Wikileaks: Bradley Manning military hearing bias row

Bradley Manning is accused of leaking 720,000 diplomatic and military documents

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A military officer overseeing the hearing of the US Army analyst accused of leaking government secrets has rejected a request to recuse himself.

The request was made by a defence lawyer for Private Bradley Manning, 23, as he appeared at a military court.

He faces 22 charges of obtaining and distributing government secrets - which he allegedly leaked to anti-secrecy site Wikileaks.

The Article 32 hearing will determine whether Pte Manning is to stand trial.

During the hearing, expected to last several days, prosecution and defence lawyers will each make their initial cases and are permitted to cross-examine witnesses.

The hearing offers the first opportunity for Pte Manning's defence team to present their case since he was arrested in Iraq in May 2010 and placed in military custody.

It is taking place under tight security at an army base at Fort Meade, Maryland.

Pte Manning sat in the courtroom dressed in military khaki and wearing black-rimmed glasses.

But his defence team quickly switched focus by asking for the investigating officer - equivalent to a judge in a civilian court - to withdraw from the case.

Defence lawyer David Coombs said Lt Col Paul Almanza, the investigating officer, was "biased".

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At the scene

Paul AdamsBBC News, Fort Meade

For almost everyone present, this is our first glimpse of the man accused of the biggest leak of confidential material in American history. Private Manning sat in uniform, wearing thick-rimmed glasses, hands clasped before him. In his only remarks so far, he said he understood his rights and confirmed the identities of the one civilian and two military officers representing him.

But the focus of attention was the investigating officer. Manning's civilian lawyer demanded he recuse himself, arguing that as prosecutor for the Department of Justice, Lt Col Paul Almanza works for an organisation actively pursuing a separate case against Wikileaks.

Mr Coombs said Lt Col Almanza's decision to reject defence witnesses, as well as the government's alleged reluctance to put forward witnesses to explain the damage done by the leaks suggested Almanza was biased.

"Where's the damage? Where's the harm?" Mr Coombs demanded, in an early indication of part of his defence strategy. Lt Col Almanza announced a recess to consider the defence plea. It could last some time.

Lt Col Almanza is a former military judge who now works for the Department of Justice, which has its own investigation into Wikileaks. His refusal to accept all but two of 38 defence witnesses meant the defence could not adequately make their case, Mr Coombs said.

Following two recesses and arguments by the prosecution and the defence, the investigating officer refused to recuse himself and the hearing continued.

Proceedings are expected to last around five days, according to Mr Coombs.

Afterwards, recommendations will be made to a military general, who will decide whether to proceed to a full trial.

The BBC's Paul Adams says the soldier's defence team is likely to argue that little harm came of the leaks, and that their release was in the greater public interest.

Assange link?

Pte Manning has also been charged with "aiding the enemy", a charge that could carry the death penalty. However, reports say prosecutors will only seek a prison sentence.

He is accused of the unauthorised possession and distribution of more than 720,000 secret diplomatic and military documents.

"If it is the case that Bradley Manning is indeed the source of this and other Wikileaks materials, Manning would have single-handedly changed hundreds of thousands of people's lives for the better," Wikileaks said in a statement.

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The Wikileaks disclosures

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"This material has contributed to ending dictatorships in the Middle East, it has exposed torture and wrongdoing in all the corners of the world and it has held diplomatic bodies and politicians accountable for the words, deals and pacts held behind close doors," Wikileaks said.

One of the key questions is expected to be whether Pte Manning had any kind of relationship with Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, our correspondent at Fort Meade says.

Mr Assange is also embroiled in a legal battle, facing extradition to Sweden from the UK to face sexual assault charges. As Pte Manning was preparing for his own court appearance on Friday, the UK Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal from Mr Assange against his extradition ruling.

Detention conditions

Pte Manning was arrested after a computer hacker went to US authorities with details of an online exchange he had had with Pte Manning in which he allegedly confessed to the data theft.

The conditions of Pte Manning's confinement since his arrest have been denounced in the US and abroad.

PJ Crowley: "I think it is a necessary prosecution"

State department spokesman PJ Crowley resigned after publicly criticising the detention conditions of Pte Manning, and British politicians and members of the European Parliament have also spoken out on the subject.

Pte Manning was brought to the maximum security prison at Quantico in July 2010, where he was held in isolation and was reported to have had his clothing removed at night as a suicide-prevention measure.

But in April 2011 Pte Manning was moved to a lower-security prison at Fort Leavenworth, where his lawyers say conditions are better.

With the Iraq War coming to an end after nearly a decade, troops returning home might find themselves in a job market without many jobs available.

Hemyock - A Village on the Blackdown Hills

hemyock.org/

Scattered showers, locally wintry over the Moors, continuing through the first partof the night, particularly across Cornwall. Largely dry and clear after midnight, 

BBC Weather : Teignmouth

www.bbc.co.uk/weather/2636132

Skip to content; Skip to local navigation; Skip to bbc.co.uk navigation; Skip to ....Scattered showers, locally wintry over the Moors, continuing through the first partof the ... Largely dry and clear after midnight, although showers continuing across some western areas, with a widespread frost and some icy stretches forming. ...

BBC Weather : Penryn

www.bbc.co.uk/weather/2640413

Skip to content; Skip to local navigation; Skip to bbc.co.uk navigation; Skip to ....Evening ... Moors, continuing through the first part of the night, particularly across Cornwall. Largely dry and clear after midnight, although showers continuing across some western areas, with a widespread frost and some icy stretches forming. ...

Penlee lifeboat and her eight crew members were lost off the Cornish coast

It is nearly 30 years since the Penlee lifeboat and her eight crew members were lost off the Cornish coast as they tried to rescue a cargo ship in hurricane force winds.

Eight of those they were trying to rescue also died.

As the anniversary approaches, the RNLI says it's struggling to raise the money it needs to operate.

Louise Hubball reports from the lifeboat station.

Flybe launches three new routes

Thursday, 15 December 2011

Flybe launches three new routes from Norwich Airport

The budget airline Flybe has announced plans to operate three new routes from Norwich International Airport.

The firm, along with its partner Loganair, will fly to Exeter, Manchester and Newquay from March 2012.

The move will create 15 new jobs for pilots, cabin crew and engineering staff in Norwich, a spokesman said.

Jonathan Hinkles, Loganair's chief operating officer, said: "Improved air links and the creation of new jobs in the city is great news for Norwich."

Loganair also plans to base an aircraft at the airport.

Daily services between Norwich and Exeter will start on 25 March.

A new summer service to Newquay will operate on Wednesdays and Saturdays between 5 May and 22 September.

Three return flights to Manchester every day will start on Monday 5 March.

Tom Daley performed

He will hope to perform a similar dive to win Olympic gold in 12 months time.

But last night Tom Daley performed arguably one of the most important dives of his career to date.

The 17-year-old former world champion performed an inward one-and-a-half piked somersault from the 10-metre board to celebrate the opening of the Olympic Aquatic Centre exactly one year before the games.

A cheering crowd gave the diver a ten second countdown before he sprung off the board and plunged to the water below.

Honour: Tom Daley performs the ceremonial first dive into the water at the newly opened aquatics centre at the Olympic Park

Impressive: Daley performs his one and a half somersault with pike dive at the pool, which he described as 'absolutely incredible'

Flying high: Daley takes off from the ten metre board, a height at which he has previously won a world championship in 2009

Not making a splash: Tom Daley plunges into the dive pool after completing the dive

As Daley performed the dive, across London a large crowd had gathered at Trafalgar Square to celebrate the anniversary.

The event saw International Olympic Committee chief Jacques Rogge, alongside London Mayor Boris Johnson and David Cameron, officially inviting the 200 nations who will take part to the Games.

The Prime Minister described the celebrations as 'a great night for London, a great night for Britain'.

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He recalled the joyous scenes six years ago when Trafalgar Square erupted with cheers when London was named as the next host city.

Mr Cameron said: 'Six years on with one year to go, the sense of excitement is even greater today than it was then.

'I think this has the makings of a great British success story. With a year to go it is on time and on budget. I believe this can be a great advertisement for our country.'

London calling: Flanked by both Princess Anne and David Cameron, IOC president Jacques Rogge addresses the crowds in Trafalgar Square

Speeches: London Mayor Boris Johnson and PM David Cameron delivered short statements on the game to the gathered crowd

Mr Rogge added: 'On 6 July, 2005 a dream was born when the IOC awarded the 2012 games to London.

'The world's finest athletes began dreaming of competing in this magnificent city in packed state of the art venues and in front of passionate crowds.

'As in 1908 and 1948 they knew they would be coming to the nation that invented modern sport and the concept of fair play.'

The ceremony ended with the grand unveiling of the gold, silver and bronze medal designs that athletes will compete for next year.

The medal was designed by artist David Watkins and take a circular form which is intended to be a metaphor for the world. He said he was 'absolutely delighted' with the finished product.

Grand unveiling: Double gold winners Dame Kelly Holmes and Lord Coe show off the medals on stage in Trafalgar Square

Going for gold: These are the medal designs for victorious athletes during the London Olympics, which begin in exactly a year's time

Weighty: Each medal measures 85mm in diameter and 7mm thick and weighs in at 375-400g, making them some of the biggest Olympic medals ever

Each measures 85mm in diameter and 7mm thick and weighs in at 375-400g, making them some of the biggest Olympic medals ever.

The front of each medals depict the same imagery used at every Summer Games, that of the Greek Goddess of Victory, Nike, stepping out of the Partenon to a host city.

On the London medals, the back will contain five symbolic elements, including the London 2012 sign and items which are meant to be symbolic of achievement and effort.

The medals' unveiling came on a day of celebration in London as figures from across the world of sport gathered at the locations across the city to mark the occasion, including at the newly finished aquatics centre.

Fire breaks out at Newquay hotel

Fire breaks out at Newquay hotel

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14 Dec 2011

A hotel in Newquay has been damaged after a fire broke out in the building this morning (14th December).

More than fifty firefighters were called to the Pendennis Hotel at Mount Wise, which has been occupied by squatters, on Wednesday morning at around 5.30am, reports BBC News.

Twelve people from a nearby building were evacuated into a local hotel and the surrounding area was cordoned off.

Nigel Vincent from Cornwall fire and rescue service told the news provider: "The wind was in our favour. The Pendennis is contained in its own grounds.

"We have had 55 firefighters on the scene. The appliances have come as far as St Just in west Cornwall."

Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, a 'suitable and sufficient' fire risk assessment must be conducted on all commercial properties in England and Wales.

If the fire risk assessment is deemed to be carried out to an insufficient extent, the Responsible Person can face an unlimited fine or a prison sentence of up to two years.

Local police are treating the blaze as suspicious.

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sent hearse to ex-partner's house

ASBO for woman who twice sent hearse to ex-partner's house

A WOMAN twice phoned for a hearse to collect a body from a former partner’s house in sick hoax calls, a court heard.

Nicola Thomas, aged 45, also made a string of false complaints to police, saying she had been attacked by other people on several occasions, Plymouth magistrates were told. She has even reported herself as missing.

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   Nicola Thomas

Magistrates have banned her from making hoax calls for 10 years in a wide-ranging antisocial behaviour order. Dylan Sadler, applying for the order on behalf of Plymouth City Council, said she was a “prolific stalker and hoax caller”.

He added: “She called a hearse on two occasions to collect a body from the house. I do not think you can get any sicker.”

Mr Sadler said the former partner, who lives in Somerset, felt so intimidated by the harassment that she felt “imprisoned” in her own house.

Magistrates granted a seven-point order covering the next 10 years. Breaking any of its terms could land Thomas in prison. Thomas is banned from making any false complaints about any person to any public authority and from making hoax calls. She is also prohibited from calling 999 except for in a genuine emergency.

Mr Sadler said that as well as the harassment of the ex-partner, she had also made 18 complaints against her next-door neighbour. He added she had reported drug-dealing, antisocial behaviour and noise on the premises.

Mr Sadler said: “She is the archetypal neighbour from hell. If you live next door to her you can kiss goodbye to any quality of life. All the claims were unsubstantiated and false. She is someone who is quite willing to destroy the reputation, the peace, and the lives effectively of other people to satisfy some bitter desire within her.”

He added she had 17 aliases and had used three dates of births. Thomas told the court her real name was in fact Nicola Ryan.

Mr Sadler said she had made numerous complaints about named individuals including ex-partners, claiming that she had been assaulted or sent abusive text messages. She had also made a complaint a male intruder had raped her in her own home, the court heard.

Mr Sadler said she named a suspect and police had investigated for four months before deciding no crime had taken place. He added she then provided the police with little assistance in her allegations.

Mr Sadler said: “She makes it up as she goes along. All of this puts a strain on the resources of the emergency services, especially the police.”

Alex Travers, for Thomas, said she was vulnerable and suffered from anxiety and depression. She added that Thomas was in no fit state to challenge the council’s witnesses or to give evidence herself. Mrs Travers said she also had cirrhosis, needed real help from the health services and a carer regularly visited her home to provide help, but she was feeling more isolated in her own home. Mrs Travers questioned the evidence that she went out of her way to make people’s lives miserable.

She added: “When someone feels threatened or they are a victim of crime they are entitled to report it to police.”