EA boss denies video games encourage violent attacks - BBC News

31 January 2013 Last updated at 09:12 ET By Leo Kelion Technology reporter

The boss of Electronic Arts (EA) has denied there is any link between video game content and "actual violence".

John Riccitiello spoke out on the subject during a conference call with bank analysts following his firm's latest earnings forecast.

But he acknowledged that his industry did face a "perception issue".

The topic has become the focus of political debate in the US following shootings in a Connecticut school and a Colorado cinema.

After the incidents, the National Rifle Association (NRA) - which itself had been accused of culpability - said the video game industry sowed "violence against its own people".

Republican congresswoman Diane Franklin subsequently proposed a sales tax on violent titles, saying the money should be used to "finance mental health programs and law enforcement measures to prevent mass shootings".

Former Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader went further, accusing games publishers of being "electronic child molesters" and demanded regulation.

Research studies

Vice President Joseph Biden was recently tasked with heading an inquiry into the causes of gun violence and specifically looked at the issue of computer games.

He concluded: "There is no hard data as to whether or not these excessively violent video games in fact cause people to engage in behaviour that is antisocial, including using guns."

However, during an online video interview, he also referred to a 2008 research paper published by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

It said that a study of US and Japanese youth had suggested playing violent video games was "a significant risk factor for later physically aggressive behaviour".

The research team behind the report also published a follow-up paper in 2010, in the American Psychological Association's journal, saying there should be "public education" so parents and schools could address the issue.

But the vice president said the studies had not made "the next connection" - that game playing actually led to violent acts - and concluded that more research was needed.

Wrestling with critics

As well as being EA's chief executive, Mr Riccitiello also chairs the US's Entertainment Software Rating Board - which decides what age guidance and warnings should go on games packaging - and the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) lobby body.

He said his industry had been "stunned and horrified" by the recent shootings but denied it had had a role in these or other attacks.

"There's been an enormous amount of research done in the entertainment field about looking for linkages between entertainment content and actual violence, and they haven't found any," he said.

"Hundreds of millions of dollars of the research has been done [and] has been unable to find a linkage because there isn't one.

"Now, having said all that, and with all, if you will, humility about the world we live in, we understand that while there may not be an actual problem, given all the finger pointing going on in the press, there appears to be the perception of a problem, and we do have to wrestle with that."

He added that other members of the ESA were also ready to "step up" to tackle the issue.

His comments follow other calls for the video games industry to do more to engage in the debate.

The PC-games-focused site Rock Paper Shotgun recently published an editorial suggesting those involved in the industry had tried to avoid discussing the issue in order to avoid fuelling the cause of critics with "knee-jerking agendas". But it added it was "irresponsible" not to try to convince the NRA and others that they were wrong.

"There is no-one who needs to know about the effects of video game violence more than gamers themselves," the site's co-editor John Walker told the BBC.

"So far all studies have shown that games do not cause a person to become violent, but that doesn't mean we should become blase about it or dismiss it out of hand.

"Gamers and producers need to frequently talk about the subject and be seen to openly discuss both the positive and negative effects gaming may have."

We want to stand with you, David Cameron tells Libya - BBC News

31 January 2013 Last updated at 12:03 ET

David Cameron: "The road to a genuine, stable, secure democracy is a long and painful road."

David Cameron has told Libyans that "the British people want to stand with you" as he visited the country on the second stage of his African trip.

The prime minister was greeted by the public in Martyrs' Square in the capital Tripoli, having spoken to recruits at a police training college.

He has also met Prime Minister Ali Zidan and President Mohamed Magarief.

At a press conference, he announced that police investigating the 1988 Lockerbie bombing are to visit Libya.

Officers from the Dumfries and Galloway force had been granted permission to pursue their investigations in the country, he said.

The BBC's political correspondent Tim Reid said discussions had been taking place about the issue since the overthrow of Colonel Gaddafi in 2011 and while the Libyan authorities had always been supportive, it is only now that it has been approved.

Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, the only person ever convicted of the bombing, died last year after having been released from a Scottish jail in 2009.

Downing Street had requested a news blackout ahead of the prime minister's arrival from Algeria for security reasons.

'Good to be back'

Mr Cameron, who is being accompanied by his national security adviser and the head of MI6 on the trip, told police recruits at the training centre, which is receiving support from the British government, that it was "very good to be back".

In September 2011, Mr Cameron travelled to Libya with the then French President Nicolas Sarkozy to celebrate the liberation of this country from Colonel Gaddafi.

"I will never forget the scenes I saw in Tripoli and Benghazi," he said.

"The British people want to stand with you and help you deliver the greater security that Libya needs.

"So we have offered training and support from our police and our military. We look forward to working together in the years ahead."

'Hard road'

Earlier this week, the Foreign Office warned of a "potential threat" to the British embassy in Tripoli.

This came less than a week after UK citizens were urged to leave the second city, Benghazi, because of a "specific and imminent threat to westerners".

The security situation has deteriorated since the PM's last visit. As he toured Martyrs' Square, a police helicopter hovered overhead and security forces were close at hand.

Acknowledging Libya faces major security challenges, Mr Cameron told the BBC's political editor Nick Robinson the country was on a "long, painful, hard road to a genuine, secure and stable democracy".

The UK, he added, would assist Libya to take the necessary steps to improve its security, such as help with disbanding militia, training the army and supporting a singe police force.

He also defended the French intervention in neighbouring Mali and rejected suggestions that foreign involvement in Muslim countries was the best recruiting sergeant for al-Qaeda.

On the contrary, he said terrorist groups would be encouraged if the international community ignored "ungoverned spaces and chaotic countries" and allowed them to fester - adding that this "was the lesson from Afghanistan and Somalia".

'Protect freedoms'

The UK's former Ambassador to Libya, Sir Richard Dalton, told the BBC that Libya faced many challenges, including agreeing a constitution, setting up new ministries, integrating the militias and diversifying an economy that has been heavily reliant on oil exports.

"But Libya has got a lot going for it still because its people are determined to protect the new freedoms that they have," he added.

Visiting Algeria on Wednesday in the first leg of his trip to Africa, the prime minister said the international community should use "everything at its disposal" to fight terrorism.

The recent hostage crisis at the In Amenas gas plant, in which some 37 foreigners died, was "a reminder that what happens in other countries affects us at home", he said.

He was the first British prime minister to visit Algeria since it became independent in 1962.

Mali militants 'in disarray' after French air strikes - BBC News

31 January 2013 Last updated at 10:21 ET

Three weeks of French targeted air strikes in northern Mali have left Islamist militants "in disarray", France's defence minister has said.

Jean-Yves Le Drian said the jihadists had now scattered, marking a "turning-point" in France's intervention.

His comments come as the French troops continue to secure Kidal, the last town occupied by militants.

The latest strikes have been on command centres, training camps and depots north of Kidal, a spokesman has said.

Col Thierry Burkhard said the "fairly significant" targets had been hit in the Aguelhok mountains near the Algerian border, reports the AFP news agency.

France is preparing to hand over towns it has captured to an African force, which has begun to deploy to Mali.

So far about 2,000 African soldiers, mainly from Chad and Niger, are on the ground.

Col Burkhard said a column of 1,400 troops from Chad was heading towards Kidal from the Niger border.

It will be the job of the African Union-backed force, the International Support Mission to Mali (Afisma), to root out the al-Qaeda-linked insurgents that have fled into the desert and mountains further north.

Meanwhile, at least two Malian soldiers were killed when their vehicle hit a landmine south-west of Gao, officials say.

'Tactical withdrawal'

Mr Le Drian said that some militants in Mali had been on a "military adventure and have returned home".

Others had made a "tactical withdrawal to the Adrar des Ifoghas", the mountainous region east of Kidal covering some 250,000 sq km (96,525 sq miles), he said.

Although he said this was now a turning-point for France, it did not mean that "the military risks and the fighting has ended".

He also said he backed the idea of sending a UN peacekeeping force to Mali.

The BBC's Christian Fraser in Paris says the UN Security Council had previously been uncomfortable about deploying a force under a UN mandate, but support is growing.

Envoys believe it would easier to monitor and prevent human rights abuses if the UN could pick and choose which national contingents to use, he says.

A French army spokesman in Bamako, Lieutenant-Colonel Emmanuel Dosseur, told the BBC French Service that France's special forces were in Kidal, but the majority of troops were still at the airport.

A heavy sandstorm that had hampered operations on Wednesday was starting to clear, and troops may soon be able to continue their deployment, he said.

Haminy Maiga, who heads the regional assembly in Kidal, said he had witnessed no fighting as French forces entered and two helicopters were patrolling overhead.

Correspondents say the bigger problem is how to manage the concerns of the separatist Tuareg fighters in Kidal - the only city in the north to have a majority ethnic Tuareg population.

Jean-Yves Le Drian said the French intervention had succeeded

The secular National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) said its fighters would support the French but would not allow the return of the Malian army, which it accused of "crimes against the civilian population".

Human rights groups have accused the Malian army of targeting ethnic Tuareg and Arab civilians.

The Tuareg rebels launched the insurgency in October 2011 before falling out with the Islamist militants.

The Islamist fighters extended their control of the vast north of Mali in April 2012, in the wake of a military coup.

An MNLA spokesman told the BBC that its fighters had entered Kidal on Saturday and found no Islamist militants there.

Kidal was until recently under the control of the Ansar Dine Islamist group, which has strong ties to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

The Islamic Movement of Azawad (IMA), which recently split from Ansar Dine, had said that it was in control of Kidal.

The IMA, which has Tuareg fighters amongst its members, has also said it rejects "extremism and terrorism" and wants a peaceful solution.

France - the former colonial power in Mali - launched a military operation this month after the Islamist militants appeared to be threatening the south.

Chuck Hagel grilled in Senate confirmation hearing - BBC News

31 January 2013 Last updated at 13:01 ET

Chuck Hagel on his criticism of US role in Iraq conflict: "Let history decide"

Defence Secretary nominee Chuck Hagel has sought to allay concerns that he is anti-Israel and soft on Iran, at a testy confirmation hearing.

The Senate armed services committee grilled Mr Hagel over his past remarks, with a fellow Republican labelling the nominee's record "deeply troubling".

The former Nebraska senator told the panel he could not be defined by any individual quote.

The hearing will lead to a final Senate vote on Mr Hagel's appointment.

Correspondents say he will probably be confirmed by the committee.

Although Democrats control the Senate, they may need Republican support to overcome procedural hurdles that could stop Mr Hagel's nomination.

Heated exchange

If confirmed, he would be the first enlisted man - and the first Vietnam veteran - to run the Pentagon.

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

This has been a hesitant and at times uncomfortable experience for Chuck Hagel - certainly not the commanding performance the White House might have hoped for. Part of the problem is that the nominee himself spent 12 years in the Senate, handing his opponents an extensive voting record to cross examine. The responses have sometimes felt unfocused, even unprepared.

It's also clear that some of Mr Hagel's former Republican colleagues have deep misgivings about his judgement. There's a discernible suspicion that he would prove soft on Iran. While on Iraq, Senator John McCain told the nominee to his face that he'd been on the wrong side of history by opposing the troop surge.

Awkward stuff, but it won't matter too much if Democrats can amass the 60 Senate votes needed to secure confirmation. It was telling that committee Democrats rallied round by offering Mr Hagel openings to clarify his positions.

At Thursday's public hearing, Mr Hagel said he was "fully committed" to preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, with "all options" on the table.

"I will ensure our friend and ally Israel maintains its qualitative military edge in the region," he added.

Mr Hagel also addressed criticism over a remark he made in a 2008 book that the "Jewish lobby" intimidates decision-makers on Capitol Hill.

"I've already said, I regret referencing the Jewish lobby," he told the hearing. "I should have said the pro-Israeli lobby."

Mr Hagel would be the only Republican in President Barack Obama's cabinet if the Senate confirms him to replace outgoing Defence Secretary Leon Panetta.

Before his hearing, he held one-on-one meetings with 53 senators.

But only one Republican senator, Thad Cochran of Mississippi, has publicly backed him.

Once the hearing was under way, the Republican National Committee sent a news release saying Mr Hagel was the wrong choice to lead the Pentagon.

At least three Republicans on the Senate armed services committee have said they do not support his nomination.

Heated exchange

One of those is Senator Jim Inhofe, the top Republican on the panel, who said shortly after the hearing began: "Senator Hagel's record is deeply troubling and out of the mainstream."

There was also a heated exchange between John McCain and the Pentagon nominee.

The Arizona senator took his fellow veteran to task over remarks he made once that the 2006 Iraq troop surge would be "the most dangerous foreign policy blunder in this country since Vietnam".

But Democratic Senator Carl Levin, chairman of the committee, said his concerns had been allayed.

"Senator Hagel's reassurance to me," Sen Levin said, "that he supports the Obama administration's strong stance against Iran is significant."

The hearing is the first time Mr Hagel has publicly addressed the criticism against him.

In the past, he has opposed the idea of a military strike by either the US or Israel against Iran. He has also advocated including Iran on future peace talks in Afghanistan.

His remarks in 1998 that a nominee for an ambassadorial post was "openly, aggressively gay" also raised eyebrows. Mr Hagel has since apologised for that comment.

Mark Duggan shooting: Hutchinson-Foster guilty of supplying gun - BBC News

31 January 2013 Last updated at 12:10 ET

Kevin Hutchinson-Foster denied supplying Mark Duggan with a gun

A man has been found guilty of supplying a gun to Mark Duggan, who was shot dead by police.

Mr Duggan, 29, was shot by officers in Tottenham, north London, on 4 August 2011 and a gun was found nearby, a trial at the Old Bailey heard.

Kevin Hutchinson-Foster, 30, had denied selling or transferring a prohibited firearm to Mr Duggan.

Mr Duggan's death sparked riots in Tottenham, which led to disorder in a number of English cities and towns.

During the trial the jury heard Mr Duggan collected the BBM Bruni Model 92 handgun in a shoebox just 15 minutes before he was killed.

Prosecutor Edward Brown QC told the court: "The death of Mr Duggan has been regarded as the event that sparked the riots in north London, which then spread across London and then to other cities and which attracted widespread publicity in the United Kingdom and abroad."

He told the jury it was not their task to decide the "rights and wrongs" of Mr Duggan's shooting, which will be examined at the inquest into his death, set to take place in September.

Hutchinson-Foster has admitted using the same gun to beat barber Peter Osadebay at a barber's shop in Dalston, east London, just six days before Mr Duggan's death.

The defendant, a cannabis user with convictions for possession of cocaine and heroin with intent to supply, claimed Mr Duggan had wanted his help to sell some cannabis.

He said that was why his DNA was found on the gun when it was retrieved from Ferry Lane, along with traces of Mr Osadebay's blood.

According to the BBC's Danny Shaw the case has helped clarify events leading up to the shooting of Mr Duggan and the inquest into his death can now go ahead.

Armed police, who gave evidence anonymously, described how they had opened fire on Mr Duggan because they saw him get out of a taxi holding a loaded gun.

The officer responsible for the two shots that fatally wounded Mr Duggan said: "I had an honest-held belief that Mark Duggan was going to shoot me or one of my colleagues, so I brought my MP5 (sub-machine gun) up to the shooting position."

'Hard stop'

The officer, known only as V53, shot Mr Duggan in the chest and arm.

He told the jury: "Mark Duggan then fell to the floor. I then closed the suspect down."

Ch Supt Dean Haydon welcomed the jury's verdict

The court heard Mr Duggan had been under police surveillance before the shooting.

A taxi driver, who also gave evidence anonymously, collected Mr Duggan from Hoxton, east London, and took him to an address in Leyton, where he saw his passenger collect a box from another man.

Asked if he could remember the events clearly, the taxi driver said: "It was such an incident that a person cannot forget about these things, even at night."

He detailed the "hard stop" carried out by police, who surrounded the cab, forcing it to halt.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

He was bleeding from the front"

End Quote Taxi Driver

Police descended on the halted minicab and the driver said he saw his passenger get out and run, followed by the gun shots.

The court heard the driver was was pulled from his cab and and forced to lie face-down on the ground with his hands tied behind his back, where he saw Mr Duggan's body lying nearby.

The driver said: "His mouth was open.

"He was bleeding from the front. They were trying to remove his clothes."

An Independent Police Complaints Commission inquiry into the shooting is on-going.

Chief Supt Dean Haydon, from the Metropolitan Police's Trident Gang Crime Command which tackles gang and gun crime, said: "The Kevin Hutchinson-Foster trial has primarily been about the supply of an illegal firearm and I welcome the verdict of the jury in this case today."

Hutchinson-Foster will be sentenced on 26 February.

Syria complains to UN over Israel 'attack' - BBC News

31 January 2013 Last updated at 12:53 ET

Israel has not commented on reports of an attack on Wednesday

Syria has formally complained to the United Nations over a reported Israeli attack within its borders.

Syria's army said Israeli jets had targeted a military research centre north-west of Damascus on Wednesday.

It denied claims by the US and others that lorries carrying weapons bound for Lebanon were hit.

Syria has said it reserves the right to defend itself, while its allies Russia and Iran have strongly denounced the attack.

The Syrian army statement about the incident, carried on state media, said Israeli fighter jets had carried out a direct strike on a scientific research centre in Jamraya, killing two people and wounding five.

But a US official told the BBC the target was a convoy carrying SA-17 surface-to-air missiles. Some rebel groups have said they targeted the Jamraya centre.

Israel has declined to comment.

The latest developments have struck a country in turmoil. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad continues to cling to power despite a 22-month conflict that has killed more than 60,000 people.

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

Amid a welter of contradictory reports and rumours, it seems to be established that Israel did mount a lightning air strike inside Syria, despite complete silence from Israeli officials.

That is their normal practice on such occasions. Additionally, they know that intervening in the complex Syrian internal conflict carries big political risks, not least being accused of teaming up with the rebels.

That is exactly what has happened, with Syria and its allies Iran and Hezbollah saying the attack exposed complicity between Israel, the West, and the Syrian opposition.

Israel knows that intervening in such a way would be likely to embarrass the rebels and strengthen President Assad politically. Whatever prompted it to act must have been compelling enough to override that consideration.

Israel has made it clear that arms transfers from Syria to Hezbollah would constitute a red line.

Most Western accounts believe such an arms convoy was the target. If the Jamraya complex was instead - or also - hit, as Damascus insists, the Israelis must have suspected that something seriously dangerous was going on there.

Golan agreement

Syria's foreign ministry summoned the UN commander in the Golan to deliver its formal protest, saying Israel's action violated the 1974 disengagement agreement between the two sides, who remain technically at war.

A UN observer force has been in place in the Golan since 1974, with the task of providing "an area of separation and for two equal zones of limited forces and armaments on both sides of the area".

"Syria holds Israel and those who are protecting it at the Security Council responsible for the results of the attack and confirms its right to defend its land and sovereignty," Syria said in a letter to the UN, reported by state media.

But Syria itself is hardly in a position to do much, says the BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut.

Both Hezbollah and Iran are also under pressure at the moment, and Israel's calculation must be that none of those hostile parties has an interest in triggering a regional conflagration right now, our correspondent says.

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi condemned the alleged air strike as an "overt assault based on the West's policy" to undermine stability in Syria.

His deputy minister was quoted as saying the raid would have "grave consequences for [the major Israeli city of] Tel Aviv".

There were strong words from Russia, a stalwart defender of Syria on the international diplomatic scene despite its warming trade and economic ties with Israel.

The Russian foreign ministry said: "If this information is confirmed, then we are dealing with unprovoked attacks on targets on the territory of a sovereign country, which blatantly violates the UN Charter and is unacceptable, no matter the motives to justify it."

Earlier Syria's ambassador to Lebanon warned Damascus could take a "surprise" decision to retaliate.

Weapons facility

The Syrian army statement said the Jamraya centre - which was focused on "raising our level of resistance and self-defence" - was damaged in the attack, and specifically denied reports that an arms convoy had been hit.

Continue reading the main story

Israeli media reaction

"Israel is closer today to confrontation on the northern front more than it has been at any point since the Second Lebanon War." Alex Fishman, Yedioth Ahronoth

"It could be seen as a hint to other countries, like Turkey and the US, that a military attack on Syria to topple the regime may be an option." Zvi Barel, Ha'aretz

"There have been many signs in recent days that winds of war are blowing in the north. But… an attack, which did or did not take place, will not lead to an immediate round of combat in the north." Amir Rapaport, Ma'ariv

"If Israel acted, as foreign publications say, the ball is in Assad's court. The problem is that in the current situation, he has no court and does not have much to lose. A wounded lion is a dangerous lion." Boaz Bismuth,Yisrael Hayom

It said "armed terrorist gangs" - a term the government uses to describe rebel groups - had tried and failed repeatedly to capture the same facility in recent months.

Some reports suggest the facility could be Syria's Scientific Studies and Research Centre, known by its French acronym CERS, believed to be the state organisation responsible for developing biological and chemical weapons.

Lebanese military and internal security forces say there has been increased activity by Israeli warplanes over Lebanon in the past week, and particularly on Tuesday and the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Correspondents say Israel is also concerned that Hezbollah could obtain anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles, thus strengthening its ability to respond to Israeli air strikes.

Israel believes Syria received a battery of SA-17s from Russia after an alleged Israeli air strike in 2007 that destroyed a Syrian nuclear reactor near Deir Ezzor in eastern Syria, analysts say.

Wednesday's reported attack came days after Israel moved its Iron Dome defence system to the north of the country.

French troops in Mali take Kidal, last Islamist holdout - BBC News

30 January 2013 Last updated at 20:01 ET

French forces have secured the northern Malian town of Kidal, the last main stronghold of Islamist rebels in the region, military officials say.

Militant Islamist fighters had already left the town, near the Algerian border, and are believed to be hiding in the surrounding mountains.

The capture of Kidal came days after French and Malian forces retook the provincial capitals Gao and Timbuktu.

Kidal official Haminy Maiga said the French troops had met no resistance.

"The French arrived aboard four planes," said, Mr Maiga, who heads the regional assembly.

"They took the airport and then entered the town, and there was no combat. The French are patrolling the town and two helicopters are patrolling overhead."

Earlier, French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said a sandstorm had delayed the troops from leaving the airport.

Islamist militants seized the vast north of Mali last March, taking advantage of a military coup.

France - the former colonial power in Mali - launched a military operation this month after the militants appeared to be threatening the south.

The BBC's Thomas Fessy in Timbuktu says the capture of Kidal marks the end of the first phase of the military operation to oust militants from northern Mali.

France is now expecting the deployment of thousands of African forces to support the second phase - driving the al-Qaeda-linked fighters from their desert hideouts.

Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Wednesday that France intended to leave Mali "quickly", and it was up to African countries to take over.

Several hundred soldiers from West African countries - including Niger and Chad - are already in Mali.

Our correspondent says French forces who entered Kidal found members of the secular National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) there.

The Tuareg rebels launched the insurgency last year before breaking away from the militants.

Their presence in Kidal explains why government troops have not yet been sent to the town, our correspondent adds.

The MNLA says it will support the French but will not allow the return of the Malian army, which it accused of "crimes against the civilian population".

Human rights groups have accused the Malian army of targeting ethnic Tuareg and Arab civilians.

An MNLA spokesman told the BBC its fighters had entered Kidal on Saturday and found no Islamist militants there.

Kidal was until recently under the control of the Ansar Dine Islamist group, which has strong ties to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

The Islamic Movement of Azawad (IMA), which recently split from Ansar Dine, recently said that it was in control of Kidal.

The IMA has also said it rejects "extremism and terrorism" and wants a peaceful solution.

Some reports say Ansar Dine leader Iyad Ag Ghaly and Abou Zeid of AQIM have now moved to the mountainous region north of Kidal.

Meanwhile, EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Thursday are expected to reaffirm support for the French intervention in Mali and discuss practical details of an EU military training mission which is due to begin there next month.

On Tuesday, international donors meeting in Ethiopia pledged $455.53m (£289m) for the African Union-backed force (Afisma) and for other projects.

African leaders say the overall budget could be around $950m.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius has also said credible elections in Mali would be vital to achieving peace in the country.

Mali's interim President Dioncounda Traore said on Tuesday he wanted to hold "transparent and credible" elections by 31 July.

New York Times 'hit by hackers from China' - BBC News

31 January 2013 Last updated at 01:25 ET

Hackers from China have "persistently" infiltrated the New York Times for the last four months, the US paper says.

It said the attacks coincided with its report into claims that the family of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao had amassed a multi-billion dollar fortune.

The hackers used methods which have been "associated with the Chinese military" to target the emails of the report's writer, the paper said.

China's Defence Ministry told the paper hacking was illegal under its laws.

According to the Times, the hackers first broke into their computer system in September, as the report on Mr Wen was nearing completion.

The report, which was dismissed as a "smear" by the Chinese government, said Mr Wen's relatives had amassed assets worth at least $2.7bn (£1.7bn) through business dealings. It did not accuse the Chinese premier of wrongdoing.

China is sensitive about reports on its leaders, particularly when it comes to their wealth.

'China-based subterfuge'

The New York Times said the hacking was focussed on the computers of David Barboza, the paper's bureau chief in Shanghai who wrote the report, and one of his predecessors, Jim Yardley.

Internet security firm Mandiant, which was hired by the Times to trace the attack, followed the hackers' movements for four months, to try to establish a pattern and block them.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

When you see the same group steal data on Chinese dissidents and Tibetan activists, then attack an aerospace company, it starts to push you in the right direction"

End Quote Richard Bejtlich Mandiant

The hackers had installed malware which enabled them to access any computer using the New York Times network, steal the password of every employee, and access 53 personal computers, mostly outside the Times offices.

The security firm found that in an attempt to hide the origin of the attack, it had been routed through computers in US universities which, the paper said, "matches the subterfuge used in many other attacks that Mandiant has tracked to China".

The Times said experts had found that the attacks "started from the same university computers used by the Chinese military to attack United States military contractors in the past".

They found the hackers began working for the most part at 08:00 Beijing time.

Mandiant's chief security officer, Richard Bejtlich, said that "if you look at each attack in isolation, you can't say, 'This is the Chinese military'," but that the similar patterns and targets of the attacks indicated a connection.

"When you see the same group steal data on Chinese dissidents and Tibetan activists, then attack an aerospace company, it starts to push you in the right direction," he said.

The paper said no personal data of staff or customers was stolen and that no attempt was made to shut down its website.

"They could have wreaked havoc on our systems," said chief information officer Marc Frons. But he said what they appeared to be looking for were "the names of people who might have provided information to Mr Barboza".

There was also no evidence that sensitive emails or files on the Wen family had been accessed, or that the intruders had sought information unrelated to the Wen family, the paper said.

China's Ministry of National Defence told the paper: "Chinese laws prohibit any action including hacking that damages internet security" and that "to accuse the Chinese military of launching cyber attacks without solid proof is unprofessional and baseless".

West Coast Main Line fiasco caused by 'major failures' - BBC News

30 January 2013 Last updated at 19:05 ET

The fiasco over the collapse of the West Coast Main Line franchise deal was the result of "irresponsible decisions", an MPs' committee has said.

The transport committee blamed "major failures" at the Department for Transport (DfT) and the civil service.

But its report was not unanimous, with several committee members choosing not to blame ministers.

In October, the government scrapped its decision to award the £5bn franchise to FirstGroup.

The reversal will cost taxpayers almost £50m, it has been estimated.

"This episode revealed substantial problems of governance, assurance, policy and resources inside the Department for Transport," said Louise Ellman, chairwoman of the committee.

"Embarking on an ambitious - perhaps unachievable - reform of franchising, in haste, on the UK's most complex piece of railway, was an irresponsible decision for which ministers were ultimately responsible.

"This was compounded by major failures by civil servants, some of whom misled ministers."

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

Ministers asked the right, penetrating questions during the process but were given inaccurate responses by officials"

End Quote Karen Lumley, Karl McCartney, and Iain Stewart Committee members

The mistakes came to light after rival bidder Virgin Trains, which has run the West Coast Main Line since 1997, launched a legal challenge against the decision. Virgin will continue running the service until November 2014 when a new long-term franchise will begin.

In December, the National Audit Office calculated a "significant cost to the taxpayer".

It said costs for staff, advisers, lawyers and the two reviews into the fiasco added up to £8.9m, on top of the estimated £40m it will take to reimburse firms for the cost of their bids.

'Inaccurate responses'

But three members of the transport select committee - Karen Lumley, Karl McCartney, and Iain Stewart - said that they disagreed with the report, which was majority voted through.

An independent report last year by Sam Laidlaw - chief executive of Centrica, the owner of British Gas - found there was a "damning failure" by the DfT that led to ministers - who had not been told about flaws in the bidding process - awarding the contract after being given inaccurate reports.

"We believe the evidence in the Laidlaw Report shows that ministers asked the right, penetrating questions during the process but were given inaccurate responses by officials," they said.

"We do not believe that it is was 'irresponsible' to run the new franchise process first on the WCML as the department has shown itself perfectly capable of managing other complex projects in this period," they added.

Three DFT civil servants, who were suspended after the scrapping of the bid, have returned to work, and one official has launched legal action against the department on the basis that her role in the process has been "inaccurately" portrayed.

In the report, Ms Ellman said that: "Many of the problems with the franchise competition, detailed in the Laidlaw report, reflect very badly on civil servants at the DFT.

"However, ministers approved a complex - perhaps unworkable - franchising policy at the same time as overseeing major cuts to the department's resources. This was a recipe for failure which the DfT must learn from urgently."

She called on the DfT to explain why ministers and senior officials were "misled" about how subordinated loan facilities were calculated, if necessary after disciplinary proceedings against staff have concluded.

Ms Ellman's constituency on Merseyside is served by the rail line.

About 31 million passengers travel on the West Coast Main Line between London and Scotland every year.

Syria 'confirms' Israeli air strike but disputes target - BBC News

31 January 2013 Last updated at 01:18 ET

Israel has not commented on reports of an attack on Wednesday.

The Syrian military says Israeli jets have carried out an air strike on its territory, but denied reports that lorries carrying weapons bound for Lebanon were hit.

It said in a statement that the target was a military research centre northwest of the capital Damascus.

Two people were killed and five injured in the attack, it said.

Lebanese security sources, Western diplomats and Syrian rebels say an arms convoy was hit near Lebanon's border.

The attack came as Israel voiced fears that Syrian missiles and chemical weapons could fall into the hands of militants such as Lebanon's Hezbollah.

On Thursday, Russia's foreign ministry expressed "grave concerns" over the alleged Israeli attacks.

"If this information is confirmed, then we are dealing with unprovoked strikes at targets on the territory of a sovereign state, which grossly violates the UN Charter and is unacceptable, whatever motives are used to justify it," the statement said.

BBC Middle East correspondent Wyre Davies says none of the reports can be verified, although some well-placed diplomats and military sources say they would not be surprised if Israel had acted, given the recent instability in Syria.

Israel and the US have declined to comment on the incident.

The Lebanese military and internal security forces have not officially confirmed the reports, but say there has been increased activity by Israeli warplanes over Lebanon in the past week, and particularly in recent hours.

Hezbollah fears

The army statement, quoted in Syria's official media, said: "Israeli fighter jets violated our airspace at dawn today and carried out a direct strike on a scientific research centre in charge of raising our level of resistance and self-defence."

The centre, in Jamraya, northwest of the capital Damascus, was damaged in the attack, along with an adjacent building and a car park, the statement said.

It said that "armed terrorist gangs", a term the government uses to describe rebel groups, had tried and failed repeatedly to capture the same facility in recent months.

The statement specifically denied reports that an arms convoy had been hit.

The Jerusalem Post said the description of the facility fitted that of Syria's Scientific Studies and Research Centre, believed to be the state organisation responsible for developing biological and chemical weapons.

Hours earlier, unnamed Lebanese security sources reported that Israeli warplanes had struck lorries carrying missiles towards the Lebanese border

The Associated Press quoted a US official as saying the lorries were carrying Russian-made SA-17 anti-aircraft missiles.

Correspondents say Israel fears that Lebanese Shia militant group Hezbollah could obtain anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles, thus strengthening its ability to respond to Israeli air strikes.

However, an attack on the Syrian side could cause a major diplomatic incident, they say, as Iran has said it will treat any Israeli attack on Syria as an attack on itself.

The attack came days after Israel moved its Iron Dome defence system to the north of the country.

Israel has also joined the US in expressing concern that Syria's presumed chemical weapons stockpile could be taken over by militant groups, although there is no evidence that the convoy was carrying such weapons.

Analysts say Israel believes Syria received a battery of SA-17s from Russia after an alleged Israeli air strike in 2007 that destroyed a Syrian nuclear reactor.

The US government said in 2008 that the reactor was "not intended for peaceful purposes".

China's coal conundrum as smog worsens - BBC News

30 January 2013 Last updated at 22:41 ET By Martin Patience BBC News, Datong, China

Many say this winter's pollution is the worst they can remember

Locals in Datong call it the coal capital of China - and it is not hard to see why. Outside the city you can see enormous mining towers and buildings scarring the landscape.

At one coal pit the bulldozers are hard at work. They push huge mounds of coal close to the waiting trucks. The air is filthy, blackened by the coal dust.

This is a dirty, grimy business but in China it is crucial work. Coal has fuelled the country's economic boom, with consumption tripling in little over a decade.

Currently, China burns almost as much coal as the rest of the world combined. But that is leaving many cities, including Beijing, choking on hazardous smog.

Many people in the capital say the pollution this month has been the worst they can remember.

Hospitals have been over-run by both the young and old suffering from respiratory problems as pollution levels soared passed levels considered hazardous by the World Health Organisation.

One recent study, carried out by Greenpeace East Asia and Peking University's School of Public Health, estimated that air pollution had caused more than 8,000 premature deaths in four major Chinese cities last year.

'Too severe'

Coal accounts for two-thirds of China's energy supply and is the country's main source of pollution, as well as the millions of cars on the road.

But the smog it produces has led many to question the country's economic model.

A sustained effort to reduce China's dependence on heavy industry is now required, says Yang Fuqiang, a former government energy policy researcher and now a senior adviser at the Natural Resources Defence Council.

"We have to change our ways. The pollution caused by coal is simply too severe," he said. "If nothing happens then the public outcry in the cities will keep growing.

"The government needs to restrict the use of coal and develop cleaner and more efficient technology."

In Beijing the authorities have shut down some factories and taken cars off the roads to try to reduce the pollution. People are being warned to close their windows. Sales of air purifiers and facemasks have rocketed and in some shops have simply run out.

In the long-term China is also investing heavily in hydro-electrical power and another renewable energies. It is considered a world leader in green technologies.

But with demand for energy growing year on year, consumption of coal continues to increase.

Expectations

On Thursday, state-run news agency Xinhua reported that the authorities have now set a target designed to curb the growing consumption of energy, and coal in particular.

But any efforts to cap consumption will run into stiff resistance from local governments, which fear restrictions on economic growth.

Many people in the cities, however, want the authorities to take tough measures in order to improve their quality of life. But in the shadow of the coal mines in Datong there are different expectations.

Xu Youwang has been a farmer all his life. The 56-year-old says he can remember a day when all he owned were sheep. He and his neighbours all live in mud-brick houses.

But now he has a washing machine, a TV - and big dreams. "If I had the money I'd buy a car, an apartment, a fridge and a computer," he said.

Farmer Xu expects his life to only get better. And that is the challenge for China's leaders - balancing the aspirations of people like him with more sustainable economic growth

For now, at least, the country's reliance on coal and the pollution that comes with it shows little sign of ending.

'Millions of low-income households' face council tax rise - BBC News

30 January 2013 Last updated at 22:47 ET

Millions of the poorest households face council tax rises because most councils in England will pass on a 10% cut in funding from April, research suggests.

A typical bill will rise between £100 and £250 a year, but some could rise as much as £600, according to think tank the Resolution Foundation.

Its report coincides with the deadline for local authorities to submit their plans for changing council tax benefit.

Responsibility for the benefit is being moved from the government to councils.

At the same time, the total spent on the benefit, which is to become known as council tax support, is being cut by 10%.

In Wales, the cut is being absorbed by the government, and not passed on to local authorities.

'Poll tax'

In Scotland, the cost is being shared between councils and the Scottish government, maintaining support for low-income residents.

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

There is a wider, highly charged, political context to this issue.

Ministers present themselves as being on the side of those who want to "work hard and get on". They say they are ending the "something-for-nothing culture".

They emphasise that more money is currently spent on benefits than on defence, education and health combined.

While delivering their tough - and they believe popular - rhetoric, ministers do not accept any blame if the poorest are hit the hardest.

The view from government is that there is no need for councils to ask the lowest income households for money. Instead they should find more efficient ways of operating, protect the vulnerable and deliver better value for money for all council tax payers.

Many councils accuse ministers of devolving responsibility for a hugely controversial cut.

The political heat on this has been rising in recent days in council chambers across England.

What seems at first to be an obscure, rather technical, debate about how a benefit is distributed, could soon emerge as a critical issue in the battle over welfare.

But the 326 councils in England could be left with a shortfall if they intend to maintain the level of existing payments.

Some are finding savings from elsewhere in their budgets, in order to protect the incomes of the poorest households.

At least 40 local authorities have decided to maintain current levels of support. Durham County Council and Tower Hamlets are amongst those which will absorb the costs of CTS into their budgets.

The government has also put forward £100m of support for those councils that limit the council tax increase for those on benefits or low pay to 8.5%.

Ministers say the total paid out in council tax benefit doubled under the last government and welfare "reform" is vital to tackle the budget deficit.

They say the changes will give councils the incentive to help people off benefits and into work.

Council tax benefit is currently claimed by about five million households in England - about half get 100% support, meaning they currently pay no council tax at all.

But the Resolution Foundation says that three-quarters of authorities in England are planning to demand a new or higher payment from the lowest income households.

This comes at a time when other benefits may also rise more slowly than the cost of living, and the government introduces an overall cap on benefits.

Continue reading the main story

Council tax support changes

Council tax support (CTS) will replace council tax benefit (CTB) in April

Councils will decide who qualifies for CTS, rather than the government, as under CTB

Councils will have 10% less money to fund CTS, changes that will save £500m a year

Pensioners will be protected and households in Wales and Scotland are unaffected

Because pensioners are fully protected, those of working age are, in many areas, being asked to shoulder a much greater burden.

"Millions of England's poorest households, both in and out of work, are already very close to the edge," said Gavin Kelly of the Resolution Foundation. "They are going to find it very hard to cope."

Some campaigners have likened the change to the "poll tax", in that people are asked for a contribution regardless of their ability to pay.

'Low priority'

The Labour Party says the policy is deeply unfair, and will cause havoc with hundreds of thousands of people unable to pay the bills.

Many in local government fear that councils will be left with a financial black hole, as the cost of pursuing those who do not pay through the courts could be higher than the revenue the authorities will raise from them in tax.

The Local Government Association, which represents local authorities, said: "Paying the tax will be pretty low down the priority list, when you've got to feed yourself and feed your kids.

"That could mean overall collection rates will go down, meaning less money for all council services."

Local Government Minister Brandon Lewis said: "Under the last administration, more taxpayers' money was being spent on benefits than on defence, education and health combined.

"We are cutting council tax in real terms for hard-working families and pensioners, and we are on the side of people who work hard and want to get on."

Are you in England? How will you cope with a council tax rise? Please send us your comments using the form below.

US economy shrinks a surprise 0.1% in fourth quarter - BBC News

30 January 2013 Last updated at 10:47 ET

The US economy unexpectedly shrank at an annualised rate of 0.1% in the fourth quarter of 2012, initial official estimates indicate.

If confirmed, it would be the first contraction logged by the US economy since the 2009 global recession.

The world's largest economy grew 3.1% in July to September.

The fourth quarter period was dominated by the "fiscal cliff" - the spending cuts and tax rises that had been due to come into force from 1 January.

These were avoided by a last-minute deal between the Republican-dominated Congress and the White House. However, economists warned at the time that fears of an abrupt cut in government spending were undermining business and consumer confidence.

However, part of that deal includes tax rises for the highest-earning Americans and - more significantly for the economy - the expiry of a payroll tax holiday for all US employees, something which is widely expected by economists to further weigh on growth during the current quarter.

Spending cuts

The fourth-quarter shrinkage in economic output comes as a shock to analysts on Wall Street, who had been expecting 1.1% growth according to a poll by news agency Reuters. Not one economist surveyed had predicted an economic contraction.

It will add to pressure on the US Federal Reserve to do more to stimulate the economy. Members of its Federal Open Markets Committee are due to announce the conclusions of their latest policy-setting meeting later on Wednesday, and will have had an advance look at the economic data.

Growth was dragged down by a 22% cut in the federal government's defence spending - the biggest since 1972, when the US was winding down from the end of the Vietnam War - and by the decision of many businesses to halt the rapid rebuilding of their inventories that began over the summer.

Continue reading the main story

These two relatively volatile components of the data subtracted a combined 2.6 percentage points from the overall growth figure.

Consumer spending did pick up, as did business investment, suggesting that the economy may have some underlying momentum. Sales of computers and cars both made positive contributions to the economy's performance.

Residential investment also grew 15%, adding to evidence that the housing market has finally turned the corner.

"Frankly, this is the best-looking contraction in US [gross domestic product] you'll ever see," said Paul Ashworth, an economist at Capital Economics, in a note to clients. "The drag from defence spending and inventories is a one-off. The rest of the report is all encouraging."

The October-to-December period was also negatively affected by Storm Sandy, which caused the closure of many factories and businesses in the New York area, and by a sharp drop in exports.

Growth for 2012 as a whole came in at 2.2%, up from 1.8% in 2011, but still unusually slow compared with previous economic recoveries in the US following recessions in the post-War era.

Debt ceiling

Looking ahead, domestic spending in the current quarter is expected to be dogged by further uncertainty over the federal government's tax and spending.

Workers have already experienced a 2% average cut in their take-home pay, due to the expiry of the payroll tax holiday. That means a household earning $50,000 a year will have about $1,000 less to spend.

The income lost is likely to have been behind a sharp fall in consumer confidence recorded by surveys in January.

Meanwhile, the recently re-elected President Barack Obama and Congress are expected to clash once again in the coming months over the debt ceiling.

The US Treasury is approaching the $16.4tn (£10.3tn) legal limit on its total debt, and must gain permission from Congress to borrow the money needed for it to continue meeting its bills.

Last time there was a stand-off over the issue, in the summer of 2011, the political deadlock prompted ratings agency Standard & Poor's to deprive the US of its top AAA rating, a move that sent stock markets sharply lower.

The US House of Representatives has passed a bill to extend the country's debt limit until May, deferring the budget debate for a few months at least.

EastEnders' Gemma McCluskie murder: Brother guilty - BBC News

30 January 2013 Last updated at 12:16 ET

The brother of former EastEnders actress Gemma McCluskie has been found guilty of her murder and told he will serve at least 20 years in jail.

Tony McCluskie, 35, of Shoreditch, east London, had admitted manslaughter at the Old Bailey but denied her murder.

Miss McCluskie's torso was found in Regent's Canal, Hackney, last March. Other body parts were found later.

The 29-year-old actress played Kerry Skinner, Ethel Skinner's great-niece, in the BBC soap in 2000 and 2001.

Hacked into pieces

McCluskie was found guilty by an 11-1 majority and given a life sentence.

Miss McCluskie's mutilated body was found floating in the canal in east London on 6 March last year.

She was killed by being hit over the head at least twice and her body was hacked into six pieces using a cleaver and a knife.

McCluskie, a 36-year-old window cleaner and skunk cannabis smoker, claimed to have lost control after a tirade of abuse from his sister.

He said the last thing he remembered was her coming at him with a knife.

But the prosecution said he killed his sister after she lost patience with him and asked him to leave the flat in Pelter Street, Shoreditch, where they lived.

The final straw came when McCluskie left taps running and a sink overflowed in March last year, the jury heard.

The Old Bailey heard that on 2 March McCluskie lugged a heavy suitcase to a local cab firm and was seen taking it towards the canal.

When the cab driver asked what was in his bag the defendant said it was a sound system.

'Warm-hearted'

Miss McCluskie's torso was found a week later when the case snapped open, and her limbs were found in plastic bags a week later.

But her head was not found until six months later when it too was discovered in the water.

Her former co-stars Natalie Cassidy and Brooke Kinsella, had appealed for help on Twitter to find her.

Gemma's father Anthony McCluskie said she had a ''huge personality and zest for life''

Ms Kinsella tweeted: "Thinking of you Gemma. I am so so sorry. Despair of the world we live in sometimes. RIP darling xxx".

Mr Justice Fulford told McCluskie: "I have no doubt that you killed your sister because she was furious with you for letting a sink overflow in the bathroom.

"I unhesitatingly reject your account that she had used bad language towards you or that she had belittled you in the past.

"She was a warm-hearted woman who was loved by a great many people."

He said McCluskie had set about "in a cold-blooded way" to conceal what he had done.

"Your hope must have been that she would never be found," the judge added.

'Zest for life'

Speaking outside the court, Anthony McCluskie, the siblings' father, said it had been an "extremely traumatic" time for the family and his daughter's friends.

He said his daughter was known as Gem Star or Little Gem to some of her friends.

"Small in stature, she was huge in personality with a zest for life," he said.

He said his daughter was "very much loved" and "greatly missed".

"Good night and God bless Gemma," he said.

"We all miss you and love you."

Gemma McCluskie appeared in more than 30 episodes of EastEnders as Kerry Skinner, the great-niece of long-term character Ethel Skinner.

Kerry was a close friend of Zoe Slater and dated Robbie Jackson, who proposed to her. The character left Albert Square when her holiday fling with another boy was revealed.

Most recently Miss McCluskie had worked in two pubs in Shoreditch.

Giffords implores Congress for gun control - BBC News

30 January 2013 Last updated at 11:38 ET

"Speaking is difficult, but I need to say something important"

Wounded former Representative Gabrielle Giffords has implored Congress to curb gun violence, at the first hearing on the issue this year on Capitol Hill.

The Arizona Democrat, who was shot in the head in a 2011 attack that killed six people, said too many children were dying in shootings.

But the National Rifle Association told the Senate judiciary committee that gun control was not the answer.

The renewed gun-control drive follows last month's massacre in Connecticut.

Twenty children and six adults were killed in the attack at a primary school in Newtown, which shocked a nation with the world's highest rate of gun ownership. Firearms sales in the US have risen since the shooting.

'You must act'

Ms Giffords, who is still recovering after being shot by a mentally ill gunman while meeting her constituents in Tucson, opened Wednesday's hearing saying: "Violence is a big problem.

LaPierre: Government should not dictate what we can lawfully own and use to protect our families

"Too many children are dying. Too many children. We must do something. It will be hard. But the time is now. You must act. Be bold. Be courageous. Americans are counting on you."

Her husband, former astronaut Mark Kelly, also testified.

The couple, both gun owners, recently launched a political action committee, Americans for Responsible Solutions, intended to combat firearms violence.

Mr Kelly told the panel: "When dangerous people get guns we are all vulnerable, at the movies, at church, conducting our everyday business, meeting with a government official."

Wayne LaPierre, executive vice-president of the NRA, an influential firearms lobby group, told the hearing that gun control measures had failed in the past.

President Barack Obama this month proposed sweeping measures on guns, including a renewed ban on assault rifles and wider background checks on buyers.

But Mr LaPierre said the government's own figures had shown the last assault-weapons ban from 1994-2004 made no impact on lowering crime.

"Law-abiding gun owners will not accept blame for the acts of violent or deranged criminals," said Mr LaPierre.

"Nor do we believe that government should dictate what we can lawfully own and use to protect our families."

Under questioning, Mr LaPierre conceded that his organisation no longer supported universal background checks for gun owners.

The Senate judiciary committee is divided on the White House plans, which face a rocky road in both the Democratic-led Senate and Republican-controlled House of Representatives.

Republican Senator Orrin Hatch said on Tuesday that he was "a strong supporter of the second amendment" - referring to a clause in the US Constitution on the right to bear arms.

"And I don't intend to change," he added.

Another member, Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein, has already introduced a bill, similar to the White House plan, that would seek to ban assault weapons and limit ammunition magazines to less than 10 rounds.

But Democratic Senator Charles Schumer said he believed it would be possible to introduce wider background checks.

Those buying guns from licensed stores and vendors are required to face a background check, but some purchasers buying guns from private sales at firearms shows and online do not need to do so, an exception often referred to as the gun-show loop-hole.

President Obama has called for background checks in both instances, as well as increased reporting by states on those who are not allowed to buy a gun for legal or mental health reasons.

Mali conflict: France says its troops now in Kidal - BBC News

30 January 2013 Last updated at 07:56 ET

French forces say they have entered Kidal in the north of Mali, the last major town they have yet to secure in their drive against Islamist militants.

French forces now control Kidal airport after a number of aircraft, including helicopters, landed there overnight.

Islamist militants were reported to have already left the town and it was unclear who was in charge.

French and Malian forces have been sweeping north, earlier taking Gao and Timbuktu with almost no resistance.

France - the former colonial power in Mali - launched a military operation this month after Islamist militants appeared to be threatening the south.

French army spokesman Col Thierry Burkhard confirmed that "French elements were deployed overnight in Kidal".

Haminy Maiga, the interim president of the Kidal regional assembly, told the Associated Press news agency: "The French arrived at 9:30pm [Tuesday] aboard four planes. Afterwards they took the airport and then entered the town and there was no combat.

"The French are patrolling the town and two helicopters are patrolling overhead," he said.

'Eradicate terrorism'

Kidal, 1,500km (930 miles) north-east of the capital Bamako, was until recently under the control of the Ansar Dine Islamist group, which has strong ties to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

With the fall of Kidal, one phase of this crisis may be over but two crucial challenges remain. First, there is unfinished business on the military front. Islamist militant elements who may have taken refuge in the mountainous areas near the Algerian frontier need to be sought out, harried and contained. French forces need to hand the task of garrisoning the main population centres to West African troops.

But France will also have to define its own continuing military role and two international training missions. One for the Malian army and the other for the West African forces must be started without delay.

The second challenge is for Mali itself; to establish democratic governance and to grapple with the problems of Tuareg separatism. The reprisals against alleged Islamist militant sympathisers in Timbuktu tarnished an otherwise successful operation and the Malian army is clearly not welcomed by anti-Islamist Tuareg groups in Kidal. These are just tasters of potential problems ahead.

• 'War of the shadows'

The Islamist militants had taken advantage of a military coup in March last year to impose Sharia in a number of cities in the north.

However, the Islamic Movement of Azawad (IMA), which recently split from Ansar Dine, says it is now in charge in Kidal.

The IMA has said it rejects "extremism and terrorism" and wants a peaceful solution.

An IMA spokesman confirmed the French arrival in Kidal and said that its leader was in talks with them.

However, another rebel group, the secular National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), is also influential in the area. It is ethnically driven, fighting mostly for the rights of Mali's minority Tuareg community.

An MNLA spokesman told the BBC its fighters had entered Kidal on Saturday and found no Islamist militants there.

The MNLA has also said it is prepared to work with the French "to eradicate terrorist groups" in the north but that it would not allow the return of the Malian army, which it accused of "crimes against the civilian population".

Some reports say Ansar Dine leader, Iyad Ag Ghaly, and Abou Zeid of AQIM have now moved to the mountainous region north of Kidal.

The BBC's Thomas Fessy, in Timbuktu, says that taking Kidal will mark the end of the first phase of the French military intervention.

However, he says there will remain the difficult task of chasing the fighters down across the vast desert.

The French foreign ministry on Wednesday urged the Malian government to open discussions with the "legitimate representatives of the people in the north" as well as "non-terrorist armed groups".

The French arrival at Kidal came only 24 hours after securing Timbuktu with Malian forces.

The troops had to secure the streets after hundreds of people looted shops they said had belonged to militant sympathisers.

The retreating Islamist militants were also accused of destroying ancient manuscripts held in the city.

However on Wednesday, Shamil Jeppie, the Timbuktu Manuscripts Project director at the University of Cape Town, said that more than 90% of the 300,000 manuscripts said to be in the region were safe.

Donor pledges

France has been pushing for the swift deployment of an African Union-backed force, the International Support Mission to Mali (Afisma), to take control of Malian towns.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius says rebel groups could still strike in Mali or elsewhere

On Tuesday, international donors meeting in Ethiopia pledged $455.53m (£289m) for Afisma and for other projects.

African leaders say the overall budget could be around $950m.

France's Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told the meeting impressive progress had been made but that this did not mean the danger was over.

Mr Fabius also said credible elections in Mali would be vital to achieving sustainable peace in the country.

Mali's interim President Dioncounda Traore said on Tuesday that he wanted to hold "transparent and credible" elections by 31 July.

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