AL QAEDA GROUP IN YEMEN GAINING PROMINENCE

Good background piece from Washington Post on AlQ in the Yemen, where the alleged Christmas day bomber is supposed to have trained. Al Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula [AQAP] is a merger of Yemeni and Saudi operatives and may have attracted jihadists from several countries. Bin Laden’s father was originally from the Yemen.

SOCA UNDER FIRE BY MPS

The Serious and Organised Crime Agency is being criticised for the rise in cocaine use in the UK, which MPs claim is against the trend for the rest of Europe

ITALY TAX AMNESTY NETS 80 BN EUROS

You may have to register to read FT articles. At the moment it’s still free. The attitude of Swiss banks to this amnesty is worth noting as is the Itlian refusal to say whether any money has been repatriated.