LONDON: Britain’s three main political parties reached agreement yesterday on a new set of rules to govern the country’s newspapers following months of haggling over how the often raucous industry should be policed.
Prime Minister David Cameron had struggled to find a compromise between those demanding tougher regulation of newspapers, and angry newspaper barons and senior colleagues who argued that the freedom of the press was in jeopardy.
Last November, senior judge Brian Leveson concluded a year-long public inquiry into press ethics with his 1,987-page report denouncing certain newspaper tactics and calling for an industry watchdog, enshrined in law, to regulate journalists’ behaviour.
Vatican withdraws misspelled medals
ROME: The Vatican has withdrawn thousands of official papal medals from sale after discovering they had misspelled Jesus’ name. A Latin inscription around the edge of the medals to mark the first year of Pope Francis’ pontificate referred to “Lesus”. The medals, produced in gold, silver and bronze by the Italian State Mint, went on sale in official Vatican stores on October 8 but were withdrawn two days later after the error was noticed, the Vatican Publishing House said. Before they were withdrawn, four people purchased medals displaying the error, which could fetch high prices on rare coin markets, Italian media reported.
Brazil gang runs $60m crime trade
SAO PAULO: Brazil’s powerful PCC prison gang runs a nationwide criminal business worth $60m a year with operations extending into neighboring Bolivia and Paraguay, according to an official report disclosed yesterday.
The so-called First Command of the Capital, whose leaders operate from jails in Sao Paulo state, is present in 22 of the country’s 26 states as well as in the Federal District (Brasilia). It is regarded as one of the country’s top crime syndicates. The daily Estado de Sao Paulo, citing a report drawn up by Sao Paulo state prosecutors, said the PCC was a huge organization with various divisions to coordinate the drug trade, commit crimes, provide legal defence to its members and manage its finances.
Agencies
