| England and Scotland strike gold Swimmers Fran Halsall and Liam Tancock win England's first gold medals of the Commonwealth Games, with Robbie Renwick taking gold for Scotland. news.bbc.co.uk |
Drugs advisers to consider qat ban Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs asked to evaluate stimulant used by several ethnic communities around UKHome Office ministers have asked the government's official drug experts to consider placing restrictions on the use of qat, a plant that is widely used in Britain's Somali, Ethiopian and Yemeni communities for its stimulant effects.New Home Office research published today confirms that chewing qat leaves is widespread in all three communities and considered to be a normal, socially accepted practice. The study says Yemenis in particular regard it as an important part of their culture and tradition.The latest study however reports concern in all three communities over problems involving a minority of heavy qat users and fuelling demands for restrictions on its import and sales, better access to treatment and in some cases, demands for a total ban.The decision to refer qat to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs follows a pledge two years ago by Sayeedi Warsi, now the Conservative party chairman, that a future Tory government would ban the currently legal drug on the grounds that it was an "unacceptable cultural practice".A 2005 Home Office study said that 6 tonnes of qat leaves and stems were flown into Heathrow airport every Friday. The bulk of the consignment, which has a very short shelf life, was sent on by air for sale in the US. The strength of the active ingredients in qat starts to decline 36 hours after picking.Qat is sold in bundles of 250g of dried leaves and stems wrapped in banana leaves for about £3-£5. A chewing session, traditionally a male-only activity, can last up to six hours and can produce a mild state of euphoria and excitement.Qat is grown mainly in east Africa and the Middle East and its use is thought to involve over 50% of Somali men in Britain, although the percentage who use it every day is much lower and probably in single figures.The latest study says that although the main users are mature men there is also evidence of increasing use among women and young people as well. It is chewed mostly at home or in a "mafresh" or qat house - often used when watching football or getting together with friends for an evening. Frequent all-nighters were associated with problem users.There is still however a taboo against women chewing qat in public and it is not socially acceptable for them to admit they use it. It is sold in grocery shops, restaurants, and even directly at car boot sales.The Home Office says there is limited evidence of the use of qat by people from other ethnic backgrounds, mainly involving those who socialise with Somalis or Yemenis.People in all three communities raised concerns that heavy qat use could lead to loss of teeth and other oral problems, problems of keeping a job, and generate friction within families.James Brokenshire, crime prevention minister, said: "This report provides further helpful insight into the use of qat. We have passed this on to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs and have asked them to consider all the available evidence on this substance. We will await their advice."Drugs policyDrugs tradeHealthAlan Travisguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Cyberwarfare defence spending to rise despite cuts National Security Strategy document will also outline plans to boost commitment to intelligence gathering and special forcesA significant rise in resources devoted to cyberwarfare, intelligence gathering and special forces will be signalled tomorrow when the government reveals full details of a defence review that will impose sweeping cuts on the armed forces' more traditional forms of firepower.Tomorrow's National Security Strategy document will warn that while a serious threat remains from terrorism, the threat of cyber attacks from jihadist groups and foreign states is growing.William Hague, the foreign secretary, today chose to single out such threats, telling the BBC that the government will "have to make sure we are equipped for the 21st century".In his first public speech, Iain Lobban, the director of GCHQ, the government's eavesdropping and encrypting agency, last week called for an aggressive approach to cyber attacks, and warned of the dangers of adopting the sort of defensive strategy famously symbolised by France's Maginot line, which was meant to repel the Germans."A Maginot line approach to defence will not be sufficient," he told the International Institute for Strategic Studies. He added: "'Patch and pray' will not be enough. At the national level, getting the rest of cyber [defence] – the more difficult 20% – right will involve new technology, new partnerships, and investment in the right people."General Sir David Richards, the new chief of the defence staff, has warned of the danger of "proxy attacks" through cyberspace.Elsewhere, MI5 and MI6 are likely to be largely protected from cuts announced by the chancellor in Wednesday's spending review. Britain's special forces – the SAS and its naval equivalent, the SBS – will benefit from Tuesday's defence review at the expense of conventional branches of the armed forces.The navy, with about 32,000 personnel, and the RAF, with about 44,000, will each lose about 7,000 troops, and the army will be cut by about 5,000, or 5% of its current total.The RAF's fleet of Tornado jets have won a short-term reprieve at the expense of the navy's Harriers, with the result that the Queen Elizabeth – the first of two large aircraft carriers that will be built – may not have any planes to fly from it when it is due to enter service in 2016. The navy's fleet of frigates, amphibious vessels, and other surface ships, will also be cut.A decision on replacing the existing fleet of four Trident nuclear missile submarines is expected to be put off until the next election in 2015, saving about £700m in the short term. David Cameron and the defence secretary, Liam Fox, have repeatedly said Britain will maintain a Trident-based nuclear weapons system.Defence policyMilitaryWilliam HagueLiberal DemocratsConservativesLiberal-Conservative coalitionRichard Norton-Taylorguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Nuclear sub 'on its way to base' A nuclear-powered submarine which was grounded off the isle of Skye is now returning to its base at Faslane. bbc.co.uk |
Google investigated over household data privacy breaches Watchdog has launched inquiry after company admitted copying emails and passwords while setting up Street View serviceThe UK privacy watchdog has launched an investigation into Google after it admitted copying household computer passwords and emails from unsecured wireless networks, when taking photographs for its Street View mapping service.The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) said it would investigate, in light of a report in Canada that the company had potentially violated the privacy of thousands of Canadians. Similar findings are also emerging from other countries.Google's admission came after Canada's privacy commissioner found Google had captured highly sensitive personal information with its Street View mapping cars. Seven privacy regulators in other jurisdictions have also analysed the data and revealed the full extent of what was copied, with reports due shortly from many others.Fears over the data Google had collected first surfaced in May, with the company initially saying the it was only "fragmentary".In a statement published on its official blog, the Californian-based company said it accepts that in some cases complete emails, usersnames and passwords had been inadvertently collected from unsecured wireless networks.Alan Eustace, Google's vice-president of engineering and research, said: "We want to delete this data as soon as possible, and I would like to apologise again for the fact that we collected it in the first place. We are mortified by what happened."He added it was clear from the external inspections that "while most of the data is fragmentary, in some instances entire emails and URLs [web addresses] were captured, as well as passwords".Alex Deane, director of privacy campaign group Big Brother Watch, said: "As if building up a database of photographs of millions of people's private homes wasn't enough, the news that Google has also harvested email addresses and passwords is nothing short of outrageous."Alma Whitten, Google's new director of privacy said: "We are profoundly sorry for having mistakenly collected payload data from unencrypted networks. We are now strengthening our internal privacy and security practices with more people, more training and better procedures and compliance."The ICO said it had examined "samples" of payload data submitted by Google in May, and could not find evidence of compromising personal information, but would now re-examine.An ICO spokesman said: "Earlier this year the ICO visited Google's premises to make a preliminary assessment of the payload data it inadvertently collected while developing Google Street View. While the information we saw at the time did not include meaningful personal details that could be linked to an identifiable person, we have continued to liaise with, and await the findings of, the investigations carried out by our international counterparts."They added: "Now that these findings are starting to emerge, we understand that Google has accepted that in some instances entire URLs and emails have been captured.We will be making enquires to see whether this information relates to the data inadvertently captured in the UK, before deciding on the necessary course of action, including a consideration of the need to use our enforcement powers."GoogleGoogle Street ViewMapping technologiesInternetComputingData and computer securityWi-FiPrivacyCaroline Daviesguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |