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Detectives investigating the suspected payment of police for information on Saturday arrested a serving police officer and four staff from Britain's biggest selling daily newspaper, Rupert Murdoch's The Sun.

The investigation is linked to the police probe into phone-hacking at The Sun's former stablemate, the News of the World, which Murdoch shut down in July following revelations that hundreds of public figures had been targeted.

London's Metropolitan Police said it had arrested five people, including a 29-year-old from the force's Territorial Policing command, and had also searched the offices in Wapping, east London, where The Sun is based.

In a separate statement, Murdoch's News Corporation confirmed the other four men arrested either worked or used to work at The Sun, adding that the detentions were prompted by information it had provided to police.

Thirteen people have now been arrested under Operation Elveden, the police investigation into allegations that journalists paid officers for information.

It was sparked by concerns about the working practices of the British press after the News of the World scandal and runs alongside Operation Weeting, the probe into phone hacking under which 17 arrests have so far been made.

The scandal at the News of the World erupted in July when it emerged that journalists had listened to the voicemails not just of celebrities and politicians but also murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler.

 

Amid public outrage, Murdoch closed down the 168-year-old weekly and set up a committee to review all its British titles for evidence of wrongdoing.

"News Corporation made a commitment last summer that unacceptable news gathering practices by individuals in the past would not be repeated," the US-based company said in a statement Saturday.

"It commissioned the Management and Standards Committee to undertake a review of all News International titles, regardless of cost, and to proactively cooperate with law enforcement and other authorities if potentially relevant information arose at those titles.

"As a result of that review, which is ongoing, the MSC provided information to the Elveden investigation which led to today's arrests."

The scandal also prompted Prime Minister David Cameron to order a wide-ranging inquiry into the practices and ethics of the press, which began hearings at the end of last year.

Police said two men aged 48 and one aged 56 were arrested at dawn in London and Essex, near the capital, on suspicion of corruption, aiding and abetting misconduct in a public office and conspiracy in relation to both offences.

Another man, aged 42, was arrested at a police station on similar grounds.

The News Corporation statement added: "Metropolitan Police Service officers from Operation Elveden today arrested four current and former employees from The Sun newspaper.

"Searches have also taken place at the homes and offices of those arrested."

Police said the serving officer was held at the central London police station where he worked, accused of corruption, misconduct in a public office and conspiracy in relation to both these offences.

AFP, photo by World economic forum 

Four held in police payments probe

01/28 | 14:29 GMT

LONDON (AFP) - Detectives investigating the suspected payment of police for information on Saturday arrested a serving police officer and four staff from Britain's biggest selling daily newspaper, Rupert Murdoch's The Sun.

LONDON (AFP) - Detectives investigating the suspected payment of police for information on Saturday arrested a serving police officer and four staff from Britain's biggest selling daily newspaper, Rupert Murdoch's The Sun.

The investigation is linked to the police probe into phone-hacking at The Sun's former stablemate, the News of the World, which Murdoch shut down in July following revelations that hundreds of public figures had been targeted.

London's Metropolitan Police said it had arrested five people, including a 29-year-old from the force's Territorial Policing command, and had also searched the offices in Wapping, east London, where The Sun is based.

In a separate statement, Murdoch's News Corporation confirmed the other four men arrested either worked or used to work at The Sun, adding that the detentions were prompted by information it had provided to police.

Thirteen people have now been arrested under Operation Elveden, the police investigation into allegations that journalists paid officers for information.

It was sparked by concerns about the working practices of the British press after the News of the World scandal and runs alongside Operation Weeting, the probe into phone hacking under which 17 arrests have so far been made.

The scandal at the News of the World erupted in July when it emerged that journalists had listened to the voicemails not just of celebrities and politicians but also murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler.

Amid public outrage, Murdoch closed down the 168-year-old weekly and set up a committee to review all its British titles for evidence of wrongdoing.

"News Corporation made a commitment last summer that unacceptable news gathering practices by individuals in the past would not be repeated," the US-based company said in a statement Saturday.

"It commissioned the Management and Standards Committee to undertake a review of all News International titles, regardless of cost, and to proactively cooperate with law enforcement and other authorities if potentially relevant information arose at those titles.

"As a result of that review, which is ongoing, the MSC provided information to the Elveden investigation which led to today's arrests."

The scandal also prompted Prime Minister David Cameron to order a wide-ranging inquiry into the practices and ethics of the press, which began hearings at the end of last year.

Police said two men aged 48 and one aged 56 were arrested at dawn in London and Essex, near the capital, on suspicion of corruption, aiding and abetting misconduct in a public office and conspiracy in relation to both offences.

Another man, aged 42, was arrested at a police station on similar grounds.

The News Corporation statement added: "Metropolitan Police Service officers from Operation Elveden today arrested four current and former employees from The Sun newspaper.

"Searches have also taken place at the homes and offices of those arrested."

Police said the serving officer was held at the central London police station where he worked, accused of corruption, misconduct in a public office and conspiracy in relation to both these offences.

UK News
Four held in police payments ...
French judge charges boss of breast implant firm

01/27 | 16:23 GMT

MARSEILLE, France (AFP) - A French judge has charged the founder of the breast implant company at the heart of a global health scare with causing "involuntary injuries", prosecutors said on Friday.

MARSEILLE, France (AFP) - A French judge has charged the founder of the breast implant company at the heart of a global health scare with causing "involuntary injuries", prosecutors said on Friday.

More than 400,000 women around the world are believed to have received implants made by Poly Implant Prothese (PIP), which shut down in 2010 after it was revealed to have been using substandard, industrial-grade silicone gel.

Its founder Jean-Claude Mas, 72, was detained Thursday near the southern city of Marseille on the orders of a judge who has launched a criminal investigation over the case.

The Marseille prosecutor's office said he was later charged with causing "involuntary injuries" during a late-night hearing and released on bail pending further investigation.

Mas was grilled by investigators and answered hundreds of questions, outlining the responsibilities of all company officials and his links with suppliers, his lawyer Yves Haddad said.

Haddad said his client had been "very cooperative".

Prosecutors said police had detained Claude Couty, another former executive at the now-defunct PIP, in southern France and also charged him with causing "involuntary injuries".

Fears over PIP implants spread globally late last year after French health authorities advised 30,000 women to have them removed because of an increased risk of rupture.

Between 400,000 and 500,000 women in 65 countries are believed to have received implants from PIP, once the world's third largest silicone implant producer.

A number of countries, including Germany and the Czech Republic, followed France in recommending that the implants be removed as a precaution but Britain has said it will not follow suit.

Thirteen countries in Europe and Latin America have also urged women to have a checkup.

French officials have said that cancer, including 16 cases of breast cancer, had been detected in 20 French women with the implants, but have insisted there is no proven link.

Mas was arrested at his partner's home in the south of France and police searched the residence, in the town of Six-Fours-les-Plages.

A lawyer representing women with the implants, Philippe Courtois, hailed the charge as "a relief for all the victims".

"This is a recognition of their status as victims, it is a great relief," he told AFP.

But some French victims and their relatives slammed Mas's speedy release.

"I don't think that man should be free, it is unjust, he has never stopped denigrating the people he poisoned," said Katia Colombo, the sister of a PIP breast implant wearer who died of cancer in November.

"I have no doubt about the cause of my sister's illness even if the link has not been established," she said.

Muriel Meyblum, who has PIP breast implants, said she too was amazed Mas had been released after only a few hours of detention, describing him as "an odious character".

During questioning last year, Mas confirmed the implants were made with a non-authorised silicone gel but rejected any suggestion they posed a health risk.

"I knew that the gel wasn't approved, but I did it knowingly, because the PIP gel was cheaper... and of much better quality," Mas said, according to the minutes of a police interview conducted in October and seen by AFP.

Prosecutors in Marseille have already concluded an aggravated fraud case in the implant scandal that is expected to be brought to court by the end of the year.

Marseille prosecutors have received more than 2,500 complaints in the case, which has sparked calls for wider European regulation and monitoring of medical devices such as breast implants.

Mas, a former travelling salesman who got his start in the medical business by selling pharmaceuticals, founded PIP in 1991 to take advantage of the booming market for cosmetic implants.

He reportedly told investigators that he used fake business data to fool health inspectors.

The substandard gel was in 75 percent of PIP breast implants, saving the company about one million euros ($1.3 million) annually, according to an ex-company executive.

Health/Medicine
French judge charges boss of breast implant ...
Azarenka crowned Open queen, world No.1

01/28 | 10:48 GMT

MELBOURNE (AFP) - Victoria Azarenka won her first grand slam title and became the new world number one when she thrashed a disappointing Maria Sharapova in the Australian Open final on Saturday.

MELBOURNE (AFP) - Victoria Azarenka won her first grand slam title and became the new world number one when she thrashed a disappointing Maria Sharapova in the Australian Open final on Saturday.

The third-seeded Belarusian overpowered the 2008 champion to win 6-3, 6-0 in 82 minutes to lift the trophy and become the fourth women's first-time grand slam winner in a row.

"I can't wait to be back next year, I've had an amazing month in Australia. It's a dream true," said Azarenka.

Azarenka came from 0-2 down in the first set to win 12 of the next 13 games for a comprehensive victory, as Sharapova's game disintegrated in the face of all-out aggression from the Belarusian.

Profile of Victoria Azarenka

Sharapova made 30 unforced errors, while Azarenka played almost flawlessly at times with only 12 errors across the two sets.

"As in any sport you have your good days you have your tough days and you have days where things just don't work out. Today Victoria was just too good," Sharapova said.

"It all comes down to the last two athletes, winner takes it all after all the players in the draw. I've had great wins here and I've had tough losses but there's no doubt I'll be back."

Azarenka won the toss and chose to serve, but she started nervously and dished up two double-faults on her way to dropping the first game.

Sharapova consolidated to open a 2-0 lead and got to 0-30 on Azarenka's next game, but the Belarusian seemed to shake off her nerves and slowly took control.

She stepped up to the baseline and took the ball early, pressuring Sharapova into mistakes. And soon Azarenka was dominating in all departments, matching the Russian's power from the baseline and volleying confidently.

The 22-year-old broke back in the fourth game and broke again in the eighth before confidently serving for the first set.

And Azarenka started the second set with the same self-belief, breaking Sharapova's first serve and coming back from 15-40 to hold her own and open a 2-0 lead.

Sharapova was becoming increasingly frustrated and, unusually for the three-time grand slam winner, she began to look to her coach Thomas Hogstedt in frustration.

Azarenka was in full control, however, and she broke Sharapova twice more to go to 5-0 lead.

The Belarusian stepped up to serve for the championship, saving a break point and falling to her knees in delight when a Sharapova backhand crashed into the net.

Azarenka, who won the girls' singles crown in 2005, became only the third woman in the open era to win the junior and senior titles at the Australian Open after Evonne Goolagong Cawley and Chris O'Neil.

She is also the first Belarusian to win a grand slam title, going one better than Natasha Zvereva, who finished runner up at the French Open in 1998.

Sharapova has now been runner-up at two of the last three grand slams, after losing last year's Wimbledon decider to Petra Kvitova.

Profile of Maria Sharapova

The three-time grand slam winner had been attempting to win her first major title since coming back from major shoulder surgery in October, 2008.

Azarenka will be confirmed as world number one in the new women's rankings released next week, ending Caroline Wozniacki's long stay at the top.

Sports
Azarenka crowned Open queen, world ...