Duarte

SeamanConnelly

An estimated 10 million people have been affected in East Africa by the worst drought in more than half a century. More than 166,000 desperate Somalis are estimated to have fled their country to neighbouring Kenya or Ethiopia. During Wednesday's House of Commons debate on the phone-hacking scandal, MPs called on News International to publish the full exchanges about e-mails examined by the legal firm. Earlier, the Met was accused by MPs of a "catalogue of failures" in the News of the World phone-hacking inquiry. BBC Africa analyst Martin Plaut says this marks a considerable change in policy from Washington. The UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs for Somalia said the ongoing conflict in Somalia had made it extremely difficult for agencies to access communities in the south, which are controlled by al-Shabab. She said some of the mothers had walked up to six days with no food to try to find help. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said new funds to help the country were desperately needed.

PrattEdmonds

Drought, conflict and poverty have now combined to produce the necessary conditions for famine. Earlier, the Met was accused by MPs of a "catalogue of failures" in the News of the World phone-hacking inquiry. An estimated 10 million people have been affected in East Africa by the worst drought in more than half a century. More than 166,000 desperate Somalis are estimated to have fled their country to neighbouring Kenya or Ethiopia. "I was talking to mothers with children, the children looked maybe nine months to one year old - the mothers were telling the children were three and four years old, so they are absolutely tiny." 'Dangerously inadequate' "What we need is assurances from the World Food Programme and from other agencies, the United Nations or other agencies, both public and in the non-governmental sector, who are willing to go into Somalia who will tell us affirmatively that they are not being taxed by al-Shabab, they are not being subjected to bribes from al-Shabab,

SherryTemple

Meanwhile, News of the World owner News International said it had authorised law firm Harbottle & Lewis to answer any questions from Scotland Yard and the Commons home affairs committee about its work for the company. that they can operate unfettered," Mr Steinberg told the BBC. Labour MP Nick Raynsford said that, when Mr Coulson was at Downing Street, the cabinet secretary was alerted to evidence of illegal phone hacking, covert surveillance and hostile media briefing against a senior government official - the cabinet secretary later denied it. 'Dangerously inadequate'

DanforthDykes

The UN has declared a famine in two areas of southern Somalia as the region experiences the worst drought in more than half a century. Nearly half the Somali population - 3.7 million people - were in crisis, he said, with most of them in the south. The protester accused of throwing shaving foam at Rupert Murdoch is charged with a public order offence The US considers al-Shabab a terrorist group and last year stopped aid to the large area of Somalia it controls.

BoatmanSwenson

Labour MP Nick Raynsford said that, when Mr Coulson was at Downing Street, the cabinet secretary was alerted to evidence of illegal phone hacking, covert surveillance and hostile media briefing against a senior government official - the cabinet secretary later denied it. The US considers al-Shabab a terrorist group and last year stopped aid to the large area of Somalia it controls. Earlier, the Met was accused by MPs of a "catalogue of failures" in the News of the World phone-hacking inquiry.