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http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-30464272	'Hundreds' more UK troops to be sent to Iraq - Michael Fallon Hundreds of British troops will be sent to Iraq in the New Year, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has said. The deployment - to help train local forces - will be in the "very low hundreds" but could also include a small protection force of combat-ready soldiers, he said. About 50 UK troops are already training Iraqi and Kurdish forces fighting Islamic State militants in Iraq. The Ministry of Defence said the move had not yet been formally approved. An MoD spokesman said: "No decisions on troop numbers, units or locations have yet been made". However, speaking to the Telegraph, Mr Fallon said the fresh troop deployment would be made in January and would be to four training centres that US forces are establishing. It comes after 12 UK trainers were deployed to Iraq in October to work with Kurdish forces in the northern city of Irbil. Mr Fallon also announced plans to boost the UK numbers further last month. RAF aircraft have been flying missions over Iraq and carrying out air strikes against IS targets since Parliament approved military action on 26 September. British aircraft had flown a "huge number" of missions "second only to the United States, five times as many as France", Mr Fallon told the newspaper. "Our role now, apart from the air strikes, is increasingly going to be on training," he said. "In particular, it will mean dealing with car and truck bombs and roadside devices, as well as basic infantry skills. "We have not finalised numbers yet - obviously we have got a lot of kit back from Afghanistan that we can make available - but we are talking very low hundreds." British troops would be able to pass on the "lessons we have learnt from Afghanistan", Mr Fallon added. He said IS fighters were increasingly now "tucked away in towns and villages" as a result of air strikes. "That means they have got to be rooted out by ground troops. This has to be done by an own-grown army, not by western groups." He stressed that the US training centres - one based in Kurdistan and three near the Iraqi capital Baghdad - were "not where the fighting is". "They are in safe areas but obviously there's always a small element of force protection." The soldiers "will not be expected to fight a war but will be there to defend the British personnel if necessary", he added. Shadow defence secretary Vernon Coaker said Labour supported the steps taken to assist Iraq's government in responding to IS. "It is right that the UK's armed forces continue to provide training and equipment in support of this effort," he added. "The government should provide clarity about the scale, scope and timeframe of the deployment of these further trainers. "The defence secretary should clearly outline the numbers of military trainers involved and the work that they will be doing, so that there can be no misunderstanding about the role of British troops in Iraq." Large swathes of Syria and Iraq are currently under the control of IS extremists. Pressure to provide more support to new Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi to reclaim territory in the north and west has been growing. The US has agreed to send around 500 soldiers to Iraq and elsewhere in the region, with the aim of retraining the Iraqi army. BBC political correspondent Alan Soady said the UK deployment of a combat-ready protection force could prompt opposition from some people. "Does it, will be the question, break David Cameron's pledge that there would be no British boots on the ground?" he said. British forces were pulled out of Iraq in 2011, eight years after the mission that brought down Saddam Hussein.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4763494.stm	Ex-Iranian President Mohammad Khatami has called the Holocaust a historical reality, clashing with controversial comments by the current president. Khatami says Iranians live side-by-side with Jews President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad brought international criticism when he called the Holocaust a "myth" last year. Mr Khatami said the Holocaust was a "massacre of innocent people, among them many Jews", Iran media reported. Mr Khatami did not mention the current leader by name, but correspondents say his target was clear. The former reformist president said the Holocaust was a reality "even if this has been misused and there is enormous pressure on the Palestinian people". He added: "We should speak out if even a single Jew is killed. Don't forget that one of the crimes of Hitler, Nazism and German National Socialism was the massacre of innocent people, among them many Jews." Ahmadinejad has taken an ultra-conservative line with the West Mr Ahmadinejad had said the Holocaust was a "myth" used for the creation of Israel, which should be "wiped off the map". He said territory should be provided in Germany or Austria to establish Israel "if European countries claim that they have killed Jews in World War II". The BBC's Sadeq Saba in Tehran says Mr Khatami's comments were clearly directed at President Ahmadinejad. Mr Khatami tried to maintain a "dialogue between civilisations" during his leadership from 1997 to 2005. He said on Wednesday: "The persecution of Jews, just like Nazism, is a Western phenomenon. In the East, we have always lived side by side with them. And we follow a religion that states that the death of an innocent person is the death of all of humanity." Mr Ahmadinejad has taken an ultra-conservative line with the West. He was criticised on the Holocaust issue two weeks ago by the chairman of Iran's Jewish Council, who said the president's remarks had shocked the international community and caused fear among Iran's 30,000-strong Jewish community.
https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-17285922	Sundance London film festival line-up announced Julie Delpy's latest movie 2 Days in New York and the award-winning drugs documentary The House I Live In will be shown at the inaugural Sundance London film festival in April. The Queen of Versailles, Liberal Arts and Filly Brown also feature on the list of 14 films at the four-day event. It is a smaller version of the annual US film festival of the same name. Sundance founder Robert Redford said the selected films "speak to universal experiences and global challenges." The Oscar-winning actor and director added: "I welcome the opportunity to see how people in the UK experience these films." Delpy's 2 Days in New York is a follow-up to her 2006 hit film 2 Days in Paris, and stars Delpy - who also directs - and comic actor Chris Rock. Several of the movies selected to be screened in London won prizes at the Utah film festival in January. The House I Live In - a critique of America's war on drugs - won the grand jury documentary prize and Lauren Greenfield scooped the best directing award for The Queen of Versailles - which tells the story of a billionaire couple who live in a 90,000-square-foot mansion inspired by the famous French palace. The special jury producing award went to Nobody Walks, and the Waldo Salt screenwriting prize went to Derek Connolly for Safety Not Guaranteed. Chasing Ice - which follows a National Geographic photographer across three continents as he attempts to gather visual evidence of the Earth's melting ice - scooped the best cinematography gong. So Yong Kim's drama For Ellen has been added to the line-up, along with documentaries Finding North - a study of hunger in America - and Under African Skies, which follows musician Paul Simon back to South Africa for the 25th anniversary of his Graceland album. The line-up is completed by LUV, Nobody Walks, An Oversimplification of Her Beauty, Safety Not Guaranteed and Shut Up And Play The Hits - which chronicles the 48 hours build-up to the final concert by New York's LCD Soundsystem. A series of music events to compliment the selected films also includes Bristol musicians Tricky and Martina Topley Bird performing the Mercury-nominated Maxinquaye album
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-30542822/coventry-despicable-distraction-theft-caught-on-cctv	Coventry 'despicable' distraction theft caught on CCTV Two distraction thieves who stole Christmas money from an elderly couple have been caught on CCTV. The footage shows one man talking to the couple, while another takes a bag from the boot of their car, empties it, and puts it back. The thieves had followed the couple to a cash machine in Coventry, where they withdrew £700 earmarked for Christmas shopping. Det Sgt Dave Faries from West Midlands Police said: "This was a well-planned theft in which the suspects coldly and deliberately targeted the elderly couple." He asked anyone who had seen the "despicable" incident, which happened on 25 November, to contact the police. 18 Dec 2014
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-43279177	Theresa May: Young are 'right to be angry' about lack of homes Young people without family wealth are "right to be angry" at not being able to buy a home, Theresa May has said. Announcing reforms to planning rules in England, the PM said home ownership was largely unaffordable to those not backed by "the bank of mum and dad". This disparity was entrenching social inequality and "exacerbating divisions between generations", she said. Labour said Mrs May, who has housing as a key priority, should be embarrassed by the "feeble" measures proposed. - Should baby boomers' wealth be more heavily taxed? - Your biggest financial decision - in charts - Where can I afford to live? - Does England need 300,000 new homes a year? "This housing crisis is made in Downing Street," said shadow housing minister John Healey. "It's time the Tories changed course, and backed Labour's long-term plan to build the genuinely affordable homes." In her speech to the National Planning Conference. Mrs May said the existing National Planning Policy Framework will be overhauled, pending a consultation, with up to 80 proposals first put forward last year being implemented. The key measures are: - 10% of homes on major sites should be available for affordable home ownership - Builders to be more open about affordable housing commitments at planning stage - Councils will have to adopt a new nationwide standard showing housing need in their areas - Infrastructure needs to be considered at pre-planning stage - Councils to consider revoking planning permission after two years if building has not started - Ancient Woodland and aged trees to get specific protection A separate review, due to be concluded later this year, will look at creating a new automatic right for homeowners to extend upwards and to make it easier to develop agricultural land for housing. Mrs May said the cost of housing, both for ownership and rent, was reinforcing economic divisions and leading to growing social immobility, with public sector workers unable to take jobs in certain parts of the country. "The result is a vicious circle from which most people can only escape with help from the bank of mum and dad," she said. "Talking to voters during last year's election campaign, it was clear that many people, particularly younger people, are angry about this. "Angry that, regardless of how hard they work, they won't be able to buy a place of their own. Angry when they're forced to hand more and more of their wages to a landlord to whom their home is simply a business asset. "They're right to be angry." Although the number of planning permissions being granted in England has risen since 2010, the PM said this has not been matched by a corresponding rise in the number of homes being built. She pointed the finger of blame partly at developers who she said have a "perverse" financial incentive to hoard land once it had been approved for development rather than actually build on it. She criticised bonuses for construction bosses which are "based not on the number of homes they build but on their profits or share price". "In a market where lower supply equals higher prices, that creates a perverse incentive, one that does not encourage them to build the homes we need," she said. Analysis - by BBC political correspondent Jonathan Blake Housing is a big issue and the government clearly knows it. Theresa May admitted that the election campaign had showed her "many people, particularly younger people, are angry about this." So who's fault is it that rents are unaffordable, that accommodation is poor, that home ownership for many is completely out of reach? The prime minister pointed the finger at developers who "game the system". Her housing secretary blamed councils for "nimbyist attitudes". But both said, too, that there was no "silver bullet". When voters get angry though, they will look for someone to blame. Which is why the government is at pains to show it is taking the housing problem seriously. It may take more than a reminder of promises already made and an overhaul of planning guidelines to convince people of that. So expect to see Theresa May in a high visibility vest again before long. There was an outcry last year after Persimmon announced that 140 staff would share a bonus pool of £500m and that its chief executive was in line for a payout of £110m, a figure that has since been reduced by £25m. While the firm defended the payouts, saying they were a reward for success, critics say the tripling of the firm's share price since 2013 was in part due to government subsidies for new homes via the Help to Buy Scheme. "I want to see planning permissions going to people who are actually going to build houses, not just sit on land and watch its value rise," she said. "I expect developers to do their duty to Britain and build the homes our country needs." Mrs May insisted that "tearing up" the Green Belt was not the answer to the UK's housing crisis and that existing protections would be maintained and, in some cases, strengthened. Councils will only be able to amend Green Belt boundaries if they can prove they have fully explored every other reasonable option for building the homes their community needs. The Local Government Association said it was wrong to blame councils as they were approving nine out of ten proposed developments and yet more than 420,000 homes with permission were still waiting to be built. "No-one can live in a planning permission," said its chair Lord Porter. "Developers need to get on with building affordable homes with the needed infrastructure and councils need greater powers to act where housebuilding has stalled." The Institute for Economic Affairs, a free market think tank, said the PM was only "tinkering at the edges" of what was needed to boost the supply of new homes and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation said the "speech overlooked entirely the role central government must play... private developers and local authorities cannot do this alone". Housing charity Shelter said Mrs May was right to close "loopholes" being used by developers to reduce affordable housing levels. The Resolution Foundation welcomed the call for local government and housebuilding firms to do more, but also said the government needed to do more and said it was now "time for action, not just discussion" on private renting In her speech the PM also said homelessness was a "source of national shame" and £1bn was being spent to halve rough sleeping. Housing policy is devolved in Scotland and Wales. The Scottish government has pledged to build 50,000 new affordable homes by 2021 while the Welsh government launched two schemes last week designed to help more people onto the housing ladder.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19989621	Ascot Racecourse's dash for cash The maddening roar from a 32,000-strong crowd will do little to drown out the sound of hammering hooves this Saturday when Frankel, the world's top-rated race horse, will run in Britain's most valuable race towards what could be his 14th victory. With the Champion Stakes' prize-pot totalling £1.3m ($2.1m), prize money for the day exceeding £3m, and swathes of punters filling the grandstand seemingly intent on losing their shirts, there is no use denying that money is a central feature in the world of horse racing. But the electric atmosphere during race day at Ascot suggests it is about much more than that. Loud laughter, outrageous flirting and boisterous banter brings the well-dressed crowd to life as it shuffles in an eternal circle, from the parade ring, to the bookies, to the race track, to the bar. And whilst there are pros in their midst, most are here to have fun. "There are people who know most horses that are racing," observes Ascot's chief executive Charles Barnett. "But most people who come racing expect to lose money and have a great day out. "The bookies wouldn't make money if the punters were to win." A similarly philosophical approach is normally taken by the people who own the horses, and thus employ the jockeys and their small armies of support staff such as trainers and grooms. "You do not own a race horse to make money," Mr Barnett says. "You own it to have fun."Sweating the asset Following Saturday's race, Frankel's trainer, Sir Henry Cecil, will be waving goodbye to Frankel. The flat-racing season's finale will also mark the final race for the horse dubbed "Usain Colt", before he is sent off to stud. "The best owner breeders in the world will send their mares to him," predicts Tom Goff, co-owner of Blandford Bloodstock, which specialises in thoroughbred horses. Back at Ascot, meanwhile, the show will go on. Next month, The Open at Cheltenham raises the curtain for the jumps season, shortly followed by jumps races at Ascot, including its popular Christmas Meeting. "People who don't know racing think Royal Ascot is the only race we do," says chief executive Charles Barnett, referring to the glamorous event held every year in June. "But actually, there are horses here 25 or 26 days each year." The Ascot Racecourse is run strictly as a business, Mr Barnett insists, and it is by no means restricted to horse racing. "There'll be something happening here every day," he says. Sometimes this means exhibitions and conferences, sometimes dinner dances for up to 800 people, or even camera crews using the grandstand and track as film sets. Moreover, there is constant talk about what could be done next to sweat Ascot's assets more effectively during the more than 300 days each year when there are no races here. Further business development is crucial to bolster Ascot's finances as it continues to repay a £140m loan taken out about a decade ago to move the race track and built its vast grandstand, Mr Barnett says. Horse racing in general has seen its income hit, not only by the economic downturn but also by cuts to funding from a levy on bookmakers, which has fallen from a peak of about £100m to about £70m. "That did create a big financial hole and it does create pain throughout the sport," according to Jockey Club chief executive Simon Bazalgette. Mr Barnett realises that Ascot must adjust to these new realities. "We see the world developing and we need other things to create income here," he says. A far-reaching development plan is currently being hammered out together with the local community, in line with the government's localisation bill from 2011, to map out how Ascot will be developed over the next couple of decades, Mr Barnett says. "We will build a hotel here in the next few years", Mr Barnett says, "and a conference centre is also considered." Equestrian facilities are also on the list of possible projects, as are ideas such as the creation of triathlon facilities or an ice rink.Lucrative audience None of these activities must be allowed to crowd out Ascot's core activity, however, as it is the racing that makes the track such an attractive location to many, Mr Barnett says. "We trade on the name," he adds, "but it's a competitive environment." Retaining the loyalty of the racing tribe is made that much more important by its sheer number. "Every day, a million people go to betting shops where they're exposed to racing," Mr Barnett says, pointing out that each year racing bets to the tune of £10bn are placed. "It's the second most watched live sport in the UK after football, with more than six million people actually going to the races, and it is the only sport that has a daily newspaper." The size of the audience is attractive to sponsors who often pay not only to display their logos, but also to entertain clients and customers in private boxes and loges within the grandstand building. Broadcasters are also keen to reach this audience, as in turn they too can attract advertising revenue. For the betting industry, the punters are obviously vital. With so many players eager to dip into the racing tribe's wallets, you might think they would feel disgruntled. But on race days, there are no indications that this is the case, and Mr Barnett believes he knows why. "Our purpose is to run horse racing," he grins. "But I suppose we're also known for parties, though they're not parties we put on - they're parties put on by our customers."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21046245	'Horse meat goes down really well' Investigations are under way to try to find out how beef burgers on sale in UK and Irish Republic supermarkets became contaminated with horsemeat. Irish food safety officials, who carried out tests two months ago, said the products had been stocked by a number of chains including Tesco and Iceland stores in the UK. But is eating horse meat really so bad? One restaurant in Edinburgh has been serving it for years - the first in the UK to do so. Speaking on The World at One, Fred Berkmiller, the chef-owner of L'Escargot Bleu, told presenter Martha Kearney that horsemeat is going down very, very well. "We mainly do steak tartare with rump steak of horsemeat," he said.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-18517097	Bill Wells and Aidan Moffat win Scottish Album of the Year Bill Wells and Aidan Moffat's Everything's Getting Older has been named the Scottish Album of the Year. The duo won £20,000 for their work, which was eight years in the making, beating acts such as Mogwai and Conquering Animal Sound. The Scottish Album of the Year (Say) prize is a new award billed as the equivalent of the Mercury Music Prize. The winning album was awarded by the Scottish Music Industry Association at a ceremony in Glasgow Film City. Judges described Everything's Getting Older as a "bruised and beautiful wonder". Written by composer Wells along with Arab Strap member Moffat, the album is a mixture of jazz-inspired love songs and spoken word pieces. Aidan Moffat, said: "It's fantastic. I still can't quite believe it. Obviously we're very, very happy. "It was a great shortlist. The Scottish Album of the Year Award is all about introducing people to a wide variety of different types music - the award is very, very important from an industry point of view too and we hope there are many more of them." The award was presented by Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop, who said it was a new way to promote Scotland creative talent. She said: "In our Year of Creative Scotland, this new award is a fantastic celebration of Scottish contemporary music talent, which enhances our international reputation as a hugely talented and creative nation."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-10725711	Profile: Archbishop Desmond Tutu Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe may have described him as "evil", but Archbishop Desmond Tutu remains a much-loved figure across the world - principally for his role in South Africa's struggle against apartheid. During the long years that Nelson Mandela was in prison, Archbishop Tutu spoke out against the regime - and won the Nobel peace prize in 1984 for his efforts. He was chosen by President Mandela to chair South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission and investigate the crimes committed by all sides during the apartheid regime. At 78, "the Arch" - as he is known - has remained irrepressible and influential both in his native South Africa and on the global political stage. He is chairman of a group of former world leaders called The Elders, launched on Nelson Mandela's 89th birthday in 2007 with the aim of tackling some of the world's most pressing problems.Early days End Quote Archbishop Desmond Tutu We refuse to be treated as the doormat for the government to wipe its jackboots on” Desmond Tutu was born in 1931 in a small gold-mining town in the Transvaal. He first followed in his father's footsteps as a teacher, but abandoned that career after the passage of the 1953 Bantu Education Act, which enforced separation of races in all educational institutions. He joined the Church and was strongly influenced by many white clergymen in the country, especially another strong opponent of apartheid, Bishop Trevor Huddleston. Desmond Tutu became the first black Anglican Dean of Johannesburg in 1975. He was already a high-profile Church figure before the 1976 rebellion in black townships, but it was in the months before the Soweto violence that he first became known to white South Africans as a campaigner for reform. Inevitably, his pleas for justice and reconciliation in South Africa drew him into the political arena - but he always insisted that his motivation was religious, not political. The churchman constantly told the government of the time that its racist approach defied the will of God and for that reason could not succeed.Speaking out Desmond Tutu was elected Archbishop of Cape Town in 1986. As the first black head of the Anglican Church in South Africa, he continued to campaign actively against apartheid. In March 1988, he declared: "We refuse to be treated as the doormat for the government to wipe its jackboots on." Six months later, he risked jail by calling for a boycott of municipal elections. Archbishop Tutu warmly welcomed the liberalising reforms announced by President FW De Klerk soon after he took office in 1989. These included the lifting of the ban on the African National Congress and the release of Mr Mandela.'Appalled at the evil' In November 1995, the then President Mandela asked Archbishop Tutu to head a Truth and Reconciliation Commission. His task was to gather evidence of apartheid-era crimes and to recommend whether people confessing their involvement should receive amnesty. At the end of the Commission's inquiry, in August 1998, he attacked South Africa's former white leaders, saying most of them had lied to the Commission. He was often overcome by the pain of those who had suffered and said that he had been "appalled at the evil we have uncovered". The Commission's report was accepted by the government, but was criticised by those who felt it fell a long way short of its aims. Archbishop Tutu was accused, for instance, of being too soft on Winnie Mandela, who faced allegations of very serious crimes. His experience in setting up the Truth and Reconciliation Commission has led many governments and organisations to enlist his help for similar projects. He advised non-governmental groups seeking reconciliation in Northern Ireland and has been invited to the Solomon Islands to help set up a Truth and Reconciliation Commission there.Zimbabwe 'basket case' In recent years, Archbishop Tutu has been an outspoken critic of Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe, saying he had become "a cartoon figure of an archetypal African dictator". End Quote Desmond Tutu It would be wonderful if, on behalf of the nation, [President Barack] Obama apologises to the world, and especially the Iraqis, for an invasion that I believe has turned out to be an unmitigated disaster” In December 2008, he called on President Mugabe to resign or risk trial at the International Criminal Court. The Archbishop accused Mr Mugabe of ruining what he called a wonderful country and turning it from a "bread-basket" into a "basket case". He has repeatedly said that using force should be an option to get rid of Mr Mugabe and has criticised the South African government of being too soft on Zimbabwe's leader. In his role as the chairman of The Elders, Archbishop Tutu continues to lend his support to conflict-resolution efforts across the world. In October 2008, he travelled to the divided island of Cyprus, where the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders had begun negotiations to try to reunify the island. He tried to encourage members of both communities to back the talks. The Nobel laureate was also central to international efforts to calm the political crisis which engulfed Kenya after the 2006 election. The archbishop met the two rival political leaders, Raila Odinga and Mwai Kibaki, to help persuade them to talk. A power-sharing deal was reached a month later, with the two party leaders agreeing to the formation of a coalition government. However, wrangling over government posts continued for months.Stinging criticism Israel is another country to come under attack from the outspoken clergyman. He has accused Israel of practising apartheid in its policies towards the Palestinians, and described Israeli blockades of the Gaza Strip as an "abomination". On a visit to the Middle East in 2002, he said he was "very deeply distressed", adding that "it reminded me so much of what happened to us black people in South Africa". Former US President George W Bush and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair also felt the sting of the archbishop's criticism, when he urged them to admit they had made a mistake in waging an "immoral" war in Iraq. In an article for BBC News in February 2009, he wrote: "It would be wonderful if, on behalf of the nation, [President Barack] Obama apologises to the world, and especially the Iraqis, for an invasion that I believe has turned out to be an unmitigated disaster."Tackling poverty His criticism is not confined to politics, either. In the wake of the furore over the ordination of gay bishops in the Anglican church, he accused the Anglican communion of allowing its "obsession" with homosexuality to come before serious action to end world poverty. "God is weeping" to see such a focus on sexuality, he said, adding that the Church was "quite rightly" seen by many as irrelevant on the issue of poverty. Most recently, he has urged governments affected by the global economic downturn to remember less well-off societies when considering cuts in overseas aid. "Can you imagine what the impact must be on those who have been, in any case, on the margins of international society?" he said speaking on a visit to Ireland on 15 February. "We belong together, and protectionism does not work... It is self-defeating."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-15292674	South Korea profile A chronology of key events: 1945 - After World War II, Japanese occupation ends with Soviet troops occupying area north of the 38th parallel, and US troops in the south. South Korean veterans mark the anniversary of the Korean War 1948 - Republic of Korea proclaimed. 1950 - South declares independence, sparking North Korean invasion. 1953 - Armistice ends Korean War, which has cost two million lives. 1950s - South sustained by crucial US military, economic and political support. 1960 - President Syngman Ree steps down after student protests against electoral fraud. New constitution forms Second Republic, but political freedom remains limited.Coup 1961 - Military coup puts General Park Chung-hee in power. 1963 - General Park restores some political freedom and proclaims Third Republic. Major programme of industrial development begins. 1972 - Martial law. Park increases his powers with constitutional changes. After secret North-South talks, both sides seek to develop dialogue aimed at unification. 1979 - Park assassinated. General Chun Doo-hwan assumes power. Hundreds died as troops fired on 1980 rally 1980 - Martial law declared after student demonstrations. In the city of Gwangju (Kwangju) at least 200 killed by the army, causing resentment that has yet to fade. Fifth republic and new constitution. 1981 - Chun indirectly elected to a seven year term. Martial law ends, but government continues to have strong powers to prevent dissent. 1986 - Constitution is changed to allow direct election of the president.Return to democracy 1980s - Increasing shift towards high-tech and computer industry. 1987 - President Chun pushed out of office by student unrest and international pressure in the build-up to the Sixth constitution. Roh Tae-woo succeeds Chun, grants greater degree of political liberalisation and launches anti-corruption drive. North (l) and South (r) Korean soldiers stand at arm's length 1988 - Olympic games in Seoul. First free parliamentary elections. 1991 - North and South Korea join the United Nations. 1993 - Roh succeeded by Kim Young Sam, a former opponent of the regime and the first civilian president. 1995 - Corruption and treason charges against Roh Tae-woo and Chun Doo-hwan. 1996 - North Korean submarine runs aground in South, 11 crew found shot dead in apparent suicide and 13 killed by South Korean forces during massive search operation. South Korea admitted to Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. 1998 - Kim Dae-jung sworn in as president and pursues "sunshine policy" of offering unconditional economic and humanitarian aid to North Korea. South Korea captures North Korean mini-submarine in its waters. Nine crew inside found dead. Kim Dae-jung: Former president won Nobel Peace Prize 2000 June - Summit in Pyongyang between Kim Jong-il and South Korean President Kim Dae-jung. North stops propaganda broadcasts against South. 2000 August - Border liaison offices re-open at truce village of Panmunjom. South Korea gives amnesty to more than 3,500 prisoners. One hundred North Koreans meet their relatives in the South in a highly-charged, emotional reunion. Kim Dae-jung awarded Nobel Peace Prize. 2001 - Opening of Incheon International airport, built on tidal land off port of Incheon. 2002 March - Group of 25 North Koreans defect to South Korea through Spanish embassy in Beijing, highlighting plight of tens of thousands hiding in China after fleeing famine, repression in North.Naval battle 2002 June - Battle between South Korean and North Korean naval vessels along their disputed sea border leaves four South Koreans dead and 19 wounded. Thirty North Koreans are thought to have been killed. 2002 December - Roh Moo-hyun, from governing Millennium Democratic Party, wins closely-fought presidential elections. 2003 October - Biggest mass crossing of demilitarised zone since Korean War: Hundreds of South Koreans travel to Pyongyang for opening of gymnasium funded by South's Hyundai conglomerate. 2004 February - Parliament approves controversial dispatch of 3,000 troops to Iraq. Labour unrest flares up regularly 2004 March-May - President Roh Moo-hyun suspended after parliament votes to impeach him over breach of election rules and for incompetence. In May the Constitutional Court overturns the move and President Roh is reinstated. 2004 June - US proposes to cut by a third its troop presence. Opposition raises security fears over the plan. 2004 August - Yeongi-Kongju area selected as site for new capital, to replace Seoul by 2030. 2004 September - South Korea admits that its scientists carried out an experiment to enrich uranium in 2000. In November the UN's nuclear watchdog rebukes Seoul but decides not to refer the matter to the Security Council. Dispute over Dokdo, known as Takeshima in Japan, sours ties 2005 March - Japan restates its claim to a small group of islands whose sovereignty is disputed by Seoul and Tokyo. South Korea says the move seriously damages relations. 2005 June - Kim Woo-choong, the fugitive former head of Daewoo, returns and is arrested for his role in the industrial giant's $70bn-plus collapse. In May 2006 he is sentenced to 10 years in jail. 2005 December - South Koreans are shocked by revelations that cloning scientist and national hero Dr Hwang Woo-suk faked landmark research on stem cell research. He goes on trial in June 2006, charged with misusing funding.South Korean at UN helm 2006 October - Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon is appointed as the UN's new secretary-general. He takes office in January 2007, becoming the first UN chief to disclose his finances publicly. 2007 February - South and North Korea agree to restart high-level talks suspended since July 2006 in wake of North's nuclear test. Head of the largest South Korean car maker, Hyundai, is jailed for three years for embezzlement. South Korea agrees with US to assume operational control of its own military forces, in the event of war, from 2012. 2007 April - South Korea and the US agree on a free-trade deal after 10 months of talks.Thaw gathers pace Historic train crossing Trains from North and South crossed the border in 2007 2007 May - Passenger trains cross the North-South border for the first time in 56 years. 2007 October - The leaders of North and South Korea pledge at a summit to seek talks to formally end the Korean war. 2007 November - Prime ministers from North and South Korea meet for the first time in 15 years. 2007 December - Conservative Lee Myung-bak wins landslide victory in presidential election. 2008 February - The country's greatest cultural treasure, the Namdaemun Gate, is destroyed by fire.Thaw stalls 2008 April - North Korea hits out at new South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, warning that his tough stance could lead to "catastrophic consequences". President Lee's Grand National Party wins a slim majority in parliament. President Lee ended his predecessor's "sunshine policy" in 2008 2008 July - First shipment of US beef in five years arrives after Seoul negotiates further safeguards in its import deal with Washington, in response to street protests. North Korean soldier shoots South Korean woman in the North's Mount Kumgang special tourism area, leading to tensions between the two sides.Financial crisis 2008 October - South Korean banks become vulnerable to global credit crisis as result of having taken on high levels of foreign debt. Government announces $130bn financial rescue package to shore up banking system and stabilise markets. 2009 January - North Korea says it is scrapping all military and political deals with the South over its "hostile intent", as ties worsen. 2009 February - South Korea's central bank cuts interest rates to a record low, amid forecasts that the economy is likely to suffer its first annual contraction for more than 10 years. 2009 May - Former president Roh Moo-hyun commits suicide over a bribery scandal. 2009 August - Former South Korean president Kim Dae-jung dies; North Korea sends a senior delegation to Seoul to pay its respects. In a further sign of thaw in relations, North Korea announces easing of restrictions on cross-border traffic, and talks on family reunions - suspended since early 2008 - restart. 2009 October - North Korea expresses "regret" for unleashing dam water that drowned six campers downstream in South Korea in September. The two sides hold talks aimed at preventing flooding on the Imjin River which spans their militarised border. 2009 November - South and North Korean warships exchange fire across a disputed sea border. 2010 January - North Korea accepts an offer of food aid from South Korea, the first such aid in two years. South Korea returns fire after the North fires artillery shells near their disputed sea border.Sinking North Korea denied claims it sank the Southern warship Cheonan in 2010 2010 May - South Korea breaks off all trade with the North after investigators say they have found proof the South Korean naval ship Cheonan was sunk by a North Korean torpedo in March. Pyongyang describes the findings as a "fabrication" and cuts all diplomatic ties with Seoul. 2010 November - Cross-border clash near disputed maritime border results in death of two South Korean marines. North Korea's military insists it did not open fire first and blames the South. South Korea places its military on highest non-wartime alert after shells land on Yeonpyeong island. 2011 July - Nuclear envoys from North and South Korea hold first talks since collapse of six-party talks in 2009. 2011 August - Further exchange of fire near Yeonpyeong island. 2011 October - US Congress approves long-stalled free trade agreement with South Korea. The deal is expected to increase US exports to South Korea. 2012 March - South Korea hosts a global conference on nuclear security, attended by the US and Russian leaders among others. Iran and North Korea do not attend. 2012 April - The governing conservative Saenuri (New Frontier) Party, formerly called the Grand National Party, wins parliamentary elections with a reduced majority. 2012 June - South Korea becomes the first major Asian economy to halt oil imports from Iran. 2012 July - South Korea begins move of most ministries to "mini capital" at Sejong City, 120km south of Seoul. Key ministries will remain in Seoul. 2012 August - Lee Myung-bak becomes South Korea's first president to visit the Liancourt Rocks, which Japan also claims. Tokyo recalls its ambassador in protest. 2012 October - South Korea strikes deal with the US to almost triple the range of its ballistic missile system to 800km as a response to North Korea's test of a long-range rocket in April. 2012 December - South Korea elects its first female president, Park Geun-hye. She takes office in February.New spike in tensions 2013 January - South Korea launches a satellite into orbit for the first time using a rocket launched from its own soil. Previous attempts in 2009-10 failed. The launch comes weeks after a North Korean rocket placed a satellite in orbit. 2013 March - South warns North over unilateral abrogation of Korean War armistice and bellicose rhetoric. North also cut off a hotline and vowed to end non-aggressions pacts with South. A cyber-attack from an internet address in China temporarily shuts down the computer systems at South Korean banks and broadcasters. 2013 April - North Korea says it will restart all facilities at its main Yongbyon nuclear complex and withdraws its workers from the South-Korean-funded Kaesong joint industrial park. It also warns foreigners to leave both North and South Korea to avoid the threat of war. It later offers talks to reduce tension if UN sanctions are lifted and the US and South Korea end joint military drills. South Korea rejects the proposals as "incomprehensible". 2013 May - North Korea tests four short-range missile over one weekend. It also sentences US tour operator Kenneth Bae to hard labour on charges of "anti-government crimes". 2013 June - North and South Korea agree to hold talks on the possibility of reopening the Kaesong joint industrial complex, as well as to restore the Cross hotline.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21180230	Scientists discover how pet dogs evolved from wolves Domesticated dogs evolved into man's best friend much more recently than previously thought, according to a new analysis of their DNA. A new study of dog genetics published in the journal Nature reveals differences in dog genes involved in starch metabolism, compared with those of wolves. It backs the idea that those animals better able to digest human farmed cereal crops evolved into dogs as we know them today. Pallab Ghosh reports.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-18049227	Derby fire deaths: Sixth child dies after house blaze A 13-year-old boy has died in hospital days after five of his siblings were killed in a house fire in Derby. Duwayne Philpott and his brothers and sisters were asleep upstairs in their Allenton home when the blaze began. Their father Mick Philpott, who is believed to have 17 children, made "valiant attempts" to save them. Police are treating the fire on Friday as suspicious. A man, 38, and woman, 28, were released without charge after being held on suspicion of murder. Jade Philpott, 10, and her brothers John, nine, Jack, seven, Jessie, six, and Jayden, five, all died when the fire started on Victory Road in the early hours. Post-mortem examinations carried out at the weekend confirmed the five children died of smoke inhalation. End Quote Birmingham Children's Hospital The injuries that Duwayne received in the fire were too great for him to survive” Duwayne had received treatment at Birmingham Children's hospital, before his life support machine was switched off overnight. Mr Philpott and Duwayne's mother Mairead were at his bedside. Assistant Chief Constable Steve Cotterill said: "I am sad to confirm the news that Duwayne has died as a result of the injuries he suffered in the fire. "My deepest sympathies go out to Mr and Mrs Philpott at this distressing time." A spokesman from Birmingham Children's Hospital said: "Despite the intensive care team's greatest efforts, the injuries that Duwayne received in the fire were too great for him to survive. "Our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time." Duwayne was described by Christopher Reynolds, his head teacher at Saint Benedict Catholic School in Derby, as "a very pleasant young man". He said: "He was gentle and caring. The things people remember about him are all nice, positive things. He genuinely was a really nice lad." Patricia Hurd, head teacher of Jade, John, Jack, Jessie and Jayden's school, St George's Catholic Primary, said pupils and teachers were praying for the Philpott family. "They leave a huge gap in our school community and will be sadly missed by all of us. "We offer our deepest and heartfelt condolences to Mick and Mairead and to all the extended family and the Allenton community." Mr Cotterill said on Sunday that police had not had the opportunity to speak to Mr and Mrs Philpott because they had been caring for their son. He said police wanted to speak to anyone who was in or around Victory Road between 03:00 BST and 04:00 BST on Friday. "I want to thank the local community who have already come forward but I would urge anyone with any information, regardless of how insignificant you think it may be, to contact us," he said. Mr Cotterill also asked people to let police know if they spotted anything on social media sites that might aid the investigation.TV appearances "Please tell us what is being said. We don't necessarily get to know all of that," he said. "If you've got access to Facebook and you see something there that you think is going to be important to us, please come forward." The family were the subject of media scrutiny in 2006 when Mr Philpott asked the council for a larger house to accommodate his wife, girlfriend and 14 children. In 2007, ex-Conservative MP Ann Widdecombe spent a week living with the family as part of an ITV documentary and Mr Philpott also appeared as a guest on the channel's Jeremy Kyle Show. On Saturday, prayers were said for the children at a special service in Derby and a candlelit vigil was held. People on the estate where the family lived said they had set up an online charity to help with funeral costs and anything else the family may need.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-27244878	Gerry Adams arrest: Sinn Féin claims 'dark side' to NI police - 1 May 2014 - From the section Northern Ireland Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness has claimed Gerry Adams' arrest is due to a "dark side" within policing conspiring with enemies of the peace process. He added that the detention was a "deliberate attempt to influence the outcome of elections" in three weeks. Mr Adams is being questioned about the 1972 murder of Jean McConville but has denied involvement in her death. Prime Minister David Cameron said there had been "absolutely no political interference in this issue". Mr Cameron spoke to Northern Ireland's first and deputy first ministers on Thursday night. It is understood he reiterated his view that the arrest was a matter for the police. Northern Ireland First Minister Peter Robinson said earlier that it would be "political policing" if Mr Adams was not questioned. The Sinn Féin president remains in custody after presenting himself at Antrim police station on Wednesday evening. Mr McGuinness, Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister, told a press conference at Stormont that the arrest of his party leader and "friend" was politically motivated. He claimed Sinn Féin had been told by "senior" and "reforming" figures within the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) that "there was still a dark side within policing here in the north of Ireland". "I think we have seen that dark side flex its muscles in the course of the last couple of days," he added. "We know who they are. The reformers know who they are," Mr McGuinness told reporters. He said some former republicans who were "maliciously and vehemently hostile to the peace process" had been targeting Mr Adams and the Sinn Féin peace strategy for a considerable period of time. "It is quite disappointing to see the efforts of those people now in consort with the dark side within policing," Mr McGuinness said. However, Mr Robinson said the arrest was proof that no-one in Northern Ireland was above the law. "Is anybody going to say to me that if the police are aware of claims and evidence in relation to such a barbaric killing that it would be political policing for them to question those who have been suggested to have been involved? "I would suggest to you that it would be political policing if the PSNI had not questioned those that were deemed to have been involved in any way," the DUP leader said. "I cannot say whether Mr Adams will be charged or released, whether he will be held for a further period, whether even if charged he might be convicted . "But what I can say is that it strengthens our political process in Northern Ireland for people to know that no-one is above the law - everyone is equal under the law and everyone is equally subject to the law." In a statement, a PSNI spokesman said: "Police have a duty to impartially investigate serious crime including murder. "It is the police's duty to make relevant enquiries, interview those with information, arrest and question suspects and, in consultation with the Public Prosecution Service (PPS), to either charge or submit a file to the PPS in relation to the investigation. "This procedure is being followed in this case. As one individual has been charged with serious offences and files are being prepared in relation to other individuals, it would be inappropriate to comment further other than to reiterate the Police Service's commitment to treat everyone equally before the law." Speaking before his detention on Wednesday evening, Mr Adams said he was "innocent of any part" in the murder. "I believe that the killing of Jean McConville and the secret burial of her body was wrong and a grievous injustice to her and her family," he added. Mrs McConville, a 37-year-old widow and mother-of-10, was abducted and shot by the IRA. Her body was recovered from a beach in County Louth in 2003. Mrs McConville's son Michael, who was 11 when his mother was murdered, welcomed the arrest. "We're just happy to see everything moving as it is moving at the minute," he said. "Me and the rest of my brothers and sisters are just glad to see the PSNI doing their job. We didn't think it would ever take place [Mr Adams' arrest], but we are quite glad that it is taking place." Mrs McConville, one of Northern Ireland's Disappeared, was kidnapped in front of her children after being wrongly accused of being an informer. The claim that she was an informer was dismissed after an official investigation by the Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman. The widow was held at one or more houses before being shot and buried in secret. The Disappeared are those who were abducted, murdered and secretly buried by republicans during the Troubles. The IRA admitted in 1999 that it murdered and buried at secret locations nine of the Disappeared. The Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains was established in 1999 by a treaty between the British and Irish governments. It lists 16 people as "disappeared". Despite extensive searches, the remains of seven of them have not been found. Jean McConville's remains were found in 2003 by a man walking at Shelling Hill beach, near Carlingford. Last month, Ivor Bell, 77, a leader in the Provisional IRA in the 1970s, was charged with aiding and abetting the murder. There have also been a number of other arrests over the murder recently. Mr Adams has never been charged with membership of the IRA. He was, however, interned in 1972 under the controversial Special Powers Act, but briefly released in order that he could take part in talks in London between representatives of Sinn Fein and the then Home Secretary Willie Whitelaw.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/hardtalk/9712785.stm	The war photographer Paul Conroy who was severely injured in Syria has said he believes that most of the footage shot by citizen journalists and activists is genuine but has warned that it is often not possible to verify them. He told HARDtalk's Stephen Sackur the need would continue for professional journalists and photographers to go into conflict zones to witness events first hand. Mr Conroy suffered serious leg injuries in an attack on Homs in February in a shelling which left two other journalists dead. You can watch the full interview on BBC World News on Monday 16 April at 03:30, 08:30, 15:30 and 20:30 GMT and on the BBC News Channel on Monday 16 April at 04:30 BST and Tuesday 17 May at 00:30 BST. online (UK only) or subscribe to our Find out who is coming up on the programme by following us on
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/golf/6500443.stm	445 yards, par four When I first went to Augusta, anybody who hit the ball at all well could easily clear the bunker on the right, but not so now - you need a big, big drive to carry it. They put the tee back 25 yards in 2002 and added another 20 yards in 2007, though they've trimmed the tee box to improve access and reduced the card by 10 yards. The hole is a bit of a dogleg, left to right, with a slight hollow and a ridge. You can get to the raised green with a middle-to-shortish iron under normal conditions. As a feature in common with all the greens at Augusta, this one is very sloping and very quick. 2010 rank: 6th hardest (stroke ave. 4.205) All-time rank (1942-2010): tied 6th (4.23)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/279844.stm	Monday, February 15, 1999 Published at 12:51 GMT Hutchence daughter in legal battle Michael Hutchence: Committed suicide in November 1997 The late rock star Michael Hutchence's two-year-old daughter is claiming funds from his estate, according to documents lodged in an Australian court. Through her godmother Belinda Brewin, Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily Hutchence is seeking money for maintenance, education and "advancement in life". Hutchence's will states Tiger Lily is entitled to half of his wealth, but her carers say she has not received any money. It is the latest in a series of legal battles following the INXS singer's suicide in a Sydney hotel in November 1997. Lawyers for his estate claim he had £720,000 in assets when he died, but family members claim as much as £10m is held in trusts and shell companies around the world. Belinda Brewin said Tiger Lily's mother, Paula Yates, had been forced to take out a large mortgage to help meet her daughter's expenses. Streep honoured in Berlin The actress was presented with the Berlinale Kamera - a small, gilded camera made by a Berlin jeweller. The festival organisers said Streep was "one of the most exceptional actresses in the international history of film". Streep is in Berlin for the screening of her latest movie, One True Thing, for which she has been nominated for an Academy Award. She said: "I am very, very, very happy that the actor's branch of the Academy is not sick of me and did not think, 'Well, this time we'll give it to somebody else.'" Kravitz drives to number one His song, Fly Away, knocked last week's chart-topper from Blondie off the top spot, after heavy exposure in a TV ad for Peugeot cars. It follows in a long line of singles boosted by appearances in TV commercials, most notably Levi's jeans spots featuring Shaggy, Babylon Zoo and Freak Power. Kravitz was last in the UK Top 10 in 1993 with Are You Gonna Go My Way. Since then he has only had one Top 40 hit, Rock And Roll Is Dead, in 1995. Streisand in Mame adaptation Mame first opened on Broadway in 1966 and ran until 1971 starring Angela Lansbury as an eccentric aunt. Written by Jerry Herman, the project for the ABC network will be Streisand's first TV musical. The project marks Streisand and Herman's first work together since she starred in the 1969 film adaptation of his musical Hello, Dolly. Star Wars single announced No date has been set for the single or the album, but both will precede the movie release in the US and Canada, which is set for 21 May. Sony says it may make a music video too. The score for Episode I: The Phantom Menace is by five-time Academy Award winner John Williams, who composed and conducted the original Star Wars films. The film is due for release in the UK on 16 July. Damon and Affleck team up again Based on the memoirs of Major Damon 'Rocky' Gause, it tells of his escape from the Japanese in the Philippines and his 53-day sail to freedom across the Pacific amid enemy fire. Gause was killed a year later during a routine air manoeuvre over London. His journal of the trek lay undiscovered for more than 50 years. Driving motorists crazy X-Files star Gillian Anderson was the second choice for men, while wives and girlfriends came third, Madonna fourth and model Caprice fifth. Actors Brad Pitt, Sean Connery and George Clooney took second, third, and fourth places in the list of female choices, according to the poll, which was carried out for an insurance firm. TV and Radio
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-20522705	Katrice Lee's family in Downing Street 'justice' march - 28 November 2012 - From the section England The family of a two-year-old girl who disappeared from a British military base 31 years ago are marching to Downing Street to "get justice". Katrice Lee disappeared from a shop in Paderborn, the German military base where her father Richard, from Hartlepool, was stationed. The family are taking part in a march to try to get the 1981 case files released for an independent review. Katrice's sister Natasha said it was an "emotional day" for the family. Mrs Lee, who lives in Gosport, Hampshire, some friends and family and people from Mr Lee's old regiment are taking part in the march later. They will walk from St James's Park on Horse Guards Road in London to Downing Street wearing either missing poster or justice for Katrice T-shirts. Mrs Lee said: "I'm quite emotional today. "It's extremely difficult. It's a constant battle, it's emotionally draining and it's physically draining. "I still have to go to work and perform my normal day-to-day things and the whole time, trying to think of new ways and ideas to come up with to keep the media a little bit interested in what we're doing to try and find Katrice. "It's about trying to get justice for my sister and finding where she is. "Hopefully by us marching to Downing Street, it might make David Cameron meet us." Mrs Lee believes Katrice is still alive and was abducted. The family maintain the Royal Military Police failed to interview key witnesses quickly enough after the disappearance. John Sinnet, a close friend and neighbour of the family at the time, spoke of his memories of the search for Katrice. He said: "We looked under every bush, every shrub, all the way up the river... we found no trace of her anywhere. "I would concur with Richie [Katrice's father], that whilst yes, they now appear to be undertaking a detailed investigation, it might be a little bit late in the day to be doing it. "Although I hope that it does help, but it seems an awful long time to have left it without doing anything." There is currently a re-investigation into Katrice's disappearance by the Royal Military Police. Maj Clive Robins, from the Special investigations Branch, said his thoughts were with Natasha, her mother and father on "this difficult day". He said: "Policing has evolved over 30 years and in fact, it has evolved over the last 12 years since the review was done in 2000, so I can give assurances that there will be no stone left unturned. "I have told Sharon, Natasha and Richie on a number of occasions that my focus is and will continue to be, to try and ascertain what happened to Katrice on that tragic day." He said if the the family were ever given access the original case files, it would not be until the re-investigation ended.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-24890156	South Africa orphanage worker charged in poisoning - 10 November 2013 - From the section Africa An orphanage worker in Pretoria has been charged after 20 young children were rushed to hospital with symptoms of poisoning, police say. The children are mostly Aids orphans living in the Malerato Centre for Hope in Mamelodi township outside Pretoria. They were said to have complained of severe stomach aches on Thursday, The orphanage's principal, Johanna Mashapa, told local media the children had been given a powder with their lunch. "We were so worried. They were vomiting and crying. They had runny stomachs and were so sick," she told South Africa's Sunday Times newspaper. Police say a woman has been charged with assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and is due to appear in court on Monday. The Malerato Centre houses more than forty abandoned children and orphans whose parents died from Aids. Two of the children were reported to have been found in a critical condition; one of them was airlifted to a Johannesburg hospital. Government inspectors were sent into the orphanage to investigate.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-22276042	China's Xinjiang hit by deadly clashes - 24 April 2013 - From the section China Clashes in China's restive Xinjiang region have left 21 people dead, including 15 police officers and officials, authorities say. The violence occurred on Tuesday afternoon in Bachu county, Kashgar prefecture. The foreign ministry said it had been a planned attack by a "violent terrorist group", but ethnic groups questioned this. There have been sporadic clashes in Xinjiang in recent years. The incidents come amid rumbling ethnic tensions between the Muslim Uighur and Han Chinese communities. In 2009 almost 200 people - mostly Han Chinese - were killed after deadly rioting erupted. It is very difficult to verify reports from Xinjiang, reports the BBC's Celia Hatton. Foreign journalists are allowed to travel to the region but frequently face intimidation and harassment when attempting to verify news of ethnic rioting or organised violence against government authorities. Hou Hanmin, director of the Xinjiang government's propaganda department, said Tuesday's clashes began as officials described as community workers searched homes for weapons. She told the BBC's Chinese service that three of the workers were killed as they were investigating reports of suspicious individuals at the home of a local resident. Unarmed police then arrived to investigate the workers' earlier reports and were attacked, said Ms Hou. Three "thugs" died and nine police officers were cornered in a house which was then set on fire, she said, calling the incident a "planned terrorist attack" on innocent victims. There was no information on the identity of the assailants. Ten of the officials and police killed were ethnic Uighurs, the local authorities said. Eight people were arrested. Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said initial police investigations showed it had been "a premeditated attack carried out by a violent terrorist group". She said the security situation in Xinjiang was "good in general, but a small cluster of terrorist forces are still doing their very best to upset and sabotage Xinjiang's stability and development". "I believe their plan goes against the will of the people and is doomed to fail," she told a news conference. But Dilxat Raxit, a spokesperson for the World Uighur Congress, an umbrella organisation of Uighur groups, told the BBC the incident was caused by the killing of a young Uighur by Chinese "armed personnel" as a result of a government clean-up campaign. Uighurs make up about 45% of the region's population, but say an influx of Han Chinese residents has marginalised their traditional culture. Beijing authorities often blame violent incidents in Xinjiang on Uighur extremists seeking autonomy for the region. Uighur activists, meanwhile, accuse Beijing of over-exaggerating the threat to justify heavy-handed rule. In March, 20 people were jailed on terrorism and separatism charges in the region. Last August courts jailed another 20 people on similar charges in Xinjiang.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/hampshire/7087273.stm	The 37,500-ton Pride of Bilbao ferry encountered a yacht Three sailors who died when their yacht disappeared off the Isle of Wight would have had a 99% chance of survival if an alert had gone out, a court has heard. Coastguard Mark Rodaway was speaking at the trial of Michael Hubble, who was officer of the watch on P&O's Pride of Bilbao, when it encountered a yacht. Prosecutors claim the ferry narrowly missed or collided with the yacht Ouzo in the early hours of 21 August 2006. Mr Hubble, 62, of Kent, denies manslaughter through gross negligence. He also denies engaging in conduct likely to cause death or serious injury. The trial at Winchester Crown Court has heard how the 37,500-tonne car ferry, Pride of Bilbao, had a collision or near-miss off the Isle of Wight with a yacht, which the prosecution claims was the 25ft (7.6m) Ouzo. Left to right - Jason Downer, Rupert Saunders and James Meaby all died The court has heard how at that time Mr Hubble and a lookout, David Smith, were the only two men on the bridge of the ferry, which was sailing from Portsmouth to Bilbao, Spain. Mr Hubble, of Capel-le-Ferne, Folkestone, had decided not to stop after he and Mr Smith saw lights, which he believed showed the yacht had passed the ferry safely. James Meaby and Rupert Saunders, both 36 and from Tooting, south London, and Jason Downer, 35, from Kent, all drowned when their yacht was lost. Mr Rodaway, the rescue co-ordination centre manager at Portland Coastguard, told the court that had the Pride of Bilbao's collision or near-miss been reported, the search area was very small and could have been quickly searched by a coastguard helicopter. Lifeboats from Bembridge, Isle of Wight, and Selsey, West Sussex, could also have been sent to search the area. Had the incident involved the Ouzo, Mr Rodaway said he believed the three men - who were all wearing lifejackets - could have been rescued within about two hours. The trial continues.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/election_2010/8637473.stm	The jar of Marmite appears in the left hand corner of the screen The maker of Marmite is threatening legal action against the British National Party to stop it from using a jar of the spread in a party broadcast. Unilever said it had not given the BNP permission to use its product and was looking into taking out an injunction. The BNP's online broadcast was removed from its website, but it can still be seen on video hosting website YouTube. The party initially said the clip was a spoof, but then claimed it had not been responsible for adding the Marmite jar. In the broadcast, a jar of Marmite appears in the top left hand corner of the screen as BNP leader Nick Griffin addresses the camera. In a statement, BNP leader Nick Griffin said the jar had "apparently" been inserted by "one of the people to whom we had given the broadcast to review". He added that it was not included in the official version of the broadcast. However, Mr Griffin went on to say that the Marmite jar had been added in reaction to a recent advertising campaign for Marmite which he said mocked the BNP. In the Marmite campaign two spoof political parties, the Love Party and the Hate Party, compete in a mock election. The BNP claims the Hate Party was "clearly based" on itself. "Quite simply, if you start a spoof, you should expect to get spoofed," added Mr Griffin. "Although we are not responsible for whoever it was who inserted the Marmite jars into the internet version of the broadcast, we do see the amusing side." Unilever said in a statement: "Neither Marmite nor any other Unilever brand are aligned to any political party. "We are currently initiating injunction proceedings against the BNP to remove the Marmite jar from the online broadcast and prevent them from using it in future."
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-14024206	Japan Reconstruction Minister Ryu Matsumoto quits - 5 July 2011 - From the section Asia-Pacific Japan's Minister for Reconstruction Ryu Matsumoto has announced his resignation after just a week in the job. He had been widely criticised for making insensitive remarks to governors of areas badly affected by March's deadly earthquake and tsunami. He had said the government would not help them financially unless they came up with good rebuilding proposals. The resignation will increase pressure on Prime Minister Naoto Kan's already unpopular government. The appointment of Mr Matsumoto to the newly created post of disaster reconstruction minister was seen as an effort to deflect further criticism of Mr Kan's administration. Last month, Mr Kan survived a no-confidence motion brought by MPs critical of his handling of the reconstruction process following the quake, tsunami and ensuing nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. Mr Kan, who is just over a year into his post, vowed to step down soon, but only once several key bills on disaster recovery and renewable energy are passed. The prime minister is trying to persuade MPs to back the release of an extra $25bn (£15.5bn) of reconstruction funds, and will not have wanted attention to be diverted by his minister's comments, says the BBC's Roland Buerk in Tokyo. Berated for lateness Mr Matsumoto announced his resignation at a Tokyo press conference early on Tuesday, but gave no reason for his departure. "I would like to offer my apologies for offending the people in the disaster-hit areas. I thought I was emotionally close to the disaster victims, but I lacked sufficient words and my comments were too harsh. "I have many things I would like to say... but I will be gone from now." The 60-year-old made the offending remarks to regional governors at the weekend during his first tour of the tsunami-hit prefectures of Iwate and Miyagi since taking up his new role. Mr Matsumoto berated Miyagi prefecture governor Yoshihiro Murai for keeping him waiting for a few minutes and refused to shake his hand. Then he appeared to threaten journalists in the room, saying his comments were off -the-record and if anyone reported them their organisation would be finished. In a meeting with Iwate governor Takuya Tasso, Mr Matsumoto warned the government "will help areas that offer ideas, but will not help those without ideas. I want you to work with that kind of resolve". Earlier he had admitted to the Iwate governor that being from the south-west he had little grasp of the geography of the north-east where the tsunami hit. His comments were aired on television, and the footage received thousands of hits on YouTube and other video-sharing websites, prompting a public outcry and calls for his resignation. When challenged about his remarks on his return to Tokyo the minister blamed his blood group - those with type B are reputed in Japan to have abrasive personalities. In his resignation speech, Mr Matsumoto said he would continue to help with reconstruction efforts as "a foot soldier". He urged the governing and opposition parties to join together to tackle the rebuilding. The 11 March quake and tsunami levelled homes, businesses and towns along Japan's north-eastern coast, leaving more than 20,000 people dead or missing in the country's worst disaster since World War II.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13935006	World iceberg capital turns frozen blocks to cold, hard cash - 11 August 2011 - From the section US & Canada Twillingate is obsessed with icebergs. The eastern Canadian fishing town calls itself the iceberg capital of the world, and tourists flock to visit in the summer when the season for the frozen goliaths is booming. Many in the community off the north-eastern shore of Canada's Newfoundland and Labrador province make their living from the icebergs. "We all love to see when the icebergs are here," says Capt Perry Young. The iceberg tourism works its way into "every aspect of business in Twillingate", from accommodation to restaurants to convenience stores, he says. And when the icebergs fail to drift into the region, which happened as recently as two years ago, it places a lot of pressure on the town. "It puts a strain on us financially because, I mean, it's pretty much 50% of our income," Mr Young says. "And when you lose 50% of your income it hurts," he adds. Peak iceberg season is May and June, though this year was a relatively good one, and the mammoth frozen blocks were still floating by as late as August. Twillingate's traditional saltbox houses, fishing boats and docks make it look like something from a postcard. About 2,500 people live in Twillingate but when an iceberg rolls in, those numbers rise dramatically. "We are actually right beneath the iceberg alley, which is the Labrador Current," says Kim Young, who operates tourist boat tours in the town. "So when the current comes out through the alley they bring them to us," Ms Young adds. Drawing in tourists is important business in Twillingate. Like many fishing villages in Newfoundland and Labrador, residents of Twillingate suffered when they lost their cod-fishing industry, which was shut down by the Canadian government in 2003 because of declining stock. The residents have had to find another way to make a living, and attracting tourists with icebergs was the answer. Now the local tourism board has launched a new pilot programme using GPS tracking devices that allow locals to track icebergs when they are spotted. There are also three different websites dedicated to showing where icebergs are in the area. A small group of local fishermen have also started harvesting iceberg water to make iceberg vodka, beer and wine for sale in the province. "The thing about Newfoundland is that we have to adapt and change with the times, and this is the reason we have been able to survive on this rock for 500 years," says local fisherman David Boyd, the owner of the Prime Berth store, which caters to tourists. "Human beings have the ability to basically destroy everything that they touch, and we have done that with the fishery, with technology and with very poor management," he adds. "So we have to adapt and now we are basically capitalising on something that at one time we didn't want to see," Mr Boyd says. For centuries icebergs were not a welcome sight for residents of Twillingate and local fishermen. Their attraction is a recent phenomenon. "The icebergs were the scourge of the fishery," says Mr Boyd. "The fishermen hated to see the icebergs because the big bergs would come in on their nets and their cod traps." These "invading giants", as locals describe them, come with their own myths and are making their way into local folklore, art and writing. Visitors can hear stories of murder on an iceberg or the deaths of young local children who have played around them. "There are all sorts of stories around the province of narrow escapes from them because they are unpredictable," says Twillingate artist Gilbert Manuel. "Around here and everywhere in Newfoundland, we have a healthy respect for them. We don't go near them - unless you know what you're doing - because they can tip over or founder, break apart, without any warning." It isn't just the icebergs themselves that are full of mystery: sometimes it's the visitors that they bring along with them to shore. One time it was a polar bear, which is extremely rare for the area. The animal's body is now on display in the town's local museum. Sometimes the icebergs bring treasures from the past. An aircraft, embedded into an iceberg, also once came drifting into the region, Mr Manuel says. "Somebody researched it and this was a plane that had crashed I think years ago during the Second World War in Greenland," he says. This dependence on icebergs can become a burden when they don't drift in. "I've seen it, a lot of hurtful faces, and I try to explain to them basically, that we are an iceberg viewing area," says Cecil Stockley, a founder of the tourism industry, who is known locally as the Iceberg Man. The unpredictable nature of icebergs have added to their allure and have started debates in the town. Some residents believe climate change is the reason the cold goliaths aren't making it into the area as often. Others think that this is just part of a natural cycle. "I believe it is the El Nino effect of warmer water moving north, icebergs are meeting these waters more farther north and melting," says Mr Stockley. "Even on our best of years, it's hard to get a small percentage of icebergs down here. Even we might get a couple hundred, probably, there is 2,000 in Greenland," adds Mr Stockley. But Mr Manuel disagrees: "There's fewer of them right now, but it was always like that. You had years when there were icebergs everywhere. Then for whatever reason you have years when there are no icebergs." The residents of Twillingate will no doubt adapt no matter what happens.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/1942069.stm	\|You are in: Talking Point\| Thursday, 25 April, 2002, 14:14 GMT 15:14 UK Your tributes to singer Layne Staley Layne Staley, singer and guitarist with the American grunge band Alice in Chains, has been found dead at his flat in Seattle. Alice in Chains were founded in 1987 and ranked with Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden as one of the bands that made Seattle famous in the early 1990s. The band stopped touring in the mid-1990s when Staley went into rehabilitation for heroin use. His death comes eight years after Kurt Cobain, leader of Seattle's best-known rock band Nirvana, killed himself. Local medical officials said that the cause of Staley's death had yet to be determined. Send us your tributes to Layne Staley. This Talking Point is now closed. Read a selection of your comments below. Layne was a great inspiration for me, I looked up to that man a lot. Everything he sang, he felt and I felt it also. He was a creative mind, a god amongst others, he helped me out throughout the years. Man in the Box and Got me Wrong, are two of the best songs I've heard and that have touched me in my heart. Layne, you are a wonderful man, with a big heart, I will miss you everyday, for the rest of my life, listening to your music now makes me feel sad, but it also makes me work harder, knowing I have lost someone I loved dearly and hoped I could have met. Thank you Layne, your words have influenced me and helped me a lot on realizing, the meaning of life. Thank You Layne, I'll miss you and love you deeply. I met Layne when I was 13. He is a friend of my brothers, and will always be in my heart, despite what has gone on with us. Now, at 21, Layne has put a great inspiration on me. Thank you Layne. I will never forget the dream . It's comforting to read about the effect his music had on so many people. He won't be forgotten. Drugs are what killed him, but they are also a vital part of the music he made and how absolutely heart wrenching his lyrics were. Thank you Layne, your music lives on. I am going to drift away to his beautiful voice now. RIP Layne is gone, Alice is quiet. But the music lives on and somewhere there is another Layne waiting for his moment to touch us all. We have our season in the sun and then we are gone. Layne is at peace and so too should we. nav, Boston, USA After reading all of the tributes before mine, it makes me realize that someone this loved and respected is never truly alone. He may have been alone in his apartment, but a little piece of all of us was there as well... and also died. Thank you, Layne, for all the strength you gave me when I needed it. I am glad your pain is finally over. I will always miss you and never forget you. I loved Layne, I always will. My first concert was AIC and even with a broken leg, Layne put on the best show I've ever seen. I will miss him forever. I've been dreading this day for years. RIP Layne, you were the best. I hope you're with your beloved Demri again now. My sympathy to Jerry, Sean and Mike and especially the Staley Family. Here is a poem I wrote for Layne after hearing the news: AN ODE TO LAYNE LAYNE STALEY 1968-2002 R.I.P. Just prior to hearing of Layne's terrible demise, I was listening to "Nutshell" - the most beautiful and touching song I have ever heard. In this song, Layne sings "If I can't be my own, I'd feel better dead." Sadly, he wasn't his own man; the needle owned him. I've shed many tears over this heartbreaking event. Layne's lyrics and music provided us with a window to his tormented soul, and we have lost the greatest voice and personality this world has ever known. My heart goes out to Layne's family and friends. It is so sad he died alone. Goodbye Layne, and thank you for being who you are. Being a loyal fan of Alice's music, I was deeply saddened by Layne's death. Layne was a truly gifted musician and a talented writer. Layne was a musician that could give one word an emotion of it's own. His pain was well documented through out the pages of the Alice albums and his words in mad season still touch me today. The music world will never be the same after his passing, but his talent will stay forever Alice In Chains was one of those bands that had shaped and completed my life through all the tough times. I have loved them and deeply respected them since I was 12 years old. I am now 22, and it is hard to believe that someone so special to me and to millions of others has left us. You will never be forgotten Layne...you were a beautiful angel. My heart breaks that we have lost yet another talented artist to this illness of drug addiction. I have heard so many people commenting on how he died and I hope we can get over that and remember how he lived... as a talented artist with a illness he just couldn't fight any more. Layne, I hope you have found the peace you looked for here for so long and couldn't find. You will live on forever in our hearts and you will be forever missed. Rest In Peace Layne... we love you. Michael Knight, U.S.A. Those damn harmonies between Jerry and Layne will never happen again!! That tandem is amongst the best in rock history. They didn't miss the mark much on their albums. Almost every song stimulates that part of your brain - where you feel emotion, invite it, embrace it. We need bands like Alice in Chains. Rest in peace, Layne. Layne Staley, the single greatest singer of rock music. The minute I heard the great song Man In a Box I was hooked. The man sang from his heart and reached into many millions of hearts by doing so. Through my own dark periods Layne's words were there to let me know people suffer more than I and there is always a hope. Layne to you I extend my Love thank you for years of enjoyment, therapy and motivation. REST IN PEACE I will always remember "river of deceit" as the greatest song to come out of the grunge- scene. The lyric "my pain is self chosen, at least I believe it to be", runs deep. You will always be remembered for your lyrics and music, Layne, I hope you have found peace. Rest in peace, my heart is crying for you. Matt Dotseth, USA When I first heard the news I was speechless, had to catch my breath, then I cried. I've done my mourning, I've put in every AIC CD and listened to it twice. I know that there are people who will say "it was only a matter of time before it destroyed him" but I think his song he wrote for Andrew Wood now speaks for himself..."So I made a big mistake, try to see it once my way." I love you Layne, and you will surely be missed. My thoughts go out to his family, friends and of course his bandmates Jerry, Mike and Sean. Keep rocking! Layne touched my heart like no other artist ever has. His lyrics not only helped me through hard times, but saved me from myself at some points. He is finally at peace and is able to rest. "Heaven beside you". With sadness another great from a generation of talent has gone. It's better to burn out than fade Ray C Bannister, USA Drugs have killed a poet, an inspiration, and a friend. We will miss you Layne. I sink lower without your words to lift me up. AIC has been my favourite band for the past eight years, and I always hoped Layne had cleaned up and was just avoiding the pressures of the music industry to stay that way. But deep down I was always expecting something like this to happen. Yet the news of his death hit me so much harder than expected. I hope he is happy and at peace now, wherever he is. My condolences to everyone who knew and loved him. Layne: Although I'm in shock about your death and am truly saddened by this tragedy I will continue to show my dedication towards all that you stood for. I have never been good at coming up with words and this has left me speechless. Layne was an amazing singer and Layne and Jerry wrote some of the greatest songs I have ever heard. All I can say is I will miss him deeply. RIP Layne I didn't know him, but I do appreciate their great music, especially the track "What the Hell Have I", and somehow I am still touched by the loss of this man. His voice was amazing. Very sad. I had expected it to happen soon. But the news came as lightning on bright day. Mick Fitzsimmons, Scotland In 1993 when I received the album "Dirt" on my birthday I found my favourite album, my favourite band and my favourite singer. My greatest inspiration. Exactly 9 years later a friend told me on my birthday that Layne Staley was dead. Just at the same moment, the radio played Journey's "Who's crying now". A moment I will never forget. When I heard the news I was driving. I pulled over and tried to pick up the pieces. Layne, my association with you and your haunting, heart-wrenched vocals was intimate and will continue to be. You gave my Sweetheart and myself something so dear to share at our most intimate times. Stab me in the eye so many times to take this pain away. A thousand hurts. See you on the other side. Thank you for everything Layne. Having caught on to Alice late, I feel cheated that I won't get to experience any more of Layne's moving vocal performances. He was a very talented man and I hope his name is never forgotten. Rest in peace Layne. I still can't believe it, such a waste of talent. He gave us some wonderfully poetic lyrics and haunting melodies. I hope he's happier in the next life, for us, the fans, the music will mean so much more. RIP Layne. PV2 Gene F Parsons, USA Hardly a more honest and brave musician has been seen by our generation. Layne's music gave us visions of the whole of our humanity, including the darker corners we seldom admit or dare to investigate. He gave us a gift, and gave it nobly....it was his job to test the boundaries of human experience and report back faithfully what he found. Layne did it with skill and with heart. Rest well We've been hoping against hope that this day would never come, but in our hearts we knew that it would. My thoughts go out to the Staley family, Jerry, Sean, Mike and Mike, all Layne's friends and his legion of fans throughout the world. "I could either drown or pull off my skin and swim to shore" I think that is the best voice of the Seattle scene gone. I think that the modern rock scene, will cry for his death, at least I'll do it. R.I.P Layne, you were the best... Layne was one of the most passionate musicians of our time, his music, lyrics and life reflected that. Like Kurt your went out too soon and will be missed, but you'll live on in my heart forever R.I.P Layne - I will miss you. As I also miss Curt. You both inspired me so much to play and sing. Your Music was truly one of kind and gave me so much direction. You never wrote a bad song. Again I will miss you. Rest in Peace. Chris Roman, Romania Layne Staley was a great vocalist and made some of the best music I have heard in my life. Alice In Chains was one of my favourite bands and their music has always been very close to my heart. May Layne's soul rest in peace and may he find the peace and warmth to gratify his soul wherever he is. He will be missed forever. It is so sad that such an amazing talent has gone from our world - his beautiful voice and the beautiful lyrics of Alice in Chains songs have often made me melt, and will continue to for the rest of my life. My thoughts go to his friends and family, who must be feeling such desperation at this time. May peace find you all again one day, and I hope Layne has finally found the peace he never seemed to find in life. RIP Layne xx Alice in Chains remind of an era that was great in rock. He will be sadly missed as one of the great frontmen of rock and a great lyricists What can I say, another fallen brother to the hype and hysteria. First Jimmi, Stevie, now Layne. My idols, forever etched in time, but forever to be heard. When I heard the news my throat went dry and my heart raced, just the same way I was when listening to the Chains. Let the grief not last long, and let's celebrate in what we were offered. Life, love and thoughtful dreams for all the dark that lay in this world. You were always so far away, but I know that pain, and I won't walk away, like I used to do. Love forever. I feel so low. Another star is lost to the evil Heroin. AIC produced some great songs. Layne was part of something great that made a difference. RIP. Rest in peace Layne Staley: One of the biggest artists on this planet. I'm sad but he's not anymore... I believe in him and give respect to his decision... After giving all the beautiful examples of melodies and lyrics to us, he shouldn't be blamed for being a drug user. He was a true talent and he did what he wanted. You will live in our hearts forever. R.I.P Layne, thanks for being a part of my life. Growing up I often turned to your lyrics and music for inspiration. Sorry it had to end this way. You will be missed. My condolences to the family and the remaining members of Alice in Chains. Rest in Peace Layne....... We have lost the best voice of the rock music in the world. Go on singing' in my heart. Ario Xenios, South Africa It's a sad testament to our times that such an important musician died alone, unknown and unmourned by most people of the age I was when I was first touched by AIC's music. Let's hope future generations aren't so amiss. Layne's harmonies will forever be the sound-track to my teenage years. Good bye Layne, I wish it didn't have to end this way. Another great talent impaled on the end of a needle. Layne Staley.....what can I say...his voice was brilliant. It was truly something else. Alice in chains were truly something. Their music meant a lot to me, especially Nutshell which has so much truth in it. Stephen Ross, UK He will be truly missed. His haunting lyrics were mesmerising. I was lucky enough to have seen the band, an experience I will not forget. RIP Layne Pato Cuevas, Chile After learning about the death of Layne Staley I was deeply moved. Alice in Chains made growing up in the 90s far more enjoyable. He was a star with an abundance of talent and will be missed greatly. RIP. Layne Staley has got to be one of the best entertainers ever. Everything he sang and wrote about came from the heart. It was all real. He will be missed very badly. I think it's so sad that a man whose music was loved by millions around the world could die so alone. He will live on forever in his music. I would've been hard-pressed to hear worse news this past weekend. Layne was and asset to his fans and undoubtedly those who knew him personally. I'll never get to see my favourite band in concert, but this isn't about that, I suppose. I've lost my best friend to heroin, her body is still here, but she's not, and now my music idol is gone. Maybe, finally, Layne can find happiness, as painful as it is for us who remain here, I know that he's found a better place. My heart to the rest of AIC... John Wilkins, United States AIC was the first band I ever saw play live. They set the standard for every show I ever saw after that(hundreds). Layne influenced my music and I still hear new bands trying to imitate the way that he sang. You will be missed but not forgotten Layne. His voice was one of those very 'unique' voices that you could pick out if you tuned into a song midway through it. He was a talented musician, songwriter and vocalist. But, in the end, the addiction did him in. I was saddened, but not surprised. Heroin is not a drug that is very forgiving. Many heroin addicts seem to face a similar fate. Layne could not suppress his desire for the drug and it is sad - but he should have known better. Rest in peace, Layne. You will be missed. I feared the day I would hear that Layne had died and I'm sorry it had to come so soon. Chains will live on forever as well as Layne's memory. That's the greatest thing about music. I don't have the words to convey my sadness. All I can say is Thank You for the songs you left us, I'll listen to them every day. Some of the fondest memories of my teenage years are of me and my mates driving around in a beat-up old car, not going anywhere in particular, just driving. Empty fag packs and soda cans were strewn across the floor, springs popped out of the worn out seats and poked our legs as we drove over potholes and Alice in Chains was ALWAYS playing on the tape deck. Listening to AIC always takes me back to those long gone days. Thank you, Layne, for the music and the memories. Rest in peace. Layne and Alice In Chains were a true inspiration to young musicians, due to their dark, twisted melodies and powerful lyrics. Layne depicted all of his pain and frustration through his lyrics, and the music complimented his words perfectly. AIC and the world of music will not be the same for his passing. R.I.P. Layne and let your music and words be the teachings for many generations. Kent Moore, Canada Of all the Seattle bands, I loved Alice in Chains best. "Jar of Flies" remains for me the perfect early 1990s album, even though it is half the length of a full CD. Such a rich and distinctive sound! I am saddened by his passing, but also not surprised. I only pray that his death may help lead others to sobriety... Layne Staley and Alice in Chains changed the direction of music, along with Soundgarden, PJ, Nirvana and many others in the early days of the Seattle madness, that seemed to engulf all of us and twist pop culture into an entirely new face. They transcended all that 'grunge' hype by continuing to create some of the most memorable sounding music of any of the bands. His voice is haunting, a delicate line walking a balance between restraint and rage. I think I'm gonna throw on Mad Season and just sit back for a moment. Layne Staley had the most touching and poignant voice I've ever heard. His vocal talents inspired me to get into singing, and for that I'm very grateful. The world has lost one of the most unique-sounding voices of the last century, but his great legacy will certainly live on in his many fans. Great songwriter, great frontman and a great contributor to rock music. Will definitely be a loss for the music scene. "Into the flood again, same old trip it was back then." His harmonies with Jerry Cantrell on laments such as 'Down In A Hole' and 'Rooster' rate as some of the worthiest musical moments of the grunge era, and the Unplugged shows proved that along with Nirvana and Pearl Jam they were leagues ahead of their peers. I remember them from their beginnings as a band from my high school, and was so proud of their success. I didn't agree with the lifestyle choice that Layne made in regards to hard drugs, but I know that it was a integral part of the musical creativity that made them famous. I hosted radio shows for seven years and Alice In Chains were excellent to work with. You could slot them into any rock or metal show and they fitted into almost any set. I guess without Layne the sound will change. Reckon I'll stay with the old CDs. Rock on Layne. One of the greatest voices in rock, his lyrics and music with Alice In Chains have been an inspiration to a lot of people. The music will live on as a reminder of his talent which he shared with the world. Layne had such an amazing voice and sung with intensity. Layne and Alice In Chains were pioneers of a style of music that was totally unique and ultimately rewarding. One of the most influential vocalists ever to live! I think even the band could say this wasn't a surprise. Rest in peace, Layne! I will always have you in my ears! Layne Staley will be missed by us all, for his beautiful voice, and songs. I discovered Alice in Chains and Layne when I was about 13 and they are still a big influence on my own musical endeavours. It makes me so sad that all the good ones die so young. "Say hello to heaven" Layne. I hope your pain is over, thank you for the priceless nights spent with my beautiful wife listening. God bless. Had once seen life through your lonely eyes, will miss you... Ali I couldn't believe when my mom told me he was found dead. He's been a part of my life since the early 1990s, and I had always harboured the hope that I would get to see AIC in concert one day, and that I would see another album out of them. I even had a secret fantasy about meeting him and falling in love. :) I think I'm still in shock, and his loss hasn't fully touched me yet. I know so many people are in pain from this, and I will forever hold him, and his blinding honesty, close to my heart. The end of a disturbingly creative talent. Facelift (their first album) was a revelation. Dave Scott, Ireland Layne Staley...the music world has lost its greatest ever vocalist. R.I.P Layne. My sorrow goes out to all his family and friends. I can't believe yet another death from drugs in Seattle. I loved Layne, and I hope he is finally happy. What a voice. What a band. The unique dark view, the harmonies with Jerry Cantrell. Jar of Flies and Sap have to stand as among the 90s' finest works. RIP is all that needs to be said, one of the greatest has passed. Alice In Chains was the most underrated band on the grunge scene. Layne Staley was a true original. His dark, emotive lyrics and unique vocal warble made their albums amazing and their live performances even better. It is sad that his private life was so turbulent, ultimately leading to his untimely death. I will miss him. Layne, what happened man? Along with Kurt Cobain, you were my biggest inspiration, you had so much talent and you threw it away. Peace, respect and gratitude, may Alice in Chains live on. See you on the other side Layne. Matt BR> Matt Farrer, UK We knew this day would come, but always hoped that he'd be able to beat his addiction and produce more great music. Sadly it was not to be. Condolences to his family, friends and colleagues. He will be missed. Saddened by the loss. I enjoyed the music he wrote in Alice In Chains I saw them with Suicidal Tendencies in 1994, I think. I met him at a pub by himself whilst I was playing pool with my brother and a friend. He was a nice person who introduced himself before we approached him. He spoke openly about his drug habit to me. Addiction to such a substance would be very hard to live with. There's my tribute. I will continue to enjoy their music. Another loss to the music world. Layne was one of the greatest singers out there. His voice was so amazing and beautiful. He will be truly missed in the music world. Rest in peace Layne! You are finally free! A sincere fan This is a major blow to me... I've been into Alice in Chains for many years, but I missed their last gig over here because I was ill. I always looked forward to the day they would come back, but now that hope has gone. Layne - you were an inspiration to me and many other people. You touched us all with your music, and your legacy will live on. My thoughts and regards to the Staley family, Jerry Cantrell, Mike Starr, Mike Inez and Sean Kinney. Sorry to hear of the passing of Layne Staley. So much trouble in the world and here goes another talented individual with insurmountable trouble in his own soul. Sad to see you go, but now the weight has been lifted from you. I'm just in shock. When Kurt Cobain died, it was so unreal. I don't think anything ever hit me as hard as that, but I was wrong. Driving in my car, I was listening to Rooster on the radio, and after the song it was announced Layne was dead. I was numb. So many years I wanted to see AIC in concert, so long... and now I just wish Layne could be back in his house, avoiding the press. Peace with you Layne, when you died a piece of my heart went with you, for I think we are all battling those demons in different ways. "My wings have been so denied." Layne - you will be missed by us all. The inevitable finally happened and a void has been left in the world of music which no-one is fit to fill. A truly unique artist - his music will be his legacy. Alice never made a bad album. Rest In Peace. 21 Apr 02 \| Music Alice in Chains singer found dead Other Talking Points: Links to more Talking Point stories \|^^ Back to top News Front Page \| World \| UK \| UK Politics \| Business \| Sci/Tech \| Health \| Education \| Entertainment \| Talking Point \| In Depth \| AudioVideo To BBC Sport>> \| To BBC Weather>> © MMIII \| News Sources \| Privacy
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12686570	The Californian university where Google was invented is going to launch courses in London Pearson and Save the Children's emergency plan to help teach Syria's refugees University feeds 270,000 taking refuge from Boko Haram As South Sudan tries to get 400,000 back to school, more children are abducted Can Lithuania reverse the loss of its young and talented? Universities examine whether time travel could every be really possible France plans elite mega-university to enter global top 10 and compete with Silicon Valley University with a mission to defend democracy in turbulent times
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7874804.stm	Obese women should try not to put on too much weight in pregnancy A new study has underlined the high risks faced by obese women in their first pregnancy. Scientists at Kings College in London analysed data from the pregnancies of 385 first-time obese mothers. They found that obese women had higher rates of eclampsia and premature births compared to women inside recommended weight guidelines. Obese women were nearly twice as likely to give birth to a low-weight baby, weighing less than 5lbs 8oz (2.5kg). Experts say it is a huge issue for all maternity units in the UK. The researchers, who report their findings of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology study, also took blood samples taken from 208 of the women for further analysis. At birth, 18.8% of their babies were classified as having a low birth weight - they weighed less than 2.5kg. This compares with 10% of babies born to women of prescribed weight - known as the "healthy population". Babies who were deemed to be of a particularly large weight made up 13.4% of those born to the women studied, compared to 10% in a healthy population. Rates of pre-eclampsia were higher, with 11.7% of obese first-time mothers developing the condition compared to 6% of obese women with one or more previous pregnancies and 2% of the healthy population. The risk of pre-eclampsia increased according to how much weight the women put on in pregnancy. Premature births were almost twice the national average at 11.9%. The lead researcher, Professor Lucilla Poston of Kings College Hospital and St Thomas's Hospital, said: "The large proportion of small babies was particularly unexpected as obesity is more often associated with the birth of overweight babies. PREGNANCY RISKS FOR OBESE WOMEN "The high number of cases of pre-eclampsia found in this group was very concerning as this is a serious pregnancy complication which, in extreme cases, can result in maternal and/or foetal death. "We must now start to consider first-time pregnancy as an additional problem in obese pregnant women, who we know are already more likely than thinner women to have a complicated pregnancy." The risks associated with prematurity and low birth weight include brain damage, difficulty with breathing, learning problems and greater susceptibility to infection. Professor Postin said the reason why obesity causes these problems is not known but it's believed that insulin resistance may be the problem. Insulin resistance is when normal amounts of insulin can't completely breakdown sugar in the diet. "Normal pregnancy induces a mild form of insulin resistance and we know that obese people become more insulin resistant and that promotes diabetes, pre-eclampsia and macrosomia or bigger babies." The researchers say the women in the study had a high rate of Caesarean sections and warn that increasing numbers of obese pregnancies could make a major contribution to the rise in the number of caesareans in the UK. They also point out that the women stayed longer in hospital, 4.6 days compared to a national average of three days or fewer. Professor Jane Norman, professor of maternal and foetal health at the University of Edinburgh, said: "This study underlines and emphasises the pregnancy risks for obese women. "It shows that women in their first pregnancy run a particularly high risk and that the issue about obese women is not just their weight before pregnancy but how much weight they gain during it. "Obstetricians are just starting to wake up to this. "Previously their concerns were twin pregnancies, diabetic mums and older women." Professor Norman has set up a clinic for obese pregnant women at the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh. There are only two such clinics in the UK. They try to encourage obese women not to gain too much weight during pregnancy. Professor Norman said the extra costs of treating them were not just down to a longer stay in hospital: "We've had to buy in lots of new equipment in order to treat obese people properly. "New operating tables and even new blood pressure cuffs because the ordinary ones give wrong readings on an obese person. "This is a huge issue for all maternity units including our own." Mervi Jokinen, from the Royal College of Midwives, said: "Obesity is an issue that is becoming increasingly prominent in maternity care and midwives are aware of the complexities and potential problems that obesity brings into pregnancy. "We need to ensure that women get early access to a midwife so that she can get lifestyle and weight management advice as soon as possible, and that this continues throughout the pregnancy and after the birth of the baby. "This survey also reinforces the need to tackle obesity not just as an issue for maternity services but as a much wider public health issue, because this is a health problem that affects men as well as women and children as well as adults."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8628095.stm	Ryan Murphy (r) praised Glee stars Chris Colfer and Jane Lynch US musical TV series Glee has been named best comedy series at the Glaad media awards in the US for its positive portrayal of gay characters. Creator Ryan Murphy revealed that Kurt, played by actor Chris Colfer, would have a boyfriend in the next series and the pair would be school prom kings. He added that the gay character "would never be a victim" in the hit show. Director Tom Ford was unable to pick up best film for A Single Man due to flight restrictions in the UK. While the film-maker was stranded in London, partner Richard Buckley picked up the award in Los Angeles on his behalf. Another winner at the ceremony was actress Drew Barrymore, who was presented with an award recognising individual efforts to increase understanding of the gay community. In her acceptance speech, she paid tribute to a long list of inspirational gay people in her life, including her doctor, stylist and one of her dogs. Openly gay American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert performed at the event and made a plea for greater diversity in the gay community.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/cycling/7399050.stm	Cavendish is using the Giro as preparation for the Olympics Britain's Mark Cavendish won the fourth stage of the Giro d'Italia in a sprint finish in Catanzaro. Cavendish finished the 183km stage in four hours, 49 minutes and nine seconds to secure his first-ever Giro win. The Olympic medal hopeful passed Italy's Daniele Bennati and held off Germany's Robert Forster in the sprint. "This is my finest victory," the delighted Manxman said. "In terms of the sprinters' hierarchy I reckon I'm among the best." Liquigas' Italian rider Franco Pellizotti retained the overall leader's pink jersey. The stage victory was Cavendish's fifth in an event-filled season, adding to the gold medal in the madison in the Track Cycling World Championships in Manchester in March. The peloton caught up with Cofidis' Rik Verbrugghe, who had ridden 164kms (102 miles) in a solo breakaway, 20kms (12 miles) from the finishing line to sprint clear of his rivals. And the 22-year-old Cavendish timed his move to perfection, avoiding a home-straight crash before powering past the stage-three winner, Bennati. "It was the result of my team's work which kept me surrounded over the last 20km," said Cavendish. "The wind was blowing hard and Bennati went off at a good time, but I was able to follow him and overtake him. Cavendish becomes only the third British winner of a Giro stage, and the first in 21 years, since Robert Millar in 1987. Englishman Vic Denson was the first Briton to win a stage, in 1966. Wednesday's fifth stage is a 203km run between Belvedere Marittimo to Contursi Terme near Salerno. Stage four top 10 results: 1. Mark Cavendish (GBR/THR) 4hr 49min 9sec 2. Robert Forster (GER/GST) s.t. 3. Daniele Bennati (ITA/LIQ) s.t. 4. Assan Bazayev (KAZ/AST) s.t. 5. Mirco Lorenzetto (ITA/LAM) s.t. 6. Erik Zabel (GER/MRM) s.t. 7. Robbie McEwen (AUS/SIL) s.t. 8. Tony Martin (GER/THR) s.t. 9. Paolo Bettini (ITA/QST) s.t. 10. Koldo Fernandez (ESP/EUS) s.t. 50. David Millar s.t. 138. Bradley Wiggins, at two minutes six seconds 171. Steve Cummings, at 10 minutes 18 seconds 180. Geraint Thomas, at 10 minutes 52 seconds 190. Charly Wegelius s.t. Overall Standings (after 4 of 21 stages) 1. Franco Pellizotti, Italy, 16hr 41min 26sec 2. Christian Vandevelde, US, one second behind 3. Danilo Di Luca, Italy, at seven seconds 4. Morris Possoni, Italy, at eight seconds 5. Vincenzo Nibali, Italy, s.t. 6. Nicki Sorensen, Denmark, at 17 seconds 7. Kanstantsin Siutsou, Belarus, at 18 seconds 8. Paolo Savoldelli, Italy, at 19 seconds 9. Andrea Noe, Italy, at 22 seconds 10. Daniele Bennati, Italy, at 24 seconds 14. Andreas Kloden, Germany, at 28 seconds 17. Alberto Contador, Spain, at 30 seconds 18. Riccardo Ricco, Italy, at 33 seconds 23. Levi Leipheimer, US, at 40 seconds 76. David Millar, GB, at two minutes 14 seconds 117. Mark Cavendish, GB, at 11 minutes 18 seconds 137. Bradley Wiggins, GB, at 13 minutes 44 seconds 158. Steve Cummings, GB, at 18 minutes 18 seconds 160. Geraint Thomas, GB, at 18 minutes 47 seconds 164. Charly Wegelius, GB, at 19 minutes 43 seconds
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17074108	Whiff of scandal clouds Pope ceremony in Vatican - 19 February 2012 - From the section Europe Pope Benedict XVI's appointment of 22 new cardinals on Saturday took place amid an atmosphere of scandal-mongering, rumour and media leaks from inside the Vatican. The leaks concern alleged internal divisions and even malpractice among the senior bishops and cardinals at the heart of the Roman Catholic Church. Most of the new cardinals will have the right to take part in the election of Pope Benedict's successor. It was the fourth Vatican Consistory since Benedict was elected Pope seven years ago, and was held to bring the College of Cardinals to its full electoral quorum of 120, after deaths and age disqualifications depleted its numbers. It must be the world's oldest exclusively male club - the average age of members is 78. The Italian contingent grew to almost a quarter of the total - more than that of any other country and making it more likely that the next pope will be Italian, after the choice of a Pole and Benedict - a German - in recent decades. The Pope's Italian aide, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, has been instrumental in pushing Italians for promotion. Key appointments among the new cardinals are the Archbishop of New York, Timothy Dolan, and the Bishop of Hong Kong, John Tong Hon. Pope Benedict also announced that in October he will canonise the first Native American saint, a Mohawk girl called Kateri Tekakwitha who lived in the 17th Century. In the run-up to this Consistory it emerged that the Pope's current ambassador (nuncio) to the United States, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, had written to the Pope confidentially last March, alleging corruption, nepotism and cronyism inside the office where he worked. Nepotism is a word charged with heavy meaning inside the Vatican. For centuries popes were accustomed to appoint their own nephews as cardinals, sometimes when they were only in their teens. Archbishop Vigano's letter was leaked by an Italian investigative journalist during a TV transmission on the independent Italian Channel La Sette. The Vatican has not contested that the letter is genuine. Another leak concerns attempts by the Holy See to combat suspicions of money-laundering by the Vatican Bank. Published by the Italian newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano, which has consistently reported on alleged suspicious transactions at the bank, the document bears the signature of Cardinal Attilio Nicora. He heads a new internal committee tasked by the Pope with helping the Holy See comply with international banking regulations, aimed at combating international financial crime. The letter suggests serious divisions of opinion inside the Vatican over how best to prevent it becoming a fiscal paradise, a tax haven for dodgy commercial operations run by nominees who have no right to hold accounts at the Institute for Works of Religion (IOR). During the 1980s the IOR - the formal name of the Vatican Bank - was at the centre of a major international financial scandal which resulted in a loss for the Vatican of $250m (£158m). Vatican Bank accounts are supposed to be held only by religious orders and members of the clergy. The Vatican's own daily newspaper Osservatore Romano wrote in a recent editorial that officials who revealed sensitive internal documents were "wolves" and that Pope Benedict was ready to stand up to their "irresponsible and undignified behaviour". The Pope's spokesman, Fr Federico Lombardi, compared the leaks to America's Wikileaks scandal and said they were intended to show the Vatican and its central government in a bad light. The Pope himself appeared to refer to the poisonous atmosphere prevailing inside the frescoed halls of the Vatican this winter, when he told local Rome seminarians training to become priests: "There is a lot of talk about the Church, a lot of things being said. Let us hope there is also talk about our faith!" Money clearly preoccupies the men currently running the Catholic Church. A closed-door meeting of an internal Vatican watchdog finance committee this week formally expressed concern at the prevailing crisis, "which has not spared even the general economic system of the Vatican". While promising to "improve the administration of the goods and resources of the Holy See" the committee called upon the world's 1.3 billion Catholic faithful to dig deeper into their pockets to continue funding the Vatican.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4185909.stm	It is only recently that Germany has learned to celebrate what it is without losing sight of what it was. As a string of deeply symbolic 60th anniversaries approaches - from the liberation of Auschwitz to the end of World War II itself - the country is in an uncharacteristically self-confident mood. Taboos have been falling away. "It's never too late to be a Jew!" - is the motto of a couple at the centre of a new Jewish comedy set in Berlin, whose lives, in the words of one critic, "are about as kosher as a pork chop". The film, Alles auf Zucker! (Everything lands on Zucker) follows a hard-up non-practising Jew, Jaeckie Zucker, as he attempts to convince his Orthodox brother that he is, in fact, kosher - and thus eligible for an inheritance from his mother. Released in German cinemas this month, the film has been widely feted - hailed as an excellent comedy in its own right, but also as proof that the Germans are starting to trust themselves. "To portray Jews in a thoroughly everyday setting, where one can laugh with, or indeed at, them - this is a step that we have never taken in Germany," said the film's maker, Dani Levy. The eminent historian, Hans Ulrich Wehler, recently argued that Germany cannot, ultimately, take Auschwitz as the foundation of its national identity. Pluralism and tolerance A society cannot be built on the Holocaust, he said in an interview with Die Zeit. "We must draw on other traditions - for instance our pride in what the successful second German republic has achieved." And indeed, to express one's pride and affection for Germany - that modern, democratic republic - is no longer out of bounds. Stauffenberg was the subject of much celebration last year From Mieze, the 24-year-old frontwoman of the German band, Mia, singing "I am no longer a foreigner in my own land," to the country's president, Horst Koehler, declaring "I love our country", the hand-wringing about whether one could ever be proud to be German appears to have run its course. A fashion and lifestyle magazine can coolly dub itself Deutsch - a synonym, according to the publisher, for cosmopolitanism, pluralism and tolerance. And it was an increasingly self-assured Germany which felt able to oppose the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. It is the same Germany which is seeking a permanent seat on the United Nations' Security Council. Faces of the past There appears also to have been a subtle change in the way Germany perceives its past. Amid the general depravity of the Nazi period, figures have been found who one can legitimately celebrate without moral qualms. Recent calls to lift the ban on Mein Kampf were firmly rejected The courage of Germans such as Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg, who led a failed assassination attempt against Hiler, and the students Hans and Sophie Scholl, executed for distributing anti-Nazi pamplets at Munich University, are proof to many that even during the country's darkest days, "another Germany" was possible. And if Germans can resist as well as perpertrate, there is also a role for them as victims. The issue of German suffering during the Third Reich - long the preserve of the extreme-right - has been confronted head on in recent years by left-wing literary doyen Guenther Grass. Crabwalk, a novel which focused on the plight of the more than 8,000 German refugees who died when their boat was torpedoed by the Russians in 1945, became an instant bestseller when it was published in 2002. A year later, the liberal German historian Joerg Friedrich published Places of Fire, a book of photographs featuring the burnt and mutilated corpses of the civilians who died during the Allied bombing of German cities. It was controversial, but it reached the bookshops. Some observers have hit out at what they see as a rather unedifying scramble for victimhood status. Nevertheless, it is now acknowledged that German suffering during the Third Reich must also be accorded its place in the history books. But even if other angles of those 12 years can now be explored, the Nazi atrocities are not being forgotten. President Koehler hit headlines when he said he "loved" his country "In many senses there is a greater awareness of what Germany did now than there was after the war. The notion of collective responsibility - if not collective guilt - is very strong indeed," says Professor Etienne Francois of Berlin's Technical University. "This sensitivity is a key component of modern Germany, and it feels entirely appropriate. The fear however that this could happen again means that there is - to a certain extent - a lingering mistrust of people, and what they can do." The shadow of Nazi-era eugenics in Germany, for instance, has created some of the West's most restrictive fertility legislation, giving rise to rules which - with their emphasis on honouring life - can in some cases put the lives of both mother and baby at risk. German law currently does not allow couples to undergo preimplantation genetic diagnosis, which can detect genetic diseases in an embryo before it is transferred to a woman. In addition, embryos created cannot be frozen for use at a later stage - all must be transferred, regardless of their quality. This means that Germany has one of the highest rate of multiple births in Europe. Hitler's manifesto, Mein Kampf, meanwhile remains firmly verboten. Calls by the German Jewish author Rafael Seligmann last year for the restriction to be lifted were greeted by both ridicule and fury. Similarly, Germans were pointedly barred from picking Hitler or any of his henchmen in a televised nationwide poll on the greatest Germans, Unsere Besten - a series which in every other sense was seen as emblematic of Germany's growing self-confidence. History, as those who study it freely admit, has as much to do with the present as the past, and Germany's relationship with what happened during those years will continue to change. "There is no definitive relationship with Auschwitz," says Professor Wehler. "Every generation must work it out anew, for itself."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-26888042	Francis Brennan found dead after 'kidnap in Spain' - 4 April 2014 - From the section Liverpool A man allegedly abducted by three men posing as police officers when he fled to Spain to avoid jail in the UK has been found dead. The body of Francis Brennan of Anfield in Liverpool was found on a beach in La Zenia, Alicante on Saturday. Brennan, 25, who fled to Alicante in October to avoid being sentenced for an assault in Thames Valley in 2012, was last seen on 24 January. An investigation by Spanish police remains ongoing. Merseyside Police had been working with their Spanish counterparts the Guardia Civil and the National Crime Agency to trace Brennan. In February, his family appealed for information from people both in Merseyside and Spain about his whereabouts. They have asked to be left to grieve in private.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/8535531.stm	By Tara Mills Dr Paul Miller's website offers a range of services A psychiatrist and former adviser to Iris Robinson who claimed he could convert gay people to heterosexuality has been reported to the General Medical Council (GMC). Dr Paul Miller worked for Mrs Robinson when she was chair of the Health Committee at Stormont. A journalist who went undercover and received his therapy has now complained to the GMC. Dr Miller has a private practice in south Belfast. He trained at Queen's University and has worked in the past at the Mater and Craigavon hospitals. When Iris Robinson made her controversial comments about homosexuality in June 2008 he was working as her adviser at Stormont. Speaking on Radio Ulster, Mrs Robinson said: "I have a very lovely psychiatrist who works with me in my offices and his Christian background is that he tries to help homosexuals trying to turn away from what they are engaged in." On Dr Miller's website there is a range of services on offer - from helping children and families to dealing with trauma. But there is no mention of the gay conversion therapy. Patrick Strudwick said the therapy sessions were disturbing London-based journalist Patrick Strudwick is gay and wanted to investigate exactly what the conversion therapy involved. He posed as a patient and had two sessions of therapy via a webcam from London to Dr Miller in Belfast. "It was very disturbing because I was acutely aware during the sessions of the effect this would be having on a vulnerable young person had I been genuinely seeking treatment," he said. Mr Strudwick wrote about his experience in the Independent newspaper. He said Dr Miller told him that he had been wounded as a child which was why he was gay. Dr Miller suggested some unusual ways to deal with his feelings towards other men and he also spoke openly and explicitly about his own sexuality - something Mr Strudwick felt was totally inappropriate. "I felt disgusted and abused by his inappropriate sexual remarks during the sessions. To hear this from a psychiatrist during a session, it was like being sexually assaulted," he said. We put a series of questions to Dr Miller but he declined to comment. In a short statement he said: "I am currently responding to a complaint made to the GMC and it would therefore be inappropriate to comment at this time." Dr Miller is a former adviser to Iris Robinson In America some psychiatrists have had their licences withdrawn for carrying out this therapy. We asked the Royal College of Psychiatrists for their view. They said "homosexuality is not a psychiatric disorder" and people have "the right to protection from therapies that are potentially damaging". Patrick Strudwick wants the medical governing body, the GMC, to take action against Dr Miller. "I'm actually the first person in British history to try and get a doctor struck off for treating homosexuality," he said. "If Dr Miller is struck off, which I hope he is, this is a test case and will serve as a warning to other psychiatrists and mental health professionals attempting to do this." It is understood the GMC will discuss Dr Miller's case at the beginning of next month.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/low/dates/stories/january/16/newsid_2530000/2530475.stm	\|Search ON THIS DAY by date\| Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlevi and his wife, Empress Farah, left Tehran and flew to Aswan in Egypt. The couple's three youngest children were flown to the United States yesterday. Official reports say the Shah has left for a "vacation" and medical treatment. In fact, he was asked to leave by the man he appointed prime minister earlier this month. Over the past few months, there have been an increasing number of violent clashes between security forces and anti-Shah demonstrators. Opposition to the Shah has become united behind the Muslim traditionalist movement led by Iran's main spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini, from exile in France. There have been calls for the Ayatollah's return - and news of the Shah's departure was greeted with mass celebrations across Iran. British and United States' ex-patriates living in Iran - regarded as symbols of westernization - have been the frequent target of attacks. Thousands have left the country. Martial law was declared in many cities on 8 September. But later that month, industrial action by thousands of Iranian workers culminated in a mass strike by employees in the oil industry. The strike sparked riots and rallies across the country in support of the Ayatollah. Western governments, like the US, UK and West Germany, have continued to express support for the Shah. The Shah appointed a new military government in early November. But it failed to stem the rising tide of support for the Ayatollah. Earlier this month he appointed a new prime minister, Dr Shapur Bahktiar. When, on 13 January, the Ayatollah declared a revolutionary Islamic council to replace what he called the "illegal government" of Iran, Dr Bahktiar persuaded the Shah it was time to leave. The Shah never returned to Iran. He died in exile in Egypt in 1980. Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Iran on 1 February after 14 years' exile. He threw out Dr Bahktiar's government on 11 February and, after a referendum, declared an Islamic Republic on 1 April. Khomeini guided his country's revolutionary social, legal, and political development until his death in 1989. He presided over the country during the Iran/Iraq war, only reluctantly agreeing a ceasefire. He also issued a fatwa against author Salman Rushdie. Two decades later, liberals ushered in a period of transformation with their election victory in 2000 over the conservative elite. But reformist president Mohammad Khatami was at odds with hardliners, including the supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, and failed to make good on his promises. He was replaced by the ultra-conservative Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in June 2005. President Bush declared Iran part of an "axis of evil" in 2002. Washington accused Tehran of attempting to develop nuclear weapons,although Iran says its nuclear ambitions are peaceful. Tehran resumed its uranium conversion process in 2005, provoking a diplomatic showdown with the international community. \|Search ON THIS DAY by date\|
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/breakfast/3279767.stm	Natasha on her first week Natasha Kaplinsky presented her first Breakfast exactly a year ago. So how has it been? Though bleary eyed, she still found the energy to stay up beyond her bed-time to write us this: You'd think that after a year I would be used to my 3.20 am alarm call. I'm not. It is still as painful as it was the first time. Despite that - the year has zipped by. It's been a year of momentous events with the war in Iraq dominating the news. We've had the chance to interview some fantastic guests - from politicians to pop stars, authors to astonaughts, dieticians But the most memorable interview has to have been the chicken in the studio! Who knows that the next year holds. But you can be sure, we'll do our best here at Breakfast to keep you informed. There's still time to bid for Natasha's alarm clock in our online auction for Children in Need. You can also watch our eight-minute film, shot specially for the Breakfast website, which takes a look behind the scenes with Dermot and Natasha If you can't watch the film, read this... To prepare for the early starts, Natasha admits that she now goes to bed at 8pm each night. She gets up at 3.20am the following morning. The tight schedule leaves a little more than an hour for the presenters to read the briefs on the interviews they'll conduct during the programme - and to get themselves spruced up for TV. From 6am to 9am each morning, the presenters are on their own kind of journey, where almost anything can happen. That includes having to interview your own father, as part of a breaking news story - as Natasha discovered in May 2003. "That was definitely my worst moment," says Natasha. "I just blushed and I kept calling him dad," she says. "He was really cool and answered all his questions really efficiently like a proper journalist - and I just fluffed it." So - how to sum up the job of presenting one of the most fast-moving live TV programmes? Natasha says: "It's almost like going on a long-distance flight. You metaphorically strap yourself in with a seat-belt and say we're on air now."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5201196.stm	Genetically modified crops grown in the UK would have to be separated from non-GM fields by at least 35m (114ft), under proposals announced by ministers. Every country in the EU is undergoing a consultation on GM The measure is designed to minimise crop mixing should the European Union approve cultivation of GM crops. Other proposals that appear in the UK government consultation paper include a public biotech crop register. Pressure groups say the measures will not give consumers the choice of eating GM-free food. Sue Mayer of Genewatch UK said the proposals were designed to limit "contamination" of non-GM crops to 0.9%. European regulations mean that foods containing more than 0.9% of genetically modified ingredients have to be labelled as GM produce, even if farmers had set out to grow conventional varieties. "Under the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) proposals, GM contamination of non-GM crops would be the norm, and a genuine GM-free choice won't be possible," said Dr Mayer. "Another key question is the extent to which it is going to be possible to enforce and police any co-existence measures, particularly for crops such as oilseed rape which are grown on a large scale." No commercial GM crops are currently grown in the UK. The new proposals, launched by Defra on Thursday, seek to find ways to minimise unwanted mixing of GM and non-GM crops if and when the EU approves biotech varieties. Other EU countries are going through similar consultations. Defra's suggestions set minimum separation distances for any GM crops grown in England, ranging from 35m (114ft) for oilseed rape to 110m (361ft) for maize grown for human consumption. They are designed to minimise unwanted mixing of varieties by cross-pollination or the dispersal of seed. Defra is also seeking views on whether there should be a public crop register, and how to compensate non-GM farmers for any financial losses that might arise from the unwanted presence of GM material in their crops. Launching the report, environment minister Ian Pearson said the government's top priority was to protect consumers and the environment. "We have a strict EU regime in place which ensures only GM crops that are safe for human health and the environment could be grown in the UK," he said. "No GMs suitable for UK conditions have met this requirement so far, and today's proposals are not a green light for GM crops." But he said the government had a responsibility to be fully prepared if crops which met the safety criteria were developed and grown in the UK in future. "That's why strict separation distances will be enforced so that organic and conventional farmers don't lose out financially and people can make a choice between GM and non-GM products," he added. Some scientists are welcoming the consultation exercise. Professor Philip Dale from the John Innes Centre in Norwich, UK, a leading plant research centre, said various groups had been debating the issue for five years or more, so the principles were well understood. "Co-existence means exactly what it says; that different forms of agriculture will need to find ways of existing together," he said. "This not only raises issues around food crops mixing with industrial GM crops but importantly also raises issues around high-value industrial GM crops being devalued by mixing with food crops." Professor Guy Poppy of the University of Southampton said the consultation would allow the complexity of the situation to be considered. "It is important that farmers have a choice of options available to them," he said. "It is equally important that the public and other stakeholders can have their views heard and can choose how they want the land farmed." Defra is seeking feedback on the proposals by 20 October this year. The consultation paper applies to England only; authorities in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are responsible for developing their own policies.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/hi/scotland/newsid_9750000/9750292.stm	Chairman of VisitScotland Mike Cantlay told the Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee the Wining Years Strategy was less a strategy more of a "call to arms to industry" to take advantage of its eight themes, on 12 September on 2012. The Winning Years themes are: • 2012: The Olympics and Paralympics, the Jubilee and the Year of Creative Scotland and the Disney film Brave. • 2013: The Year of Natural Scotland. • 2014: The Year of Homecoming, the Commonwealth Games and the Ryder Cup Dr Cantlay said these themes were an opportunity for "blatant opportunism" and the tourism industry must focus on benefiting from them now and in the years to come. He said he hoped Scots become involved in tourism like never before as the industry should play a profound role in helping to move the Scottish economy forward. Air Passenger Duty (APD) was "just a hurdle we don't need" and "lunacy", according to Dr Cantlay. Malcolm Roughead, the chief executive of VisitScotland also gave evidence to the committee.
http://www.bbc.com/news/education-39479035	Half of teenagers 'never been in a theatre' Almost half of teenagers coming to annual free Shakespeare performances for schools have never been inside a theatre before, research suggests. More than 150,000 teenagers have been brought to Shakespeare's Globe in London over the past decade. But a study of the audience shows that for many of these youngsters this will be their first sight of a live play. The Social Mobility Commission heard warnings last week of "entrenched" inequalities in opportunities. There have also been warnings of social "segregation" in schools - with youngsters living close together but having very different experiences. "We hear from teachers that some London school students who come to the Globe, living only two or three miles away, have never seen the Thames before," said Georghia Ellinas, head of learning at Globe Education. "While some families take going to the theatre for granted, there are a great many who never go and their children don't even see inside a theatre, let alone a production." Despite most of these teenagers living in London, a survey of the audiences for school performances showed that 44% had never been to a theatre before. Last week, Education Secretary Justine Greening highlighted that social mobility remained a "really hard long slog" - and how some youngsters were cut off from opportunities to widen their horizons. The annual Playing Shakespeare project gives free tickets to state secondary school pupils for plays at the reconstructed Elizabethan theatre on Bankside - with 20,000 teenagers this year seeing The Taming of the Shrew. The audience survey suggests the gulf in cultural experiences. For some teenagers this encounter with Shakespeare was nothing unusual - with more than a quarter already having been to see other Shakespeare plays and just over half having been to a theatre before. But for 44% this was their only experience of seeing a play on stage - and their teachers talked about how such trips could overturn expectations. Danielle Bumford, head of drama at St Thomas the Apostle College in Peckham, south London, said it had "changed students' expectations from a rather negative view of Shakespeare". Ms Ellinas, head of learning at the Globe, said this was a way of young people getting to see Shakespeare if "theatre-going is not part of a family's cultural history". "Watching a performance with other people becomes a more visceral and vibrant experience. It is something every student should experience before they leave school," she said. The free tickets, worth £2m, have been funded by Deutsche Bank, and Nicole Lovett from the bank said that as well supporting teenagers' academic studies, such trips benefited "personal development and future employability". The Social Mobility Commission has investigated differences in access to cultural activities - seen as helping young people get into university or raise aspirations for jobs. It found that trips to the theatre, galleries, the cinema or the zoo were all more likely for wealthier families - with the likelihood of such visits rising and falling in a way directly linked to family income. The researchers were able to compare this data with cinema visits in the late 1960s. Going to the cinema in the 1960s was not particularly linked to social background - and the very lowest earners were more likely to go to see films than the families of top professionals. But the most recent figures show the cinema attendance is now closely related to income, with the wealthiest the most likely to see films.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/6159042.stm	By Mike Baker Education correspondent, BBC News Will the government's promised reform of the university admissions process ever actually happen? Last May, after much consultation, the government said it wanted to move to a system whereby students applied after they have received their exam grades, rather than on the basis of predicted grades as now. Ministers set a timetable of interim changes by 2008 and the introduction of a full Post Qualifications Applications system (PQA) by 2012. But already the expectations of substantial change are being massaged down by some of the key players in the reform process. Back in May, the government decided the best way forward was to make the higher education sector itself responsible for implementing change. In this, they were acknowledging the reality that universities are independent and enforcing change is not really an option. So the baton was passed to a "delivery partnership" representing universities and other bodies involved in university entrance. It has now formed a steering group, which is chaired by Sir Graeme Davies, vice-chancellor of the University of London. At a London conference this week, Sir Graeme surprised supporters of PQA by saying - in what he stressed was a "personal view" - that "the prospect of a full-blooded, 100% PQA system is unlikely". This was honest of him and there is no doubt that PQA is proving problematic. Despite strong support for the principle of post-results applications, the practice has proved divisive. Not for the first time, universities, colleges and schools cannot agree on the best way forward. At the same conference, the comments of the head of the universities admissions service, Ucas, proved instructive. Anthony McLaran said: "We have been bedevilled by excessive concentration on those three initials, PQA, in a way that does not do justice to the complexities of what we are trying to do. "If we focus only on PQA we will get polarisation and over-simplification." It seems we - and the government - are being prepared for a distinct lowering of expectations over PQA. Meanwhile there are signs of resentment from state schools, colleges and widening participation groups - which tend to favour PQA - that their voices are not sufficiently represented on the delivery partnership. The latter has just held its first meeting and produced its first progress report. The composition of its steering group has angered many because of the dominance of universities. Its 23 named members include just one representative of further education colleges and just three from schools. Some are shocked that two of these three schools are private, selective schools. Current university admissions are based on predicted grades Groups committed to broadening university participation, such as Action on Access, are not represented. So where is the delivery partnership heading? Its just-published first report is very cautious. It says the system will continue to be based on the grade predictions supplied by schools and colleges until 2010 when it promises to do no more than review the situation. It is also pretty cautious on the half-way house option that would allow students who get higher grades than expected to make new applications without jeopardising the conditional offers they already hold. It promises to present a paper in June 2007 for how this might work but makes no commitment as to when it might begin. Indeed it warns that the changes to the Ucas processes may require a "long-lead time for implementation". The one firm change, for implementation by 2008, is for A-level results to come out at least one week earlier than now. This in itself would make little difference, although it is a necessary pre-condition to other changes leading towards PQA. So, despite all the pressure for change, and the clear direction indicated by the government, there is relatively little hope of an early end to a system of university admissions based on predicted grades, 55% of which prove to be at least slightly inaccurate. The Higher Education Minister, Bill Rammell, has asked to attend the delivery partnerships' meeting early next year. The question is: Does he have the political will, and clout, to get them back on track for PQA? Please use the feedback form below to send us your opinions: The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-20586180	Animal test ban favoured by a third in BBC poll Almost one in three (31%) adults say the government should ban all medical research experiments on animals, according to a poll. The poll, on indications of public attitudes to animal testing, was commissioned for BBC Radio 5 Live. Some 70% say scientists should be able to use mice to research conditions like diabetes or Alzheimer's. ComRes interviewed 1,000 adults by telephone between 30 November and 2 December 2012. The findings of the ComRes telephone poll suggest that people's views on the use of animals for medical experiments vary, depending on which animals are involved. More than half of those questioned (56%) said they were more comfortable with the use of mice for research into diseases than they were with the use of cats, dogs and monkeys. Mice are used by scientists to research causes and treatment of various diseases, due to the similarity of their genetic make-up to that of humans. The latest Home Office figures show that nearly 3.7 million (3,685,127) animals were experimented on in UK labs in 2011, of which nearly 2.7 million (2,663,441) were mice. The remaining million were mainly other rodents, birds and fish, but included 153 cats, 2,865 dogs and 1,459 monkeys. Animal testing for medical research can only be carried out if appropriate licences have been granted by the Home Office, when certain criteria are met. The use of animals in scientific procedures is regulated by the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, which requires three licences - one for the person doing the research, one for the location and one for the project.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-23016059	Bramshott church bells silenced by bell-ringers' strike A group of bell ringers are refusing to ring their church bells in objection to Sunday services being started earlier. Bells are pealed from 30 minutes before the service and the bell ringers from St Mary's in Bramshott, Hampshire, say the 08:45 start will disturb villagers. The vicar is attempting to resolve the dispute which began earlier this month. Bells had been rung in the church every Sunday since 1784. Sunday service was brought forward from 11:15 to 09:15 to attract families. The Reverend Valentine Inglis-Jones said: "We're in discussions, we're hoping we can resolve it for the sake of our own people and the community. "I do think that God quite often calls people together who might not necessarily get on particularly well. "Conflict can quite often be the source of a deepening relationship." The current bells were given to the church by the widow of Boris Karloff, the actor best known for playing Frankenstein's monster. He lived in the village until his death in 1969, aged 81. The church's bell ringing captain, Toby Arkless was unavailable for comment.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-guernsey-25017463	Guernsey kerbside recycling to start in March Kerbside recycling collections will be rolled out across Guernsey in March, the Public Services Department has said. A spokesman said the two-year voluntary scheme would be free to households and provided by the current bin men. He said special bags would be delivered to households in which mixed recycling items, except for glass, could be put and left out like rubbish is now. The move is part of the waste strategy to recycle more and export the rest. In February 2012 the States agreed to introduce kerbside recycling as part of the strategy, which aims to achieve a recycling target of 70% by 2025. The spokesman said although participation would be voluntary, the department expected most islanders to take part. He said the £2.4m cost of the collection and processing charges over the two-year period would be funded from the revenue saved from waste charges at Mont Cuet. Remove the barriers Plans for a £1.3m trial in just three of the island's 10 parishes seem to have been shelved. Currently items such as plastic bottles, cartons, polystyrene and cardboard can be recycled through the island's bring banks - which has seen the island achieve a household recycling rate of 46%. Public Services Minister Paul Luxon said: "We have to improve the service provided to remove some of the barriers that prevent some islanders from recycling more, and help those who are not currently recycling anything to start. "Kerbside collection is important, as it will make recycling easier and more convenient. "Every additional tonne of material we collect at the kerbside or through the bring banks, is one less tonne going to landfill or requiring another costly form of treatment." Pick-ups will be on the same evening as a normal bin night with different materials on alternating weeks; paper and card one week and tins cans, plastic bottles and containers, foil and drink cartons the next. The spokesman said glass would not be included in the scheme as broken glass can make some other items unrecyclable. He said it could still be recycled at bring bank facilities and trials would be carried out during the scheme to see if it could be added. The department hopes to launch a full kerbside service, including the separate collection of food waste, in 2016. The collected materials will be sorted by private company Mayside Recycling, which is setting up a materials recovery facility to sort and process the various recyclables.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8180158.stm	Raul Castro offers US direct talks Cuban President Raul Castro says he is willing to enter into dialogue with the US but the island's communist system remains non-negotiable. Mr Castro said he wanted to respond to recent overtures by Washington. But in a speech that was given a standing ovation in parliament, he also emphasised that he had not been elected to return Cuba to capitalism. US President Barack Obama has said he wants to "recast" relations with Cuba but the US has also called for reforms. In his speech, Mr Castro acknowledged that there had been less aggression and anti-Cuban rhetoric under the Obama administration. He repeated Cuba's willingness "to sustain a respectful dialogue with the United States, between equals". But he also noted that a decades-old US embargo remained in place and said he wished to respond to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's comments linking dialogue with reform. "With all due respect, in response to Mrs Clinton, but also to the European Union... I was not chosen as president to restore capitalism to Cuba or to renounce the revolution," Mr Castro said. "I was elected to defend, maintain and continue perfecting socialism. Not to destroy it." Mr Castro, 78, stepped up to the Cuban leadership three years ago when his older brother, Fidel, underwent gastric surgery. He formally assumed the presidency last year. In his speech, he scoffed at those who say Cuba's political system will crumble after the "the death of Fidel and all of us". "If that's how they think, they are doomed to failure," he said. On the economic front, the Cuban president announced that the government had cut its budget for a second time this year amid a growing financial crisis. The government has recently pushed through a series of austerity measures and cut its projected economic growth estimate for this year to 1.7%
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11945558	Wikileaks: Australia FM blames US, not Julian Assange Australia's foreign minister has said the US is to blame for the release of thousands of diplomatic cables on Wikileaks, not its Australian founder, Julian Assange. Kevin Rudd said the release raised questions about US security. Mr Rudd said he did not "give a damn" about criticism of him in the cables. Mr Assange, arrested in the UK over sex crime allegations in Sweden, has accused the Australian government of "disgraceful pandering" to the US. Prime Minister Julia Gillard had earlier called Mr Assange's release of the cables "grossly irresponsible". Over the past two weeks, Wikileaks has released thousands of classified messages from US envoys around the world, from more than 250,000 it has been given. Washington has called their publication "irresponsible" and an "attack on the international community".'First class job' In an interview with Reuters news agency, Mr Rudd said: "Mr Assange is not himself responsible for the unauthorised release of 250,000 documents from the US diplomatic communications network. The Americans are responsible for that." The Australian government has found itself in the anomalous position of offering consular assistance to Julian Assange after his arrest in London, while at the same time being highly critical of his part in leaking sensitive US diplomatic cables. Julian Assange has written an opinion piece for The Australian newspaper which is scathing in its criticism of the Gillard government, accusing her of "trying to shoot the messenger". The case of Julian Assange is already drawing comparisons here with the detention of an Australian, David Hicks, at Guantanamo Bay. Hicks, who trained with al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, was found guilty of providing material support for terrorism by an American military tribunal. But he became something of a folk hero for many Australians, because of the widespread feeling that he was treated unfairly by the Americans after being detained at Guantanamo Bay without trial. Mr Rudd, the former prime minister who was replaced by Julia Gillard in June, added: "I think there are real questions to be asked about the adequacy of [the US] security systems and the level of access that people have had to that material. "The core responsibility, and therefore legal liability, goes to those individuals responsible for that initial unauthorised release." The White House has ordered US government agencies to tighten their handling of classified documents in the wake of the Wikileaks releases. Mr Rudd was dismissed in one leaked US cable as a "mistake-prone control freak". In cables published by the Sydney Morning Herald former US ambassador Robert McCallum said Mr Rudd made "snap announcements without consulting other countries or within the Australian government". The US was also angered at what it called Mr Rudd's "self-serving and inaccurate leaking" of a phone call with then US President George W Bush in which Mr Rudd was reported as saying: "Stunned to hear Bush say, 'What's the G20?'" Mr Rudd shrugged off the criticism, saying: "I'm sure much worse has been written about me in the past and probably much worse will be written about me in the future but frankly, mate, I don't care. Main Leaks So Far - Fears that terrorists may acquire Pakistani nuclear material - Several Arab leaders urged attack on Iran over nuclear issue - US instructs spying on key UN officials - China's changing ties with North Korea - Yemen approved US strikes on militants - Personal and embarrassing comments on world leaders - Afghan leader Hamid Karzai freed dangerous detainees - Russia is a "virtual mafia state" with widespread corruption and bribery - Afghan President Hamid Karzai is "paranoid and weak". Extent of corruption in Afghanistan - Chinese leadership "hacked Google" - A list of key global facilities the US says are vital to its national security - UK fears over Lockerbie bomber "My job's just to act in Australia's national interest as Australia's foreign minister. I don't, frankly, give a damn about this sort of thing. You just get on with it." Ms Gillard defended Mr Rudd, saying: "He's bringing [his] expertise to bear for the Australian nation and doing an absolutely first class job." Mr Assange has been highly critical of the Australian government's stance on the release of the cables. In an opinion piece in The Australian on Wednesday, Mr Assange accused the Australian government of "disgraceful pandering" to the Americans and of putting the powers of the government fully at the disposal of the US. In the piece headlined "Don't shoot the messenger for revealing uncomfortable truths", he says: "Democratic societies need a strong media and Wikileaks is part of that media. The media helps keep government honest." He adds: "The Australian attorney-general is doing everything he can to help a US investigation clearly directed at framing Australian citizens and shipping them to the US." Mr Assange has been refused bail by a court in London but has vowed to fight extradition to Sweden. He denies sexually assaulting two women in Sweden but was remanded in custody pending a hearing next week. Mr Assange's lawyer, Mark Stephens, has claimed the allegations are "politically motivated". On a visit to Serbia on Wednesday, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said there had been no contact with US authorities about the possible extradition of Mr Assange from Sweden to the US. The US has begun a criminal investigation and vowed to punish anyone found responsible for illegal leaks. No-one has been charged with passing the diplomatic files to Wikileaks, but suspicion has fallen on US Army private Bradley Manning, an intelligence analyst arrested in Iraq in June and charged over an earlier leak.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8684769.stm	By Hilary Andersson Salah's family provided this picture of him A man believed to have been transferred to the US-run Bagram detention centre in Afghanistan after being captured by British troops in Iraq in 2004 has become mentally disturbed, the BBC has been told. The prisoner, Younis Ramahtullah or "Salah" as his family calls him, was 21 when he disappeared. His family in the Gulf said he had gone to Pakistan to finish his studies and he was living with his uncle at the time. The BBC showed a photograph of Salah to Dr Ghairat Baheer in Pakistan, who was a prisoner in Bagram when two men who had been arrested in Iraq were brought there. Dr Baheer confirmed Salah was one of the men. "Sometimes he used to kick the cages with his head, and he was always in a temper and taking a lot of medications," said Dr Baheer. "There was one specific cage for mentally disturbed guys, they used to call it the 'mad cell', and those people are put together." After a nine-month investigation, British legal rights charity Reprieve tracked down the family they believed was Salah's in the Gulf earlier this year. The BBC was the first to visit the family and find out Salah's full story. 'Normal human being' Britain's Ministry of Defence says the two men captured in Iraq in 2004 and handed over to the Americans were members of an extremist Islamic organisation called Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). The British government has not confirmed their identities. Reprieve believe the second man arrested by the British and transferred to Bagram is Amanatullah Ali. Amanatullah Ali is believed to be the other detainee Dr Baheer said Mr Ali also had mental problems in Bagram, though not as severe as Salah's. "Anyone who got out as a normal human being, like me, it was a miracle, a blessing from God," said Dr Baheer. It is not clear if either of the two men were abused in US detention in Iraq prior to their transfer to Bagram. At the time prisoner abuse was rife in both Abu Ghraib in Iraq, and in the Bagram Theatre Internment Facility in Afghanistan. The US military had investigated the deaths of two men in Bagram in 2002. A 22-year-old taxi driver called Dilawar died after he was shackled to the ceiling of his cell and brutally beaten by US soldiers. Other former prisoners held in Bagram soon after it opened in 2001 say they were held in painful, stressful positions, prevented from speaking for weeks at a time and confined for periods in a small coffin-sized box as punishment. It seems the abuses tailed off after some of this came to light, and the Obama administration has tried to improve conditions in its new facility at the airbase, called the Detention Facility at Parwan. The BBC, which has been investigating detention at Bagram, came across no reports of systematic beatings or stress positions being used as punishment at Parwan. On the contrary prisoners are allowed exercise and the military has promised to start vocational training. However prisoners at Parwan are held in cage-like cells, which guards can see into from above. They are wheeled around in wheelchairs with blacked out goggles and headphones on. There are many solitary confinement cells and no clear limit on how long prisoners can be held in them. Elsewhere on the airbase, prisoners say there is a separate top-secret facility they call the "Tor Jail" - which translates as "Black Jail". The US Bagram airbase in Afghanistan houses a prison Many inmates said they spent time there before being transferred to Parwan. Prisoners who had been in the "Black Jail" complained of sleep deprivation, isolation and being held in small, cold cells where the lights were on 24 hours a day. The US military at Bagram has denied the existence of this facility and has said all prisoners in Afghanistan are treated humanely and in accordance with the law. They pledged to investigate all credible allegations of mistreatment. 'Safe and secure' Two former Bagram prisoners have told the BBC that British intelligence officers were aware that inmates were being abused at the main prison in Bagram well before 2004. Omar Dehayes and Tareq Dergoul said British intelligence officers interrogated them when they were held in Bagram in 2001 and 2002 and saw the terrible state they were in. The government strongly denied any involvement in rendition for several years, until the then defence secretary John Hutton apologised for misleading parliament. He made a statement acknowledging the transfer of two men from Iraq to Afghanistan in 2004. "In retrospect, it is clear to me that the transfer to Afghanistan of these two individuals should have been questioned at the time," he said. In a statement to the BBC, the Ministry of Defence said the two men captured in Baghdad in 2004 were being seen by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The prison at Bagram is now called the Detention Facility in Parwan "The ICRC has had access to them, and the US has assured us that they are held in a humane, safe and secure environment, which meets international standards," the statement reads. "They were lawfully transferred to US Forces, in accordance with normal practice." Salah's family insist he is innocent and while they cannot explain what he was doing in Iraq in 2004, they say he was a slight young man, who liked football and fishing and had no interest in politics. Salah's parents broke down in tears when they spoke to the BBC. His mother has hallucinations where Salah appears all over the house. "My sweetest son, where are you?" she said. "I wait for you every night to come back." Hilary Andersson presents on BBC Radio 4 at 1702 BST on Sunday 16 May and at 2002 BST on Tuesday 18 May. She will also appear on the Donal MacIntyre show on 5 live on Sunday 16 May at 2000 BST.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/6524495.stm	"Talking" CCTV cameras that tell off people dropping litter or committing anti-social behaviour are to be extended to 20 areas across England. They are already used in Middlesbrough where people seen misbehaving can be told to stop via a loudspeaker, controlled by control centre staff. About £500,000 will be spent adding speaker facilities to existing cameras. Shadow home affairs minister James Brokenshire said the government should be "very careful" over the cameras. Home Secretary John Reid told BBC News there would be some people, "in the minority who will be more concerned about what they claim are civil liberties intrusions". "But the vast majority of people find that their life is more upset by people who make their life a misery in the inner cities because they can't go out and feel safe and secure in a healthy, clean environment because of a minority of people," he added. The talking cameras did not constitute "secret surveillance", he said. "It's very public, it's interactive." Competitions would also be held at schools in many of the areas for children to become the voice of the cameras, Mr Reid said. Downing Street's "respect tsar", Louise Casey, said the cameras "nipped problems in the bud" and reduced bureaucracy. "It gets across the message, 'please don't litter our streets because someone else will have to pay to pick up that litter again'," she told BBC News. "Half a billion pounds a year is spent picking up litter." Mr Brokenshire told the BBC he had a number of concerns about the use of the talking cameras. "Whether this is moving down a track of almost 'scarecrow' policing rather than real policing - actually insuring that we have more bobbies on the beat - I think that's what we really want to see, albeit that an initiative like this may be an effective tool in certain circumstances. "We need to be very careful about applying this more generally." The talking cameras will be installed in Southwark, Barking and Dagenham, in London, Reading, Harlow, Norwich, Ipswich, Plymouth, Gloucester, Derby, Northampton, Mansfield, Nottingham, Coventry, Sandwell, Wirral, Blackpool, Salford, South Tyneside and Darlington. In Middlesbrough, staff in a control centre monitor pictures from 12 talking cameras and can communicate directly with people on the street. Local councillor Barry Coppinger says the scheme has prevented fights and criminal damage and cut litter levels. "Generally, I think it has raised awareness that the town centre is a safe place to visit and also that we are keeping an eye open to make sure it is safe," he said. But opponent and campaigner Steve Hills said: "Apart from being absurd, I think it's rather sad that we should have faceless cameras barking at us on orders from who? Who sets these cameras up?" There are an estimated 4.2 million CCTV cameras in Britain. A recent study by the government's privacy watchdog, the Information Commissioner, warned that Britain was becoming a "surveillance society".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7875134.stm	By Tim Franks BBC News, Jerusalem Some settlers want Israel to annex the West Bank It took several minutes before Benjamin Netanyahu was able to speak. On that bright afternoon, he had arrived at the City of David, the archaeological site in Jerusalem close to the Old City. It is a place which the rest of the world regards as occupied territory. Around Mr Netanyahu was a seething, noisy, bad-tempered mass of cameramen and reporters. They pressed in on him from all sides. Mr Netanyahu's PR representatives finally managed to persuade them to step back one metre. It was just enough space for the man whom most Israelis expect to be their next prime minister after general elections on 10 February to deliver his message. "[For] 3,000 years, this place has been the capital of the Jewish people. And a government of Likud will keep Jerusalem united, under Israeli sovereignty," he said. But history has shown that time and again, the Israeli right has indeed moved. To begin with, there was Menachem Begin, the first right-wing Israeli prime minister. Thirty years ago, he concluded a peace treaty with Egypt, which involved Israel withdrawing from the Sinai peninsula - a huge area Israel had conquered in the 1967 war. In the nineties, in his first tenure as prime minister, Mr Netanyahu agreed to hand over parts of the West Bank, and much of Hebron, to Palestinian control. Four years ago, Ariel Sharon took Israeli settlers out of Gaza. Neither of these withdrawals brought a peace deal closer. Indeed, both men won power, in part, precisely because they positioned themselves as rejecting the Oslo accords of the early nineties. And the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, the Labour prime minister who signed those accords, robbed history of discovering whether significant territorial concessions would have followed. What we do know is that the withdrawals ordered by Mr Netanyahu and Mr Sharon were reviled by those on the hard right. And, according to Silvan Shalom, deputy prime minister and foreign minister in the last Likud government, they exploded the myth of the left as the only partners of peace. "History shows us that the leftists never withdrew from an inch of any territory," he says, from his 29th-storey office in Tel Aviv. He adds quickly that he is not suggesting that the next Israeli government should now withdraw from any territory. "But I would like you to know that anyone who is trying to blame us, that if we come to power, there will be a confrontation with the Palestinians, they're absolutely wrong. History shows that we always have better relations with the Arab world and the Palestinians, than those coming from the left," he says. And what of those who have had to do the leaving? Amnon Be'eri is one of them: he marks, on a map above his desk, the point in the northern Sinai where he and his family spent his teenage years. The settlement of Yamit was home to about 2,500 people. Mr Be'eri says it was idyllic, "an amazing beach - wide, thick sand, tropical... the ultimate". For his Bar Mitzvah, his parents bought him a surfboard. But despite the attractions, he says that he and the rest of his family willingly left, when the the Sinai was traded in 1982 for a peace agreement between Israel and Egypt. Mr Netanyahu is leading the right-wing Likud party into general elections "At least in our family," he recalls, "we never regretted it. "I think it was a good price to pay for peace. Egypt was the largest and strongest enemy of Israel, and since the withdrawal from the Sinai, it's a very reliable and stable border." The sense of certainty that the right will win this election runs across Israel, and into places such as Ofra, one of the longest-established settlements in the West Bank. You might expect that the settlers here would be delight at the apparent resurgence of the right. But Yisrael Harel, a former chairman of the settlers' association, is not celebrating. His dream, and that of other ideological settlers, that the Israeli government will announce the annexation of the West Bank, remains distant, he says. Indeed, he has a warning, which he delivers only slightly tongue-in-cheek. "Historically, only leaders from the so-called right have made territorial concessions. So paradoxically - although for me it's not a paradox, because no leader of the left will dare to do it - those who are pro-concessions to the Arabs should vote Netanyahu." Which is not to say that Mr Netanyahu, should he become prime minister, would be about to withdraw from the West Bank. Peace with Syria? But further north, there are the Golan Heights. The Golan is not part of historic Palestine; rather, it was conquered from Syria in the war of 1967. And as Tom Segev, one of Israel's foremost historians, points out, should the Americans be keen to push a peace deal with Syria, Mr Netanyahu might be receptive. "Netanyahu is a man who thinks America, he grew up in America," says Mr Segev. "He may well go for a whole new strategy of moving Syria away from Iran. And in that context he may well go for a peace agreement that inevitably would involve the withdrawal of Israelis from the Golan." Likud insists that withdrawal from anywhere is not part of its platform. A peace deal with Syria would mean a withdrawal from the Golan Heights And all the signs are that Israel has shifted to the right, in large part because many Israelis no longer believe further peace agreements are a serious prospect. But leading Israeli statistics expert Prof Camil Fuchs says that, while there may currently be majorities against withdrawing from the West Bank or the Golan, or the division of Jerusalem, these majorities may be soft, particularly when it comes to negotiations with Syria. "In terms of the Golan, today the public opinion is against withdrawal," he says. "But I don't believe there is a strong opposition if there is a real peace deal with Syria." Prof Fuchs draws a comparison with the failure of Israel's unilateral withdrawal from Gaza to bring peace. "If you do an agreement with Syria, Syria will be behind this treaty, and they are not going to open fire," he says. Whatever the outcome of this election, few Israelis are predicting significant diplomatic shifts any time soon. But Israeli history has shown that negotiating deals and granting concessions is not just the preserve of the left.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17655223	Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall given honour by Queen The Duchess of Cornwall is being honoured for her personal services to the Queen. Camilla has been made a Dame Grand Cross, the highest female rank in the Royal Victorian Order. It comes on the day of her seventh wedding anniversary to Prince Charles. Fiona Trott reports.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25514579	Turkey ministers Caglayan, Guler and Bayraktar resign amid scandal - 25 December 2013 - From the section Europe One of three Turkish cabinet ministers who have resigned over a corruption scandal, Environment Minister Erdogan Bayraktar, has urged Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to step down. Mr Bayraktar, Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan and Interior Minister Muammer Guler quit after their sons were taken into custody. All three deny any wrongdoing. Police are investigating allegations of illicit money transfers to Iran and bribery for construction projects. All three ministers had appeared with Mr Erdogan in front of a crowd of supporters on Tuesday night on his return to Esenboga airport in Ankara from a trip to Pakistan. In a telephone interview with NTV television, Mr Bayraktar complained of being put under pressure to resign by Mr Erdogan. He insisted that "a great proportion" of construction projects that were under investigation were approved by the prime minister himself, adding: "I want to express my belief that the esteemed prime minister should also resign." In a further blow to Mr Erdogan, MP and former interior minister Idris Naim Sahin said he was resigning from the ruling AK Party. Mr Erdogan was reportedly meeting the president late on Wednesday with details of his new cabinet. 'Cash in shoe boxes' The sons of Mr Caglayan and Mr Guler, along with the chief executive officer of the state-run bank Halkbank, are among 24 people who have been arrested on bribery charges. Mr Bayraktar's son was detained as part of the inquiry but later released from custody. Media reports say police seized $4.5m (£2.75m; 3.29m euros) in cash that was stashed in shoe boxes in the home of the bank's CEO, while more than $1m in cash was reportedly discovered in the home of Mr Guler's son, Baris. Mr Erdogan has denounced the corruption probe as a plot by foreign and Turkish forces to discredit his government ahead of local elections in March. But he said his ruling party would not try to sweep the allegations under the carpet. "The AK Party does not overlook or tolerate corruption. If it does, it will have removed its raison d'etre," Mr Erdogan told a meeting of his party in the capital, Ankara. Commentators believe the scandal stems from a power struggle between Mr Erdogan's government and an influential US-based Muslim cleric, Fethullah Gulen, who is said to have many followers within Turkey's police and judiciary. Mr Gulen, who has denied any involvement in the investigation, left Turkey in 1999 after being accused by the then government of plotting to establish an Islamic state. He was cleared of that charge but has never returned to Turkey and now lives in Pennsylvania. The government has dismissed dozens of police officials who were either involved in the investigation or thought to be linked to Mr Gulen. Journalists have been prevented from entering police buildings, leading to claims that the government is trying to impede the investigation. The opposition had long called for Mr Caglayan and Mr Guler to resign, saying they should not remain in positions where they would be able to influence the investigation. As he resigned on Wednesday, Mr Caglayan questioned the legitimacy of the investigation. "It is clear that the operation is a dirty conspiracy against our government, our party and our country,'' he said in a statement. "I am leaving my position at the economy ministry to spoil this ugly plot, which has involved my colleagues and my son, and to allow for the truth to be exposed.'' Mr Guler told reporters on Tuesday that he was the victim of a political plot and that there is nothing his family could not account for. He also said alleged wiretap recordings of a conversation with his son - reportedly used as evidence by police for the arrests - were tampered with, and that the cash discovered in his son's house was money earned from the sale of a villa.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/basketball/5290316.stm	The United States produced a ruthless display to defeat Australia 113-73 and reach the quarter-finals of the World Basketball Championship in Japan. Anthony was the United States' top scorer Carmelo Anthony scored 20 points, Joe Johnson 18 and Dwyane Wade 15 as the Americans set up a clash with Germany. Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki scored 23 points as Germany held off a late Nigeria surge to win 78-77. France also advanced to the last eight with a 68-62 victory over Angola and now face Greece, who beat China 95-64. All 12 United States players scored in their comprehensive victory while the defence allowed Australia just two baskets and six points in the second period. The Americans, leading by 27-23 after the first quarter, outscored Australia 18-1 to secure a 45-24 lead. "That goes to show that when we really get focused and play defence, we can do some damage," said Anthony. The Americans have passed 100 points five times in six matches so far in this year's championship as they seek to regain the title. "They are definitely the most talented team in the tournament," said Australia's Andrew Bogut, who plays in America for Milwaukee Bucks. Second round results (Sun): Germany 78-77 Nigeria United States 113-73 Australia France 68-62 Angola Greece 95-64 China Tuesday 29 August: Argentina v Turkey Spain v Lithuania Wednesday 30 August: France v Greece Germany v United States
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-18640134	Beaumaris pier on Anglesey is reopened after revamp - 29 June 2012 - From the section North West Wales The pier in Beaumaris on Anglesey is being officially reopened on Friday following refurbishment. It has been upgraded as part of a £5.6m Anglesey Coastal Environment Project to improve facilities along the island' s coastline. Work done includes strengthening the timber supports and replacing the existing decking. Anglesey council leader Bryan Owen said Beaumaris was the island's busiest tourist destination. "The pier is an important draw for the island, and this work will help capitalise on the pier's economic contribution to the local and regional economy, both now and in the future," he added. 'Pile of matchwood' Beaumaris councillor Richard Owen said the pier was previously in such bad condition boats were not able to land there properly. "Because of health and safety too they would have had to shut the old pier," he added. Town councillor, and boat user, Stan Zalot, said the refurbished pier was not as "aesthetically" pleasing as the old one, but "practically it works, and that's what's important as otherwise we'd have been out of business and this town would have been down the tubes". Mr Zalot said there had been some comments about the new pontoon structure which goes up and down with the tide at the end of the pier. "A lot of people say it detracts from the beauty of the area, but the point is you've got to have employment and beauty and employment sometimes don't go together. "It's necessary that we have a safe structure, and if something had not been done in the next two years then the pier would have been a pile of matchwood on the sea bed," he added. Alun Davies, the deputy minister for agriculture, food, fisheries and European programmes, will carry out the official reopening. He described the structure as a "historical landmark". "I am confident this scheme will demonstrate there are significant economic opportunities to be gained for businesses and tourism from Wales' coastline," he added. As well as the official opening on Friday a 'Party for the Pier' event is being organised by Beaumaris Chamber of Trade and Tourism for Saturday.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-20886192	Battle over plan to cap benefits ahead of Commons vote - 2 January 2013 - From the section UK Politics It is unfair for benefits to rise at a faster rate than wages, the work and pensions secretary has said ahead of a key Commons vote on capping benefits. Figures highlighted by Iain Duncan Smith show jobless benefits rose 20% in the last five years, compared with an average 12% rise in private sector pay. He said benefits should no longer automatically increase with inflation. But Labour opposes the cap and said jobseekers allowance had failed to keep pace with wages over the past 10 years. MPs are due to debate legislation on Tuesday which is designed to break the link between benefit rises and inflation. Instead there will be a three-year cap of 1% - which is below the expected rise in the cost of living - on most working-age benefits and tax credits for three years from 2013/14. Child benefit, housing benefit and universal credit will be capped for two years from 2014/15. Labour, which will fight the 1% cap, says that jobseekers allowance has risen by 32% over the past decade, whereas wages have gone up by 36%. These are not new figures from either the government or the Labour Party. BBC political correspondent Ross Hawkins said: "Both sides know it's vital for them to persuade the public at large that they have got this right." Chancellor George Osborne told MPs in his Autumn Statement last month that the incomes of those on out-of-work benefits had risen "twice as fast as those in work" over the last five years. Mr Duncan Smith said that working families had been tightening their belts after years of pay restraint while watching benefits rise - and that, he said, was not fair. Increases had cost the taxpayer £6.3bn since the start of the 2008 recession, he said. "The welfare state under Labour effectively trapped thousands of families into dependency as it made no sense to give up the certainty of a benefit payment in order to go back to work. "This government is restoring fairness to the system and universal credit will ensure it always pays to be in work." Shadow work and pensions secretary Liam Byrne said cuts to tax credits had pushed millions of working families into poverty and now meant thousands of part-time workers were "better off on benefits". Mr Byrne told BBC Radio 4's The World at One: "The lion's share of the savings from this bill will actually come from people's tax credits - on top of the £14bn that has already been carved out of tax credits, this bill is going to take about another £4bn out. "Now that's going to hit hard-working people very hard and at a time when you're giving a £40,000 tax break to Britain's millionaires, that just doesn't seem justified." He said Labour would reverse the cut in the top rate of income tax from 50p to 45p. But Conservative Party chairman Grant Shapps told the same programme the top rate tax cut was a "red herring" and pointed to the removal of millions of people on lower pay from income tax. He said taxpayers should not feel that they are having to pay for people on benefits to get a higher increase than people actually working. "This is an argument about fairness and what Labour need to work out is if they're going to say: 'Well, we don't agree with this, we think that these benefits should carry on going up twice the speed of average earnings'. That's fine. How are they going to pay for it?" As tensions rise ahead of the vote next week, Lib Dem leader and deputy PM Nick Clegg also entered the debate, telling The Times that Labour was "learning the tricks of opposition" but "to oppose everything is to offer nothing and the country will not be duped". He said opposing the 1% benefits cap meant Labour "believe welfare claimants should see a bigger rise than the 1% that public sector workers will get on their wages - which they support".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/breakfast/3197562.stm	Last Updated: Friday, 17 October, 2003, 14:06 GMT 15:06 UK Talking Teenagers: Advice and information Throughout the week we'll be talking to and hearing from many organisations that work with teenagers and parents as well as providing support. We've arranged this special list of contacts complete with web links and a brief description of what each organisation does. Just click beneath each organisation's heading to go straight to their website. We've also put together some advice of our own to help parents and teenagers alike, Tips for parents and teens Try not to get narked with your parents over strict rules - they just care Confide in your parents, they'll trust you more if you trust them Keep an open mind and listen to what your parents say - respect works both ways too Teenagers are not always wrong, so hear them out and take what they say seriously Don't be scared to reach a compromise - your teen will respect you for it Parents: do say a firm 'no' when you need to, and be consistent Keep a sense of humour and hear your teenagers out Remember your own teenage years, but also ask yourself how you'd have been in today's world Remember, your parents love you Don't leave your parents out of you life - keep talking Try things their way, at least occasionally For Wednesday's programme, we've put together a shorter list that specialises in sex and relationships: Parentline Plus is a charity offering information, courses and support to anyone parenting a child, parents, step-parents, grand parents and foster parents. Freephone help line 0808 800 2222. Family Planning Association Or you can call 0845 310 1334 Advice for under 18s Also has confidential Sexwise helpline 0800 28 29 30 A new CD-Rom developed by Sense Interactive CDs and the National Children's Bureau aims to bridge the gap between children and their parents on the subject of sex and relationship. This aims to offer advice in a fun, interactive format. Complete list of contacts BBC Talking Teenagers Talking Teenagers website with links to Teens and Parents Panels for advice. BBC Video Nation Video Nation has been working with Teenagers from a variety of backgrounds to find out what they have to say. Teenagers talking about what they wear, how they spend their spare time and their achievements are contrasted by their parents points of view. One parent can't understand why his daughter wants him to wait to open her exam results while another jumps with joy when her son arrives home with his. For more Video Nation links, click below. BBC Text Challenge ChildLine is the free national help line for children in trouble or in danger. Also produces leaflets and information on child-related issues. Children and young people can call the help line on 0800 1111 about any problem, at any time - day or night. The Child Psychotherapy Trust National voluntary organisation promoting healthy emotional development and understanding of the principles of child and adolescent psychotherapy. Offers life coaching for troubled teens, parents and teachers. National Children's Bureau NCB promotes the interests and wellbeing of all children and young people across every aspect of their lives. The Bureau encourages young people to participate in matters affecting them and operates a youth arm Young NCB. National Council for One Parent Families Works to promote the welfare of lone parents and their children. Runs a lone parent help line 0800 018 5026 and provides a range of information. Children's charity providing a wide range of support services to families, young people and children including sex education for parents and teens. The National Family and Parenting Institute The National Family and Parenting Institute (NFPI) is an independent charity working to support parents in bringing up their children. Newpin is a voluntary organisation working with families to help break the cycle of destructive family behaviour. Parents at Work A national charity which aims to help children, working parents and their employers find a better balance between responsibilities at home and work. Offers information, advice and support on all aspects of lesbian and gay parenting. Shape is a coalition of children's charities which aims to set the record straight about young people and crime. The Trust for the Study of Adolescence Formed to help improve the lives of young people and families by carrying out research, distributing information and raising awareness of the needs of young people. A national charity working to promote the mental health of children and young people and to encourage the provision of comprehensive child and adolescent mental health services. National drugs information and helpline: 0800 776 600
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/6602043.stm	Doctor Who will go head to head with its spin-off Torchwood as it looks to clean up at the Bafta Cymru awards for the second year running. Doctor Who will go head to head with its spin-off Torchwood The first series of the sci-fi drama featuring the Time Lord scooped five awards at last year's ceremony. This year the programme has been nominated for 13 awards, and crime thriller Torchwood nominated for eight. ITV Wales' The Aberfan Disaster is one of the channel's eight nominations, with S4C amassing a total of 38. The nominations for Doctor Who and Torchwood - both made by BBC Wales - feature heavily in the craft, production and performance categories. They will compete with each other in a number of categories, including best drama series, which also includes BBC Wales' Belonging. Leading actors from the three programmes will battle for the title of best actor, with the most recent Time Lord, David Tennant, Torchwood's John Barrowman, and Belonging's Charles Dale making up the nominees. Leading actresses from the two sci-fi programmes will also compete for the title of best actress. John Barrowman and Eve Myles have been nominated for awards The category features Billie Piper, for her role as Doctor Who's assistant Rose, alongside Torchwood's leading lady Eve Myles and Beth Robert for her role in the S4C drama Con Passionate. Doctor Who first returned to our screens in 2005 after 16 years out of production, with Christopher Eccleston in the lead role as the Time Lord. As well as best drama series, the programme won prizes for the best drama director, as well as awards for costume, make-up and photography direction at the 2006 Bafta Cymru awards. Its lead writer and executive producer Russell T Davies was also honoured with the Siān Phillips award for his outstanding contribution to network television. Torchwood has also proved a ratings hit with the first episodes screened last October scoring record viewing figures. The series follows a team of investigators solving alien and human crime and is aimed at an adult audience. Elsewhere, BBC Wales' Taro Naw has been nominated for its programme Plant Chernobyl, in the category for best current affairs, which also includes ITV Wales' Y Byd Ar Bedwar. BBC Wales has also been nominated for its live coverage of the opening of the Senedd. The 16th Annual Bafta Cymru Awards ceremony will hosted by Rhodri and Lucy Owen, in the Cardiff International Arena on Saturday.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/welsh/3539645.stm	The Scarlets scorched to second in the league with a bonus-point win over a second-string Edinburgh at Stradey. Scarlets (28) 47 Tries: S Finau, B Davies (2), A Gravelle, C Wyatt (2), M Watkins Cons: G Bowen (6) Edinburgh (5) 12 Tries: M Clapperton, T McGee Con: A Munro Long-range tries from Salesi Finau, Barry Davies (2) and Tal Selley secured the bonus point within half an hour. Second-half scores followed for Chris Wyatt (2) and Matthew Watkins, Gareth Bowen kicking 12 points, but prop Phil John suffered a suspected broken ankle. Hapless Edinburgh could only manage consolation tries from Malcolm Clapperton and Tom McGee. It was clear the Scots were in for a tough night in the fourth minute when Mike Phillips broke from the back of a scrum on His pace and power took him clear of the back row to feed Finau, the Tongan wing celebrating his return from suspension with an easy try under the posts. In-form Wales-reject Watkins created the second score, the centre using his speed to drift past the midfield cover before sending Davies on a clear run to the line. Watkins' centre partner Selley made the next try, cutting the defence with a classy break before feeding Gareth Williams who sent hooker Gravelle in under the posts. The fourth try and bonus point came on the half hour, Bowen breaking from deep in his own half before delivering Davies' second score on a plate. The Stradey party was spoilt soon after with young loosehead John being carried off after suffering his injury. Phil John suffered a suspected broken ankle The long interruption in play helped Edinburgh to regather and wing Clapperton caught the Scarlets cold to cross for his side's opening try wide on the left. It was still a comfortable 28-5 lead for the home side at the break, and Wyatt soon got them rolling in the second half, using his strength to burst through some weak tackling for the fifth Scarlet try. Watkins then celebrated his first game as Scarlets captain by easing past paper-puff midfield tackling for his try. With five minutes to go, Wyatt added his second from a short-range charge. The visitors had the final word, though, replacement prop Tom McGee racing over for a try with the last move of the match. Scarlets: Davies, Evans, Selley, Watkins, Finau, Bowen, Phillips, John, Gravelle, Davies, Jones, Wyatt, Lewis, Williams, Hodges. Replacements: Maddocks, Yelland, Cooper, Boobyer, Burn, Thiel, Rees. Edinburgh: Hugo Southwell, Craig Joiner, Marcus Di Rollo, Matt Dey, Malcolm Clapperton, Ander Monro, Graeme Burns (capt), Ramin Mathieson, Dougie Hall, Joel Brannigan, Nathan Pike, Alastair Kellock, Andrew Dall, Simon Cross, Craig Harrison. Replacements: Carlo Di Ciacca, Tom McGee, McIntosh, Ben Fisher, Rory Lawson, Rory Couper, Alistair Dickson. Referee: David McHugh (Ireland).
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-23495294	Ramadan: When should children start fasting? 29 July 2013 Last updated at 17:45 BST Millions of Muslims around the world are observing the holy month of Ramadan. It is compulsory for adults to fast, unless they are sick, pregnant, breast-feeding or travelling. But at what age should children start? Usually they begin at puberty, but some Muslim parents have been encouraging even younger children to fast. BBC Africa's Zuhura Yunus met up with an East African family in London to find out about a 10-year-old girl's experience. For more African news from the BBC, download the Africa Today podcast.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6138710.stm	The grave of Russian literary giant Boris Pasternak, author of Dr Zhivago, has been desecrated by vandals. Keira Knightley and Hans Matheson starred in a TV version of Dr Zhivago Wreaths taken from around the cemetery were set alight on top of the writer's gravestone, Russian TV reported. Pasternak's daughter-in-law, Natalya, said she feared the monument, which features a sculpture of the writer, could be lost forever. Pasternak won a Nobel Prize for Dr Zhivago in 1958, but rejected it under pressure from the Soviet government. The epic novel tells the story of a Russian poet and his lover during the 1917 Bolshevik revolution and its cruel aftermath. Soviet censors refused to allow publication of the novel, but it eventually appeared in Italian and English translations. A Hollywood adaptation of the story, starring Omar Sharif and Julie Christie, won five Oscars in 1966. Doctor Zhivago was not published in Russia until 1988 and Pasternak was posthumously recognised for writing a masterpiece. He died in 1960. A 2002 TV mini-series based on the novel and starring Keira Knightley was eventually shown in Russia. Pasternak's summer house, or "dacha", is visited by thousands of local and foreign tourists each year. His grave is in a cemetery in the famed writers' retreat of Peredelkino outside Moscow. Workers said several other graves at the cemetery were damaged in the attack.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8591319.stm	By Jonathan Marcus BBC diplomatic correspondent Nato chief wants to 'move forward' on defence Nato chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen has called for a new missile defence system that would protect the US and its allies, and include Russia as well. Mr Rasmussen said the threat of missile proliferation was real and growing and, in cases such as Iran, these missiles could threaten Nato territories. He said missile defence could bring Nato and Russia together. Mr Rasmussen was speaking at the Brussels Forum - an international gathering in the Belgian capital. The Nato secretary general said he saw a new Euro-Atlantic missile defence system, as he called it, as more than just a means of defending Nato countries against ballistic missile attack. Mr Rasmussen clearly believes that such a system could re-invigorate not just the European allies' relationship with the US but also Nato's whole relationship with Russia. "It would be an opportunity for Europe to demonstrate again to the United States that the allies are ready and willing to invest in the capabilities we need to defend ourselves," he said. But he also argued that such a step would create a new dynamic in European security. It would be a strong political symbol that Russia is fully part of the Euro-Atlantic family, he said. It's a bold proposal. The US has tried to draw Russia into its missile defence plans with very limited success. Moscow tends to see the proposal as ultimately undermining its own nuclear deterrent. But Nato as a whole is increasingly interested in such defences and looks set to go ahead with them with or without Russia on board.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4514399.stm	Patients should be refused treatment because of their age in some cases, government advisers have proposed. Campaigners are against age discrimination in the NHS Where age can affect the benefits or risks of treatment, discrimination is appropriate, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence said. It rejected taking other social and lifestyle issues like obesity into account over access to treatment. Charities representing older people said the recommendations were outrageous and sent out mixed messages. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) looked at whether lifestyle issues were relevant to how effective a drug will be and the effect on value for money. Its draft recommendations said there was no case for discrimination on the basis of gender and sexual orientation. It also said discrimination against patients with conditions which are self-inflicted should be avoided, effectively ruling out restrictions on access for people who smoke or are obese. However, the recommendations say that where age is an indicator of benefit or risk, age discrimination is appropriate. Michelle Mitchell of Age Concern said this "should never happen". "Nice is in danger of sending very mixed messages, and it is older people who will lose out. "They already suffer age discrimination in health and social care as it is." Ms Mitchell said a survey of GPs by the charity had found that 80% thought age-based rationing already happened in the NHS. Marie Kamara, 75, whose sister died aged 71 of breast cancer, said it was unfair. Women over the age of 50 receive regular invites for breast screening, but that stops at 70. Ms Kamara said: "Who decides? Is it somthieng to do with finances? Is it a lack of respect of the elderly? I don't know. I can't really work it out." Stephen Jackson, professor of clinical gerontology at King's College, agreed age discrimination was already happening. He said certain courses of treatment may well pose greater risks for older patients, but that it should be up to them to decide whether to take that risk. But a spokesman for Nice said age discrimination could work both ways, with some treatment being made available only to older people. He cited some flu drugs, which are only given to over 65s.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/4622696.stm	Conservative leader David Cameron is set to challenge Gordon Brown's vision for eradicating poverty. David Cameron has Gordon Brown in his sights Mr Cameron has already set up a social justice policy group as part of efforts to show his party has moved to the centre and is concerned about the poor. He is due to make a speech stressing his desire to let charities and voluntary groups lead the fight. And he will say Mr Brown, his expected rival at the next election, is wrong to say only the state can ensure fairness. Ex-party leader Iain Duncan Smith is heading up the Tory policy group looking at how to help Britain's deprived communities. It will look at the role of social entrepreneurs - small local groups of volunteers - in helping people out of poverty. Mr Duncan Smith told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I hope the government, instead of sniping at this thing like children, will actually understand there is something fundamentally wrong out there, with kids trapped on drugs, on the streets, with kids leaving school early and families breaking down in real poverty." He added: "It is a disaster in parts of Britain and it's time we dealt with it." Social enterprise has been lauded by both Conservative and Labour politicians in recent months, although critics have questioned its ability to solve deep-seated social problems. James Bartholomew, author of The Welfare State We're In, said: "I suspect its a feelgood phrase that's gone down well in focus groups. I do not really truly believe that this is a coherent policy plan." But Mr Cameron is determined to show the Conservatives, and not just those on the political left, are interested in helping the poor and vulnerable. He will say both he and Mr Brown want to tackle poverty but confront head on the chancellor's thesis on how to do it. "We have radically different solutions to the entrenched problems of multiple deprivation, and the root causes of poverty in Britain today," he will say. "On the one hand, we can see top-down, centralised schemes from an outdated Labour approach that means well but fails badly. "On the other, a forward-looking vision which recognises that social justice will only be delivered by empowering people to fulfil their potential. "Our approach: trusting people and sharing responsibility. Or Gordon Brown's approach: creating dependency and removing responsibility." Mr Cameron wants to harness the work of charities, for example, by creating "social enterprise zones" where voluntary groups encounter less "red tape". Mr Brown has also backed social enterprise but has argued it cannot guarantee fairness in the same way government can. Mr Cameron has backed some of Tony Blair's reforms, including plans to offer more choice in schools. But he is increasingly trying to show the gap between him and Mr Brown, who is expected to replace Mr Blair in Downing Street before the next election. The Tory leader recently made a personal attack on the chancellor, calling him a "creature of the past". "Gordon Brown is the old-style thump-thump-thump and I think that's exactly what turns people off," he told the Sunday Times last month "I find (him) awful because it's just like listening to a speak-your-weight machine on propaganda." Mr Brown on Tuesday urged people to judge Labour on its record. He told GMTV: "I think when people look back over the last eight years, they do know that we have created stability in the economy and we are trying to build on that." Last weekend Mr Brown laid out what many saw as part of his agenda for a potential premiership. Portraying Labour as a modern patriotic party, he suggested Britain should have a day to celebrate its national identity.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10483453	Deadly blasts hit Sufi shrine in Lahore - 2 July 2010 - From the section South Asia Two suicide bombers have carried out a deadly attack on a Sufi shrine in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore. At least 42 people died in the blasts at the popular Data Darbar shrine late on Thursday evening, officials say. At least 175 other people were hurt in the attack, believed to be the first to target a shrine in Lahore. Thousands of people were visiting the shrine at the time, officials say. It holds the remains of a Persian Sufi saint, Abul Hassan Ali Hajvery. The shrine is visited by hundreds of thousands of people each year from both Sunni and Shia traditions of Islam. For the first time in centuries, the mosque of the shrine was closed temporarily for security reasons on Friday, although officials say it may be opened later in the day. The impact of the two blasts ripped open the courtyard of the shrine. Rescue workers could be seen clambering over the rubble as they carried out the victims. The first attacker struck in the underground area where visitors sleep and prepare themselves for prayer, officials said. As people fled, a second bomber detonated his explosives in the upstairs area. The bombers are thought to have used devices packed with ball-bearings to maximise the impact of their attack. A volunteer security guard at the shrine described scenes of devastation. "It was a horrible scene," said Mohammed Nasir. "There were dead bodies all around with blood and people were crying." The attack is the biggest on a Sufi shrine in Pakistan since militant attacks began in 2001. No group has said it carried out the attack, but correspondents say the attacks continue a growing trend among militants to target members of other sects as well as minorities. Lahore has been hit by a series of bomb attacks, including a suicide blast at anti-terrorist offices in March, when at least 13 people died. In May, more than 90 people were killed in a double attack on the minority Ahmadi sect in the city. Earlier, security chiefs had been congratulating themselves after June was the first month in two years in which there had been no suicide bombings in Pakistan, the BBC's Aleem Maqbool reports from Islamabad. They said it was proof the militant networks had been disrupted. Last year Pakistan launched a major military offensive against militant strongholds in South Waziristan. In December the military said they had achieved victory, but subsequent reports have suggested the militants remain active in the region.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/archive/default.stm	Here are the From Our Own Correspondent stories from the continent of Africa for 2012, sorted by date. 28 April 2012 In the hills of Iten, Claudia Hammond meets children who are trying to run their way out of poverty. 10 March 2012 One doctor's refusal to abandon thousands of refugees in the border area between Sudan and the new nation of South Sudan has left him in great danger, says Martin Plaut. 25 February 2012 Can normality ever return to Mogadishu after two decades of anarchy? Andrew Harding reports. A year after the uprising which overthrew Col Gaddafi began, Gabriel Gatehouse finds that firepower is still king. 18 February 2012 28 January 2012 Mary Harper visits an Ethiopian town where daily life centres almost entirely around a drug known as khat. 14 January 2012 Thousands of documents could be lost after a fire at the Institute of Egypt, but restorers are working day and night to save some of the country's most previous books.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8397742.stm	The talks will attempt to curb emissions caused by burning fossil fuels The UN's top climate official has given an upbeat assessment on the prospects of a global deal at a climate summit which opens in Copenhagen on Monday. Yvo de Boer told the BBC things were in "excellent shape" as officials from 192 nations began gathering in Denmark. Any agreement is intended to supplant the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions. The UN official panel on climate change says emissions must be limited to avoid dangerous global temperature rises. AT THE SCENE Richard Black, BBC environment correspondent There's no doubt that fundamental divisions remain between the various blocs here. Developing countries are insisting that industrialised nations increase their targets on cutting emissions and put firm pledges of guaranteed money on the table for mitigation and adaptation. The divide appears very wide but UN officials and some delegates are putting an optimistic slant on things, arguing that the 100-odd heads of state and government due in the for last few days will move far enough to secure some kind of agreement. "Never in 17 years of climate negotiations have so many different countries made so many pledges. Almost every day now governments are announcing pledges - it's unprecedented," Mr de Boer, executive secretary of the UN climate convention, told the BBC. "We've got 100 heads of state and government coming to Copenhagen. And, in general, heads of government come to celebrate success, not failure," he said. Ahead of Monday's talks, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) hit back at claims that human influence on global warming has been exaggerated. It said it was standing by its findings in response to a row over the reliability of data from a UK university. Hacked e-mail exchanges from East Anglia's Climatic Research Unit have prompted climate change sceptics to claim that data has been manipulated. Top Swedish climate official Anders Turesson told the BBC that he hoped the issue "will be investigated". However, Mr Turesson, who will also be leading EU negotiations as Sweden currently holds the rotating EU presidency, added: "But I cannot see it will in any way affect the negotiations here." The Copenhagen talks are being held in recognition of the fact that the Kyoto Protocol's targets are not sufficient to avoid impacts projected by the IPCC, and run out in 2012. Begin 7 December To discuss emissions targets and financial measures to combat climate change The US is pledging to cut its emissions in several stages, beginning with a 17% cut from 2005 levels by 2020. India and China have both agreed to reduce their "carbon intensity", a measure of the amount of carbon dioxide emitted per unit of GDP. Washington is currently unable to commit to its pledges for the talks, as a bill to cap its emissions is currently stuck in the Senate and will not be passed before the new year. Australia is in a similar position, after its opposition-controlled Senate rejected a bill to curb emissions. Mr Turesson said pledges on cutting emissions put forward so far were not enough. "We have a problem here. First of all it is very welcome that we now indeed have figures from all major players in the climate change negotiations - and that is indeed positive because then we have a basis for discussions. "But when we sum up here, they do not suffice, so something must be done here in Copenhagen to enhance the pledges." Sudan's Lumumba Di-Aping, a lead negotiator for the G77/China bloc at the talks, said: "A deal can be done; the science is clear, the economics are clear, the legal issues are clear. "The question is that some leaders believe their narrow national economic interests take primacy over the existence and well-being of the entire world." 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.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-22286328	Boston bombs: Memorial for slain officer Sean Collier - 24 April 2013 - From the section US & Canada Thousands of mourners have held a memorial for a university police officer killed during the hunt for the Boston Marathon bombing suspects. US Vice-President Joe Biden spoke at the service in memory of 26-year-old Sean Collier at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. About 4,000 students, staff and police officials from around the country attended the ceremony. Authorities say Collier was killed by the brothers suspected of the bombing. Wednesday's service was held as anonymous US officials told the Associated Press that the bombs had been triggered by remote-controlled detonators. But the devices - which killed three people and injured more than 260 - were not sophisticated and had to be set off within a few blocks of the explosives, said the officials. Collier had worked for the prestigious university's police department for more than a year and had been involved in campus activities, in addition to his role as an officer. Queues of mourners stretched for about half a mile (0.8km), an hour before Wednesday's ceremony started. They made their way through tight security, including metal detectors and bomb-sniffing dogs. During the ceremony, Collier's brothers thanked police officers and others for their support. Mr Biden told the family: "My heart goes out to you. I hope you find some solace in this time of extreme grief." He also said the university's diversity and record of innovation represented a "nightmare" for those who hated and would attack America. "The only way they can gain ground is to instil fear that causes us to jettison our values, way of life, for us to change," Mr Biden said. Massachusetts Institute of Technology Police Chief John DiFava remembered how the young officer had once asked to volunteer at a homeless shelter. "He hoped to 'maybe deal with issues before they became problems'," Chief DiFava said. Collier was laid to rest in a private funeral on Tuesday. "He is one of the nicest people that I've ever met," Kelly Daumit, an engineering student who hiked with Collier as part of a university social club, told AP news agency. "Everything people are saying about him is completely genuine; it's not because of what happened." Suspects' parents 'interviewed' Collier was shot dead in his car on 18 April, three days after the bombing. The shooting led to a huge manhunt that ended in the death of suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev and the wounding of his younger brother and alleged accomplice, Dzhokhar. In a court hearing on Monday before a federal magistrate judge at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was charged at his hospital bedside with crimes that could result in the death penalty if convicted. US officials say the ethnic Chechen brothers planted and detonated two pressure-cooker bombs near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on 15 April. Ten people lost limbs in the bombing. The area around the marathon finishing line on Boylston Street reopened on Wednesday, nine days after the attacks. Fresh cement was reportedly still drying on the street as a Starbucks coffee shop reopened for the first time, allowing customers to pick up belongings left behind in the chaos after the bombing. Many other businesses, banks and restaurants on Boylston Street remain closed. US investigators are in contact with the bombing suspects' parents in southern Russia, an American embassy official said on Wednesday. An unnamed official told the AP news agency that US investigators were working with the Russian security services, the FSB. He would not say how long the Americans planned to stay in Dagestan, a region in the southern area of the country. The father was quoted as telling the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti that both parents planned to fly to the US on Thursday.
http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-echochambers-26550330	Turchynov: Soviet ‘resurrection’ has failed The plan for the "resurrection" of the Soviet empire has failed, writes acting Ukrainian President Oleksandr V Turchynov in a New York Times opinion piece on Thursday. Ukrainian interim Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk was in Washington to visit with US President Barack Obama on Wednesday. Mr Tuchynov's New York Times piece is part of an effort to keep the Ukrainian situation at the forefront for the US public. "The Kremlin had a strategy designed to weaken Ukraine and its government by prying some regions away from Kiev's control and establishing enclaves in the south and east similar to Transnistria in Moldova and Abkhazia and South Ossetia in Georgia," he writes. According to the Week magazine, the G7 group of nations has called on Russia to halt all attempts to annex the Ukrainian Crimea, saying the region's referendum plans were a "deeply flawed process which would have no moral force". Mr Turchynov writes that Russia is trying to provoke Ukraine into a "trap" - a military confrontation that could be a pretext for full invasion. "No one should doubt that Ukrainians are prepared to defend their country," he says. "But the memory of our people's terrible losses during the protests in Kiev is still fresh; we cannot permit more bloodshed." He notes that Ukraine gave up its Soviet-era nuclear weapons in a 1993 agreement that assured its territorial integrity. He writes: "If this agreement is violated, it may lead to nuclear proliferation around the world. The rule of law and the credibility of international institutions would also be severely undermined as deterrents to military aggression." He concludes: "Ukraine is open to any constructive dialogue with the Russian Federation that is rooted in partnership. We wish to develop fair and mutually beneficial relations. Russia must choose how it will respond." The US has continued to pursue diplomatic efforts with Russia, and US Secretary of State John Kerry plans to travel to London for talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday. Mr Kerry says he will present his Russian counterpart with "a series of options" for resolving the crisis.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/uk/newsid_3657000/3657221.stm	People who set off fireworks after 11pm could soon face serious punishments if government plans go ahead. Ministers want to bring in a national 11pm to 7am curfew when fireworks would be banned as part of a crackdown on anti-social behaviour. Other measures include putting a limit on how noisy fireworks can be. Anyone breaking the law could be fined £5,000 or face six months in jail. The curfew would be extended to 2am on dates like Diwali or Guy Fawkes night.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-15103690	Kellingley mine death: MP wants inquiry into pit safety An MP is calling for an inquiry into safety at Kellingley Colliery in North Yorkshire following the death of a miner on Tuesday. Gerry Gibson was killed and a colleague was injured when a roof collapsed. Jon Trickett, Labour MP for neighbouring Hemsworth, West Yorkshire, said he wanted an "absolute" reassurance it would not happen again. UK Coal, which operates Kellingley, said initial investigations had failed to find an obvious cause. Mr Gibson, a father-of-two from Sherburn-in-Elmet, North Yorkshire, is the third miner to be killed at Kellingley in the last four years. Ian Cameron died after equipment fell on him on 18 October 2009 and in September 2008, Don Cook died in a rock fall. Mr Trickett said: "We want an inquiry and it has to be independent, and not just an inquiry into this single incident because the context was the previous incidents. "I want to know they're not linked in some way with some sort of problem with the culture, with the investment or because of geological problems." He added any inquiry should be totally independent so that everyone could have "confidence" in its findings. The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), said Kellingley would not reopen until there were some answers to Tuesday's incident. Chris Kitchen, national and Yorkshire area secretary for the NUM, said: "There will be no production at this pit until we find out why the roof failed." He added: "Mining has got difficult conditions but this section of the coal face didn't give any warning signs that it was going to catastrophically fail like it did." UK Coal said early investigations had revealed no problems with the coal seam or the equipment, which the company said was new. It said the area of the incident was still sealed off, but some miners were doing "basic work" in other parts of the mine. Andrew McIntosh, communications director with UK Coal, said: "Those who work here know how hard we push health and safety. "Everyone understands this is a hazardous place to work, in the mines, which is why it is down to all of us to ensure we work as safely as possible." Investigations into the cause of the roof collapse by the Health and Safety Executive and North Yorkshire Police are continuing.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-40432797	No new Oxford burial sites found after £30k council search A council has spent £30,500 unsuccessfully searching for new burial sites in Oxford over the last four years. Oxford City Council said the money had mostly been used for "ground investigations of possible sites" but nowhere suitable had been found. Two cemeteries still have space, in Wolvercote and Botley, but they are expected to be full by 2018 and 2021. The council said it had not given up and was "still exploring options". 'No suitable land' Linda Smith, board member for leisure, parks and sport, said the council has been "searching for a suitable new burial site for many years". She added: "But ultimately, as with new housing sites, we have run out of suitable land within Oxford. "So far all the council-owned sites that we have identified have, following ground investigations and surveys, had to be discounted. "Either due to the size of the site, the ground conditions, a high water table or a covenant restricting the use of the site." After the two remaining cemeteries are full the council said only the reopening of family plots, the use of a few reserved plots, and the interment of ashes would be possible. The last increase in burial space in Oxford was in 1932.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4309325.stm	The BBC's governors are set to be replaced after 78 years with two new bodies, the government has proposed. The licence fee was "the fairest way to fund the BBC", Ms Jowell said The governors, whose dual role as regulator and cheerleader of the BBC has been criticised, would be replaced by a BBC Trust and an executive board. The proposals were announced by Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell with the publication of a Green Paper into the corporation's future. The licence fee would be kept for at least another 10 years, she said. The main plans in the Green Paper are: - BBC governors to be abolished and a new trust established to "speak up" for the licence fee payer - Licence fee to remain - but a review will examine other funding methods - BBC told not to "play copycat" or "chase ratings for ratings sake" - More programmes to be made by independent companies The governors' current role was "unsustainable" and lacked "clarity and accountability", Ms Jowell told the House of Commons. Instead, the BBC Trust would be the voice of the licence fee payer, make sure the corporation fulfilled its obligations and have powers to approve or veto budgets and strategies. The executive board, headed by director general Mark Thompson, would carry out the BBC's day-to-day management and be accountable to the trust. Explaining why she favoured keeping the licence fee, Ms Jowell said it retained "a high degree of public support". "And although not perfect, we believe it remains the fairest way to fund the BBC," she said. But rapid changes to technology and viewing habits meant the government would review the system of funding during the next decade. It would also examine whether public money, including licence fee funds, should be given to other broadcasters for public service activities. The BBC was "one of the two great institutions of British national life" along with the NHS, she said. HOW LICENCE FEE IS SPENT Viewers pay £10 per month, which is spent in the following way: £5 - terrestrial TV £1 - digital £1.20 - radio £1.50 - local TV and radio £0.30 - Online £1 - transmission and collection of licence fee The public will be consulted on the Green Paper, with firmer recommendations set out in a White Paper due to be published in late 2005. The resulting changes will be brought in with the BBC's next royal charter, setting out the corporation's role, functions and structure, at the start of 2007. BBC chairman Michael Grade, who will chair the new trust, welcomed the proposals but said it was "regrettable" the BBC's own reforms of the governors had "not had time to prove themselves". "For the first time in the BBC's history, there is now a clear distinction and appropriate separation between governance and management," he said. Shadow culture secretary John Whittingdale told the House of Commons the Green Paper's plans did "not go far enough". He said they were "largely cosmetic changes to the structure and oversight of the BBC". A White Paper on the BBC's future will be published later this year. The BBC's first royal charter came into force in 1927 and is renewed every 10 years. The current charter expires on 31 December 2006.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-34144500	Health Minister Simon Hamilton has said he is committed to establishing an emergency medical helicopter service in Northern Ireland. Mr Hamilton said it would be a key part of the Northern Ireland Trauma Network which is being established. He said the exact model for the helicopter service would be determined after a public consultation. The estimated cost for the service is £2.38m for initial infrastructure, with £1.8m annual operating costs. "Given the difficult financial climate for the health service with many competing priorities for funding we will need to establish if it is possible to secure a robust and recurrent charitable funding contribution for this service," Mr Hamilton said. "I therefore welcome the recent approaches from potential charitable sources who potentially could raise funds and provide other support." During June's North West 200 motorbike races in County Antrim, a helicopter was dispatched from County Sligo in the Republic of Ireland to attend a serious accident. A spectator was transferred to hospital in Belfast when she was struck by a motorcycle that had left the road. Afterwards, motorcycle race medic and intensive care consultant Dr John Hinds said the establishment of an emergency medical helicopter was a necessity, not a luxury. In July, Dr Hinds was killed in a track accident. "I believe that my announcements today hold the prospect of implementing the vision for major trauma services which the late Dr John Hinds, and his colleagues, have highlighted," Mr Hamilton said. "I want to pay tribute to all of our trauma clinicians, nurses, paramedics and support staff for the exemplary service that they provide in striving to save lives." The absence of an emergency helicopter was also highlighted during the G8 summit in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, in 2013, when organisers had to rent an air ambulance from Scotland.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-16464515	Tsai Ing-wen made history in 2016 as Taiwan's first female president - but she did not have an easy first term. Attempts to promote green energy ended with her being accused of nearly causing an electricity shortage, while the offer of two days off a week for all workers was rejected amid allegations of hurting, rather than increasing, workers' earnings and holiday. Making Taiwan the first Asian society where gay marriage is legal - a move which earned her plaudits around the world - also damaged her popularity at home. Whether she would even run for a second term was uncertain, with a former subordinate challenging for her party's nomination and - at one point - her approval rating hitting the 15% mark. But it seems that her biggest headache - China - was the very thing that helped her decisively win another four years in office in the January 2020 elections. 'Stand with freedom' Ms Tsai, 63, has placed herself as a defender of Taiwan's sovereignty against China's view that the island must one day be unified with the mainland. Her main rival from the Kuomintang (KMT) party, Han Kuo-yu, pushed for closer relations with China. But as anti-China protests swept Hong Kong in 2019, fears of what it could mean for Taiwan's future began to rise - as, it seems, did Ms Tsai's fortunes. Her campaign pushed the notion that her party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), would stand up to Beijing and keep Taiwan a liberal democracy. "Choosing Tsai Ing-wen... means we choose our future and choose to stand with democracy and stand with freedom," Ms Tsai told reporters the day before the country went to the polls. In a landslide victory she took just over 57% of the ballot - more than eight million votes - with Mr Han trailing on 38%. Ms Tsai is the youngest of 11 children, born in a coastal village in the south of Taiwan. She moved to the capital Taipei when she was 11. Her mixed ethnicity - Hakka father and Taiwanese mother - has been cited as one of the traits that helped her connect to supporters. She also has a grandmother who is from one of the non-Chinese indigenous groups in Taiwan. A law graduate of the National Taiwan University, Ms Tsai completed her master's degree at Cornell University Law School in 1980 and went on to earn a doctorate degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 1984. In the 1990s, she was a negotiator for Taiwan's accession to the World Trade Organization. She was then asked to serve on the National Security Council as an adviser to former President Lee Teng-hui. Ms Tsai joined the DPP in 2004 and rose quickly to become its chairwoman four years later, when the party suffered a heavy defeat in the presidential elections. Her predecessor, Chen Shui-bian, lost to Ma Ying-jeou at the polls in 2008, and was later jailed for corruption. It was her style and bearing when she appeared on the political scene which set her apart from the rest of the DPP "old guard", something that has worked to her advantage in attracting younger voters. Despite splits and factionalism in the party, Ms Tsai was able to rally the support she needed to rejuvenate the DPP. Under her leadership, it has performed much better in local elections. Her first attempt at running for president failed in 2012, but she continued to build on her successes. Four years later, she was elected. Her first term in office saw Taiwan's minimum wage, investments and stocks rise. Social services, including childcare and elderly care, and public housing also received a boost. But exports have fallen and average GDP growth in her first four years - around 2.7% - is lower than that under her predecessor's first term, even though he had faced a global slowdown. Average real monthly salary increased slightly, but it was the same as 16 years ago due to inflation - and still the lowest among the four little Asian dragon economies. Ms Tsai also failed to tackle a key cause of high housing prices and the wealth gap - a tax system that fails to adequately tax property investors. Beijing, meanwhile, turned up the pressure on Taiwan after she refused to acknowledge "The 1992 consensus", the vaguely-worded agreement which says Taiwan is part of "One China".
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-20779711	The former South African President, Nelson Mandela, is being kept in hospital despite "looking much better", according to the government. Presidential spokesman Mac Maharaj said doctors treating the 94 year old are "in no hurry to send him home". Mr Mandela was admitted to hospital 12 days ago and has been treated for a lung infection and gallstones. Doctors are satisfied with his progress but say he needs "extraordinary care" because of his age. Mr Mandela led the struggle against white-minority rule before being elected the first black president in 1994. He contracted tuberculosis while on the windswept Robben Island where he served 18 of the 27 years he was imprisoned for sabotage. His lungs are said to have been damaged when he worked in a prison quarry. Mr Mandela remains an important political symbol in South Africa, says the BBC's Karen Allen, in Johannesburg. More so at the moment, our correspondent adds, as the governing African National Congress has re-selected Jacob Zuma as party president and returned Cyril Ramaphosa - the millionaire businessman - back into the political spotlight, as his deputy. Once a leading trade unionist, Mr Ramaphosa became the symbol of black capitalism in South Africa after the ANC came to power at the end of apartheid. When Mr Mandela overlooked him for the role of his deputy, he was said to have been so upset that he refused to attend Mr Mandela's inauguration as president.
https://www.bbc.com/news/education-35940002	Too many school libraries in England face cuts or closure with schools increasingly viewing books as obsolete, a teachers' union has heard. One head teacher decided "all reading can be done on iPads," a delegate told the Association of Teachers and Lecturers' annual conference. The union voted to lobby for libraries to be included in Ofsted inspections. A Department for Education spokeswoman said that school libraries "played a vital role". Cathy Tattersfield from Derbyshire quoted international evidence suggesting a positive correlation between good school libraries and student attainment. Ms Tattersfield said she had been "shocked" that two secondary academies had "recently closed or attempted to close their libraries and several of them have had their librarian hours or posts cut, mostly in the ex-mining areas of Derbyshire". A survey of 485 ATL members last month suggested a patchy picture on library provision said Ms Tattersfield. "It seems to be feast or famine. "Some secondary provision is fine, cherished and secured," - but others faced reduced opening hours, conversion to e-learning centres, cuts in staff hours, or librarians having been removed or replaced by support staff or teachers. "We identified a third of secondary schools have had cuts of 40% or more since 2010, with 20% redundancies in library staff at their school." Another delegate said his school library, closed last year, had provided a host of benefits to pupils, from paired reading for special needs pupils to introducing able readers to new authors and running a range of enrichment activities. He said the library's books and magazines had been distributed among subject departments. "Lesley Mumbray-Williams whose school dispensed with her services as librarian said a third of the stock had ended up in skips within three weeks of her leaving." Another delegate said the librarian post in their school had not been filled and the library doors were often locked. Of the education staff who responded to the survey: - Almost all (94%) said their school had a library - But more than two fifths (41%) said the library did not have enough space for all the students who wanted to use it - And nearly a third (32%) said their school did not have a designated librarian to manage the library. A Department for Education spokeswoman said: "We want all children to read widely and well and believe school libraries can play a vital role in fostering that love of reading. "We trust schools to decide on whether to provide and maintain a library service for their pupils."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-19184637	Egypt President Mursi sacks officials after Sinai attacks Egyptian President Mohammed Mursi has sacked the country's intelligence chief and the governor of the country's North Sinai province. Hours earlier, the Egyptian military launched an offensive in the region against suspected Islamist militants which it says has killed 20 people. The campaign comes after militants killed 16 Egyptian border guards in the area on Sunday. On Wednesday, more attacks followed on checkpoints in the town of al-Arish. Those attacks left a number of people wounded and the military offensive was launched hours later. The sacking of the country's intelligence chief was announced in a statement on state-run TV. "Gen Mohamed Murad Mowafi is given retirement starting from today," presidential spokesman Yasser Ali said. Gen Mowafi had been quoted in Egyptian media as saying that the intelligence services had received warning of Sunday's attack. However, he said they had only passed the matter on to the relevant authorities, saying that the intelligence services' job was only to collect information. Mr Mursi has appointed an acting intelligence chief, Gen Mohamed Raafat Abdel-Wahed. He also dismissed the commander of the presidential guard, as well as several other top security officials. Sunday's attack was the the deadliest and most brazen against Egyptian troops in the Sinai region for decades, and Mr Mursi had faced criticism for not taking decisive action in response. - Huge desert peninsula of about 60,000 sq km (23,000 sq miles) with a population of only a few hundred thousand - Distinct identity from rest of Egypt; populated by native Bedouin and a substantial minority of Palestinian extraction - Of great strategic importance, linking Egypt to the Middle East, and site of Egyptian border with Israel and only non-Israeli border with Gaza - Under Israeli occupation from 1967 to 1982, it remains under special security regime mandated by 1979 peace treaty, which significantly restricts Egypt's freedom of military action and requires deployment of multinational peacekeeping force - There has been a surge in jihadist activity in the past decade, but analysts say discriminatory treatment by Cairo underpins local unrest Wednesday's military offensive in Sinai killed 20 people in the village of Touma, according to military officials, while the Sheikh Zuwaid area to the west was also hit. Military spokesmen said the initial operation had been a "success" and that it was ongoing. This is the first time Egypt has fired missiles in Sinai since the 1973 war with Israel, when it attempted to recapture the Sinai peninsula, security officials told Associated Press. Egyptian military presence in Sinai is limited and requires Israeli approval under the terms of the 1979 peace treaty between the nations which returned Sinai to Egyptian control. State news agency Mena said that during the air raids, hours after the al-Arish checkpoints were attacked, "terrorists" had used rockets and rocket-propelled grenades to try to shoot down the military aircraft "but they failed". Tensions are very high in the area, where Islamist extremists are said to have gained a foothold in recent months, taking advantage of the security vacuum left after former President Hosni Mubarak was ousted last year, reports the BBC's Yolande Knell in Sinai. The Egyptian soldiers killed in Sunday's attack were buried on Tuesday in a funeral marked by angry calls for vengeance. Some protesters chanted slogans against the Muslim Brotherhood, and according to witnesses, tried to assault Prime Minister Hisham Qandil. Both Israeli and Egyptian officials blamed Sunday's attack on Islamist militants - though Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, the group to which President Mohammed Mursi belongs, accused the Israeli spy agency Mossad of being responsible. Israel rejected that claim as "nonsense".
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-20696657	First Aberdeen tables new bus pay offer First Aberdeen has tabled a revised offer in the ongoing bus pay dispute, amid a threat of strike action. Staff, including drivers and cleaners, voted in favour of strike action earlier this month. Strike action was due to start on Saturday, but had been suspended after "productive" talks on Tuesday. Further talks took place on Wednesday between management and the Unite union. Unite will put the offer to its members. A ballot will take place on Thursday with the result expected on Friday. First Aberdeen general manager Duncan Cameron said: "We've held productive talks over the last couple of days with both parties prepared to negotiate. "We have put on the table a two-year deal, backdated to April, which will be paid between Christmas and New Year. "That offer is one that the business can afford and which also increases our drivers' take-home pay without making any changes to current working practices." He added: "I hope that the result of the ballot is a positive one and our customers can be spared the inconvenience of industrial action over the festive period."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/euro_2004/italy/3832143.stm	Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has accused Sweden and Denmark of fixing a 2-2 draw to ensure the Azzurri's elimination from Euro 2004. "Someone should be ashamed and it's not us," he said after Sweden's late equaliser in Porto rendered Italy's 2-1 win over Bulgaria irrelevant. "I'm very bitter, I didn't believe this would happen with peoples who are proud of their spirit of fair play." Buffon could be in trouble with Uefa following his match-fixing claims. Italian football federation president Franco Carraro is also facing action after echoing Buffon's doubts about the Denmark and Sweden result. "There is no doubt that the way the Denmark versus Sweden game developed shows that the two teams were aiming for a draw," said Carraro. "Of course, proof of that is hard to find." However, Italy manager Giovanni Trapattoni said he had no complaints. "I have no argument with the result and the federation will not protest against it, absolutely not," he said. The Italy team face a hostile reception on their return with most of the country's press preferring to direct the criticism at the players rather than any perceived match-fixing by Denmark and Sweden. "Everyone home," said the Corriere dello Sport. "Little Italy is out of Euro 2004 and the Danes and Swedes made a mockery of us." The paper also led the calls for Trapattoni to be replaced by former Juventus boss Marcello Lippi. The Gazzetta dello Sport accused Trappattoni of producing "the worst Italian team of recent years, even of recent decades." "We cannot recall an Italy team that was so lacking in ideas and which couldn't score."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-14819257	GlobalSign stops secure certificates after hack claim Belgian security firm GlobalSign has temporarily stopped issuing authentication certificates for secure websites. It comes after an anonymous hacker claimed to have gained access to the company's servers. If confirmed, it would be the second security breach at a European certificate authority in two months. Hundreds of bogus DigiNotar authentications were issued following an intrusion into its systems. Certificate authorities (CAs) are companies or public bodies whose job is to confirm that secure websites are genuine. When computers connect to a site with TLS or SSL authentication, a certificate is issued which verifies the site's identity to the web browser. Fake certificates could allow someone to spy on a user's activity.Multiple targets GlobalSign took action as the result of a posting which appeared on the online notice board Pastebin. The author, who identified themselves only as "ComodoHacker", claimed to have gained access to four certificate authorities, in addition to DigiNotar. Only GlobalSign is named, although the message points out that an attack on StartCom was foiled by its boss Eddy Nigg. ComodoHacker also refers to an attack on US certificate authority Comodo, which was targeted in March. As a precaution, GlobalSign said it was temporarily ceasing the issuance of all certificates while it investigated the claims. The hacker also played down suggestions that the attacks were the work of Iranian authorities. "I'm single person, do not AGAIN try to make an ARMY out of me in Iran. If someone in Iran used certs I have generated, I'm not one who should explain," said the posting. It had been suggested that, because many of the bogus DigiNotar certificates were issued to users in Iran, that authorities in there may have initiated the CA hack as a tool for spying on dissidents. A report on the DigiNotar attack said that up to 300,000 Iranians may have had their Gmail accounts monitored as a result of a fake Google certificate being created.Hacktivist While the anonymous posting contains no information about the identity of the CA hacker, it does detail a political agenda. The message states: "Dutch government is paying what they did 16 years ago about Srebrenica, you don't have any more e-Government huh?" It appears to reference the apparent non-intervention of Dutch peacekeeping forces during the notorious 1995 Srebrenica massacre, where Serbian forces killed more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslims. DigiNotar certificates are used to authenticate many online services offered by the Dutch government, although the company has said that these use a separate system which was not compromised during the attack. State prosecutors in the Netherlands are investigating the incident.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20556094	Full hospitals creating potential danger, analysis says Hospitals are "full to bursting" in England, creating a potentially dangerous environment for patients, an analysis by experts suggests. Hospitals should run at about 85% capacity to give them room to cope with surges in demand, and figures show the NHS average hovering around that mark. But analysts Dr Foster said the figure was skewed by quiet periods and rose higher if they were stripped out. Ministers denied the NHS is overcrowded and said it could manage demand peaks. According to the analysis, if only midweek figures are taken into account, the average capacity figure for 2011-12 was 88%. It rose to 90% if holiday periods, such as the royal wedding and Christmas, were stripped out, Dr Foster said. The private research group said this was important as the quiet periods were helping to mask the fact that many trusts were now too full for long periods of the year. Its report, which excluded specialist centres but included 145 hospital trusts, said when hospitals were too busy patient care suffered because systems started breaking down. Dr Foster co-founder Roger Taylor said: "When that happens, patients are put in whatever bed can be found, orderly management of admission and discharge can become strained, infections are harder to control and mistakes are more likely to happen." But the analysis argued that if the NHS organised itself better it could relieve the pressure on hospitals. From its analysis, Dr Foster said 29% of beds were taken up by patients who did not necessarily need to be there. These included more than 10% who had conditions such as asthma and heart disease, which could be treated in the community, it said. Another 5% were readmissions within a week or discharge, while 2.5% were for dementia.'Real strain' Patients Association chief executive Katherine Murphy said: "These distressing figures reveal bed occupancy rates are at the very limit of what is safe or indeed desirable for patients. "Our helpline hears day in day out from patients and relatives who are experiencing unacceptably poor care, with nursing staff telling relatives that they simply do not have time to deliver the fundamentals of good care or dignity." Dr Andrew Goddard, director of the Royal College of Physicians' Medical Workforce Unit, said: "The staggeringly high bed occupancy rates show that hospitals are at bursting point. "The medical profession now must carefully consider these findings and decide how to improve hospital services to better meet the needs of patients." Mike Farrar, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents hospitals, said: "The big message at the heart of this report is that hospitals are under real strain and patients will suffer unless we are able to take swift action." He added the solution lay in investing in community services to take the strain off hospitals. Dr Foster's study also included data on death rates. It uses four different measures, including deaths after surgery and among those with low-risk conditions, to help assess which hospitals are falling outside of what would be expected. A total of 12 trusts - down on last year's more than 20 - were flagged up as performing worse than expected on two of the four measures. This does not mean services are performing poorly, but instead the findings act as more of a "smoke alarm", suggesting something could be going wrong. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said local managers in those areas should investigate. On bed occupancy, he said: "The NHS is not overcrowded - on average, there are around 20,000 of its beds available. Of course this goes up and down, but the NHS has practice and experience in managing peaks in demand, particularly in the winter." But Dr Foster medical guide editor, Alex Kafetz, said that figure was only an average and the number of patients using beds was "not particularly smooth" and more needed to be done to make sure patients who potentially should not be in hospital were cared for at home or at specialised care facilities. Health minister Dr Dan Poulter agreed this was key, adding: "That is exactly why the government has embarked on a programme of reforming the NHS to make sure more of the budgets and money is held in the community and people can be better looked after and supported in their own homes. Panorama will be covering more of the Dr Foster report in How Safe is Your Hospital? on Monday, 3 December at 20:30 GMT on BBC One.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-18648924	Adele 'over the moon' at pregnancy news - 29 June 2012 - From the section Entertainment & Arts Pop star Adele is expecting her first child, she has told fans via a message on her website. The 24-year-old said she and her partner Simon Konecki were "delighted to announce" that they were expecting their first child together. "Obviously we're over the moon and very excited but please respect our privacy at this precious time," she said. The London-born singer had the world's biggest-selling album last year with 21, which sold more than 17m copies. More than 4 million of those copies were sold in the UK, where 21 is now the fifth best-selling album in chart history. The record largely deals with the painful break-up of Adele's previous relationship. It has earned her six Grammys, two Brits and two Ivor Novello awards. The singer has been dating Konecki, who established the Drop4Drop charity, since last year. Adele was recently forced to deny UK tabloid reports that the couple were engaged, after she was seen wearing a ring to an awards ceremony. "I'm not engaged, blah blah," she wrote on Twitter.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-24566421	The Spirit of Brooklands - 22 October 2013 - From the section In Pictures To fans of motor racing the banked section of crumbling road in the above picture is instantly recognisable as the home of British motorsport, Brooklands. This was the site of the first purpose-built motor racing circuit anywhere in the world, and one that in its heyday in the 1920s and '30s saw thousands of fans lining the track, hoping to catch a glimpse of those pioneering racers. The course was built in 1907 with sections of concrete banking to allow the cars to reach higher speeds than would otherwise have been possible. The design ensured it was the site of a number of land speed records and was home to the first British Grand Prix in 1927. Alongside its motoring heritage it was also home to aviation pioneers, and by the start of World War II the site was given over to use by Vickers-Armstrongs and Hawker aircraft companies. Sadly, motor racing never returned to the site, though TV presenter James May did attempt to build the biggest Scalextric track along the route. Photographer Douglas Kurn lives locally and decided to undertake the task of documenting the remains of the Brooklands circuit. To contrast with the noise and speed of a race day, Douglas chose to shoot the project at night to give a peaceful, surreal feel to the images. Some of the exposures ran well past the hour and in total the project has taken four years to complete. The Spirit of Brooklands was chosen by the Association of Photographers for its online exhibition of members' work, and a selection of prints was recently exhibited at the Brooklands Museum in Weybridge.
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-22000668	Judge rules digital music cannot be sold 'second hand' - 2 April 2013 - From the section Technology A company which allowed customers to resell their digital music "second hand" breached copyright, a US judge has ruled. ReDigi billed itself as the first legal way to resell music bought online - but soon provoked the ire of record labels. It was sued by Capitol Records in January 2012, and on Monday a New York judge said ReDigi was making unauthorised copies of music. The ruling could have broad implications for digital reselling. Unlike physical music CDs, Judge Richard Sullivan ruled that the "first sale doctrine" did not apply. The doctrine is a long-established rule which allows the reselling of goods to a new owner. In other words, selling a CD once you no longer want it. But in the digital world, where duplication is much easier, the first sale doctrine was not appropriate, the judge said. "It is simply impossible that the same 'material object' can be transferred over the internet," he wrote in his ruling. "ReDigi facilitates and profits from the sale of copyrighted commercial recordings, transferred in their entirety, with a likely detrimental impact on the primary market for these goods." ReDigi argues that their system means the original download is removed from the seller's computer. The company asks users to download proprietary software, which verifies if a file was bought legally. If the song checks out, it is then erased from the seller's hard drive and uploaded to ReDigi's computer servers. ReDigi's software is designed to prevent sellers from reinstalling a sold song to their computer, and offers users the chance to check their libraries for illegal music. But the judge said: "It is beside the point that the original phonorecord no longer exists. It matters only that a new phonorecord has been created." The notion of being able to sell on your unwanted digital goods is a concept that has caught the eyes of, among others, Amazon and Apple. Both companies have been granted patents relating to the selling or transferring of digital goods - but while both offer cloud storage services for music, neither has yet set up a reselling function. "Both Amazon and Apple have been working on patents, which are insurance policies for both of them in my view," said Joe Wikert from O'Reilly Media, speaking to Reuters. "They have been sitting on the sidelines watching the ReDigi case." Mr Wickert added that the ruling was "not a good first step" for the digital reselling industry. Capitol Records, whose catalogue includes Frank Sinatra's Come Fly With Me and The Beatles' Yellow Submarine, sought $150,000 (£99,000) for each infringement. The judge did not set an amount for damages, instead inviting both firms to submit statements regarding the next steps in the case.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-28677323	Ukraine: Mobile network faces 'Crimean freeze-out' - 6 August 2014 Ukraine's largest mobile phone network is ending its service in the Crimean peninsula - the region annexed by Moscow in March - amid a controversy over what prompted the move. MTS-Ukraina says it's being forced out of Crimea, accusing Crimean authorities of cancelling its coverage in the regional capital, Simferopol. It's appealing to the other major Ukrainian networks - Kyivstar and Astelit - to provide emergency roaming for customers in Crimea "who have been illegally deprived of our services", the Novosti Kryma site reports. But Crimea's communications chief, Dmitry Polonsky, says the carrier is quitting of its own accord, the Ukrainian Centre of Investigative Journalism reports. He's advised customers switch to Russian companies - on the same day that the Kremlin announced a certain K-Telekom will be providing services in Simferopol. Back in May, Russia transferred MTS-Ukraina's Crimean frequency bands and 3G coverage to K-Telekom, Vedomosti newspaper reports. There are several K-Telekoms in Russia, and it isn't clear which one would start operating in Crimea. Russian and Western analysts think the firm could be one owned by Russia's own MTS mobile network - which also happens to be the parent company of MTS-Ukraina. Crimean reporter Roman Nikolayev thinks "it all sounds like noise to hide the fact that Russia's MTS is gradually taking over the equipment and customers of its Ukrainian filial MTS-Ukraina, through a second identity" and has suggested this could be a way for MTS to avoid US sanctions for operating in occupied Crimea. Neither Russian company has commented. Use #NewsfromElsewhere to stay up-to-date with our reports via Twitter.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-11717652	Ex-policeman acquitted in sex trafficking case - 9 November 2010 - From the section Liverpool A former Merseyside Police officer who was facing sex trafficking charges in Thailand has been acquitted, the Foreign Office (FCO) has confirmed. Ian Shuttleworth was accused in 2008 of luring Thai women to London under false promises of a job in a restaurant. Thai police said they believed the women were then sold to brothel owners. Mr Shuttleworth, formerly of St Helens on Merseyside, was acquitted on Monday but must wait for the outcome of a prosecution appeal. He is due back in court on 8 December, an FCO spokeswoman said. Merseyside Police said Mr Shuttleworth had been arrested "a number of years" after working for the force.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-20641344	Tia Sharp death: No action against grandmother Christine Sharp - 7 December 2012 - From the section London No further action will be taken against the grandmother of 12-year-old Tia Sharp over the schoolgirl's death, the Metropolitan Police has said. Christine Sharp, 46, was arrested on suspicion of murder after Tia's body was found in her house in New Addington, Croydon, in August. Tia's body was found a week after she was reported missing on 3 August. Mrs Sharp's partner, 37-year-old Stuart Hazell, has been charged with the girl's murder. A Metropolitan Police spokesman said the decision not to pursue any action against Mrs Sharp was taken on 4 December. A 39-year-old man who was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender remains on bail until mid-December. Hundreds of people from the local community joined in the search for the schoolgirl.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20942231	Samsung estimates record profits on smartphone sales - 8 January 2013 - From the section Business Samsung Electronics has said it expects to make a record profit for the quarter to the end of December, powered by growing sales of its smartphones. It has estimated an operating profit of 8.8 trillion won ($8.3bn; £5.1bn) for the quarter, a 90% jump from the same period a year earlier. That would make it the fifth quarter in a row of record profits for Samsung. The success of its Galaxy smartphones helped Samsung overtake Nokia as the world's biggest phone maker last year. Analysts said that given the popularity of its smartphones, the South Korean firm was likely to see its profits grow further in the coming months. "Not only are their smartphone sales growing, they have also learned how to make a good profit on those sales," James Rooney, chairman of Market Force Company, an advisory firm based in Seoul, told the BBC. "Given these factors, this streak of record breaking quarters is likely to continue for a while," he added. 'Momentum may slow' One of the key drivers of Samsung's smartphone sales in recent months has been its Galaxy S3 model. However, the phone is facing increased competition, not least from rival Apple, which launched its iPhone 5 in September last year. Other rivals, such as Nokia and HTC, have also launched new handsets powered by Windows Phone 8, in an attempt to increase their market share. At the same time, there are also concerns that the pace of growth of sales that Samsung has seen in recent quarters could slow in the coming months. "Investors are a bit concerned that Samsung's momentum may slow in the first half after posting a series of record profits," said Kim Sung-Soo a fund manager at LS Asset Management. "The smartphone market is unlikely to sustain its strong growth, as advanced markets are nearing saturation," he explained. Mr Kim added that a slowdown in the smartphone division may hurt Samsung as other parts of its business, such as manufacturing memory chips and televisions, have already been impacted by a contraction in global demand.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-25423838	Carney says house price boom is 'manageable' - 17 December 2013 - From the section Business Any potential bubble in the UK housing market is "manageable" according to Bank of England governor Mark Carney. He said the bank is acting in a "graduated and proportionate way" to stop the housing market getting out of control. He told the Lords Economic Affairs Committee that the strength of the recovery has exceeded expectations. The UK economy grew 0.8% in the third quarter, and business surveys see further growth in the fourth quarter. Mr Carney sought to reassure members of the committee about the housing market, as prices continue to rise not just in London but in many parts of the UK. "In its most recent Financial Stability Report the FPC (Financial Policy Committee) paid particular attention to the risks posed by the recovery in the UK housing market. These risks are manageable and are being managed," he said. Recent economic growth means that "barring further shocks" there was no prospect of further quantitative easing, he said. However, he warned that unless the public and private debt situation in the UK improved, and unless an economic recovery in Europe took hold, then the recovery may be less robust than the current growth rate suggests. Mr Carney defended his policy of forward guidance - a promise not to consider raising interest rates until the unemployment rate has reached 7%. "My experience, having met more than 300 businesses around the country, is that business people understand forward guidance well," said Mr Carney. Earlier this month the governor said that he was concerned about "potential developments" in the UK housing market. In a recent speech made in New York, he said the Bank could change mortgage rules to prevent the housing market getting out of control. "There is a history of things shifting in the UK and the housing market of moving from stall speed to warp speed and underwriting standards slipping. So we want to avoid that," Mr Carney said. In his testimony on Tuesday to the Lords Economic Affairs Committee, Mr Carney questioned the economist Larry Summers' theory of secular stagnation in the economies of the developed world. He said there needs to be a "degree of scepticism" when applying Summers' theory of a possible reduction in the capacity of the UK economy.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/scot_prem/8032039.stm	Brown has played a starring role for Celtic and Scotland this season Scott Brown has been rewarded for his performances in the engine room of the Celtic midfield by being named the PFA Scotland Player of the Year. Hamilton's James McCarthy won the Young Player of the Year award, while Gordon Strachan was named Manager of the Year. Livingston's Leigh Griffiths, Ayr's Bryan Prunty and Albion Rovers' Bobby Barr won the First, Second and Third Division awards respectively. A Pedro Mendes strike for Rangers at Celtic Park was Goal of the Season. Mendes had been nominated for the Players' Player of the Year award along with team-mate Steven Davis and Celtic's Gary Caldwell. However, it was Brown who won the most votes from his fellow professionals, having rediscovered the sort of driving form that attracted Gordon Strachan to sign him from Hibernian for around £4.4m in May 2007. Consolation for Portuguese playmaker Mendes was recognition for his 25-yard piledriver in the 4-2 win for Rangers at Celtic Park in August 2008. Strachan, winning the Manager of the Year award for the second time, has led Celtic to the Co-operative Insurance Cup this season and his team are a point ahead of rivals Rangers at the top of the Premier League. 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.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7159674.stm	Pope Benedict XVI has appealed for just solutions to the conflicts in the Middle East, Iraq, Africa and elsewhere in his annual Christmas message. He denounced terrorism and violence that victimised children and women. His address came as millions of Christians around the world celebrated the traditional day of Christ's birth. In Bethlehem, biblical place of Jesus' birth, more pilgrims visited the town for Christmas than in any year since the Palestinian uprising began in 2000. 'Joy, hope and peace' The Pope spoke from a balcony in St Peter's Basilica in Rome, overlooking the square where thousands of people had gathered in the winter sunshine. He said he hoped the "light of Christ" would "shine forth and bring consolation to those who live in the darkness of poverty, injustice and war". An enthusiastic crowd broke into chanting during pauses in the Pope's address. In his Urbi et Orbi speech (Latin for 'To the City and the World') he said: "May this Christmas truly be for all people a day of joy, hope and peace." He urged political leaders to have the "wisdom and courage to seek and find humane, just and lasting solutions" to "ethnic, religious and political tensions... [which are] destroying the internal fabric of many countries and embittering international relations". The address was broadcast live on television to dozens of countries and was followed by greetings in about 60 languages. In the Pope's midnight Mass at the basilica, he urged people to find time for God and the needy. In front of the Basilica, a new floodlit Nativity scene was unveiled. This year, the larger-than-life-size statues of the baby Jesus and his family have been placed in a Nativity scene set not in a Bethlehem stable but in a room in Joseph's house in Nazareth. Vatican officials say the change was made to illustrate the notion that Jesus was born everywhere, not just in Bethlehem. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, a Muslim, joined the midnight Mass in Bethlehem and emphasised that not only Christians were celebrating the festival. "The new year, God willing, will be a year of security and economic stability," he said. "We pray next year will be the year of independence for the Palestinian people," he added. Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah, the Catholic leader in the Holy Land, called for peace in the Middle East as he led the Mass. "This land belongs to God. It must not be for some a land of life and for others a land of occupation and a political prison," he said in a sermon delivered in his native Arabic. Local officials in Bethlehem say double the number of pilgrims have visited this year compared to last. Fears about security and Israel's West Bank barrier - an eight-metre (24ft) concrete wall separating the town from Jerusalem - have discouraged potential visitors in recent years. Israel says the barrier is vital to prevent attacks by Palestinian militants. During the second Palestinian uprising, which started in September 2000, tourism collapsed. Relative stability for past two years however has led tourists and pilgrims to return to the town in larger numbers. But the BBC's Bethany Bell says there are still far fewer tourists than there used to be before the uprising and that many of those celebrating outside the Church of the Nativity were local people.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3102948.stm	The sea is steadily eating into the Sundarbans, the world's largest delta and mangrove forest, threatening an ecological disaster for the Bengal basin region. Saving the Sundarbans may be a lost cause, experts say The 20,000 square kilometre forest delta stretches across the lower reaches of the Bengal basin - 60% falling in Bangladesh and the rest in the Indian state of West Bengal. Satellite imagery shows that the sea level in the Sundarbans has risen at an average rate of 3.14 centimetres a year over the past two decades - much higher than the global average of two millimetres a year. Scientists believe that in the next 50 years, a rise of even one metre in sea level would inundate 1,000 sq.km of the Sundarbans. "The Sundarbans appears to be a lost cause," says Professor Sugato Hazra, director of the School of Oceanographic Studies at Calcutta's Jadavpur University, which runs a project in the Indian Sundarbans. In the past two decades, four islands - Bedford, Lohachara, Kabasgadi and Suparibhanga - have sunk into the sea and 6,000 families have been made homeless. Two other islands - Ghoramara and Mousuni - are fast going under. Sagar, the biggest island in the Sundarbans, has already lost 30 sq.km. By 2020, it will have lost another 15% of its habitable area, displacing more than 30,000 people, says Professor Hazra. His study of satellite pictures reveals a worrying rate of coastal erosion in the Indian Sundarbans. "The entire island system is faced with a rapid loss of land area and embankments, flooding and salinisation of drinking water," says Professor Hazra. "Many residents are moving out; these islands are becoming uninhabitable," says Utpal Mukherjee, additional district magistrate of South 24-Parganas district, under which the Indian Sundarbans falls. "It is a matter of time before the two islands of Ghoramara and Mousuni are swallowed up by the sea. We can only provide relief to the people. We cannot fight nature." However, on Sagar, the district administration has tried to do just that. It has constructed huge embankments to ring the coastal inlands. But during high tides, the embankments are damaged. Some develop cracks and collapse. Every winter, Sagar hosts the great Hindu festival, the Gangasagar Mela. Tens of thousands of devotees pray at the temple of the great sage, Kapil Muni. The new temple on Sagar is also under threat from the sea The original temple was devoured by the sea during British rule. A new one had to be built several kilometres inland, but now the sea is closing in on that as well. At Lot-8, the nearest land port to Ghoramara or Sagar, scores of families are taking shelter from the islands. "We will go looking for land elsewhere but many of us will become landless labourers," says Jagabandhu Das, a fisherman from Ghoramara. A total of 54 of the 102 islands in the Indian Sundarbans are still habitable. But they also face other pressures. About 2,500 sq.km have been set aside as a tiger reserve since 1973 but poaching of the royal Bengal tiger continues, aided by corrupt forest officials. Tree-felling during the past century has more than halved the mangrove cover in the Indian section as successive administrations allowed rampant land reclamation for human settlement. Since the first settlements in 1770, the population of the Indian Sundarbans has risen 200% to nearly 4.3 million. The population has put pressure on the ecosystem, which acts as a nursery for the aquatic resources of the Bay of Bengal. Professor Hazra says mangrove depletion will increase the threat of flooding upstream in Calcutta. "It is an ecological disaster in the making," he says. West Bengal's minister for Sundarbans development, Kanti Ganguly, admits that the situation is serious. Under a directive from federal authorities, his government formed the Coastal Regulatory Zone Authority in 1999, specifically for the Sundarbans. But the body did not meet for two years - and did little after that. The authorities need to address a range of vital matters. - The move towards a prawn monoculture - the cultivation of a single species that can lead to its extinction - Erosion caused by the barraging of rivers and diversion or blocking of upstream water - The use of mangrove wood to feed a gas plant in the Gosaba and Choto Mollakhali islands. (The West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Agency has vowed to investigate the allegations and, if proven, halt the practice) - The silting of West Bengal's largest port, Haldia, because only three of seven walls to divert the Hooghly river have been built by the Port Trust of India. In the Sundarbans, the rising sea level and soil erosion threaten to submerge large swathes of land, making thousands more homeless. The diverse marine life - river sharks, red crabs, shrimps, snakes - all uniquely adapted to the saline water - will be harmed, drastically affecting the food chain and fishing industry. Scientists say that the Sundarbans, South Asia's largest "carbon sink" - which mops up carbon dioxide - must survive to help prevent global warming. But will it?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3070447.stm	At least 17 people have been killed after a flash flood swept through a construction site in India's northern state of Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday. Assam's chief minister has called for emergency cash for floods there An early morning downpour triggered the flood in Shilagarh village, near the summer resort of Kullu, about 400km (250 miles) north of Delhi. Police said up to 400 workers were asleep in shanties at the site and it was earlier feared the death toll was much higher. There are still reports of missing workers, but the BBC's Asit Jolly says the chief minister's office now believes the death toll may not exceed 35. The flood occurred as the north-western state of Assam, which has been devastated by monsoon rains, asked the federal government for emergency funds. In a statement to the Himachal Pradesh state assembly, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh expressed his shock at the flash flood disaster and promised all possible help for those affected. He told journalists the flood had caused havoc in the remote region. "Supplies of blankets, essential rations, shrouds for the dead and money to provide immediate relief has been sent," he said. The migrant workers, from Nepal and the Indian states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, were working on the Parvati hydroelectric project, one of the largest in Asia. A bridge connecting the disaster site to the rest of the state had also been swept away, state government officials said. Police said villagers had reported seeing bodies floating down the Parvati river. Kullu is situated in the foothills of the Himalayas and is popular with Western tourists. Meanwhile in Assam, chief minister Tarun Gogoi sent a letter to Delhi pleading for emergency funds to tackle some of the worst flooding in 50 years. "There may be further devastation in the coming days because flood-management structures throughout the state have been damaged," his letter warned. The minister called for the urgent supply of tarpaulins, water purifying tablets, mosquito nets and utensils. Most of the 78 flood-related deaths confirmed in India have occurred in Assam, where up to four million people have been displaced. A further 2.5 million have been marooned by overflowing rivers in Bangladesh, where the official death toll is 154. India's eastern state of Bihar has more than one million people affected by flooding. The state has lost four million rupees ($85,500) worth of crops.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7724541.stm	Leaders clash in Commons over Baby P's case review David Cameron and Gordon Brown have clashed angrily over the inquiry into a baby who died after months of abuse. The Commons Speaker was forced to step in to tell MPs to "stop shouting across the chamber" and remember the issue was "a little child who has gone". The row was prompted by the PM accusing the Tory leader of "making a party political issue" of it. Mr Cameron called that "frankly cheap". Minister Ed Balls has ordered a review into Haringey's childrens' services. Baby P, a 17-month-old boy, died in August 2007 after months of abuse. On Tuesday two men were found guilty of causing his death in Haringey, north London - the same borough in which eight-year-old Victoria Climbie was murdered in 2000 by her great aunt and the woman's boyfriend. Baby P's mother had already admitted causing his death. In the Commons earlier Mr Cameron had urged the government to intervene saying it was "completely unacceptable" that an internal review into Baby P's death had been undertaken by the council's own children's services director. He said "nobody is taking responsibility, nobody has resigned" and added of the woman in charge of the review: "She cannot possibly investigate the failure of her own department." The prime minister said people had been "horrified and angered" by the story of Baby P's death, but the government would decide what action to take having just received the full report from Haringey on Wednesday morning. THE FULL STORY Watch the entire Commons session and read BBC political correspondent Iain Watson's verdict on "the most ill-tempered" PMQs clash he's seen An independent review would be undertaken by Lord Laming, who chaired the inquiry into Victoria Climbie's death, to see what progress had been made around the country, he said. But the exchange became more heated after the prime minister told Mr Cameron: "I do regret making a party political issue of this." Mr Cameron said that was a "frankly cheap" response to "perfectly reasonable questions" and demanded he withdraw the comment. He also said it was "shameful" that Labour MPs were trying to shout him down and urged Mr Brown to consider taking over Haringey social services "and put someone in charge who can run it properly". Mr Brown did not withdraw the comment, telling MPs: "There is common ground on both sides of the House and we should maximise our agreement on these issues about this very sad and tragic case." Speaker Michael Martin had to intervene several times, amid rowdy scenes in the Commons he warned MPs about shouting after "this terrible news". But later he had to tell them again: "It is not a good thing at this time when we heard this news about a little child who has gone before us that we should be shouting across the chamber." Baby P, had been on an at-risk register and had been seen about 60 times by social workers, doctors and welfare groups. Baby P's clothes. He died after months of abuse. On Tuesday two men were found guilty of causing his death in Haringey, north London - the same borough in which eight-year-old Victoria Climbie was murdered in 2000 by her great aunt and the woman's boyfriend. Baby P's mother had already admitted causing her son's death. An internal inquiry by Haringey's Local Safeguarding Children Board blamed legal advice taken a week before the baby's death for the decision not to take him into care. The board's chair, Sharon Shoesmith, is also head of child services at Haringey social services. The government argued the review was carried out by "independent people" and Ms Shoesmith commissioned, but did not author it - which they say is in line with guidance from the Victoria Climbie inquiry. The Lib Dem MP Lynne Featherstone, who was leader of the opposition in Haringey during the Victoria Climbie case, said the measures outlined by the prime minister were welcome but did not go far enough for Haringey. She urged him to call an independent public inquiry. Later Ed Balls, the children's secretary, announced that Ofsted, the Healthcare Commission and the Chief Inspector of Constabulary would carry out an "urgent" review of services involved in child welfare in Haringey. He said the review indicated there were "a number of failings of practice and management by the agencies involved" in Baby P's case and said he needed to ensure that "such a tragedy doesn't happen again, that lessons are learned and that children in Haringey are safe". The Conservatives said the announcement of an independent review was a "vindication of what we have been saying all day - that Haringey Council should not be judge and jury in any inquiry into what led to the death of Baby P". Shadow children's secretary Michael Gove said it was "crucial" lessons were learnt from the "tragedy" and said he hoped the review would "draw a line" under the political row. The Lib Dems also welcomed the move. Labour backbencher Jon Cruddas told BBC Two's Daily Politics the case of Baby P was "beyond politics". He said Labour backbenchers had been expecting questions on the economy and as a result "the response was not helpful, it did not shine a positive light on my own party - that is part of the culture within the House of Commons chamber". 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.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-22942464	Penelope Keith returns to TV for Jane Austen role - 18 June 2013 - From the section Entertainment & Arts Penelope Keith is returning to television to play Mr Darcy's aunt for the BBC. The Good Life actress will play Lady Catherine de Bourgh in the adaptation of PD James's Pride and Prejudice follow-up, Death Comes to Pemberley. The book places the Jane Austen characters six years on and involved in a murder mystery. Matthew Rhys will follow in Colin Firth's footsteps and take on the role of Mr Darcy for the BBC. Anna Maxwell Martin will play Elizabeth Bennett, while Matthew Goode takes on the role of George Wickham. It has also been announced that Doctor Who actress Jenna-Louise Coleman will play Lydia Wickham. Trevor Eve and The Thick Of It star Rebecca Front will also join the cast. Death Comes to Pemberley picks up with Elizabeth and Darcy six years after their wedding, when they have two young sons and are preparing for the annual ball at their home. The book, which was an international best-seller, has been adapted by Juliette Towhidi, the writer of Calendar Girls. Filming is taking place on location in Yorkshire.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/south_west/6741167.stm	They say cats have nine lives - so meet Des, who has 26 toes. Des the cat can be temperamental according to his owner While most pet cats have 18 - five on their front paws and four on their rear - the 10-year-old boasts seven on his front and six on his back paws. The extra digits have left owner Alison Thomas, of Felindre, near Swansea, pondering whether it is a UK record. One expert said cats with extra toes were common in the area around the old county of Cardiganshire and were sometimes known as "Cardi-cats". An animal with too many toes is called a polydactyl. There are unconfirmed reports in north America of cats with up to 28 toes - but Mrs Thomas cannot find records closer to home. Mother-of-three Mrs Thomas said: "He came to us when he was about six months old - he just turned up on the doorstep and it was even more noticeable then because his paws were so big. "The first thing people say when they see him even now is 'look at his paws'. "He is a bit temperamental - if you know him you are okay but Des can be quite quick with his paws and leave a nasty scratch because he has so many claws. His rear paws have six toes -his front paws have seven. "He did have a problem with his paws a while back - nothing to do with the number of the toes - and the vet said he could amputate the extra ones. "But they don't cause him any problems - he does not scratch the furniture - the children know and they say 'don't go near Des's claws'." Mrs Thomas said she had read it was common for a polydactyl to have 24 toes - but 26 was 'very rare'. Sally Hyman, from the Llys Nini Animal Centre in Penllergaer, Swansea, said she had seen lots of cats with six toes, but never one with seven. "It's quite common to have six toes in Cardiganshire, and therefore we call them 'Cardi-cats' sometimes," Ms Hyman explained. "Its because it's a genetic defect, the gene pool is actually concentrated in south west Wales, and so it's more likely to get a cat with that genetic defect, breeding with another cat with that genetic defect in Cardigan, than anywhere, else in Britain." Mrs Thomas said she was "amazed", as Des had been born in Newcastle Emlyn in west Wales. "He obviously is a Cardi-cat," she said. The world record might belong to a cat called Mickey Mouse who was owned by Renee Delgade of Westlake Village, California, in 1974. It had 32 toes, but there are doubts about the record as Mickey may have had "double paw" condition and may not have been a pure polydactyl. There is speculation the real record holder for a polydactyl is Bobbi, owned by Kathy Williams of Stone Creek in British Columbia. The Canadian press reported in 2002 it had 28 toes. "We would be interested to find out what the record is the UK," added Mrs Thomas.
http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-26416106	Reporter accosts Bono at Oscars while live on air 3 March 2014 Last updated at 10:38 GMT The 86th Academy Awards have taken place in Hollywood. U2 performed their song from Mandela: The Long Walk To Freedom at the ceremony, and the BBC's Colin Paterson was keen to track down the band's lead singer, Bono. First broadcast on BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Monday 3 March.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3504425.stm	French film director Jean Rouch, a pioneer of the "cinema verite" style of documentaries, has been killed in a car crash in Niger at the age of 86. Rouch's wife and two colleagues were injured in the road accident 600km (375 miles) north of the capital, Niamey, on Wednesday night. Rouch helped inspire US and French film-makers and was a long-time supporter of African cinema. He made more than 100 films, including Moi, Un Noir and Jaguar. Rouch had travelled to the former French colony last week to open a film festival. "We don't yet know the exact circumstances of the accident," Laurent Clavel, the director of the France-Niger Cultural Centre, told Reuters. The French ambassador to Niger is travelling to the scene of the crash to escort the director's body back to France. Born in Paris in 1917, Rouch started making films as an amateur while working as an engineer in Africa during World War II. From 1941, he travelled throughout West Africa, notably to Senegal, Niger, Mali and Ghana, filming scenes of daily life. He is said to have started the trend for hand-held camera work early on in his career, after his tripod fell into the Niger River. Inspired by the anthropologist Marcel Griaule, Rouch developed an ethnographic approach to documentary film-making in the which the subjects are seen to act freely, without any directorial control. This blurring of the traditional boundaries between director and subject became known as "cinema verite". It was said to have inspired the 'nouvelle vague', or new wave, style of film-making in France, popularised by directors Francois Truffaut and Jean-Luc Goddard. Rouch's experiences also led him to play an active role in helping to develop African cinema. He continued to travel throughout the continent for much of his professional life. Among the best known of his 120 films were La Pyramide Humaine, Cocorico Monsieur Poulet, Petit a Petit and Madame L'Eau.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-14472517	East Kent Pfizer closure recovery 'could take 10 years' - 10 August 2011 - From the section Kent Warnings that it could take a decade to fill the gap left by Pfizer, which is closing its site in Sandwich, have come from the leader of Kent County Council. The drugs giant said in February that its east Kent base, which employs 2,400 people would close, but it would keep about 350 jobs at the site. Councillor Paul Carter said there had been interest in the site, but it could take 10 years for Kent to recover. He said a purchaser would need patience to allow time for the site to deliver. Mr Carter said creating 2,500 to 3,000 jobs in pharmaceutical research was "a big ask in a completely changing world". He said: "I'm fully aware of that and, if we can build up in 18 months to two years' time and have a thousand good quality jobs on that site, I think we've started to deliver the success." Enterprize zone bid He added: "It's going to take five or 10 years to grow that, but time we need, and we need to make sure that hopefully we get a freehold purchaser that they've got the patience to allow that time to deliver." John Westwood, real estate director at Pfizer, said there had been interest in the site. "There aren't a huge number of organisations or individuals with appetite for it but nevertheless there has been interest, and we are continuing to pursue those avenues," he said. After the closure was announced, a task force of politicians was set up to support new business and employment on the Pfizer site. This summer, plans were put forward to turn the research and development facility into an enterprise zone. Pfizer said there will be a phased exit of the the site in Ramsgate Road by 2012. The site was put on the market in June. In June, the company said it would retain some operations at the facility, preserving about 350 jobs.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-19797030	Wylfa power station refuelling problem stops reactor - 2 October 2012 - From the section North West Wales Inquiries have got under way after Reactor 1 at the Wylfa nuclear power station on Anglesey was stopped due to a problem with refuelling work. Operators Magnox said it was investigating to identify the nature and cause of the issue on Sunday with the reactor which powers two turbines. There was no estimated return-to-service date he added. Recently the plant was given permission move fuel from Reactor 2 to Reactor 1 to continue generating electricity. It will therefore be able to produce electricity until the fuel runs out or September 2014, whichever comes first. The station is due to close after that date and plans for Wylfa B are on hold. In July it was announced the Areva group and China Guangdong Nuclear Power Corporation (CGNPC) group were to bid for the Horizon project, which includes Wylfa B. The fuel move has the backing of the Office for Nuclear Regulation and is supported by the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC). Wylfa is the only Magnox site still generating electricity, following the closure of Oldbury in Gloucestershire in February. Last month the UK government's continued commitment to the nuclear industry was been restated by the new Welsh secretary, on his first official engagement. David Jones said securing a new nuclear station, Wylfa B, on Anglesey was "critical" to his economic efforts.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-22312474	Another fine mess? Unravelling Laurel and Hardy's Scottish links - 16 June 2013 - From the section Highlands & Islands Comedy great Stan Laurel was born on this day in 1890. Though born in England, Laurel and his American partner in mirth Oliver Hardy were no strangers to Scotland. Born in Ulverston, in Cumbria, Laurel's family moved north to Glasgow when he was still a boy. On leaving school, Laurel joined his father working in the box office of the city's Metropole Theatre. But, like his actress mother before him, he was drawn to a career on stage rather than behind it. A month after his 16th birthday, Laurel persuaded the owner of Glasgow's Britannia Panopticon to give him a slot during the music hall's amateur night. His song-and-gag routine got a mixed reception from the Pots and Pans' notoriously difficult audience. Still, the experience helped to put him on the road to stardom. Hardy was born Norvell Hardy in Harlem, Georgia, in 1892. His father, Oliver, had been a sergeant in the Confederate army during the American Civil War. His mother was Emily Norvell. Biographies on the internet mention Hardy's paternal ancestors being English Americans and his maternal Scottish Americans. Janice Hawton, Grand Sheik of the Bonnie Scotland Tent of Glasgow, a branch of the Laurel and Hardy appreciation society Sons of the Desert, said fans had known of a distant family link to Great Britain. She said: "I am aware Oliver Hardy's family on his mother's side went to America in the 18th Century, but I don't know where they hailed from." Staff and volunteers at the Oliver Hardy Museum in Harlem have tried to uncover details about Hardy's family tree. So far they have not been able to find a direct connection, but said they had found that his mother's surname Norvell was Scottish. Scots from in and around Inverness, and also lowland parts of Scotland, were among Georgia's first European colonists in the 1700s. Highlanders were recruited because of their reputation as fierce warriors and were brought in to defend territory against Spanish colonists. While Hardy's ancestral past might not be too clear, his and Laurel's affection for Scotland was evident in their visits to Britain. Janice Hawton said: "Both Laurel and Hardy visited Glasgow and Edinburgh. They stayed at the Central Hotel in Glasgow. "Oliver Hardy was a great golfer and he did go to Gleneagles during their tour of the UK in 1932." They visited Scotland again in the 1940s and 50s. Some of the duo's films also featured Scotland. The 1927 short silent movie Putting Pants on Philip, described as the first true Laurel and Hardy film, has a strong Scottish theme. Laurel's kilt-wearing character arrives in America from Scotland to stay with an uncle, played by Hardy. The uncle mistakenly believes his nephew's Highland dress is a lady's skirt. Putting Pants on Philip was said to have been Laurel's favourite silent short. The comedy duo later followed it up with the feature-length film Bonnie Scotland. Released in 1935, it sees the duo on the trail of Laurel's Scottish inheritance. Along the way they are tricked into joining the British Army and are posted to India. Prof David Martin-Jones, of Film and Television Studies at the University of Glasgow, said the Scotland portrayed in the film was constructed on Hollywood sets. He said: "The lighting of the exterior shots gives away the presence of the warm Californian sun overhead. "But this does not detract from the film's exploration of things Scottish. In this respect, Bonnie Scotland contains several themes that resonate today." These themes include an interest in tracing branches in family trees. Prof Martin-Jones said: "Stan's inheritance is a disappointment, in that it is a set of bagpipes he cannot play, and the kilts and other such trappings of Scottishness all belong to the British Army. "Years on, things are very different." He said the popularity of events such as 2009's Homecoming Scotland, which will be held again next year, had shown that tracing branches of family trees from North America back to Scotland was no longer seen as worthless, or divorced, from the present. For another Laurel and Hardy fan, Willie McIntyre, Bonnie Scotland is an example of the pair's comedy greatness. The Grand Sheik of the Glasgow-based Call of the Cuckoos Tent, the longest established UK branch of the Sons of the Desert, said: "It has some glorious moments of humour."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-20322288	China new leaders: Xi Jinping heads line-up for politburo - 15 November 2012 - From the section China Xi Jinping has been confirmed as the man to lead China for the next decade. Mr Xi led the new Politburo Standing Committee onto the stage at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, signalling his elevation to the top of China's ruling Communist Party. The party faced great challenges but would work to meet "expectations of both history and the people", he said. Most of the new committee are seen as politically conservative, and perceived reformers did not get promotion. Xi Jinping replaces Hu Jintao, under whose administration China has seen a decade of extraordinary growth. The move marks the official passing of power from one generation to the next. Mr Xi was followed out onto the stage by Li Keqiang, the man set to succeed Premier Wen Jiabao, and five other men - meaning that the size of the all-powerful Standing Committee had been reduced from nine to seven. Those five, in order of seniority, were Vice-Premier Zhang Dejiang, Shanghai party boss Yu Zhengsheng, propaganda chief Liu Yunshan, Vice-Premier Wang Qishan and Tianjin party boss Zhang Gaoli. The new leaders had great responsibilities, Mr Xi said, but their mission was to be united, and to lead the party and the people to make the Chinese nation stronger and more powerful. "The people's desire for a better life is what we shall fight for," he said. Corruption had to be addressed, he said, and better party discipline was needed. "The party faces many severe challenges, and there are also many pressing problems within the party that need to be resolved, particularly corruption, being divorced from the people, going through formalities and bureaucratism caused by some party officials," Mr Xi said. "We must make every effort to solve these problems. The whole party must stay on full alert." 'Confidence in continuity' The new Standing Committee was endorsed in a vote early on Thursday by the new party Central Committee, but in reality the decisions had been made in advance. The new leaders will gradually take over in the next few months, with Hu Jintao's presidency formally coming to an end at the annual parliament session in March 2013. Mr Xi has also been named chairman of the Central Military Commission, a Xinhua news agency report said, ending uncertainty over whether that post would be transferred from Hu Jintao immediately. Mr Hu's predecessor, Jiang Zemin, held on to the post for two years after he stood down from the party leadership. New Standing Committee member Wang Qishan has also been named head of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection - the party's anti-corruption watchdog. Mr Xi, a former Shanghai party chief, was appointed to the politburo in 2007. A "princeling" - a relative of one of China's revolutionary elders - he has spent almost four decades in the Communist Party, serving in top posts in both Fujian and Zhejiang provinces, as well as Shanghai. His speech drew praise online, with a number of netizens liking his more informal style. "This big boss at least is talking like a human being. I won't comment on the rest," well-known Chinese journalist Gong Xiaoyue said via micro-blog. Mr Xi, 59, is said to be a protégé of Jiang Zemin, while Li Keqiang is said to have been Mr Hu's preferred successor. Mr Hu has been the Communist Party chief since he led the Standing Committee line-up out on stage in November 2002. Under his administration China has seen a decade of rapid development, overtaking Japan as the world's second-largest economy. But the development has been uneven, leading to a widening wealth gap, environmental challenges and rumbling social discontent over inequality and corruption. Analysts say there has been division at the very top of the leadership in the lead-up to the party congress, with two rival factions jostling for position and influence. The transition process has also been complicated by the scandal that engulfed Chongqing party leader Bo Xilai - a powerful high-flier once seen as a strong contender for the top leadership. His wife has been jailed for murdering a British businessman and he looks set to face trial on a raft of corruption-related charges. That notwithstanding, the power transition process has been orderly, for only the second time in 60 years of Communist Party rule. "The ostensible lack of drama throughout the week-long session may disappoint sensation seekers," China Daily said in an editorial on Thursday before the new Standing Committee line-up was announced. "But the confidence in continuity, instead of revolutionary ideas and dramatic approaches, means a better tomorrow is attainable."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-22470032	Matilda cast reach for the stars in ISS space call 9 May 2013 Last updated at 15:34 BST The cast of hit Broadway musical Matilda have been literally reaching for the stars during a question and answer session with Nasa astronaut Tom Marshburn. The astronaut, who is stationed on the International Space Station, was quizzed by the young cast on space food and aging in space. Tim Minchin, who wrote the songs and lyrics for the musical, also attended the call in New York.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3543179.stm	By Clare Matheson BBC News Online business reporter in Dublin In a few weeks the Irish hospitality business could be nursing a big hangover. The traditional pint and a smoke will end on 29 March The Republic's government has, after many months of wrangling, finally decided on a date to stub out smoking in public places. From 29 March culture vultures - and the stag and hen party visitors - will be taking a breath of fresh air in Dublin's Temple Bar area. But the issue has sharply divided the hospitality industry. A blanket ban could lead to an 8% drop in pub sales - in turn costing the Exchequer 69m euros (£48.1m), according to figures from DCU Business School which was commissioned by the Vintners Federation of Ireland and the Licensed Vintners Association. Football audiences in pubs and bars have dipped in recent years, and publicans have "very real fears" it will fall further after the ban. The vintners fear the ban could prompt up to 3,100 job losses as a result of falling sales. NEW YORK BAN - HEALTH LOBBY Tax receipts on alcohol rose 2.8% in August-November, 2003 against the same period in 2002* Number of bars and restaurants licensed to sell liquor rose 1.1% between October 2002 and October 2003* Between March and June 2003, 10,000 bar and restaurant jobs created, surpassing growth for same period in 2002 - New York Labour Department figures Source: Roswell Park Cancer Institute of Buffalo Even customers do not want an outright ban, the vintners claim, citing a study that found 54% of pub customers would support a separate smoking area over a total ban. The tobacco industry itself is also in favour of "voluntary action", of course. Both Imperial Tobacco and British American Tobacco insist any measures should be down to a particular premises and the desires of their customers. 'Short term hit' The health lobby has by and large dismissed industry concerns about business consequences following a ban. They say stubbing out smoking will not only improve the health of customers and staff, it will also boost business. Anti-smoking group Ash cite studies from New York and California, following blanket bans on public smoking there, which show the hospitality industry's profits have risen and lots of new jobs have been created. The ban may entice more "clean air" fans One group that has welcomed the Irish ban is the Restaurant's Association which in a survey of 2,500 customers found that 70% - including smokers - backed the ban. "We're in the pleasing business and we have to please our clients," said Henry O'Neill, an executive with the association. "We don't believe the ban is going to impact on business." Instead, the ban could attract more tourists and may prompt the industry to change tack and use a "clean air" advertising strategy, Mr O'Neill believed, though he accepted that there could be some negative effects in some areas. "Obviously it's going to deter some business - for example functions in the border area, such as weddings and dances, may go over the border," he said. Brewery group Diageo, which has seen its pub trade decline 8% as the off licence trade has improved 3% - was also cautiously optimistic. "The jury is out," said spokeswoman Jean Doyle. NY BAN - TOBACCO LOBBY 17% fall in waiter/waitress jobs, bartender numbers down 11% after the ban 33% of establishments have reported an overall decline in jobs since the ban Two thirds of respondents say they now have fewer customers than before the ban *SOURCE: International Communications Research "The feeling is that in the short term there could be an impact, but it remains to be seen. "Pubs may actually become more attractive because of the ban, research has shown certain people are put off by smoking - the atmosphere, the smell on their clothes." Some pubs in the capital have started to prepare for the ban with wall-mounted ashtrays outside and heated outdoor areas for smokers. Yet some publicans are convinced the ban will be bad news for business. Already cafes and bars are catering for smokers outside Tom Moran, who owns Dublin's famous Red Cow Inn, believes the move will hit a trade suffering from changing lifestyles - and from the introduction of the euro. In the past, customers would have 50 Irish punts (IR£) in their wallet for a night out. Now, they take 50 euros instead, equivalent to just IR£35 (£33.60). This, coupled with fewer people going to the pub - as Diageo's lower profits indicate - makes Mr Moran conclude that people are now spending less time and money going out. A waitress at Miso restaurant in Dublin's Temple Bar agrees. "Before I come to work, I usually go to a coffee bar for a cigarette and a coffee," she said. "When the ban comes in, I'll be staying home that bit longer which means the coffee shop will be losing about 22 euros a week from me." A shrinking younger population has also taken its toll on publicans' profits, with the generation who used to like a night out on the tiles now getting married, having children and settling down with big mortgages to pay off - which means less money to spend on a few drinks down at the local. NEW YORK AFTER THE BAN A tax waiver has been introduced for firms able to show business has declined due to the ban David Damon, owner of a bar in Cicero, won the first waiver after proving business had dropped 40% He also proved he had a suitable smoking room, which is now in use The county is now considering 24 similar applications "Certainly, the smoking ban won't help the situation and I personally think this should be phased in over a number of years," insisted Mr Moran in an interview with RTE radio. "I think it's hitting us in all of a slap, I don't think it's going to work." In reality, Ireland will have to wait until the smoke clears to see what the impact of the ban has been.