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Saturday, July 9, 2011
Friday, July 8, 2011
Unique pig-nosed turtle is over-harvested in New Guinea
Numbers of pig-nosed turtles have declined steeply over the past 30 years, researchers have discovered.
The unique reptile has become an international conservation icon, due to it having no close relatives and being considered the turtle most adapted to life underwater in freshwater ponds and rivers.Yet demand for its eggs and meat in Papua New Guinea, one of the turtle's main homes, has led to the species being dramatically over-harvested by indigenous people.
Details of the decline are published in the journal Biological Conserva
End Quote Biologist Carla Eisemberg University of CanberraWe estimated the decline in this pig-nosed turtle population to be more than 50% since 1981”
"Pig-nosed turtles are considered unique and unusual among freshwater species of turtles in many facets of their morphology, ecology and behaviour," Carla Eisemberg of the University of Canberra, Australia, told BBC Nature.
For example, embryonic pig-nosed turtles become male or female depending on the temperature of the ground their eggs are laid in, while fully developed embryos can delay their hatching.The pig-nosed turtle is also of great interest to scientists because of its unique position in the turtle family tree.
It is the sole survivor of a once widespread family of turtles called the Carettochelyidae, and has a restricted global distribution, being only found in north Australia and New Guinea Island.
Despite living in freshwater, it is also resembles marine turtles.
"Similar to marine turtles, its limbs are paddle-shaped, but still possess movable digits," said Prof Eisemberg.
hat means it might represent a stage of gradual evolution of turtles from freshwater to the sea, and the study of its ecology can help to understand the evolution of marine turtles.
"On the other hand, the similarities they share also make it vulnerable to the same threats that marine turtles face, such as harvesting of nests and adults," said Professor Eisemberg.
To find out what impact such harvesting may be having on the turtle, Professor Eisemberg surveyed the numbers of eggs and adult turtles nesting in the Kikori region of Papua New Guinea. Her team also studied how many turtles and eggs passed through local markets and were consumed in villages along rivers and the coast.
Scientist Mark Rose, now at Fauna and Flora International in Cambridge, UK, and a member of Professor Eisemberg's team, conducted a similar survey of pig-nosed turtle numbers between 1980 and 1982.
That allowed the scientists to directly compare how the turtle has fared over the past 30 years.
Pig-nosed turtle eggs and meat being sold by a lady from Lalau (Rumu Tribe) in the Sirebi Market in Kikori, PNG
Anecdotal evidence suggested that turtle numbers had fallen, but "we provided, for the first time, concrete evidence of a substantive decline in these pig-nosed turtle populations," said Prof Eisemberg.The researchers found that villagers harvested more than 95% of monitored nests. Female turtles have also become smaller on average; bigger individuals have been removed from the wild population and the overall life expectancy of the species has fallen.
The team also discovered more than 160 adult female turtles that had been harvested in the study area.
Overall "we estimated the decline in this pig-nosed turtle population to be more than 50% since 1981," said Professor Eisemberg.
"Such a decline is likely to be widespread as the species is under similar pressures elsewhere in Papua New Guinea," she added.
"Highly prized as food, it is the most exploited turtle in New Guinea. Both turtle and eggs are collected for trade or consumption by local villagers.
"The pressure on pig-nosed turtle populations has increased in recent years, especially in Western Papua and Papua New Guinea."
Twenty three females caught in one night while nesting in a coastal island of Kikori
That is mainly due to the growth in human populations, a greater propensity for villages to establish on riverbanks following the cessation of tribal warfare and the introduction of new technologies, such as modern fishing gear, she said.According to the scientists, conservation plans to save the turtle are urgently needed, and, even if implemented, it will take decades for the pig-nosed turtle to recover.
But these plans must be made sensitively, as the indigenous communities living in pig-nosed turtle habitat often rely on protein from the reptile to survive.
"We need to provide win win outcomes to both local and conservation communities," said Professor Eisemberg.
Japan's current account surplus falls sharply in May
Japan's current account surplus fell sharply in May, as the 11 March earthquake and tsunami continue to affect exports.
The surplus shrank 51.7% to 590.7bn yen ($7.27bn; £4.55bn) compared with a year earlier, said the Ministry of Finance. However, that is less than most analysts had expected.
The data shows that while the economy continues to suffer from the disaster, it is recovering quicker than expected.
May's fall in the current account surplus marks the third straight monthly drop after the earthquake and tsunami wreaked havoc in the north east of Japan.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
French boat bound for Gaza 'stuck' in Greece, organizers say
The ship and crew were stopped when they arrived in Crete to refuel, said Maxime Gimberteau of "A Boat for Gaza."
Greek authorities confirmed that the boat, Dignite Al Karama, had been docked at the port of Sitia in Crete since early Thursday.
They said it would not be given permission to depart for Gaza, and that it was not clear what would happen next.
"Authorities are following the necessary legal procedures," including "checking the identities of the passengers" and "the ship's documents," said Greek coast guard head of press Elias Sambatakakis.
Sambatakakis said there had been "full co-operation between the authorities and those on board."
"It is not yet clear what will happen once procedures are completed," he said. "Obviously if the ship asks for permission to go to Gaza, this will be declined."
The French yacht had been the last boat in international waters of a flotilla of 10 ships trying to get to Gaza.
Greek authorities have been stopping ships, including the American boat The Audacity of Hope, from leaving Greek waters for Gaza.
Israel insists on controlling access to Gaza because it says it has to keep weapons out of the hands of Palestinian militants who would use them to attack Israelis.
Gaza is run by Hamas, which has carried out dozens of terrorist attacks and is listed by the United States as a terrorist organization.
Israel emphasizes that it delivers large amounts of aid to Gaza. The country mounted a diplomatic offensive to try to stop the flotilla from setting sail.
11 Afghan civilians killed in NATO-led strike
The incident took place Wednesday in Khost province's Domandera district, according to Khost upper house member and foreign relations chief Arifullah Pashton.
There was no immediate reaction from NATO's International Security Assistance Force about civilian casualties in Khost. But ISAF said it was investigating allegations of civilian casualties in an airstrike targeting an insurgent in Ghazni province, in the southeast.
Pashton said hundreds of people in the district demonstrated against the alliance Thursday and chanted, "Death to the United States" and "Death to NATO."
Civilian casualties in the war between coalition forces and militants have generated grass-roots anger toward the combatants, and ISAF has been working for years to tackle the problem.
Police: 39 dead in Pakistani city after days of clashes
Ten people were killed on Tuesday, 18 on Wednesday and 11 on Thursday after clashes in several neighborhoods in Karachi, said Arslan Umar, a police official in the city.
The clashes have been blamed on a bitter rivalry between the political parties of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and the Awami National Party (ANP).
The MQM mostly represents Urdu-speaking people, who migrated to Pakistan from India during partition in 1947, while the Awami National Party, represents Pashto speakers -- more of whom are moving to Karachi from northwest Pakistan in search of jobs.
Violence between supporters of the two parties and other turf wars in Karachi have killed hundreds in recent years
Strauss-Kahn won't strike plea deal in sex crimes case
Attorney William Taylor made the remarks a day after Strauss-Kahn's legal team met with prosecutors in the case for nearly two hours. It's not known if any plea deal was offered. The meeting came about a week after Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. acknowledged that there are questions about the credibility of Strauss-Kahn's accuser.
The 62-year-old former chief of the International Monetary Fund is charged with sexual abuse and attempted rape of a hotel maid in May.
While Wednesday's meeting with prosecutors was "constructive," Strauss-Kahn's attorneys said, prosecutors maintained that they are not ready to drop the charges.
"The investigative process is continuing, and no decisions have been made," said Manhattan District Attorney spokeswoman Erin Duggan.
The accuser's civil attorney has called on Vance to recuse himself from prosecuting the case and appoint a special prosecutor.
"We make this request in order to protect the integrity of the prosecution of Mr. Strauss-Kahn, to ensure the victim's rights are not further prejudiced by deliberate acts seeking to undermine her credibility, to insulate your office from the appearance of conflict of interest, and to ensure that future victims of sex crimes, regardless of their backgrounds, are not dissuaded from coming forward," attorney Kenneth P. Thompson wrote in a four-page letter to Vance.
But Duggan said Vance will not recuse himself. "Any suggestion that this office should be recused is wholly without merit," she said in a statement.
Thompson told CNN his client has admitted mistakes, but says that has nothing to do with what happened in Strauss-Kahn's hotel suite. "Despite everything," he told CNN Tuesday, "she wants to get on the witness stand. That's all she asks for."
Last week, Vance indicated that the 32-year-old accuser had been less than truthful with authorities about some aspects of her life and her whereabouts immediately after the alleged attack May 14 at the Sofitel hotel.
Thompson said Wednesday that Vance's office "apparently has been responsible" for leaks to the news media "that were intended to discredit the victim's character and, perhaps most importantly, undermine her charges against Mr. Strauss-Kahn."
He cited a telephone call he received June 30 from Chief Assistant District Attorney Daniel R. Alonso, informing him of the prosecutor's decision to turn over to the defense "certain false statements" that the victim had made to investigators.
During the call, he said Alonso told him about an audio recording obtained by the prosecution in which the alleged victim told a boyfriend jailed in Arizona a day after the alleged attack "about the possible benefits" of pursuing charges against Strauss-Kahn.
"When I asked Mr. Alonso specifically about what the victim had allegedly said during that conversation, he stated that the victim said 'words to the effect' that 'this guy has a lot of money. I know what I'm doing.'"
Thompson said that Alonso then agreed to turn over a copy of the recording or allow him and the alleged victim to listen to it but, more than six days later, had failed to do so. "I am told by Mr. Alonso that the victim must now wait for the prosecutor's interpreter to prepare a complete transcript of it," Thompson wrote.
He went on to complain that, within a few hours of that call, The New York Times reported on the "alleged conversation with the incarcerated individual," in an article that cited "'two well-placed law enforcement officials.'"
Thompson said he believes those officials work for Vance.
The alleged victim, meanwhile, has filed a libel lawsuit against the New York Post and five of its reporters after the newspaper reported that the woman was a prostitute, according to court filings.
The Post said it stands by its reporting.
A source with knowledge of the investigation told CNN that so far, "no evidence has been found that she is a prostitute."
The developments in New York come as Strauss-Kahn faces separate accusations of attempted rape in France, which were filed in a complaint by French writer Tristane Banon.
A Strauss-Kahn lawyer in France said he has filed a counterclaim against Banon for "false declarations."
Casey Anthony sentence: Four years in jail with credit for time served
[Updated at 11:34 a.m.] Casey Anthony will be released on July 13, 2011, according to a court spokesperson.
The spokeswoman said she would release more information about the calculation as soon as it was available.
[Updated at 10:41 a.m.] Judge Belvin Perry and attorneys for the state ad the defense are continuing to hold discussions in the courtroom.
All sides are working with the corrections department to help determine exactly how much time Casey Anthony has served in order to determine how much longer she will need to serve to finish out her sentence. The decision is expected to come soon.
[Updated at 9:30 a.m.] Judge Belvin Perry has sentenced Casey Anthony to one year in jail for each of the four counts of lying to police, which will run consecutively.
The judge and defense attorney Jose Baez said it will take about an hour to figure out what exact time Anthony has served and how to apply that to the sentence. The jail where she was being housed would also have to consider any good behavior time.
It appears that for now Casey Anthony is headed back to jail - we'll just have to wait for the specific calculations from the court to find out for how long. Analysts appear to be saying that based on Perry's ruling - and calculations that she served about 1,000 days in court - it is likely Anthony could be free by the end of the summer.
Time.com: Video analysis of lingering trial questions
Perry also said he would fine Anthony $1,000 for each count. Perry also said that the court will work to calculate the cost of the investigation into Caylee Anthony's disappearance and what amount of that Casey Anthony might have to pay. The judge has also let Anthony and her team know that they have 30 days to appeal his ruling.
Anthony has remained stoic during this portion of the court hearing. She is conferring with her other attorneys as the judge hands down the sentence.
But as she prepared to exit the courtroom, Casey Anthony let out a tiny smile.
[Updated at 9:26 a.m.] Judge Belvin Perry is breaking down each of the false information charges and specifically what lies Casey Anthony told police that led them along in their investigation - including one where she said she spoke to Caylee Anthony.
Perry rules in favor of the prosecution, saying he doesn't agree that the lies were all one act.
"As a result of those four separate and distinct lies, law enforcement expended a great deal of time, energy and manpower looking for young Caylee Marie Anthony," he said. "This search for her went on from July through December - over several months - trying to find Caylee Marie Anthony. Four distinct, separate, lies. Just as the jury spoke loud and clear on counts one, two and three on their verdict they also spoke loud and clear on the remaining counts."
[Updated at 9:25 a.m.] Casey Anthony will not make a statement before sentencing, her attorney said.
[Updated at 9:17 a.m.] The prosecution has said though they were only handed this defense request this morning. Still, they do not believe the lies should be treated as one single act because there was a temporal break in between each of the lies. And they've also got a few prior cases to back up their thoughts. The fact that the statements happened on the same day doesn't mean the statements should be considered all one act, the prosecution argued.
The prosecution also said as a result of the individual lies police had to go on a "wild goose chase" in the case.
[Updated at 9:16 a.m.] The judge is reiterating his question to the defense: Are they arguing that Casey Anthony didn't have time to pause and reflect when she was making her statements to policy. Their answer: Yes. And that's why the lies should be considered as only be one charge.
[Updated at 9:11 a.m.] Judge Belvin Perry is taking a minute to read through the materials the defense has provided in regard to treating the misdemeanors as one charge.
[Updated at 9:04 a.m.] The defense is asking the court to consider the four misdemeanor charges of lying to police as one charge when it comes to sentencing - saying they were all part of the same act.
Because the information at question was part of the same interview and Casey Anthony did not have time to take a mental break and reformulate her thoughts and statements, her lawyers are saying all of the charges should be reduced to just one.
Because it was "one act" made by Casey Anthony the defense says it is a violation of double jeopardy to sentence her four separate times for the same offense.
[Updated at 9:03 a.m.] The defense has withdrawn an earlier motion for a mistrial - something lawyer Jose Baez jokes he doesn't need anymore.
[Updated at 9:00 a.m.] Judge Belvin Perry has entered the courtroom. The sentencing is about to begin.
[Updated at 8:58 a.m.] Casey Anthony is much more animated and less stoic in court Thursday - and the sentencing hearing hasn't even begun yet.
Though she's still biting her nails as she had during the verdict, it's mixed in many more with smiles and winks to the defense team than looks of worry.
Defense Attorney Jose Baez has just sat down next to her and patted her on the back. The defense table couldn't be any more full of smiles today.
On the other hand, the mood outside the courthouse is a little different. Protesters are gathered outside and still angry with the not guilty verdict.
[Updated at 8:48 a.m.] A smiling Casey Anthony has walked into the Orlando courtroom wearing a long-sleeve blue sweater and her hair down. She appears much more relaxed than she has during any other day in court. She's chatting with her attorney's as she awaits the judge and her sentencing.
Her parents George and Cindy Anthony are seated at the back of the courtroom.
[Posted at 8:28 a.m.] Casey Anthony is due in court Thursday for a sentencing hearing on four misdemeanor counts of lying to police regarding a missing person case - the only charges she was convicted of during her seven-week long murder trial.
She avoided the most serious charges when a jury acquitted her of first degree murder, aggravated child abuse and aggravated manslaughter in the 2008 death of her daughter Caylee. Each misdemeanor count carries a maximum sentence of one year in county jail, for which Judge Belvin Perry has the option of sentencing her consecutively or concurrently.
But many legal experts believe Anthony will be freed on time-served because she has already been jailed for about three years. Whatever happens next ,
Everyone will still want to examine why and how the jury reached the verdict. Some questioned whether the "CSI effect' swayed the jury. Others, like HLN's Nancy Grace who has covered the case since the first day said regardless of why, she doesn't have to agree with the decision. And then there will be the examinations of the characters that have emerged in the case as victors: namely defense attorney Jose Baez. But by far the spotlight will shine brightest on Casey herself. Depending on the sentence handed down Thursday many experts say her next move likely could come in the form of a book or movie.
The spokeswoman said she would release more information about the calculation as soon as it was available.
[Updated at 10:41 a.m.] Judge Belvin Perry and attorneys for the state ad the defense are continuing to hold discussions in the courtroom.
All sides are working with the corrections department to help determine exactly how much time Casey Anthony has served in order to determine how much longer she will need to serve to finish out her sentence. The decision is expected to come soon.
[Updated at 9:30 a.m.] Judge Belvin Perry has sentenced Casey Anthony to one year in jail for each of the four counts of lying to police, which will run consecutively.
The judge and defense attorney Jose Baez said it will take about an hour to figure out what exact time Anthony has served and how to apply that to the sentence. The jail where she was being housed would also have to consider any good behavior time.
It appears that for now Casey Anthony is headed back to jail - we'll just have to wait for the specific calculations from the court to find out for how long. Analysts appear to be saying that based on Perry's ruling - and calculations that she served about 1,000 days in court - it is likely Anthony could be free by the end of the summer.
Time.com: Video analysis of lingering trial questions
Perry also said he would fine Anthony $1,000 for each count. Perry also said that the court will work to calculate the cost of the investigation into Caylee Anthony's disappearance and what amount of that Casey Anthony might have to pay. The judge has also let Anthony and her team know that they have 30 days to appeal his ruling.
Anthony has remained stoic during this portion of the court hearing. She is conferring with her other attorneys as the judge hands down the sentence.
But as she prepared to exit the courtroom, Casey Anthony let out a tiny smile.
[Updated at 9:26 a.m.] Judge Belvin Perry is breaking down each of the false information charges and specifically what lies Casey Anthony told police that led them along in their investigation - including one where she said she spoke to Caylee Anthony.
Perry rules in favor of the prosecution, saying he doesn't agree that the lies were all one act.
"As a result of those four separate and distinct lies, law enforcement expended a great deal of time, energy and manpower looking for young Caylee Marie Anthony," he said. "This search for her went on from July through December - over several months - trying to find Caylee Marie Anthony. Four distinct, separate, lies. Just as the jury spoke loud and clear on counts one, two and three on their verdict they also spoke loud and clear on the remaining counts."
[Updated at 9:25 a.m.] Casey Anthony will not make a statement before sentencing, her attorney said.
[Updated at 9:17 a.m.] The prosecution has said though they were only handed this defense request this morning. Still, they do not believe the lies should be treated as one single act because there was a temporal break in between each of the lies. And they've also got a few prior cases to back up their thoughts. The fact that the statements happened on the same day doesn't mean the statements should be considered all one act, the prosecution argued.
The prosecution also said as a result of the individual lies police had to go on a "wild goose chase" in the case.
[Updated at 9:16 a.m.] The judge is reiterating his question to the defense: Are they arguing that Casey Anthony didn't have time to pause and reflect when she was making her statements to policy. Their answer: Yes. And that's why the lies should be considered as only be one charge.
[Updated at 9:11 a.m.] Judge Belvin Perry is taking a minute to read through the materials the defense has provided in regard to treating the misdemeanors as one charge.
[Updated at 9:04 a.m.] The defense is asking the court to consider the four misdemeanor charges of lying to police as one charge when it comes to sentencing - saying they were all part of the same act.
Because the information at question was part of the same interview and Casey Anthony did not have time to take a mental break and reformulate her thoughts and statements, her lawyers are saying all of the charges should be reduced to just one.
Because it was "one act" made by Casey Anthony the defense says it is a violation of double jeopardy to sentence her four separate times for the same offense.
[Updated at 9:03 a.m.] The defense has withdrawn an earlier motion for a mistrial - something lawyer Jose Baez jokes he doesn't need anymore.
[Updated at 9:00 a.m.] Judge Belvin Perry has entered the courtroom. The sentencing is about to begin.
[Updated at 8:58 a.m.] Casey Anthony is much more animated and less stoic in court Thursday - and the sentencing hearing hasn't even begun yet.
Though she's still biting her nails as she had during the verdict, it's mixed in many more with smiles and winks to the defense team than looks of worry.
Defense Attorney Jose Baez has just sat down next to her and patted her on the back. The defense table couldn't be any more full of smiles today.
On the other hand, the mood outside the courthouse is a little different. Protesters are gathered outside and still angry with the not guilty verdict.
[Updated at 8:48 a.m.] A smiling Casey Anthony has walked into the Orlando courtroom wearing a long-sleeve blue sweater and her hair down. She appears much more relaxed than she has during any other day in court. She's chatting with her attorney's as she awaits the judge and her sentencing.
Her parents George and Cindy Anthony are seated at the back of the courtroom.
[Posted at 8:28 a.m.] Casey Anthony is due in court Thursday for a sentencing hearing on four misdemeanor counts of lying to police regarding a missing person case - the only charges she was convicted of during her seven-week long murder trial.
She avoided the most serious charges when a jury acquitted her of first degree murder, aggravated child abuse and aggravated manslaughter in the 2008 death of her daughter Caylee. Each misdemeanor count carries a maximum sentence of one year in county jail, for which Judge Belvin Perry has the option of sentencing her consecutively or concurrently.
But many legal experts believe Anthony will be freed on time-served because she has already been jailed for about three years. Whatever happens next ,
Everyone will still want to examine why and how the jury reached the verdict. Some questioned whether the "CSI effect' swayed the jury. Others, like HLN's Nancy Grace who has covered the case since the first day said regardless of why, she doesn't have to agree with the decision. And then there will be the examinations of the characters that have emerged in the case as victors: namely defense attorney Jose Baez. But by far the spotlight will shine brightest on Casey herself. Depending on the sentence handed down Thursday many experts say her next move likely could come in the form of a book or movie.
Militants kill 10 Yemeni soldiers By the CNN Wire Staff
The incident occurred Wednesday in the town of Lawdar, security officials said.
In an unrelated incident Wednesday, the Yemen Defense Ministry said it had killed Waleed Osairi, an al Qaeda commander, along with several other suspected al Qaeda militants.
The deaths occurred in Abyan province and is part of an effort to clear the area of the terror group, the government said.
Yemen has been consumed by unrest for months as protesters have demanded an end to the rule of President Ali Abdullah Saleh's rule. Saleh and other senior officials were wounded June 3 in an attack on the mosque at the presidential palace. Saleh is being treated in Saudi Arabia. Officials have said he will return when he has recovered.
In recent weeks, government troops have battled both tribal forces and Islamic militants, including al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
Hacking scandal exposes secrets at Murdoch's tabloid
London (CNN) -- In 2005, the best-selling weekly UK tabloid News of the World published a seemingly mundane story about Prince William's injuring his knee.
It was just another exclusive for a newspaper that had made its reputation on hard-hitting exclusives, often exposing the embarrassments of celebrities and politicians.
Britain's newspaper culture which developed around London's Fleet Street, nicknamed the "Street of Shame" by satirical magazine Private Eye, has long been based on cut-throat competition and dirty dealings -- anything goes, if you can land the big story.
But this scoop was different from the others. Royal officials realized that it could only have been sourced by the illegal interception of Prince William's mobile phone voicemail, and complained to the police.
This started a chain reaction of allegation and scandal that enveloped not just members of the royal family and celebrities but also murder victims and those injured in terrorist attacks. It is linked to the office of UK Prime Minister David Cameron whose judgment has been called into question by opposition lawmakers, including Labour leader Ed Milliband for later employing the editor of the paper as his press spokesman. The growing scandal implicates London's police force and now threatens one of the biggest assets of Rupert Murdoch's media empire.
News of the World, the world's top-selling English-language newspaper, is owned by News International, which also owns the Sun, the Times and the Sunday Times in Britain. Murdoch's News Corps media empire also encompasses Fox News, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post and Harper Collins publishers.
The initial complaint led to the arrest of News of the World's royal editor Clive Goodman and private investigator Glenn Mulcaire. Both were convicted in 2007 of conspiracy to intercept phone messages and jailed.
The paper's editor Andy Coulson also resigned, saying he knew nothing about the hacking of phones but accepted "ultimate responsibility." But he continued to attract flak after his resignation, especially when he became Cameron's media spokesman.
A series of investigations by police and the country's newspaper watchdog followed the arrest of Goodman and Mulcaire, all of which concluded that phone hacking was not widespread at the Sunday tabloid, and there was no evidence executives knew about the practice.
But the story refused to die, thanks to the doggedness of the left-of-center newspaper The Guardian which published a series of stories about the scandal. Celebrities and public figures also came forward alleging their phones had been hacked; some launched legal actions against the paper and the police for allegedly failing to investigate.
When asked for comment by CNN about the allegations, the Metropolitan Police said prosecutors are re-examining the evidence from the original phone hacking investigation, and therefore the police will not comment further.
In a New York Times article last year former News of the World journalist Sean Hoare alleged that phone hacking was common practice at the newspaper.
Police launched a new investigation this year into hacking by journalists in response to widespread complaints from politicians, celebrities and other high-profile figures who fear they have been targets. News of the World's parent company News International paid out compensation to various victims, including actress Sienna Miller and publicist Max Clifford, and issued a public apology in April.
News International said in its statement: "Following an extensive internal investigation and disclosures through civil legal cases, News International has decided to approach some civil litigants with an unreserved apology and an admission of liability in cases meeting specific criteria."
The company added that it has asked its lawyers to set up a compensation fund to deal with "justifiable" claims -- but would contest cases that it believed were without merit.
"That said, past behavior at the News of the World in relation to voicemail interception is a matter of genuine regret. It is now apparent that our previous inquiries failed to uncover important evidence and we acknowledge our actions then were not sufficiently robust."
In January, amid growing speculation he knew about the hacking, Coulson resigned as Cameron's official spokesman. Cameron said Coulson -- who continues to deny the claims -- was quitting because of the continuing pressures on him and his family. The former newspaper editor also believed that the focus surrounding the issue was "impeding his ability to do his job and was starting to prove a distraction for the government," Cameron added.
The story was only propelled onto the front pages in July when police revealed that News of the World possibly hacked into the voicemail of a murdered schoolgirl, Milly Dowler, and victims of the London bombings.
The allegation stunned media watchers. "Outside of the political elite in Britain, this story has had little traction until now," said Roy Greenslade, a former editor of the Daily Mirror and an assistant editor of the Sun, a sister paper of News of The World.
"The allegations about the hacking of Milly Dowler's phone have the potential to change that. This is a step change: before we had hacking of celebrities and politicians, but here we have the interference of a murder inquiry involving a 13-year-old girl."
The father of one victim of the London bombings of 2005, in which 52 people died, said police also told him he was a possible hacking target.
The allegations sparked outrage, with opposition lawmakers demanding a full public inquiry as well as the resignation of the paper's then-editor, Rebekah Brooks, who was promoted to chief executive of News International in 2009. Several advertisers including Ford Motor Company said they were reviewing their accounts with News of the World.
In a memo to News International staff, widely circulated in the UK media, Brooks said it was "inconceivable that I knew or worse, sanctioned these appalling allegations."
"It is almost too horrific to believe that a professional journalist or even a freelance inquiry agent working on behalf of a member of the News of the World staff could behave in this way.
If the allegations are proved to be true then I can promise the strongest possible action will be taken as this company will not tolerate such disgraceful behavior."
Former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott told CNN the failure of police officers to investigate the scandal properly pointed to the fact "something is rotten in the state of England."
Prescott, whose affair with a secretary was splashed across the front pages in 2006, said officers initially dismissed his fears that his voicemail had been intercepted and investigated his complaint only when he took legal action. Eventually he said police told him his phone had been hacked into on 44 occasions.
"You've got a very close relationship between the press and the police. Then a close relationship between them and the prosecuting officers," Prescott said.
"And it's now very clear that not all the information was made available, criminal acts were ... being committed by the papers and nobody really acted effectively on it. They just tended to deny it, that it was only one paper, a rogue reporter. Totally untrue."
One lawyer who is acting for up to 40 alleged hacking victims said the scandal showed some journalists had completely lost their moral compass.
"Phone-hacking was just one of the unlawful ways in which there was intrusion by journalists into the private lives of individuals," said Mark Lewis. "This was not just about celebrities, they didn't care whose lives they ruined.
"Phone hacking was too easy. It encouraged lazy journalism and dishonest practices. Journalists seemed to have no morals," he added.
One disillusioned former reporter for various newspapers said pressure contributed to the culture that led to illegal activities.
"Using private investigators to get a story gave you a great leap over rivals, so it's no surprise that phone hacking has reached the endemic level it has," said Dan Waddell, who added that he never himself hacked a mobile phone.
It was just another exclusive for a newspaper that had made its reputation on hard-hitting exclusives, often exposing the embarrassments of celebrities and politicians.
Britain's newspaper culture which developed around London's Fleet Street, nicknamed the "Street of Shame" by satirical magazine Private Eye, has long been based on cut-throat competition and dirty dealings -- anything goes, if you can land the big story.
But this scoop was different from the others. Royal officials realized that it could only have been sourced by the illegal interception of Prince William's mobile phone voicemail, and complained to the police.
This started a chain reaction of allegation and scandal that enveloped not just members of the royal family and celebrities but also murder victims and those injured in terrorist attacks. It is linked to the office of UK Prime Minister David Cameron whose judgment has been called into question by opposition lawmakers, including Labour leader Ed Milliband for later employing the editor of the paper as his press spokesman. The growing scandal implicates London's police force and now threatens one of the biggest assets of Rupert Murdoch's media empire.
News of the World, the world's top-selling English-language newspaper, is owned by News International, which also owns the Sun, the Times and the Sunday Times in Britain. Murdoch's News Corps media empire also encompasses Fox News, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post and Harper Collins publishers.
The initial complaint led to the arrest of News of the World's royal editor Clive Goodman and private investigator Glenn Mulcaire. Both were convicted in 2007 of conspiracy to intercept phone messages and jailed.
The paper's editor Andy Coulson also resigned, saying he knew nothing about the hacking of phones but accepted "ultimate responsibility." But he continued to attract flak after his resignation, especially when he became Cameron's media spokesman.
A series of investigations by police and the country's newspaper watchdog followed the arrest of Goodman and Mulcaire, all of which concluded that phone hacking was not widespread at the Sunday tabloid, and there was no evidence executives knew about the practice.
But the story refused to die, thanks to the doggedness of the left-of-center newspaper The Guardian which published a series of stories about the scandal. Celebrities and public figures also came forward alleging their phones had been hacked; some launched legal actions against the paper and the police for allegedly failing to investigate.
When asked for comment by CNN about the allegations, the Metropolitan Police said prosecutors are re-examining the evidence from the original phone hacking investigation, and therefore the police will not comment further.
In a New York Times article last year former News of the World journalist Sean Hoare alleged that phone hacking was common practice at the newspaper.
Police launched a new investigation this year into hacking by journalists in response to widespread complaints from politicians, celebrities and other high-profile figures who fear they have been targets. News of the World's parent company News International paid out compensation to various victims, including actress Sienna Miller and publicist Max Clifford, and issued a public apology in April.
News International said in its statement: "Following an extensive internal investigation and disclosures through civil legal cases, News International has decided to approach some civil litigants with an unreserved apology and an admission of liability in cases meeting specific criteria."
The company added that it has asked its lawyers to set up a compensation fund to deal with "justifiable" claims -- but would contest cases that it believed were without merit.
"That said, past behavior at the News of the World in relation to voicemail interception is a matter of genuine regret. It is now apparent that our previous inquiries failed to uncover important evidence and we acknowledge our actions then were not sufficiently robust."
In January, amid growing speculation he knew about the hacking, Coulson resigned as Cameron's official spokesman. Cameron said Coulson -- who continues to deny the claims -- was quitting because of the continuing pressures on him and his family. The former newspaper editor also believed that the focus surrounding the issue was "impeding his ability to do his job and was starting to prove a distraction for the government," Cameron added.
The story was only propelled onto the front pages in July when police revealed that News of the World possibly hacked into the voicemail of a murdered schoolgirl, Milly Dowler, and victims of the London bombings.
The allegation stunned media watchers. "Outside of the political elite in Britain, this story has had little traction until now," said Roy Greenslade, a former editor of the Daily Mirror and an assistant editor of the Sun, a sister paper of News of The World.
"The allegations about the hacking of Milly Dowler's phone have the potential to change that. This is a step change: before we had hacking of celebrities and politicians, but here we have the interference of a murder inquiry involving a 13-year-old girl."
The father of one victim of the London bombings of 2005, in which 52 people died, said police also told him he was a possible hacking target.
The allegations sparked outrage, with opposition lawmakers demanding a full public inquiry as well as the resignation of the paper's then-editor, Rebekah Brooks, who was promoted to chief executive of News International in 2009. Several advertisers including Ford Motor Company said they were reviewing their accounts with News of the World.
In a memo to News International staff, widely circulated in the UK media, Brooks said it was "inconceivable that I knew or worse, sanctioned these appalling allegations."
"It is almost too horrific to believe that a professional journalist or even a freelance inquiry agent working on behalf of a member of the News of the World staff could behave in this way.
If the allegations are proved to be true then I can promise the strongest possible action will be taken as this company will not tolerate such disgraceful behavior."
Former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott told CNN the failure of police officers to investigate the scandal properly pointed to the fact "something is rotten in the state of England."
Prescott, whose affair with a secretary was splashed across the front pages in 2006, said officers initially dismissed his fears that his voicemail had been intercepted and investigated his complaint only when he took legal action. Eventually he said police told him his phone had been hacked into on 44 occasions.
"You've got a very close relationship between the press and the police. Then a close relationship between them and the prosecuting officers," Prescott said.
"And it's now very clear that not all the information was made available, criminal acts were ... being committed by the papers and nobody really acted effectively on it. They just tended to deny it, that it was only one paper, a rogue reporter. Totally untrue."
One lawyer who is acting for up to 40 alleged hacking victims said the scandal showed some journalists had completely lost their moral compass.
"Phone-hacking was just one of the unlawful ways in which there was intrusion by journalists into the private lives of individuals," said Mark Lewis. "This was not just about celebrities, they didn't care whose lives they ruined.
"Phone hacking was too easy. It encouraged lazy journalism and dishonest practices. Journalists seemed to have no morals," he added.
One disillusioned former reporter for various newspapers said pressure contributed to the culture that led to illegal activities.
"Using private investigators to get a story gave you a great leap over rivals, so it's no surprise that phone hacking has reached the endemic level it has," said Dan Waddell, who added that he never himself hacked a mobile phone.
"This is symptomatic of the pressure piled on journalists, especially on a tabloid, who must get the story at all costs. As a reporter you don't want to be the one who gets shouted at by your boss."
Scandal-hit News of the World to shut down
London (CNN) -- The embattled British tabloid News of the World, one of the oldest and best-selling newspapers in Britain, will shut down after Sunday's issue, its owner, News International, told CNN Thursday.
The dramatic announcement follows accusations that the paper illegally eavesdropped on the messages of murder and terror victims, politicians and celebrities.
The scandal "sullied" the newspaper and "has no place in our company," News International Chairman James Murdoch said Thursday in announcing the shutdown.
And paying out-of-court settlements to some victims was "wrong and a matter of serious regret," Murdoch said. He is a son of media magnate Rupert Murdoch, the head of News Corp., which owns News International.
The 168-year-old newspaper, which sells more than 2.5 million copies every Sunday, was brought down by an avalanche of public and political fury in the wake of revelations that hacking victims included a missing 13-year-old girl who was later found to have been murdered.
What happened? How News of the World scandal was exposed
On Wednesday, Rupert Murdoch himself called allegations against his flagship Sunday paper "deplorable and unacceptable."
Prime Minister David Cameron on Wednesday called the possibility that the hacking had taken place "absolutely disgusting" and backed calls for an independent inquiry into the affair after a police investigation concludes.
Police launched a special investigation into the allegations of phone hacking on behalf of the newspaper in January of this year. It was the second police probe into the issue.
On Thursday, shortly before James Murdoch's announcement, the police said they have identified the names of nearly 4,000 potential victims.
In addition to owning News of the World, News International owns the Sun, the Times and the Sunday Times in Britain.
The dramatic announcement follows accusations that the paper illegally eavesdropped on the messages of murder and terror victims, politicians and celebrities.
The scandal "sullied" the newspaper and "has no place in our company," News International Chairman James Murdoch said Thursday in announcing the shutdown.
And paying out-of-court settlements to some victims was "wrong and a matter of serious regret," Murdoch said. He is a son of media magnate Rupert Murdoch, the head of News Corp., which owns News International.
The 168-year-old newspaper, which sells more than 2.5 million copies every Sunday, was brought down by an avalanche of public and political fury in the wake of revelations that hacking victims included a missing 13-year-old girl who was later found to have been murdered.
What happened? How News of the World scandal was exposed
On Wednesday, Rupert Murdoch himself called allegations against his flagship Sunday paper "deplorable and unacceptable."
Prime Minister David Cameron on Wednesday called the possibility that the hacking had taken place "absolutely disgusting" and backed calls for an independent inquiry into the affair after a police investigation concludes.
Police launched a special investigation into the allegations of phone hacking on behalf of the newspaper in January of this year. It was the second police probe into the issue.
On Thursday, shortly before James Murdoch's announcement, the police said they have identified the names of nearly 4,000 potential victims.
In addition to owning News of the World, News International owns the Sun, the Times and the Sunday Times in Britain.
Murdoch's News Corp. also encompasses Fox News, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post and Harper Collins publishers.
British scandal sheet wracked by scandal of its own
Experts are divided, though, on how the paper's owner, media magnate Rupert Murdoch, will weather the storm.
News International also owns the Sun, the Times and the Sunday Times in Britain. Murdoch's media empire also encompasses Fox News, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post and Harper Collins publishers in the United States.
Journalists at News of the World, a tabloid that is the world's top-selling English-language newspaper, have been accused of hacking into the mobile phone account of missing British teenager Milly Dowler, intercepting messages in search of news.
They then allegedly deleted messages to keep her mailbox from filling up, giving her family and friends false hope that the schoolgirl -- later found murdered -- was still alive.
Police also are investigating suggestions the paper -- known for its exposes of celebrities and politicians -- may have targeted the relatives of other high profile crime victims, including at least one of those killed in the 2005 London bombings.
The controversy has sparked a "wave of revulsion" towards the weekly, prompting calls for a boycott by both readers and advertisers which look set to hit it this Sunday.
Hollywood star Hugh Grant, who says his own phone was hacked by News of the World, is among those encouraging Britons to "vote with their wallets."
And several experts have warned that even firing the reporters and editors responsible is unlikely to repair the paper's wrecked reputation.
Murdoch has condemned the allegations against News of the World as "deplorable and unacceptable," and said, "We are committed to addressing these issues fully and have taken a number of important steps to prevent them from happening again."
But Murdoch insists he is standing by Rebekah Brooks, editor of News of the World at the time and now News International chief executive.
In a memo to the newspaper's staff, Brooks said, "it is inconceivable that I knew or worse, sanctioned these appalling allegations."
But Murdoch biographer Michael Wolff believes Brooks, whose relationship with Murdoch has often been compared to that of a daughter, is among the high profile heads likely to have to roll.
"Rebecca is toast," he told CNN. "It wouldn't be the first time that Rupert has thrown a family member overboard."
Even that, Wolff says, is unlikely to be enough to repair the damage.
"I think the question is, 'Is it too late to fix?' At one point, they could have come forward and said 'this is terrible,' they could have explained it was part of a culture that got out of control, they could have fired everybody, even closed the newspaper.
"Instead they covered it up, and once a cover-up has started, I'm not sure you can back out of it. It may be that the only way to fix it now is to purge the company of people called Murdoch."
Business strategist Simon Middleton, author of "Build a Brand in 30 Days," agrees that the company has gone well beyond the point of instituting basic damage limitation measures.
"It's a rare thing for a brand to be the focus of such a wave of revulsion around the country," he told CNN, predicting a "perfect storm" of trouble for the paper following the recent "skin-crawling" revelations.
"Firing somebody isn't going to fix this. It will take years," he said.
Middleton said the impact of the phone-hacking scandal could spread far beyond the News of the World -- and that the paper itself may not survive.
"It's like a family: If one member gets a bad reputation, the others can be tarnished too -- you get damage by association, and that could be the case for the other papers in News International stable.
"The whole Murdoch empire is tarnished by it. The wider Murdoch empire is big enough to survive, but I'm not so sure about the News of the World."
But media analyst Claire Enders said the scandal was unlikely to affect Murdoch's business on a global level. "News International is still immensely powerful. The story is not making much impact outside the UK."
Middleton said that - like an alcoholic recognizing he has a drink problem -- the paper's only hope was to acknowledge its faults and say it's sorry - before rebuilding from scratch.
"Brands that have made big mistakes have been forgiven in the past, but only after they recognized that they got it wrong, and apologized," he said.
