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Anonymous hacks into FBI-Scotland Yard call
by Sandra Laville
3 Feb 2012 at 4:54pm
Investigators can be heard discussing joint inquiry into cybercrime in 15-minute call released on the internet
Hackers from the group Anonymous have broadcast a private conference call between the FBI and Scotland Yard exposing details of an international cybercrime investigation, the FBI has confirmed.
The FBI and Scotland Yard admitted that the security of the call had been breached.
Investigators can be heard discussing their joint inquiry into a cybercrime investigation going through the British courts, and linked to investigations in New York, Baltimore, Los Angeles and Ireland.
It is understood the breach occurred at the US end of the call. As the news broke, Anonymous began taunting the FBI, asking if it was curious about how the group could keep reading the bureau's internal communications.
Investigators can be heard on the broadcast talking about named individuals who have been charged in the UK with hacking into the website of the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca).
In one lengthy exchange, the British contingent can be heard discussing a 15-year-old hacker as a "wannabe" and a "pain in the bum". The 15-minute call has been broadcast on the internet, but the names of some of the individuals being sought have been bleeped out by the hackers.
Scotland Yard said: "We are aware of the video which relates to an FBI conference call involving a PCeU [member of the e-crime unit] representative. The matter is being investigated by the FBI.
"At this stage no operational risks to the MPS have been identified; however, we continue to carry out a full assessment. We are not prepared to discuss [it] further."
The conference call was one that appears to be held weekly between officers from the Metropolitan police's e-crime unit and the FBI in New York and Los Angeles.
The law enforcement agencies are working together on a cybercrime investigation involving teenagers and young people from the UK, Ireland, Germany and the US, it is understood.
Six people are going through the British courts charged in connection with hacking into computers belonging to Soca. They include Ryan Cleary, a British teenager who is charged with five offences of hacking websites. Cleary, 19, from Wickford, Essex, was arrested in June last year. His arrest was linked to a series of cyber-attacks by a group called LulzSec.
Cleary was charged over cyber-attacks against British-based targets. He is due to appear at Southwark crown court with his co-accused, Jake Davis, on 11 May. Four other individuals, are due to appear at the same court in March as part of the same investigation. Cleary has been charged with three attacks – on the London-based International Federation of the Phonographic Industry in November 2010, the British Phonographic Industry in October 2010, and on Soca.
The method he is alleged to have used is a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack against all three websites. He was also charged with constructing a botnet, a network of infected computers that can be used remotely to direct attacks.
On the intercepted call, the British police officers joke with their FBI counterparts early in the conversation while they wait for others to join, and are heard making fun of Sheffield - where the Acpo cybercrime conference is being held next week. "It's a khazi - not exactly a jewel in England's crown," says the British detective. The call, which took place nearly a fortnight ago – it is understood – includes a conversation about the appearance of Cleary and Davis at Southwark crown court last Friday.
The FBI official expresses his gratitude to the British officers for "being flexible" and co-ordinating with them. "New York appreciates it," the FBI operative says.
In response, the British detective says: "We have cocked things up in the past."
The British detective then gives the FBI details of a 15-year-old who was arrested in the UK before Christmas. He calls the 15-year-old a "wannabe" and is connected with two other teenagers who are known as CSL sec "Cant Stop Laughing Security".
"He is just a pain in the bum," the officer says. The call ends with all parties agreeing to talk again the following Monday.
The events leading to the arrest of Cleary involved an investigation by British police and the FBI. The bureau's involvement, plus the nature of the targets, raised the prospect of Washington seeking the teenager's extradition to the US.
The conference call reveals that two other individuals are to be arrested in the future. It makes clear that the investigation is complex, stretching across international boundaries and focusing on teenage hackers in many different cases.
Karen Todner, a lawyer for Cleary, said the recording could be "incredibly sensitive" and warned such data breaches had the potential to derail the police's work. If they haven't secured their email it could potentially prejudice the investigation," she told Associated Press.Anonymous is a collection of internet enthusiasts, pranksters and activists whose targets have included the Church of Scientology, the music industry, and financial companies such as Visa and MasterCard.
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Briton lost from cruise liner off Mexico
3 Feb 2012 at 11:38pm
US and Mexican coastguards search for 30-year-old seen falling from deck of world's largest cruise ship
A British passenger on the world's biggest cruise ship has apparently gone overboard in waters near Mexico.
The 30-year-old man was seen falling over the railings by another passenger on the Allure of the Seas, the Royal Caribbean International cruise firm said. He could also be seen falling over in CCTV footage.
The man went overboard as the ship was sailing to Cozumel, Mexico, and the Mexican navy and coastguard are assisting in the search.The company added: "The ship made multiple public announcements and began a complete search of the ship, in efforts to locate the guest.
"When the guest did not respond and was not found on board, the captain alerted the local authorities.
"The location of the ship at the time the guest went overboard was marked on the ship's GPS and the US and Mexican coastguard were alerted.
"Our care team is providing support to the guest's family and our thoughts and prayers are with them," the statement said.
A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said: "We are aware of the reports and are looking into them."
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Severe weather alert issued
by Damien Pearse
4 Feb 2012 at 2:31pm
• Snowfall of up to 15cm and temperatures down to -9C
• Met Office issues amber weather warning
• Heathrow cancels a third of Sunday flights
Heavy snowfall is expected across much of Britain, prompting Heathrow to cancel around a third of Sunday's flights.
An amber weather warning – the second-highest level – was issued by the Met Office, with snowfalls of up to 15cm expected, along with daytime temperatures as low as -9C.
Heathrow announced a reduced flight schedule to "minimise the disruption to passengers" caused by ice, snow and freezing fog but said it anticipated more than 70% of passengers would still be able to travel as airlines would transfer them between flights. The revised timetable was due to appear on the airport's website at around 6pm and passengers were advised to contact their airline for more information.
Heathrow's chief operating officer, Normand Boivin, said: "This decision ensures that the greatest number of passengers can fly with the minimum amount of disruption."
Latest forecasts suggest snow will fall at Heathrow from 5pm on Saturday until 6am on Sunday, with the heaviest dump between 9pm and 3am.
Gatwick said it was expecting the most heavy snowfall at around midnight when there were just a handful of flights.
A spokeswoman said there were no plans, as yet, to cancel flights on Sunday but the weather would be closely monitored.
Met Office forecaster Steve Randall said average snowfall would be 4-8cm (1.5-3.5in), including in London, but some easterly parts and high areas could expect 15cm. "There is a band of rain moving eastwards and this will turn to snow and sleet," he said.
The rain, sleet and snow will be replaced by dry and frosty weather overnight with black ice expected to be an additional hazard in many areas. The north and west of England, together with Wales and western Scotland could expect rain instead of snow, and milder temperatures.
The amber weather alert applies to Yorkshire and Humber, the west Midlands, east Midlands, east and south-west England, as well as London and south-east England, and north-west England. A yellow alert, which warns people to "be aware", was in place for parts of Scotland, Wales and north-west England.
The deep freeze has seen daytime temperatures plummet four or five degrees lower than average for February – traditionally the coldest month of the year.
Overnight, temperatures fell to -12C in Benson, Oxfordshire.
The Department for Transport's salt stocks across Britain stood at more than 2.4m tonnes – a million more than last year.
The AA said it had been called out to more than 4,300 breakdowns so far this morning – around 1,500 an hour – and it expected this figure to reach up to 16,000 by the end of the day. This is almost double the 8,500 of a usual Saturday.
A spokesman said most breakdowns occurred because of flat batteries, which produce less power in low temperatures.
The Highways Agency extended its own amber alert until 9am tomorrow, meaning there was a "high probability" of severe snow affecting the road network and a risk of adverse driving conditions.
A Local Government Association spokesman said council staff and volunteers would be checking to see whether vulnerable people were being cared for, and people were being encouraged to call in on elderly neighbours.
"Motorists are being advised to check the latest weather and gritting updates on council websites and 'gritter Twitter' feeds, as well as refresh themselves on winter driving guidance and what to stock in their car," he said.
British Gas said it had received more than 200,000 calls in the last five days, compared with 120,000-140,000 during a normal winter week.
A string of sporting events have fallen victim to the icy conditions, with Portsmouth's home match against Hull City becoming the first Championship fixture cancelled due to a frozen pitch. Several matches in the lower leagues had already been called off.
Racing was heavily hit, with meetings at Ffos Las, Sandown and Wetherby cancelled. Sunday's meeting at Kempton will be subject to an inspection because of the threat of overnight snow.
But swimmers were not deterred by ice on the Serpentine in London's Hyde Park and gritted their teeth as they plunged into its chilly waters.
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Lord Ashcroft's Caribbean bank asked to hand over documents
by Jamie Doward
4 Feb 2012 at 8:30pm
Court gives insolvency practitioner tracing assets of collapsed company power to demand information from Tory peer's bank
The Caribbean bank of Tory peer Lord Ashcroft faces demands to hand over documents relating to the collapse of a company whose subsidiary is accused of benefiting from a culture of corruption.
An insolvency practitioner appointed by the British Virgin Islands courts to trace the assets of Oxford Ventures Limited has been granted powers to request information from the British Caribbean Bank (BCB), an Ashcroft business based in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI).
Oxford Ventures, which collapsed in 2010, is the ultimate parent company of Johnston International, a construction and engineering firm that went bust in the same year with debts of $30m and is now under scrutiny in the TCI and the UK. Oxford's main creditor was BCB.
Last week, in a libel action brought by Ashcroft against the Independent, the paper's lawyers claimed the Tory peer was linked to Johnston which, they alleged, had benefited from a property boom in the TCI "knowing this boom was being created through systematic corruption".
Ashcroft insists he has had no "economic beneficial or legal interest" in Johnston since he sold it in 1999.
Documents obtained by the BBC's Panorama programme, however, suggest its chief executive, Allan Forrest, who was also a director of Oxford Ventures, reported to Ashcroft and also believed the peer owned Oxford.
Chris Johnson of CJA Associates, the insolvency practitioner charged with unpicking Oxford's collapse, was last week given new powers by the TCI courts to request documents from Ashcroft's bank. BCB has previously declined to provide Johnson with requested documents. On Friday the bank confirmed it would hand over Oxford's bank statements.
"We have now obtained a court order in the Turks which empowers us to receive such documents," said Johnson.
The Lib Dem peer, Lord Oakeshott, said he would be tabling parliamentary questions to establish what British officials in the TCI knew about Johnston.
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Ed Miliband: we have just three months to save the NHS
by Toby Helm
4 Feb 2012 at 8:30pm
Labour leader urges cross-party campaign to block Andrew Lansley's health reform bill
Labour leader Ed Miliband is calling on the public to join a three-month campaign to kill off the government's controversial NHS reforms as pressure mounts on David Cameron to withdraw the coalition's flagship health and social care bill from parliament.
Ahead of a crucial week for the health secretary, Andrew Lansley, during which the bill will return to the Lords where it can expect a further mauling, Miliband describes the plans as a dangerous "leap in the dark" that will impose a "free market free-for-all" on the NHS.
With much of the medical profession now opposed to the plans and Downing Street increasingly concerned, Miliband says an effective cross-party campaign in parliament, backed by patients, could deliver Lansley's plans the last rites.
"It is not too late to stop this bill," Miliband says in an article for the Observer. "We have three months to prevent great harm being done to the NHS. Now is the time for people of all parties and of none, the professions, the patients and now peers in the House of Lords to work together to try to stop this bill." The worst option, he argues, would be to press on with a bill just so that the government can save face.
Ominously for the government, Labour, Liberal Democrat and crossbench peers are discussing joint strategies to torpedo further elements of the bill when it begins its report stage in the Lords on Wednesday.
The latest action to amend the bill – which would devolve power over commissioning to GPs and open the service up to more competition – comes despite the government offering a string of concessions when it put down 136 amendments in addition to the 1,800 already tabled. One peer involved in cross-party discussions said the aim was to continue amending the bill until ministers had to concede there was no further point in pressing ahead.
Labour and some Lib Dem peers, including Shirley Williams, are now training their sights on the part of the bill that would open the NHS to a greater role for the private sector. "This is the core of the bill," said one peer. "This is what really matters." Labour and the Lib Dems, with some crossbench support, are tabling further changes which they say will limit the extent to which the private sector can compete to provide services across the NHS.
Peers predict that the government could suffer a series of defeats between now and March.Privately, many Tory MPs question whether it is wise to press ahead with a bill not backed by most of the medical profession.
Last week physiotherapist leaders joined the Royal College of GPs in calling for the health bill in England to be scrapped, becoming the latest medical group to set its face against the plans.
Changes agreed by ministers last week, intended to win peers round, include making it clear the health secretary would retain ultimate control over the NHS, and strengthening the requirement of the regulator, Monitor, to ensure different providers competing for patients also work together.
But there are signs that peers are going for more concessions. The Observer understands that some prominent Tory peers may soon break cover to voice concerns about key elements of the bill relating to its provisions on competition.
Defending the reforms Lansley said: "The NHS faces unprecedented challenges from our ageing population and new more expensive treatments. Our plans to improve the NHS are essential if it is to be sustainable for the future. Doctors and nurses across the country support the core principles behind the reforms – giving more power to clinicians to design services for patients, getting patients the information they need to make proper choices and promoting democratic accountability, with councils leading health improvement. Any reform of something as important as the NHS will cause controversy.
"Trade unions like the BMA opposed the very creation of the NHS. Labour used to support reform but now they are jumping on the bandwagon of opposition in order to please their trade union masters. My father worked for the NHS on the first day it came into existence, I want the NHS to still be here to support my children in the future. I care passionately about maintaining an NHS that is free for all which is why I am pursuing a programme of reform to make it sustainable for future generations."
Health policyEd MilibandAndrew LansleyNHSWelfarePublic services policyHealthSocial careToby Helmguardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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Man released in missing woman probe
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"Iron Lady" film draws sympathy for Thatcher in Argentina
4 Feb 2012 at 8:20pm
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4 Feb 2012 at 8:16pm
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4 Feb 2012 at 8:09pm
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4 Feb 2012 at 7:37pm
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Russia, China veto U.N. resolution backing Arab peace
4 Feb 2012 at 7:35pm
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The latest stories from the Home section of the BBC News web site.
Resolution on Syria vetoed at UN
4 Feb 2012 at 7:49pm
Russia and China veto an Arab and Western-backed UN resolution condemning the violent crackdown in Syria, hours after scores are killed in Homs.
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Thousands in rival Moscow marches
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ANC youth leader appeal dismissed
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Police at firearms incident scene
4 Feb 2012 at 5:39pm
People are asked to avoid an area of Medway where Kent Police are dealing with a firearms incident.
