Arrows crash probe to take weeks

22 August 2011 Last updated at 13:55 GMT Flt Lt Egging was known to colleagues and friends as 'Eggman' An investigation into a crash which killed a member of the Red Arrows display team could take weeks, officials have indicated.

All Hawk T1 aircraft were grounded after Flt Lt Jon Egging died when his plane came down after a display near Bournemouth airport on Saturday.

The incident is now the subject of a Military Aviation Authority investigation, which has no time limit.

An inquest in Bournemouth was opened and adjourned earlier.

The inquest heard 33-year-old Flt Lt Egging's body was found close to the crash site near the River Stour.

A post-mortem examination showed the cause of death was multiple injuries.

The inquest was adjourned while investigations are carried out.

Coroner Sheriff Payne said it was unlikely that a full inquest would be held for up to 12 months.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said the Military Aviation Authority investigation could take weeks but an interim report was expected within days.

While this is under way all flights by the Hawk T1 - a fleet of about 170 aircraft including trainers - have been suspended.

'Very upset'

At the Red Arrows' base at RAF Scampton, in Lincolnshire, an unofficial memorial has been growing as well-wishers leave tributes.

A book of condolence has also been opened.

Enthusiast John Robinson said: "It has been has been very sad, there is normally quite a buzz about the place but it is very low level now.

"Obviously the main topic of conversation has been this sad loss and a lot of people are very upset."

All nine Red Arrows display pilots are fast jet pilots from front-line RAF squadrons.

Flt Lt Egging joined the RAF in 2000 and served with IV (AC) Squadron, based at RAF Cottesmore, flying the Harrier GR9 in support of coalition forces in Afghanistan.

The Red Arrows have used the dual control BAE Systems Hawk T1 aircraft since 1979.

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Osh probe finds 'serious' crimes

3 May 2011 Last updated at 12:22 GMT The ethnic fighting in southern Kyrgyzstan forced tens of thousands of people to flee An independent inquiry into ethnic violence in Kyrgyzstan last year says it found serious violations of international law - some of which could amount to crimes against humanity.

The report highlighted weak government structures and the possible complicity of security personnel as factors.

The Kyrgyz government condemned the report's findings as "unacceptable".

The riots last June between ethnic Uzbeks and Kyrgyz left hundreds dead in the south of the country.

The violence, which was mainly centred in the cities of Osh and Jalalabad, followed weeks of turmoil after the ousting of then President Kurmanbek Bakiyev in a mass uprising in April 2010.

'Selectively targeted'

The report from the Kyrgyzstan Inquiry Commission (KIC) said the attacks resulted in "significant loss of life and injury on both sides of the ethnic conflict, with some 470 deaths, and thousands more injured".

The inquiry led by Kimmo Kiljunen, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly's special representative for Central Asia, said "fragile state institutions and the weak rule of law" had fuelled the conflict.

Continue reading the main story

The failure of members of the security forces to protect their equipment raises questions of complicity in the events, either directly or indirectly”

End Quote KIC report It said the majority - 74% - of those killed were Uzbek and 25% were Kyrgyz.

"The basic responsibility of any government is to protect all its citizens, which obligation was not fulfilled in southern Kyrgyzstan last June," Mr Kiljunen said.

The report, based on 750 interviews with witnesses and analysis of factual evidence, said that historical tensions also played a role.

Hundreds of thousands of people were displaced in the violence, while there was also wide-scale damage to property, most of which was Uzbek-owned, the inquiry said.

The KIC also said that arrests and trials since the event had selectively targeted members of the ethnic Uzbek community.

Fifty-nine Uzbeks and seven Kyrgyz have so far been tried in connection to the violence, the report says.

The report found attackers "in many instances" had seized arms from the security forces with little resistance.

It asked the government to investigate the role of security forces during the period.

"The failure of members of the security forces to protect their equipment raises questions of complicity in the events, either directly or indirectly," the report stated.

'Result of former regimes'

The commission said that certain attacks in Uzbek neighbourhoods in Osh between 11 and 13 June could amount to crimes against humanity if proved in court.

"Furthermore, there were many other criminal acts and serious violations of international human rights law," it stated.

The Kyrgyz authorities, who took over after Kurmanbek Bakiyev was forced from power, had supported the creation of the KIC following the violence.

But the government dismissed the conclusions, saying "circumstances from which the conflict arose were not due to the provisional government and were not from the events of April-May 2010".

"They were as a result of protracted policies implemented by former regimes," a statement said.

It also disagreed that ethnic Uzbeks had suffered disproportionately.

"Kyrgyzstan considers it completely unacceptable that the documents clearly display an overwhelming tendency that only one ethnic group has committed crimes, ignoring the victims and deaths of this very group," the government said.

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Clegg critic quits in fraud probe

18 April 2011 Last updated at 12:39 GMT Warren Bradley is the former leader of Liverpool City Council A senior Lib Dem councillor who urged Nick Clegg to end the coalition has stepped down as the party's leader on Liverpool City Council over fraud allegations.

Warren Bradley denies a claim he put his teenage son forward for nomination as a candidate without his knowledge.

It is understood a Labour councillor reported the matter to police. The Lib Dems have launched an internal probe.

Mr Bradley last week warned the Lib Dems face electoral oblivion.

He said the party could "disappear into the annals of history" in 5 May's English local elections if Mr Clegg did not pull out of the party's coalition with the Conservatives at Westminster.

'Not political'

Mr Bradley's resignation comes amid controversy over whether his 18-year-old son Daniel was properly nominated to stand as a candidate in Liverpool's Central Ward.

The allegation is that Warren Bradley falsely witnessed the nomination papers which were not in fact signed by his son.

In an interview with the Liverpool Daily Post, Daniel Bradley said: "I went in to see who signed for me. I did not put my name down. But I was told it was too late [to withdraw]. I went to have a look at the nomination paper and it was not my signature. I am not political at all."

But in an e-mail to Lib Dem councillors in Liverpool, Mr Bradley responded: "I have today been accused by the media of putting my son's name forward to stand for election, without his knowledge, and then to underline my intention I spoke to the press as if to reaffirm the fraud...

"I cannot say too much at this stage for obvious reasons, but to inform you I totally deny this allegation and am seeking legal advice to that end."

'Indefensible'

A Lib Dem spokesman said: "We can confirm that Warren Bradley 's resignation has been accepted with immediate effect.

"The party takes allegations of this nature extremely seriously and has launched an internal inquiry. We are also cooperating with all other relevant authorities.

"Flo Clucas will take up the role of acting leader until a leadership election can take place."

Mr Bradley's resignation comes ahead of local elections across much of England on 5 May.

In comments to Mr Clegg, leaked to the BBC last week, Mr Bradley warned that possible defeats could set the party back 40 years in Liverpool and said local councillors were "tired of defending the indefensible".

"The boil is about to come to a head and burst (probably on election night) when we lose some very well respected and experienced colleagues from Liverpool City Council."

The Lib Dems lost control of Liverpool City Council to Labour last year.

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Ed Miliband urges hacking probe

9 April 2011 Last updated at 17:25 GMT It is understood compensation will be offered to eight people, including the four pictured above Labour leader Ed Miliband has called for a thorough investigation of alleged "criminal behaviour" at the News of the World.

It comes after News International admitted there were at least eight victims of the phone-hacking scandal.

The company issued an apology and put aside £20m for compensation.

Lawyer Charlotte Harris, involved in several of the current cases, said there would now be a "massive flood of people contacting lawyers".

She told the BBC some of her clients - who include football agent Sky Andrew and actors Leslie Ash and Lee Chapman - had already been contacted by News International and were considering their options.

Who and when

For years News International insisted there had been just one "rogue" reporter involved in the hacking of phones.

During a campaign visit to Swindon, Mr Miliband said: "What we have seen is a serious admission of wrongdoing by News International.

"We have now got to get to the bottom of any criminal behaviour, which is a matter for the police and should be thoroughly investigated. We need to know who knew about these actions and when."

Continue reading the main story Torin Douglas BBC media correspondent

News International's admission of liability, in some of the cases brought against it, is intended to limit the damage it faces - and not just financially.

Cases could be settled without NoW executives giving evidence in court, and having to reveal who knew what was going on.

But the admission is likely to encourage more public figures to pursue claims. That could spread to other newspapers suspected of using private investigators to hack into phones.

MPs will expect answers from News International executives and senior police officers who previously denied that phone hacking was widespread.

And the company's "mea culpa" does nothing to halt the new, more vigorous, police investigation, which has led to two arrests.

News International is said to have set aside up to £20m for compensation. That shows the scale of its problems. Many think it may not be enough.

Former MP George Galloway said he had recently been shown by the Met Police "incontrovertible proof" that his phone had been hacked, including five times in one day in April 2003.

He said News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks, formerly NoW editor, should be questioned urgently by the police.

"When my case comes to court I will be citing her and my counsel will be demanding answers about her part in this."

News International, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch and also owns the Times and Sun newspapers, said it would continue to co-operate with the Metropolitan Police inquiry.

It said the apology related to voicemail interception between 2004 and 2006.

Meanwhile, former Deputy Prime Minister Lord Prescott, who says he was a hacking victim, wants parent company News Corp's proposed takeover of BSkyB delayed while police investigate.

But the government said its decision on the merger would not be influenced by the hacking controversy.

Labour leader Ed Miliband says the apology "doesn't draw a line under the affair"

A Department of Culture, Media and Sport spokesman said: "Legally the culture secretary cannot consider other factors as part of this process and under law phone-hacking is not seen as relevant to media plurality."

BBC business editor Robert Peston said News International was offering to settle with eight people, including former culture secretary Tessa Jowell, designer Kelly Hoppen and sports broadcaster Andy Gray.

Mrs Jowell's estranged husband David Mills, Joan Hammell, former aide to Lord Prescott, Nicola Phillips, assistant to publicist Max Clifford, and former Olympian and talent agent Sky Andrew are also believed to have been offered compensation.

Actress Sienna Miller's solicitor Mark Thomson, of law firm Atkins Thomson, said his client had not accepted any offer of settlement.

"She is awaiting information and disclosure from the News of the World which has been ordered by the court and will consider her next steps once this is provided.

"Her primary concern is to discover the whole truth and for all those responsible to be held to account," he said.

Mr Clifford, who has received a reported £1m in an out-of-court settlement with the News of the World (NoW), says he would be "very surprised" if more criminal charges did not now follow.

He told the BBC: "You can only imagine that as more comes to light, the more the police find out, and the more information and facts emerge, then the more likelihood there is of criminal charges for other people."

Former Labour communications chief Alastair Campbell urges the News of the World to "come clean"

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Simon Hughes, whose phone messages were hacked, said there was more at stake than simply paying out money to draw a line and silence people.

He said: "If people have committed serious criminal offences, either those who have already been arrested or others, they need to be pursued through the courts and sent to prison because this is a completely unacceptable practice."

But Paul Cunnew, a former deputy editor of the NoW, said the affair raised "worrying" questions that threatened to undermine the very freedom of the press.

'Media machine' Edmondson (l) and Thurlbeck are suspected of having unlawfully intercepted voicemail messages

He said: "There are many people who are in jail because of the NoW's genuine, serious investigations... you've got to be very careful here that this isn't seized upon by people who resent a free press."

The admission also ramps up pressure on the Metropolitan Police, which has been criticised for its handling of the original investigation into hacking and for its relationship with the press.

Brian Paddick, the Met's former deputy assistant commissioner who says his phone messages were intercepted, said the relationship between the police and press had been at times "unhealthy".

He told the BBC either individual officers were too close to editors, or the "media machine" at Scotland Yard went too far in trying to promote good relations.

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Probe preparing for Mercury orbit

21 February 2011 Last updated at 14:50 GMT By Pallab Ghosh Science correspondent, BBC News, Washington DC Eric Finnegan explains some of Mercury Messenger's special features

The arrival of a Nasa probe in orbit around Mercury will transform our understanding of the innermost planet.

Messenger will be the first probe to orbit Mercury; it was previously visited by the Mariner 10 spacecraft, which made several passes in the 1970s.

The team behind the mission were outlining details to scientists at a conference in Washington DC.

Messenger has already made three flybys of Mercury and is set to enter orbit around the rocky world on 17 March.

When Mariner 10 visited the planet in 1974, it sent back pictures of what seemed to some at the time an uninteresting planet compared with Venus, Mars and the Solar System's gas giants.

But Dr Nancy Chabot who is Messenger's instrument scientist, said Mercury was "under-appreciated".

But observations from Earth began to show that far from being boring, Mercury may well be unique.

It is a planet of extremes. The world is the closest to the Sun, yet it could have ice at its poles.

And it has a giant metal core unlike any of the other inner Solar System planets. Planetary scientists began to think that understanding Mercury might be the key to understanding how all the inner rocky planets formed. And so the Messenger mission was born.

According to Dr Chabot, "what you can learn when you are in orbit is so different from when you are just flying past by gathering data as you go. This is really going to revolutionise what we know about this planet."

Messenger will be the first spacecraft to study Mercury's geology in detail. In particular, scientists will be interested in data from the planet's giant core.

There are three theories as to how the planet came to have such an inner structure: It was created that way; it used to be much larger and a giant impact ripped off much of the rocky crust; or, most intriguingly, that Mercury was once much larger - but an early solar event partially vaporised its surface.

The Messenger mission should help determine which of these theories is correct.

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