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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3686637.stm

Scientists have pinpointed a gene which seems to play a crucial role in heart attacks. A tiny mutation may be the key They found that a particular mutation of the gene occurs more frequently in people who have had a heart attack. It is thought the gene controls inflammation in the arteries supplying blood to the heart. A blockage here can trigger a heart attack. The research, by Toyko's Institute of Physical and Chemical Research, is published in Nature. The Japanese team hopes its work will prove to be a crucial step towards a better understanding of the underlying causes of heart attacks. The scientists found that the key mutation is caused by just one tiny change to the chemical components of DNA. Their work is based on an analysis of DNA samples from more than 2,600 heart attack patients. These were compared with samples from 2,500 volunteers from the general The heart attack patients were significantly more likely to carry a specific mutation in a gene that produces a protein called galectin-2. Galectin-2 is known to bind to a molecule that assists inflammation - lymphtoxin-alpha (LTA) - and which is released when a coronary artery ruptures. The gene mutation appears to change galectin-2, and in turn to affect the amount of LTA that is secreted - possibly boosting inflammation and increasing the risk of a heart attack. Professor Jeremy Pearson, of the British Heart Foundation, said: "Over the last decade or so, scientists have realised that the fatty deposits (atherosclerosis) which accumulate in blood vessels are in fact due to a chronic inflammatory disease. "The current paper strengthens this view, with the novel implication that genes which can control the release of inflammatory proteins from cells may also be related to heart disease risk." Heart disease is the biggest killer in the western world, claiming 110,000 lives each year in England alone. A total of 275,000 people in England suffer a heart attack each year.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/c/chelsea/4629163.stm

Premiership champions Chelsea have confirmed Argentine striker Hernan Crespo will play for them next season. The 30-year-old spent last term on loan at AC Milan and had hoped to return to Italy, but Chelsea say he will be playing at Stamford Bridge. "We're delighted Hernan is coming back, he had a great season at Milan and showed what a good player he is," said Blues' chief executive Peter Kenyon. "He is happy to be coming back and I know he will be welcomed by everyone." Crespo had made no secret throughout the summer of his desire to stay with Milan, after a successful season at the San Siro. But Chelsea's failure to land a big-name striker and Milan's capture of Christian Vieiri meant the former Lazio hitman's permanent move to Italy never transpired. Crespo now believes he has a fantastic opportunity to cement a place in manager Jose Mourinho's starting line up. "Peter Kenyon was very important in my return, he told me that I have the quality to be the best striker in the Premiership," Crespo told the Daily Star. "Chelsea now are a completely different club to the one of a year ago, they have gone forward in every respect and for me that is positive. "It's an important year ahead of the World Cup, I want to be in the Argentina squad and I have to have a good season to achieve that." Crespo signed for Chelsea in 2003 for £16.8m.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6920846.stm

The British soldier killed in a rocket attack in southern Afghanistan has been named as Sergeant Barry Keen, 34, serving with 14 Signal Regiment. Sgt Keen was involved in fighting the Taleban in Helmand Province Sgt Keen, from Gateshead, was fatally wounded when a single mortar round landed next to him, the MoD said. He was reorganising his team in a secure compound after supporting the Afghan National Army in the fight against the Taleban when he was killed. Despite receiving immediate medical treatment he died from his injuries. Sgt Keen was serving with Battle Group South on operation Chakush (Hammer) aimed at disrupting Taleban forces in the upper Gereshk Valley in Helmand Province. The operation was in its fourth day of fierce fighting. His death brings the number of UK military fatalities in Afghanistan since 2001 to 67. Sgt Keen, from Rowlands Gill, Gateshead, had spent nearly 18 years in the Army and his career included tours in Bosnia and Northern Ireland. Lieutenant Dave Phillips, his Troop Commander, said Sgt Keen was "an inspirational figure within the troop, he was widely respected and well liked by all. "The soldiers he worked with looked up to him and would willingly deploy alongside him. "As his Troop Commander I relied upon his knowledge and experience on an almost daily basis, not once did he let me down," Lt Phillips said. He added: "Sgt Keen will be missed by all those that knew him, not only as a tradesman and a soldier but as a friend." Sgt Keen was on a six-month tour of Afghanistan. Warrant Officer Class 2 Gaz Robinson, his friend and colleague, said: "My friendship with Baz goes back about 15 years and I cannot begin to describe my emotions at this time. "I can honestly say that he has changed not one bit since I first met him. He was a quality soldier and tradesman who had the ability to make you laugh out loud with his jokes and stories. "I will never forget the friendship we shared." Two other NATO troops and an Afghan soldier died in a separate clash with Taleban fighters in the country on Friday. They were killed in an area of eastern Nuristan province. Thirteen NATO soldiers were wounded in the incident. Sgt Keen's death means three UK soldiers have been killed in three days during heavy fighting in southern Afghanistan. Lance Corporal Alex Hawkins, 22, of the Royal Anglian Regiment was the first to be killed on Wednesday, when a roadside bomb struck the vehicle he was travelling in. The second was Guardsman David Atherton, 25, from the Grenadier Guards, who was shot during a firefight on Thursday after firing an anti-tank missile at Taleban positions. BBC Kabul correspondent Alastair Leithead said the battles in the Gereshk valley area were a result of Operation Chakush. Up to 1,500 British troops and 500 Afghan, Estonian, Danish and US soldiers are involved in the mission to try to force Taleban insurgents further up the valley, our correspondent said.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4554964.stm

Richard Hatch, the first winner of US reality show Survivor, will stand trial in Rhode Island next month for alleged tax evasion and related charges. Mr Hatch is accused of failing to pay federal income tax Jury selection is set for 10 January after US district judge Ernest Torres denied three motions filed by the 44-year-old's lawyers. Mr Hatch is accused of failing to pay taxes on his $1m (£575,000) winnings. If convicted he could face a fine of up to $1.35m (£776,000) and a total of 73 years in prison. In the US tax has to be paid on winnings from game shows or gambling. For gambling winnings over $5,000 the tax is deducted before the money is claimed but the same does not hold true for game show winnings. According to a spokesman for the US attorney's office, Mr Hatch's legal team had asked the judge to delay the trial. They also asked him to make prosecutors put an exact figure on the amount he allegedly owes in unpaid taxes. Mr Hatch was indicted in September on 10 counts, all of which he has repeatedly denied. Earlier in the year he backed out of a deal to plead guilty to two tax evasion charges. Richard Hatch was one of 16 contestants marooned on the Malaysian island of Pulau Tiga in 2000. Almost 52 million people tuned in to watch them try to outwit each other and endure challenges like eating insects and rats.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7194576.stm

The Boeing 777 - the type of aircraft involved in a crash-landing at Heathrow - was launched in 1995. There are 667 Boeing 777s in service around the world There are several hundred of the aircraft - known as the "triple seven" - in service around the world. It has two engines, and experts say it is extremely reliable. The particular Boeing 777 involved in the Heathrow incident was manufactured in May 2001. It was a 200ER (Extended Range) model, powered by two Rolls Royce Trent 800 engines. Its last routine maintenance check was in December 2007. The 777-200ER was rolled out by Boeing in 1996 and went into commercial operation the following year. It has the largest landing gear of any commercial aircraft, and with six wheels on each main landing gear and two on the nose gear, it has what Boeing calls an "unmistakable footprint". It can fly at up to 41,300 feet and has a range of up to 7,700 nautical miles. With a light load, it can go from 0-60mph in six seconds. There are more than 460 Trent 800 series engines in service around the world, and industry sources said it was thought that there had never been an accident of this kind involving a Trent before. Kieran Daly from Flight International magazine said the Boeing 777 had an almost impeccable safety record. "The 777 is an extremely reliable aircraft," he said. "There have been no 777 losses to date, which is a fairly impressive record considering how long it has been in service. "It's hard to even think of any serious incidents." He said the plane should still fly if one of its two engines failed, and that it was hard to understand what might have gone wrong. "We're talking about one of the most advanced aircraft in the world, operated by one of the most safety-conscious airlines in the world, flying in to one of the safest airports in the world." BA has 43 Boeing 777s in its fleet, of which are 16 are Boeing 777-200ER

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-13248065

Commonwealth: Continents apart but a royal wedding in common - 30 April 2011 - From the section World Hundreds of millions of people are said to have watched the marriage of Prince William and the newly anointed Duchess of Cambridge. But how did it go down in those Commonwealth countries? With huge crowds lining the streets of London, and street parties across the UK, there was little doubt that much of the British public wanted to celebrate royal wedding day. And with American news presenters swamping the streets around Westminster Abbey in the run up to the occasion, it came as little surprise to fine out the wedding was avidly watched in the US too. But the British monarchy's influence stretches around the world. Prince William's grandmother is head of state of 16 Commonwealth countries. So, were they watching as keenly as the British and Americans? Four correspondents from four very different corners of the world found out. INDIA, by Soutik Biswas India's mixed response to the royal wedding was not surprising. Until about midday on Friday, most Indians appeared not be interested in the wedding. But as the day wore on and the news channels beamed wall-to-wall coverage, some - mostly homemakers glued to their TV sets on a working day afternoon - warmed to the occasion. Big - and wasteful - weddings have a constituency in India. The big-wedding film is a Bollywood staple. Some of the Indian papers put the ceremony on their front pages on Saturday morning, with the popular picture of the royal kiss variously described as a "liplock" or a moment in which the "lips don't lie". The mass circulation Times of India offered a considered take in its front-page headline: "A much needed-kiss of life in times of recession." It described the wedding as one of "carefully austere pomp" and even drew parallels between the event and Princess Elizabeth's wedding in 1947 after Britain had lost India. "And the couple puckered up not once but twice on the Palace balcony, underlining the belief that in a time of economic doom and increasing geopolitical irrelevance, a wedding and the meeting of lips may be the kiss of life," the paper signed off with a flourish. One top news TV anchor had a piece of advice to the royals. "Next time," he tweeted, "the British royals should outsource the wedding to us. They could do with a little bit of song and dance." CANADA, by Lee Carter The time difference being what it was, many Canadians watched the pageantry from London in their pyjamas, although some brave souls still ventured out to public events and private get-togethers. On the west coast, the most time zone-challenged region of the country, hundreds of hardy enthusiasts put the British back into British Columbia by heading out to the posh Empress Hotel in the provincial capital Victoria, a city long associated with all things royal, to collectively enjoy the TV coverage. But in the true spirit of Canadian egalitarianism, the style ranged from posh frocks and a sea of bobbing fascinators, to pink pyjamas and fuzzy slippers. Similarly good-natured events were held at hotels, pubs and residences across the country. Royal revellers at an event in Edmonton were treated to a police pipe band and opera singers belting out both the Canadian and British national anthems. By contrast, the Duke of Kent pub in Toronto managed to lure in the bleary-eyed with merely the promise of a slap-up breakfast and the confident assertion that it was "as close as you can get without buying them a gift". Others threw private or workplace bashes, often with the slightly irreverent atmosphere of an Oscar party. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper was among those viewing the event perched on a sofa in front of the telly, instead of from inside Westminster Abbey. He found himself having to turn down the planet's most sought-after invitation, to continue the more plodding task of campaigning in the country's election, with the vote just days away on Monday 2 May. But the gushing media coverage may not have been an entirely accurate gauge of Canadian enthusiasm for the proceedings. Some surveys have suggested that there was more interest in the final days of the federal election than seeing William and Kate tying the knot. KENYA, by Kevin Mwachiro Local TV stations in the country disrupted regular programming to broadcast the wedding between Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge. The fact that William became engaged to the then Kate Middleton here in Kenya, seven months ago, was not lost on Kenyans. This was a fact that came up many times when Kenyans were asked about the significance of this wedding. It didn't stop there. A trip down memory lane to 1952 was quickly mentioned, when Princess Elizabeth who was visiting the country then, was informed of her father's death. This is the country where she became Queen. Fast forward almost 60 years and Kenyans were keen to witness the wedding ceremony of another royal couple who will remember Kenya for playing a part in ushering them into the global limelight. Kenya has a tiny but dedicated share of royal watchers and Friday was a day for them to come out of the closest. Tourism officials had also milked the publicity that the engagement, and thus the marriage, has brought on Kenya. It was no coincidence that the first TV advert during a number of commercial breaks on the local channel was one selling the country as a destination for that romantic safari, where dreams can come true. AUSTRALIA, by Nick Bryant This is not a country that tends to stand on ceremony, and for many the royal wedding became an excuse for an irreverent night in the pub spent watching it all unfold on television - television coverage that on one network featured ribald commentary from Dame Edna Everage. The fact that all but one of the networks screened the wedding is also worthy of note. Friday night is footy night, and the rugby league or Aussie rules is normally sacrosanct. At the bar that I started out in, in Sydney, which was decorated with Union flags and portraits of the royal couple, a bride hurled bouquets of flowers into the air, and the women that caught them were rewarded with free glasses of champagne. Monarchists, republicans and celebrity-watchers all joined in the fun. However, not everyone was watching. Many didn't give two hoots. But the Australian hoopla surrounding the wedding served as a reminder that for all the ethnic and demographic changes that have overtaken this country over the past 50 years, along with its reorientation towards Asia, the historical and sentimental link with Britain remains one of the single biggest keys to understanding modern-day Australia.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-norfolk-40571673

Court orders criminalising homeless, charity claims Court orders being imposed on homeless people are "criminalising those most in need," a charity has said. Criminal Behaviour Orders (CBOs) give courts powers including banning people from areas or from drinking in public. But charity Homeless Link said CBOs, which replaced anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs), prevented homeless people from accessing vital services. The Home Office said local agencies must determine whether their use of their powers was appropriate. CBOs were introduced in October 2014 and more than 2,600 are currently active, according to Freedom of Information requests made by the BBC. Thirty-eight police forces in England and Wales provided statistics. Breaches incur a maximum five-year prison term. Ministry of Justice figures show that in 2016, a total of 952 CBOs were issued following conviction at courts in England and Wales. That figure rose from 707 the previous year, an increase of 35%. 'Punishing most vulnerable' John (not his real name) has a CBO preventing him from entering certain areas of Norwich under certain conditions. He said he was given the banning order for being drunk in public. "I kicked off so they decided to give me a CBO," he said. John, an alcoholic, said the order stopped him from getting the help he needed, located in the city centre. "I have to go into a shop and nick a sandwich because I can't come into the city centre," he said. Dale Parker, co-founder of The People's Picnic, which provides home-cooked meals to help vulnerable people in Norwich, said CBOs failed to address the underlying issues of criminal behaviour and isolated the most vulnerable homeless people. "The majority of services and outlets where people come to get food or the basics are in the city," he said. "More often than not, the only crime those people have committed is the crime of being poor." Jacqui McCluskey, of Homeless Link, the national membership organisation for homelessness charities in England, said issuing CBOs to those most in need was "no answer" to the rising numbers of people sleeping rough or finding themselves homeless. She said the focus should instead be on providing the support needed to help people off the streets for good. "We would urge authorities to work in partnership with local homelessness services to identify those who are sleeping rough and ensure that effective support is in place, including long-term solutions such as personal support, assistance into employment and increased availability of low-cost housing," she said. "The priority needs to be tackling the root causes of homelessness, rather than punishing the most vulnerable in society." Sgt Mark Shepherd, public order tactical adviser for Norwich, said the orders allowed individuals access to the services they needed, and did not accept they led to further crime. He said: "Each one is for an individual person, at the same time identifying those services that can take them away from their offending lifestyle." A Home Office spokesperson said: "We are determined to help the most vulnerable in society. "We are clear that the anti-social behaviour powers should be used to tackle anti-social behaviour, not to target the most vulnerable in our communities. It is for local agencies to determine whether their use of their powers is appropriate. "We are working to tackle anti-social behaviour, while also supporting people to move on from a life on the streets."

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-39432041

Peter Taylor: How has terror changed in 50 years? The threat from terrorism is always evolving, but some things remain constant - the emotions of loss and the risks taken by those who want peace, writes Peter Taylor. When I first started working in television 50 years ago, I never imagined that I would spend much of the next half century reporting the phenomenon of terrorism. From those early days I have tried to understand the roots of violence and explain not what happens but why it happens. Gradually I got used to reporting death. But I never became insensitive to it. During Northern Ireland's Troubles, I got to know a loyalist assassin - Billy Giles - well and grew to like him. I first met him when making a documentary in the Maze Prison in 1989. I talked to Billy in his cell. He was doing life for the murder of his Catholic workmate. He had lured him into a car and then shot him in the back of the head. "The only way to stop them was to terrorise them. It was them and us," he said. But the act of pulling the trigger had a profound effect on Billy. "Before I was a decent young man. It [the conflict] turned me into a killer. It felt like someone had reached down and ripped my insides out. You hear a bang and it's too late. [I] never felt a whole person again." He was released the year before the Good Friday Agreement - which established peace in Northern Ireland - and I met him again. He was a man transformed from the gaunt, haunted figure I'd met in the Maze. He was now wearing a suit, collar and tie and carrying a briefcase. He looked every inch a businessman and not a loyalist killer. Billy was upbeat and optimistic as he told me about starting a new life. But his ambition proved illusory. I later heard that he'd hanged himself. I was shattered. I couldn't believe that he'd taken his own life. He left a suicide note. He said he'd ordered a Chinese takeaway, prepared the noose and sat down to write a letter. "I was a victim too, now hopefully I'll be the last. Please don't let any kid suffer the history I have. Please let our next generation live normal lives. Steer them towards a life that is Troubles free. I've decided to bring this to an end now. I'm tired." I remember reading Billy's suicide note, hoping that his final wish would come true. At least some of it has. The emotion that has never left me is the profound sadness I feel for some of those whom I have met, got to know and interviewed. One interview affected me personally above all others. The blanket protest by the IRA prisoners in the Maze started in 1977. They refused to wear prison uniform, insisting they were political prisoners and not criminals. The protesters resorted to wearing only a blanket to try and force the issue. To try and understand the situation from the other side of the cell doors, I met Desmond Irvine, the secretary of the Northern Ireland Prison Officers Association. As a unionist prison officer, what he said came as a surprise. He agreed to do an interview despite the Northern Ireland Office advising him against it. I felt he wanted to get his message across. I asked if he respected the prisoners for their protest. "I don't think they just do it mainly for publicity but because it's their belief. I suppose one could say a person who believes sincerely in what he is doing, and is prepared to suffer for it, [deserves] a certain measure of respect which you give to him." After transmission, he wrote me a letter saying how pleased he was with the positive reaction he had had to the interview. Then a few days later, the IRA shot him dead. Deeply shocked, I felt sick. At his funeral I cried. And I remember the prison governor telling me not to blame myself, saying he was murdered because he was a prison officer and not because I had interviewed him. But I'm still haunted by what happened. I was called by a Belfast journalist who asked how it felt to have blood on my hands. Death had come too close to home and I seriously considered stopping reporting Northern Ireland. In the end, I decided to carry on. The pain I felt was nothing compared with that suffered by loved ones long after victims are forgotten. Joan Wilson was one of the most unforgettable people I met. She lost her 20-year-old daughter, Marie, a nurse, in the IRA bomb attack on Enniskillen's Remembrance Day parade in November 1987. Eleven people died, all of them Protestants, and all civilians, apart from one police reservist. Over 60 were injured. Joan was at home when the bomb went off. "I thought, well, Gordon [her husband] and Marie are there. I hope nothing terrible has happened." Both were buried under 6ft of rubble. Gordon managed to reach Marie's hand. "Daddy, I love you very much," were the last words she uttered. Joan rushed to the hospital knowing little of what had happened. "I was absolutely horrified to see Marie on the bed, wired up. I took her hand, and it was cold. "As we stood there watching her life ebbing away, it ebbed away, and she passed over to our heavenly father in our presence." The attack did incalculable damage to the IRA and the beginning of the peace process can be traced from that day. At the time, British and Irish intelligence services believed that Martin McGuinness was the acting head of the IRA's Northern Command - in whose operational area the attack took place - although when I put it to him, he denied it. I interviewed Joan after McGuinness had become Ian Paisley's partner in the Stormont government's devolved power sharing executive - a sight you might think Joan would find hard to stomach. But that wasn't the case. "I'm very pleased to see Dr Paisley, whom I regard as a great man of God, sharing with Martin McGuinness, and I think each will be good for the other. I've spoken to many victims of the IRA's campaign and many, like Lord Tebbit, whose wife Margaret was paralysed in the Brighton bomb, would profoundly disagree. Tebbit is excoriating in his condemnation of Martin McGuinness and furious at the media hagiography that he believes followed McGuinness's death. Peace eventually came to Northern Ireland, but other conflicts have proved more intractable. Going through my archive of over 100 documentaries reminds me of how chillingly prophetic many interviewees have been. In Lebanon, 25 years ago, I talked to Col Bill Cowan, the US undercover soldier sent to identify the masterminds behind two devastating truck bomb attacks carried out by Islamist suicide bombers in Beirut in 1983. The first reduced the US Embassy to rubble, killing 63 people including most of the CIA station. Six months later, the second suicide bomber killed 241 US Marines at their base south of Beirut. Many perished in an avalanche of concrete and masonry. I later interviewed Cowan by one of the few walls left standing - it had been part of a bar and you could still see a Playboy bunny drawn on it. He warned: "Unless we find a way of working with Islamic fundamentalism, we are going to face much, much greater threats over the next decade." The threats went far beyond the next decade. In 1998, al-Qaeda suicide truck bombs shattered two of America's east African embassies, massacring more than 200 people, most of them Muslims. Then three years later, 9/11 claimed the lives of almost 3,000 - it was a dramatic wake-up call to the world that Cowan's dire warning had come true. In another interview shortly after 9/11, Dewey Claridge, the spy who helped set up the CIA's Counterterrorism Centre, described what he wanted to see happening to Osama Bin Laden. "I don't want him brought to trial. I don't want to see a dead body because that just makes him a martyr. I just want him to disappear. Concrete shoes dropped into the Indian Ocean takes care of the dead part of 'dead or alive'." Bin Laden's fate was exactly as Dewey Claridge's crystal ball had predicted. In Northern Ireland it was a military stalemate that persuaded the British and the IRA to talk. That stalemate, in which the SAS and its covert intelligence arm, known as the "Det" (for Detachment), left the IRA in no doubt that the "Brits" were not going to allow the IRA to win. Between 1983 and 1992 the SAS and the Det shot dead 35 IRA suspects. I remember doing an interview with one "Det" operator, a young woman, who described the celebrations back at base after the killing of IRA volunteer, William Price in 1984. To some of the team, the permanent removal of an IRA man from the battlefield was cause for a party. "They [the IRA] make no secret of the fact that they celebrate the death of a soldier or policeman," she told me. "We celebrated in the same way. If a terrorist was shot, there was a cake made with their name on it." Wasn't that macabre? "Possibly," she replied, "but the saying is live by the sword and die by the sword." I finally found a photo of the cake - in the shape of a cross, with icing round the edges and "RIP" etched above the place where Price was killed. Perhaps the most uplifting stories in the midst of seemingly endless atrocities are about those who have the courage to take great personal risks to work towards peace. I found that the Derry businessman, Brendan Duddy, displayed extraordinary generosity of spirit. For over 20 years, he was the vital secret back channel intermediary between the MI6 officer Michael Oatley (and later his MI5 successor) and the IRA's ruling Army Council, via Martin McGuinness. This top secret channel of communication cultivated for so long in the shadows ultimately led to the IRA ceasefire and the Good Friday Agreement. It took me many months to discover the identity of the mysterious intermediary and when I finally did, to my astonishment, his first words were: "I've been waiting to hear from you." A long night followed at Duddy's home, in the tiny parlour where many of the secret meetings were held. He told me his remarkable story. Extraordinarily, IRA leaders were being smuggled over the border and brought in from Belfast for negotiations with the British government via MI6 and MI5. It was 10 years after our first contact before Brendan finally agreed to an interview. The emotional stress he had suffered in his efforts to bring peace were apparent in his voice. He described being present at the seminal first meeting in his parlour between the MI6 officer, Michael Oatley, and Martin McGuinness in 1991. I asked why he had taken the risks he had. "When you ask questions like that I choke. I get emotional. I find it hard to answer. I had no choice." But can the principle of engaging with the enemy be applied to other conflicts? The former director of MI5, Eliza Manningham Buller, believes that it can. I interviewed her when the main threat came from al-Qaeda, in the wake of the 7/7 London bombings. The so-called Islamic State was yet to emerge. I asked if the "war on terror" was winnable. "Not in the military sense," she said. "There won't be a Waterloo or an El Alamein. The terminology about winning the 'war on terror' was not something that I ever subscribed to. It's always better to talk to the people who are attacking you than attacking them. I would hope that people are trying to reach out to the Taliban, to people on the edges of al-Qaeda to talk to them." So after 50 years what are the lessons to be learned about defeating terrorism? It has to be tackled on both the military and political front, with both security forces and their political masters being sensitive to the delicate balance between alienating communities and gaining their support. In the absence of the elusive military victory, governments also need to be ready to engage with the enemy as the British did with the IRA, the Spanish have tried with Eta and most recently the Colombians have achieved with the Farc. All these were possible because the enemy had a political agenda around which there could be dialogue. The problem with al-Qaeda and the so-called Islamic State is that their agenda embraces a thousand years not 50. And al-Qaeda and IS are infinitely more ruthless and indiscriminate than the IRA ever was. It is even difficult, as last week's attack in Westminster shows, to establish whether or not an attacker is genuinely one of their adherents or supporters. Although victory over IS may be declared in Mosul and Raqqa, the final victory lies not in crushing its armies on the battlefield but in defeating its ideology. Correction 3 April 2017: This report has been amended to clarify that Billy Giles was released in 1997, not under the Good Friday Agreement a year later. Peter Taylor's documentary, Fifty Years Behind the Headlines - Reflections on Terror, is on Saturday 1 April at 20:00 BST on BBC Radio Four. Catch up later on iPlayer.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-48607093

Boohoo credits floral prints for sales surge Surging demand for floral prints and soft tailored dresses have helped Boohoo post a huge jump in revenue for three months to the end of May. The fast fashion retailer, which also owns PrettyLittleThing and Nasty Gal, said strong block colours and ankle boots had also sold well. Group sales jumped 39% to £254.3m, although Boohoo's lofty profit margins dipped. It came as Zara-owner Inditex posted record sales of €5.9bn for the quarter. The growth contrasts with tough times seen at many other retailers - particularly those focused on the UK High Street. - Union claim Boohoo 'found wanting' - Web designer sues Boohoo boss for £118m - Boohoo advertised real fur as fake Just this week shares in Ted Baker dived 24% after it posted a profit warning. Meanwhile, the future of Philip Green's Arcadia, which owns Topshop and Dorothy Perkins, is hanging in the balance as it tries to secure a rescue deal to avoid going into administration. "Boohoo continues to defy the broader gloom on the High Street thanks to its appeal among younger shoppers with the tight marketing focus around celebs and social media paying off. "There are doubts though about whether it can maintain margins as well as this rapid sales growth, but for now it's the one of the brightest stars in an otherwise pretty dark sky," said analyst Neil Wilson from Markets.com. Founded in Manchester in 2006, Boohoo has become a hit with millennial shoppers by selling cut price, own-brand clothing that mirrors the latest celebrity trends. It does all its trade online, avoiding the challenges faced by bricks-and-mortar retailers such as high shop rents and business rates. However, it has faced questions about its production processes and its approach to workers' rights. On Wednesday shares in the firm opened lower amid concerns about its profit margins, but later rebounded. The company's shares are up more than 40% this year. It also said it was on course to post revenue growth of 25-30% for the full year. It came as Spain's Inditex, which as well as Zara also owns such brands as Bershka and Pull & Bear, reported a 10% jump in profits for the first quarter as online sales surged. The firm, which operates in 90 countries, said sales in the first six weeks of the second quarter were also up, as shoppers snapped up items like jewel-toned blazers and long-printed dresses from Zara's spring collections.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18391663

David Cameron's daughter Nancy left behind at pub David Cameron and his wife, Samantha, left their eight-year-old daughter, Nancy, in a pub after having Sunday drink, Downing Street has confirmed. She is reported to have spent a quarter of an hour at the Plough Inn at Cadsden, in Buckinghamshire, before Mrs Cameron returned to collect her. Number 10 said the couple had been "distraught" when they realised Nancy was not with them. It said the incident had happened "a couple of months ago". The Camerons were at the pub, near the prime minister's country residence, Chequers, with Nancy and their other children Arthur, six, and 22-month-old Florence, as well as two other families. After leaving, Mr Cameron went home in one car with his bodyguards and thought Nancy was with his wife and their other children in another car. Mrs Cameron had assumed her elder daughter was with her father. The mistake was discovered when they got home. When the prime minister's wife returned to collect Nancy she found her helping staff. Downing Street said no protection officers would face disciplinary action over the incident, adding that security arrangements were constantly under review. A spokesman said: "The prime minister and Samantha were distraught when they realised Nancy wasn't with them. "Thankfully when they phoned the pub she was there safe and well." Communities Secretary Eric Pickles, who is promoting a scheme to give English councils a financial incentive to deal with "troubled families", was asked on BBC Radio 5 live Breakfast if he drew parallels between them and parents who inadvertently left their children in a pub. "We're definitely not talking about that - mainly for my job security," he replied. Mr Pickles was also asked about the incident during a BBC News Channel interview, saying: "I'm very glad that Nancy was missing for only 15 minutes. It could happen to anybody. It must be any family's nightmare."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16488687

Turkish ex-president Kenan Evren faces coup charge A Turkish court has accepted indictments against the country's seventh president, Kenan Evren, for his role in the 1980 army coup. Prosecutors are seeking life terms for Gen Evren, 94, and another retired general, Tahsin Sahinkaya, 86, the only survivors among the five coup leaders. Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday the time for coups was over. Last Friday, the former head of Turkey's armed forces was remanded in custody over an alleged 2003 plot. Gen Ilker Basbug denies involvement in the so-called Ergenekon network which is alleged to have tried to overthrow Mr Erdogan's government. The indictment of the surviving leaders of the 12 September 1980 coup is seen as a result of changes to Turkey's 1982 constitution, under which the leaders of the army had been given effective immunity from prosecution. Gen Evren said in 2010 that he would rather commit suicide than go on trial, arguing that the army's action had saved Turkey from rising street violence involving left-wing and right-wing groups. After the coup, 600,000 people were detained, many were tortured and 50 executed by hanging, although hundreds more were told they would face the death penalty. It was the last and bloodiest of Turkey's military coups: the others took place in 1960 and 1971, although the military also forced out a coalition government in 1997. While the military's status in Turkey has declined since Mr Erdogan came to power in 2002, concern has been expressed about the Ergenekon investigation which has targeted journalists, lawyers and politicians as well as military figures. Opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu is being investigated after describing Silivri jail near Istanbul, where hundreds of suspects in the Ergenekon inquiry are being held, as a "concentration camp".

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-12030866

A US woman found bound and stabbed to death near Jerusalem worked for a UK-based Christian organisation that promotes Christianity among Jews. Israeli police are investigating whether the killing was political but have not ruled out a criminal motive. Kristine Luken's travelling companion, who survived the attack, told police the pair had been set upon by two Arab men while hiking near Jerusalem. No suspects have been detained, and no group has claimed responsibility. The survivor, Kaye Susan Wilson, told police that she and Ms Luken - initially identified by police as Christine Logan - were attacked on Saturday while walking in the Mata forest, near the town of Beit Shemesh. Ms Luken's body was found on Sunday. Ms Wilson, a British native and naturalised Israeli, said the two men accosted them and suddenly attacked them with what appeared to be a butter knife. "One of them took out a very long knife," Ms Wilson said. "I played dead. I saw [the knife] hadn't gone into my heart. My friend was dying, I heard her making gurgling sounds." Ms Wilson said she played dead and managed to flee the scene and reach the road, where people put her in contact with police. She was then taken to hospital in Jerusalem, where she was said to be in a stable condition. As she received treatment police and border officials mounted a large-scale hunt for her friend, fanning out through the forested areas around Beit Shemesh. Searches were also carried out near the Green Line that divides Israel from the West Bank, the Haaretz newspaper reported, as fears grew that the missing woman had been kidnapped. Speaking to Haaretz, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said: "She did not know who they were, or what the reason for the attack was. We are examining whether this is a nationalistic stabbing, but other leads are being examined as well." Initially, Israeli police described Ms Luken as a British citizen. Ms Luken was attached to CMJ UK, a British organisation that says it aims to persuade Jews to accept Jesus as the Messiah. In a statement, CMJ described Ms Luken as "a committed Christian with a deep love for the Jewish people" she had met. "It is a tragedy that such a lively, caring and faith filled person should have been struck down in such a way," the group wrote. "We are praying for her friends and family at this tragic time."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-mid-wales-26512354

Plans for a new artificial pitch costing £440,000 have been unveiled by a Welsh Premier League football club. The proposals for Newtown AFC's Latham Park ground come a few weeks after rivals Aberystwyth Town announced a £13m stadium expansion. Newtown, who are known as the Robins, will become the second Welsh Premier club after The New Saints to install an artificial surface. The new pitch is set to be laid in time for the start of next season. Aberystwyth also plans to lay an artificial pitch as part of proposals announced last month and the team could play its home games at Latham Park in Newtown while its own Park Avenue ground is transformed. Work to lay the new surface in Newtown will begin in the summer with £333,000 of the total funding coming from the Football Association of Wales (FAW), while Sport Wales will invest its maximum development grant of £50,000. Newtown chairman Elwyn Preece said: "It has been great for the club and a lot of hard work has gone into the project. It's been a long time coming and I am thrilled to be able to see this coming to Newtown." FAW president Trefor Lloyd-Hughes said the development would enhance the facilities at Latham Park. Newtown AFC's secretary Owen Durbridge added: "We want to extend the schools and community programme we have been running for the past year and will be inviting schools to come to use the facility during the day when they will also have the option to have coached sessions. "The new surface will suit our first team as well and the problems of the past few weeks, with its atrocious weather, will be a thing of the past for us." - 20 February 2014

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/crr7mlg0d2wt/italy

Almost 70% back measures to reduce the number of lawmakers by a third.Read more After almost seven months at home, it's finally back to school for millions of Italian children today. I grew up learning the three Rs, but today Italian children have to know the three Ms: Mascherina, Mani, Metro (mask, hands, metre). There was the usual mix of first-day excitement and nerves. Ten-year-old Gabriele posed joyfully for a photo with his classmates in masks. His mother, an A&E doctor, was impressed to see them greeting each other with elbow bumps – not the usual bear hugs. "The parents were far less disciplined," she remarked. My seven-year-old is relieved to return to proper lessons with teachers, instead of "full-time homework". But she is sad that coronavirus means "it's never going to be the same". She's worried about playtime - "what happens when it rains?" - and nervous about all the new rules. So are the parents. Which entrance will they use? What if you have two kids at the school? Borrowing in class is banned and everything has to be name-labelled. Each individual pencil?! Masks can only be removed once children are seated at their desks. At our school, washable masks aren't allowed: they must be surgical, changed daily, and for now provided by the parents. Disappointingly, our class sizes haven't been reduced or classrooms extended. Pigeon holes have simply been removed to make room to space out the desks. Despite our worries, my daughter is looking on the bright side: "At least nobody can nick my pencil sharpener."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-24355098

John McCririck, who has died aged 79, made a career as the loud, garish and eccentric face of Channel 4's racing coverage. Once described (by TV critic Nina Myskow) as having "all the charm of an armpit", he was a waiter, a bookmaker and a British Press Award-winning journalist before becoming a racing pundit for ITV. In 1984 Channel 4 took over TV racing coverage and he went on to become the colourful figurehead of Channel 4 Racing for 29 years. Known for his energetic dispatches from the racecourse, clad in tweed and gold jewellery and clutching giant Havana cigars, "Big Mac" was the punter's friend. The fast-talking, wildly gesticulating tipster was raised in Jersey by wealthy parents and educated at Harrow. Yet as he told The Guardian in 2001, he was only on television because he had "failed at everything else". He had been sacked by the Dorchester Hotel for spilling soup over a customer and was dismissed by Sporting Life in 1984. He was, he declared, "a failed punter, a failed bookmaker [and] a failed journalist". But he insisted that his on-screen character was "the real me". "You are as you are on the telly," he said. "Anyone who tries to put on an act on telly over the years wouldn't get away with it." Yet he also admitted playing a "pantomime villain" on such reality TV programmes as Celebrity Big Brother and Celebrity Wife Swap. "This is a different persona," he said. "You are putting on a performance, you are doing a pantomime act." Celebrity Wife Swap revealed his recumbent lifestyle at home in London with his wife Jenny - referred to by McCririck as "the booby". He told The Guardian in 2004 the term was a reference to a South American bird that is "stupid and pathetically easy to catch [and] squawks a lot". He appeared with Jenny on Celebrity Coach Trip in 2011. They became the only couple to be voted out unanimously - twice. Before that he lasted just 12 days in the Celebrity Big Brother house in 2005, before being evicted amid accusations of sexism and misogyny. McCririck denied he was "anti-women", saying he had never been asked to tone down his language on air. He was replaced in October 2012 on Channel 4 by a new presenting team, headed by Clare Balding. The following year he took legal action against Channel 4 and TV production company IMG Media Limited, claiming he was dropped because of his age. An employment tribunal subsequently ruled he lost his job because his persona was "unpalatable" to a wide audience. McCririck called the decision "a historic setback for all employees," saying it would allow "anonymous skirts and suits" to replace workers "whatever their unimpaired ability and merit". McCririck made occasional appearances towards the end of his life on such shows as Big Brother's Bit on the Side and Britain's Got More Talent.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/4669322.stm

Despatches from the House of Commons 1230 GMT, TUESDAY 31 JANUARY This should bring the Dunfermline by-election alive, one way or another. Ousted Lib Dem leader Charles Kennedy has only just returned from a short break, eager to get back into the swing of things. He's back, and on the campaign trail And what better than a bit of by-election campaigning on Thursday. His reception will be closely watched for signs voters think he is the best leader the party has not got. 1230 GMT, MONDAY 30 JANUARY They claim it is an innocent coincidence - but an official leaflet from the Lib Dem candidate in the forthcoming Dunfermline by-election, Willie Rennie has raised a few eyebrows. It claims the party can beat Labour's Catherine Stihler and declares "it's a straight choice", with the word straight underlined. A similar leaflet was distributed when Lib Dem Simon Hughes beat gay activist Peter Tatchell in Bermondsey in 1983, amid claims of homophobia. A spokesman for the Lib Dem campaign said the current leaflet was intended only to point out it was a clear race between their man and Labour, nothing else. 1200 GMT, THURSDAY 26 JANUARY Sad to say that MPs appear to be failing a new honesty test. As I reported a week ago, a London evening newspaper has placed an un-attended stand at one of the entrances to the Commons, offering copies of their journal to MPs. An "honesty box" is attached, asking honourable members to cough up the cover price. However, it has now been necessary to prominently display a sign pointing out that the paper costs 40p. 1530 GMT, WEDNESDAY 25 JANUARY Could it be that Lady Thatcher is about to officially take her place alongside the political giants Winston Churchill, Lloyd George and Clement Atlee. Few MPs witnessed it, but early the other day a half-sized cast of the former Tory prime minister was placed on the empty plinth in the members' lobby of the Commons - just outside the entrance to the chamber and where the other leaders' statues are sited. Is Lady Thatcher about to join other giants? After the piece was photographed by officials it was removed although I am told it was a very good likeness. The late Labour MP Tony Banks commissioned a statue of Lady Thatcher when he was chairman of the Commons works of art committee, and wanted it placed in the plinth, but it was "decapitated" by a political protester when on loan to London's Guildhall. 1030 GMT, TUESDAY 24 JANUARY Are we witnessing the opening shots in the first chocolate war? After David Cameron complained about WH Smiths offering cut price chocolate oranges instead of fruit at their checkouts, MPs have launched a fresh assault on the industry. Tory MP Daniel Kawczynski has tabled a Commons motion urging colleagues to boycott Cadbury's products because they are using French sugar. He has so far won the support of fellow Tories Mike Penning and Bob Spink for his motion which states: "This House notes that Cadbury's are trialling French sugar in their products; is disappointed with the company's failure to use solely English sugar and support English sugar producers; and urges hon. Members to boycott Cadbury's products until the company stops importing French sugar". Mind you, is he declaring war on Cadbury, the French or perhaps both? 1530 GMT, MONDAY 23 JANUARY Disgraced Lib Dem MP Mark Oaten is, at the time of writing, joint editor of the Commons in-house publication, the House magazine. And he was independent enough to allow himself to be pictured inside the latest edition under the heading "Bad Week" for the collapse of his leadership campaign "amid lack of MPs' support". This was, clearly, published before the weekend revelations... which gave the magazine's cover story an even more ironic twist. The headline declares: "Hot pursuit. When the Media Attacks." It was, needless to say, about education secretary Ruth Kelly's woes. But I'm sure Mr Oaten sympathises. 2330 GMT, THURSDAY 19 JANUARY Oh for heaven's sake, that was above and beyond the call of duty - I've just seen Tony Blair naked. I have also seen him on the toilet, in underpants and Afghan coat, and prancing about in front of a full-length mirror playing air guitar and doing Mick Jagger impersonations. The Channel 4 docudrama did not spare the PM's blushes It wasn't the real Tony Blair, needless to say, but an actor playing him with uncanny, if cartoonish accuracy in the Channel 4 docudrama (a word that immediately sets alarm bells ringing) Tony Blair, Rock Star. The film covered those brief, youthful years when the prime minister-to-be apparently had only one thought in his mind. Like so many other boys of his age, he wanted to be a rock star. Specifically, if the film is to be believed, he wanted to be Mick Jagger. The closest he got was at six gigs (that's what they call them you know) fronting the University band Ugly Rumours - as just about everybody and his dog knows. A star was not born. And a few weeks later the young Blair, already regarded as one of the best actors of his generation by his old schoolteachers, stepped onto the Labour party stage. I doubt very much that Tony Blair will have watched this film. Would you want to be reminded quite so graphically, and almost certainly unfairly, of the most embarrassing bits of your youth - in Blair's case all loon pants, frilly open-neck shirts, "hip" affectations and puppyish optimism? Me neither. And the makers were clearly not out to do the prime minister any favours, or spare him any embarrassment. Yet, by the current standard of toe-curling, almost-too-painful-to-watch comedy - think Extras or Curb Your Enthusiasm - it fell short. 1200 GMT, THURSDAY 19 JANUARY Ruth Kelly was always likely to have a roller coaster of a day. And it certainly started with conflicting omens. With only minutes to go before she made her career-defining statement in the Commons on sex offenders working as teachers she received a bouquet of flowers from a well-wisher. That might have put a spring in her step. But before she left for the Commons chamber, the driver of her ministerial car had a parking ticket slapped on his windscreen. 1200 GMT, WEDNESDAY 18 JANUARY Now here's a good test of just how honourable our honourable members of parliament are. A well known London evening newspaper has placed an un-attended stand at the entrance to the House of Commons offering MPs the chance to take a paper and leave the money in a box. And, in a blatant attempt to shame them into coughing up, it is boldly labelled the "Honest Box". Does anyone doubt their honesty? 1630 GMT, TUESDAY 17 JANUARY Tony Blair's Respect supremo Louise Casey - the one who once spoke of wanting to "deck" Downing Street policy advisers, amongst other things - was given a lesson in respect herself when she gave a live webcast from No 10. The event started more than 10 minutes late, which led one user, Nick to ask: "Does it not show some respect for your audience to appear on time". "Fair cop," confessed Ms Casey, claiming a Downing Street "power cut" had been responsible. Well, there wasn't a power cut in Downing Street as far as anyone can tell - perhaps someone tripped over a computer cable. 1200 GMT, TUESDAY 17 JANUARY The Liberal Democrats have been sent into a flat spin over the alleged attempts by new Tory leader David Cameron to move his tanks onto their lawn. They claim he is attempting to nick their policies, paint himself as a liberal and deny them their destiny. So would-be party leader Sir Menzies Campbell may have cause to regret his choice of leadership campaign headquarters. The building he has chosen near Westminster is shared by none other than the modernising Tory think tank, C Change, whose board of governors includes senior Conservative MPs Francis Maude (Chairman), Theresa May, David Willetts and Ed Vaizey - to name just a few. If I were Ming I think I might get my office swept for bugs. 1330 GMT, MONDAY 16 JANUARY Gordon Brown has cast himself as the man who is determined to celebrate Britishness. His plans for a day in which citizens across the land will be able to "embrace the Union flag" has met with plenty of support - and just a little cynicism. One backbencher sidled up to me to suggest a more, let's say political reason why the chancellor is so eager to wrap himself in the flag. "There's already an over abundance of Scots in the cabinet," he grumbled. "Gordon is very aware of that and is nervous that, now we've got devolution, the English might just rebel at the idea of having a Scottish prime minister - so he wants to show he is as British as the next man," I was asked to believe. 1015 GMT, THURSDAY 12 JANUARY One of the little perks MPs and their staff enjoy is the use of the underground car park in the palace of Westminster. And in the past this warm, dry facility has been used as storage space for politicians' vintage or collectable cars which, in a couple of cases, were left in the car park, under wraps, for years. But there is a mystery over the latest classic car which has turned up in the parking bays. A 1953 Rolls Royce has now been parked there for some days - and nobody knows who it belongs to. Worse, I am told it has no tax disc and it has been proving difficult to track down the owner. So, if one of the wealthier MPs has mislaid one of his runabouts, I suggest he looks in the underground car park. 1000 GMT, WEDNESDAY 11 JANUARY So the mystery remains - just how come Dewsbury MP Shahid Malik is so good at pool? To absolutely nobody's surprise, Shahid won the annual Annie's bar charity pool tournament - although, as it turned out, he was given more than a run for his money by previous champ, Cardiff West's Kevin Brennan. His victory came at the end of an evening that saw Glenrothes John MacDougall fall to Shahid in the semi final and Kevin beating minister Andy Burnham in his match (is that a wise move, Kevin?). All the expectation was that Shahid would then romp home, despite the fact that Kevin is undoubtedly one of the best pool players in Westminster Lost the plot But Shahid had one of those moments that hit all players at one time or another and appeared to lose the plot - certainly the pot - going two down in quick succession and leaving himself the formidable task of having to win all the remaining three frames if he was to end victorious. He managed it, but Kevin kept him on his toes throughout. By now the gossip going around the room was that Shahid was more than a talented amateur. At one point, for example, he told me the table they were playing on - provided by pool and snooker club operators Rileys - was of match quality. "And how do you know that?" I asked. "Oh, it's just obvious," he replied unconvincingly. To raise suspicions even further, Shahid was then invited to take on Eva Linn Fossheim, the 1998 nine ball European champion, who had refereed for the evening. And he beat her! And then the truth came out, thanks to the ever-entertaining MC, Ealing North's Stephen Pound. "I have been informed that Shahid Malik is a hustler who only stood as an MP so he could take part in the pool contest and get his hands on the Annie!" Well, it's a nice thought. But the truth is Shahid is just one of those infuriating people who happens to be extremely talented at pool after, as he admits himself, spending much of his youth practising. And he thoroughly deserved the trophy presented to him by sports minister Richard Caborn, an enthusiastic supporter of the contest which is turning into one of the great annual events in Westminster.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-28984448

Payroll worker jailed for £2.9m fraud at London company An administrator who admitted stealing £2.9m from a London recruitment firm has been jailed for four years. Dennis Harold, 60, from Dagenham, swindled Devonshire Appointments by inventing staff and paid wages into bank accounts in false company names. Harold, who worked there for 14 years, spent £1.2m on gambling, an "expensive divorce" and sending money to a bride or fiancee in Thailand, jurors heard. The fraud by the father-of-three was discovered last year after an audit. Harold, who pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to fraud by abuse of position, carried out the deception between 2007 and 2013.'Pure greed' The scam was discovered by a colleague Shamsur Rahman in 2008, the Old Bailey heard, but 38-year-old Rahman demanded a cut of the scam amounting to £1.1m, instead of reporting it to bosses. He continued to ask for money from Harold after being made redundant, prosecutor James Norman said. Rahman, of Enfield, north London, pleaded guilty to acquiring criminal property and has promised to pay back the money. The jury heard Harold was motivated by "pure greed". He put £300,000 towards a £600,000 house and bought a £54,000 car and jewellery for his wife. Police also found £120,000 in cash stuffed in a rucksack, a bag and a jacket pocket during a search of his home. He confessed to his bosses after initially trying to hide the fraud. Sentencing Harold and Rahman, Recorder Michael Wood, QC said: "This was an appalling breach of trust by both of you." To Harold the judge said: "You created false temporary staff to disguise payments to accounts controlled by you. "In excess of 20 accounts were created and nearly £3m was taken from the fraud. It went on for six years and I have no doubt it would have continued but for an audit carried out and the fraud discovered."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6392935.stm

Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson has said the Cumbria rail crash marked "a very sad day", and paid tribute to the actions of the driver and emergency services. Sir Richard praised the driver's actions Sir Richard cut short a family holiday to see the scene of the accident and visit the hospitals treating those injured when the London to Glasgow service derailed at Grayrigg, near Kendal. "It is a very sad day because of the loss of one life and the injuries caused to other people," he said. He said the actions of the emergency services, the RAF and the police in dealing with the crash had been "wonderful". And he hailed the driver of the train, Iain Black, who was badly injured in the crash, as a hero. Mr Black had come around a corner, Sir Richard said, to find the line defective before the train started to leave the line. "He's carried on sitting in his carriage for nearly half a mile, running the train on the stone - he could have tried to get back and protect himself but he didn't, and he's ended up quite badly injured. "He is a definitely a hero. In the sober light of day we will have to see if he can be recognised as such." Sir Richard said the strength of the Pendolino train had helped to limit the number of casualties. "The train itself was magnificent - it's built like a tank. Mr Black was hailed a hero by the Virgin Trains boss "I think if it had been any of the old trains the injuries and the mortalities would have been horrendous. "And each carriage is built like a motor racing car with rolling bars. Not one of the carriages has crumpled, hardly any of the windows have been broken." He told reporters he had been told that points were to blame for the accident, but he did not know how they had failed. "Everyone is going to have to learn from this incident and Network Rail are going to have to look at this track problem and make sure nothing like this ever happens again." 'Attention on points' John Armitt, chief executive of Network Rail, said there was a possibility that something had "gone wrong" under the company's watch. "At the moment the attention is on a set of points," he confirmed. "The points simply allow the train to move from one set of tracks to another. If there is a defect in the points it can cause the train to derail." He said there could be "various causes" for a points failure. "I have to live with the reality that it could be something that has gone wrong on our watch," he said. Mr Armitt, who will be stepping down from his position in July, said that where a set of points occurred before an accident site it "always makes those points very suspect". He added there had been general maintenance in the area earlier this month. And Thomas Edwards, lead inspector for the Rail Accident Investigation Branch, said it was "fortunate" there had not been a worse accident. "Though the train has arrived down the side of an embankment we are fortunate we have not had a worse accident than we have got here," he said. He said the board would ensure the inquiry into the accident was conducted properly and at the moment investigators were looking at the points. "We've been and inspected the train, the track and, in particular, we have been focussing our investigations on a set of points in a cutting," he said. "At the moment we are looking at that to see what it is we can learn from our investigation into those points."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19160113

Greggs sees profits dip on 'record rainfall' Greggs, the UK's largest bakery chain, has reported a drop in profits in the first half, blaming wet weather for a fall in like-for-like sales. Pre-tax profit for the six months to the end of June was £16.5m, down from the £17.3m posted a year earlier. Revenue was up almost 5% at £350m. The company warned of "challenging" trading for the rest of the year. Separately, Mr Kipling owner Premier Foods posted a 3.2% rise in underlying profits to £53.2m. Like-for-like sales at Greggs, which strip out the impact of store openings and closures, fell by 2.3%. The company was unable to capitalise on publicity surrounding the government's proposed "pasty tax", which was subsequently dropped. Greggs had lobbied hard against the move. "The market remained challenging and was particularly impacted by the record levels of rainfall in the second quarter," the company said. It added that tight cost controls had minimised the impact on profits.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21812559

Raila Odinga files Kenya election appeal Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga has filed a Supreme Court appeal against Uhuru Kenyatta's narrow victory in the presidential election's first round. Mr Kenyatta beat Mr Odinga comfortably by 50.07% to 43.28% on 4 March, avoiding a run-off by only 8,100 votes. But Mr Odinga has accused the electoral authorities of manipulating the result. Police fired tear gas to disperse about 100 supporters of his Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (Cord) who had gathered outside the Supreme Court. The police had warned them that they would not be allowed to do so. End Quote James Orengo Ally of Raila Odinga Expect a new election, and this time around no monkey-business” Some of the crowd were wearing t-shirts bearing slogans including "I support the petition" and "Democracy on trial". The presidential, legislative and municipal elections held 12 days ago were the first since the 2007 poll which set off ethnic and political violence in which more than 1,200 people were killed. Mr Kenyatta and his running mate, William Ruto, are facing trial on charges of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for allegedly fuelling the unrest. They deny the charges.'Strong case' Lawyers for Mr Odinga said their petition to the Supreme Court included allegations of vote manipulation, as well as problems with the registration of voters and an electronic vote counting mechanism. "I have no hesitation whatsoever in lawfully challenging the election outcome," Mr Odinga told reporters outside his offices in Nairobi. "These failures dwarf anything Kenyans have ever witnessed in any previous election," he added. However, the prime minister urged his supporters not to resort to violence. "We cannot begin what is supposed to be a new era under a new constitution in the same old ways," he added, referring to the charter adopted in 2010. The Minister of Lands, James Orengo, a senior Cord official, said the party had a constitutional right to file the petition and a "strong case". "Expect a new election, and this time around no monkey-business. I think we're going to win and win in the first round," he told KTN TV. "I can assure you that we have the evidence, and we have the will and the preparedness to prosecute the petition," he added. Mr Orengo nevertheless promised that Cord would respect the Supreme Court's ruling if it went against the party, and urged Mr Kenyatta and his supporters to declare that they would do likewise. In his acceptance speech last Saturday, Mr Kenyatta described the election as "free and fair" and a "triumph of democracy". The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has also insisted that the vote was credible and that it is ready for any legal scrutiny. International observers said the election was largely free, fair and credible, and that the electoral commission had conducted its business in an open and transparent manner. Mr Odinga was the runner-up to Mwai Kibaki in the 2007 presidential election, which he also said was stolen.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-berkshire-24511628

Body found near Reading railway station - 13 October 2013 - From the section Berkshire The body of a young man has been discovered in the centre of Reading, at a busy station car park. The 21-year-old, from the town, was found in Vastern Road behind the railway station on Saturday afternoon. Officers and paramedics were alerted shortly before 14:40 BST. Thames Valley Police is appealing for information. The death is currently being treated as unexplained but not suspicious, the force said. The man's next of kin have been informed.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/184215.stm

Thursday, October 1, 1998 Published at 09:10 GMT 10:10 UK Cancers blamed on land chemicals Farmers should "follow manufacturers' instructions to the letter" The chemicals used in farming may help explain the rise in certain cancers, according to a new study. Researchers looked at the health and occupational records in the west of Ireland and found a general rise in the incidence of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia - a pattern repeated elsewhere in the world. However, the rise in the rate of cancers was particularly marked in farmers and other workers on their land. This included not only non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, but also three types of leukemia. There is even some evidence of a rise in testicular cancer in agricultural workers. The researchers, writing in The British Medical Journal, say there appears to be a link between those who developed cancer and those who did not use the safest methods for applying farm chemicals. This link was established by asking 90 people with cancer and 54 people in a control study to complete a questionnaire on work practices. This showed that the farmers and land workers who got cancer were also the ones less likely to wear a mask and to use tractor-mounted techniques for chemical spraying. "This would lead to them being very exposed to particular chemicals or pesticides," said Dr Cecily Kelleher from the Clinical Sciences Institute in Galway, "but we did not find any specific pesticide or chemical was significant." "We would be reasonably conservative about the link, but we did find such an association." Dr Kelleher says the whole matter is of concern in Ireland because 14% of the population is employed in the agricultural sector. She wants better education about the health dangers that exist on farms. Health and safety "This doesn't just apply to what would be a rare incidence of cancer, it applies generally to hazards in the farm environment. "We know from other work that farmers have relatively low knowledge of chemical safety and there are other possible risks to their general health and well being. "So my bottom line would be to use protective masks and clothing and follow manufacturers' instructions to the letter." The study investigated cancer rates in the Irish counties of Galway, Mayo and Roscommon between 1980 and 1990.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-21786439

'No support' for 400 homes plan in Weddington - 14 March 2013 - From the section Coventry & Warwickshire The leader of Warwickshire County Council says there is "no support whatsoever" for further development in an area where 400 homes are proposed. Hallam Land Management is to consult with residents over plans for new homes in Weddington. County council leader Alan Farnell urged the area's planning authority, Nuneaton and Bedworth Council, to designate the land as green belt. The borough council said it had not yet received a planning application. "It is a pre-application consultation with the local community so we can't comment," a spokesman for the Labour-run borough council said. He said the council "was aware" of the proposal for Lower Farm, off Weddington Road, but would make a decision if and when a planning application was received. Hallam Land Management is also set to build about 320 homes on a separate site in Weddington. Campaign group Sword said 4,000 people had signed a petition against the original plans. It then fought to stop the development by having the site declared a village green. But this was turned down by the Conservative-run county council after being recommended for refusal following a public inquiry. Mr Farnell said the borough council needed to "immediately adopt a Core Strategy to prevent any future opportunistic development" in the borough. "Until the borough council has a plan in place, these opportunistic developers will be swirling all over the fields of Weddington looking to build houses on them," he said. "We are desperate now to get a borough plan in place so the residents know exactly where they stand." Hallam Land Management said the latest planning application was for up to 400 homes, including affordable homes, and a new primary school on land north of Weddington Road. A spokesman said it would be the subject of a public consultation exhibition at Weddington Church Hall between 14:00 and 19:00 GMT on 19 March. He said a planning application would be "submitted in due course" but would not comment further. The borough council has yet to respond to Mr Farnell's comments.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_7820000/newsid_7821800/7821837.stm

Gadget geeks are in America at the moment checking out the very latest trends at the Consumer Electronics show in Los Angeles. There are 3D TVs and even some sets that you can wear in your sunglasses. So that made us think - what's your coolest gadget? Have you got a top-of-the-range phone, a speedy laptop or a camera that's simply amazing? Or are all your gadgets second-hand - and, if so, are you bothered? Maybe there's something you're desperate to have? Unfortunately, this comments page is now closed, but there are other things to talk about on the chat page. "My latest gadget is a mobile phone. I lost my old phone and my sister brought me a new one as a Christmas present." Alisha, 11, London, England "My fave gadget is my pink flip-up phone." Holly, 10, Sheffield, England "I need my mobile phone. When I don't have it, I feel lost!" Holly, 13, Brighton, England "My top gadget is my iPod Touch and it was my favourite Christmas present." Melissa, 14, Swansea, Wales "Definitely my MP3 because I can live without my phone, but I can't live without music, it's just so important to me." Jess, 14, Swindon, England "I just got a Nintendo DS for Christmas; it is OK but I could have better games. I love the Wii though; I've been on it at my friend's house and I wish I'd got it!!!" Stephanie, 10, Liverpool, England "I love my new mobile. I couldn't live without it." Katy, 11, Lancashire, England "I have an iPhone and I LOVE it and I can't live without it." Dilan, 10, West Bromwich, England "If you need gadgets you need a life." Matt, 13, Leeds, England "My best gadget is my Wii. It's simply amazing!!! How people can say that the Xbox 360 is better than the Wii I don't know." Bethany, 10, West Sussex, England "I love my mobile and my DS!! I am a technology boffin!" Sophie, 11, East Sussex, England "My top gadget is the PlayStation 3." Selina, 10, West Sussex, England "My best gadget is my iPhone. It's so cool." Steph, 12, Dundee, Scotland "I don't know how I ever managed without my iPod! I take it everywhere with me!" Izzi, 12, Southend-on-Sea, England "My favourite gadget has to be a Pocket Surfer 2 because they're so slim, really fast and easy to use with its light up keyboard. The pocket surfer is a Bluetooth portable computer. Try them out. They're really good fun." Tristan, 10, London, England "Well I love the cinema and TV but love my computers and Nintendo stuff, like my Wii and Wii Fit. I'll probably cry if TV goes down because I love EastEnders! And I also love going to the cinema to see if I want to buy the DVD or just for fun." Freya, 12, Kent, England "My favourite gadget is my iMac I got for my birthday. It is great because it is really fast, has a massive 20 inch screen and has a webcam built in!" Adam, 12, Northamptonshire, England "My favourite gadget is the Nintendo Wii because it's fun for you and your family." Danielle, 13, Colchester, England "The Nintendo Wii is the best gadget around." Ella, 8, Dudley, England "My favourite gadget has to be my Nintendo DS. I bought with my own money so it means a lot more to me." Elv, 14, Northern Ireland "My favourite gadgets are a Wii and a computer. I really like them both as you can play on the Wii and find out stuff and play on a computer. Can TVs count? Because I like them too!" Ellie, 9, Surrey, England "Nintendo Wii. I got one for Christmas and it's great!!!" Holly, 12, Manchester, England "My best gadget has got to be the Apple iPod - the new one. I just cannot take my eyes off it, the green one mostly." Colin, 12, Liverpool, England "My favourite gadget is the Nintendo Wii and my favourite game for it is Sonic and Mario." Aaron, 12, Downpatrick, Northern Ireland "My favourite gadget is my Walkman Video MP3 Player that I got for Christmas. I've never stopped listening to it; it plays the radio, videos and music. You can also put pictures on it!" Harriet, 14, Staffordshire, England "My top gadgets are my iPod Touch, Nintendo Wii and the PlayStation 3." Gavin, 13, Edinburgh, Scotland "My favourite gadget is probably my mobile because you can contact your mates and have a chat." Emma, 12, Manchester, England "My favourite gadget was my Nintendo Wii but it is now broken. I can't live without it!!!" Melika, 9, Leeds, England "My phone or MP4, I could not live with out texting and music!" Daisy, 10, Leicester, England "I love my wooden home made toys, they are ace! The Noah's Ark is my favourite because it teaches me about the Bible and the elephants are my favourite animal." Naomi, 11, Gold Coast, Australia "My phone, iPod, DS, Wii, my TV, my camera; they're all really good! Thank you to my family for buying them for me!" Georgia, 10, Kent, England "My iPod Touch!!!! It's fab and it is like a portable computer!" Michaela, 11, Newcastle, England "My favourite gadget is my DS and my Wii." James, 11, Macclesfield, England "I have six top gadgets: my Nintendo Wii, my PlayStation 3, my Xbox 360, my iPhone, my iPod and my HD TV in my room with Sky!!!" Holly, 11, Blackpool, England "My best gadgets have got to be my phone because I can contact my friends on it and my iPod Nano. And the last one is my Wii because I think it is amazing!" Lewis, 9, Bangor, Northern Ireland "My top gadget is my Wii console. It's got great new games and extended stuff with most of the games." Bridget, 11, Staffordshire, England "My favourite gadget is my MP4 Player because it is amazing! It has 16GB so it can hold over 12,000 songs!!!" Tom, 10, Cardiff, Wales "My iPod Nano video - I LOVE it!" Ally, 13, Manchester, England "I just love my Nintendo Wii!" Mollie, 9, Bath, England "My coolest gadgets are the iPod Touch and the Nintendo DS. I love the DS because you can play people across the globe. And I love the iPod Touch because you can do so many cool things with it. It is the best iPod ever." David, 12, Glasgow, Scotland "The webcam is defiantly the unnoticed winner, imagine not ever seeing people's faces who are far away!" Katherine, 12, Wiltshire, England "My fave gadget is a DS Lite because you can connect with other people. I could not live without it. My life would be over if I did not have a DS." Megan, 8, Scarborough, England "My fave gadget is my phone; it is great, it is like a mini computer but it cost me lots. It cost over £300 but anyway my parents are rich enough to buy it for me." Vicky, 13, Ealing, England "I love my DS, but nothing beats the Wii!" Philippa, 12, Reading, England "My LG Rhino phone! It doesn't have to be too flash as long as it has good features!" Emily, 11, Bristol, England "I don't really have a great gadget; I wanted an iPod for Christmas but thanks to the credit crunch I didn't get one. If I had to pick though I'd say our family computer." Tom, 9, London, England "I have an iPod Touch! I love it to bits!!!" Olivia, 14, Devon, England "I love my GHDs sooooo much. Couldn't live without them!" Kathryn, 14, Lancaster, England "Mine would have to be my iPod Touch, I wouldn't be able to live without it!" Christian, 12, Watford, England "My PSP. Without it I would simply be B O R E D." Saya, 13, Glasgow, England "I love my iPod Touch. You can surf the net, listen to music, chat on MSN, play games - this is the must-have iPod. The best iPod ever!!" Vanessa, 13, Northern Ireland "I haven't got a Wii or DS or anything like that - I have a phone and a computer. I love my phone." Emily, 11, UK "Well, sort of everything! My computer, my phone, my Wii and my TV. I can't get enough of it. I would like a Wii Fit, but it's not in stock!" Agne, 10, London, England "My top gadget is the Wii. But I like other things too!" Gemma, 11, Scotland "I love my iPod and my Nintendo DS. I got them both for Christmas and I love chilling out and playing with them." Bethany, 13, London, England "My mobile phone - it is my life." Maya, 11, London, England "Well my iPhone - as I can fit so much into it. It's a phone, an iPod, a camera, I can download all aps, check news, surf the web, see what latest movies are out and a lot more!" Jordan, 14, Merseyside, England "My favourites would be my laptop, the Nintendo Wii and my DS Lite. I couldn't live without them!" Natasha, 10, Surrey, England "I don't think it counts as a gadget but it's so much more useful than, lets say, a Wii. It's my oyster card. In case you don't know what they are (because they're only for people who live in London) they're sort of like a bus or train ticket all in one. It is so much better than buying a ticket. So much better than a Wii." Becky, 13, London, England "My fave gadget is my laptop - because who can't live without internet?!" Mazzy, 12, Leicester, England "My laptop because I can go on the internet and MSN!!! My Wii and phone are fab too." Kim, 13, Lincolnshire, England "Wow! My top gadget is my PC!" Heather, 13, Manchester, England "If you asked my friend she would say her massive TV." Aoibh, 8, Ireland "It would have to be my laptop or MP3, NO question about it!" Ali, 12, Cardiff, Wales "My favourite gadget has to be my phone! If I'm not on my computer, I'm up in my room texting my friends!" Scarlet, 10, Brighton, England "I could not do without my laptop and iPod. I always have them with me." Demelza, 13, Kent, England "I cannot live without my mobile." Lauren, 9, Kent, England "I couldn't live without my laptop or my phone!" Niamh, 11, County Tyrone, Ireland "My mobile, because it holds all my favourite tracks and pictures!" Leila, 11, West Sussex, England "My Nintendo DS - I wouldn't survive without it!" Amy, 9, Essex, England "My laptop; I'd be constantly bored without it." Charlotte, 12, Sussex, England "I wouldn't be able to live without my mobile. It helps people get hold of me in case plans change." Grace, 12, Gravesend, England "My laptop has to be my fave gadget. If I had a phone that would be my top." Bethany, 10, Bolton, England "My iPod. I love it." Megan, 10, Armagh, Northern Ireland "My phone is probably my top gadget as it helps me to arrange things and also call people like my parents if I'm lost!" Charlotte, 12, Edinburgh, Scotland "I couldn't live a second without my Wii!" Rhys, 9, Leicestershire, England "I love my LAPTOP because I am always on msn and on the internet. I also love my phone because I got a mp3 player on it so while I am texting I can also listen to music. Also I like my sister's Xbox 360 because some of the games are amazing." Sophie, 12, Wiltshire, England "My best gadget is my mobile, my Wii and my Wii Fit." Emily, 10, Birmingham, England "My gadget would be my computer. When I get bored I just play games on it." Kaylee, 10, Abridge, England "My top gadget is the laptop!!! Without one I could not carry the internet around!" Adam, 9, Ealing, UK "I love my Mac book. It is so cool and you can make music on it and take it around everywhere with you." Nathan, 9, Newcastle, England "I have a Gameboy Advanced, not that many people have them anymore but I still think that they are really cool." Marcus, 9, London, England "We are twins and have heaps of gadgets: laptop, Nintendo DS Lite, Wii, iPhone, iPod Nano, 52in flat screen TV in our bedroom, a DVD player, a video player, a CD player, Xbox Elite, mp3 players which can hold over 4,000 songs, iPod shuffle, Gameboy Advance SP, digital cameras, video cameras and our PlayStation 2s. Those are just our favourites but we have tons more." Taylor and Jessie, 10, Neath, Wales "My Wii. I only just got at Christmas and am addicted to it. I don't know what I do if it got taken off me." Mary, 11, Nottingham, England "Mine is my iPod. I just love my music!" Lozzy, 10, Bridgwater, England "My iPod touch. I can't live without it." Tom, 12, Bedfordshire, England "My Nintendo Wii is great! I can do all my keep fit exercises on Wii Fit and Wii Sports and have a laugh with others at the same time!" AZ, 12, Reading, England "My radio is my favourite gadget." Sophie, 6 on Monday, Bradford, England "I couldn't live without my iPod touch and my phone. They go everywhere with me!!!!!!!!" Rachael, 12, Fauldhouse, Scotland "My computer. I couldn't do homework without it." Lily, 9, Essex, England "My iPod definitely. It is amazing!! I can't live without it!" Flora, 13, Stratford upon Avon, England "I wouldn't say favourite so I'm gonna list a few things, Wii, DS, PSP, Gameboy, phone, flat screen TV, camera, computer and they are all MINE!!" Jack, 10, Essex, England "My Wii - even though I only got it for Christmas I would be gutted if it was taken off me!!" Milly, 13, Manchester, England "My favourite gadget is the Wii because it's amazing how it picks up your movement." Fay, 8, Liverpool, Englandd "My favourite gadget is my Xbox 360. I think that it is the best console ever made. You can get really good accessories with it and people of all ages can play with it." Sam, 12, Newcastle, England "I could not live without my phone." Liv, 12, Halifax, England "My phone! I would be lost without it!! ;D" Catherine, 11, Kerry, Ireland "One of my best gadgets is my MP3 player it so much like an iPod but a lot cheaper. It can hold over 1000 songs and you can download you albums. It also has a radio on it! It's great!!" Stephanie, 12, Leeds, England "I have the iPod shuffle! :)" Amelia, 10, London, England "I think the iPhone and the iPod touch are my favourite gadgets because they're touch screen! :)" Helen, 10, Leeds, England "I adore my Nintendo Wii, it's great, and I don't know how I could live without it now!" Freya, 14, Buckinghamshire, England "My fave gadget is the Nintendo Wii. It is really fun, and is great for keeping you fit." Tabitha, 12, UK "HD TV is the best gadget for now." Keiran, 8, Scotland "My mobile definitely. It's got 5 mega pixels!!!!" Mona, 13, Coventry, England "I think there are lots of amazing gadgets out there but they're all so expensive I can't have one." Alexa-Grace, 13, Devon, England "My favourite gadget is my laptop." Princess, 11, Bristol, UK "My laptop!!! I love it. I got it for Christmas and it's sooo good!!! I use it all the time." Lindsey, 12, Newcastle, England "My best gadget is the Xbox 360." Afzol, 10, England "My top gadget is my iPod touch. I can use the internet on it and email all my friends. I can listen to music and watch films at the same time!" Sophie, 13, Birmingham, UK "I got a laptop for Christmas and I think it's brilliant!" Maisie, 10, Plymouth, England "My phone - it's got touch screen, internet, msn everything basically." Rhianne, 13, Morden, UK "Well I have a few top gadgets and they are: Nintendo DS Lite, laptop, TV, phone, Gameboy Advanced SP, DVD TV and a Nintendo Wii so I have quite a few gadgets and the one I use the most is my laptop." Katie, 12, Wales "My favourite gadget is DEFINITELY my new purple iPod chromatic that I got for Christmas. It's sooo cool!!!" Lara, 13, Ilkley, England "My best gadget has to be my GHD hair straighteners and also the iPhone I got for my birthday. It's AMAZING." Angel, 14, London, England "I love my Nintendo DS - it's the BEST!" Selina, 9, Birmingham, England "Mine is definitely my laptop and Nintendo Wii." Caitlin, 10, Motherwell, Scotland "My best gadget has got to be my Nintendo DS. I luv it!" Dayna, 11, Runcorn, England "My favourite gadget is my 007 limited edition mini digital camera." Samuel, 11, England "My remote controlled safe I got for Christmas!" Richard, 10, Kent, England "Mac book Pro. Best computer ever." Nadia, 10, London, England "My fave adget is the iPod touch/iPhone. I love it! It's AMAZIN!!!" Megan, 10, Llanrwst, Wales "My best gadgets are my PSP and PS3. I can connect PSP with PS3 and go on the internet." Asad, 12, Bradford, England "The Nintendo Wii - Mario Kart, and Wii Fit rock! =]" Paige, 13, Driffield, England "My best gadget is the iPod touch!" Merissa, 10, Surbiton, England "My favourite is the TV because it is full of entertainment." Sophie, 10, Cowerlsey, England "I believe my top gadget is either my phone, computer or mp3. This is because they're all really useful and important. My phone is good because I can be contacted by people in emergencies. On my computer I can go on the internet and play lots of games. My mp3 is good because if I feel sad or bored or if I'm travelling I can just listen to my music." Kate, 13, Wadebridge, England "My pink iPod! I don't know how I'd live without it! If I'm tired I listen to exciting music and it wakes me up. If I'm sad happy music, If I'm angry calming music etc." Alice, 14, Cambridge, England "My iPod Nano 3rd Generation. It might not have the most memory or best battery, but it is easy to use and it just looks cool." Sumboy, 13, Redditch, England "My top gadget has to me my Nintendo DS! The moment I turn it on, I can't come off it!" Tom, 14, Chesterfield, England "My favourite gadget is my iPod shuffle! It is brilliant because I can fit it in my back pocket and take it anywhere with me." Reuben, 14, Folkestone, England "I love my Wii and laptop! I am trying to be fit with my Wii Fit, and my laptop is good for everything really." Winter, 11, Warrington, UK "Laptops!! My sister any me have got our own ones and my sister's only four LOL!! and just to say do any of you really have an iPhone???" Rebecca, 9, London, England "My best gadget has got to be my phone." Lauren, 9, Hopeman, Scotland "My favourite gadget is DEFINITELY my PS3, I love it, even though I love Macs!" Joe, 13, Cardiff. Wales "My best gadget is my Chinese mobile. It is a touch screen and has a keypad, the keypad lights up." Georgia, 10, Coatbridge, Scotland "My best gadget is the iPhone." Jacob, 9, Birmingham, England "I'm absolutely in love with my Mac book. It's the most AMAZING thing ever and Macs are well better to use than Windows computers." David, 14, Penicuik, Scotland "My laptop! It's really helpful with schoolwork as my brother never lets me use the computer." Emily, 13, Sedgley, UK "I have a top of the range phone! I got it for Christmas!" Samantha, 11, Dundee, Scotland "My best gadget is my iPod touch, I love it." Olivia, 12, Worthing, England

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/africa/3416991.stm

Over the last decade the lives of footballers' wives have increasingly come under the media spotlight. From David Beckham's Victoria to Luis Figo's model wife Helene, the media seem to be obsessed about what the 'other half' gets up to. BBC Three's African Footballers' Wives looks at the lifestyles of three women whose husbands have made their living playing in the leagues of Europe. Loui Fish is married to Charlton defender Mark Fish, who has been at the London club since moving from another Premiership outfit, Bolton, in 2000. Mark is one of the most popular figures in South Africa, while his wife made her name as a lingerie model before coming to Britain. The programme also follows Lucien Mettomo's move from Manchester City to German league side Kaiserslautern. Unable to speak the language he and his wife Marcele are nervous about leaving their adopted city of Manchester. Abede Pele, from Ghana, is one of the most successful footballers ever to have come out of Africa and a European Cup winner with Marseille. His wife Maha has come to realise that despite his recent retirement, his status in the game means that football will always dominate their lives. And their son is planning to follow in his father's famous footsteps.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/cornwall/6638827.stm

A motion calling for a referendum on plans for a unitary authority in Cornwall has been rejected in a special meeting of county councillors. Four councillors were pressing for the public to vote on the matter. The council said it could not legally hold a referendum and was carrying out a full public consultation instead. Cornwall is among 16 authorities whose bids for unitary status have been shortlisted for further consideration by the Government. Under a unitary council, the authority would run everything, from social services to planning, rubbish collections to leisure facilities. The government said that, if successful and subject to the Parliamentary process, those who succeed in getting the unitary status were expected to be operational by April 2009. If approved, district councils in Cornwall would disappear. Five of six district councils facing abolition in the county are conducting their own opinion polls on the issue. The county council claims unitary status would give Cornwall a coherent voice and save money by reducing bureaucracy and duplication of services. The final decision is being taken by the Government in July.

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-24692392

McDonald's to stop serving Heinz ketchup - 27 October 2013 - From the section Business McDonald's has said it is to stop serving Heinz ketchup in its stores after 40 years. The world's biggest fast-food chain said it would drop the ketchup after Bernardo Hees, the former head of rival Burger King, took over as Heinz's chief executive. "We have decided to transition our business to other suppliers over time," McDonald's said. In February, Heinz was purchased in a $28bn (£17.3bn) takeover. McDonald's said that it would work with Heinz "to ensure a smooth and orderly transition of the McDonald's restaurant business", which has 34,000 restaurants around the world. Mr Hees took over after Heinz was bought by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway and Brazilian investment fund 3G Capital. Burger King is controlled by 3G Capital. McDonald's uses the ketchup at many stores around the world, though only in Pittsburgh and Minneapolis inside the US. "As a matter of policy, Heinz does not comment on relationships with customers," the ketchup-maker said.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-19639015

BMI regional unveils new Aberdeen to Bristol flights The airline bmi regional is to introduce direct flights from Aberdeen to Bristol. The new airline, with its operations base in Aberdeen, has announced two new routes this winter, while keeping all its existing routes. BMI regional was carved out of BMI at the larger airlines takeover by British Airways' owner, IAG. It said it will fly twice daily between Aberdeen and Bristol, and also between Manchester and Antwerp in Belgium. The airline has also announced it has taken on 20 more staff at East Midlands Airport with 20 more being recruited. It is renting new headquarters there, in preparation for a formal split from IAG on 28 October. It has taken on M&C Saatchi as its advertising agency to promote the company under the logo 'Streamlined for Business', and is now operating its own website for bookings. Ian Woodley, the airline's chairman, said: "We believe the introduction of these new routes alongside maintaining our existing services demonstrates a clear statement of our intent to develop the business, and the additional flights will offer customers greater choice and flexibility when travelling directly as well as providing additional onward connectivity." While bmi regional is losing staffed contract leasing which it carries out for the mainstream part of BMI when it ceases flying between Heathrow and both Edinburgh and Aberdeen, the smaller airline is not bidding for the slots being freed up by regulators for links between the London hub and the east Scottish airports. Virgin Atlantic has publicly stated that it wants to run those services, in competition with British Airways. Aer Lingus has confirmed it is bidding for six of the Heathrow slots, so that it can start operating between the London airport and Edinburgh. That would be the Irish airline's first internal British route, while it already flies three times a day between Dublin and Edinburgh. A spokesman for Aer Lingus confirmed the bid to BBC Scotland, saying: "We see it as an important part of our strategy, because one of the big issues in UK aviation is the lack of neutral feed." That refers to Air Lingus's lack of any link into long-haul services, unlike the global alliances to which most other large airlines belong. The spokesman said Aer Lingus is now the third biggest operator at Heathrow and argued it has the advantage over Virgin Atlantic of having short-haul experience. A decision on which airline wins the Heathrow landing slots is expected in mid-November for competition with BA to start from next March.

http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-35535269

Iranians speak out over sexual harassment scandal Allegations of sexual harassment at an Iranian TV station are emboldening Iranian women to break their silence and share their experiences of a problem traditionally not acknowledged inside the country. Sheena Shirani, a newsreader at Press TV, the state broadcaster's English language news channel, broke the taboo by speaking out about sexual harassment she says she endured from two of her managers over a prolonged period of time. Her allegations went public in spectacular fashion when she posted online a recording of a phone conversation in which a man believed to be her boss, Hamid Reza Emadi, repeatedly asks her for sexual favours. Following the incident Shirani quit her job and left the country and later published the audio file, which has been listened to more than 120,000 times on her Facebook page and an Iranian news site based outside the country. She also shared what appeared to be a screengrab from a text exchange in which Emadi asked her to take the audio down. Another screengrab has also surfaced which apparently shows a WhatsApp message containing a statement from Emadi, denying the allegations and saying the audio was fabricated. However, in an unprecedented step Press TV has announced that it has suspended two unnamed members of staff while allegations are investigated. One of them is widely thought to be Emadi and the other another member of staff whom Shirani has accused of sexually harassing her. In a statement issued via Iran's government news agency, Press TV said: "Although the audio file is not legally admissible and no complaint has been made, but since the case is of a serious matter the relevant officials are investigating the case to clarify the issue." The statement said that the audio file was made with the help of "people opposing the Iranian system with political motives" and it also said that the case is "suspicious" as Shirani - who it did not name - had not lodged a criminal complaint. "As a natural reaction, it was expected that the person pursue the case before making it public on the social media networks," it added. Shirani has responded that she had little choice as the superiors to whom she should have been able to complain were the people she had accused. "In a society like Iran if you happen to be weak and if you do not maintain strong ties to powerful people..then you are basically on your own," she told the Persian service of the Voice of America. "In addition to that, if you are a woman and a single mother, you are completely devoid of any value in this society." Shirani said the sexual harassment was part of a wider pattern of harassment she suffered at Press TV and was designed to undermine her. She complained she was constantly pulled up for a variety of petty offences including being a few minutes late for work and fined for not following the strict dress code required in governmental organisations. "I knew no-one viewed me as a professional. I was viewed sexually", she told one interviewer. Shirani's actions and her candid comments have prompted a debate about sexual harassment in the workplace, a topic that is rarely discussed in Iran and usually never mentioned on public platforms or the media. Social media has provided a forum for Iranians to express their admiration for what Shirani has done. "Her bravery deserves applause. All of us women need to learn from her and defend our rights as a human being," said one post on Facebook. Another person posted: "Saluting your bravery and dignity…your voice has revived the voice of other victims". Many women identified with Shirani and some shared their experiences. One wrote: "I believe her and understand her. I cried throughout the interview. There is no authority to go to and complain about those dirty looks, dirty words that hurt you, instead they punish you saying it is your fault to have become friendly, worn make-up, worn perfume or smiled." Another woman tweeted that she had suffered constant harassment while working at an Iranian government ministry. "I listened to Sheena's audio file. Her story sounded so familiar," she said. Yet another posted: "I am a woman and time and time again I have become uncomfortable with my male colleague's behaviour at my workplace. Let us be honest and stop thinking that the woman is always the problem." Another Twitter user user shared a story about a colleague who committed suicide following constant harassment at her workplace. The numbers of those sharing their disturbing experiences are not enormous. This is perhaps understandable, as the issue is directly linked to individual and family honour, a very well protected asset. Follow BBC Trending on Facebook Join the conversation on this and other stories here. Some responses to Shirani's case have blamed the conservative nature of Iranian society for a lack of respect towards women. "This closed society and the pressure from religious bias has led to such cases", said one on Facebook. Another said: "Families need to raise kids, especially their sons, to have modesty. Our girls are not safe even in the streets let alone at the workplace." In other incidents of sexual harassment in Iran, the victim, mainly women, are sometimes blamed for their "inappropriate behaviour" and have little legal protection from dismissal. Some of the social media reaction to Shirani's allegations have also laid the blame at her door. "I think the recording of [the conversation] and its publication is just a womanly cunningness for personal gains", said one woman who posted on Facebook. She added that she believed Shirani must have given her manager hints which encouraged him to proposition her. Another said "These [women] are among the generation who want to get close to the power center and wealth through any means…but they will eventually become the victims". But another Facebook comment responded: "It is shameful that many still consider the woman to be the culprit in such cases." Shirani had worked at Press TV since 2007. She is divorced with one son. Emadi, who is married, was already a controversial figure. In 2013 he was placed on the European Union's human rights sanctions after the channel broadcast an interview with imprisoned Newsweek journalist Maziar Bahari, which was ruled to have been conducted under duress. The case later resulted in Press TV losing its licence to broadcast in the UK. Next Story: Iranian youth get app to dodge morality police Iranians are downloading a new app that allows them to share details of where religious morality police have set up checkpoints. READ MORE

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-49408915

Sir Elton John has defended the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's use of a private jet. The singer said he provided them with his private plane for a visit to his home in Nice to "maintain a high level of much-needed protection". Questions have been asked about the royal couple's use of private jets and their environmental impact, especially after Prince Harry recently said on Instagram: "With nearly 7.7 billion people inhabiting this Earth, every choice, every footprint, every action makes a difference." View this post on Instagram As a continuation of our monthly social awareness approach to shine a light on the accounts that are working towards positive change, for the month of July we turn our attention to the environment. There is a ticking clock to protect our planet - with climate change, the deterioration of our natural resources, endangerment of sacred wildlife, the impact of plastics and microplastics, and fossil fuel emissions, we are jeopardizing this beautiful place we call home - for ourselves and for future generations. Let’s save it. Let’s do our part. Quote from The Duke of Sussex: “Environmental damage has been treated as a necessary by-product of economic growth. So deeply ingrained is this thinking that it has been considered part of the natural order that humankind’s development comes at the expense of our planet. Only now are we starting to notice and understand the damage that we’ve been causing. With nearly 7.7 billion people inhabiting this Earth, every choice, every footprint, every action makes a difference.” *********************************************************** Please visit the accounts we are following this month for more details on how you can make great change and help save our planet. We can only do this together, and every little bit helps. 🌏 All photos included are from the above accounts We've been trying to work out what the carbon emissions would be for the flights. Online emissions calculators do not factor in private jets, but companies do calculate emissions privately for clients. Prince Harry and Meghan's trip to Nice was reported to have been on a 12-seat Cessna Citation Sovereign, which has a fuel consumption of 205 gallons per hour. The flight time to Nice is about one hour 40 minutes, which would mean a fuel requirement of 342 gallons (1,556 litres). The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) says 2.52kg of carbon dioxide is emitted for every litre of aviation turbine fuel burned. The emissions weigh more than the original fuel because, during combustion, each carbon atom joins with two oxygen atoms from the air to create the CO2. For 1,556 litres, this means a total of 3.9 tonnes of carbon dioxide is emitted. For a return flight, it would be 7.8 tonnes. The couple also reportedly flew to Ibiza this month, on a nine-seater Cessna - with slightly lower fuel consumption, but an estimated flight time of two hours 10 minutes. Using the same calculation method, it works out at 4.3 tonnes of CO2, and 8.6 tonnes for the return flight. The total for the two flights would therefore be 16.4 tonnes, equivalent to more than three times the annual carbon footprint of the average Briton. However, BEIS recommends that to "capture the maximum climate impact" of flights, CO2 emissions figures should be multiplied by 1.9 to reflect the effect of non-CO2 emissions released by planes at high altitude, which, scientists say, increase the warming effect on the climate. There is though, some scientific uncertainty about how exactly to calculate this. Including that would give a figure of 31.2 tonnes from the two return flights - more than six times an average Briton's yearly emissions. Sir Elton said he paid to carbon offset their trip to his French home. Carbon offsetting allows passengers to pay extra to help compensate for the carbon emissions produced from their flights. The money is then invested in environmental projects - such as planting trees or installing solar panels - aimed at reducing the greenhouse gases in the air by the same amount. On some airlines, passengers can pay the additional charge when they buy their tickets, but independent offsetting companies also exist, which estimate how much carbon dioxide has been released into the atmosphere by a particular flight and give a price for offsetting it. Different calculators give different figures for emissions from the same journey. Some activists have criticised carbon offsetting as an excuse to continue polluting, arguing that it does little to change behaviour. Clearly, offsetting the CO2 from a private jet flight is considerably more expensive than a commercial plane because you are paying for the whole plane instead of just a few of the seats in it. To offset 31.2 tonnes of carbon with Carbon Footprint, the company Sir Elton says he used, would cost £234 for unspecified projects generating Certified Emissions Reductions, or £300 to plant enough trees in Kenya, or £407 to plant enough trees in the UK. We asked Buckingham Palace for a statement about the flights but it declined to comment. The BBC understands that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex practise carbon offsetting in their private travel. How do private jets compare? When carbon emissions are calculated for commercial flights, the emissions for the whole plane are split between the number of people on board to give a figure per passenger. For business and first class, there's more space per seat than in economy, so each person accounts for a larger amount of the plane's pollution. So how does the royal couple's private jet travel compare? If their planes were full (for example with members of the royal entourage), their emissions per person would be more than four times those per person for economy return flights to Nice and Ibiza, using the calculator provided by Carbon Footprint. Their emissions would be roughly three times the emissions per person on business class flights. If it was only the family of three in the plane, it would be a greater multiple. It's also worth noting that emissions for private jet travel in general may be even higher because - as Private Jet Club UK points out - private jets fly empty 40% of the time. They might be used for a one-way flight but then have to fly elsewhere to pick up other passengers, while commercial airlines will plan their routes more efficiently. Update 3 November 2021: The piece has been amended to change US gallons to UK gallons in the examples of the Cessna planes.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23635098

TB: Farmers face new cattle controls New measures to try to slow the spread of bovine TB in England have been announced by the government. TB testing and cattle movement controls will be stepped up this autumn on farms at the edge of TB hotspots. The areas include Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Berkshire, Hampshire and parts of Cheshire, Derbyshire, Warwickshire, Oxfordshire and East Sussex. A controversial badger cull is set to go ahead this year in two pilot areas. The new measures are for the so-called edge area, the boundary between the high-risk area for bovine TB (predominantly in the South West, West Midlands and parts of East Sussex) and the low risk area, in the North and East of England. - Bovine TB is an infectious disease that mainly affects cattle - It also infects other animals, including badgers - Cattle with bovine TB are most often identified through testing using the tuberculin skin test before they develop obvious signs of the disease - This is because the disease usually progresses slowly and it can take some time for clinical signs to appear - When TB breaks out in a herd, affected cows are destroyed, and movement restrictions are placed on a farm - The English and Welsh governments estimate they have spent £500m in the past decade on testing, compensation and research Under the stricter regime, farms in Cheshire and Derbyshire within a radius of 3km (almost two miles) of a new TB outbreak on a farm will have to immediately test herds for bovine TB and again after six months. Elsewhere, farmers will be required to supply two further clean tests after an outbreak before restrictions are lifted. They will also need to use the gamma interferon test for spotting TB infection, which is more sensitive than the standard tuberculin skin one. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said there will also be more monitoring of TB infection in badgers, through post-mortems on badgers killed on the road. Meanwhile, farmers wishing to vaccinate badgers on their land will be able to apply for money from a £250,000 fund to help cover half the costs of the first year of the project.New strategy Last month, the government announced a new long-term strategy for the control of bovine TB in England, pulling together various policies, involving the government, the farming industry, vets and scientists. It focuses on the idea of dividing the country into three areas - low-risk, high-risk and the edge between the two - and tackling each with different interventions. In the high-risk area, badger culling has been authorised at two pilot sites in west Somerset and in and around west Gloucestershire. Under the proposals, about 5,000 badgers will be culled by free shooting before the end of the year. Ministers say the action is needed to help tackle the cattle disease, which has been steadily rising since the 1980s. Campaigners against the cull say it will have no impact on bovine TB, and could lead to local populations of badgers being wiped out. Vaccination of badgers is already under way in Wales as an alternative to culling. A similar vaccine for cattle exists, but its use is prohibited by EU regulations. Scotland has been officially TB-free since 2009.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4263206.stm

An Iraqi judge has issued a warrant for the arrest of two British soldiers who were freed from custody by UK troops in Basra. The BBC News website looks at some of the incidents involving UK troops in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein. 19 September 2005: Three soldiers are injured - none seriously - as their armoured vehicles are attacked with firebombs and rockets by a violent crowd during a rescue operation to free two British soldiers arrested in Basra. Iraqi police claimed pair - reported to be undercover SAS officers - had opened fire on them after refusing to stop at a checkpoint. 11 September 2005: Major Matthew Bacon is killed in an attack in Basra when a roadside bomb strikes his armoured vehicle. 5 September 2005: Fusilier Donal Anthony Meade and Fusilier Stephen Robert Manning, are killed by a roadside bomb while travelling in a convoy about five miles east of Shaibah airbase, in Basra province. 21 August 2005: A soldier is wounded by a roadside bomb in the Tariq district of Basra. 6 August 2005: A roadside bomb injures a soldier in the Gzeiza area of Basra. 16 July 2005: Second Lieutenant Richard Shearer; Private Leon Spicer, and Private Phillip Hewett, from the 1st Battalion, Staffordshire Regiment die in a roadside bomb blast while on patrol in Amarah, north of Basra. 29 May 2005: Lance Corporal Alan Brackenbury of the King's Royal Hussars in A Squadron is killed in an explosion in Amarah, north of Basra, caused by a roadside bomb. 2 May 2005: Guardsman Anthony Wakefield from the 12th Mechanised Brigade dies a day after his armoured car patrol is hit by a roadside bomb in Amarah. 20 January 2005: A suspected suicide car bombing injures nine soldiers and several Iraqis at the Shaibah logistic base, south of Basra. 19 November 2004: Black Watch troops come under rocket attack at Camp Dogwood, 20 miles (32km) south of Baghdad. The regiment took over the base from US forces in October. 17 November 2004: A suicide car bomber detonates a device at a checkpoint manned by six Queen's Dragoon Guards at Camp Dogwood. 8 November 2004: Sniper Pte Pita Tukatukawaqa of the Black Watch, dies when a roadside bomb hits his Warrior armoured vehicle near Camp Dogwood. 8 November 2004: Two UK bomb disposal experts are injured after their vehicle is rammed near Camp Dogwood. 4 November 2004: Three Black Watch troops - Sgt Stuart Gray; Private Paul Lowe, and Private Scott McArdle are killed by a suicide bomber near Camp Dogwood. 31 October-3 November 2004: Black Watch troops come under mortar attack at Camp Dogwood. 28 September 2004: Cpl Marc Taylor, from the Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers, and Gunner David Lawrence, of the Royal Artillery, die after a military convoy is ambushed south west of Basra. 17 August 2004: Lance Corporal Paul Thomas of The Light Infantry is killed in an exchange of fire with insurgents in Basra. 12 August 2004: Black Watch Private Marc Ferns dies after an improvised bomb attack in Basra. 9 August 2004: Private Lee O'Callaghan, from the Princess of Wales' Royal Regiment, is killed during an attack by insurgents in Basra. 28 June 2004: Fusilier Gordon Campbell Gentle of the 1st Battalion Royal Highland Fusiliers dies and two other soldiers are injured in an improvised explosive device attack on a UK military convoy in Basra. 15 May 2004: Troops come under attack in fighting with militants loyal to Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr near Basra. 14 May 2004: Fierce fighting after two ambushes on patrols in Amarah on 14 May leave at least 20 Iraqis dead and two British soldiers hurt. 9 May 2004: Three soldiers are injured in a grenade attack in the southern Iraqi city of Basra. 8 May 2004: Hundreds of Iraqi militiamen loyal to radical Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr clash with troops in Basra. Two Iraqis are killed and three coalition soldiers injured in the violence. 1 May 2004: Six British soldiers are injured after a foot patrol comes under fire in Amarah. The attack sparks a seven-and-a-half hour gun battle with insurgents in the city centre. 22 April 2004: Five British soldiers are among the injured in bombings outside police stations in Basra. All are members of the 1st Battalion Royal Welch Fusiliers. 17 April 2004: Two British soldiers serving with the Princess of Wales Royal Regiment suffer gunshot injuries during fighting in the town of Al Almarah. 9 November 2003: Troops come under attack near a hospital in the centre of Basra. 31 October 2003: Ian Plank, a Royal Marines NCO, is killed by hostile fire during an operation. 13 October 2003: Four British soldiers receive minor injuries in two separate explosions in Basra. 8 October 2003: A suspected mortar hits the main British military headquarters in Basra. 27 August 2003: Fusilier Russell Beeston, a Territorial Army soldier in 52nd Lowland Regiment, is shot dead on patrol after being confronted by "angry Iraqis" in Ali al-Sharqi, about 200 kilometres (120 miles) north-west of Basra. 23 August 2003: Three soldiers from the Royal Military Police - Major Matthew Titchener, Co Sergeant Major Colin Wall and Corporal Dewi Pritchard - are killed in an ambush in central Basra. 14 August 2003: Captain David Jones, of Queen's Lancashire Regiment, is killed during a bomb attack on a military ambulance in Basra. 9 August 2003: Troops come under attack by protesters in Basra rioting over fuel and electricity shortages. 6 July 2003: A soldier is shot and wounded in a sniper attack on the outskirts of Basra. 24 June 2004: Six Royal Military Police soldiers are gunned down at a civilian police station in Al Majar al-Kabir, near Basra. They were Sergeant Simon Alexander Hamilton-Jewell, Corporal Russell Aston, Corporal Paul Graham Long, Corporal Simon Miller, Lance Corporal Benjamin John McGowan Hyde, and Lance Corporal Thomas Richard Keys. A further eight are wounded after coming under attack in a separate incident.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-22058777

Ed Miliband promises councils powers to ban payday lenders Labour leader Ed Miliband has promised to give councils more powers to ban payday lenders, pawnbrokers and bookmakers from town centres. Launching his party's local election campaign, he said it would "stand up for those without power" and criticised "extortionate" rates of interest. Mr Miliband accused ministers of "not standing up to powerful interests". The elections, involving 34 councils in England and one in Wales, will take place on 2 May. There will also be two mayoral polls.'Real power' Speaking in Ipswich, Mr Miliband reiterated his pledge to make Labour a "one-nation" party, improving living standards while reducing state borrowing. He said: "Everyone here today knows how important our high streets are to towns and cities across Britain. They're not just the places we go to shop. They're the heart of our local communities. But today our high streets are changing - and often not for the better. Ed Miliband went to a high street in Ipswich to launch Labour's local election campaign in England. He announced proposals for new planning rules to give councils greater powers to prevent payday lenders and pawn shops taking over town centres. He focused on a local issue for the local elections, but he'll also take his campaign to key targets for the next general election, places where Labour has never controlled the local authority, and towns where the party hopes to win council seats. At the local elections two years ago it was seen as a big victory when Labour won control of Gravesham council. It was exactly the kind of seat in the South where they were wiped off the electoral map at the last general election and where they need to make gains to show Labour's One Nation message is cutting through. "Take an example. One of the fastest growing businesses on the high street are the payday lenders, sometimes charging extortionate rates of interest. In hard times, it is no wonder people turn to them. But often they just engulf people in debts that they cannot pay. Interest rates of over 1000%." He added that many councils felt they did not "have the real power to stand up for local people", adding: "Currently if a bank branch closes down, there's nothing a council can do if a payday loan shop wants to move in and open up in the same place. Even if there's another lender next door. That can't be right." Mr Miliband pledged to create "powers so that local people can decide, through their councils, what shops can and can't open up. This will be different in local areas, local solutions to local problems. But it means that when they want, the people in our towns and cities can say: 'No. Enough is enough.'" The Labour leader said the policy pledge would be one of five key election messages. The others were: cancelling the cut to the 50% income tax rate for top earners; introducing a mansion tax on properties worth over £2m to fund a return of the 10p tax rate; reforming the energy market; and cracking down on rising train fares. Mr Miliband said Labour offered a "different vision" and described the coalition's changes to the benefits system as "cruel". He also criticised George Osborne over his recent remarks on the Mick Philpott case, in which the chancellor said it was right to question whether the state should "subsidise" those with similar lifestyles to the unemployed man found guilty last week of the manslaughter of six of his children. Mr Miliband accused Mr Osborne of wanting to "exploit the deaths of six children to try and make a political point", adding: "What I'm not going to do is engage in nasty, divisive politics." The government set up a £10m High Street Innovation Fund following a review by retail expert Mary Portas on how to re-energise England's high streets. The money has been awarded to 100 local authorities, although there have been concerns that the money has not yet been spent by councils. The government says it has also given local authorities new powers to offer business rate discounts and has simplified planning restrictions to allow new businesses to set up in town centres. Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg has also launched his party's campaign. Speaking in Cornwall, said a vote for the Lib Dems was "a vote for a party which - wherever we're in power - does its best to spread the burden of austerity fairly, investing in jobs and help for hard-pressed families". The Conservatives will launch their campaign next week.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8368057.stm

The saying Moss used is featured on pro-anorexia websites Model Kate Moss has been criticised by campaigners after saying she lives by a slogan which encourages people with anorexia not to eat. In an interview with fashion news website WWD, Moss said one of her mottoes was: "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels." Eating disorder charity Beat described the comments as "dangerous" and "very unhelpful" for sufferers. A spokeswoman for Moss said the comment had been "completely misrepresented". In the interview, Moss adds: "That's one of them. You try and remember, but it never works." The saying is widely used by anorexia and bulimia sufferers on websites. A spokeswoman for Beat said it was "a very unfortunate phrase" particularly as it was widely used on pro-anorexia websites. "She probably doesn't realise how dangerous such comments can be. It's difficult enough for young people who are struggling to beat eating disorders, without comments like this which are very unhelpful," she said. Katie Green, a former Ultimo underwear model who has launched a Say No To Size Zero campaign with Liberal Democrat MP Lembit Opik, said the comments were "irresponsible". She said: "I think Kate Moss should really have thought before she spoke like most of us do before giving interviews. Kate is a mother herself and how would parents with children suffering from eating disorders feel reading something like this? "We are trying to get the government to put something in place to stamp out size zero models and comments like this aren't doing anything to help that." A spokeswoman for Moss's model agency Storm said: "This was part of a longer answer Kate gave during a wider ranging interview which has unfortunately been taken out of context and completely misrepresented. "For the record, Kate does not support this as a lifestyle choice."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7046624.stm

Top executives of the Northern Rock have begun explaining their role in the near-collapse of the troubled bank. Adam Applegarth is expected to be given a tough time by MPs Appearing before MPs on the Treasury Select committee, the bank's chairman, Matt Ridley, said it had been hit by "wholly unexpected" events. He defended the bank's policy of borrowing large sums of money on the financial markets to lend as mortgages to house buyers. But Mr Ridley said he would resign if other directors asked him to do so. "The Northern Rock business model was a good one - [but] that proved unable to cope with an unexpected seizure of the money markets in August," he explained. The hearing comes a month after the global credit crunch first forced the mortgage lender to turn to the Bank of England for funding help. Chief executive Adam Applegarth is also among four Northern Rock directors giving evidence. The head of the Bank of England, Mervyn King, and the head of the Financial Services Authority (FSA) have already faced tough questions from MPs. Northern Rock's bid for emergency funding resulted in a run on the bank, with thousands of savers queuing to withdraw money totalling more than £2bn - or 8% of the amount of deposits it held. Analysts say that as a result of the images of panicking customers outside branches, the Northern Rock brand has been irredeemably damaged. The bank, whose market value has plunged by more than 60% since the start of the crisis, is now assessing options including a sale, a break-up and closing to new business. On Monday it said it was continuing talks with a number of "potentially interested" suitors, but that discussions were at a very early stage. Its statement came after a consortium led by Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group put forward plans to take control of the bank. FSA chief executive Hector Sants told the select committee previously that there were "lessons to be learned" from the regulation of Northern Rock. "In terms of the probability of this organisation getting into difficulty, we had it as a low probability," Mr Sants told the MPs. "When events transpired, that proved to be incorrect." And in a separate hearing, Bank of England governor Mervyn King has defended his handling of the Northern Rock crisis, saying that it would have been "irresponsible" to have intervened earlier to help the bank. The firm hit troubles because of its business model - which sees it raising most of the money which it provides for mortgages via the wholesale credit market - primarily by selling the debt on in the form of bonds. Following the widespread losses made by investors in loans to US homebuyers with poor credit history, the so-called sub-prime loans, banks and investors who have had their fingers burned have become wary of buying any mortgage debt, including Northern Rock's, cutting its access to credit. It has emerged over the past few weeks that Northern Rock has been forced to borrow about £10bn from the Bank of England to keep going. And the Treasury has agreed to protect all savings deposited at the bank - providing a further breathing space for the bank as it considers whether it can remain independent or should be taken over.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/7041321.stm

This is a critical time in the battle over healthier school meals. Jamie Oliver promoted healthier eating in schools Next week the School Food Trust will launch a new campaign to try to reverse the decline in school meal take-up. They are under strong pressure from government to do so. They badly need a breakthrough. Ever since Jamie Oliver brought the media spotlight to focus on the issue, embarrassing government into action over tougher food standards, school meals have got healthier but the number of children eating them has continued to fall. The latest evidence comes from school inspectors. In a detailed survey of 27 schools, Ofsted found that 19 of them had seen a fall in the number of pupils taking school dinners. This follows a much bigger survey by the School Food Trust, which found that take-up has fallen by one percentage point= in primary schools and five points at secondary level. So, despite all the progress, take-up is now down to around 42% of all pupils. Clearly, as a national conference on the issue this week heard, there is limited value in having healthy school meals if you cannot get the children to eat them. The need for healthier eating is as great as ever. According to one grass-roots campaigner, children are still turning up with scarily unhealthy packed lunches. She cited the case of a boy whose packed lunch consisted of the previous day's McDonald's burger and a can of Red Bull. He was four years old. So what has happened? Has the Jamie Oliver effect evaporated? Or, perversely, is it starting to be a millstone around the campaign's neck? This is not to criticise the celebrity chef's achievements. He badgered the government, the media and parents into paying attention. But it may be that his aggressive attack on unhealthy eating triggered an equally strong reaction. The Rotherham mothers who passed junk food through the school fence, and others who say its better to feed children chips and burgers than to let them go hungry, may be reacting to what they perceive as the 'food police'. There are others, those who have taken the healthy eating message on board, who now won't eat school meals at all but who have not found a healthy substitute. So why is it proving so hard to persuade children and parents of the nutritional value of healthy school meals? The Ofsted report contained some clear indications. It found that where uptake had increased it was because schools had consulted parents and pupils and offered more choice and a better eating environment. In other words, schools must make an effort to market their meals and have a whole-school strategy to encourage healthy eating. After all, there are still schools that allow ice-cream vans onto their premises at break-times. There are still head teachers who insist that pupils get though their lunches in 30 or 40 minutes. And there are still schools where meals are served on plastic plates or tin trays. A bit of imagination is needed. Jeanette Orrey, school meals policy adviser for the Soil Association, talks about one primary school which introduced a waiter and waitress service run by pupils, along with table-cloths and proper crockery in the canteen. And, as she explained, this innovation not only encouraged more children to take school meals, it also created a calmer atmosphere and less frenetic children. As for the pupils who were taking the orders and waiting on tables, they had a real opportunity to develop their numeracy, literacy, communication and organisational skills. Joe Harvey, Director of the Health Education Trust, believes some head teachers are part of the problem. As he puts it, "too many heads are cutting the lunch hour savagely for their own administrative convenience". The problem, of course, is that head teachers are under greater pressure from high-stakes targets to raise test and exam results than to improve the healthiness of their schools. Failure to produce the right Sats or GCSE results could cost a head teacher their job. So far, no head has been forced to resign because their school meals take-up has fallen. Not that it is fair to put all the blame on head teachers, who have many other initiatives to cope with. School meals campaigners also blame the government for failing to provide the funds needed to produce healthy meals. As they point out, the moment the price of dinners goes up, take-up falls. I know someone who runs a catering company offering meals to independent schools. Business has boomed since Jamie Oliver's intervention, as more schools want healthy meals. But he says he could not do it for the money that pupils pay in state schools. And Joe Harvey - who was a member of the government's school meals advisory panel - has another criticism of government. He claims ministers have failed to follow through on the need to teach children cookery skills. He says that although the government accepted the need for children to learn practical cookery skills, cookery lessons are still no more than an 'entitlement'. That means that while cookery sessions must at least be offered in after-school clubs, there is no obligation to require all pupils to take them. School meals campaigners seem a bit downcast at present. They know that another Jamie Oliver moment is unlikely to come along. The current focus on school meals will, sooner or later, give way to a different area of concern. That is why so many of them are frustrated that, although the meals are now healthier, not enough is being done to get more children to eat them or to get pupils to learn the lifelong skill of cooking for themselves. If you look closely at the new Public Service Agreements published by the Treasury alongside this week's Comprehensive Spending Review you will see that one of the top priorities is "improving the health and well being of children". Indeed, one of the benchmarks for judging this target is a higher take-up of school meals. The government has set the target - will it provide the means to make it possible? We welcome your comments: The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-29514920

Ebola outbreak: Nurse infected in Spain - 6 October 2014 - From the section Europe Spanish Health Minister Ana Mato has confirmed that a nurse who treated two victims of Ebola in Madrid has tested positive for the disease. The nurse is said to be the first person in the current outbreak known to have contracted Ebola outside Africa. The woman was part of the team that treated Spanish priests Manuel Garcia Viejo and Miguel Pajares, who both died of the virus, officials say. Some 3,400 people have died in the outbreak - mostly in West Africa. Meanwhile US President Barack Obama has said the White House is considering extra screening at US airports for people arriving from the worst-affected countries in West Africa. He said the chances for an Ebola outbreak in the US were extremely low, but vowed to step up the pressure on larger countries to help with efforts to contain the disease. It comes as the US tries to limit the spread from its first confirmed case, a Liberian in Dallas. The Spanish nurse is in a stable condition, Ms Mato said. She started to feel ill last week when she was on holiday. The nurse was admitted to hospital in Alcorcon, near Madrid, on Monday morning with a high fever, she said. "Both the health ministry and public health authorities are working together to give the best care to the patient and to guarantee the safety of all citizens," the minister told a news conference. Manuel Garcia Viejo, 69, died in the hospital Carlos III de Madrid on 25 September after catching Ebola in Sierra Leone. Miguel Pajares, 75, died in August after contracting the virus in Liberia. Ebola spreads through contact with the bodily fluids of someone who has the virus and the only way to stop an outbreak is to isolate those who are infected. There have been nearly 7,500 confirmed infections worldwide, with officials saying the figure is likely to be much higher in reality. Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia have been hardest hit. Thomas Duncan, the first person to be diagnosed with Ebola in the US, is being treated at a Dallas hospital in isolation. He caught the virus in his native Liberia. Mr Duncan's condition is critical but stable, doctors said on Monday. He has been given Brincidofovir, a new experimental drug for treating Ebola which was developed in North Carolina. Ebola virus disease (EVD) - Symptoms include high fever, bleeding and central nervous system damage - Spread by body fluids, such as blood and saliva - Fatality rate can reach 90% - but current outbreak has mortality rate of about 70% - Incubation period is two to 21 days - There is no proven vaccine or cure - Supportive care such as rehydrating patients who have diarrhoea and vomiting can help recovery - Fruit bats, a delicacy for some West Africans, are considered to be virus's natural host

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-18266118

Woman who lied about rape asks for 'bygones to be bygones' 30 May 2012 Last updated at 16:39 BST A Los Angeles teenager convicted of rape in 2002 has been cleared after his "victim" admitted lying. Brian Banks was sentenced to ten years in prison for raping Wanetta Gibson when he was 16 years-old. He entered a 'no contest plea' and served five years. Soon after he was released in 2007, Ms Gibson contacted him on facebook with the words "let bygones be bygones". She admitted he was innocent but was concerned she would have to pay back the $1.5m the school gave her in damages at the time. Mr Banks agreed to meet her and videotaped her with the help of the California Innocence Project. He gave BBC Radio 5 live Up All Night's Rhod Sharp his first international interview along with his lawyer Justin Brooks. To listen to other Radio 5 live interviews, please visit the Best Bits page.

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Gordon Brown has overhauled his government, but one thing is certain: several members will know each other on more than a professional basis. The Miliband brothers have led very similar lives The prime minister has put family matters at the heart of his policy agenda and, it seems, his new team. Most strikingly, Mr Brown has appointed the Miliband brothers - David and Ed - to key posts in his Cabinet. David, 41, is made foreign secretary, one of the four top jobs in government. Meanwhile Ed, 37 and only an MP since 2005, is given responsibility for the Cabinet Office, which co-ordinates policy between departments. The Milibands are the first brothers to sit in Cabinet since Austen and Neville Chamberlain (in fact, half-brothers) in the 1920s. Both went on to lead the Conservative Party, with Neville becoming prime minister. Like them, the Milibands' destinies have always been more closely linked than those of most brothers. Both studied at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, with Ed going on to work as a researcher for Mr Brown and David becoming Tony Blair's director of policy. The brothers - sons of the eminent Marxist theorist Ralph Miliband - also went on to become MPs at the same age: 35. However, Ed is three years younger than David was when he was promoted to environment secretary in 2006. The clannish connections in Mr Brown's government go further. Ed Balls, the prime minister's long-time economic adviser and right-hand man, gets his first Cabinet post, taking over responsibility for children, schools and - appropriately - families. Harriet Harman's political connections go back generations His wife Yvette Cooper - elected an MP in 1997, eight years before her husband - remains minister for housing and planning. Harriet Harman, who finally returns to Cabinet after a nine-year absence to become leader of the House of Commons, is even more deep-rooted. Recently elected Labour's deputy leader, she is married to Jack Dromey, the party's Treasurer. Ms Harman's aunt, the author Elizabeth Longford, was married to Labour Cabinet minister Lord Longford. But another family quirk lurks in Mr Brown's first government. Ms Harman's grandmother Katherine Chamberlain was a cousin of the Milibands' predecessors - Neville and Austen Chamberlain.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/front_page/7653539.stm

Mick Channon says he is making a good recovery after being injured in a car accident on the M1 in August. The ex-England footballer turned racehorse trainer suffered broken ribs, a broken arm and a punctured lung and needed an operation to wire his jaw. "I'm a bit shook up but I'm grand," Channon, 59, told BBC Sport. "I need the injuries to heal but mentally I'm sharp and I'm very well in myself." Bloodstock agent and friend Tim Corby was killed in the single-vehicle crash. Channon was not well enough to travel to Longchamp in Paris for Sunday's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, in which the Englishman had last year's runner-up Youmzain running, but he is confident he will be back at work before long. "I'm not too sure when I'll be out and about again but as soon as I can I'll be getting racing," he said. "I was hoping to go to the (Doncaster) Sales this week but I'll get divorced if I do that, so my wife tells me. We are very competitive in this game and we're all trying to beat each other but the good will that has been around for me and my family has been very touching "It's just time, I've just got to be sensible which is not easy, I can assure you." Channon was on his way home to Berkshire from a day at Doncaster Sales with Corby and his 15-year-old son, Jack, who was not seriously hurt and is now back at school. The incident took place on a stretch of the M1 motorway at junction 24, near Kegworth in Leicestershire. Leicestershire Police said the silver Mercedes all three were in - and which Corby was driving - left the motorway and hit a concrete pillar. This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.

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Mann was moved from a jail in Harare to Equatorial Guinea in February Prosecutors in Equatorial Guinea have called for British mercenary Simon Mann to serve 30 years in jail for his 2004 coup plot, as his trial got under way. They have also named Sir Mark Thatcher, son of former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, as a plot organiser. Mr Mann admitted his own involvement in March, although he said he was not the "main man" behind the plot. Sir Mark was fined in 2005 and received a suspended sentence in South Africa for unknowingly helping to finance it. Mr Mann, an ex-SAS officer, was arrested four years ago with 64 others in Zimbabwe. He served four years in prison there for trying to purchase weapons without a licence before being extradited to Equatorial Guinea earlier this year. Public prosecutor Jose Olo Obono has said the charges against Mr Mann merited the death penalty, but that waiving the death sentence had been a precondition of Mr Mann's extradition. The trial is being held at a conference centre in the capital, Malabo, and began amid heavy security. Mr Mann arrived at the courtroom wearing a grey prison outfit with blue stripes on the back, AFP news agency reported. Journalists were allowed into the courtroom but made to leave mobile phones, cameras and even pens and notepads outside. News reports said that a verdict was expected by Thursday. Eleven other men, including South African arms dealer Nick Du Toit who testified that he was recruited by Mr Mann, are already serving sentences in Equatorial Guinea in connection with the coup attempt. Du Toit also said he had been told they were trying to install an exiled opposition politician, Severo Moto, as president. Mr Moto has been sentenced to a long prison term in absentia for his role. Last week, Mr Olo Obono said Mr Mann would face three charges - crimes against the head of state, crimes against the government and crimes against the peace and independence of the state. President Teodoro Obiang Nguema told Channel 4 News: "We've reached a conclusion that Simon Mann was used as an instrument, but there were material and intellectual authors behind it that financed the operation." President Obiang has accused the Spanish government, a former British cabinet minister whom he refuses to name, oil tycoon Eli Calil and Mr Moto, who lives in Spain, of involvement. Both named men have strongly denied any links to the plot. Mr Mann's lawyer, Jose Pablo Nvo, said he was working for his client "first, to not have a death sentence, and then to stay the least time possible in prison". Mr Mann, a 55-year-old ex-Etonian who has been held in Malabo's notorious Black Beach prison since being extradited in February, told Channel 4 News a month later that he had been the "manager, not the architect" of the plot to overthrow Mr Obiang. Mr Mann went on to name those who were "part of the team", including Sir Mark Thatcher. Sir Mark was fined and received a suspended sentence in South Africa in 2005 for his involvement in the coup. He has always claimed he was an unwitting conspirator and that, as far as he knew, he was helping finance a new company - an air ambulance business in West Africa. Equatorial Guinea, an oil-rich former Spanish colony, has been ruled by President Obiang since he seized power from his uncle in 1979. His government has been accused of widespread human rights abuses and of ruthlessly suppressing political opposition. Transparency International has put the tiny nation in its top 10 corrupt states.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/welsh/8685351.stm

Rob Howley scoring the try that won the 2004 Heineken Cup for Wasps Rob Howley is the only Welshman in an all-time great Heineken Cup side chosen to mark 15 years of the competition. The ex-scrum-half, now Wales' attack coach, scored 12 tries in 38 Heineken games and won both the Challenge Cup (2003) and Heineken (2004) with Wasps. Players from five nations and six clubs were selected by a nine-man European Rugby Cup panel of former players, coaches and members of the media. Wales flanker Martyn Williams was given the ERC Fair Play Award. "It was widely felt that Williams is the embodiment of the player who upholds the values of the game of rugby in these European club competitions and in so doing is an inspirational role model as to how the game should be played," said an ERC statement. Toulouse's Guy Noves was unanimously hailed as the best European coach of the last 15 years. The ERC selection panel comprised Sir Ian McGeechan, Lawrence Dallaglio, Ieuan Evans, Fabien Galthie, Donal Lenihan, Michael Lynagh, Stuart Barnes, Stephen Jones and Jacques Verdier. ERC European Dream Team: Geordan Murphy (Leicester Tigers); Josh Lewsey (London Wasps), Brian O'Driscoll (Leinster), Yannick Jauzion (Toulouse), Vincent Clerc (Toulouse); Ronan O'Gara (Munster), Rob Howley (London Wasps); Christian Califano (Toulouse), William Servat (Toulouse), Sylvain Marconnet (Stade Français Paris), Martin Johnson (Leicester Tigers), Fabien Pelous (Toulouse), Rocky Elsom (Leinster), David Wallace (Munster), Anthony Foley (Munster).

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-18524394

Analysis: Welsh health boards facing financial challenge - 20 June 2012 - From the section Wales politics There are few fiercer political battlegrounds in Wales than health funding. Not surprising, given that it makes up more than 40% of all devolved spending, or more than £5bn a year. Warnings of a cash squeeze in the NHS have been growing for many years, with pressures on services and waiting list targets combined with a sprawling, inefficient estate of buildings and huge costs for locum doctors in rural areas. Major plans to reconfigure the way healthcare is delivered will be unveiled this summer by the seven Local Health Boards - but they'll take some years to come to fruition - and in the meantime, the financial situation, as has been pointed out by the Auditor General today, is becoming acute. Last year, on top of their allocations from the Welsh government at the start of the financial year, health boards received an additional £133m in October, designed to keep them afloat to the end of the financial year. Despite this, four out of the seven health boards needed an emergency last minute cash advance, amounting to £24m, to avoid breaching their legally-binding breakeven targets. The Welsh Government say this is merely "flexibility". But the Audit Office says it is unsustainable for boards to be starting one financial year already carrying deficits from the previous one, given the scale of the challenge they face. And what a challenge. Looking at the financial projections of the health boards, six out of the seven have put on record the financial gap they face between now and next April. The total is around £230m. That figure would be frightening enough - but it's actually worse than it appears - and here's why. Last year, the government kept back cash from the initial allocations to the LHBs and gave it to them as extra funding in October - the £133m allocation referred to earlier. They say that £103m of that was recurrent, that is, that the boards will get it again this year. 'Very serious difficulty' But they've confirmed that instead of being held back, it is already factored into the LHB budgets as of the start of this financial year. Most of the rest of the £133m is also already allocated in a special funding deal for Hywel Dda LHB. What does that mean? It means that the boards are already saying they think they are £230m short of what they need this year, even after taking into account the extra funding from the Welsh government. It also means there's going to be precious little in the Welsh government's reserves should the boards fail to make savings of nearly a quarter of a billion pounds between now and next April. If LHBs have made ends meet by muddling through and make do and mend over the last few years - this challenge is far beyond what could possibly be achieved by that. If the health minister sticks to her no bailout pledge this year then the boards are likely to find themselves in very serious difficulty indeed.

http://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-northern-ireland-40449249/abortion-welcome-for-free-abortions-in-england-for-ni-women

Abortion: Welcome for free abortions in England for NI women A woman who had to pay for an abortion in England, has welcomed news of free abortions for Northern Ireland women in England. Sarah Ewart made the journey in 2013 after doctors said her unborn child had no chance of survival outside the womb. It cost her £1,350 for her abortion, but when flights, accommodation and other travel costs were added, the whole procedure cost her £2,100. Read more of her story here. 29 Jun 2017 - From the section Northern Ireland

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Vieques islanders celebrate the Navy's departure People on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques are celebrating the departure of the US Navy which used the territory for war games for the past 60 years. The Navy handed over a bombing range on the eastern end of Vieques to the US Interior Department, which will turn the land into a wildlife refuge. A minute before the official midnight deadline, hundreds of protesters stormed into the bombing range, stealing Navy vehicles and smashing them up. Amid the partying - set to last until the weekend - some campaigners are calling for further protests to reclaim the land totally from the US federal authorities. To thunderous applause, Governor Sila Calderon said the Navy withdrawal marked "the beginning of a new era in peace and prosperity for Vieques. "It is a moment of great joy for we have achieved our dream," she added. Islanders had grown increasingly resentful of the Navy's use of Vieques - a frustration which erupted in 1999 when a civilian security guard was killed by a stray bomb. This is no victory. We still don't have the land Hours before Wednesday night's deadline, dozens of protesters entered the seaside range by boats saying they wanted to "send a message... that these lands belong to the people of Vieques". They ignored warnings that the range was dangerous and demonstrators shouted "Fuera la Marina!" "Out with the Navy!" Just before the deadline, several protesters broke down a fenced side-door at the entrance of the range, allowing hundreds to pour through waving the Vieques and Puerto Rican flags. Later, a number of Navy vehicles were taken and driven into the gate - the lights and windows smashed with sledgehammers. The Navy bought two-thirds of Vieques from local landowners in the 1940s and has used the range to train sailors for conflicts since 1947. Families living there at the time were forced to leave - sparking the beginning of a simmering resentment among the island's 8,000 residents. "New era of peace and prosperity" says Governor Sila Calderon Decades later the death of guard David Sanes brought tensions to a head. Protesters stormed the range and occupied it for a year before they were forcibly removed. The countdown to departure began in 2001 when the Bush administration pledged to end military activity on the island. After an extensive clean-up, the US Fish and Wildlife Service will turn the 6,000-hectare (15,000 acre) site into the biggest wildlife refuge in Puerto Rico. But not everyone is happy at this prospect. "These lands are ours," Ismael Guadalupe told the Associated Press. "We don't recognise the right of the Fish and Wildlife Service to administer the land," he said. The Navy long argued that Vieques played a vital role in training "What's to celebrate? This is no victory," said Severina Guadalupe, as she described to AP how her family was given 24 hours to leave when the Navy moved in. "We still don't have the land." The closure of the Vieques bombing range is also likely to have an economic impact. The Navy injected an estimated $300m a year into the Puerto Rican economy and its naval station in east Puerto Rico was one of the largest employers. This month, the Navy announced it was laying off or relocating nearly half its 6,300 employees, AP reported. Puerto Rico is a self-governing commonwealth in association with the United States.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/kent/6963714.stm

Two crews are attempting to break the world record for crossing the English Channel in a dragon boat. Prince William and Kate Middleton split up earlier this year The Brotherhood and Sisterhood teams are paddling from Dover to Calais across more than 20 miles of open sea in aid of charity. The current dragon boat crossing record stands at seven hours 45 minutes. Prince William's on-off girlfriend, Kate Middleton, had been due to join the all-female Sisterhood team but pulled out due to security concerns. Organisers said the concerns had related to media coverage of the event. Beauty v Brawn The 25-year-old had been persuaded to join the challenge by Sisterhood member Alicia Fox-Pitt, a school friend from Marlborough College, and had been due to be at the helm of the boat. The Beauty v Brawn cross-Channel challenge is raising money for the Babes in Arms charity, which sponsors research into abnormalities in newborn babies, and the children's hospice charity, Chase. The women are set to become the first all-female team to cross the Channel in a dragon boat. The teams hope to make it to France in four or five hours.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39807675

Sir Cliff Richard: BBC says legal spending 'grossly unreasonable' Sir Cliff Richard has spent "grossly unreasonable" amounts on lawyers after taking legal action over coverage of a police raid on his home, the BBC says. Its lawyers have told a preliminary High Court hearing that the singer has run up "disproportionate" legal costs of more than £500,000. He is suing the BBC and South Yorkshire Police over coverage of the 2014 raid. Lawyers for Sir Cliff previously said he had suffered "profound and long-lasting" damage from the incident. He was investigated over historical sexual assault allegations, which he denied, and the case was dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service in June last year because of insufficient evidence. He is seeking "very substantial" compensation because he says the coverage invaded his privacy. If Sir Cliff's claim succeeds, and he wins damages, the BBC could be ordered to cover all of his lawyers' bills. A spokesman for the singer said he had "incurred these costs and expenses over more than a two-year period, we say as a direct result of the actions of South Yorkshire Police and the BBC. "Ultimately it will be down to a judge to decide whether or not he should recover such costs and expenses in full or in part, or at all." 'Defend ourselves vigorously' Lawyers representing the BBC criticised the singer's legal costs as a judge analysed the latest stage of the dispute at a High Court hearing in London on Thursday. Sir Cliff was not at the preliminary hearing, which is due to end on Friday, before a planned trial. Details of the singer's claim emerged last year in paperwork lodged at the High Court. His lawyers said in October that he had suffered "profound and long-lasting" damage from the BBC's live coverage of the search at his apartment in Sunningdale, Berkshire, in August 2014 and from being publicly named as a suspected sex offender. They also say South Yorkshire Police contravened guidance on "relationships with the media". BBC editors have previously apologised for distress but have said they will "defend ourselves vigorously". Speaking in December, a BBC spokeswoman said the broadcaster had reported Sir Cliff's "full denial of the allegations at every stage". In June, South Yorkshire Police apologised "wholeheartedly for the additional anxiety caused" by the force's "initial handling of the media interest" in its investigation into the singer.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3209441.stm

Over 1,000 people gathered at Heathrow airport to watch Concorde roar into the night sky for its last commercial flight. The Concorde's afterburners tailed off into the night sky Its swansong journey to New York took around three and a half hours and it landed at 2244 BST, largely carrying avid enthusiasts of the plane. The £9,000-per ticket plane reached 1,350MPH and 60,000ft over the Atlantic Ocean shortly after it took off at 1920 BST. A trio of Concordes will land in quick succession at Heathrow airport at 1600 BST on Friday, 27 years after the first Concorde Thousands are expected to gather to watch the planes land and airport officials have ordered netting to be installed around the runway's perimeter to stop traffic grinding to a halt. One of the planes will carry competition winners, BA staff and celebrities from Edinburgh, while another will be a round trip over the Atlantic from Heathrow. Flight BA002, the return leg from New York, will be the final Concorde to land. The day would be one of "mixed emotions" said Lord Colin Marshall, chairman of BA, the only airline apart from Air France to fly the Concorde. Air France retired its planes at the end of May. "Everyone has enormous pride in all that she has achieved but there is inevitable sadness that we have to move on and say farewell," Mr Marshall said. "Concorde's magic has attracted millions of loyal fans who enjoy her unique blend of speed, grace and beauty. "The decision to retire Concorde was a tough one, but it is the right thing to do at the right time." Although it is not known yet exactly what will happen to the decommissioned planes, some will be given to museums.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3322963.stm

A senior US official has made clear it is likely to be some time before Saddam Hussein is put on trial. The Iraqi leader had been hiding out in squalid surroundings He said a decision on how the former Iraqi leader might be prosecuted had to be taken first, and a mountain of evidence sifted through. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has called for a fair and open trial for Saddam Hussein, and said that the UN remained opposed to the death penalty. The UN will meet later on Tuesday to discuss future plans for Iraq. Security Council members are to examine the accelerated timetable, drawn up by the US coalition and the US-appointed Iraqi Governing Council, on handing over power to a transitional government next June. Saddam Hussein is now being held for interrogation at an undisclosed location, but the International Committee of the Red Cross says it hopes the US military will allow a visit so that it can check on his conditions. The US says that Saddam Hussein is being treated according to the Geneva Convention, but has not yet confirmed that he is considered a prisoner of war. The Washington official, who refused to be named, has defended the decision to show pictures of Saddam Hussein undergoing a medical examination. He said it was allowed under the Geneva Conventions in order to maintain peace and security, and it was not just an attempt at humiliation. Mr Annan said that the former Iraqi leader's capture was "a positive development because Saddam Hussein has cast a rather long shadow over developments". "With his capture, that shadow has been removed," he added. Mr Annan said he believed that outside help might be necessary to ensure an effective legal process in any trial. When Mr Bush was asked what should happen to Saddam Hussein, he said: "There needs to be a public trial and I'm confident it will be done in a fair way." The deposed Iraqi leader will get the justice he denied to millions, Mr Bush told a news conference in Washington. Mr Bush did not say whether Saddam Hussein should eventually face execution. "This is a brutal dictator...But my personal views are not important in this matter...It's going to be up to the Iraqis to make those decisions." President Bush also said the work of US-led forces in Iraq remained difficult and would require further sacrifice, but Iraq was on the path to These words echoed those of UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, who warned that what he called "terrorists and Saddam's sympathisers" would continue their operations despite Saddam Hussein's capture. SADDAM: POSSIBLE CHARGES Campaign against the Kurds in the 1980s, including the use of poison gas at Halabja Suppression of Kurdish and Shia revolts after the first Gulf War Brutality against the Marsh Arabs Crimes committed during the wars against Iran and Kuwait Possible involvement in recent attacks on coalition forces and other targets in Iraq Underlining US and UK warnings, two car bombs exploded in Baghdad on Monday, killing at least eight people. Hours later, violence erupted in the flashpoint town of Falluja where pro-Saddam demonstrators stormed the regional government offices. At least one Iraqi gunman was killed, US military sources and local police say. A member of the IGC who met Saddam Hussein on Sunday following his arrest has said he seemed a demoralised man who swore profusely but showed absolutely no remorse. "I found a very broken man...His body language showed that he was very miserable," Muwaffaq al-Rubaiye said. The IGC has said the former leader should be tried inside Iraq by Iraqi judges "under the supervision of international experts". Mr Rubaiye said punishment could swift, after the IGC takes over the sovereignty of Iraq at the end of June next year. "We will get sovereignty on 30 June - I can tell you, he could be executed on 1 July," he said. Mr Rubaiye, a human rights activist imprisoned under Saddam Hussein, said that a special tribunal was almost ready to start considering war crimes and abuses. "We're almost there. I can tell you, he's going to be the first," he said.