series of defeats against rebels in the east of the country. President Joseph Kabila replaced Dieudonne Kayembe with General Didier Etumba due to the "urgency of the situation", according to state television. Etumba was previously head of the navy and former head of military intelligence. The change comes after a number of chaotic army retreats from rebel advances. On Sunday, the rebels seized a government army base despite a promise by the Tutsi rebel leader, Laurent Nkunda, to observe a ceasefire. Yesterday, they took control of Rwindi, the headquarters of Virunga national park. There were reports today of soldiers fighting Mai Mai militia who are usually loyal to the government. The fighting, which took place around Kanyabayonga, about 80 miles (130km) north of the regional capital, Goma, suggests splits within Congo's fractured army. "Kayembe has been removed. I guess the president wants to change the dynamics after the losses," a source close to Kabila told Reuters. The Congolese army is dogged by low morale, poor discipline and allegations of corruption. Four soldiers were convicted yesterday of rape, looting and deserting their posts, according to AFP. The British Foreign Office announced today that Lord Malloch-Brown, the minister for Africa, would travel to Congo next week to meet Kabila and the Rwandan president, Paul Kagame, to discuss the violence, which erupted at the end of August and has displaced at least 250,000 people. The government has refused to negotiate with Nkunda.
China denies stealing US space technology American physicist pleads guilty to selling rocket technology to Beijing officials Publ.Date : Tue, 18 Nov 2008 11:40:06 GMT
Spike Milligan memorabilia auction A taste of more than 100 lots of Spike Milligan memorabilia, including books, scripts, letters, gifts and personal effects, that are up for auction Publ.Date : Tue, 18 Nov 2008 12:11:44 GMT
Video: It's a Mickey Mouse birthday The Disney character celebrates turning 80 as we look back on his colourful career Publ.Date : Tue, 18 Nov 2008 11:25:52 GMT
Pakistani wrestlers Dramatic pictures of the ancient sport of kushti wrestling Publ.Date : Tue, 18 Nov 2008 11:30:16 GMT
Guardian Daily podcast: Pakistan’s battle against Islamist militants; plus organ donation plans rejected Jason Burke reports from north-west Pakistan, where government troops are fighting Taliban militants. The UK Organ Donation Taskforce has rejected calls for an opt-out system. One member of the panel, Dr Paul Murphy, tells health editor Sarah Boseleywhy the taskforce reached that decision. A government inquiry is under way into the tragedy of 'Baby P', the 17-month-old infant who died in Haringey after repeated abuse by his guardians, despite 60 visits from care workers. Robert Booth looks at what the investigation hopes to achieve. Martin Chulov reports from Baghdad on plans to build an underground railway system in the Iraqi capital. And Duran Duran talk to our Latin American correspondent Rory Carroll on their first visit to Colombia. Publ.Date : Tue, 18 Nov 2008 07:21:33 GMT
