Henning Murder 'Turned Tide' On IS Recruitment

Lib Dem Minister Quits With Attack On May

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 04 November 2014 | 23.17

Home Office minister Norman Baker has quit the Cabinet, launching an attack on his Conservative boss, Home Secretary Theresa May.

The Liberal Democrat crime prevention minister is stepping down after a year of internal battles with Mrs May.

He is being replaced as Home Office minister by fellow Lib Dem Lynne Featherstone.

Last week, Mr Baker became embroiled in a fresh disagreement over drugs policy and accused the Tories of suppressing a report which backed his case for a review of the current law.

Mr Baker said: "I'm afraid that the Home Secretary, who I think is a formidable woman and a very competent Home Secretary, has one great drawback, which is that she regards this a Conservative department in a Conservative government and it's not.

"It's a Coalition department in a Coalition government and I'm afraid that mindset has rather soured things."

He added: "Clearly, there were issues which were in my portfolio which I wanted to take forward and under normal circumstances in any other department I would have been allowed to progress and really there were obstacles put in the way sometimes.

Video: Clegg Respects Baker's Decision

"Her special advisers, in particular, were scrutinising what I was doing and they tried to minimise my room for manoeuvre."

Mr Baker told The Independent the experience of working at the department was like "walking through mud" as he found his plans thwarted by her and her advisers.

The Lib Dem MP also accused Mrs May of viewing her Coalition colleagues as "a cuckoo in the nest rather than part of Government".

In his resignation letter to party leader Nick Clegg, he said: "I regret that in the Home Office, the goodwill to work collegiately to take forward rational evidence-based policy has been in somewhat short supply.

"I have concluded, therefore, that for the time being at least, my time is better spent out of ministerial office.

Video: Baker Denies Row With May (30 Oct)

"You will of course continue to have my full support in the run-up to, and beyond, the next election which I anticipate is likely to produce another hung parliament."

In reply, Mr Clegg said: "Thank you for the brilliant job you have done as a minister over the past four and a half years, first at the Department of Transport and more recently at the Home Office.

"In both posts you have proved yourself as one of the most effective ministers in Government: always determined to deliver a more liberal agenda for Britain."

Ms Featherstone has said she is "very happy to be returning to the Home Office".

"I have always had a very constructive relationship with Theresa May and I look forward to working with her again," she said.

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'Bubbly' Student Died After Halloween Party

A female university student found dead after a Halloween party at a Liverpool nightclub has been named as Alisha Bartolini.

The 18-year-old's body was found by ambulance crews inside a property on Taggart Avenue on the Liverpool Hope University campus in the Childwall area of the city on Saturday evening.

Her parents Michaela and Sean described their daughter as "intelligent, bubbly" and said her death was "every parent's worst nightmare".

The Liverpool Hope University marketing and media student is believed to have been at a Halloween-themed party at the Medication nightclub in the city centre on Friday night.

She was found dead the following evening at her halls of residence in Childwall, south Liverpool.

Police are treating her death as unexplained and waiting for test results following a post-mortem examination.

Alisha's parents, from Appley Bridge, near Wigan, said: "We are absolutely devastated by the death of our daughter Alisha and are struggling to come to terms with what has happened.

"Alisha was an intelligent, bubbly, popular girl who was much loved by everyone in her family and all her friends.

"No-one can ever expect or prepare for losing a child at such a young age. It is every parent's worst nightmare and we are utterly devastated. We are proud to have spent the time with her.

"We are however comforted by all the love and messages of support we have received from family, friends and neighbours - they are truly appreciated and show just what a beloved and treasured person Alisha was to so many people."

Detective Inspector Ian Warlow, from Merseyside Police, appealed for witnesses or anyone who saw the girl at the club to come forward.

"At this stage of the investigation, the full circumstances of the incident are still being established."

:: Anyone with information is asked to call Merseyside Police on 0151 777 5394 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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GCHQ Chief Says Social Media Aids Terrorists

The new head of GCHQ has accused social media websites of helping terror groups and called for closer ties with intelligence agencies.

Robert Hannigan, who began his new role at the UK's eavesdropping agency on Monday, said US technology companies must work more closely with intelligence agencies to prevent terrorists from misusing their services to avoid surveillance.

In an article in the Financial Times, he said: "However much they [tech companies] may dislike it, they have become the command and control networks of choice for terrorists and criminals, who find their services as transformational as the rest of us."

He added that GCHQ, MI5 and SIS "cannot tackle these challenges at scale without greater support ... including [from] the largest US tech companies which dominate the web".

Islamic State militants have been using the likes of Twitter and YouTube to post material online, including videos of the murders of British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning and US journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff in Syria.

Video: How Is Islamic State Funded?

Mr Hannigan said that smartphone and other mobile technologies increased the opportunities for terrorist activity to be concealed in the wake of the exposing of secret cables and documents collected by US and UK authorities by whistleblower Edward Snowden.

He called for better arrangements to allow security and intelligence agencies to police online traffic.

Jamie Bartlett, author of the book The Dark Net: Inside The Digital Underworld, said it was a difficult issue for internet service providers.

He told Sky News: "It is incredibly difficult for them [intelligence agencies] and the police and indeed on the big internet service providers to actually get a handle on just how much propaganda, how much material is being produced and shared by Islamic State and other terrorist groups on these platforms.

"What we've seen with Islamic State and indeed every other terrorist group is quite a sophisticated way of avoiding censorship.

"Islamic State has been really very good at creating hundreds of different accounts on Twitter and Facebook and every time they're closed down, they simply start again."

Emma Carr, director of Big Brother Watch, denied internet companies were failing to assist in investigations.

She said: "The Government and agencies have consistently failed to provide evidence that internet companies are being actively obstructive.

"These companies have consistently proved through their own transparency reports that they help the intelligence agencies when it is appropriate for them to do so, which is in the vast majority of cases."

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Henning Murder 'Turned Tide' On IS Recruitment

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Video: Henning Murder 'Backfired' On IS

By Mark White, Home Affairs Correspondent

The beheading by Islamic State of British aid worker Alan Henning may have led to thousands of lives being saved because it has deterred young Muslims from joining the jihad, a member of the government's top anti-radicalisation programme has claimed.

So brutal and callous was the murder of the Salford taxi driver that it has "turned the tide" of British people looking to join the fight in Syria and Iraq, Sky News has been told.

In an exclusive interview, Sulaimaan Samuel, who works as a National Safeguarding Mentor for Channel, a Home Office scheme to tackle people judged to be at risk of radicalisation, told Sky News that IS propaganda tactics had "backfired".

It is the first time anyone who works as part of the project has given a detailed insight into IS tactics and the threat the group poses online.

Mr Samuel said the "grotesque" beheading of US journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff in August and September led the Muslim community to start to seriously question IS.

British aid worker David Haines was also beheaded later that month. But it was the murder of Mr Henning in October that was the "turning point", Mr Samuel said.

Video: IS Propaganda 'Backfiring'

"I would personally say to Alan Henning's family: do not think his death has been some type of waste because it hasn't, because his death at the hands of IS is the very thing that has caused the Muslim community to realise that what IS stands for is wrong and can never be condoned.

"In Alan's death he has managed to save thousands of lives now and in the future of people who might potentially have been drawn into going out. He will be saving lives in the future.

"What IS has done has backfired."

Security Minister James Brokenshire said he believed the relative effectiveness of the terror group's own brutal propaganda machine had opened people's eyes to the true nature of IS.

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Gallery: Profile: Alan Henning

Alan Henning, 47, was born in Salford, Greater Manchester. Friends gave him the nickname "gadget" due to his love of technology

He was married for 23 years and he had a teenage son and daughter

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He worked as a self-employed taxi driver

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Mr Henning saw the plight of Syrian people and volunteered with a Muslim charity. He had been to the region at least three times

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He said: "I think some of the shocking videos that we have seen, of brutalising murder, has underlined simply what IS is about and why it has prompted British Muslims to go online, post their own videos to underline their absolute abhorrence to this appalling violence and brutality."

A senior Government security source has also highlighted a "discernible change in attitude" from mainstream Muslim society.

The source said: "What IS has done is demonstrate very clearly to everyone that this is no longer an unambiguous struggle to topple Assad, involving freedom fighters and people whose motive is simply to help Syrian people, and that terrorist groups have made the environment much more complicated and in turn have made it less clear cut for people as to whether they should travel or not."

Mr Samuel - who counsels those thought to be at risk of radicalisation - said the majority of his work is now dealing with young people being attracted to travelling to Syria and Iraq via the internet.

Video: Social Media Aiding Terrorists

He said: "The days where the baddie, the super villain was in a cave, in a dark lair somewhere sat in a corner, stroking a cat - those days are finished.

"With the advent of technology, the internet, people can promote any idea they have. You don't need to be Michael Moore or a Spike Lee to reach a wide audience.

"Initially it may be a curiosity to see something shocking, but very quickly you can find yourself with a string of related videos which might lead you down a path which half an hour ago wasn't your destination."

Since Channel was set up in 2006, concerns have been raised about a total of 3,934 people - including 1,450 children.

Video: Sept 15: Special Report UK Jihadis

Of these, 777 people have been formally assessed as being vulnerable to radicalisation and referred to the project for formal help.

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Former Phones 4U Directors Face Legal Probe

By Mark Kleinman, City Editor

Former directors of Phones 4U, the mobile phone retailer which collapsed earlier this year with the loss of thousands of jobs, face a probe into their conduct led by one of America's top law firms.

Sky News has learnt that Quinn Emanuel Urquhart and Sullivan, which has been appointed by the chain's administrator, will also examine the conduct of two mobile phone networks which severed their ties with Phones 4U in the weeks leading to its demise.

The appointment of Quinn Emanuel by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) could lead to legal action against former bosses if there is deemed to be a legitimate claim against them for breaching their fiduciary duties as company directors.

PwC is understood to have appointed the law firm late last week, although progress in assessing any action against former directors or suppliers is likely to be painstaking.

There is not thought to be any evidence at this stage that the directors of Phones 4U neglected their obligations under companies law.

Video: Sept 15: Plan To Save Phones4U Jobs

Among the former directors were two representatives of BC Partners, the private equity firm which owned the retailer at the time of its collapse.

Phones 4U fell into administration in September after EE, the chain's last remaining network partner, informed it that it would not be renewing their distribution agreement. Vodafone had terminated its own deal with Phones 4U just weeks earlier.

Bondholders owed hundreds of millions of pounds were furious at the nature of the collapse, arguing that administrators should have been called in earlier in order to conserve cash, while John Caudwell, Phones 4U's founder, accused the mobile networks of "ruthless" behaviour.

After PwC's appointment, Vodafone, EE and Dixons Carphone struck deals to acquire various Phones 4U assets, preserving more than 2,000 jobs, but close to 3,000 employees have been made redundant and several hundred shops have been closed.

Approximately 520 staff continued to work at Phones4U last month on the wind-down of the company's operations.

Sky News revealed in September that Vodafone had held brief talks about a takeover of Phones 4U just two months before it pulled the plug on their relationship.

Documents seen by Sky News show that, on 8 July, while discussions were taking place about extending Vodafone's distribution contract with Phones 4U, the mobile network's UK executives made a presentation to group colleagues entitled "Phones 4U - Partner of Choice".

Several weeks later, Vodafone notified Phones 4U that it would not be renewing their agreement, while no further talks about a takeover of the company were held.

The networks denied attempting to profiteer from the retailer's collapse.

A PwC spokesman confirmed Quinn Emanuel's appointment, which adds to the ranks of leading law firms involved in one of the biggest UK company collapses of the year.

Brown Rudnick, another firm, was appointed by a group of bondholders, while Allen & Overy worked for PwC on potential claims.

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Man Arrested On Terror Charges In Cornwall

A 26-year-old man has been arrested in Hayle, Cornwall, on suspicion of preparing an act of terrorism.

The man was arrested on Monday evening by the South East Counter Terrorism Unit and Devon and Cornwall Police.

He was being questioned at a police station in the Devon and Cornwall area, police said.

A police spokesman said the man was being questioned "in relation to conflict overseas" - specifically the situation in Syria - and not in connection with any imminent threat to the UK.

West Cornwall local police area commander Superintendent Jim Pearce said: "I would like to reassure the community that this investigation should have very little impact on local residents.

"The arrest was pre-planned and was not made in response to any immediate threat to public safety in Hayle.

"Our officers will continue to maintain a presence in the area, offering reassurance to the local community."

:: Anyone with information is asked to contact police or call the anti-terrorist hotline on 0800 789 321.

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Libyan Soldiers Sent Home After UK Sex Attacks

Libyan soldiers training in the UK are being sent home early following a series of sexual assault allegations.

More than 300 members of the country's armed forces have been based at Cambridgeshire's Bassingbourn Barracks as part of the UK's pledge to support the Libyan government.

Some had been due to return at the end of November but their stay is being cut short after five soldiers were accused of sex attacks.

Two have admitted sexually assaulting women in Cambridge, while the latest charges relate to the rape of a man in the city on Sunday.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said: "The majority of recruits have responded positively to the training despite the ongoing political uncertainty in Libya but there have been disciplinary issues.

"Training was initially expected to last until the end of November but we have agreed with the Libyan government that it is best for all involved to bring forward the training completion date.

"The recruits will be returning to Libya in the coming days.

"The UK remains committed to supporting the Libyan government as it works to establish stability and security across the country."

Sky News understands a small number of the soldiers, no more than three, left the base unannounced and are claiming asylum to remain in the UK.

The MoD said it would review whether further Libyan recruits would be trained in the UK.

Libyan cadets Ibrahim Naji El Maarfi, 20, and Mohammed Abdalsalam, 27, appeared at Cambridge Magistrates' Court last week and admitted two counts of sexual assaulting women in the city. They are awaiting sentencing.

Khaled El Azibi, 18, has been charged with three counts of sexual assault linked to the same incident but has yet to enter a plea.

Moktar Ali Saad Mahmoud, 33, and Ibrahim Abogutila, 22, have been remanded in custody after appearing in court charged with raping a man in Cambridge.

The decision to send the Libyan cadets home came after South Cambridgeshire MP and former health secretary Andrew Lansley wrote to the MoD to raise concerns.

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Holiday Pay Should Include Overtime

Overtime should be taken into account when holiday pay is calculated, the Employment Appeal Tribunal has ruled.

The tribunal ruled on two cases against Hertel UK and BEAR Scotland, which related to the UK's interpretation of the Working Time Directive.

Workers for these companies claimed their holiday pay was less than it should have been because their employers did not factor in voluntary overtime completed in the period prior to time off.

Brian Gordon, managing director BEAR Scotland, said they were "disappointed" by the decision.

"We believe that this interpretation of the Working Time Directive is significant for all UK employers, public and private, and we will reflect on our position before considering how to respond," he said

But unions welcomed the ruling, with Unite executive director Howard Beckett saying: "Up until now some workers who are required to do overtime have been penalised for taking the time off they are entitled to.

"This ruling not only secures justice for our members who were short changed, but means employers have got to get their house in order."

Business groups have described the ruling as a "blow" to business, with Confederation of British Industry director-general John Cridland warning of "punitive costs potentially running into billions of pounds".

"Not all will survive - which could mean significant job losses," he said.

"These cases are creating major uncertainty for businesses and impacting on investment and resourcing decisions.

"We need the UK Government to step up its defence of the current UK law, and use its powers to limit any retrospective liability that firms may face."

Tim Thomas, head of employment policy for manufacturers' organisation EEF, said firms will have little option but to factor the additional costs in to future pay negotiations and to reduce overtime, while one in four could cut jobs.

Some businesses had already prepared for the worst, with John Lewis setting aside £40 million to reimburse workers.

Business Secretary Vince Cable said: "Government will review the judgement in detail as a matter of urgency."

He said a taskforce has been set up to discuss how to limit the impact of the decision for businesses, adding: "Employers and workers can also contact the Acas helpline for free and confidential advice."

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GCHQ Shouldn't Have Unfettered Access To Data

For a man who would prefer to remain in the shadows, he's got an incendiary turn of phrase.

Social media, he said, is the "command and control networks of choice for terrorists and criminals".

Technology companies, said Robert Hannigan, are "in denial about its misuse".

And the new head of GCHQ, has called for "a more sustainable relationship between the (intelligence) agencies and the technology companies.

"Increasingly their services not only host the material of violent or child exploitation…," ah pity - that's where the argument for greater government access to the data on users of social media begins to collapse.

In invoking visceral fears of child molesters, the head of the UK's surveillance agency is preying on the nation's deep dark fears to seek national permission to snoop into every corner of our lives.

Video: Social Media Aiding Terrorists

I'm reminded at this point of a private conversation I had with a Cabinet minister who was pushing the Communications Data Bill - which has since been shelved.

"If you've got nothing to hide you have nothing to fear," the minister said.

Really?

"Paedophile rings and terrorists are getting ahead of us. We need to get access to their data to prevent their attacks," the minister added.

One can safely assume that the new GCHQ boss, Mr Hannigan, and the minister are entirely decent people with a dependable grasp of the notion that free speech is the blood of democracy.

Video: Oct: IS Video Of US Weapons Drop

But whatever the horrors that terrorists have in store for us, the spies have not made the strategic case for the abandoned "Snoopers' Charter" or for even wider powers to suborn the private sector into conducting surveillance of its own clients.

"Trust me" isn't a good enough position to take when the spy agencies have been exposed for the bugging of allies and the wholesale mining of private communications.

In the UK they don't even face judicial oversight when dipping into phone and internet data. Warrants are issued by ministers, not magistrates.

Mr Hannigan argues that Islamic State, also known as ISIS, has "embraced the web as a noisy channel in which to promote itself" and that GCHQ, MI5 and the Secret Intelligence Service cannot "tackle these challenges at scale without greater support from the private sector".

That is obviously a Bad Thing.

Video: Sept: New Pro-IS Accounts

But so is a licence to almost unlimited plunder of private data because it won't just be the "trustworthy" Western powers that demand it.

If gobble, faceache, twaddle, whatsit, and instabore were to agree to share their data with Western spooks, they would have to open their servers to the scrutiny of China, to Russia, or North Korea too.

The spy chief is angry that Islamic State has harnessed the borderless freedom of the internet to its own advantage. So should anyone be who is repulsed by the videos of mass murder and beheading it has been sending out.

But that isn't an argument for censorship or the unfettered right for spy agencies to mine our metadata and peek into our online lives.

They cannot and should not be trusted to do that.

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Rolls-Royce To Cut 2,600 Jobs Over 18 Months

Rolls-Royce says it plans to cut 2,600 jobs over the next 18 months, mainly in its aerospace division.

Chief executive John Rishton said: "We are taking determined management action and accelerating our progress on cost.

"The measures announced today will not be the last, however they will contribute towards Rolls-Royce becoming a stronger and more profitable company."

It was also announced that chief financial officer Mark Morris will be replaced by former Jaguar Land Rover chief financial officer David Smith, who took up the role of finance director at its aerospace division earlier this year.

The restructuring is expected to cost £120m over the next two years but the company said it should see cost benefits of £80m annually.

Sky sources say the job losses are due to general market conditions and are part of a series of cost cutting measures.

Shares in Rolls-Royce leapt 2.63% after the announcement.

Last month, the company warned that its underlying revenues for 2014 would be between 3.5% and 4% lower than expected, blaming the shaky economy and the effect of Russian trade sanctions.

Rolls-Royce grew from the electrical and mechanical business established by Henry Royce in 1884 but it now employs more than 55,000 people in 45 countries and its customers include 160 armed forces, 70 navies and more than 380 airlines and leasing firms.

Its UK employee base numbers 12,000 people at four locations in the East Midlands, as well as 1,500 at five sites in the North West and 2,400 employees at six locations in Scotland.

It has not been revealed which offices are most likely to be affected.

Rolls-Royce is best known for its aero engines which power some of the world's most advanced passenger jets, such as the new Airbus A350 and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

The company is not affiliated with the Rolls-Royce automobile brand, which is owned by Germany's BMW.

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Lib Dem Minister Quits With Attack On May

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 04 November 2014 | 23.17

'Bubbly' Student Died After Halloween Party

GCHQ Chief Says Social Media Aids Terrorists

Henning Murder 'Turned Tide' On IS Recruitment

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Former Phones 4U Directors Face Legal Probe

Man Arrested On Terror Charges In Cornwall

Libyan Soldiers Sent Home After UK Sex Attacks

Holiday Pay Should Include Overtime

GCHQ Shouldn't Have Unfettered Access To Data

Rolls-Royce To Cut 2,600 Jobs Over 18 Months

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