Animal rights activists in Europe have found it is much more effective to focus on the employees of research companies' banks and brokerages, and now they are bringing such campaigns to the United States.

Police have found the three weapons believed to have been used to assault Brian Cass, the managing director of Huntingdon Life Sciences in Cambridgeshire.

Two protesters have climbed on to the roof of a house in the latest demonstration against animal testing company Huntingdon Life Sciences.

Fifteen demonstrators, eight arrests.

Home Secretary Jack Straw is to propose changes in the law in the wake of animal rights demonstrations at Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS).

MEPs back a ban on animal-tested cosmetics - sparking warnings of a US trade war if EU governments implement it.

Eighty-seven people were arrested after the offices of two pharmaceutical companies were damaged during a protest by animal rights protesters.

Leader. HLS was a company engaged in lawful and important work, supported by an association representing more than 100 medical research charities, being driven to ruin by a small bunch of terrorist fanatics. The decision has already put the animal rights terrorists on the defensive.

Leader. In a world in which too many private financial institutions - bankers, stockbrokers, investment houses - have lamely capitulated to threats from extreme animal rights activists, ministers deserve praise for the way in which they have rallied support for beleaguered Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS) through the Bank of England.

Andrew Clark. Stephens Group, a family controlled, Arkansas-based investment firm with close links to the former Clinton administration has emerged as the "secret" rescuer of Huntingdon Life Sciences, the controversial animal testing company. It has extended a long term loan of about £10m to Huntingdon, replacing credit facilities cancelled by Royal Bank of Scotland last week.

Jill Treanor. Ten years ago investors rushed to buy shares in Huntingdon Life Sciences, which once traded at more than 300p. Now, it is a pariah to big institutional investors. Earlier this week the shares were worth 1p.

Paul Kelso. Around half of the research at HLS involves animals and is designed to meet the Animal Scientific Procedures Act (1986) which demands that a wide range of drugs, food additives, industrial chemicals and domestic products is tested before being released on to the market.

Andrew Clark. "Huntingdon Life Sciences was accused of raising the white flag to animal rights extremists yesterday as it announced plans to quit the London Stock Exchange for a listing in the US." UK.

Jill Treanor, Steven Morris and Andrew Clark. The Royal Bank of Scotland is the highest profile bank with links to Huntingdon and it faces the difficult prospect of being accused of surrendering to the protesters who have targeted its directors, branches, employees, customers and vandalised its cash machines.

David Blenkinsop, one of three animal activists who attacked the managing director of the animal research firm Huntingdon Life Sciences in Cambridgeshire with wooden staves and pick axe handles, was yesterday jailed for three years by Peterborough crown court.

Leader. 275m animals, mainly rats and mice, are killed every year by cats in a gratuitously brutal way. If the animal rights protesters really cared about prolonging animal life rather than intimidating humans for experimenting on animals, they should turn their energies on the domestic cat.

Staff and agencies. Detective Inspector Robbie Robertson said the "callous and cowardly" attack on Brian Cass, 53, happened as he arrived at his home in St Ives at around 7.50pm last night. Two members of the public who tried to help Mr Cass were sprayed with CS gas before the assailants, one of whom is believed to be a woman, fled.

Michael White, political editor. The home secretary's visit came as Tony Blair announced a ministerial committee to look at further ways to protect such firms - and their staff - from attacks from animal rights militants, whose loose organisation has defied police efforts to bring them to account.

Colin Brown, political editor. Company directors are to be allowed to keep their private addresses secret in a U-turn by the Government to stop animal rights protesters intimidating firms involved in animal research. The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, Stephen Byers, is ready to give company directors an anonymity clause in legislation to streamline company law after the election.

Alasdair Palmer. Professor Colin Blakemore, the Waynefleet Professor of Physiology and a staunch defender of the importance of experimenting on animals in order to achieve medical benefits for people, has, over the years, been threatened with both kidnapping and murder by animal rights terrorists. He has been beaten up and had letter bombs sent to his home, one of which contained half a pound of high explosive packed with needles. It was wrapped so as to appeal to his children, to whom it was delivered.

Richard Alleyne. As HLS put the final touches to a long-term deal with an undisclosed group of American backers, activists vowed to track them down and "financially destroy" them. Protesters also reacted angrily to news that the Royal Bank of Scotland had written off its £11 million loan to the company.

Daniel Foggo. Animal rights extremists waging a campaign to close Huntingdon Life Sciences, the biggest animal testing laboratory in Europe, are being funded by money channelled through the charity Animal Rights America (ARA) in New Jersey, USA.

Benjamin Wootliff. The bank confirmed that it would not act as custodian for its clients who hold shares in HLS. Officials refused to comment on the decision, but the bank is believed to have received threats against its staff.

David Cracknell, deputy political editor. Ministers are to exempt directors and shareholders of companies that do animal research from the normal legal requirement to list their addresses in company accounts after directors of HLS received hate mail and threatening visits from animal rights activists.

David Harrison, Environment Correspondent. Lord Sainsbury, the science minister, brokered an agreement to refinance the company after the Royal Bank of Scotland withdrew a loan of £22.6 million because staff and customers had been threatened by animal rights protesters.

Philip Johnston, home affairs editor. Laws brought in to stop trade unions victimising strike-breakers are to be used against animal rights protesters trying to close Britain's biggest animal testing laboratory.

John Steele, crime correspondent. About 100 animal rights extremists are responsible for increasing terror tactics against scientists and hunt supporters, including personal violence and incendiary devices, police believe. he new breed of violent activist is said to shelter under the banner of the wider animal welfare movement but is willing to resort to tactics normally associated with terrorists.

George Jones, political editor. The Home Secretary announced amendments will be tabled today to the Criminal Justice and Police Bill, currently before Parliament, to give the scientific community better protection from protest tactics used by anti-vivisectionists. They would also allow harsher punishments for sending hate mail and would bring email and mobile phone text messaging under the Malicious Communications Act.

Richard Alleyne. Ronnie Lee, the founder of the Animal Liberation Front, expressed unqualified support yesterday for the gang that attacked Brian Cash, the Huntingdon Life Sciences managing director, declaring: "He has got off lightly."

Michael Kallenbach, parliamentary correspondent. A Tory proposal that home addresses of key personnel and shareholders involved in animal research companies should be protected was welcomed by the Government yesterday.