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Phone hacking a “bog-standard journalistic tool”, ex-Mirror reporter tells Inquiry A former financial reporter at the Daily Mirror has told the Leveson Inquiry that phone hacking seemed to happen daily at the paper, and was “openly discussed”. James Hipwell, who wrote the City Slickers column for the paper from 1998 before being jailed in 2006 for writing about firms he owned shares in, stood by his witness statement in which he said phone hacking was a “bog-standard journalistic tool”. He told the Inquiry the practice was openly discussed by the showbiz desk, recounting that the team had deleted a message from a celebrity’s voicemail to stop the rival paper, the Sun, intercepting and getting the story. “It didn’t seem to me to be an ethical way to behave, but it seemed a generally accepted method to get a story,” Hipwell said. He said he did not report the practice to former editor Piers Morgan because it seemed that it was “entirely accepted” by senior editors on the paper.” He said Morgan was the tabloid’s “beating heart” and “dear leader”.
Network News Get Smarter Here European Countries Refuse to Release Information on CIA Rendition Flights Romania's National Registry Office for Classified Information (ORNISS) headquarters building is seen in the background of this image taken in Bucharest, December 9, 2011. International media has reported that between 2003 and 2006, the CIA operated a secret prison from the building's basement, bringing in high-value terror suspects for interrogation and detention. ORNISS has denied hosting a CIA prison and the CIA has refused to comment. REUTERS/Stringer Rights groups accuse Europe of CIA flights coverup (AP): Rendition on Record - Using the right of access to information to unveil the paths of illegal prisoner transfer flights (Access Info Europe):
Righthaven files emergency appeal to block auction - Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2011 | 5:01 p Righthaven LLC, the Las Vegas newspaper copyright lawsuit company, filed an emergency appeal Tuesday to block an auction of its copyrights — an auction Righthaven says is aimed at dismantling the company, even though the copyrights are “allegedly suspect.” A federal judge in Las Vegas last week granted Righthaven defendant Wayne Hoehn’s motion that Righthaven turn its intellectual property — including copyrights — over to a receiver so they could be auctioned. Hoehn wants them auctioned because Righthaven owes him $63,720 for his legal expenses in defeating Righthaven’s copyright infringement lawsuit against him — one of 275 such suits Righthaven filed since March 2010 over Las Vegas Review-Journal and Denver Post material. Any money raised in the auction would be applied toward the debt to Hoehn. Righthaven, in Tuesday’s appeal to the 9th U.S. Righthaven reiterated claims it has been unable to obtain a bond. It’s unknown when the 9th Circuit will rule on the emergency request.
RealClearPolitics - Opinion, News, Analysis, Videos and Polls Norway abolishes state-sponsored Church of Norway In an unprecedented move, the Norwegian Parliament has voted to abolish the state-sponsored Church of Norway with a constitutional amendment. The bipartisan measure to create a separation of church and state will officially be presented on Tuesday, reports Norway's TV2. The nation will not have an official religion, and the government will not participate in the appointment of church deans and bishops. Svein Harberg, the spokesman for the Church, Education, and Research Committee stated that the decision "is historic both for the Norwegian Church and for the politicians in Parliament." Read more... Traditionally, every citizen of Norway became a member of the Church of Norway upon baptism. 79 percent of Norwegians are registered members, but only about 20 percent make religion a large part of their lives and only two percent attend church regularly, according to 2009 and 2010 data.