Left Rite Left: July 2011

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Monday, July 18, 2011

Sean Hoare a former News of the World reporter has been found dead.

Police examine bag found in bin near Rebekah Brooks's home

Detectives are examining a computer, paperwork and a phone found in a bin near the riverside London home of Rebekah Brooks, the former chief executive of News International.

The Guardian has learned that a bag containing the items was found in an underground car park in the Design Centre at the exclusive Chelsea Harbour development on Monday afternoon.

The car park, under a shopping centre, is yards from the gated apartment block where Brooks lives with her husband, a former racehorse trainer and close friend of the prime minister David Cameron.

It is understood the bag was handed into security at around 3pm and that shortly afterwards, Brooks's husband, Charlie, arrived and tried to reclaim it. He was unable to prove the bag was his and the security guard refused to release it.

Instead, it is understood that the security guard called the police. In less than half an hour, two marked police cars and an unmarked forensics car are said to have arrived at the scene.

Police are now examining CCTV footage taken in the car park to uncover who dropped the bag. Initial suspicions that there had been a break in at the Brooks' flat have been dismissed.

David Wilson, Charlie Brooks's official spokesman, told the Guardian that Charlie Brooks denies that the bag belonged to his wife. "Charlie has a bag which contains a laptop and papers which were private to him," said Wilson.

"They were nothing to do with Rebekah or the [phone-hacking] case."

Wilson said Charlie Brooks had left the bag with a friend who was returning it, but dropped it in the wrong part of the garage. When asked how the bag ended up in a bin he replied: "The suggestion is that a cleaner thought it was rubbish and put it in the bin." Wilson added: "Charlie was looking for it together with a couple of the building staff.

"Charlie was told it had gone to security, by which stage they [security] had already called the police to say they had found something.

"The police took it away. Charlie's lawyers got in touch with the police to say they could take a look at the computer but they'd see there was nothing relevant to them on it. He's expecting the stuff back forthwith."

Rebekah Brooks was arrested on Sunday under suspicion of conspiring to intercept communications, and of corrupting police officers. She is due to appear before the Commons culture, media and sport select committee today on Tuesday afternoon.

San Francisco Police (SFPD) shoot and kill a man then ward off crowd as he lay dying in the street with no medical attention given or allowed

San Francisco Examiner story

SF Appeal story

Friday, July 15, 2011

Twitter: 5 years, 140 characters, 200m users

Five years after it went public, the social media website Twitter now has over 200 million user accounts and is growing worldwide.

From businesses and celebrities to the average person on the street, it offers direct communication with thousands - even millions - of followers.

This year, the site saw a leap in usage during Japan's earthquake and tsunami in March, as well as during the ongoing uprisings in the Arab world, where protesters were able to communicate and organise without having to meet in person.

Twitter's success is due in large part to its simplicity and versatility, as well as the ability its users have to determine its actual use.

Al Jazeera's Tarek Bazley reports.