More than 50 killed as Assad defends Syria crackdown (AFP)

DAMASCUS (AFP) – Syrian security forces killed more than 50 people on Sunday, activists said, as the president defended the crackdown on "outlaws" and the pope and Arab League added their voices to condemnation of the violence.

The US envoy to Damascus, Robert Ford, who returned to Syria on Thursday, also said in a US television interview broadcast on Sunday that Washington will "try to ratchet up the pressure" on President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

The latest bloodshed came as Pope Benedict XVI said he was "following with deep concern the dramatic and increasing episodes of violence in Syria that have led to numerous victims and grave suffering."

Ford, who infuriated the Syrian authorities with a visit to the flashpoint protest city of Hama last month, also told ABC news that the violence against protesters was "grotesque" and "abhorrent."

Activists said security forces backed by tanks killed 42 civilians in the eastern city of Deir Ezzor and at least 10 more in the central town of Hula on Sunday.

"Forty-two civilians have been killed and more than 100 wounded in Deir Ezzor by gunfire from the armed forces and security agents," Syrian League for the Defence of Human Rights head Abdel Karim Rihawi told AFP.

Rihawi said that 28 people were killed in Deir Ezzor's Al-Jura neighbourhood and 14 died in Huweika district, adding that "thousands of people have fled the city heading further north."

In Hula in Homs district, at least 10 people were killed in a military assault, Rihawi said.

"About 25 tanks and troop carriers entered Hula and carried out military operations," another activist, Rami Abdel Rahman of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said earlier.

The Local Coordination Committees which organised the protests said on Facebook that snipers were on rooftops in Deir Ezzor "are firing on anything that moves," and also gave a toll of 42 dead.

But Assad roundly defended his security forces.

"To deal with outlaws who cut off roads, seal towns and terrorise residents is a duty of the state which must defend security and protect the lives of civilians," state news agency SANA quoted him as saying.

In contrast to Assad's reference to "outlaws," the pope called on Sunday for an adequate response to the "legitimate aspirations" of the Syrian people.

Ford told ABC he would continue travelling across Syria to observe the crackdown first-hand.

"I don't particularly care (about angering Damascus), because we have to show our solidarity with peaceful protesters," said Ford.

"I'd do it again tomorrow if I have to. I'm going to keep moving around the country. I can't stop."

"We are going to try to ratchet up the pressure," Ford said.

The Arab League also made its first official statement on the unrest, calling on Damascus to "immediately" stop the violence that has rocked the country since mid-March.

Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi also urged an "impartial probe" into the bloodshed, warning against "chaos" and "religious strife" in Syria, it said.

Arabi expressed his "increasing concern" because of "the deterioration of the security situation in Syria following the rise in violence and military operations in Hama, Deir Ezzor and several regions."

On Saturday UN chief Ban Ki-moon phoned Assad to express similar concerns, UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said.

Ban "reflected to the Syrian president the clear message sent by the (UN) Security Council and urged the president to stop the use of military force against civilians immediately."

US and European leaders have pledged to consider new steps to punish Syria after security forces killed more than 30 people on the first Friday of Ramadan, the holy Muslim month of fasting.

Syria's government has sought to crush the democracy movement with force, leaving at least 2,059 people dead, including 391 members of the security forces, according to the Syrian Observatory.

The Assad regime has pledged reform and accused "armed terrorist gangs" of fomenting the unrest.

On Saturday Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said "free and transparent" elections to a new parliament would be held by the end of 2011 and that the regime was committed to reform announced by Assad.

Two days earlier Assad issued a decree allowing opposition political parties, and in April ordered an end to five decades of draconian emergency rule and abolished the feared state security courts.

In June he said talks could lead to a new constitution and end his Baath party's monopoly on power, concessions largely dismissed by the opposition as a ploy to deflect world condemnation.

When the protest movement began nearly five months ago, demonstrators rallied for greater freedoms.

But they later demanded the fall of the regime, inspired by Arab uprisings that ousted the autocratic leaders of Tunisia and Egypt.

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Murdoch apology in UK papers, Cameron defends links (AFP)

LONDON (AFP) – Britain's government defended its links with Rupert Murdoch on Saturday as the embattled media mogul published apologies in national newspapers over the phone hacking scandal saying: "We Are Sorry."

A day after Murdoch suffered the loss of two of his closest aides, the crisis returned to haunt British Prime Minister David Cameron as it emerged he had 26 meetings in 15 months with key figures from the Australian-born magnate's empire.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague came to Cameron's defence, saying he was "not embarrassed" by the extent of the contacts with those close to Murdoch, 80, who has wielded his influence over British politics for decades.

Those invited to Cameron's country retreat, Chequers, included Rebekah Brooks, who quit as chief executive of News International, Murdoch's British newspaper wing, on Friday and was a previous editor of the News of the World, now closed.

Another was Murdoch's son James, the chairman of News International.

"Personally, I'm not embarrassed by it in any way. But there is something wrong here in this country and it must be put right. It has been acknowledged by the PM and I think that's the right attitude to take," Hague told the BBC.

Cameron also invited Andy Coulson, his former media chief and another one-time editor of the News of the World tabloid, to Chequers in March, two months after Coulson quit Downing Street.

Coulson was arrested last week in connection with the scandal over alleged hacking and payments to police, one of nine people held since police reopened their investigations in January. He denies the charges.

Hague said: "In inviting Andy Coulson back the prime minister has invited someone back to thank him for his work, he's worked for him for several years, that is a normal, human thing to do, I think it shows a positive side to his character."

On Saturday, Murdoch abandoned his previously defiant stance and ran full-page adverts in seven national British dailies, apologising for the hacking scandal at the News of the World, which he closed down last week.

"We are sorry," the headline of the ads read. They were signed "Sincerely, Rupert Murdoch."

It said: "We are sorry for the serious wrongdoing that occurred. We are deeply sorry for the hurt suffered by the individuals affected. We regret not acting faster to sort things out."

In a further show of contrition, Murdoch on Friday met the parents of murdered teenager Milly Dowler, whose phone was allegedly hacked by the News of the World in 2002, when Brooks was editor of the paper.

Murdoch's determination to keep his empire afloat was shown, however, when he accepted the resignation of Brooks on Friday and then, hours later that of Les Hinton, head of Dow Jones, the publisher of The Wall Street Journal.

Hinton had worked with Murdoch for 50 years.

British-born Hinton said that although he knew nothing of the phone hacking when he was chairman of News International from 1995 to 2007, he must take responsibility for the "unimaginable" pain it caused.

Brooks denies any wrongdoing, but as editor of News of the World when Dowler's phone was allegedly hacked, she became a lightning rod for outrage.

The 43-year-old, who started out as a secretary at the tabloid and is viewed almost like a daughter by Murdoch, told News International staff she felt a "deep sense of responsibility for the people we have hurt".

The departures of Brooks and Hinton capped a disastrous week for Murdoch in which he was also forced to scrap a buy-out of British pay-TV giant BSkyB.

They have also now exposed Murdoch's heir-apparent James, 38, who is the chairman of News International and also runs the Asian and European operations of parent company News Corporation.

The British government has announced a full public inquiry into the scandal.

Rupert Murdoch, James Murdoch and Brooks have all been summoned to testify before British lawmakers on Tuesday.

But the scandal continued to spiral with the news that British actor Jude Law is suing The Sun over phone hacking in 2005 and 2006, when Brooks was editor, in the first such claim against the Murdoch-owned daily.

News International dismissed the claims as a "deeply cynical".

In the United States, the FBI has began probing allegations that Murdoch's US employees may have hacked the phones of victims of the September 11 attacks, dealing a potentially huge blow to his US-based News Corp.

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Murdoch defends papers as Cameron pledges hacking probe (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters) – Rupert Murdoch promised full cooperation on Wednesday to resolve a scandal shaking his media empire after British Prime Minister David Cameron promised an inquiry into what he called "disgusting" phone hacking by a newspaper.

Responding in parliament to allegations that the News of the World eavesdropped on voicemail for victims of notorious crimes, including child murders and suicide bombings, Cameron said he was "revolted" and would order inquiries, probably into both the specific case and more widely into Britain's cut-throat media.

The opposition, keen to highlight Cameron's own ties to Murdoch and to two former editors at the eye of the storm, noted that any inquiry would not start, let alone finish, for months if not years. Critics accused the Conservative government of trying to bury the embarrassment of the long-running saga.

Murdoch, whose News International group faces boycotts from advertisers and readers as well as questions over a takeover bid for broadcaster BSkyB, made a rare public statement to say he too found the hacking, and reports of buying tips from police, "deplorable and unacceptable" and would ensure transparency.

But the 80-year-old Australian-born American media magnate made clear he was standing by Rebekah Brooks, the 43-year-old head of his British newspaper operation. She was editor in 2002 when, police say, a News of the World investigator listened to -- and deleted -- voicemails left for the cellphone of missing 13-year-old Milly Dowler, who was later found murdered.

Cameron said: "We do need to have an inquiry, possibly inquiries, into what has happened." The prime minister faces questions over his own judgment in appointing Brooks'successor as editor, Andy Coulson, as his spokesman. Coulson quit Cameron's office in January, but denies knowing of any hacking.

Cameron, who regularly hosts Brooks at his home, said: "We are talking about murder victims, potentially terrorist victims, having their phones hacked into. It is absolutely disgusting."

In a further twist to the affair, a spokesman for Finance Minister George Osborne confirmed media reports that police had told the senior cabinet minister that his name and home number were in notes kept by two people jailed for phone hacking.

"FULLY COOPERATE"

Murdoch said in his statement: "Recent allegations of phone hacking and making payments to police with respect to the News of the World are deplorable and unacceptable.

"I have made clear that our company must fully and proactively cooperate with the police in all investigations and that is exactly what News International has been doing and will continue to do under Rebekah Brooks' leadership."

The leader of the opposition Labour party, Ed Miliband, said Cameron had made a "catastrophic error of judgment" in hiring Coulson as his communication director and said Brooks, a high-flying Murdoch confidante, should resign her current post. She says she knew of no illegal hacking while editing the paper.

When its royal correspondent and an investigator were jailed in 2007 for hacking into the cellphones of royal aides to break a story about an injury to Prince William's knee, the newspaper insisted it was a case of one rogue reporter.

After campaigning by celebrities and politicians who suspected they too had been spied on, police launched a new inquiry in January and, following the arrests of several journalists, the affair has taken on dramatic new proportions.

Shares in Murdoch's News Corp, which also controls Fox television, the Wall Street Journal, London's Times and the New York Post among other titles, were down over 5 percent in New York, while shares in BSkyB fell more than 2 percent.

Major advertisers abandoned the News of the World.

Speaking for one carmaker Lance Bradley said: "Mitsubishi Motors in the UK considers this type of activity-- especially in such a distressing case-- to be unbelievable, unspeakable and despicable ... This is where we draw the line."

Internet campaigns and the actor Hugh Grant urged readers to boycott the paper which, if successful, may prove more damaging than political condemnation to Britain's best-selling Sunday paper, read by some 7.5 million people on sales of 2.6 million.

Sales of News Corp's daily sister paper the Sun never recovered in Liverpool after it offended the city's football fans in the wake of the 1989 Hillsborough stadium disaster.

"We need an inquiry that uncovers all the practices and the culture, not just of the News of the World but all tabloid journalism in this country," said Grant, a fixture of the gossip columns, who says he was a victim of phone hacking.

BROADCASTER BID

Though analysts believe the chances of the BSkyB purchase being derailed are slim, the watchdog which oversees Britain's broadcasting industry issued a statement pointing out that it had a duty to assess whether holders of a broadcasting license are 'fit and proper'. Murdoch is trying to buy the 61 percent of the BSkyB pay-TV group that it does not already own.

"There has been a shift in the last three days, there is now a consensus that this needs full and proper scrutiny," media consultant Steve Hewlett told Reuters.

Police have been criticized for being slow to investigate the phone-hacking claims but reject suggestions this was because of alleged payments to officers. The head of the Metropolitan Police Paul Stephenson said allegations of "inappropriate payments" to some officers were under investigation.

British politicians have said in the past they feared criticizing any of the Murdoch papers because they feared their own private lives might be exposed.

Among further allegations, families of Londoners killed by Islamist suicide bombers in 2005 said police had told them their voicemail messages may have been intercepted.

Graham Foulkes, whose son David was one of 52 people who died in the 7/7 bombings, told BBC radio he was contacted by police after they found his private contact details on a list as part of the investigation into hacking claims.

"We were using the phone frantically trying to get information about David and where he may have been and ... talking very intimately about very personal issues, and the thought that these guys may have been listening to that is just horrendous," Foulkes said. Relatives are preparing to mark the sixth anniversary of the attacks on Thursday.

News International said it would be contacting the Defense Ministry about reports the phone numbers of British soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan were found in the files of a private investigator jailed for hacking phones.

"If these allegations are true we are absolutely appalled and horrified," it said in a statement.

On Tuesday the company said new information had been provided to police. The BBC said the material related to e-mails appearing to show payments to police officers for information and were authorized by Coulson when he was editor.

Commentators suggested information about the payments had been released to deflect attention from Brooks, who unlike Coulson is still a key part of Murdoch's business. The Guardian, a left-leaning daily which has taken a lead in investigating the scandal, said News International would also be saying that Brooks was on holiday at the time of key alleged incidents.

"If Rebekah falls then who is next? Well it's James Murdoch," said media consultant Hewlett, suggesting that keeping her in her position served to protect her superior, Murdoch's son James, from criticism. "This feels to me like a firewall."

Media commentator Stephen Barnett said Brooks's position seemed at risk but that Murdoch would likely support her: "If she has 100 percent backing of Rupert Murdoch then clearly she is untouchable and more importantly it shows that Murdoch himself thinks the company is untouchable," he said.

The Guardian said police investigating the phone-hacking claims were now turning their attention to all high-profile cases involving the murder or abduction of children since 2001.

The key allegation is that journalists, or investigators hired by them, took advantage of often limited password security on mobile phone voice mailboxes to listen to messages left for celebrities or people involved in major stories.

What has particularly outraged many was the suggestion, made by police to the family of Milly Dowler, that a News of the World investigator not only hacked into her mailbox during the six months of 2002 that she was missing but also deleted messages to make room for more -- misleading police and giving her family false hope she was still alive and well.

The child's killer was tried only this year and convicted just last month, refreshing painful memories of the case.

The parents of two 10-year-olds taken and murdered by a school caretaker in the town of Soham in 2002 -- one of Britain's most notorious crimes in recent years -- have been contacted by police probing hacking at the News of the World.

(Additional reporting by Georgina Prodhan, Michael Holden, Keith Weir, Olesya Dmitracova, Stefano Ambrogi and Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Jon Boyle)

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