BNP Welcomes Chance to Appear on BBC's Question Time
THE GUARDIAN: Other parties say Nick Griffin appearance will give them opportunity to challenge views of far-right party

The British National party has welcomed the BBC's decision to allow its leader, Nick Griffin, to appear on Question Time following the far-right party's success in the European elections.

Although the BBC has yet to issue a formal invitation, the corporation is preparing to ask Griffin to join the panel show and is already consulting other parties about appearing with him.

The party, which won two seats in the European parliament in June, has not appeared on the programme before. Some parties, including Labour, have previously refused to share a platform with the BNP because of its policies on race. A spokesman for the party said yesterday: "Obviously it's good news. Of late, a large proportion of Question Time has been devoted to assaults on the BNP, so it's rather welcome that we are allowed to defend ourselves."

He attacked the Labour party over its past refusal to share a stage with its members and accused the government of using its equality watchdog to attack the BNP.

Referring to the Equality and Human Rights Commission's decision to take the BNP to court over its constitution – which states that only "'indigenous Caucasian' and defined 'ethnic groups' emanating from that race" are allowed to join – he said: "If anybody has an excuse for not sharing a platform with a political party, it should be us and the Labour party, but we believe in the democratic process."

After years of discussions, the BBC is understood to have decided in February that the BNP would have to be allowed to appear on Question Time if it attracted significant support in the European elections. Other smaller parties elected to the European parliament, such as the Green party and Ukip, have been represented.

A BBC spokeswoman said it was obliged to treat all legal political parties registered with the Electoral Commission with due impartiality. "Our audiences – and the electorate – will make up their own minds about the different policies offered by elected politicians," she said. >>> Sam Jones | Sunday, September 06, 2009

Listen to Guardian audio here

Saif Gaddafi Embarrasses Gordon Brown Over Libyan IRA Compensation
THE TELEGRAPH: Gordon Brown is facing increasing pressure over compensation for IRA victims after an about-turn to offer support for the claims against Libya was undermined by Saif Gaddafi, its leader's son.

Mr Brown's changes of political position have left him in an embarrassing position with little room to manoeuvre.

Initially, he isolated himself by angering the families of victims of the IRA, whose loved ones were killed with Semtex supplied by the African nation, by failing to personally intervene on their behalf for payouts from Col Muammar Gaddafi's regime.

In a letter to a lawyer representing IRA victims, he argued that it was “inappropriate” for him to lobby Col Gaddafi, partly because trade and Libya’s co-operation in the battle against extremism might be affected.

The reaction was so strong that, by Sunday night, the Prime Minister was forced into an about-turn in which he tried to defuse the row by offering "dedicated Foreign Office support” to the victims' families.

However, the Libyan authorities swiftly poured cold water on the chances the compensation bid.

Speaking in a television interview on Monday morning, Saif Gaddafi said the first response to any claim for a payout would be: "No."

He added that any attempt would be forced through a legal process.
"Anyone can knock on our door. You go to the court. They have their lawyers. We have our lawyers," he said.

Mr Brown's mishandling of the issue now risks jeopardising the relations with Libya, the very thing which the Government has tried so hard to improve. >>> Simon Johnson and Andrew Porter | Monday, September 07, 2009

Silvio Berlusconi: Italians 'Want to Be Like Me'
THE TELEGRAPH: The Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has declared: "Italians want to be like me."

The controversial 72-year-old premier, who has repeatedly denied allegations of inappropriate relationships with young women, insisted that the majority of Italians would stand by him.

"Most Italians would like to be like me and they support my behaviour," he said during a television interview.

Mr Berlusconi added: "Italian[s] aren't stupid, as the Left thinks, and they prefer my government.

"Just look at the polls, we have an approval rating sailing towards 70 per cent". >>> Nick Pisa in Rome | Monday, September 07, 2009

Alan Duncan Sacked from Shadow Cabinet
THE TELEGRAPH: Alan Duncan has been sacked from the shadow cabinet by David Cameron over his complaint that MPs were made to live “on rations”.

David Cameron stripped Mr Duncan of his role as shadow leader of the Commons. He accepted a job as a shadow junior justice minister with responsibility for prisons.

Mr Duncan had been in charge of agreeing changes to the system of MPs expenses but his private comments, recorded by an activist who met Mr Duncan on the House of Commons terrace, made his position untenable. The demotion appears to have scuppered Mr Duncan’s chances of being in Mr Cameron’s first Cabinet.

Mr Duncan was secretly filmed earlier this year complaining about MPs’ reduced standard of living, arguing that MPs were forced to live on “rations” and had been treated like “----”. >>> Andrew Porter, Political Editor and Chris Irvine | Monday, September 07, 2009

Seif ul-Islam al Gadhafi on Economic Change

Sudanese Journalist Jailed after Refusing to Pay Fine for Wearing Trousers
TIMES ONLINE: A Sudanese woman put on trial for wearing trousers was spared the lash today but still landed in jail after refusing to pay the £130 fine imposed for indecency.

Lubna Hussein, a 34-year-old widow whose trial exposed Sudan’s draconian Islamic laws, was taken to prison in the same trousers she wore when she was arrested with 12 other women at a Khartoum restaurant in July.

“I will not pay a penny, I’d rather go to prison” she declared after hearing the verdict. She was then taken to a women’s jail in Omdurman, across the Nile from Khartoum, the capital, to serve a one month-sentence for refusing to pay the fine.

Aware of worldwide interest in the case, the judge had tried to be lenient. His punishment fell far short of the maximum penalty under the notorious Article 152 of Sudan’s penal code which prescribes 40 lashes and an unlimited fine for women dressed in an indecent or obscene manner in public.

Ten of the other women arrested with her had already pleaded guilty to the charge of indecency and been flogged.

However, unlike thousands of other women arrested in similar circumstance every year, Ms Hussein, a journalist who worked for the United Nations, refused to accept her summary punishment.

She called a lawyer, and even as the court tried to close this embarrassing chapter today by slapping on a fine, she vowed to fight on.

“Lubna has bravely sacrificed her freedom to free other women from the oppression of the law,” said Ahmed Elzobier, one of Ms Hussein’s supporters.

“She is not guilty, but the police the court and the government are the guilty ones.”

“The campaign will continue,” Mr Elzobier added. “Although Lubna is going to prison, the rest of her supporters will keep challenging these laws.” >>> Tristan McConnell | Monday, September 07, 2009

Mass Murder at 30,000 Feet: Islamic Extremists Guilty of Airline Bomb Plot
TIMES ONLINE: Three British Muslims were found guilty today of conspiracy to murder thousands of passengers and crew in an unprecedented airline bomb plot that could have proved as deadly as the 9/11 attacks.

After a retrial at Woolwich Crown Court, jurors found the ringleader, Abdulla Ahmed, and two other men, Assad Sarwar and Tanvir Hussain, guilty of plotting to use liquid bombs to blow up airliners en route from Heathrow to the United States.

Another defendant, Umar Islam, was found guilty of a more general charge of conspiracy to murder because jurors could not decide whether he knew of the specific targets in the plot three years ago.

Three other men, Arafat Khan, Ibrahim Savant and Waheed Zaman, were found not guilty of conspiracy to blow up aircraft but could face a retrial on the more general conspiracy to murder charge because jurors could not reach a verdict.

The eighth defendant, Muslim convert Donald Stewart-Whyte, was found not guilty on the terrorism charges but had pleaded guilty to a firearms offence.

Ali, 28, was the leader of an East London terror cell inspired from Pakistan, the court heard. He had planned to detonate home-made liquid bombs in suicide attacks on transatlantic aircraft bound for major north American cities.

It was the most complex and daring British-based terrorist conspiracy in modern times and, according to the Crown Prosecution Service, could have killed "hundreds of innocent people". >>> Philippe Naughton | Monday, September 07, 2009

Ahmadinejad Declares End to Debate Over Iran's Nuclear Ambitions
TIMES ONLINE: Barack Obama’s hopes of persuading Iran to renounce its nuclear ambitions were dashed today as the United Nations watchdog admitted it had reached a “stalemate” with Tehran and President Ahmadinejad declared the nuclear debate “over”.

Mr Ahmadinejad’s show of defiance came as the board of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) gathered in Vienna to discuss Iran’s continuing failure to answer lingering questions about an alleged military dimension to its nuclear programme.

The Iranian leader vowed to forge ahead with uranium enrichment even as the clock ticked down to an end of September deadline set by Mr Obama for Tehran to resume negotiations with representatives of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany, the so-called five-plus-one.

While Iran would be willing to engage with the world on issues of global concern, the nuclear issue was off the table. “From our point of view, Iran’s nuclear issue is over,” Mr Ahmadinejad declared. >>> Catherine Philp, Diplomatic Correspondent | Monday, September 07, 2009

Témoignage : Un Helvète chez les flics de banlieue
LE TEMPS: Ancien «Monsieur éthique» de la police genevoise, Yves Patrick Delachaux a passé des semaines, immergé, au commissariat de Saint-Denis. Il livre un témoignage détonnant sur la tension entre jeunes et policiers dans les cités françaises

Le livre s’appellera Grave Panique. En souvenir d’une remarque entendue dans une voiture de la BAC, la Brigade anticriminalité, qui avait frôlé une vieille dame en roulant trop vite, une nuit de patrouille à Saint-Denis: «Je l’ai grave paniquée, la mémé…»

«Là, j’ai su que j’avais mon titre», raconte Yves Patrick Delachaux, ancien policier genevois devenu romancier et scénariste. Juste après les émeutes urbaines de l’automne 2005, alors qu’il était responsable de l’éthique et des Droits humains à la police genevoise, il a passé plusieurs semaines en observation dans un commissariat de Seine-Saint-Denis, le département le plus violent de France.

Son témoignage, qui a inspiré un roman * à paraître l’an prochain, en dit long sur l’état de tension qui règne entre jeunes et policiers dans les banlieues françaises. Et sur l’échec, désormais avoué à demi-mot, de la politique mise en place par Nicolas Sarkozy depuis son arrivée au Ministère de l’intérieur, en 2002.

Le 31 août, son bras droit et successeur à ce poste, Brice Hortefeux, a organisé une table ronde destinée à favoriser le «respect mutuel» entre policiers et jeunes des quartiers difficiles. Cette initiative fait suite à une nouvelle série d’émeutes, cet été, dues à la mort de deux jeunes lors d’interventions policières à Bagnolet, près de Paris, et à Firminy, près de Lyon. Avec, en toile de fond, des forces de l’ordre enfermées dans une paranoïa permanente, ignorantes du terrain où elles évoluent et totalement coupées des populations qu’elles sont censées protéger.

En arrivant à Saint-Denis, Yves Patrick Delachaux a vite compris que quelque chose clochait: «Le commissariat est un blockhaus carré, tout est barricadé, grillagé. C’est une armée d’occupation.»

A l’intérieur, des locaux «saccagés», avec «chiottes arrachées» et bureaux lépreux, antédiluviens. Dans la cuisine, minuscule, des frigos cadenassés, de vieilles affiches syndicales, des posters de films policiers. «Une ambiance de caserne, de labeur, de souffrance, raconte le policier suisse. On sent que ça leur pèse sur les épaules.» >>> Sylvain Besson | Lundi 07 Septembre 2009

China Alarmed by US Money Printing
THE TELEGRAPH: The US Federal Reserve's policy of printing money to buy Treasury debt threatens to set off a serious decline of the dollar and compel China to redesign its foreign reserve policy, according to a top member of the Communist hierarchy.

Cheng Siwei, former vice-chairman of the Standing Committee and now head of China's green energy drive, said Beijing was dismayed by the Fed's recourse to "credit easing".

"We hope there will be a change in monetary policy as soon as they have positive growth again," he said at the Ambrosetti Workshop, a policy gathering on Lake Como.

"If they keep printing money to buy bonds it will lead to inflation, and after a year or two the dollar will fall hard. Most of our foreign reserves are in US bonds and this is very difficult to change, so we will diversify incremental reserves into euros, yen, and other currencies," he said.

China's reserves are more than – $2 trillion, the world's largest.

"Gold is definitely an alternative, but when we buy, the price goes up. We have to do it carefully so as not to stimulate the markets," he added.

The comments suggest that China has become the driving force in the gold market and can be counted on to buy whenever there is a price dip, putting a floor under any correction.

Mr Cheng said the Fed's loose monetary policy was stoking an unstable asset boom in China. "If we raise interest rates, we will be flooded with hot money. We have to wait for them. If they raise, we raise. >>> Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, in Cernobbio, Italy | Sunday, September 06, 2009

Rioters Invade Budapest's Jewish Ghetto
THE JERUSALEM POST: A crowd of 500 demonstrators, including neo-Nazis and skinheads, rampaged in Budapest's Jewish district.

Hungarian riot police deployed tear gas and baton charges Saturday against the vociferously xenophobic crowd as it tried to disrupt Hungary's annual Gay Pride parade.

More than 30 arrests were made on charges including possession of offensive weapons and riotous behavior. Heightened surveillance was enforced throughout the day to prevent a recurrence of the mayhem that ended last year's parade, in which there were more than a dozen serious injuries, according to Éva Tafferner, press officer at Budapest police headquarters.

The rioters invaded the heart of the traditional Jewish Ghetto District, started a small fire, tore down signs and shouted threatening anti-Semitic vitriol. The attacks were witnessed by families of foreign Jews visiting the district for the current Budapest Jewish Cultural Festival. >>> JTA | Sunday, September 06, 2009

U.S. Sources: Many Arab States 'Pledging' Normal Israel Ties
HAARETZ: U.S. special Mideast envoy George Mitchell has managed to obtain "pledges" from many Arab states for various steps toward normalization with Israel, some more significant and some less so, senior U.S. government officials told Haaretz on Sunday.

That is one of the main questions to which Israel is hoping to receive an answer when Mitchell arrives later this week or early next: what steps toward normalization the Arab states have agreed to take in exchange for a partial freeze in West Bank settlements.

Sources in the Prime Minister's Office, the Defense Ministry and the Foreign Ministry all said that Israel still does not have a clear picture of what quid pro quos Mitchell has managed to obtain in his talks with these states.

The U.S. officials also declined to specify which states had made these pledges. Saudi Arabia, which Washington had hoped would be one of them, has thus far refused to offer anything to Israel, though it has agreed to provide the Palestinian Authority with hundreds of millions of dollars to shore up its shaky financial situation.

"We've done our part," an associate of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's said on Sunday. "We decided to make an effort to facilitate the diplomatic process, but now we want to see that we will also get something in exchange."

According to the U.S. officials, some Arab states have agreed to let Israel open offices in their territory, others have agreed to grant visas to Israeli businessmen and tourists, and still others have offered to allow direct telephone connections between Israel and their countries. >>> Barak Ravid | Monday, September 09, 2009

Netanyahu’s Foolish Plan
YNET NEWS: Rona Kuperboim slams PM’s plan to limit alcohol consumption in bid to fight violence

It’s foolish and pointless. I’m talking about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to ban alcohol sales after 9 pm. In response to the latest Israeli trend – that is, killing – the PM announced that he intends to advance legislation that will prevent kiosks and gas stations from selling alcohol at all, while limiting selling times at stores.

This is how Bibi will be fighting violence! Because he’s unwilling to tolerate domestic terror! Oh no! So he found an idea that looks good and sounds authoritative, conveys a sense of determination, but contributes nothing. Welcome to the “how to make a headline” class.

Let’s start with an allegory. The residents of a small village live by the river. Once in a while, one of them becomes fed up with life, jumps into the river, and dies. What do you think the village chief should do: Block any access to the river with some kind of netting, or train people that can identify despaired individuals on time and encourage them?

Ok, I think we got the message. No netting can stop a man from getting drunk. Bibi would do well to find other ways to fight violence in our society aside from messing with our drinks. The issue here is not what goes into one’s blood stream, but rather, into one’s consciousness. Education, public discourse, and the increasingly extinct values of respect, tolerance, and fear of the law are difficult to change. It’s much easier to lock the doors of the convenience store. Israelis are light drinkers >>> Rona Kuperboim | Sunday, September 06, 2009

Enya: Gladiator Soundtrack

Private Militär Firmen: Orgien im Namen der USA
STERN: Die Sex-Party von Wachleuten in Kabul entsetzt die US-Regierung. Dabei ist sie mitschuldig an solchen Ereignissen. Die USA sollten ihre Abhängigkeit von privaten Söldnern schleunigst überdenken. Ein Kommentar von Sebastian Huld

Wachleute feiern in der US-Botschaft in Kabul Sex-Partys. Vorgesetzte zwingen ihre Untergebenen zu erniedrigenden Sex-Spielchen und fotografieren sich dabei. Peinlicher geht es kaum. Der Vorfall ist aber viel mehr als nur ein ärgerlicher und unangenehmer Ausfall von ein paar Sicherheitskräften, die zu viel Alkohol getrunken haben.

Es handelt sich nämlich nicht um reguläre US-Soldaten, sondern Söldner des britischen Militär-Unternehmens Armour Group, das mit der Botschafts-Bewachung beauftragt wurde. Mit ihren Ausfällen haben die Männer im muslimischen Afghanistan eine ganze Armee diskreditiert und so das Leben tausender Nato-Soldaten gefährdet.

Gefährliche Abhängigkeit

Die Beteiligten werden voraussichtlich nicht bestraft, denn als Söldner unterliegen sie nicht der US-Militärgerichtsbarkeit. Dass sie vor einem zivilen US-Gericht oder im Ausland verurteilt werden, ist ebenso unwahrscheinlich. Wahrscheinlich hingegen ist, dass sie bald schon wieder woanders im Einsatz sind. Vielleicht in einem anderen Land, in einem anderen Krisengebiet, aber noch immer im Auftrag der USA. Die Abhängigkeit der Vereinigten Staaten von privaten Militär- und Sicherheitsfirmen ist mittlerweile gravierend.

Zwar kann die US-Regierung als Auftraggeber bestimmen, mit wem sie zusammenarbeitet, doch sie hat praktisch keine Kontrolle darüber, wie und von wem die oft heiklen Aufgaben erfüllt werden. Vom Bau von US-Basen, über die Versorgung der Soldaten bis hin zum Kampfeinsatz wurden weite Teile militärischer Aufgaben in die Hand privater Firmen übergeben - ohne solche Kriegs-Dienstleister könnte das mächtigste Land der Welt vermutlich nicht einmal mehr Island erobern. Gefährliche Abhängigkeit >>> Ein Kommentar von Sebastian Huld | Freitag, 04. September 2009

Sex-Party in Kabul: Diese Bilder schockieren Amerika >>>

Russie: Le visage banal du crime raciste
LE TEMPS: A Saint-Pétersbourg, les meurtres racistes sont monnaie courante et la justice parfois indulgente

Ils préfèrent Hitler à Staline. Parce que le premier a assassiné moins de Russes que le second? Vous n’y êtes pas. «Hitler a fait du bon boulot chez lui!» clame Maxime, qui déplore toutefois que le chef nazi «ait attaqué la Russie». «Lui, il savait défendre son peuple, ce qu’il a fait est normal.» Agé de 22 ans, il parle posément et ne ressemble en rien à l’image d’Epinal du skinhead. Crânes rasés, rangers, bombers et jeans avec ourlet sont passés de mode. Et surtout, pas d’insignes. «Nous évitons de porter en public notre brassard [un swastika blanc sur fond rouge] afin de passer inaperçus», explique Ilia, 25 ans, leader de l’Union slave, organisation d’extrême droite russe dont certains membres ont commis des crimes racistes, selon la police de Saint-Pétersbourg. «Nous en avons marre d’être pistés et harcelés par les flics», explique Maxime, ex-skinhead sympathisant de l’Union slave depuis deux ans. Très bien organisées et entraînées, les jeunes recrues de l’Union slave cultivent une apparence tout à fait ordinaire.

Inquiétude constante

La tactique fonctionne. L’inquiétude est constante parmi les cibles principales: des ressortissants des ex-républiques soviétiques d’Ouzbékistan, du Tadjikistan, de Géorgie, d’Arménie et d’Azerbaïdjan. «Avant, on les reconnaissait de loin à leur apparence de skinheads, explique Moukhammadnazar Mirzoda, président d’une association d’amitié russo-tadjique. Aujourd’hui, ils ressemblent à n’importe qui. A des supporters du Zenit (club de foot local), à des ro­ckers… il y a même des gamins parmi eux. N’importe quel groupe de jeunes est potentiellement dangereux. La peur monte.»
«Les attaques sont minutieusement organisées, comme pour une opération militaire», ajoute Dmitri Doubrovski, un collègue de l’universitaire, sociologue à l’Université Smolni de Saint-Pétersbourg, spécialisé dans l’étude de la xénophobie. «Habituellement, les attaquants forment plusieurs groupes, l’un chargé de la surveillance, l’autre de repousser d’éventuelles réactions des passagers, le troisième enfin qui se charge de la victime.» >>> Emmanuel Grynszpan, Moscou | Lundi 07 Septembre 2009

Ahmadinejad se dit prêt à discuter publiquement avec Obama
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: IRAN | L'Iran est prêt à un dialogue sur le nucléaire dans un cadre "juste et logique" avec les grandes puissances du groupe 5+1, a déclaré lundi le président iranien.

Le président iranien Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a déclaré lundi qu'il était prêt à "discuter" avec le président américain Barack Obama devant les médias internationaux, lors d'une conférence de presse.

"Nous avons proposé un dialogue dans un cadre logique et juste avec tous les pays (...) qui peuvent permettre de changer les choses" dans les affaires mondiales, a déclaré M. Ahmadinejad.

Le groupe groupe 5+1 comprend les membres permanents du Conseil de sécurité Etats-Unis, Russie, Chine, France, Grande-Bretagne ainsi que l'Allemagne. >>> AFP | Lundi, 07. September 2009

Terrorgefahr in Deutschland: «Wir müssen aufmerksam sein»
BERNER ZEITUNG: Angesichts des deutschen Afghanistan-Einsatzes sieht das Bundeskriminalamt (BKA) vor der Bundestagswahl einem Medienbericht zufolge eine erhöhte Gefahr von Anschlägen in Deutschland.

Das gehe aus einem aktuellen, als Verschlusssache deklarierten Lagebericht hervor, aus dem das ARD-Magazin «Report Mainz» zitiert. In dem nur für den Dienstgebrauch vorgesehenen Bericht heisse es, «dass vor allem das unverändert hohe Engagement Deutschlands in Afghanistan als Rechtfertigungsgrund für Anschläge gegen deutsche Interessen im In- und Ausland durch islamistische Organisationen genutzt wird». Das BKA kommentiert eine entsprechende Vorabmeldung am Montag auf AP-Anfrage nicht.

Wie «Report Mainz» weiter berichtet, beziehen sich die Autoren unter anderem auf Videobotschaften und schriftliche Verlautbarungen unterschiedlicher Terror-Organisationen. Seit Jahresbeginn habe es zudem einen deutlichen Anstieg von Propaganda mit unmittelbarem Bezug zu Deutschland gegeben. Diese direkte Ansprache sei neu. Die Gruppierungen versuchten seit Jahresbeginn, «mit zuvor nicht bekannter Intensität» in Deutschland aufgewachsene Muslime zu rekrutieren. >>> bru/ap | Montag, 07. September 2009

Turquie-Adhésion: L'UE critiquée
leJDD.fr: Un rapport d'experts dirigé par l'ancien président finlandais Martti Ahtisaari publié lundi estime que l'Union européenne doit donner un nouvel élan aux négociations d'adhésion entamées avec la Turquie. "Ces attitudes et ces politiques négatives de la part de dirigeants européens sont en contradiction flagrante avec toutes les décisions et tous les engagements de l'UE", écrivent les auteurs de ce rapport. "Elles remettent en question la crédibilité de l'UE, sa fiabilité et le principe qui veut que les engagements soient honorés." Ankara est également invitée à "accélérer la mise en oeuvre de ces réformes économiques et politiques pour convaincre les européens du bien fondé de sa candidature". [Source: leJDD.fr] | Lundi 07 Septembre 2009

California Arsonist May Face Death Penalty for Los Angeles Widlfire [sic], Prosecutors Say
THE TELEGRAPH: The suspected arsonist who started the Station wildfire that swept through the hills above Los Angeles last week could face the death penalty, prosecutors say.

Two firefighters died when their vehicle crashed off the road as they worked with a group of inmates battling the blaze during some of the most intense hours of the operation.

Sheriff Lee Baca has said police have launched a murder investigation following the deaths during the biggest fire in the history of Los Angeles County.

A law enforcement source told The Los Angeles Times on Saturday that "material that didn't belong there" has been found at the site suspected to be where the fire started, a twice-scorched slope near Mile Marker 29 along Angeles Crest Highway.

The suspicious substance was reportedly found in the brush off the highway and has been sent for laboratory testing.

The fire, which was 42 per cent contained by Saturday morning, has destroyed more than 154,000 acres and 76 homes. It has cost more than $37 million to fight but the much greater damage to property, wildlife is still being assessed.

There is a recent precedent for an arsonist receiving the death penalty.

In June, Raymond Lee Oyler, a mechanic, was sentenced to die for setting the 2006 Esperanza blaze that claimed the lives of five firefighters.

Even if the fire was accidental, the newspaper reported that the starter could face jail time if charged and convicted of involuntary manslaughter or negligent homicide resulting from a tossed cigarette, fuel spill or other careless act that caused the fire. >>> Philip Sherwell in San Francisco and agencies | Saturday, September 05, 2009