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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-10871494	Cross-dressing men flogged in Sudan for being 'womanly' A group of young Muslim men have been publicly flogged in Sudan after they were convicted of wearing women's clothes and make-up. The court said the 19 men had broken Sudan's strict public morality codes. Police arrested them at a party where they were found dancing "in a womanly fashion", the judge said. The men were not represented in court and said nothing in their defence, some hid their faces from the hundreds of people who watched as they were lashed.'Scared' The sentence of 30 lashes was carried out as soon as the court in Omdurman, near Khartoum, gave its ruling. They must also pay fines of as much as 1,000 Sudanese pounds ($400, £252). One lawyer, who did not want to be named, told Reuters news agency the men had not received a fair trial. End Quote Salva Kiir President of South Sudan It [homosexuality] is not in our character - it is not there and if anybody wants to import it to Sudan it will always be condemned by everybody” "These people did not get a chance for justice, public opinion and the media prejudged them and lawyers were too scared to come and defend them," he said. Newspapers had called the party a "same sex wedding".'Imported' Northern Sudan is governed by Sharia law, under which homosexuality is illegal. Laws governing "indecent clothing" were highlighted by a case last year in which a female journalist was sentenced to be flogged for wearing trousers. The sentence was commuted to a fine. Homosexuality is not tolerated in Southern Sudan either, where most people are Christian or follow traditional beliefs, the BBC's James Copnall says. South Sudan President Salva Kiir recently told a radio station that homosexuality was an "imported" idea. "It [homosexuality] is not in our character. It is not there and if anybody wants to import it to Sudan it will always be condemned by everybody," he said.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14631981	The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is a small country with few natural resources, but it has played a pivotal role in the struggle for power in the Middle East. Jordan's significance results partly from its strategic location at the crossroads of what Christians, Jews and Muslims call the Holy Land. It is a key ally of the US and, together with Egypt, one of only two Arab nations to have made peace with Israel. The desert kingdom emerged out of the post-World War I division of the Middle East by Britain and France. The population at that time was largely made up of tribes which had taken part in the Great Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire. Today, those original inhabitants - known as East Bank Jordanians - are outnumbered by the descendants of Palestinian refugees from Israel and the West Bank. At a glance - Politics: Real power rests with the king, who has promised to press ahead with reforms; multi-party politics was introduced in 1992 - Economy: Jordan has few natural resources; its economic fortunes have been undermined by instability within the region; it is heavily dependent on aid but the economy has been growing - International: The government's pragmatic, non-confrontational line in foreign relations is often at odds with the more militant approach of local Palestinian and Islamist groups Country profiles by BBC Monitoring The first ruler of Jordan, the Hashemite Abdullah I, was born in Mecca and played a leading role in the Great Arab Revolt. The death in February 1999 of King Hussein, who ruled for 46 years, left Jordan still struggling for economic and social survival, as well as regional peace.Calls for reform His son, Abdullah II faces the task of maintaining stability while accommodating calls for reform. A blueprint for long-term political, economic and social change - known as the National Agenda - has yet to be implemented, and the Arab Spring popular revolts across the region found some resonance in street protests. Jordan's reputation as one of the region's safest countries was dealt a blow in late 2005 when dozens of people were killed in suicide bomb attacks on hotels in the capital. Iraq-based Islamic militants claimed responsibility. The king said Jordan had been targeted because of its location and its stances. Unlike Arab states to the south and east, Jordan has no oil of its own. Its resources are limited to phosphates and agricultural produce. The economy depends largely on services, tourism and foreign aid, of which the US is the main provider. Jordan prides itself on its health service, one of the best in the region.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6409605.stm	One of the suspects told police the incidents in London on 21 July were just bomb hoaxes designed to frighten people, a court has heard. Hussain Osman was tracked down to Italy After his arrest in Italy Hussain Osman told police he and his associates were retaliating for the war in Iraq. He said the mixture in the rucksacks on their backs was made the day before, Woolwich Crown Court heard. Mr Osman, 28, and five others deny conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to cause explosions. It was Mr Osman who police were looking for when they shot dead Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes on 22 July. Mr Osman, whose real name is Hamdi Isaac, fled to Italy and was arrested in Rome on 29 July. The court was told that Mr Osman thought police had shot dead his co-defendant Yassin Omar. The jury listened as a transcript of his first interview, translated from Italian, was read out. During the interview he admitted being involved in the 21 July incident but insisted the bombs were not real, the court heard. Mr Osman said: "We made some false, fake explosives to frighten people, to stop them, because of the [Iraq] war basically." He said: "There was a plastic and inside there was a type of flour and liquid mixed together to make it seem like explosive. It wasn't real." Mr Osman said he had discussed the war with Mr Omar and his co-defendants Muktar Said Ibrahim and Manfo Kwaku Asiedu in the wake of the 7 July attacks. He told the Italian authorities: "What happened on 7 July is happening in Iraq every day. I do not see any difference. They are both innocent people, both are wrong." Mr Osman claimed Mr Ibrahim and Mr Omar came up with the idea for the fake attacks. "They had the idea. I said if this [hoax] could change things, I would do it," he said. During his interview Mr Osman said the hoax explosives were put together in Ramzi Mohammed's flat in Dalgarno Gardens, west London. He was asked why nails were added and replied: "To make the thing that we did look like it could be serious and kill too. "When fake bombs are found, they are immediately recognised as such. The aim was to make them look serious so they would take them seriously." He said Mr Asiedu - the alleged fifth bomber who "lost his nerve" and dumped his bomb - was supposed to go towards White City Tube station with his device. Mr Osman said he had been confident of not being caught in Italy. He said: "As I changed my appearance, I thought I would be able to stay with friends and then when things were back to normal, I could get on with my life." Mr Osman is on trial along with Mr Omar, 26, from New Southgate, north London, Mr Mohammed, 25, of North Kensington, west London, Mr Ibrahim, 29, of Stoke Newington, north London, Mr Asiedu, 33, of no fixed address, and Adel Yahya, 24, of High Road, Tottenham, north London.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8175047.stm	It was the sound of dogs barking and whimpering that first attracted PC Paul Foster to the back of an old kitchen showroom in inner city Birmingham. PC Paul Foster of West Midlands Police describes the moment he witnessed a dog-fight As he got closer he heard voices and men cheering. What police found in Alum Rock a mainly Pakistani inner-city suburb, was an unexpected and disturbing crime scene. "The first thing I notice was the black pit bull terrier, little fur, covered in blood in a bad way," PC Rogers told BBC Radio 4's The Report. Twenty-six men were eventually convicted two years ago for taking part in the largest illegal dog-fight uncovered in the UK. The RSPCA had long regarded dog-fighting as the preserve of white working class men attending fights in the countryside. What the fight in Alum Rock revealed was the first glimpse of organised dog fighting in the Asian community taking place in urban surroundings and tens of thousands of pounds gambled on the result. Since then subsequent raids have revealed that dog-fighting has become a problem in some sections of the Asian community. Ian Briggs, chief inspector of the RSPCA's Special Operations Unit said dog-fighting is up 400% in the past three years in the UK. "Out of all the work we do 98% is Asian". Mr Briggs said the organisation believes there is a dog fight nearly every week nationally from a small fight in the park to the bigger organised events such as that uncovered at Alum Rock. "Information about one fight we uncover leads to another but certainly we are scratching the surface." What has also surprised RSPCA officials is the attention to detail that accompanies the fights. They're looking for a more exotic dog, more jaw pressure, one whose got more stamina, the drive just to kill, that's what they are looking for, them characteristics people will pay money for Youth worker, Handsworth During raids in the West Midlands, RSPCA officers have uncovered detailed training logs which would not be out of place in a professional athlete's routine. One log listed a nine-week plan including putting the dog on a treadmill for 30 minutes, three times a day and listing what drugs should be administered and the diet regime. A youth worker from Handsworth said the goal is to create a perfect specimen. "They're looking for a more exotic dog, more jaw pressure, one which has got more stamina, the drive just to kill, that's what they are looking for, them characteristics people will pay money for. That's where the money's at," he said. Yet it would be wrong to think this is a covert world. Young men openly parade their illegal pit bull terriers saying how police cannot tell the difference - while the police with stretched resources can only play a limited role in tackling the problem. Meanwhile there is evidence that young British Asians are having an impact on dog fighting back in Pakistan. Basharat Najiba, a youth worker in Birmingham, said that a sizeable number of spectators make the trip from the UK with some even owning the fighting dogs and paying money to locals to look after them. He said: "I think British Asians are big players because of the financial attachments that they can bring from here." Dog fighting is part of life in rural Punjab and Kashmir and there are fears that its acceptability could be increasing among a new generation of young Asians in the UK aware of fathers, uncles and cousins attending dog fights in Pakistan. But forensic psychologist Dr Vince Egan, of the University of Leicester, believes this creates real dangers of a tolerance of cruelty and of lowering ideas of "what is acceptable" and creating greater cruelty. The RSPCA says it is keen on tackling this problem in the British Pakistani community but is finding it hard to penetrate the gangs. And while the majority of the community find the fights abhorrent, there is among others, as one Asian youth worker explained, certain apathy. "People say 'the dog wants to fight' and I don't believe that at all because it's the human being that's taking the dog to fight. They haven't got a choice about being in that ring," he said. "It's the same like drugs - it's always going to happen. It's the same like prostitution it will always happen, it's like one of them kind of things where it's being abused to bad limits behind closed doors and people need to know about it because it does happen." Find out more from The Reporton BBC Radio 4, Thursday 30 July at 2000 BST. You can also listen via the BBC iPlayerafter broadcast or download the podcast. 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/uk_news/education/1237194.stm	\|You are in: UK: Education\| Friday, 23 March, 2001, 17:21 GMT Parents warned: No 'aggro' in school Parents who give schools "aggro" have been given a warning that they will be "dealt with". The Education Secretary, David Blunkett, told the Secondary Heads Association (SHA) annual conference in Newport, Gwent, that he aimed to place greater emphasis on parents' responsibility to control their children. Mr Blunkett said he wanted to extend the parenting orders scheme, which allows courts to force the parents of persistent truants or children who are committing crimes to undergo training. He told SHA delegates he had a message for parents: "If you give aggro to heads and teachers and live in a way which gives an appalling example, we will take action against you. "We have to get the message across that we are not prepared to tolerate bad behaviour. "Discipline starts and ends at home - not simply in the school." Mr Blunkett said maintaining discipline was essential if standards were to continue to rise. What is proposed The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 currently provides for parenting orders to be imposed if a child has committed a criminal offence or has been truanting or has been seriously anti-social on the streets. Parents can be ordered to get training or guidance, to make sure their child attends a course, or to make sure their child avoids contact with a gang. The new proposal is to extend these to children or their parents who behave badly on school premises. "We intend to consult on an extension of parenting orders to cases where children persistently act disruptively or violently in school and where the parents are failing to take responsibility or where parents themselves are abusive or violent in school," the Department for Education said. Mr Blunkett also stressed that head teachers had the right to expel persistently disruptive, as well as violent, pupils. He got a warm reception from those at the conference. The general secretary of the SHA, John Dunford, told the BBC that as a head teacher, he had had personal experience of a parent who had threatened a member of staff. Mr Dunford said the parent had chased a teacher to their own home and threatened them with violence. He took out a court order under the education act to ban the parent from the school. But he said the new measures would make it easier to deal with such parents: "Regrettably, parents sometimes come into school, threatening violence against teachers, abusing teachers. "It's very difficult to deal with a situation when a parent is being as unco-operative as they can be. "I hope this will allow will enable schools to act in a stronger way to stop parents behaving in this way." For years, teachers' unions have complained that violence against their members - and other school staff - is growing. One of the biggest teachers' unions, the NASUWT, has welcomed Mr Blunkett's proposals, while calling for even more to be done. The union's general secretary, Nigel de Gruchy, said: "I welcome the targeting of parents, who are invariably the prime source of the problem." But he said this would not stop local education authority appeals panels ignoring David Blunkett's advice and sending back into schools youngsters who had been expelled for violent and seriously disruptive behaviour. "I fear that David Blunkett's initiative, whilst welcome in itself, might be too little too late," he said. In its manifesto, SHA calls for an improved balance between soical inclusion and the needs of a "stable school community". "Some policies, intended to promote social inclusion have created difficulties for schools, partly because of the poor resourcing of the institutions that have to translate vision into reality," the SHA manifesto says. "In particular, the exclusion from school of disruptive pupils has become too difficult, with inadequate alternative provision for them and too little recognition of the needs of the majority of pupils," the manifesto argues. The Liberal Democrats' education spokesman, Phil Willis, also backed the idea of extending parenting orders to cover schools. More 'sin bins' The number of in-school "learning support units" - to which unruly youngsters are sent instead of being suspended or expelled - is being increased by 50 to 1,050. But the Conservatives say it is no good keeping disruptive pupils within a school. "That's the worst of both worlds because the disruptive pupils are still on site," a spokesman said. Their preferred solution is external "progress centres" in which unruly pupils would have a chance to take stock and be dealt with appropriately, before returning to the mainstream. Heads should be free to expel pupils without having to worry about targets for reducing exclusions, the spokesman added. 06 Apr 00 \| UK Education 14 Apr 99 \| UK Education 27 Mar 00 \| UK Education The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites Top Education stories now: Links to more Education stories are at the foot of the page. \|E-mail this story to a friend\| Links to more Education stories To BBC Sport>> \| To BBC Weather>> \| To BBC World Service>> © MMIII \| News Sources \| Privacy
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/5322656.stm	A train strike which threatened to cripple services across southern England has been called off. During the last strike many SWT services did not run Hundreds of drivers for South West Trains (SWT) were planning two 24-hour walkouts on Friday and Monday. But the union Aslef suspended the industrial action following talks with the company on Thursday. The dispute began over drivers' use of taxis, but escalated when SWT used managers to drive trains during a previous strike. An Aslef spokesman said: "We have resolved our differences and we look forward to better industrial relations in the future." During the last walkout on 29 August, which involved 900 drivers, many people took the day off work or drove in to avoid the trains. Tens of thousands of commuters take SWT services into London's Waterloo station on week days during rush hour. The dispute started earlier this year when there was a disagreement involving Waterloo-based drivers over the use of taxis to and from work. During a strike managers were used to drive trains but Aslef said SWT contravened an agreement they would only drive trains in cases of health and safety or the possibility of civil unrest. SWT usually runs 1,700 trains every weekday between Waterloo and areas including Bristol, Plymouth, Reading, Surrey, Weymouth and Brighton. Following Thursday's announcement, an SWT spokesman said: "We are delighted that we will be able to offer passengers a normal service."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-19620942	UK's biggest piracy city named as Manchester Manchester has been named the piracy capital of the UK, according to a new study seen exclusively by the BBC. The research said there were more illegal downloads per person in the city than any other in the country, followed by Nottingham and Southampton. The statistics, from monitoring service Musicmetric, conclude that in the first half of 2012 UK users illegally shared over 40 million albums and singles. Rory Cellan-Jones reports from Manchester.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-18292282	Nottingham police station firebomb riot gang sentenced Fourteen people have been sentenced for their part in the petrol bombing of a Nottingham police station during last summer's riots. The Canning Circus station was attacked by a gang on 9 August. Lance Francis, 25, received the longest sentence of 14 years after being convicted of riot and arson with intent to endanger life. Reiss Wilson, 21, was jailed for 12 years and and Curtis Dejean, 19, was detained for 10 years. Wilson admitted riot, perverting the course of justice and arson being reckless as to whether life is endangered.'Extreme mob violence' Dejean, ordered to serve his sentence in a young offenders' institute, admitted riot, arson being reckless as to whether life is endangered and possession of explosives. Eleven others involved in the same incident also received sentences of up to five-and-a-half years at Nottingham Crown Court. Francis, of no fixed address, was also found guilty of perverting the course of justice. Passing sentence, Judge Michael Stokes QC, said: "There can be no doubt about it. This was mob violence of an extreme nature. "In short, a calculated defiance of the criminal law and deliberate attack on the police." He added: "The use of such unstable weapons in a riot, aimed as they were principally at a police station and those inside it, created substantial risk to life and limb." The judge praised Nottinghamshire Police for their actions in tackling the rioters. The force's Assistant Chief Constable Paul Broadbent said: "I am very satisfied that the correct, right, lawful result has come out for people thinking they can behave exactly how they want on the streets of Nottingham.Mobile phones used "Our job is to protect the public and if that means putting ourselves in harm's way to do so, that's exactly what we do. "Our officers were extremely brave and this is one of the proudest days in my 30-year career." The trial heard a group of up to 40 youths had attacked the police station with petrol bombs and stones. Parked and passing vehicles were also damaged in a night of trouble which followed serious violence in London. Police said they used mobile phone records to show members of the group had co-ordinated the attacks. Broken bottles found at the scene were reassembled and matched to photographs of petrol bombs on the phones. Two youths, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, are yet to be sentenced, pending reports. The rest of the gang's sentences were: - Callum Powell, 20, of Jarrow Gardens, Top Valley, found guilty of riot, sentenced to five-and-a-half years' detention in a young offenders' institute - Shaundrie Robinson, 22, of Scotholme Avenue, Hyson Green, found guilty of riot, jailed for five years - Gregory Coleman, 20, of Broxtowe, found guilty of riot, sentenced to five years' detention in a young offenders' institute - Antany Edwards, 24, of Noel Street, Hyson Green, admitted riot, jailed for three years and nine months - Ashton Alexander, 19, of Radford Road, New Basford, admitted riot, sentenced to fours years' detention in a young offenders' institute - Harrison McCalla, 21, of Carlswark Gardens, Top Valley, admitted riot, jailed for four-and-a-half years - Lucas Stapleton, 18, of Dulwich Road, Radford, admitted riot, sentenced to two years and nine months' detention in a young offenders' institute - Ricardo Cotteral, 23, of Basford Road, Basford, admitted violent disorder, jailed for three years - Bobby Muers, 18, of Caunton Avenue, St Ann's, admitted violent disorder, sentenced to 15 months in youth custody - Kaiden Howell, 16, of St Ann's, admitted violent disorder, sentenced to six months' detention and training - Marcus Wynter, 16, of St Ann's, admitted violent disorder, sentenced to four month's detention and training
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-19569072	Iain Duncan Smith's £2bn benefit tourism estimate cut by 92% The likely cost to UK taxpayers of allowing more foreigners to claim benefits is 92% lower than previously claimed, Iain Duncan Smith has said. The work and pensions secretary is fighting EU moves to change Britain's habitual residence test which limits benefit claims by new arrivals. He said last year the EU proposal could cost the UK more than £2bn a year. He has now revised that to £155m, a figure he still describes as "enormous". At the moment, citizens of European Economic Area (EEA) countries who want to claim unemployment benefit have to pass an habitual residence test, proving they intend to settle in the UK or have a legal "right to reside" in the country. Migrants without a job who are not a dependents of a worker or self-employed person, or are judged to be a "burden on public funds", currently fail the "right to reside" test. But the European Commission believes this discriminates against citizens of other EU countries and has threatened legal action if it is not removed.'Best estimate' In an article last September for the Daily Telegraph, Mr Duncan Smith said the European Commission proposals "could mean the British taxpayer paying out over £2bn extra a year in benefits to people who have no connection to our country and who have never paid in a penny in tax". End Quote Iain Duncan Smith Work and Pensions Secretary The habitual residence test is vital to protect our benefits system, stopping such tourism” But in a Commons debate on Monday he revised that figure, telling MPs: "I want to put it on the record that the costs of the proposal could be enormous. "If we did not have the British residency test, it is estimated that right now the cost would be something in the order of £155m, although that could change." Officials said the £2bn figure was the "best estimate at the time based on a possible scenario of the number of EEA nationals who might be able to claim benefits if the 'right to reside' element of the habitual residence test was removed". "Those figures were the best that could be produced from the limited amount of information which was available at the time," added a Department for Work and Pensions spokesman.'Vital' Over the past year officials have been able to "use more detailed information to produce a much more accurate figure of the possible impact of removing the habitual residence test," he said. The more detailed analysis, using data from the Labour Force Survey, eliminates households who have already qualified for benefits and so would not be affected by removing the "right to reside" test. Mr Duncan Smith has repeatedly vowed to fight the European Commission proposal, telling MPs on Monday a "large number of other member states also have real concern" about it. "The European Commission wants to end the habitual residence test and as a result I believe we would have to pay benefits to EU migrants as and when they arrive, rather than proving that they've been here and working and have a residency," said Mr Duncan Smith. "I believe that this is fundamentally wrong and the government does too. "The habitual residence test is vital to protect our benefits system, stopping such tourism. I also don't believe the EU has any particular rights in this area and we are working with other countries who feel much the same." He said the UK was working with 17 member states "including Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark and Finland" on a set of "agreed principles which we will present to the EU, which I hope will end this nonsense".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4783042.stm	The 13-strong longlist of popular science books vying for the prestigious 2006 Aventis Prize has been announced. Jared Diamond could win the prize for an unprecedented third time Authors in the running include two previous prize winners, Jared Diamond and John Emsley. The award, which celebrates the very best in popular science writing, is now in its 18th year. A cash prize of £10,000 and a certain sales boost await the winner, to be announced on 16 May at a ceremony at the Royal Society in London. A five-strong judging panel will now have the difficult task of selecting a shortlist of six books from the current 13. 'Remarkably high quality' Chaired by journalist Nick Ross, the panel consists of: Johnny Ball, broadcaster and author; Steve Jones, professor of genetics; Anjula Mutanda, consultant psychologist for Big Brother, and Fiammetta Rocco, literary editor at the Economist magazine. Fiammetta Rocco, on announcing the longlist, said, "This year's submissions were of remarkably high quality, which made the job of picking out just a dozen books especially difficult. In fact, the longlist has 13 books because we didn't want to lose a single one. "The diversity of subjects, the excellence of the writing, the singularity of individual voices; all of these contributed to remind us that writing, and reading, about scientific ideas can be a tremendously exciting experience." Recent prize winners include Bill Bryson, Stephen Hawking and Philip Ball, whose book, Critical Mass: How One Thing Leads to Another, scooped the 2005 award. "This stuff is so accessible it is sometimes hard to put down, and the science is so absorbing and surprising it can make fiction seem dull. Science writing used to be full of impenetrable jargon, but these books are a joy," said Nick Ross. The Aventis prize is managed by the Royal Society, the UK's academy of science, and supported by the Aventis Foundation. The full longlist for the 2006 Aventis General Prize: Electric Universe - How Electricity Switched on the Modern World, by David Bodanis (Little Brown) Collapse - How Societies Choose to Fail or Survive, by Jared Diamond (Penguin Allen Lane) The Elements of Murder - A History of Poison, John Emsley (Oxford University Press) The Gecko's Foot - Bio-inspiration - Engineering New Materials from Nature, by Peter Forbes (Fourth Estate) The Silicon Eye - How a Silicon Valley Company Aims to Make All Current Computers, Cameras, and Cell Phones Obsolete, by George Gilder (WW Norton) Parallel Worlds - The Science of Alternative Universes and our Future in the Cosmos, by Michio Kaku (Penguin) Power, Sex, Suicide - Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life, by Nick Lane (Oxford University Press) Venomous Earth - How Arsenic Caused the World's Worst Mass Poisoning, by Andrew Meharg (Macmillan) Empire of the Stars - Friendship, Obsession and Betrayal in the Quest for Black Holes, by Arthur I. Miller (Little Brown) Seven Deadly Colours - The Genius of Nature's Palette and how it Eluded Darwin, by Andrew Parker (Simon & Schuster) The Truth About Hormones - What's Going on when we're Tetchy, Spotty, Fearful, Tearful or Just Plain Awful, by Vivienne Parry (Atlantic Books) Stalking the Riemann Hypothesis - The Quest to Find the Hidden Law of Prime Numbers, by Dan Rockmore (Jonathan Cape) The Fruits of War - How War and Conflict have Driven Science, by Michael White (Simon & Schuster)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7649662.stm	Ms Kelly says she wants to spend more time with her children Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly is to stand down as an MP at the next general election. She made the announcement at a Labour supporters' meeting in her Bolton West constituency. Ms Kelly made it clear she wanted to spend more time with her four children as they grew up, and stressed she was not seeking a safer seat. She has already said she will leave the cabinet at the next reshuffle - expected on Friday. Ms Kelly said it had been an "honour and privilege" to serve the constituency since she became an MP in May 1997. "I've thoroughly enjoyed serving the people of my constituency and intend to continue to keep working diligently for them until the next general election," she said. "I've taken the area to my heart and will leave with a touch of sadness and fond memories, although I'm sure the decision I have taken is right for myself and my family." She said she was confident Labour was well placed to deal with the current financial turmoil "under the strong leadership of Gordon Brown". Ms Kelly added: "I look forward to campaigning actively for Labour and firmly believe that we can win Bolton West at the next general election. "Only a Labour Bolton West MP working with a Labour government will build in the years to come on the solid foundations we've already laid." Ms Kelly, who has four children aged 11 or under, won Bolton West at the last election, in 2005, with a 2,064-vote majority. Councillor Cliff Morris, chairman of the Bolton West constituency Labour Party, paid tribute to the MP. "I've known Ruth from the start of her time as a Bolton West MP and it's been a pleasure to work with her," he said. "I'd like to thank her for all the hard work and effort she's made for the people of her constituency during the last 11 years." Ms Kelly became education secretary in 2004, before becoming communities secretary and then moving to Transport in 2007. Prior to her resignation as a minister, there had been speculation the 40-year-old, a devout Catholic, could leave the government because of her objections to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill. After her decision to leave the government was revealed, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said: "There are no political issues between Ruth and me." Ms Kelly described the prime minister as a "towering figure".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/bsp/hi/education/06/school_tables/primary_schools/html/391.stm	Schools are listed alphabetically. The figures show results from the Key Stage 2 national curriculum tests. Click the name of a school for a page giving more information. VA = the "value added" progress measure AGG = total or "aggregate" score out of 300 APS = average points score per pupil Click the VA or AGG column headers to sort the schools on those measures. Schools with fewer than 11 pupils taking the tests have "SS" (small school) - results are not published. Click here for a fuller explanation of the figures.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-11874158	Can we be nudged to good health? The Health Secretary Andrew Lansley says he wants to nudge wherever possible and nanny only where necessary. The "nudge" effect he's talking about is a growing body of evidence about what influences our decisions. The advocates of nudge say understanding how and why we choose is a powerful tool for influencing behaviour. Even sceptics accept this behavioural science has a place, but argue there are times where a government just has to act. The science of "nudge" brings together economics and psychology into the newer discipline of behavioural economics. It focuses not on what the rational choice might be in any situation, but the powerful and often unconscious impulses that shape our decisions. Many businesses have long understood that this could be extremely useful in marketing. Supermarkets, for example, do extensive research on how the layout of their aisles will alter the choices made by an average shopper. Companies selling online often set their default option on forms for us to give permission for follow-up marketing e-mails. They know that the default is more likely to be accepted, and fewer of us will remember to actively opt out.Lifestyle choices In recent years there has been growing interest from governments grappling with problems that are created, or altered, by the decisions of many individuals. This includes how many people sign up for pensions and lifestyle choices which lead to health problems requiring treatment later in life. End Quote Professor Lindsey Davies, Head of the UK Faculty of Public Health Look at the smoking ban, look at the difference that's made to lots of people's lives and actually helped them give up smoking” While the coalition is publicly embracing the power of nudge, there has in fact been keen interest within government departments for several years. Shortly before the election the independent think tank, the Institute for Government, and the Cabinet Office jointly published a report called Mindspace. It's designed as a guide for policy makers so they can think about how to incorporate this body of evidence into designing policies. The report sets out what is known about the decision making process, from the power of the default to the use of incentives. It is already being used by the new "nudge" unit set up by the coalition government. One of the co-authors is Ivo Vlaev, a senior lecturer in Psychology at Imperial College London. He says the evidence shows our choices are far less predictable than many policy makers had realised. "Researchers have demonstrated various types of 'context effects.' How much we value options depends not on intrinsically stable and consistent preferences. "Instead it relies on the sample of other such options that we think we have at the time of choice or remember from previous times." Mindspace describes these different context effects. On the simplest level they include factors such as the norm - what we think is normal, based on people like us. That can alter how much you think it is acceptable to drink, and what you interpret as fat or thin. We tend to dislike short term losses, even if they lead to longer term gains, an example of why dieting is difficult. This had led to many parts of the NHS in England looking at the use of incentives to make that short term loss more palatable. Schemes which have been tried in the last couple of years include giving shopping vouchers to people losing weight or to pregnant women who manage to give up smoking. Such incentives can be controversial, but many experts believe they can work. The government has said it is seriously considering regulating to bring in plain packaging for cigarette packs. This can also be linked to some of the research. By removing the visible prompt from the packet of a familiar brand it is hoped casual smokers would be less likely to buy on impulse.Government intervention By and large public health experts accept that this body of knowledge is extremely useful. It can be incorporated into thinking how to persuade people to make healthier choices around food, exercise, smoking and alcohol. Professor Lindsey Davies, head of the UK Faculty of Public Health, says this approach shouldn't be used to rule out more obvious government intervention when that is needed. "Look at the smoking ban, look at the difference that's made to lots of people's lives and actually helped them give up smoking. "We're seeing enormous changes in health already. So there is a place for regulation when it's needed." The mandatory wearing of seat belts and the introduction of the ban on smoking in public places are two examples where legislation fundamentally altered, and some would say restricted, the choices of individuals.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-19252949	Hillwalking warning over smartphones after Cairngorms rescue Police have issued a warning to hillwalkers about using smartphones for navigation after a spate of rescues. Grampian Police said there had been four separate incidents within the Cairngorms since Friday. The latest saw 14 hillwalkers being led to safety early on Tuesday after getting into difficulties in bad weather on Ben Macdui. Members of Grampian Police, Braemar and Aberdeen mountain rescue teams helped, with a helicopter from HMS Gannet.'Personal responsibility' Ch Insp Andrew Todd, co-ordinator of mountain rescues in Grampian, said: "I have been involved in mountain rescue for nearly 20 years. "Whilst technology can and does play an important part in raising the alarm or assisting navigation, it appears we may be about to witness a marked increase in the complete reliance of smartphone apps to navigate some of the UK's highest mountains. "What is particularly concerning is that the individuals who are relying on this apparently inappropriate technology often do not possess even rudimentary mountain navigation skills. "This is putting their lives at risk, and whilst Scotland's mountains are there for all to enjoy, there is a personal responsibility on those who venture into the mountains to do so only when properly equipped and skilled."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-17546703	Wylfa B nuclear plant: firms drop £8bn joint project plans Two power firms have shelved £8bn plans to build a new nuclear power station on Anglesey, casting doubt on thousands of jobs. E.ON and RWE npower made the decision on Wylfa B, intended to operate from 2025, after a strategic review. They are looking for a new owner for Horizon Nuclear Power, the joint firm to develop the plant. The first minister said it was disappointing but there was "significant interest" in the site. The German-owned companies blamed the global economic crisis, developments in the nuclear industry in Germany and what they called the "significant ongoing costs" of running the Horizon joint venture for the decision. Volker Beckers, chief executive of RWE npower said: "It is because of the strength of support for our development work, particularly on the Island of Anglesey, that we continue to believe that nuclear power has an important role to play in the UK's future energy mix. "We are therefore looking to ensure that work on development, including grid connection, can be taken up quickly by other potential investors." The UK government, as well as the Welsh government, are backing a second nuclear power station on Anglesey, especially with the expectation of thousands of new jobs. Horizon is the company behind plans to build new nuclear power stations at Oldbury and Wylfa. We had been waiting for an announcement on new nuclear reactors for Wylfa - we were expecting confirmation this month - it didn't come. Instead we have this bombshell. But not everyone will be dismayed by today's events. A local protest group, People Against Wylfa B, say more and more Anglesey residents question the safety and viability of nuclear power. There's quite a lot of history here - not least the Fukushima disaster in Japan. It's worth remembering the German government fairly quickly decided there would not be any support for a new nuclear build. Both companies are based in Germany and there are quite a lot of risks a year on from Fukushima - in terms of a market risk, a cost risk, a construction risk, and a political risk. It's worth remembering there are two nuclear power plants being built in Europe at the moment - one in Finland and in France. Both are behind schedule, and both have run into considerable overspends. Horizon had planned up to 6,000 megawatts of new nuclear plants in Britain, which they saw as more friendly to nuclear energy than other countries. But the parent companies had been indicating recently that they were concerned about possible cost overruns as seen at other nuclear projects in Europe. The Welsh government spokesperson said: "The first minister has made it clear that Anglesey remains the best option in the UK for a nuclear development. "There is live and significant interest in the site, and the first minister has asked for the full support of the UK Government as we work with Horizon to deliver this investment and secure jobs for workers at Wylfa in the future." Labour Ynys Mon MP Albert Owen said it was a "massive blow" to the community, regional economy and the energy industry. "Horizon has made it clear that this was a strategic decision taken for strategic reasons in Germany," he said. "The site at Wylfa remains the best option for nuclear development and I shall be working with Horizon, the local, Welsh and UK governments to explore every avenue to find an alternative investment to secure jobs at Wylfa that benefits Anglesey." Plaid Cymru Anglesey AM Ieuan Wyn Jones said he would also be working in the efforts to secure another company to take the project forward. "This is extremely disappointing news for Anglesey, given that the project had the potential to provide hundreds of good quality jobs for local people and opportunities for local companies in the new build phase," he said. Anglesey council said it remained "absolutely committed to securing new investment and other energy generation schemes". Conservative Welsh Secretary Cheryl Gillan was also disappointed but said Anglesey's 50 years of experience in the nuclear industry gave her confidence the Wylfa site will be attractive to other investors. "I have spoken to RWE on the rationale for this commercial decision, and I plan to meet them at the earliest opportunity," she said. North Wales Liberal Democrat AM Aled Roberts said the island had been planning its economic future around the power station. "A lot of their economic development policies are actually based on the whole concept of the energy island," he said. But groups including People Against Wylfa B (Pawb) who opposed the development have welcomed the decision. Horizon Nuclear Power had hoped construction of the £8bn project would start towards the end of 2012. It had been developing options for two to three new reactors next to the existing Magnox station, which had been given permission to operate until 2014. Wylfa B has been seen as promising an economic lifeline to the people of Anglesey. According to the proposals, about 5,000 construction jobs would be created while the plant is built, and between 800 and 1,000 people would be employed in the station from 2020. In March 2011 Horizon said it needed to "take stock" of its plans following the Japanese earthquake and tsunami.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4136625.stm	At least 175 people have died in a fire that tore through a crowded nightclub in the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires. Relatives have been identifying the dead More than 619 others were injured when the fire broke out late on Thursday, city officials said. Up to 4,000 people, many of them teenagers, were inside the club for a New Year performance by rock group Los Callejeros, reports say. Officials are investigating the possibility that emergency exits at the nightclub were locked. Argentine Interior Minister Anibal Fernandez said the blaze may have claimed more victims because the exits had been tied shut with wire, Reuters news agency reports. "It appears they were condemned to walk into a trap," Mr Fernandez said. Buenos Aires Mayor Anibal Ibarra said the emergency exit appeared to be shut "so that people wouldn't enter without paying" and firefighters had to break it open, Reuters added. Officials do not yet know what caused the blaze, but witnesses say a celebratory flare was set off and foam in the ceiling caught fire. "Someone from the crowd tossed a flare and there were immediately flames," said Fabian Zamudeo, who had been inside the club. Such fireworks are widely used across the region for New Year celebrations, says the BBC's South American correspondent Elliott Gotkine. Overnight, relatives rushed to Buenos Aires hospitals in a desperate search for their loved ones. Medical officials shouted out the names of the injured as large crowds gathered at hospital entrances. Grieving parents and friends of victims have also crowded the city's morgue. "I want to go and identify all the corpses - I need to know where my granddaughter is," a crying woman told Reuters. Rush to escape Club-goers who had gathered at the venue for the concert say the building quickly filled with smoke and that people rushed for the emergency exits. Many fainted from the smoke. Bystanders and concert-goers carried people out of the smouldering building. Many of the dead are thought to have died from smoke inhalation. "The fire spread in a minute and we were a mountain of people trying to escape," said survivor Ariel Monges, who lost a friend and a cousin in the fire. "People were pushing and jumping over each other trying to get out," Jose Maria Godoy, told The Associated Press. "It was like a human wave. As people fell down running for the door, others just simply ran over them or pushed them down." Young club-goers at the nightclub helped emergency crews rush the injured to ambulances. Bodies were reported to be lined up on the pavement as fire crews and rescue teams helped people out of the club.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4695097.stm	By David Willey BBC News, Rome A set of ancient silverware has been dug up from Pompeii, the Roman city destroyed by a volcano 2,000 years ago. The silverware was perfectly preserved by volcanic ash and mud The hand-crafted goblets, plates and trays had been bundled into a wicker basket by an inhabitant fleeing the erupting Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. The tableware, well preserved in ash and mud, was discovered five years ago and archaeologists have used the latest techniques to separate 20 pieces. Experts say it is the most important find of this kind for 70 years. Thousands of inhabitants of Pompeii gathered up what few possessions they hoped to save and tried to escape from the firestorm and the clouds of volcanic ash and mud which descended upon their city. Pietro Giovanni Guzzo, in charge of the excavations at the world's first scientifically excavated archaeological site, told a news conference that the remains of up to 2,000 citizens of Pompeii out of a population of 10,000 to 15,000, trapped by the eruption have so far been recovered. "But no-one knows exactly how many managed to escape," he said. One man bundled his family silverware into a wicker basket and ran for his life. He hid the basket in a stairwell in some public baths on the outskirts of the city before being overcome by fumes. Archaeologists checking on the building of a new motorway near Pompeii dug it up, next to the man's skeleton. The wicker basket and its contents were congealed into a solid block. Working with the latest archaeological techniques, including x-ray, experts have managed to separate the silverware, remove the heavy encrustations of the eruption and salvage them. The set is the most important find of this sort in more than 70 years The remains of the basket are currently being treated with chemicals to preserve the vegetable fibre and are also expected to be put on show eventually. The solid silver plates and goblets - all beautifully polished - were brought to Rome under heavy security guard for a private viewing. Together they weigh more than 4kg (9lbs). I saw two exquisitely engraved wine cups, a set of small dishes, a large serving plate with an elaborately chased border, a spoon, plus some tiny, finely worked silver trays for appetisers. Two other similar and larger hoards of table silver excavated in Pompeii during the 19th and 20th Centuries are on show in the Louvre museum in Paris and at the National Archaeological Museum in Naples. But no new treasure trove of this quality from Pompeii has been seen for more than 70 years. It will be put on show at the Naples museum during 2006. Italian Culture Minister Rocco Buttiglione, who attended the unveiling of the display, the property of the Italian state, said Italy was drawing up new measures to protect its cultural treasures, after the bomb attacks in London. "We don't want to send out the wrong message," he said. "But at a time of rampant international terrorism we need to make our museums even safer. We are improving their security and that of visitors." There will be an increase in security guards, surveillance cameras and the use of metal detectors. Other tourist attractions such as the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Uffizi Gallery in Florence have been identified by government security advisers as possible targets for attacks.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2890901.stm	Two men captured by Iraq and shown on TV are civilian lorry drivers employed to deliver food to Iraqi prisoners of war, the Ministry of Defence has said. One of the prisoners of war shown on al-Jazeera TV Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon criticised Qatar-based satellite channel al-Jazeera for showing footage of the captured men and of dead British soldiers. An MoD spokeswoman told BBC News Online the drivers - who are thought to be Kenyans - were sub-contractors to the British Army working through an unnamed company in Saudi Arabia. She said they had been part of a convoy with a military escort, but had become separated after it was halted by a "civil disturbance". Mr Hoon said the decision to broadcast TV footage of two dead British soldiers had been a "flagrant and sickening breach of the Geneva convention". And he condemned the Iraqi regime for "parading" the prisoners of war on television. Mr Hoon said anybody guilty of war crimes would be held personally responsible for their actions. Earlier al-Jazeera reporter Jawad Omari defended the station, saying it was determined to "show our audience the truth, even if it is a dirty war". In a briefing at the Ministry of Defence, Mr Hoon said coalition forces were making good progress. He said that significant discoveries had shown categorically that Iraqi troops were prepared for the use of weapons of mass destruction. The MoD could not confirm the nationality of the two captives shown in the TV footage. But Al-Jazeera said it believed they were Kenyans working for the British Army as lorry drivers. The Kenyan High Commission in London was investigating the claims. The MoD told BBC News Online it appeared the two drivers had been captured after they failed to make a turning when the rest of the aid convoy did. A spokeswoman said: "It would be quite normal to hire civilian contractors." She could not say how many civilians were working for the MoD in Iraq, or whether the policy was under review. The men should be given prisoner of war status while they were held, she added. Their employers have been informed of their capture. The MoD says the dead men shown by al-Jazeera are thought to be soldiers who went missing during fighting around al-Zubayr, near the southern city of Basra. One appeared to have been shot in the chest, but the other's injuries were unclear. The footage also showed their wrecked vehicle, with armed civilians climbing over it. Their families have been informed. Shadow Foreign Secretary Michael Ancram criticised Iraq for allowing the dead men and prisoners to be filmed. "This is another blatant example of the depths to which this regime is prepared to sink. "Just as they have no compunction about murdering their own people in their tens of thousands, their depravity knows no bounds in their treatment of prisoners of war."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/norfolk/5116658.stm	The Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital is looking at saving money by having letters typed in India. The hospital is to run a trial with the Oxford-based Alden Group where inhouse doctors' notes will be typed and compared to outsourced dictation. The company employs science graduates in India. The hospital said it will compare like for like in terms of cost and quality and is hoping for 98.5% accuracy in the four-week pilot beginning in July. The James Paget Hospital in Gorleston said it is also considering contracting out its services.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/4563760.stm	Alcohol sales go through the roof at this time of year, as do those of supposed hangover cures. But the holy grail for revellers is a panacea that prevents damage in the first place - could taurine be the answer? 'Tis the season for hangovers. Over the Christmas and New Year period, beer sales peak at almost 4 million barrels and unsurprisingly, sales of aspirin, Paracetamol and other alleged hangover remedies follow suit. But there is a substance that may prevent damage being done to a drinker's body in the first place. Taurine has long been used in household goods, but has shot to prominence as the ingredient that adds kick to energy drinks such as Red Bull or Lipovitan. It is also found naturally at lower levels in seafood and is manufactured by our bodies. The safety of this colourless, crystalline substance in combination with caffeine - as it is in energy drinks - has been the subject of much controversy. After the launch of Red Bull, there were reports that three people in Sweden died after drinking it, although a definitive link has not been proven. Erring on the side of caution, the Swedish National Food Administration issued a warning advising consumers to avoid drinking it with alcohol or after heavy exercise. France banned it, Norway classified it as a medicine and for a long time it was only available in pharmacies in Japan. But scientists studying the effects of taurine on liver toxicity beg to differ. Researchers at the University of London's School of Pharmacy say taurine can reverse the liver damage caused by alcoholism or even a heavy night's drinking. When we drink to excess, fat builds up in the liver, causing it to swell and reducing blood flow to this organ so vital in breaking down the toxins alcohol. Even one night's over-indulgence can cause fat to accumulate. But some studies have found that taurine not only prevents this, it can reverse it. At about the same time as Red Bull and vodka became a popular tipple in the UK, toxicologist Professor John Timbrell was investigating how taurine can protect the body. We are drinking more, and more in single sittings "It plays a role in digestion and the nervous system, amongst other things, and has been used to treat heart failure and diabetes. We make it naturally but cats would be severely ill without it in their diets because they cannot manufacture it themselves," he says. To see whether it could also protect the liver, his team gave rats alcohol and taurine for a month, and found that it prevented fat build-up in the liver. Even more surprisingly, when given to rats after they had drunk alcohol, taurine continued to reverse the liver damage. "According to our study findings, it is possible that adding taurine to alcohol during drinking could help to minimise liver damage and ward off a hangover, although we need to carry out further studies to confirm the effect in humans," he says. Scientists in Ireland found a similar effect in children suffering from fatty liver due to obesity. The next step researchers hope to take is to trial taurine in the many livers discarded because they are too damaged for donation - but there is resistance from funding authorities who feel that such work may encourage irresponsible alcohol consumption. The hope is that taurine might eventually be used to treat alcohol-related problems. Professor Chris Day, specialist in liver medicine at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, often treats fatty liver patients. The condition is increasingly common due to binge drinking and to the rise in obesity - he estimates it affects about one-fifth of the population. "It slows down the functioning of the liver and if left untreated could eventually lead to cirrhosis, liver failure or liver cancer. About 6% of alcoholics die from these problems," he says. Sore heads all round Short of advising patients to abstain from alcohol and lose weight, there is little else that a doctor can do to treat fatty liver. Taurine would be the first treatment of its kind, if proven to be effective in humans. In fact, the trial on obese children found taurine to be effective in treating fatty liver irrespective of whether the children lost weight. The results are encouraging for those keen to minimise the harm the festive season inflicts. And when it comes to damage limitation, perhaps a taurine-rich energy drink might be just the thing with which to toast the New Year.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/4193817.stm	A mild earthquake hit Perthshire late on Thursday evening, police have confirmed. The tremor measured 2.7 on the Richter Scale The epicentre of the tremor was five kilometres north west of Killin, north of Stirling. Several householders called Central Scotland Police after hearing a mystery large bang at about 2220 GMT. Some described it as an explosion or sonic boom and others said they felt the ground shake and their windows rattled. Once an emergency had been ruled out, police contacted the British Geological Survey. Records were checked and it was found that there had been a tremor, registering 2.7 on the Richter Scale. Senior seismologist Brian Bapti said that although it was a "pretty small" earthquake by global and UK standards, it would have caused public concern. He told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme: "We experience about three earthquakes of magnitude and about five of about this size in the UK every year. "The crust below us is riddled with faults and the UK is still under some tectonic stress. "These earthquakes are the result of present day stresses combining with ancient faults in crusts. "It's very difficult to assign an earthquake this small to a particular fault but I would probably expect last night's one to have occurred on quite a small fault." He said there had been a sequence of tremors in the Aberfoyle area in September 2003. An earthquake measuring 4.9 on the Richter scale hit nearby Comrie in 1839. Mr Bapti added: "We certainly can't predict earthquakes of this size and nobody around the world has successfully predicted any although there's been a huge amount of research into earthquake prediction."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/4839346.stm	A noise nuisance device being used by shopkeepers to deter gangs of youths has been banned at a Newport shop - in case it breaches human rights. The device sends out a high pitched irritating noise The Spar shop in Caerleon Road has been told by Newport Community Safety Partnership (NCSP) not to use it. The device, called a Mosquito, works by emitting a high pitched irritating noise audible only to young people. The NCSP says it is "indiscriminate" and can be heard by all youngsters, not just anti-social gangs of youths. A spokesman for the NCSP said: "We have a responsibility to the human rights and health and safety of the whole community to consider before approving the device or investing in more of them. "Our issue with the device is that it is indiscriminate. It may well target yobs and move them on but other children use the shop as well. "There have been discussions locally and nationally on the legality of a device which does not distinguish between those causing nuisance or anti-social behaviour and those who do not. "Until the issues which surround its indiscriminate nature and also environmental impact are resolved, we have asked that the device is not used." The NCSP said it had to be silenced until human rights and health and safety issues were "fully resolved". But the managers of the Spar shop criticised the decision saying the £495 device made by a Merthyr Tydfil company has helped stop gangs of anti-social youths hanging outside the shop. They say in the first three months of its installation, there was an 84% reduction in the number of police call outs to the shop. "It's absolutely disgusting. These louts can infringe on our rights to run a profitable shop for the community yet we can't dare infringe on their right to loiter and make life a misery for our shoppers," said a spokesman from the Spar shop. The noise from the device annoys young people "It makes me so very sad. The device was working very well and now it's been turned off - and we won't be surprised if the troublemakers return." The Merthyr based manufacturer Compound Security Ltd insisted the device does not breach the human rights of young people who can hear it. Marketing Director Simon Morris said: "The noise has been tested extensively on dogs and cats who are totally unaffected by it. "The device has a small range and it takes at least 10 minutes for the annoying nature of the noise to take effect. "People have a right to assemble with others in a peaceful way - without violence or threat of violence. "We do not consider that this right includes the right of teenagers to congregate for no specific purpose." He said police forces and councils across the UK were investing in such devices.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17442946	Budget calculator: How will Budget 2013 affect you?Continue reading the main story How much better or worse off will you be in the coming tax year following the Budget? Use our Budget calculator, developed by accounting firm KPMG LLP, to find out how the measures being brought in next month will affect you. \|2012/13 £\|\|2013/14 £\|\|Difference £\| \|Alcohol and cigarettes\| \|Vehicle excise duty\|\|£0\|\|£0\|\|-£0\| Count any children for whom child benefit is paid, which includes children under 16 as well as older children who are still at school or receiving certain types of training. Your rental income is the amount you have made from letting out residential property minus eligible expenses you have incurred. If you select Single or Divorced, your partner's details will not be included in the final calculation. From 7 January 2013, new rules apply if you earn £50,000 or more and receive Child Benefit. You will continue to receive the benefit but will have to pay an additional tax. The calculator shows this as a reduction in Child Benefit received to let you see the change more clearly. Please enter positive numbers without punctuation. • The tax system is complex, and the model used above gives only an indication of the Budget's impact • Your personal information is safe - all calculations are carried out on your computer • The calculator includes measures announced in previous budgets that come into effect in April this year • Gradual increases in the state pension age mean the calculator may not estimate the true entitlement to pensions for women born between 6 April 1951 and 5 April 1952.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16470744	Light pollution: Is there a solution? Few people in the UK now have a clear view of the night sky because of light pollution. The fight is on to reclaim the stars, but what are the possible solutions? Look at the sky at night and what do you see? Not much most probably. Even in the countryside the stars are becoming harder to spot, with the sky glow caused by light pollution now visible for up to 50 miles (80km). Only one 10th of the country now enjoys a truly dark sky, says the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), which carries out an annual star count. In the 1950s most of us would have been able to see the Milky Way. Because light at night has brought indisputable benefits, its use has expanded to the point where it is "inescapable", said a Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution (RCEP) into artificial light and the environment. "We are losing arguably the most culturally universal and historically pristine of all natural vistas," it warned. Find out more - Stargazing Live is on BBC Two, 16-18 January at 20:00 GMT - The Great Big Dulverton Switch-off is on 18 January at 20:00 GMT To highlight the impact of light pollution on stargazing the entire population of Dulverton in Somerset is being asked to switch off their lights on Wednesday evening to show the contrast, as part of BBC Two's Stargazing Live. Lighting at night is a complicated, often emotive issue as it provides valuable benefits as well as creating problems. But campaigners say they do not want all artificial lighting turned off at night, just the huge amount that is needlessly shone into the night sky every year. Sentiments shared by the Royal Commission. As well as blighting the view of the night sky, inefficient lighting wastes over £1bn a year in the UK alone, according to the Astronomical Association's Campaign for Dark Skies (CfDS). It has been blamed for disrupting the migration of birds, the breeding patterns of nocturnal animals and insect populations. Research has also shown it disrupts people's sleep patterns, while one study has suggested a link to breast cancer. So with increasing calls for artificial light to be used only "when and where it is needed", what are the possible solutions to help ease the problem? Intelligent lighting systems You're in bed, but you can't sleep because the street light outside is too bright. So you send a text and minutes later it's turned off. Problem solved. Controlling street lighting, right down to individual lamps, could soon be possible thanks to intelligent lighting systems. They use wireless technology to control lights from a central management system. It means at any time lamps could be adjusted in response to weather, circumstance and individual need. Sensors, texting and email could be utilised to convey the information. "The potential is enormous," says Jacob van der Pol, product marketing and business development manager for smart lighting, NXP Semiconductors (Netherlands). "If there is a football match, the lights in the area can be told to come on when everyone is leaving and dimmed after they have gone. The technology allows you to adapt to circumstance." Until now such systems have only been produced on a small scale, for individual houses and businesses, and have been expensive. This has made them unsuitable for street lighting because of the large number of individual lamps used, an estimated nine million in the UK. But the technology involved is now cheaper and it can also be installed in existing lamps so lighting stock does not necessarily have to be replaced, just updated. Such a scheme has already been installed in the German village of Dorentrup and NXP Semiconductors is working with one of Holland's main energy suppliers on a project. "The way street light is managed now is so outdated," says Van der Pol. "This technology has been born out of customer demand. People want more control." He also points out there is the potential for it to be a new revenue stream for councils, as they could charge a small amount for each text. Something that might get the attention of cash-strapped local authorities. There are issues with such schemes. Certain usage might increase disturbance, said the Royal Commission. The sudden activation of lights against a dark background might be more intrusive than a continuous light for those who have problems sleeping, or more disruptive to foraging nocturnal mammals or birds. Ban 'Rottweiler' lights They have been branded "Rottweiler lights" by critics - the 500-watt halogen lights attached to homes up and down the country, illuminating gardens and drives. Being in a town doesn't stop me I've always loved astronomy, but it seemed out of my reach. I thought you needed expensive equipment and a certain amount of knowledge to even get started, but you don't. After last year's Stargazing Live I joined the Astronomical Society, saved up for a telescope and now I'm hooked. I live in central Dartford in Kent and the area is heavily light polluted. I haven't let that stop me. I've built an 8ft (2.4m), fold-away screen out of wood and weed membrane. It's very lightweight and I use it to block street lights when I am out with my telescope. City astronomy is a challenge, but it is really is amazing what you can see. I keep a book and note down everything I see. They've included things like the Andromeda Galaxy and the Globular Cluster in Pegasus. I even recently photographed Jupiter. I could stay in the garden all night looking up. My husband must feel like he's lost me to the night sky. Everyone from local councils to lighting engineers and government committees have recommended less powerful lights, but they are still being bought - often for as little as £4.48 - and fitted every day. They are too bright, too sensitive and often badly angled, sending unwanted light into neighbouring windows and the night sky, say critics. Northumberland's Longstone Lighthouse, Britain's most powerful lighthouse, uses a 1,000-watt light source, yet people use 500-watt lamps to light a garden, says Bob Mizon, UK co-ordinator of the CfDS. "Even if they are triggered by movement, it means next door's cat can set them off repeatedly. It's the equivalent of strapping on a microwave to the side of your house and putting it on for a few minutes about 50 times a day. They use so much energy and it's unnecessary. We're not saying get rid of the light, just use one that is appropriate." Nigel Parry, from the Institution of Lighting Engineers, which publishes guidelines for good lighting, says the best security lights are not the brightest. "A 100-watt light can do the job well." Critics argue that rather than boosting security, they actually dazzle so it is difficult to see, and create dark shadows which are better for hiding in. The CPRE has called for them to be withdrawn from the shelves of DIY superstores and other retailers, saying there is no need for such anti-social, environmentally-unfriendly products on the mass market. Government committees have also recommended an outright ban in the past. But Parry says there is anecdotal evidence that sales are actually on the rise, as councils start to turn off street lighting to conserve energy and money. Homebase says it works "very closely with suppliers and in-store colleagues to ensure that customers are informed about how to reduce light pollution and considerate lighting when they purchase outdoor lighting". Change the law As it stands the UK has no national law that is just dedicated to reducing light pollution. "It's illegal to dump rubbish in the street or the sea, so why isn't it illegal to dump rubbish into the sky?" asks Mizon. "It's just about the only part of our environment that isn't already protected." Others countries have taken the unusual step of adopting such a law. The Czech Republic was the first in the world to do so in 2002. People can be fined if they do not comply. Slovenia has now followed. Dark-sky legislation is also on the books in several Italian regions and some US states. Where artificial light goes - 1. Upwards reflected light - unwanted but unavoidable light bouncing off the ground - 2. Useful light - the right amount of light - 3. Direct upwards light - wasted light shining above a fitting - 4. Spill light - falls outside where it is needed - 5. Intrusive light - overly bright and poorly directed, often going in windows Source: RCEP and Environmental Protection UK The UK has light pollution legislation but campaigners want the government to go further. "What we have in this country is a series of bits of legislation so we can deal with some aspects of light pollution," says Martin Morgan-Taylor, principal lecturer in Law at Leicester's De Montfort University. The Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 did criminalise light pollution. It made it a statutory nuisance in England and Wales and subject to the same criminal law as noise and smells. In Scotland it comes under the Public Health etc (Scotland Act 2008) and in Northern Ireland the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act (Northern Ireland) 2011. "The problem with the current situation is that it's dependent on the attitude of local authorities," says Emma Marrington. "Some take light pollution seriously and will follow up complaints, other will just tell you to buy thicker curtains." The Defra spokesperson said: "We are undertaking work to reduce the negative impacts of artificial light in a number of areas. This includes providing guidance on limiting light pollution to be included in local authority planning documents. We are also commissioning a research report to look at the effects of artificial light on biodiversity". A big switch-off "Lights Out" programmes have been successfully adopted around the world. Over 17 US cities participate, including New York and Chicago, and several in Canada. In the UK there is no such initiative. The programme involves businesses turning off or dimming all decorative lighting at night during bird migration season. Artificial light confuses them and millions die every year by flying into windows. Nearly all tall buildings in Chicago co-operate for almost five months of the year, say organisers. Both birds and large amounts of energy are saved. Tips to stargaze from a town - Look for space, like a park - Look for a clear horizon so you can see as much of the sky as possible - Use a red torch to read charts and move around as it doesn't affect your ability to see in the dark so much - You can put a sweet wrapper over a normal torch, paint it with nail varnish or use your bike light Source: Dan Hillier, Royal Observatory Edinburgh A "Lights Out London" campaign was organised in 2007, but it was for only one hour on one day. Campaigners say it's a missed opportunity. "So many lights are left on in offices at night," says Mizon. "It can't be the case that every one is being cleaned at exactly the same time, throughout the night. It's staggering when you think of the light pollution and wasted energy." Other countries also have annual "switch-off" events. Belgium has a "Night of Darkness" every year in certain areas, where street and public lighting are switched off for one night to promote the issue of light pollution. The World Wildlife Fund promotes its annual "Earth Hour" in the UK and lights are switched off, but says the event is about the wider issue of global warming rather than light pollution. Friends of the Earth do not specifically campaign on light pollution here, although it says it does come into its work. Neither does the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). The only event that is both annual and national is the CPRE's star count, say campaigners. This year it runs for a week from 20 January.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16234465	Prince Harry tries to help mugged friend, source says Prince Harry drove to south London to try to find a friend who was mugged while speaking to the royal on his mobile phone, according to a source. The source told the Press Association the prince searched for Thomas van Straubenzee in Battersea after hearing the alleged robbery on 30 November. They said the prince, 27, followed his "intuition" to the police station where his friend was giving a statement. A man has been arrested in connection with the incident. A Clarence House spokesman said: "By the time Prince Harry arrived to be with his friend, the police investigation into the incident had already begun. The investigation is ongoing, so we cannot comment further." The Press Association's source said Mr van Straubenzee's Blackberry mobile phone had been stolen and that Prince Harry had given police a witness statement. Scotland Yard said police were investigating an allegation of personal robbery on 30 November in Albert Bridge Road. "A mobile phone was taken during the robbery. This allegation was taken seriously, as are all allegations of robbery, " a police spokesman said. "A man was arrested on Thursday, 1 December on suspicion of robbery and bailed to return in January 2012 pending further enquiries. Police from Wandsworth are investigating. "The property has been recovered. (There were) no reports of any injuries." Prince Harry and Mr van Straubenzee - known as Van - first met at Ludgrove Prep School. Mr van Straubenzee accompanied the prince on his first official tour to New Zealand.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-19875810	Buying Cannock hospital 'not an option' for council A council has ruled out buying a controlling stake in Cannock hospital because it would cost about £30m. Conservative MP Aidan Burley had urged Cannock Chase District Council to buy 51% of the hospital estate to "protect its future". Plans to close the hospital kitchens had raised fears over the possible downgrading of the hospital. "In terms of expenditure needed we'd need to treble council tax," said the council's deputy leader, Janos Toth. The council said its annual budget was just over £12m. "It's not an option in my view, we've taken a look at it clearly and we do take every suggestion seriously but it does seem like it's not feasible," said Mr Toth. "The hospital is part of the NHS and from that point of view the people of Cannock already own it. "I don't believe people want their council to buy a hospital on their behalf that they effectively own already." More than 150 people turned up to a public meeting on the future of the hospital at the Civic Centre in Cannock on Monday night, chaired by Mr Burley. He has also formed a working group of "local NHS experts and stakeholders" which will hold its first meeting on 2 November.'Exploring options' Mr Burley said he didn't think that the district council should dismiss the option of buying the hospital without "exploring all its options". "Looking solely at council tax is the wrong approach," he said. "They should be looking at their overall estate and the possibility of selling off council buildings and assets that aren't well utilised, they can then use the capital receipts from that. "It is clear from what was said at the public meeting that the NHS will never fully utilise Cannock Hospital. "The purpose of the working group is to see how other public services - like health and social care - could be provided from there, so it remains open and fully used. "It may be that the county council have a role to play, or maybe GPs could look at renting parts of the hospital, for example." The Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust, which owns the hospital, said it had not considered selling part of its estate. Seven wards out of nine at the hospital are empty, but the trust said it was "working with commissioners to find appropriate uses for those areas." Chief executive Lyn Hill-Tout said: "We welcome other organisations using space in the hospital. "For example we already have a GP practice based in the hospital and podiatry and eye care services, which are also run by other organisations."'Hopeful outcome' The trust said plans to close the kitchens at Cannock hospital and send food over from Stafford Hospital would save £220,000 year. A consultation with workers about the plans had finished and a final decision would be made soon, the trust said. The NHS regulator, Monitor, has commissioned an independent review of all the trust's services, the results of which it said would be published by next spring. "We are hopeful that the outcome of the review will be that decisions are announced about which services are to be provided at both Cannock Chase and Stafford Hospitals in the future," said Ms Hill-Tout.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7656387.stm	Geir Haarde says he is sending people to Moscow to hold talks over a loan Customers of the Icesave internet bank have been warned they will probably have to claim compensation for money held in their savings accounts. The authorities in the UK are preparing for the bank's parent in Iceland, Landsbanki, to be declared insolvent. The Icelandic government took control of the country's second biggest bank on Tuesday to keep it afloat. Claims from Icesave's UK customers will be handled by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). Halldor J Kristjansson, the new manager of Landsbanki, said it had not helped that customers in Britain wanted to take out a large chunk of money after the news broke about the nationalisation of Glitnir, the third largest Icelandic bank last week. "There is always a certain danger that there will be large withdrawl of savings and that by itself created additional problems on top of everything else, there are so many intervowen factors but that wasn't the main problem although it is very big," he said. Under the depositor protection arrangements in Iceland and the UK, the Icelandic authorities will be liable for the first 20,887 euros (£16,300) of compensation. We are gearing up to be ready to do whatever we can in order to get compensation back to UK savers as quickly as possible The UK's FCSC will pay out the rest of the claims, up to the newly introduced ceiling of £50,000 per person. "If, as expected, the Icelandic authorities put the firm into insolvency proceedings this would trigger a default under the FSCS," said the Financial Services Authority. "In this case, savers with Icesave could make a claim to get their money back," it said. Landsbanki later issued a statement saying it had gone into receivership, not liquidation, and that the Icelandic Financial Services Authority had appointed a receivership committee. "Work has already begun on the restructuring of the operations of Landsbanki," it said. A spokesman for the FSCS said that if Icesave were declared insolvent, UK customers would not have to make two separate claims and that it would probably handle all UK claims on one form. "We are working with the Icelandic authorities to confirm the procedure," a spokesman said. "We are gearing up to be ready to do whatever we can in order to get compensation back to UK savers as quickly as possible," he added. However during the morning the FSCS helpline collapsed. "We are doing everything we can to sort that out as quickly as we can," said a spokeswoman. "We are trying to get an alternative number installed." The Financial Services Authority (FSA) said it was expecting Icesave's parent bank to be declared insolvent soon, following its takeover by the Icelandic Financial Supervisory Authority (IFSA). I haven't slept for a couple of days. This was money put away for retirement Icesave has 350,000 savers in the UK and Netherlands, with about £4.5bn of deposits. It is not currently allowing customers to take money out of their accounts or to put in deposits. This dismayed customer Mike Davis, 62, who has £75,000 in retirement savings locked up in an Icesave account until 25 October. His daughter also has savings there and his partner, Pam Henson, 67, has £23,000 with the same bank. The couple are getting married on 1 November, and Mr Davis, who lives in Gloucestershire, said he was "shaking with worry" when he heard about problems with Icesave. "This cannot have come at a worse time. It is a pretty devastating blow," said Mr Davis, a landscape architect. "I haven't slept for a couple of days. This was money put away for retirement." He was expecting a long process of trying to recover savings and called for governments to guarantee 100% of savings. Landsbanki is the second Icelandic bank to be taken over to prevent a collapse of the country's banking system. What we are doing here is saving a banking system Geir Haarde, Iceland's prime minister In an announcement on state radio, the commerce and banking minister Bjorgvin Sigurdsson said the board of directors of Landsbanki had been dismissed and the bank put into receivership. He said the state takeover was made "in co-operation" with Landsbanki and the bank would stay open and operate as normal. Glitnir, the country's third-largest bank, was nationalised last week to stop it being driven into bankruptcy by the international financial crisis. In a parallel move, Iceland's largest bank Kaupthing has been given a loan of 500m euros from the country's central bank. "The central bank of Iceland has provided Kaupthing with a 500m euro loan to facilitate operations, and Kaupthing is committed to working with the government to ensure regular workings of the Icelandic financial system," the bank said in a statement. Meanwhile the Icelandic government has asked Russia to give it a loan of 4bn euros lasting for three to four years, to strengthen its foreign exchange reserves. "The Russian Ambassador to Iceland, Victor I Tatarintsev, informed the chairman of the board of governors of the central bank of Iceland this morning that Russia would grant the central bank a loan in the amount of 4bn euros," said the bank in a statement. At first the Russian ministry of finance denied that any decision on giving a loan to Iceland had been made. Later the Russian finance minister, Alexei Kudrin, said: "We have a request from the Icelandic government to provide a loan. We view it positively. The result will be announced after negotiations." On Monday the Icelandic government passed emergency legislation to try to rescue the country's banking system and avoid what Prime Minister Geir Haarde described as "national bankruptcy". Icesave announces it is freezing its customer's accounts This included an unlimited guarantee for all bank customers' savings accounts. "What we are doing here is saving a banking system - saving the domestic banking system - and making sure that it can function properly," he said after the decision to rescue Landsbanki. "And I think, also, through our declaration on domestic deposits in these banks and saving institutions, we have been able to avoid a run on the banks here, and therefore prevent it," he added. The website of Icesave tells customers that: "We are not currently processing any deposits or any withdrawal requests through our Icesave internet accounts. "We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause our customers. We hope to provide you with more information shortly," it adds. A spokeswoman for the bank said the website was not operating "due to technical difficulties", but did not offer any further reason for it being down. Explaining its action in taking over Landsbanki, the IFSA said: "Based on new legislation, the Icelandic Financial Supervisory Authority (IFSA) proceeds to take control of Landsbanki to ensure continued commercial bank operations in Iceland. "Domestic deposits are fully guaranteed, as declared by the government. "Landsbanki's domestic branches, call centres, cash machines and internet operations will be open for business as usual," it added. 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/uk_news/politics/election_2010/8666202.stm	Mr Farage's agent Chris Adams gives details about the accident Commons Speaker John Bercow has held his seat despite a challenge by the UK Independence Party's Nigel Farage, who remains in hospital after an air crash. Mr Farage, who said he was "lucky to be alive" after suffering rib and other injuries in Thursday's crash in Northamptonshire, finished third. Labour and the Lib Dems maintained the protocol of not standing against the speaker. Mr Bercow is a Conservative. He held the seat despite independent John Stevens polling 10,000 votes. Mr Bercow retains a majority of more than 12,000. Mr Farage was unable to attend the count and is likely to remain in the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, for "a few days", according to an NHS spokesman. Mr Bercow has a majority of more than 12,000 The plane's pilot, Justin Adams, is in a stable condition in hospital in Coventry where he is being kept under observation. In a statement, Mr Farage said: "We've both had a miraculous escape. We are both very lucky to be alive." His spokesman had earlier said the former party leader had suffered "two broken ribs, a small chip to his spine and damage to his sternum". The aircraft, which was due to circle over the Buckingham constituency, came down at Hinton-in-the-Hedges Airfield near Brackley on Thursday morning. It was towing a banner bearing a UK Independence Party slogan. Taking to the stage after the constituency results were announced, Mr Farage's election agent Dave Fowler said he was "chomping at the bit" and asking for a cigarette from his hospital bed. He said on Mr Farage's behalf: "I assure UKIP voters and supporters that although we have lost this battle, the war carries on." Mr Bercow said he was "delighted" with the result but said he had been "concerned" to hear about Mr Farage's crash. "I wish him and his pilot full and speedy recoveries," he added. In his acceptance speech, Mr Bercow said he recognised many of his constituents were angry at being unable to vote for other parties, with 1,067 out of 49,402 ballot papers rejected. He said very large numbers of people had expressed "surprise, confusion or plain discontent at being unable to vote for candidates of the major parties". He said he would report those views back to the Commons to decide what approach should be taken in future. Mr Farage's crash is due to be investigated by the Air Accident Investigation Branch. Det Ch Insp Martin Kinchin, of Northamptonshire Police, said of the wreckage: "I think you can make your own judgment as to how lucky they were. "The people inside the plane were lucky to come out with not very serious injuries." Describing how the crash happened, he said: "It is our belief that the plane had recently taken off from here and was manoeuvring back to the airfield." Asked if the UKIP banner had become tangled in the aircraft, causing the crash, he said it was too early to speculate. A UKIP spokesman said the pair were trapped in the plane hanging upside down after the crash, but were "talking, conscious and breathing" during Thursday's rescue operation. The aircraft, a PZL-104 Wilga 35A, is a Polish fixed-wing aircraft which is reportedly owned by Sky Banners, in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey. Mr Farage is a Member of the European Parliament, representing South East England.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_9687000/9687226.stm	In March last year, Subway became the biggest fast food chain in the world, outnumbering McDonalds' stores. Globally there are now more than 36,000 outlets in 98 countries from Afghanistan to Zambia. Currently it has almost 1,500 outlets in the UK and aims is to increase this to 2,000 by the year 2015, claiming it will create 6,000 new jobs. Fred De Luca, founder and president of Subway, talks the the Today programme's Simon Jack about why the franchise of Subway has been such a success. He maintained that "banks are more likely to loan to you" if you are part of a franchise system as well as it being easier to follow an established brand. When asked whether he thought rich people should contribute more to an ailing economy, as suggested by Warren Buffett, the billionaire said that "it's not a bad idea for people on higher incomes to pay more tax providing those increases reduce the taxes of lower income people rather than just giving the government more money to spend". Get in touch with Today via or text us on 84844.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20521647	Qantas cuts ties with Tourism Australia over chairman Qantas said it has severed ties with Australia's official tourism agency over its chairman's 'conflict of interest'. Qantas informed the tourism ministry it was suspending a A$50m ($52m; £32m) marketing deal. Tourism Australia's chairman, Geoff Dixon, who is a former Qantas chief executive, is part of a group of investors reportedly seeking changes at the airline. The move ends a 40 year partnership. "This conflict has arisen from the involvement of Tourism Australia's chairman with a syndicate that is actively canvassing fundamental changes to the Qantas Group strategy, including the proposed partnership with Emirates," Qantas said in a statement. Mr Dixon was in charge at the national carrier between 2001 and 2008, after which the current chief executive Alan Joyce took over. "Qantas cannot continue to collaborate with an agency whose chairman is a member of a syndicate committed to unravelling Qantas' structure and direction." However, the airline said this did not mean Qantas would stop supporting the tourism industry in Australia. "Not one dollar will be removed from tourism marketing as a consequence of this decision. "Rather than providing this support through the federal agency, Qantas will instead look to do so through the states," it said. The carrier also said some key initiatives already underway would not be halted.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20756247	Does confidence really breed success? Research suggests that more and more American university students think they are something special. High self-esteem is generally regarded as a good thing - but could too much of it actually make you less successful? About nine million young people have filled out the American Freshman Survey, since it began in 1966. It asks students to rate how they measure up to their peers in a number of basic skills areas - and over the past four decades, there has been a dramatic rise in the number of students who describe themselves as being "above average" for academic ability, drive to achieve, mathematical ability and self-confidence. This was revealed in a new analysis of the survey data, by US psychologist Jean Twenge and colleagues. Self-appraisals of traits that are less individualistic - such as co-operativeness, understanding others and spirituality - saw little change, or a decrease, over the same period. Self-esteem and confidence Psychologists rarely use the word confidence. They have separate measures for: - self-esteem - the value people place on themselves - narcissism - definitions vary, but essentially a negative, destructive form of high self-esteem - self-efficacy - the ability to achieve personal goals Twenge adds that while the Freshman Survey shows that students are increasingly likely to label themselves as gifted in writing ability, objective test scores indicate that actual writing ability has gone down since the 1960s. And while in the late 1980s, almost half of students said they studied for six or more hours a week, the figure was little over a third by 2009 - a fact that sits rather oddly, given there has been a rise in students' self-proclaimed drive to succeed during the same period. Another study by Twenge suggested there has been a 30% tilt towards narcissistic attitudes in US students since 1979. The Oxford English Dictionary defines narcissism as: "Excessive self-love or vanity; self-admiration, self-centredness." "Our culture used to encourage modesty and humility and not bragging about yourself," says Twenge. "It was considered a bad thing to be seen as conceited or full of yourself." The Freshman Survey - A nationally representative sample of first-year college and university students in the US - Conducted every year since 1966 - Questions on a range of topics - including values, financial situation, and expectations of college Not everyone with high self-esteem is a narcissist. Some positive views of the self may be harmless and in fact quite justified. But one in four recent students responded to a questionnaire, the Narcissistic Personality Inventory, in a way which leaned towards narcissistic views of the self. Though some have argued that narcissism is an essential trait, Twenge and her colleagues see it as negative and destructive. In The Narcissism Epidemic, co-written with Keith Campbell, Twenge blames the growth of narcissistic attitudes on a range of trends - including parenting styles, celebrity culture, social media and access to easy credit, which allows people to appear more successful than they are. "What's really become prevalent over the last two decades is the idea that being highly self-confident - loving yourself, believing in yourself - is the key to success. "Now the interesting thing about that belief is it's widely held, it's very deeply held, and it's also untrue." Find out more - Jean Twenge was speaking to the BBC World Service programme Health Check This bewitching idea - that people's lives will improve with their self-esteem - led to what came to be known as The Self-Esteem Movement. Legions of self-help books have propagated the idea that we each have it within us to achieve great things - we just need to be more confident. Over 15,000 journal articles have examined the links between high self-esteem and measurable outcomes in real life, such as educational achievement, job opportunities, popularity, health, happiness and adherence to laws and social codes. Yet there is very little evidence that raising self-esteem leads to tangible, positive outcomes. "If there is any effect at all, it is quite small," says Roy Baumeister of Florida State University. He was the lead author of a 2003 paper that scrutinised dozens of self-esteem studies. All about me, me, me... - In a recent paper Jean Twenge examined changes in pronoun use in American books published between 1960 and 2008, using the Google Books ngram database - She found that first person plural pronouns (we, us our etc.) decreased in use by 10% while first person singular pronouns (I, me, my etc.) increased in use by 42% He found that although high self-esteem frequently had a positive correlation with success, the direction of causation was often unclear. For example, are high marks awarded to people with high self-esteem or does getting high marks engender high self-esteem? And a third variable can influence both self-esteem and the positive outcome. "Coming from a good family might lead to both high self-esteem and personal success," says Baumeister. "Self-control is much more powerful and well-supported as a cause of personal success. Despite my years invested in research on self-esteem, I reluctantly advise people to forget about it." Am I a narcissist? The Narcissistic Personality Inventory asks 40 questions, then ranks you on a narcissism scale This doesn't mean that under-confident people will be more successful in school, in their careers or in sport. "You need to believe that you can go out and do something but that's not the same as thinking that you're great," says Twenge. She gives the example of a swimmer attempting to learn a turn - this person needs to believe that they can acquire that skill, but a belief that they are already a great swimmer does not help. Forsyth and Kerr studied the effect of positive feedback on university students who had received low grades (C, D, E and F). They found that the weaker students actually performed worse if they received encouragement aimed at boosting their self-worth. "An intervention that encourages [students] to feel good about themselves, regardless of work, may remove the reason to work hard," writes Baumeister. So do young people think they are better than they are? If they are, perhaps the appropriate response is not condemnation but pity. The narcissists described by Twenge and Campbell are often outwardly charming and charismatic. They find it easy to start relationships and have more confidence socially and in job interviews. Yet their prognosis is not good. How self-esteem become a movement - The Self-Esteem Movement is said to have its roots in the civil rights movement, which promoted group solidarity - but also the rights of individuals to be who they want - A series of seminars were held in the 1960s on achieving happiness and fulfilment by tapping inner potential - it was called The Human Potential Movement - First popular book on self-esteem published in 1969 - The Psychology of Self-Esteem by psychologist Nathaniel Branden - Werner Erhard (above) held sessions aimed at boosting self-esteem in US prisons in the 1970s - there were similar programmes in the 1980s to try to reduce teen pregnancy rates and crime - Interest is still high - there were more than 40,000 articles about self-esteem in newspapers and magazines between 2002 and 2007 "In the long-term, what tends to happen is that narcissistic people mess up their relationships, at home and at work," says Twenge. Narcissists may say all the right things but their actions eventually reveal them to be self-serving. As for the narcissists themselves, it often not until middle age that they notice their life has been marked by an unusual number of failed relationships. But it's not something that is easy to fix - narcissists are notorious for dropping out of therapy. "It's a personality trait," says Twenge. "It's by definition very difficult to change. It's rooted in genetics and early environment and culture and things that aren't all that malleable." Things also don't look good for the many young people who - although not classed as narcissists - have a disproportionately positive self-view. A 2006 study led by John Reynolds of Florida State University found that students are increasingly ambitious, but also increasingly unrealistic in their expectations, creating what he calls "ambition inflation". "Since the 1960s and 1970s, when those expectations started to grow, there's been an increase in anxiety and depression," says Twenge. "There's going to be a lot more people who don't reach their goals."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-13683771	Monkey behaviour offers clues to conflict management Scientists studying a rare species of monkey in Morocco claim that their behaviour could offer clues to resolving human conflict. A team, led by a University of Lincoln researcher, studied Barbary Macaques for the past three years. He claims the research reveals clues to why humans feel the need to patch up their differences. Dr Bonaventura 'Bino' Majolo said the study "helps us understand more about the evolution of social behaviour". "Reconciliation occurs in several social species and it seems to be important when there's a need to establish and maintain friendly relationships," he added. "It's also true of chimpanzees and even human children - it appears that the closer the relationship between individuals, the more effort is put into resolving conflict", he said.'Harmonious relationships' The international project involves researchers from Lincoln, Roehampton, Gottingen in Germany and Gent, Belgium, along with Morocco's Ecole Nationale Forestière d'Ingénieurs. They believe this endangered primate, whose numbers have declined from 70,000 to 5,000 in the past 30 years, could offer precious clues as to how and why different aspects of society developed in social species. "We are just about to start publishing our findings after collecting data for the past three years and we do hope to continue our work in Morocco for as long as possible," said Dr Majolo. "The study has revealed interesting parallels between macaque and human society - from the perils of over-indulging on junk food, to the underhand tactics males will employ to usurp their rivals in wooing a mate. "Looking at what factors affect reconciliation in primates might help tell us why this mechanism to manage conflict evolved and whether it requires a species to have complex cognitive abilities. "We hope to learn more about the origins of behaviours critical to preserving harmonious relationships in complex societies. "The Barbary Macaque is under real threat from habitat destruction, logging and other human activities, such as the theft of infants for the pet trade. "So it's really important we study it before it disappears altogether from the wild," he said.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-18816445	London 2012: Hastings twin town hosts Sierra Leone team Athletes from Sierra Leone are making their final preparations for London 2012 in East Sussex, thanks to links forged following the West African nation's civil war. The seaside town of Hastings is providing accommodation and training facilities for sprinter Ibrahim Turay and long jumper Ola Sesay. Hastings is hosting Tuesday's overnight stay for the Olympic Torch and Sierra Leone's two-strong team will appear on stage at the town's evening celebrations. As well as hoping for success in the 200 metres, Turay, 19, is looking forward to seeing his hero, Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, in action. "When I started in athletics I was a hurdler and the person I admired was my friend, Umar Allie, who was a hurdler and runner," he said. "But now my hero is Usain Bolt."Decade of war Turay is Sierra Leone's champion in the 110 metre and 400 metre hurdles, discus and 200 metres. He will be competing in London. He and his coach Abu Kumara were met at Heathrow on Thursday by members of Hastings Sierra Leone Friendship Link, which invited them to stay in the town. Sesay, who has been training in the USA, is arriving on Friday with the team's boss, while two other members of the entourage will fly in on Monday. The beginnings of the link began 10 years ago when Sierra Leone emerged from a decade of civil war. Lawyer Michael Foster, then Labour MP for Hastings and Rye, was asked if the town could raise humanitarian aid for the town of Hastings in Sierra Leone, which had been devastated in the war. "I thought that even though we were one of the poorest towns in the South East we could help one of the poorest countries in the world," he said. "So I contacted the local churches and gave them the challenge of helping Sierra Leone." The link's first project was raising £30,000 to rebuild 12 bridges which had been destroyed. A fundraising drive is now under way to raise more than £100,000 to build and equip a community centre and health centre. Hastings in East Sussex was officially twinned with Hastings near Freetown, Sierra Leone, in 2007. The Olympic delegation is staying at the White Rock Hotel on the seafront and training at William Parker Sports College. Former William Parker head Roger Mitchell, who is active in Hastings Sierra Leone Friendship Link, worked to get its athletics track installed. Turay begins training on Friday morning, and later children from schools across Hastings will gather at the college for their sports day - attended by special guests Turay and Sesay. Mr Mitchell said the event would inspire children across the town, many of whose schools are linked with schools in Sierra Leone. Turay and Sesay, whose travel and participation in the Games are being funded by the Olympic organisation, will move to the London Olympic Village after Tuesday's torch celebrations. Turay hopes London 2012 will be only the start of his Olympic career. "This is the biggest sporting event in the world," he said. "I will get experience that will help me become a better person. Not everyone can become a champion but I believe I will be able to qualify for my country to run in the Olympic Games in 2016 in Brazil."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-16823664	Fermanagh shale gas 'could supply Northern Ireland' There could be enough natural gas trapped within shale rock in County Fermanagh to supply all the gas Northern Ireland needs for decades. The claim has come from the exploration company with a licence for the area. Tamboran Resources has spent the last year analysing surveys and taking rock samples. It now says preliminary results show there could be enough gas to guarantee security of natural gas supply for Northern Ireland over 50 years. The region would even become a gas exporter, they claim. "We're 100% certain there is gas there. We're 90% certain that we'll get it out in the sort of quantities we're talking about," said environmental director Tony Bazley. He said the discovery could lead to 600 direct jobs by 2025 and the company will seek engineering solutions and other services locally which could lead to another 2,400 jobs. Tamboran also projects tax revenues for the government of up to £6.9bn. But the most significant claim is that the shale gas deposits may be large enough to provide Northern Ireland with all the gas it needs for decades, even becoming an exporter. Currently all Northern Ireland's natural gas is imported. In the United States, a shale gas production boom has reduced natural gas prices by half to a 10-year low. The process used in capturing the gas from the shale rock is hydraulic fracturing, known as fracking. It involves drilling horizontally into the rock, forcing sand and water underground to cause tiny fractures that release the gas from the shale. It is a not a new method but has only become economically viable due to the increased cost of gas in recent years.Minor earthquakes However it is a controversial process. In November another company, Cuadrilla, admitted that its drilling was the "likely cause" of minor earthquakes in Lancashire. And in the US, where the process is most advanced, there have been cases of water pollution linked to fracking. Tamboran said it would minimize any such risks with a seismic survey to give a detailed three-dimensional picture of what it's drilling into and it also says it will not use any chemicals in its fracking process. Chemical solutions are often added to lubricate the drilling process and give extra power to the pumped water at great depths. But Tamboran said it would not be drilling deep enough to require any chemicals. The company wants to proceed to a full environmental assessment before drilling two test holes. If those test sites prove successful it hopes to convert them into production by 2015. At any one time it could have up to three four acre sites producing gas. As one site becomes exhausted it is closed down and another opened elsewhere. One of the economic advantages of the Northern Ireland deposits is the relative proximity to the gas pipeline and the apparent depth of the shale. Last December, Northern Ireland Assembly members called for a stop to fracking. They backed a call for a moratorium on onshore and offshore exploration and the withdrawal of licences by 49 votes to 30. Sinn Fein's energy spokesman, Phil Flanagan, said there was a "huge groundswell of public opposition to these plans". He questioned the length of time jobs would be created for and the effect drilling would have on the local environment. "The real potential for job creation and economic growth in Fermanagh and Leitrim surely lies in the development of clean, renewable sources of energy," he said. "The fact that many other countries have moved to slow down or even stop the use of fracking should be a warning call to ministers on this island. "We should at the very least follow their approach and call a halt to this process until all the relevant environmental and economic consequences have been taken into consideration."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6556823.stm	A two-year-old boy is facing surgery after receiving serious burns at a playground slide in the US that had been vandalised with harsh chemicals. The playground vandal was likely also burnt in the attack, police say Peyton Duschl received second and third-degree burns, mostly to his legs, after using the primary school slide. Vandals had poured industrial-strength drain cleaner over the ride, and opened bottles of the dangerous chemical were found at the scene, police said. A hazardous materials team was called in to clean the site in Maryland state. The boy will have surgery on Sunday and is expected to stay in hospital for several weeks, his mother Carol Duschl said. With a high sulphuric acid content, the cleaner was so strong that the accident and emergency department at the first hospital the boy attended had to be evacuated, said Michael Robinson, from the Baltimore County Fire Department. "I just don't understand what would draw somebody to do something like that," Ms Duschl told US television station WMAR-TV. "What kind of sick joke is that?" There were signs of forced entry to a storage room at Victory Villa Elementary School in Middle River, police spokeswoman Sgt Vickie Warehime said. She said that whoever poured the chemical was also likely to have been burnt.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7801156.stm	Authorities in Gavle had tried to fireproof the goat A giant straw goat erected each Christmas in a northern Swedish town has been burned down - yet again. The 13m-high (43ft) animal in Gavle has been torched 23 times since it was first erected in 1966. It has also been hit by a car and had its legs cut off. The vandals are rarely caught, though in 2001 a 51-year-old American tourist spent 18 days in jail after being convicted of setting it alight. In 2007, the goat managed to make it through the festive season unscathed. Goat committee spokeswoman Anna Ostman said she was saddened to learn that this year's unlucky creature had been set on fire early on Saturday morning. But she said: "We have been so happy that he survived through Christmas Eve, which is the toughest period every year. "So far this year, people from 105 countries have followed the goat via the webcams and many become really sad when they learn that he's burned down." The 7m-long (23ft), three tonne goat was originally designed to attract tourists to Gavle, which is 106 miles (170km) north of the Swedish capital. 1966: The first goat is burned down - beginning the tradition 1970: It is set on fire six hours after being erected 1971: Tired of arson, the project is abandoned. Schoolchildren build a miniature. It is smashed to pieces. 1976: A car crashes into the goat 1979: The goat is burned down before it is finished 1987: The goat is treated with fireproofing - but still goes up in smoke But in its first year it was burned down on New Year's Eve and since then has been attacked regularly. In 2005, it was torched by two arsonists dressed as Father Christmas and the Gingerbread Man. Authorities in Gavle have tried to protect the goat using fireproofing chemicals and security guards. But just 10 of the goats, which are built in the town's central square, have survived beyond Christmas since 1966. Goats have a special place in Swedish tradition. According to folklore, they delivered festive gifts before Father Christmas took over.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3219759.stm	A former royal aide jailed for murdering her boyfriend is on a life support machine after taking a possible drugs overdose, according to reports. Jane Andrews stabbed and beat Tom Cressman Jane Andrews, who was the Duchess of York's dresser, was said to be in intensive care after prison staff found her unconscious in her cell on Monday morning. Last month Andrews' appeal against her life sentence for killing Thomas Cressman, 39, at their west London home on 16 September 2000, was turned down. On Tuesday Mr Cressman's 52-year-old brother, Rick, said: "From our point of view, with the best will in the world, what Jane Andrews does in prison really is no concern of ours. "We just want some peace and we want to be allowed to be able to get on with our lives." Andrews, 36, was being treated at Southend Hospital after staff at Bullwood Hall prison in Hockley, Essex found her. Julie Bindel of Justice for Women told the Guardian newspaper: "She was found at 0800 and they could not revive her. Paramedics were called. "They did not think that she was going to pull round but she has since started to respond." It was reported that doctors initially thought Andrews had taken a drugs overdose, but they were later said to be uncertain about what had happened. A Prison Service spokeswoman said it would not discuss individual prisoners, but confirmed that a prisoner from Bullwood Hall prison was taken to an outside hospital at about 0900 GMT on Monday. Lawyers for Andrews, who worked for Sarah Ferguson for nine years, failed to convince an appeal hearing in September that she killed Mr Cressman while in a state of diminished responsibility. They had argued that she was guilty of manslaughter rather than murder, but the case was thrown out. She had a possible borderline personality disorder due to being sexually abused as a child, the lawyers had said. Andrews herself claimed she had killed her boyfriend accidentally - using a cricket bat and a kitchen knife - in self-defence when Mr Cressman tried to rape her. Days after the discovery of his body, Andrews was found slumped in her car in Cornwall after taking an overdose of painkillers. Ms Bindel said the combination of the loss of Andrews' appeal, the publication of the reasons for that decision and the subsequent screening of a documentary about her on ITV1 had left her "in a terrible state." She told the Guardian: "The three events came within a month of each other and the programme, in particular, left her devastated. "She felt it was so inaccurate and it had serious repercussions for her inside prison. It made things much more difficult." Andrews stopped working for the Duchess of York in 1997.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/7311917.stm	By Hannah Goff BBC News, at the NUT Conference in Manchester The MoD says it visits schools only when invited Teachers have voted to oppose military recruitment activities in schools if they employ "misleading propaganda". Young people must be given a true picture of Army life, not a "marketised version", the National Union of Teachers conference heard. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) denies actively recruiting in schools but says it does visit to raise awareness when invited in by head teachers. Some teachers complain the Army uses sophisticated methods of recruitment. Paul McGarr, a teacher from east London, said only when recruiting materials gave a true picture of war would he welcome them into his school. 'Shoot and possibly torture' HAVE YOUR SAY If secondary school pupils do not have a clear idea about the futility and horrors of war then teachers are failing These would have to say: "Join the Army and we will send you to carry out the imperialist occupation of other people's countries," Mr McGarr said. "Join the Army and we will send you to bomb, shoot and possibly torture fellow human beings in other countries. "Join the Army and we will send you probably poorly equipped into situations where people will try to shoot or kill you because you are occupying other people's countries. "Join the Army, and if you survive and come home, possibly injured or mentally damaged, you and your family will be shabbily treated." Delegate from Lambeth, south London, Chris Kelly, said he was offered free teaching materials, which he only later discovered were from the MoD. "We must also ask ourselves why the MoD are in there influencing the way our students view the Army in the 21st Century. "They find it difficult to recruit into the armed forces and are trying to encouraging them to join up," he said. Executive member Martin Reed said young people should have the means to make an informed choice when deciding whether or not to sign up for an Army career. He gave the example of school careers service Connexions which warned on its website that young people should not make this decision lightly. It warned that war could be dangerous and that there were humanitarian casualties, he said. Another teacher, Stefan Simms, from Ealing, west London, said those that were recruited would "come back knowing the horrors of war, maybe having committed the horrors of war." A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said: "We do not recruit in schools. "The single-service schools teams visit about 1,000 schools a year between them only at the invitation of the school - with the aim of raising the general awareness of their armed forces in society, not to recruit." But some teachers argue these visits have a wider purpose. The NUT will now convene a summit of teachers, educationalists and others to consider the issue of military recruitment in schools. Teachers who opposed recruitment activities based on "misleading propaganda" would be supported. An ex-soldier, Terry, told BBC Radio Five Live that the union's attitude was patronising to 16-year-olds. "Now 16-year-olds are not kids - they know, they know their mind," he said. "If they are not sure what they want to do and they are just tinkering with the idea of just going in the Army - nowadays they can go in the Army, they go on a six-week camp and they find out what it's like. "If its not for them, they have the choice to leave."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-16493929	School ICT to be replaced by computer science programme The current information and communications technology (ICT) curriculum in England's schools is a "mess" and must be radically revamped, the education secretary has announced. From September it will be replaced by a flexible curriculum in computer science and programming, designed with the help of universities and industry. Michael Gove called the current ICT curriculum "demotivating and dull". He will begin a consultation next week on the new computing curriculum. He said this would create young people "able to work at the forefront of technological change". Speaking at the BETT show for educational technology in London, Mr Gove announced plans to free up schools to use curricula and teaching resources that properly equip pupils for the 21st Century. He said that resources, developed by experts, were already available online to help schools teach computer science and he wants universities and businesses to devise new courses and exams, particularly a new computing GCSE. - Computer programming is the process of writing code - the set of instructions that computers rely on to complete tasks - There is a huge variety of programming languages, including C++, Visual Basic and Java - Many children interested in code begin with the languages behind simple games or animations The education secretary said the inadequate grounding in computing offered by the current curriculum was in danger of damaging Britain's economic prospects. He called for a revival of the legacy of British computer pioneer Alan Turing whose work in the 1930s laid the foundation of the modern computing industry. "Imagine the dramatic change which could be possible in just a few years, once we remove the roadblock of the existing ICT curriculum. "Instead of children bored out of their minds being taught how to use Word or Excel by bored teachers, we could have 11-year-olds able to write simple 2D computer animations," he said. Computer games entrepreneur Ian Livingstone, an adviser to Mr Gove, envisages a new curriculum that could have 16-year-olds creating their own apps for smartphones and 18-year-olds able to write their own simple programming language.'Slaves to the interface' Mr Livingstone, co-author of last year's Next Gen report which highlighted the poor quality of computer teaching in schools, told BBC news: "The current lessons are essentially irrelevant to today's generation of children who can learn PowerPoint in a week." "It's a travesty given our heritage as the most creative nation in the world. "Children are being forced to learn how to use applications, rather than to make them. They are becoming slaves to the user interface and are totally bored by it," he said. Other experts voiced concerns about a shortage of teachers qualified to deliver the new curriculum. Bill Mitchell, of BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, said: "It is tremendous that Michael Gove is personally endorsing the importance of teaching computer science in schools. "There are, of course, significant challenges to overcome, specifically with the immediate shortage of computer science teachers." While Prof Steve Furber, chairman of an imminent Royal Society report on computing in schools, said non-specialist teachers might find the plethora of alternative teaching resources confusing. "We look forward to hearing more about how the government intends to support non-specialist teachers who make up the majority of the workforce in delivering an excellent ICT education without official guidance on lesson content," he said.'More web design' Nick D'Aloisio, a schoolboy from London, developed his own app to simplify searches on the internet while studying for his GCSEs. The 16-year-old said web design lessons in Year 9 helped sparked his interest. "That was a useful introduction into the world of programming and design," he told BBC News. "And so I think if we can get in schools across the country more web design, more programming lessons, even if it's very basic, we can raise awareness among students of the world of applications and how anyone can pretty much code a successful application these days." Shadow education secretary Stephen Twigg MP said: "It is right to identify that the ICT curriculum needs to be reformed to fit with the times. "That's why Labour said last year that pupils need to understand the mechanisms and coding behind computer programmes - not just learning how to use a word processor, enter data into a worksheet or design a power-point presentation. "As well as updating programmes of study, we need better teacher training, higher standards and continual assessment of what pupils are being taught."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19241598	Home towns welcome Olympic GB heroes There will be an official victory parade to celebrate Team GB's success at the Olympics and Paralympics in London on 10 September, but in the meantime some of the Olympic medal winners are being greeted like heroes on their return to their home cities, towns and villages. Here are some of the events taking place around the country. Celebrations took place in Henley-on-Thames to mark the achievements of Team GB's rowers, including members of the Leander Club. Some 12 athletes from the club won medals, including golds for two crews and silvers and bronzes for two more. They took part in a rowing event on the Thames, with the event culminating with an open-top bus ride through the town. Alex Gregory, who won gold in the men's four, said: "We're really starting to appreciate what it means to people and we can, we're paying back Henley now for all the support they've given us and Leander Club here so it's a special day for us." Olympic gold medallist Steven Burke returned to Lancashire, where he was taken around Colne in an open-top car, followed by a cavalcade of cyclists. The 24-year-old, nicknamed The Colne Cyclone, won gold in the men's team pursuit track cycling at London 2012. Later Jade Jones celebrated her taekwondo gold medal in Flint, North Wales. The teenager appeared on the balcony at Flint Town Hall before hundreds who had turned up despite heavy rain. Nicola Adams showed off her Olympic gold medal on her return to Leeds and said she would be happy to be a role model for a generation of young girls. Hundreds turned out at the city's Merrion Centre to see the 29-year-old flyweight champion. She said: "To think I am a role model because of doing my sport is an honour and a great achievement. My love of boxing has brought this to life." Homecoming celebrations took place in Lowestoft, Suffolk for Olympic bronze medal-winning middleweight boxer Anthony Ogogo. The medallist was presented to his home town on a stage in London Road North. Meanwhile, a civic reception in honour of 23-year-old gymnast Kristian Thomas took place in Halesowen, West Midlands. More than 200 people welcomed him at a reception at Earls Gymnastics Club, attended by the Mayor of Dudley. Hundreds of supporters turned out to greet Olympic silver medallist Saskia Clark when she returned home to Mersea Island in Essex. The sailor paid tribute to the support she has received over the past 20 years, describing it as "amazing". Wiltshire's Olympic gold medal winning sprint canoeist Ed McKeever returned to his home town of Bradford-on-Avon on Monday. Some 2,000 well wishers attended the event in honour of the kayaker, who took victory in the K1 200m. During his trip, he paid a visit to the postbox painted gold in recognition of his sporting achievement. In a short speech, he said he was "just overwhelmed by the amount of support that you guys have shown me". An Olympic gold medal celebration was held in Cornwall to honour rower Helen Glover. Glover, 26, and rowing partner Heather Stanning, 27, won Britain's first gold of the 2012 Games in the rowing pairs final, and Britain's first by women rowers. After a ride in an RNLI lifeboat, Glover was driven on an open-top bus from Newlyn to Penzance where hundreds of fans lined the streets to greet her. Glover, who grew up in Penzance but now lives in Caversham, near Reading, said it was an emotional homecoming. "I've seen quite a few people. I cried last night when my family and friends were with me. I said I wasn't going to cry at all, but I did, once," she said. A reception was also held at her former school, Humphry Davy. Meanwhile, four-time gold medallist Bradley Wiggins was joined by hundreds of cyclists for a 99-mile (160km) bike ride on the routes he trains on in Lancashire. Speaking after the Ride with Brad event, Wiggins said he had been overwhelmed by the response from people who turned out in the rain to cheer him. Crowds of people in Peterborough lined the city's streets on Saturday to welcome home Louis Smith. The gymnast, who visited his club in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire before his appearance in Peterborough, won an individual silver in the pommel horse event and a bronze medal in the men's team competition. Smith signed autographs and waved to his fans waiting in the sunshine along the route of the open top bus tour. Fellow Team GB gymnast Max Whitlock was also welcomed back home to Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, with a reception at the town's civic centre. The 19-year-old scored 15.600 on the pommel horse which landed him a bronze in the event, with team-mate Smith winning a silver medal. The achievements of the double Olympic bronze medallist - in the individual pommel horse and men's team competitions - have already been celebrated at a homecoming party at his gymnastics club in Basildon. People waving Union flags cheered Olympian Mary King as she rode through the streets of her home town of Sidmouth in Devon. The victory parade was organised to welcome the equestrian eventing team silver medallist and her horse Imperial Cavalier home. King, among the oldest members of Team GB at 51, was presented with the honour "Freeman of the Town" - the first person not involved in local government to be given the honour. Meanwhile, a number of Olympic medallists were invited to football grounds on the first day of the English season to be officially greeted by the fans there. They included rower and West Ham fan Mark Hunter who allowed children at Upton Park to wear his lightweight double scull silver medal before he watched his team take on Aston Villa. Yorkshire boxer Nicola Adams, who won a gold medal at the nearby ExCeL Centre, was also a guest at the same match. She later tweeted: "Don't worry #leeds I'm still coming bk on monday." Meanwhile, Team GB's youngest gold medallist, Jade Jones, has learned she is to get a surprising honour in her home town. The Flint Pavilion Leisure Centre will be renamed in honour of 19-year-old, who beat the rest of the world in taekwondo. She will also tour Flint in an open top bus on Saturday 25 August. Up to 20,000 people gathered in Sheffield city centre to welcome home Olympic championJessica Ennis. The gold medal-winning heptathlete took to a stage to greet the packed crowd of fans as she was told she was to be handed the freedom of the city. Ennis, 26, said it was nice to be home but "more than anything it is overwhelming". Gold medallist equestrians Carl Hester and Charlotte Dujardinvisited Sark after their success at the Olympics. Hester lives and trains in Gloucestershire but was born in the Channel Island. The GB team of Hester, Dujardin and Laura Bechtolsheimer won gold in the dressage. The island's only postbox has been painted gold in honour of Hester. Gymnast Beth Tweddle, who won a bronze medal in what was her final Olympics at London 2012, had a celebration at Salford's MediaCity. It will not be the last event for the 27-year-old as she will also be one of the guests of honour at an event for Cheshire Olympians, to be held at a later date. The gymnast, who won bronze on the uneven bars, will be given an open-top bus tour by the mayor. A Victorian act of Parliament was used to give a quick go-ahead to the family of double Olympic gold medal cyclist Laura Trottto hold a street party in her honour in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire. They had been told it could take weeks for the council to give permission for such an event. But officials learned they could use the 1847 Town Police Clauses Act which allows "thronging on the highway". At least 200 people attended the private street party to welcome Trott home. "It's amazing, I'm so glad so many people came out. It's mad, I can't believe it," she said. Royal Mail said a postbox in Lymington, Hampshire, would be repainted gold in honour of four-time Olympic gold medallistBen Ainslie. It originally said it would paint a postbox only in Cornwall, where Ainslie was raised - but Royal Mail did a U-turn and agreed to paint the one in Lymington where the sailor lives. A trio of Team GB rowers showed off their medals during a day of celebrations in Coleraine. Brothers Richard and Peter Chambers took silver in the lightweight fours, while Alan Campbell won bronze in the single sculls. The team-mates visited the Bann Rowing Club, where they trained, then appeared in the town centre. Team GB Olympic sailors - winners of a gold and four silver medals - were cheered through the streets of Weymouth and Portland in an open-top bus. Ben Ainslie praised the hundreds of supporters who turned out to greet the team as their bus navigated the winding streets, led by a police convoy. He said: "It's absolutely amazing being in front of a crowd like that. All the people out there supporting us made a huge difference." Cyclist Lizzie Armitstead - whose women's road-race silver medal kicked off Team GB's medal-winning run - took an open-top bus tour of her home town of Otley, West Yorkshire. Cycling residents - including her grandmother, Marjorie Dunn - followed the bus on their bikes as part of the celebration, and it was Armitstead's second welcome home following Monday's event in Leeds. Rower Katherine Copeland's return was celebrated with a reception at Stockton's Tees Rowing Club. She revealed she felt "no pressure" to win. The 21-year-old triumphed in the women's double sculls with partner Sophie Hosking. Pete Reed, who became a double Olympic champion when he clinched gold in the men's coxless four, was honoured with a civic reception and open-top bus tour of Nailsworth, Gloucestershire. Meanwhile, a victory parade for Scotland's Olympians will be held on Friday 14 September, it has been announced. SportScotland said the event would be a "fitting and appropriate celebration" for Olympic and Paralympic athletes, including Sir Chris Hoy, who became Britain's most successful Olympian at London 2012. Britain's most decorated Olympic sailor, Ben Ainslie, was welcomed back to his home yacht club with a champagne reception. The 35-year old four-time gold medal winner was greeted with cheers by members of the Royal Lymington Yacht Club on the Hampshire coast. Olympic gold medal-winning boxer Luke Campbell also had a homecoming party thrown in his honour in Hull. The event, which saw about 13,000 people gather outside Hull City Hall on Tuesday evening, also celebrated Hull Olympian Alex Smith, who reached the men's hammer final. Campbell, 24, who trains at the city's St Paul's Boxing Academy, said he was "overwhelmed" by the welcome and as he appeared on a balcony before the cheering crowd he said: "This is why I've always been proud to be from Hull." As well as being honoured with a commemorative gold postbox, he has had a telephone kiosk painted gold. In Wales, the family of 19-year-old taekwondo Olympic gold medal winner Jade Jones welcomed her back home to Flint. Bronze boxing medal winners Paddy Barnes and Michael Conlan were welcomed back to their home city of Belfast with an open-top bus ride through its centre. The pair, who fought for Team Ireland - not Team GB - arrived back at Dublin airport on Monday and were honoured at a reception at Titanic Belfast in the evening. Given that if Yorkshire was a country it would have been 12th in the medal-winners' table, it is hardly surprising it hosted some of the first homecoming celebrations. About 5,000 people attended an event to mark the achievements of Leeds' Olympic athletes - including triathlon stars Alistair and Jonny Brownlee, silver-medal cyclist Lizzie Armitstead and Nicola Adams, who made history as the first ever Olympic women's boxing champion - at Millennium Square. Gold medallist Alistair Brownlee said seeing such a large crowd turn out in his home city was "absolutely amazing", and he felt like he is "on the crest of a wave and about to fall off it any day now". Adams, who was unable to attend, sent a recorded message to say she could not wait to show her gold medal to "everybody in Yorkshire". Olympic cycling gold medallist Dani King was another of the athletes to receive a warm welcome in her home village of Hamble, near Southampton. The 21-year-old, who won the team pursuit alongside Laura Trott and Joanna Rowsell, said the reception was "absolutely incredible". Villagers also turned out for a special party to congratulate Olympic shooting gold medallist Peter Wilson in his home village of Glanvilles Wootton, Dorset. Plans are also under way for "a huge welcome home party" in Plymouth to celebrate Tom Daley's bronze medal in the men's 10m individual platform diving and Plymouth-trained Lithuanian Ruta Meilutyte's gold in the women's 100m breaststroke. Send your pictures and videos to [email protected] or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-16594668	UFO book author Rupert Matthews in line to be MEP A Conservative politician who was in line to succeed an outgoing MEP is under scrutiny by his own party over his books on UFOs and aliens. European parliamentary rules state when an MEP resigns there is no by-election, and instead the next in line fills the vacancy. Previous MEP Roger Helmer said publisher and writer Rupert Matthews was entitled to take his place to represent the East Midlands in Europe. BBC East Midlands Today political editor John Hess reports.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18364674	Syria Qubair: Bloody traces of massacre seen in village A BBC correspondent has seen evidence of human remains at the village of Qubair in Syria, scene of a massacre reported on Wednesday. Paul Danahar, who was travelling with UN monitors, found buildings gutted and burnt in the deserted tiny village near the western city of Hama. It is unclear what happened to the bodies of dozens of reported victims. Violence continued across Syria, with unconfirmed reports of explosions in the capital Damascus. The Red Cross has warned that 1.5 million people need humanitarian aid. Condemning the Qubair massacre earlier, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warned of an imminent danger of civil war and the international peace envoy, Kofi Annan, has said his six-point peace plan is not being implemented. The opposition blamed the Qubair massacre on militia allied to President Bashar al-Assad while the government accused "terrorists" of killing civilians. UN monitors reached Qubair on Friday, with Paul Danahar accompanying them, after coming under fire while making an initial attempt on Thursday.'Burnt flesh' People in the area told the UN team that everybody in Qubair "had died except for a few", UN spokeswoman Sausan Ghosheh told BBC News after visiting the village. She said that the UN had not yet been able to establish the number of people dead or missing and were trying to compile a list with the help of local people. At the scene The first house had been gutted by fire. The smell of burnt flesh still hung heavy on the air. The scene in the next house was even worse. Blood was in pools around the room. Pieces of flesh lay among the scattered possessions. Even butchering the people did not satisfy the blood lust of the attackers. They shot the livestock too. The only clue as to where the bodies of the dead people had gone was etched into the tarmac of the road nearby. The tracks were made by military vehicles, said a UN observer. According to Ms Ghosheh, one house in Qubair seemed to have been hit by tank rounds as well as weapons of different calibres, including small arms. A second house, she said, had "burnt flesh inside and... a stench of burnt flesh". Activists say government forces removed many of the bodies from Qubair but a number are said to have been buried in the nearby village of Maarzaf. The opposition Syrian National Council gave a death toll of 78 but another organisation, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, has a figure of "at least 55". State media gave a figure of nine. The militiamen accused of the killings at Qubair are known as shabiha, and are mainly from the minority Alawite community of President Bashar al-Assad. The Alawites are a heterodox offshoot of Shia Islam. The victims appear to be mostly Sunni Muslims, who make up the majority of the population. Analysts say the major fear is that Syria falls victim to the kind of sectarian violence that tore Lebanon apart for decades.Annan plan dead? Speaking at the UN in New York on Thursday, Mr Ban warned the danger of full-scale war was "imminent and real". While the Annan plan remained the focus of peace efforts, he said, urgent talks were needed on how further to proceed. Speaking in Washington on Friday, Mr Annan said: "Some say that the plan may be dead." Both China and Russia have twice blocked Security Council resolutions against Syria and have restated their opposition to outside military intervention in the conflict. A senior US official has expressed concern about reports that Russia could be helping Syrian institutions evade financial sanctions. After a visit to Moscow, Treasury official David Cohen told BBC News there was evidence that financial sanctions against Syria were having an impact but Washington was worried that Russia's close economic ties with Syria were undermining the programme. The International Committee of the Red Cross says about 1.5 million people are in need of humanitarian aid in Syria. Its aid workers report that food, medical care and shelter are in short supply and even bread has become hard to find, while more and more people are being driven from their homes.Blasts in Damascus On Friday, clandestine activists said at least 40 people had been killed by security forces in six different provinces, with heavy shelling reported in Homs. While UN observers are deployed in Homs, their presence appears to have had little effect on the fighting, the BBC's Jim Muir reports from neighbouring Lebanon. Unconfirmed reports from Damascus on Friday evening speak of numerous detonations but it is unclear if it is bomb blasts or shell-fire. A huge plume of black smoke could be seen hanging over the city earlier. The Associated Press news agency reported fighting between government forces and army defectors in the city's Kfar Souseh district. Earlier in the day, attacks were reported across the country - A car bomb in the north-western city of Idlib killed two police officers and three civilians, wounding others, state TV said - A car bomb in Rif Dimashq, near Damascus, killed three police officers and caused injuries, according to state TV - A blast in the Damascus suburb of Qudssaya killed two security forces members, AFP news agency reports The UN says at least 9,000 people have died since pro-democracy protests began in March 2011.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6355289.stm	By Kulveer Taggar Chief executive, Auctomatic Kulveer Taggar moved to Silicon Valley in California after graduating from Oxford and working as an investment banker. He explains why California is the place for those with entrepreneurial spirits. The spirit of co-operation is strong, says Kulveer Taggar A few weeks ago, I went to a house party in downtown San Francisco with my business partner, Harjeet. We were talking to someone about our start-up (Boso.com - an online trading site), when Harjeet proceeded to have a huge rant about how Facebook was really restrictive for outside developers, and that it didn't let us do the things we wanted to. At the end of his rant, Harjeet hesitated and asked, "So, are you familiar with Facebook?", and the reply came, "Yep...I work there". We were momentarily horrified, but it all worked out OK. That chance conversation has led to a meeting with one of their technical heads and an invitation to their offices, which is very cool. That sort of sums up why I wanted to move out here. By being based in London as an internet entrepreneur, you exclude yourself from all the chance meetings that take place in Silicon Valley, and it's definitely an understatement to say that internet business is based as much on who you know as what you know. Living the dream To put this into context, I left my investment banking job months after graduating from Oxford to try and live the entrepreneurial dream. But things were tough, for several reasons. London is especially hard for internet start-ups because it is expensive. When we flew to Boston for our interview with venture capitalists Y Combinator, I remember noting that the cost of travel to the airport in the UK was about four or five times what we had to pay in the US for the equivalent. And this is not to mention all the other associated costs of doing business - such as rent, professional fees, salaries and so on. Competing for talent You also have to compete for the best talent with the big banks, law and consultancy firms. I'm particularly sensitive to this point, because we lost our most talented and promising intern to a consultancy, after he'd worked with us since April and had made a big impact. We can't offer the same security that a big firm can, but out here the attitude amongst graduates is different. It seems that the very best actively seek out to join start-ups. I'm sure that's reinforced because at places like Stanford University, in Silicon Valley, you are constantly reminded about all the start-ups that formed there and made it really big, with Google being a prime example. Talking about attitudes, it was funny to observe at that same party I mentioned earlier, how a McKinsey consultant bit his lip when he told me what he did - as if he felt guilty about it. In London, it's deemed one of the most prestigious and impressive things to do. Back home consultants, bankers and lawyers wore their jobs as badges of honour, and I'd hesitate to tell people I was an entrepreneur. Finally, trying to raise investment for an internet start-up is infinitely harder in London. I remember drafting a heated blog post about this out of frustration in the summer, but I was talked out of publishing it. The risk appetite amongst British investors is low, and it was also frustrating that I often ended up educating investors about the internet in general. The opportunity cost of that time is of serious consequence to all British technology entrepreneurs, and puts us behind our American peers. So far, the decision to relocate has been an excellent one. It had actually been on my mind ever since a trip here in May 2006, when I was filming a documentary for Channel 4 and was able to meet Evan Williams, the founder of Blogger.com. We're now working in the offices of his new venture, Obvious.com, and I couldn't think of an environment better suited to a start up. The spirit of co-operation is strong. "Networking" isn't something that has to be organised or encouraged, it just happens. The weather is great and the vibe is friendly, optimistic and ambitious! Big thinking is encouraged and not frowned upon as is sometimes the case in London. Ultimately, Silicon Valley is a great place to start a company because there is more capital, a bigger talent pool , and because the most important companies and people are here. Ignoring for a moment how this came to be, now that it has, positive network effects have kicked in, and it has become a self-perpetuating virtuous cycle in terms of attracting future entrepreneurs and capital. I also definitely think there is something to the co-operative environment here that helps people be successful. Again, it may have come about by chance, but now that this norm has been established, all newcomers adhere to it and it persists - and it may be nothing more complicated than that. Next month: how the business is developing compared with what we expected.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/5173612.stm	The inventor who specialises in making miniature objects has a new big idea. A collapsible bike designed to fit a commuter journey as easily as it folds to squeeze into a bag. He brought us the pocket calculator and the ZX Spectrum, the digital wristwatch and the ill-fated C5 road buggy. Now Sir Clive Sinclair has turned his attentions to the humble bicycle. But put it to the test, is it just a bit, well, wobbly? After the 7 July Tube bombings, congestion charges in UK cities, and with normal-size bikes forbidden from commuter trains, fold-up bikes are increasingly taking to urban streets. And it is a busy market. UK leader Brompton shifts 15,000 a year, around the globe, of its proper bikes designed to fold. But designer Alex Kalogroulis and Sir Clive say the A-bike is different, and smaller still. That it stands out from the competitors as an "ultra-compact" bike for "short hop" journeys - two miles from home to the Tube or from the train to the office. Pedals and handlebars mean it is a bike; tiny wheels means it doesn't do distance. Named after the shape of its telescopic black-and-silver frame, it claims to come in at half the weight, (12.5lbs) and half the price (£199) of those already on the market. It has two chains, one gear and a weight limit for riders of 13st 5lbs (85kgs). Sir Clive says: "I thought, if a bike could fold compactly and be lighter than bikes today, it could fulfil a lot of needs. A 15kg bike is fine if it's carrying you, but if you are the one that carries the bike, that changes it." The bike was unveiled on London's South Bank, with the hoped-for customers in the City in view across the river. But the sight of its tiny wheels - the size of a late-90s micro-scooter - and its novel design raised the question, "Is this a bicycle, or a £200 toy starting an early run up to the Christmas market?" The only way to answer that is to put the A-bike to the test in the hands of the experts - the cyclists. Down with the kids Cycling in the UK's towns and cities brings two main dangers. One is getting a bit sweaty. The other is more serious: death. Dicing with traffic and pot holes on busy roads is a daily hazard. Being able to avoid them is essential. Could the A-bike with its tiny profile hold its own on the mean streets of urban cycling? Truths often come from the mouths of babes and in this case from a Year 7 class of 11 to 13-year-olds on an art trip to draw Tower Bridge. They tussled to ride the bike. Declared it "lightweight and cool", "better than my BMX" and made plans to scale down the A-bike to sell it for children look like a canny marketing strategy. But they also spotted what each of the test-riders found: "The handling is a bit hard to control," shouts Alex Roberts, 12, over his shoulder, as he veers wildly across the south embankment. What about in the hands of a seasoned professional? Lance - not Armstrong, but Foster - at On Your Bike cycle shop takes the A-bike for a carefully-executed spin down the pavement. His "How does it collapse then?" demand is the signal for three minutes of faffing from journalist, photographer and bike-hand. As with all "folders", as they are known in the trade, familiarity will hopefully breed speed. His verdict on the bike is fast, strong and insightful. There is much that he would change: "First of all that seat is definitely the most uncomfortable seat I have ever sat on. "Plus, the way those handle-bars fold in - I would have made them a bit longer. With the geometry of the bike you need them for good, aggressive speed. "And, when you turn, it is very unstable." As for the regular cyclists, student Felix Tanzer, 21, finds there is more than a weight restriction for riders. "I think it's designed for the small-of-leg," he laughs, as his knees knock the handle-bars. Again, the "fairground wobble-bike" style of riding is on display. "But once you get on, it's not so bad," he adds. "Just a little bit wobbly. If I wasn't wearing ridiculously-big sandals, I would find it easier." Folds 'in 10 seconds' Riders below 13st 5lbs One design in red, black and silver Two chains, one gear Would he stretch his student budget to buy one? "No." He is too near the Tube to need one in London. He fears the bike would be laughed at back at university in Bristol. And he doubts it could cope with the hills, the wind on the Downs, the blasts of winter weather. If the bike is meant to fit in to a commute, how does it fare on the Tube itself? It packs neatly into a shoulder bag or can be carried by the handle bars. It is out of the way on the escalator step or the carriage floor, much like any folding bike. Achy-arm sets in on the streets, but there is a bag to ease the load But achy-arm from carrying it is quick to surface, and how everything else would be balanced is less clear. Especially with the amount of gear cyclists tend to trail. The A-bike's distributors hope to shift 15 to 25,000 in the first year. That is quite a projection in the current market. Kids may want one, but everyday commuters could well demand more of a bike for their buck. Whether it becomes a success, or a "collector's item" along the lines of the C5 in the 1980s, looks likely to depend on how many A-bikes Santa can fold down and pack into his sleigh.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21460609	Ivory Coast man sets himself alight at Rome airport An Ivorian man about to be deported from Italy has set himself alight at Fiumicino airport in the capital, Rome, Italian media has reported. A customs official extinguished the flames, but the young man is believed to be badly burnt. The airport said the man had not passed through security and was in the main international departure terminal at the time, AP news agency reports. Many migrants enter Italy, illegally crossing the Mediterranean from Africa. The incident happened at about 10:30 local time (09:30 GMT). The man from Ivory Coast reportedly hid the fuel in his suitcase. According to Italy's La Repubblica newspaper, a police officer noticed the man had covered himself with the liquid and had a light in his hand. He ran towards the man but was unable to stop him. A nearby customs official, Tiziana Garner, told the Corriere della Serra newspaper that she spotted that the officer's arm was on fire and helped him remove his top. She then realised the Ivorian man, believed to be aged 19, was on fire and used a fire extinguisher to put out the flames, the paper reports. The man and the officer have been taken to hospital and the area of the airport where the fire happened has re-opened to the public, AFP news agency says.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14063868	Codex Calixtinus book 'disappears' from Spain cathedral A hugely valuable illuminated manuscript has disappeared from the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain, say police. The Codex Calixtinus dates from the 12th Century and was compiled as a guidebook for medieval pilgrims following the Way of Saint James. This is the oldest copy of the manuscript and is unsaleable on the open market. Only a handful of people had access to the room in which it was kept. This edition of the Codex Calixtinus is thought to date from around 1150. Its purpose was largely practical - to collect advice of use to pilgrims heading to the shrine there. It also included sermons and homilies to St James. On Wednesday afternoon, the book was reported missing from the room where it is kept. "We are investigating its disappearance," a police spokeswoman said, according to AFP news agency. "It is usually kept in a room to which only half a dozen people have access," she said. The Codex is only brought out on special occasions, such as last year's visit of Pope Benedict, when it is closely guarded. If the work has been stolen, it will be impossible to sell it on the open market, says the BBC's arts reporter Vincent Dowd.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-15811848	Bangladesh war crimes trial begins in Dhaka A leader of a Bangladesh Islamist party has gone on trial accused of crimes against humanity during the country's independence struggle against Pakistan. Delawar Hossain Sayedee is the first of seven suspects set to face a tribunal on charges relating to the 1971 war. Charges listed against him include genocide, rape and religious persecution - all of which he denies. The chief prosecutor said the trial, which resumes on Monday, was essential for the establishment of democracy. BBC correspondent Anbarasan Ethirajan said it marked a watershed moment for Bangladesh, which has yet to come fully to terms with its violent past. The special court will try Bangladeshis accused of collaborating with Pakistani forces, who were trying to stop Bangladesh becoming an independent nation.'Vendetta' More than three million people were killed and many more were left homeless, according to official figures. End Quote Mahbubey Alam Bangladeshi attorney general It was our moral duty, our constitutional responsibility to try these offenders” Hundreds of thousands of women are also believed to have been raped during the war. Bangladeshi Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said the country had waited 40 years for the trial to come to court. "We lost many professors, teachers, musicians - the bright sons of our country at the time of the liberation movement," he said. "So it was our moral duty, our constitutional responsibility to try these offenders." The chief prosecutor, Ghulam Arif Tipoo, said the trial was essential for the establishment of rule of law and democracy, and also key to the future of Bangladesh. A total of seven people - mostly from Bangladesh's two main opposition parties, are facing trial. They all deny the allegations and accuse the government of carrying out a vendetta. The Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, is the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who declared the country independent in 1971 and became its founding president after the war, but was later assassinated. The tribunal investigating events in 1971 was set up in Dhaka last year without any involvement from the United Nations. Human rights groups have urged the government to ensure the trials are carried out in accordance with international standards. The government insisted Bangladeshi law and its legal structure were competent enough to handle the trials. Mr Sayedee, a leader in Bangladesh's Jamaat-e-Islami party, was arrested last year. Bangladesh was called East Pakistan until 1971 when a nine-month war of secession broke out. The trial is likely to go on for months.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6237607.stm	The US Army is to apologise to the families of officers killed or wounded in action who were sent letters urging them to return to active duty. US soldiers have faced massive opposition in Iraq from insurgents The letters were sent to more than 5,100 Army officers listed as recently having left the military. But this figure included about 75 officers killed in action and about 200 wounded in action. More than 3,000 members of the US military have died in Iraq since the war began. Casualties have also been suffered in Afghanistan since the US invasion. "Army personnel officials are contacting those officers' families now to personally apologise for erroneously sending the letters," the army said in a statement. It said the database normally used for such correspondence with former officers had been "thoroughly reviewed" to remove the names of dead and wounded soldiers. "But an earlier list was used inadvertently for the December mailings," it added.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8368751.stm	Here is a profile of the five contenders in the running to replace Nigel Farage as leader of the UK Independence Party. GERARD BATTEN MEP A UKIP MEP for London since 2004, Gerard Batten reacted with fury to Nigel Farage's suggestion that Lord Pearson was the only "serious, credible" candidate for the party leadership, saying it was an "insult" to the other contenders and urging members to complain to the Electoral Reform Society. A former salesman for BT, Mr Batten was a founder member of the UK Independence Party and was its candidate for London mayor in 2008. He is a member of the European Parliament's sub committee on security and defence. If elected leader he has vowed to take the party forward by focusing on issues beyond withdrawal from the EU. He has also pledged to gain the party its first MPs at Westminster within five years. MIKE NATRASS MEP Former UKIP chairman and deputy leader, under Roger Knapman, and an MEP for the West Midlands since 2004, Mike Nattrass is one of the most experienced contenders in the race. He has laughed off Mr Farage's comments on the quality of the candidates and vowed to work with the current UKIP leader if elected, saying Farage's media skills are an asset to the party. A Yorkshireman and former chartered surveyor, who stood for the Referendum Party in the 1997 general election, Mr Nattrass has said fighting the next general election must be UKIP's top priority - and he has been particularly outspoken in his attacks on the Conservative Party's alleged betrayals over Europe. He also rejected moves towards the formation of a pan-European party, as some in the party have advocated. LORD PEARSON OF RANNOCH Identified by Nigel Farage as the only "serious, credible" contender to replace him as leader, Malcolm Pearson was one of two Conservative peers to defect to UKIP in 2007, giving the anti-EU party its first representation at Westminster. An old Etonian and chairman of a City insurance brokers, he hit the headlines earlier this year when he played host to controversial Dutch politician Geert Wilders. Lord Pearson has pledged to turn UKIP into a "harmonious, well-funded fighting machine". Says withdrawal from the EU must remain its core policy but has also made "standing up to Islamism" a key theme of his campaign and is also a keen advocate of Swiss-style direct democracy to hand "power to the people" through local referendums. Says UKIP can do well enough at the next general election to force a hung Parliament, which would help it bring about "radical change". NIKKI SINCLAIRE MEP One of two female UKIP MEPs to be elected this year, the very tall (reportedly 6ft 4ins) Ms Sinclaire has held many posts in the party over the years and has twice stood as a general election candidate. In a recent interview she described herself as "old UKIP" and said her ambition as an MEP was to "get rid of the EU, and make myself redundant". She has waged an energetic leadership campaign and if elected has vowed to professionalise UKIP's party structures, improve its communication with voters and introduce a shadow cabinet. She has also said she would appoint Nigel Farage as party spokesman to capitalise on his media skills. He may be the least well known of the candidates, but Alan Wood holds a crucial role within the UKIP hierarchy - as the party's nominating officer, no one can become a candidate without his say so. A retired mechanical engineer, Mr Wood is a district councillor in Netheravon and chairman of Fittleton Parish Council, where he gained national coverage for a poll demanding an EU treaty referendum. He has been active in UKIP politics in the South West of England since 1996. In his leadership election address, he advocates forming alliances with other anti-EU parties, excluding the BNP, and talks of the need to transform UKIP from a pressure group to a "party fighting for government". He also takes a swipe at his better-known rival Lord Pearson, saying his stance on radical Islam would make the party unelectable and "lead us into the wilderness".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/m/man_city/3011895.stm	There was not a dry eye in the house on Sunday when Manchester City signed off after 80 years at Maine Road. City's game against Southampton was their last in the postal district of M14 before they move to their new home, the 48,000-capacity City of Manchester Stadium. That arena, in the east of the city, was built for last year's Commonwealth Games but has been adapted for its new tenants over the past few months. The running track was torn up, and the pitch sunk to allow an extra tier of seating to be added, close to the action. What was an athletics venue is now a football ground. But the razzmatazz that will welcome City in August for their first game of what will be a new era for the club can wait. Right now, everyone is remembering past glories, and other memorable days gone by in the famous old stadium. Foundations for success No-one could ever accuse City of lacking ambition. When they submitted plans for a new ground in 1922, a 120,000-capacity super stadium was the ultimate ambition. That never materialised, but the ground that did spring up in Moss Road a year later was still a sight to behold. Known as 'The Wembley of the North', an 80,000 capacity meant it was the second biggest ground in the country, behind only Wembley. A popular City t-shirt of the mid 1990s claimed German striker Uwe Rosler's grandad was behind the bombing of Old Trafford during WWII. Whether Herr Rosler was responsible or not, the damage forced United to use Maine Road until 1949 - recording the highest Football League crowd of 83,260 (against Arsenal on 17 January 1948). The stadium hosted the first rugby cross-code challenge Maine Road always had a special relationship with the oval ball, hosting 11 rugby league championship finals between 1938-1956. And it also had a place in rugby history, hosting the first ever official cross-code game between Wigan and Bath in 1996. As well as sport, music has left its mark at the famous ground. From the mid 1980s, rockstars performing there would be given a City shirt by the club as a souvenir of their big day. Axel Rose, Jon Bon Jovi and Jim Kerr all wore the famous sky blue but presumably famous fans Noel and Liam Gallagher already possessed one before Oasis played a homecoming gig there in 1996. City's supporters are known for their dedication - crowds of over 30,000 in Division Two are testimony to that. And the 84,569 crowd for the FA Cup sixth round tie with Stoke on 3 March 1934 is an English club record for any game apart from a Cup final. Perhaps linked to their loyalty is their eccentricity. Helen the Bell (right) is a Maine Road legend 'Helen the Bell' has been a fixture at Maine Road - ringing her bell - for as long as anyone can remember. And the inflatable craze that briefly gripped the nation's football grounds began at Maine Road in 1988. In tribute to City striker Imre 'Banana' Varadi, an innovative Blue took along an inflatable fruit. The rest is history. But sadly, one casualty of the move may be the famous chant: "We are City, super City, Super City from Maine Road" (To the tune of "We are Sailing"). With Manchester City council failing to find a suitable tenant, the future of Maine Road looks bleak. Stockport County and Sale Sharks Rugby Club were both linked with a move to the ground, but nothing transpired - and both are now sharing County's Edgeley Park home. After just outliving Wembley, to which it was first compared, City's home of 80 years looks set to emulate Wembley again - this time as a pile of rubble. Whether the site becomes a supermarket or a housing estate it will be a sad end for what is an inspirational setting. Of course, City being City, they signed off on Sunday with a 1-0 defeat against Southampton.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18717960	The Shard: "Sparkling gentle spire" The Shard is due to be inaugurated later with a light show visible across London amid anger over the "exorbitant" price of visiting its viewing platform. Europe's highest building's external completion is to be marked with a laser show beginning at 22:15 BST. Beams will be fired from its summit to 15 London skyscrapers and landmarks such as the Gherkin and Canary Wharf. Renzo Piano, the Shard's architect, described the building as "a sparkling quiet gentle spire, playing, flirting with the weather"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6668725.stm	A woman has escaped after a 24-hour siege in Japan during which her ex-husband allegedly killed a policeman and wounded his two children. The gunman surrendered after the woman's escape Another police officer was injured in the stand-off that saw 170 riot police surround a house and evacuate nearby streets in a suburb of Nagoya city. The gunman, who later surrendered, is said to be a former member of a major Japanese criminal gang, Yamaguchi-gumi. Japan has been rocked by a spate of recent gun crimes. A member of Yamaguchi-gumi was arrested last month after the mayor of Nagasaki was shot dead. The shooting triggered calls for even stricter controls on arms, in a country with a famously low crime rate and an already strict policy on handguns. The drama in the Nagakute suburb of Nagoya unfolded on Thursday when 50-year-old Hisato Obayashi opened fire on his son and daughter, both in their 20s, local media said. The two children were taken to hospital but were not thought to have life-threatening injuries. A policeman responding to a call from an unidentified woman at the scene was then shot, and left to lie injured for hours in front of the house. As his colleagues attempted to rescue him, a second officer was shot and died from his wounds, officials said. The woman hostage - named as Michiko Mori - managed to flee the house on Friday, according to reports. TV footage showed her, with some bruises to her face but without serious injury, being carried away by police officers. Hours later, the gunman was shown emerging from the house with his hands in the air. Waiting police officers surrounded him before taking him into custody. As the incident unfolded, Kensei Mizote, chairman of the National Public Safety Commission, pledged to take action over gun crime. Illegal arms are believed to be shipped in by Japan's criminal gangs in Japan. "We will strengthen ways, through reworking regulations and introducing effective measures, to crack down on weapons possessed by underground crime syndicates," Mr Mizote said.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7785229.stm	Australia has been hit by the worst drought in a century Environmental activists have staged protests in several Australian cities against a plan to combat climate change announced by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. Some campaigners held up white flags to signify Australia's "surrender" to climate change, while others reportedly threw shoes at a puppet of Mr Rudd. Under the plan greenhouse gas emissions will be cut by at least 5% by 2020 and a carbon trading scheme will be set up. But critics say it is inadequate, with some calling it a "joke". In Sydney, protesters rallied around federal government offices, some stacking sandbags against the buildings to highlight the threat of rising sea levels caused by a warming climate. In the capital Canberra, dozens of protesters booed outside parliament, while in Melbourne protesters carried white flags of surrender. "I think it is an appalling and disgusting failure by the Rudd government in their duty to this nation's future," Australian Greens party leader Bob Brown told reporters, according to Reuters news agency. In Adelaide, activists reportedly threw shoes at a puppet of Mr Rudd, in apparent imitation of a recent Iraqi journalist's act of protest against US President George W Bush in Baghdad last Sunday. Mr Rudd had promised huge cuts in greenhouse gas emissions in Australia - one of the world's biggest emitters - when he came to office over a year ago. The new measures, announced on Monday, include cutting emissions by between between 5% and 15% by 2020, from 2000 levels, and introducing a carbon trading scheme in 2010. Mr Rudd's climate change minister, Penny Wong, has defended the scheme, saying it seeks to "strike the right balance" between the needs of the environment and Australia's economy. But activists say the changes will not go far enough to prevent catastrophic change. Many have called for emissions to be cut by at least 25% by 2020 - as recommended by the UN's specialist Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. "Five per cent is a joke," student Rachael Chick, attending the Sydney protests, told the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper. "I voted for Kevin Rudd in the last election pretty much because of his stance on climate change. Now I think he's just being a fence-sitter."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4439813.stm	Sixty years ago, the German concentration camp of Belsen was liberated by British troops. A doctor recalls how, as a young medical student, he helped the sick and dying. The huts housed the living and the dead of Belsen When British troops liberated Belsen in the last weeks of World War II, they found 50,000 sick and starving survivors living among 20,000 corpses. Responding to a call for British medical students to help, Alan MacAuslan, a 23-year-old studying at St Thomas' Hospital in London, volunteered. With 11 fellow students, he arrived in Germany a fortnight later. Before even seeing the camp, he could smell the stench of death from the barracks he was staying at three miles away. With six months to go before his final exams, the young medic was unprepared and untrained for treating the level of starvation that he had to deal with. He clearly remembers Hut 213, to which he was assigned with a fellow student, a structure about 120ft by 20ft, fitted with three-tier bunks, and "just enough room to squeeze between them". Entering it for the first time, he said, was incredible. "The bunks were crammed with about three to six girls in each one. They were mainly teenage girls and women in their mid-20s, as the older women didn't survive. "They were naked, starving, covered in scabies and bed sores and emaciated." The pair began by feeding the starving prisoners with soup. "You had to prop the poor things up and offer them food. And then we tried to tidy the hut up - there were 13 dead inside, so we dragged them out." To count those in the hut, Dr MacAuslan and his fellow medic offered a cigarette and a sweet to anyone who could walk outside. "About 138 could just about totter - I remember clearly that the cigarettes came in packs of 50." Another 300 inmates were unable to move from the bunks, while 20 female guards were healthy. And then there were the 13 dead. The horrific treatment at Belsen meant that 20,000 of the about 50,000 inmates alive when British troops arrived were seriously or critically ill. Despite medical effort, 13,000 Belsen inmates died after liberation. Dr MacAuslan kept a record of the death rate in his hut: after the first 13 died, seven died the next day, six the next, then four on the fourth day and two on the fifth. On day eight and nine, no one in his hut died. "Wartime conditions in Britain weren't like that, but I had been a soldier so was used to adapting to different conditions," he told the BBC News website from his home in Suffolk. "We had no idea what we were up against, nor had we ever had to treat starvation. We were used to seeing injuries from war and bomb damage." Originally built in 1943 for 8,000 inmates, about 60,000 Jewish inmates were transported to Belsen during late 1944 and early 1945 from concentration camps. When the troops arrived in April 1945, it was a camp infested with typhus, dysentery and tuberculosis. Dr MacAuslan, who wrote an account of his short time in Belsen once back in the UK, said the inmates used to call out in German, "Doctor, doctor, please, please" as he passed by. "They would touch our sleeves as we went past, and cry for us to come back so that they could tell their pitiful tales again, how their husbands had been flogged to death, their relatives killed. "One or two of them screamed the whole time." The photographs and newsreel footage taken at Belsen and other camps led to widespread and intense revulsion towards Nazi Germany and Germans in general. "Nobody in Britain had any idea of this. We knew people were locked up, but not like this," said the 83-year-old retired doctor. "We relief people did what we had to do but I came away with great admiration for the internees - they were magnificent to have survived that sort of thing. Any sort of heroics was done by them." The final act the British troops performed at Belsen, 60km (37 miles) north-east of Hanover, was to burn it down. This was to prevent lice rampant in the installation from spreading the typhus epidemic further. The site is now a memorial garden.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17669325	Nursing regulator 'poorly organised and weak' The body that regulates nurses and midwives in the UK is failing to carry out its duties due to institutional weakness, an interim review says. The Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence was asked to look at the conduct of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) after concerns were raised about how it ensures NHS staff are fit to practise. It says poor management has, in part, led to a backlog of misconduct cases. A final report is due in the summer. The NMC, which regulates some 670,000 nurses and midwives, said it was aware of the problems and was addressing them. Prof Judith Ellis, interim chair of the NMC, said: "We accept the report's findings in its entirety and we are already working hard to address the recommendations."Safeguarding patients Undue delays in hearing complaints against nurses potentially put patient safety at risk, the report says. Currently, there are 4,000 open cases. Some cases take more than a year to be heard. The NMC says it will take them a couple of years to ensure that all cases are heard within the desired 15-month limit. Harry Cayton, chief executive of the Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence (CHRE), said: "The Nursing and Midwifery Council needs to have a clear and consistent focus on its regulatory purpose. There are serious problems but we acknowledge the effort the Council, executive team and staff are putting into managing this transition." The CHRE says the NMC must act rapidly to recruit a new Chair and Chief Executive in order to give staff and registrants "the settled leadership they need and deserve'". And it advises that the Council strengthen how it oversees its finances. Secretary of State Andrew Lansley said he would ensure all recommendations from the report are taken forward. Dr Peter Carter, chief executive and general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, welcomed the report but said he was concerned that the principle of professionally led regulation could be eroded by some of the recommendations.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15344114	White officers accuse Metropolitan Police of racism Six white police officers have accused Scotland Yard of racial discrimination, saying they are the victims of political correctness. The officers are taking the Metropolitan Police to an employment tribunal - but accuse the force of delaying tactics. One of the officers, speaking for the first time to the BBC, said he now had nothing but contempt for the force. Scotland Yard says it rejects the claims and will contest them in court. June Kelly reports.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-21483770	Daniel Hodges jailed for Gillian Andrade murder in Loughton A "controlling and violent" killer has been jailed for murdering his former girlfriend with a knife. Gillian Andrade, 39, was found dead inside a house in Churchfields, Loughton, in Essex, in July. Daniel Hodges, 31, admitted murder and on Friday was given a life sentence at Chelmsford Crown Court. Ms Andrade's mother Mary Davey said: "No sentence today can compare with the life sentence which was imposed on us last year." Hodges will serve a minimum of 17 and a half years in jail. He worked as an oil rig worker off the Scottish coast but rented a room at the house in Churchfields. Hodges and Ms Andrade had previously been in a relationship and had met up on the evening of her death. The court heard he killed her because he believed she was seeing someone else. Speaking after the case, Det Ch Insp Lucy Robinson said: "Hodges was a controlling man with a violent temper. "Gillian was a woman who was full of life; a loving mother, daughter and sister. Gillian had been in relationship with Mr Hodges and she trusted him. "He abused that trust and selfishly, through his own violent jealousy, took Gillian's life away from her family."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-17186018	Parliament's Big Ben tour charge 'a disgrace', says MP Plans to charge visitors £15 to climb the tower containing Big Ben have been condemned as "a disgrace" by an MP. It is currently free but, from July, visitors will have to pay to climb the 334 steps of the clock tower. Conservative MP Robert Halfon said the plan was a "disgraceful action", asking "are there not other ways of saving money?" However, Commons Speaker John Bercow MP said the charge was to cover costs and would not be used to generate a profit. Mr Bercow said: "The Clock Tower tours are special tours, allowing access to an area of the Palace which realistically cannot be open to all. "The charges agreed by the House of Commons Commission are set at a level which will cover the costs of providing these tours. No profit will be made." But, Mr Halfon called on Mr Bercow to review the charge "to ensure that we are a parliament for the many, not for the few".
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-17146506	Rangers' tax bill 'greater than £9m' Rangers' tax bill is much greater than the £9m that forced the club into administration, BBC Scotland understands. HMRC documents suggest it owes more than £13m and the bill could rise to £15m by the end of the month. In separate developments, Rangers Director of Football Gordon Smith and the Chief Operating Officer Ali Russell have left the club. And police have said they have been handed documents by the administrators. Rangers went into administration last week after HMRC took action over an unpaid tax bill of just over £9m. In a statement released on Tuesday, Rangers chairman Craig Whyte claimed that some £4.4m of that total could be attributed to the so-called "wee tax case" which the club has been disputing. But BBC Scotland has now seen evidence which suggests that statement is not true. BBC Scotland has seen HMRC documents indicating that the £4.1m it froze from Rangers accounts last year to cover the small tax bill has been used for another purpose. Instead, that £4.1m was used to pay VAT due on the £24m Rangers received as an advance on season ticket sales from the London-based finance firm Ticketus.Full amount That means the entire small tax bill, totalling about £4.4m, remains unsettled. BBC Scotland understands the administrators are withdrawing the appeal against it. End Quote Craig Whyte I will absolutely be back to finish what I started at Ibrox. No-one else was willing to step up to save the club and I have only ever had the good of the club at heart” And - contrary to Mr Whyte's claims - the small tax bill is unrelated to the £9m figure. Both have yet to be settled. With the tax bill rising by more than £1m a month, by the end of February the full amount owed will be close to £15m. That does not take into account the potential £49m "big bill" faced by the club if it loses a separate tax case. Craig Whyte has disputed the figures obtained by BBC Scotland. He said: "I will absolutely be back to finish what I started at Ibrox. "No-one else was willing to step up to save the club and I have only ever had the good of the club at heart. "In terms of the new figures suggesting the PAYE and VAT bill is more in the region of £14m as opposed to the £9m, those figures don't stack up as far as I'm concerned." Strathclyde Police meanwhile announced they had been passed information from the club's administrators. A spokesman said: "It is currently being examined and we will be contacting the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal in due course. It would be inappropriate to comment further at this time."Champions League BBC Scotland also understands Rangers are unlikely to be out of administration in time to be eligible to play in European football next season. The club need to lodge audited accounts and other financial statements by 31 March to compete. But administrators appointed by the club hold out little hope its finances can be sorted out by that deadline. They are confident, however, they can get creditors to agree to a Company Voluntary Agreement, meaning HMRC would get a portion of what it is owed without the club going into liquidation. However it is believed this is contingent on Craig Whyte no longer being involved at Ibrox. European competitions have provided a vital income stream to Rangers in recent years in terms of prize money, TV money and gate money. The club's potential absence from the Champions League or Europa Cup next season would be extremely damaging as it looks to emerge from administration. Scotland's first minister, Alex Salmond, has described recent revelations about Rangers' finances as "very concerning". At First Minister's Questions, Mr Salmond said administrators faced a very difficult task trying to meet the club's obligations to taxpayers, keep Rangers in business and save jobs. The first minister also said his government would support Ibrox workers if and when redundancies were announced.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19966284	Chinese view US less positively - Pew survey Chinese views on US-China relations have declined sharply in the last two years, a new study has found. Only 39% of people said they would call the relationship co-operative, down from 68% in 2010, a Pew report said. The number of people who described US-China ties as hostile was up to 26% from 8% two years earlier. Many Chinese people, especially the young, urban and well-educated, said they admired elements of US soft power, such as science and technology. But respondents were split on their preferences for American music, films and television. The study, conducted in March and April, also showed that the number of people who believed Mr Obama would do the right thing in world affairs had dropped to 38% from 52% two years earlier. But American democratic ideals remained popular, according to the report, with roughly half responding positively, and seven-in-10 Chinese in higher income categories voicing positive opinions about democracy. The survey of more than 3,000 Chinese people concluded that nearly half - 48% - see the US as the world's leading economy - 29% said the same of China. In the US, perceptions of American economic dominance are more divided, with 40% saying the US has the largest economy and 41% saying China has overtaken America in economic power, the study said. In general, positive ratings for the US were found to be higher among wealthier, younger, better-educated and urban people. The Pew Global Attitudes Project China Report comes weeks ahead of a US presidential election, in which China has been an issue. Republican challenger Mitt Romney has accused Beijing of currency manipulation and says the president is not taking a tough stance against what he called China's unfair trade practices. But President Barack Obama has pointed out that he has lodged a number of trade complaints against Beijing with the World Trade Organization.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3993819.stm	By Ishbel Matheson BBC correspondent in Nairobi International experts in early human art are calling for greater protection to save many of these ancient paintings from destruction. They say rock paintings by early man in Africa are particularly at risk, as human populations grow, and expose sites to vandalism and graffiti. The rock art survived the harsh climate but is now under threat from people Near Nairobi this week, experts saw for themselves the problem facing rock art. On a rocky outcrop, an hour's drive out of the Kenyan capital, Dr Steven Ambrose drew people's attention to some faded white-and-red lines, just visible on a stone-overhang. Some may be centuries-old, others perhaps dating back thousands of years. But as Dr Ambrose moves along the rock-face, the style changes, the paintings become more distinct. "These are... probably made by the Maasai during the course of meat feasting," he says. "Now we move to the right here, we see a giraffe and a human figure, both in white fine lines." Some of the art was done by the Maasai These art forms are not typical of the area. Plus, they were first recorded in 1995. Dr Ambrose says it's likely an international film crew working in the area, felt they could improve on the originals, and painted over the ancient lines and whirls. All over Africa, ancient rock art is under threat. Exposed on cliff-faces, daubed in caves, or etched onto boulders. These early works of mankind have survived the continent's harsh weather, but not, increasingly, Africa's burgeoning population. Martha Mulwa owns the land on which Lukenya paintings are found. The number of day-trippers to the rocks has grown - and so too has the amount of graffiti scribbled on the boulders. Mrs Mulwa says this is ignorance, born out of poverty. "People love them, but the struggle for life is tough. That is, I think, the main problem." At the National Museum in Nairobi, an exhibition stresses the cultural value of these ancient art forms. One photograph shows floating dream-like figures painted inside a cave in Algeria. Another shows a mythical creature, like a dinosaur, on a cliff-face in Mauritania. David Coulson is chairman for Trust for African Rock Art. He says, for the unscrupulous, these paintings are also proving financially valuable. "Theft is becoming a major problem. "The worst example we've seen has been in Morocco, where literally hundreds of pieces of art, that might be as much as much as 5,000-6,000 years old, have been hacked out and drilled out of the rock by locals and then sold to middle-men or dealers from Europe." Experts say this loss is incalculable. Relatively little is known about Africa's rock art. But some fragments suggest mankind's ancestors on the continent may have been painting as much as 70,000 years ago. That would make art in Africa older than anywhere else in the world. "Any destruction of an archaeological site is like ripping off a page from a book," says Mulu Muia, a Kenyan archaeologist. "Once you destroy it, it disappears forever and you can imagine how frustrating it is to read a book that does not have some chapters or some pages."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8398043.stm	Rowan Williams advocates a period of "gracious restraint" The Archbishop of Canterbury has expressed his concern at the election of the second openly gay bishop in the Anglican Church. Rowan Williams said the move raised "very serious questions" for both the Episcopal Church in the US and the Anglican Communion as a whole. But he noted that the election of the Reverend Mary Glasspool in the diocese of Los Angeles had yet to be confirmed. The 2003 election of the first openly gay bishop created a massive rift. Ms Glasspool was elected on Saturday as an assistant bishop in the diocese of Los Angeles. She needs a majority of national Episcopal Church heads to back her consecration. The Episcopal Church leader, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, has said she will consecrate any bishop whose election follows the rules. In a statement posted on his website Dr Williams said the election "raises very serious questions not just for the Episcopal Church and its place in the Anglican Communion, but for the Communion as a whole". Robert Pigott, BBC religious affairs correspondent Despite intense pressure to maintain a moratorium on ordaining gay bishops - the Episcopal Church's ruling convention voted in July to allow homosexual men or women to become bishops. This clarification of the Church's policy makes it all the more likely that Mary Glasspool's election will be confirmed by its bishops and a committee representing the Church's lay and clergy members. If it is confirmed, Canon Glasspool's election will set back attempts to preserve worldwide Anglicanism intact and makes it more probable that the American Church will be consigned to membership of the second of a two-tier Communion. "The process of selection however is only part complete," he said. "The election has to be confirmed, or could be rejected, by diocesan bishops and diocesan standing committees. That decision will have very important implications." Bishops of the US Episcopal Church voted in July to overturn a three-year ban on the appointment of gay bishops. Anglican leaders had asked the Church to observe the moratorium. "The bishops of the Communion have collectively acknowledged that a period of gracious restraint in respect of actions which are contrary to the mind of the Communion is necessary if our bonds of mutual affection are to hold," said Dr Williams. Ms Glasspool, 55, has been a canon in the Diocese of Maryland for eight years, according to a statement by her on the website of the Episcopal diocese of Los Angeles. It says she has been with her partner, Becki Sander, since 1988. Traditionalists have already expressed opposition to the latest election. Conservatives insist the Bible unequivocally outlaws homosexuality, while liberals believe the Bible should be reinterpreted in the light of contemporary wisdom. Conservatives were incensed by the election of the first openly gay bishop, Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, six years ago The row led to the formation of a conservative breakaway Episcopal movement in the US - the Anglican Church in North America. As head of the worldwide Anglican community, Dr Williams has been under pressure to recognise it. The traditionalists have formed a range of new alliances, often with conservative churches in Africa.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7811081.stm	John Travolta and Kelly Preston married in 1991 Hollywood actor John Travolta has said he and his wife are "heartbroken" over the death of their 16-year-old son. Jett Travolta was found unconscious in the family's home in the Bahamas. "We are heartbroken that our time with him was so brief," said the Grease star. "We will cherish the time we had with him for the rest of our lives." A post-mortem examination confirmed that Jett was killed by a seizure, an official at the funeral home being used by the Travoltas told AP. Jett, who had a history of seizures, was on holiday with his father, his mother Kelly Preston and his sister Ella Bleu when he died. The couple have said previously that Jett first became ill at the age of two and was later diagnosed with Kawasaki disease, which causes inflammation of the blood vessels in young children. "Jett was the most wonderful son that two parents could ever ask for and lit up the lives of everyone he encountered," Travolta said in a statement placed on his website. "We have received many messages of condolence from around the world and we want to thank everyone for their prayers and support. "It has meant so much to us. "It is a beautiful reminder of the inherent goodness in the human spirit that gives us hope for a brighter future." Mr McDermott rebutted the "impression" given by police that Jett had been left on his own in the holiday home. In fact the teenager was "spectacularly supervised" while on holiday because of his medical history, the lawyer told the Associated Press. "The police left the impression that the boy was unsupervised. No. There were two nannies with him for the entire evening. "They [the police] made it seem like he was sent to the condo and nobody checked in on him until the next morning." Family and friends have been comforting the Travoltas, who remain in the Bahamas.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4669210.stm	By Michael Buchanan BBC News, Copenhagen The diplomatic crisis between Denmark and the Muslim world may have been relatively slow to gather pace but now that it has, it is having a real impact. Danish symbols have been burned in protests around the Middle East It began with a series of cartoons in a Danish newspaper - including one of the Prophet Muhammad wearing a turban in the shape of a bomb. But today few people are laughing. The global outrage has led to the recall of ambassadors; Danish citizens in Saudi Arabia and the Palestinian territories have been forced to leave after death threats. And Danish businesses have had to lay off hundreds of workers because of boycotts in the Muslim world. The paper has apologised but the crisis shows no sign of abating. However, on a winter's evening at an ice rink in Copenhagen young Danes are bemused by the attention their country is receiving because of 12 drawings of the Prophet Muhammad. "It's ridiculous," says one. "I don't see why the anger - it was a joke, you can see." Another adds: "It's a shame it has had to come to this. I think it is very silly of people to draw such things. I think that the freedom of expression is more of an obligation than a right." "I am not a very religious person so I don't have anything against it and I think it's absolutely too much what the Arabic countries are doing," says a young woman. Just opposite the ice-rink are the Copenhagen offices of the newspaper at the centre of the controversy, the Jyllands-Posten. The building was cleared out by police on Tuesday following a bomb scare. There was also another threat against the newspaper's headquarters in Aarhus. But despite the threats, the paper insists they were right to publish the cartoons. "We stand by the publication of these 12 cartoons," says Flemming Rose, culture editor of the Jyllands-Posten. He was the man who commissioned the cartoons, one of which shows the Prophet with a turban on his head covering a ticking bomb. But knowing what he knows now, would he still commission and print those cartoons? "That is a hypothetical question," he says. "I would say that I do not regret having commissioned those cartoons and I think asking me that question is like asking a rape victim if she regrets wearing a short skirt Friday night at the discotheque." Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen does not see this diplomatic crisis in those terms. At a packed press conference, he said that Denmark had a long tradition of freedom of the press and freedom of expression. But Mr Rasmussen said he regretted the offence caused. "I, likewise, am deeply distressed by the fact that these drawings, by many Muslims, have been seen as a defamation of the Prophet Muhammad and Islam as a religion," he said. Shoppers in Saudi Arabia have been urged not to buy Danish goods "I do hope that the apology of the independent newspaper, Jyllands-Posten, will contribute to comfort those that have been hurt." For some in Denmark, however, it is already too late. "If we look at ourselves from a Middle East standpoint, we have been active in the market place in the Middle East for more than 40 years," says Finn Hansen, managing director of Arla Foods. Arla Foods is one of Europe's largest manufacturers of dairy products. They have had an established market in the Middle East for decades, but a boycott of Danish goods by several Arab nations means that Mr Hansen is now looking to lay off around 100 people. "We are today in a position where we don't really experience any sale," he says. "Even the few places where our products are still on the shelf, we do not see any turnover of our products on these shelves. So we must say the sale of our products is nil." Of critical importance to the resolution of this crisis will be the decisions made in the headquarters of Copenhagen's Islamic Federation. Danish Muslims have been protesting as vigorously as anyone in the Middle East about the cartoons. But the group's chairman, Imam Ahmed Abu Laban, says they are now ready to move on. "I think the latest apology has become more clear and more indicative to the Muslim ears," he said. "We will support after this press conference to push forward to develop the situation, to settle as soon as possible this kind of dispute and bring the boycott to an end."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6339401.stm	Last Updated: Wednesday, 7 March 2007, 21:04 GMT At-a-glance: Lords reform MPs have voted in favour of an all-elected House of Lords. Here are the main details of reform plans put forward by the government: MAKE-UP OF THE LORDS A White Paper suggests that at least some members be elected in future to the reformed House of Lords - which could be renamed and no longer restricted to peers. MPs chose to back two of the options on offer - voting in favour both of having a fully elected and an 80% elected second chamber. They also voted for the remaining 92 hereditary peers to be removed. The decisions will not pass into law but are likely to inform government policy if it drafts a bill on Lords reform. Commons leader Jack Straw has promised to set up a cross-party group to look at further reform of the Lords. Mr Straw's White Paper on Lords reform recommends using the regional constituencies used for the European Parliament. Parties would produce lists of candidates with members elected via some form of proportional representation, using a "partially open list" system. These lists should represent the "diversity" of UK society, with the White Paper saying there will be consultation on whether this would be mandatory. HOW LONG COULD ELECTED MEMBERS SERVE? Every five years, one third of elected seats would be up for election. Elected members would have a single term in office of 15 years. They could not stand for re-election. If appointees are to remain, the White Paper says parties could pick 60%, with the remainder being non-political. Just like their elected counterparts, a third of appointed members would have to be replaced every five years. Members who were elected could not later be appointed - and vice versa. Appointed members could also only serve a maximum of 15 years, unlike current "life" peers, who remain peers until they die. The White Paper says it would be "odd" if members of the reformed house, serving for a fixed period, should be "given a lifetime honour simply to enable them to do a job". Peerages would "continue as an honour but unconnected with a seat in Parliament". However, it is likely "that many people of distinction holding a seat in the reformed Lords would receive this honour". SIZE OF THE HOUSE Mr Straw wants to reduce the number of members from 746 to 540. He proposes a lengthy transition period for existing members, with no current peers being forced to leave and those who choose to go early possibly getting a retirement package. There would be no reduction of the 26 Lords places given to Anglican bishops and archbishops. The White Paper says the "primacy" of the Commons over the Lords has to remain and the Lords should not become a "rival" but "complement" the other chamber. It would retain its role in revising and scrutinising legislation. Having some elected members would make the Lords more "legitimate" but not give it parity with the Commons, the White Paper argues. The White Paper recommends referring to the House of Lords as the "reformed chamber", with Mr Straw's committee promising to consult on a final name. [an error occurred while processing this directive] RELATED INTERNET LINKS The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/6963908.stm	Wales 7 (7) France captain Serge Betsen led from the front in Cardiff France 34 (17) Tries: Thion, Mignoni, Rougerie, Bruno. Cons: Beauxis 3, Elissalde. Pens: Beauxis 3. France confirmed their status as one of the World Cup favourites with an impressive final warm-up match against Wales at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium. Wales may have been well beaten but showed enough to suggest that they, too, are finding some better form. James Hook scored a try on the stroke of half-time, a feat England had failed to achieve in two losses to France. But France were always ahead with tries from Jerome Thion, Pierre Mignoni, Aurelien Rougerie and Sebastien Bruno. Lionel Beauxis also impressed at fly-half for Les Bleus, but at the heart of everything good that France did was captain Serge Betsen. The Biarritz flanker was in inspired form both in attack and defence, although Wales back-row pair Alix Popham and Martyn Williams also shone in a losing cause. Players on both sides suffered knocks in a bruising encounter, but Wales captain Gareth Thomas was stretchered off late on and there will be a nervous wait to discover the damage. Stade Francais fly-half Beauxis soon kicked his first penalty after early pressure from the visitors. Wales marched back into France territory, swinging the ball left and right through a dozen phases searching for a way through. But Wales foundered on a wall of blue shirts as France again showed how good their defence has become. Les Bleus had no such difficulty when they next attacked and carved great holes, despite some committed tackling from the likes of Popham and skipper Thomas. Rougerie took play into the Welsh 22 and Remy Martin was just held up by Williams. It was only a temporary reprieve, as a reverse pass from scrum-half Mignoni saw Thion - a late change in the France starting XV after Lionel Nallet failed to recover from a back strain - barge his way over. Beauxis' conversion gave Les Bleus a 10-0 lead with 13 minutes on the clock. Wales skipper Thomas needed stitches in a face wound after a clash of heads, but the former Toulouse back, now with Cardiff Blues, soon returned to the pitch. One positive for Wales was an improved line-out display The home line-out, so fragile in recent matches, was working well and the Wales forwards were also confident enough to take responsibility in open play. With the backs struggling to make headway the forwards patiently picked and drove and, although progress was slow, the tactic did at least gain ground. Yet the greater danger was still coming from France, and only a despairing dive from Martyn Williams stopped Cedric Heymans touching down Yannick Jauzion's grubber kick. Hook dotted down the loose ball, but referee Wayne Barnes opted to award a five-metre scrum to France. Brave defence again just stopped Martin from claiming a try, although it needed the video referee to decide the Stade Francais flanker had failed to ground the ball over the line. It seemed as though the danger had been averted as Wales had the scrum, but Dwayne Peel's laboured kick from the base was charged down by Imanol Harinordoquy. Peel's rival scrum-half Mignoni had the task of collecting the loose ball to flop over the Welsh line, handing Beauxis a simple conversion for a 17-0 lead. But Wales hit back on the stroke of half-time, sucking in the French cover as Mark Jones and Martyn Williams combined to send Hook over on the right, the Ospreys fly-half converting his own try. Beauxis drew first blood after the restart with his second penalty of the afternoon to stretch France's lead back out to 20-7. That sparked Wales into casting caution to the wings - and the ball - as the men in red suddenly clicked into high-risk mode. Kevin Morgan, Shane Williams, Mike Phillips - at scrum-half in place of Peel - and Jon Thomas were all involved as Wales ran from all angles, off-loading well to prevent French tacklers pinning them. France were more than happy to enter into the spirit and only some fine covering from Phillips stopped Rougerie collecting his own kick ahead for a try. The Ospreys scrum-half's good work was undone, though, as Beauxis' inside pass put Rougerie through a huge gap in the Wales midfield to go under the posts. Part of that generous space was due to Morgan receiving treatment on a leg injury that ended his afternoon. Sonny Parker came on at centre, with Gareth Thomas dropping back to cover full-back. The Wales captain almost sent Shane Williams over for a try with an adept inside pass minutes later, only for the French defence to snap shut just in time. Beauxis spoiled his 100% record by putting a penalty kick just wide of the left post, but his performance would have pleased France coach Bernard Laporte. Less pleasing for opposite number Gareth Jenkins was a late injury to Thomas, the Wales captain stretchered off dazed after an already bruising afternoon. Bruno charged over in the final moments for France's fourth try to cap a dominant display, with another replacement - Jean-Baptiste Elissalde - adding the conversion for a 34-7 final score. Wales: K Morgan (Dragons); M Jones (Scarlets), J Robinson (Blues), G Thomas (Blues, capt), S Williams (Ospreys); J Hook (Ospreys), D Peel (Scarlets); D Jones (Ospreys), M Rees (Scarlets), C Horsman (Worcester), I Gough (Ospreys), AW Jones (Ospreys), J Thomas (Ospreys), M Williams (Blues), A Popham (Scarlets). Replacements: TR Thomas (Blues) for Rees (46), G Jenkins (Blues) for D Jones (41), W James (Gloucester) for AW Jones (63), C Charvis (Dragons) for M Williams (51), M Phillips (Ospreys) for Peel (41), C Sweeney (Dragons) for Hook (70), S Parker (Ospreys) for Morgan (61). France: C Heymans (Toulouse); A Rougerie (Clermont-Auvergne), Y Jauzion (Toulouse), D Skrela (Stade Francais), V Clerc (Toulouse); L Beauxis (Stade Francais), P Mignoni (Clermont-Auvergne); N Mas (Perpignan), D Szarzewski (Stade Francais), P De Villiers (Stade Francais), S Chabal (Sale), J Thion (Biarritz), S Betsen (Biarritz, capt), I Harinordoquy (Biarritz), R Martin (Stade Francais). Replacements: S Bruno (Sale) for Szarzewski (41), J-B Poux (Toulouse) for De Villiers (54), F Pelous (Toulouse) for Thion (41), T Dusautoir (Toulouse) for Harinordoquy (48), J-B Elissalde (Toulouse) for Mignoni (41), D Traille (Biarritz) for Skrela (63), C Dominici (Stade Francais) for Rougerie (73). Referee: Wayne Barnes (England).
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13316133	Bringing babies into the workplace Weighing up whether to return to work after the birth of a child can be a difficult dilemma for parents, particularly when nursery costs in some parts of the UK are rising more than twice as fast as family incomes. The Daycare Trust charity has just launched a consultation into how difficult it is to find the right flexible and affordable childcare amid fears that higher costs are making more mothers think twice about going back to their jobs. One firm in Tamworth, Staffordshire, has been so anxious not to lose valued staff that it has been allowing babies and toddlers into the office on trial days, while their parents work. With their babies on their hips and wearing headsets, telesales consultants for Officebroker.com have been trying to win clients and keep their little ones happy at the same time. The scheme is growing in popularity in the US, where most states do not offer paid statutory maternity leave and mothers return to work much earlier. With so many of his staff either on maternity leave or planning to start a family, Jim Venables, managing director of Officebroker.com, thought allowing parents to look after their babies at work was worth a trial. ''We find it difficult to replace mothers who are taking maternity leave, as well as those who choose not to come back to work," he says. "It's a real problem for us and I am sure for thousands of other companies across the UK. So looking into alternatives or ways to support parents is always high on our agenda."Office 'toys' What was not on the agenda was the amount of dribble left on headphones, mouse mats and telephone wires at the end of the day. With babies aged between four and 16 months on the sales floor, office equipment became teething toys, and colleagues became babysitters. Telesales consultant Rachel Lapins attempts to make calls to customers while jiggling four-month-old Finlay on her knee. ''It is a bit difficult with my role, to be honest. I have had a few conversations and made a few inquiries while he was sitting on my lap," she says. "When he goes to sleep I can make a few more calls and get an hour's solid work in. If he's in a good mood I think it's generally fine. But if Finlay's in a bad mood it could potentially be difficult.''Emergency solution While Rachel settles Finlay to sleep to the sound of ringing telephones, Fiona Spruce, the training manager, talks through staff development plans, while nine-month-old daughter Grace tries to chew a calculator. ''My job is certainly more flexible. I can't work to my full capacity but it's not been as disruptive as I first thought," she says. "I don't think I would want to bring her in every day, but as an emergency solution, if there was a childcare crisis, it would be great to have the office as an option.'' But for Dean Ridsill, another sales consultant, bringing in one-year-old Harry to the office was an experience he will not be repeating. ''He was crawling around everywhere, trying to pull down wires, while I was trying to have conversations on the phone," he explains. "My colleagues helped out, and it was good for team-building I suppose, but he won't be coming in again." The company may continue to allow younger babies in for odd days to help parents stay in touch during their maternity or paternity leave. But it is unlikely to be taken up as a long-term childcare solution. The babies are just too distracting and the office equipment would not last long.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21526713	US tyre boss mocks French work ethic The boss of US tyremaker Titan has caused an uproar in France after saying that French workers only put in three hours a day and he would have to be "stupid" to invest in the country. Maurice Taylor made the claims in a letter to France's minister for industrial recovery, Arnaud Montebourg. He was replying to a request for Titan to consider investing in a loss-making Goodyear plant in Amiens, north France. The CGT union said the letter was "insulting".'The French way' "I have visited that factory a couple of times. The French workforce gets paid high wages but only works three hours," Mr Taylor said in the letter, dated 8 February, and published by French business daily Les Echos on Wednesday. "They get one hour for breaks and lunch, talk for three and work for three. I told this to the French union workers to their faces. They told me that's the French way!" At one point he asked, "How stupid do you think we are?" Mr Montebourg refused to comment on the letter but told French journalists: "Don't worry, there will be a response." He said he would reply to Mr Taylor in writing. Government spokeswoman Najat Vallaud-Belkacem said the letter did not reflect broader US views of investing in France. "I would remind Mr Taylor that France remains the largest recipient of US investment in Europe and there are probably very good reasons for this," she said. Mickael Wamen, the CGT union's representative at the Goodyear plant was more forthright. He said the letter showed Mr Taylor, "belongs more in an insane asylum than at the head of a multinational corporation". Mr Taylor, nicknamed "the Grizz" for his bear-like no-nonsense style, made an unsuccessful run for the Republican nomination in the 1996 US presidential election, campaigning on a pro-business ticket. France has a 35-hour statutory working week, brought in by the Socialist Party in 2000, but critics say it is now stifling economic growth.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15841893	MSL-Curiosity: Biggest Mars mission yet The delivery of Nasa's Mars Science Laboratory rover, known as Curiosity, to the surface of the Red Planet is a mouth-watering prospect. The $2.5bn robot is by far the most capable machine ever built to touch another world. Consider just the history of wheeled vehicles on Mars. In 1997, the US space agency put the toy-sized Pathfinder-Sojourner rover on the surface. It weighed just over 10kg. This was followed seven years later by the 170kg, twin rovers Opportunity and Spirit. Their instrument complement combined (5kg + 5kg) was equal to the total mass of Sojourner. Now, we await Curiosity - a 900kg behemoth due for launch this Saturday. Its biggest instrument alone is nearly four times the mass of that teeny robot back in '97. "It's the size of a Mini Cooper with the wheelbase of a Humvee," is how project scientist John Grotzinger describes the rover. So, we're expecting great things from Curiosity. A big machine to address some big questions. A roving laboratory for Mars - General equipment: MSL equipped with tools to remove dust from rock surfaces, drill into rocks, and to scoop up, sort and sieve samples - Mast Camera: will image rover's surroundings in high-res stereo and colour; wide angle and telephoto; can make high-def video movies - ChemCam: pulses infrared laser at rocks up to 7m away; carries a spectrometer to identify types of atoms excited in laser beam - Sample Analysis at Mars: inside body; will analyse rock, soil and atmospheric samples; would make all-important organics identification - Chemistry and Mineralogy: another interior instrument. Analyses powdered samples to quantify minerals present in rocks and soils - Mars Hand Lens Imager: mounted on arm toolkit; will take extreme close-ups of rocks, soil and any ice; details smaller than hair's width - Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer: Canadian arm contribution; will determine the relative abundances of different elements in samples - Radiation Assessment Detector: will characterize radiation environment at surface; key information for future human exploration - Mars Descent Imager: operates during landing sequence; high-def movie will tell controllers exactly where rover touched down - Rover Environmental Monitoring Station: Spanish weather station; measures pressure, temperature, humidity, winds, and UV levels - Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons: looks for sub-surface hydrogen; could indicate water buried in form of ice or bound in minerals Mike Meyer is the lead scientist on Nasa's Mars exploration effort: "MSL plays a central role in a series of missions of looking at Mars and determining whether or not it has the potential for life. It is capable of going to a region and exploring that region, and telling us whether or not it has been, or may even still be today, a habitable place - something that could support microbial life." Engineers have designed a new entry, descent and landing system they say can put the roving laboratory down on a button. OK, so this button is 20km wide but the accuracy being promised is an order or magnitude better than previous technology, and it has allowed researchers essentially to go where their heart desired. They've chosen a near-equatorial depression called Gale Crater. It's one of the deepest holes on Mars - deeper even than Valles Marineris, that great scar that tears across one quarter of the planet. Scientists believe Gale will be the geological equivalent of a sweet shop - so enticing and varied are the delights it appears to offer. "This crater is about 100 miles across and it has a central mound that's about three miles high," explains Grotzinger. "The important thing is that the central mound is a series of layers that cut across the history of Mars covering over a billion years. So, not only do we have high-resolution images showing we have layers in this mound, but also because of the spectrometers we have in orbit flying around Mars, we can see minerals that have obviously interacted with water." The intention is to put MSL-Curiosity down on the flat plain of the crater bottom. The vehicle will then drive up to the base of the peak. In front of it, the rover should find abundant quantities of clay minerals (phyllosilicates) that will give a fresh insight into the very wet, early epoch of the Red Planet. Clays only form when rock spends a lot of time in contact with water. Above the clays, a little further up the mountain, the rover should find sulphate salts, which relate to a time when Mars was still wet but beginning to dry out. Go higher still, and MSL will find mostly the "duststones" from the cold, desiccated world that Mars has now become. But even before all this, MSL will land on what looks from orbit to be alluvial fan - a spread of sediment dumped by a stream of water flowing down the crater wall. If the science on this fan proves productive, it could be many months before MSL gets to the base of the mountain. The rover has time, though. Equipped with a plutonium battery, it has the power to keep rolling for more than 10 years - time enough to scout the crater floor and climb to the summit of the mountain. "We are not a life detection mission," stresses Grotzinger. "I know that many of you would like to know when we're going to get on with doing that. But the first and important step towards that is to try to understand where the good stuff may be. And in this case a habitable environment needs to be described. "This is an environment that contains a source of water, which is essential for all life as we understand it on Earth; we need a source of energy, which is important for organisms to do metabolism; and we also need a source of carbon, which is essential to build the molecular structures that an organism is composed of." You may be wondering why these sorts of missions don't look directly for life, and the reason is pretty straightforward. Those types of observations are actually quite difficult to make, and the truth is we don't really expect to find microbial communities thriving at the surface of present-day Mars. The conditions are simply too harsh. But go back further in time, and the situation may have been very different. It seems pretty clear now that when life was getting going on Earth more than three billion years ago, conditions on Mars were also warm and wet. But the traces of those ancient lifeforms on our own planet are now very hard to read, and often require instruments that would fill a room. Not even a machine the scale of Curiosity could carry them. So, MSL will restrict itself to the habitability question, and it will do this using a combination of 10 instruments. The rover has instruments on a mast that can survey the surroundings and assess potential sampling targets from a distance. These include cameras and an infrared laser system that can excite the surface of a rock to betray some of its chemistry. It's also got instruments on the end of a 2.1m-long arm for close-up inspections. These include a drill that can pull samples from up to 5cm inside a rock. And MSL has two big lab kits inside its body to do detailed analysis of all the samples it takes from rocks, soils and even the atmosphere. One eureka moment for this mission would be if it could definitively identify a range of complex organic (carbon-rich) molecules, such as amino acids. Previous missions, notably the Viking landers in the 1970s, have hinted at the presence of organics. It would be good if Curiosity could bury all doubts. But it will be tough. Even in Earth rocks where we know sediments have been laid down in proximity to biology, we still frequently find no organic traces. The evidence doesn't preserve well. So, getting a positive result on Mars would be a triumph for the MSL team. Although, I guess one should make it clear - just finding complex organics does not indicate the presence of life because we know these carbon molecules can have non-biological origins, in meteorites, for example. Nonetheless, it would help to build a case that at least the necessary preconditions have existed for life on the Red Planet at some point. We can then think about how we might go about testing for life itself, although I think the only real solution will be to return rocks for analysis in those room-sized instruments here on Earth.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17198230	London 2012: Paralympic torch unveiled on landmark day With six months to go to the start of the Paralympics, London 2012 organisers have revealed the design for the torch. The torch has been given a mirrored finish so its colour adapts to its surroundings and also shines at night on the final stage of the torch relay. Locog has also announced that 33 communities around the UK will stage flame celebrations during the relay. Meanwhile it has been confirmed that the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh will open the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Olympics start on 27 July with the Paralympics getting under way on 29 August. The Queen opened the 1976 Olympics in Montreal while the Duke performed the role on her behalf in Melbourne in 1956. King George VI opened the last London Olympics in 1948 with his grandfather King Edward VII starting proceedings in the city 40 years earlier. Paralympic flame lighting events are to be held on consecutive days in each of the UK's capital cities. They start in London on 24 August with the four flames uniting at a special ceremony in Stoke Mandeville, home of the Paralympic movement, on 28 August. The relay will then begin its 24-hour journey to London's opening ceremony. London 2012 - One extraordinary year The flame will be carried from the Stoke Mandeville Stadium by 580 torchbearers, working in teams of five, to the Olympic Stadium where the cauldron will be lit to herald the start of the Games on the evening of 29 August. Dame Tanni-Grey Thompson revealed the torch on BBC Breakfast and said: "When the flame is lit it's very sparkly and it will pick up a lot of light It is also very light so it can be easily carried. "Also what's different is how our flame is lit. We are currently working out different ways of doing it and the power of human endeavour will start it off. "There's a huge amount of pressure on the athletes. We are in a really good place and it is going to be the best Paralympic Games we have ever seen. I think we do very well by having the Games afterwards and the uniqueness of our own torch relay is also important."Torch design The torch was created by London-based designers Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby, who were also behind the Olympic torch. They said it was driven by a desire to reflect modernity and innovation. It is made from an aluminium alloy - light while being strong and heat resistant. Cutting-edge laser technology has been used to create thousands of round perforations which will help ensure that heat from the flame is quickly dissipated without being conducted down the handle. The holes also make the torch lighter and give it a strong texture that is easy to grip. The colour of the mirrored-finish should mean that the teams of torchbearers will not be lost in the darkness on the overnight stretch of the relay. London 2012 chairman Lord Coe said: "With six months to go we are on track to deliver a great Games that will showcase some of the most inspirational athletes from around the world. "The torch relay will provide the perfect start by involving people from across the UK in events celebrating the flame and help to ignite passion for the Paralympics." Edinburgh on 26 August and Cardiff on 27 August will be the next two host cities before the four flames come together in Stoke Mandeville the following day, where they will be combined to create the London 2012 Paralympic Flame.. PARALYMPIC RELAY FACTS - First torch relay - Seoul Olympics, 1988 with 111 disabled people among the 282 torchbearers - The relay has been part of each Paralympics since then - By Sydney 2000 there were 920 torchbearers and the flame was lit during an Aboriginal lighting ceremony - In Salt Lake City 2002, Eric Weihenmeyer, the first blind man to climb Everest, carried the torch to the podium of the stadium - For Athens 2004 the Paralympic Flame was lit in the Hephaestus Temple and 680 torchbearers took part - Beijing 2008's flame was lit in the Temple of Heaven with 850 torchbearers carrying the torch along two routes, split between ancient and modern China - Beijing's Paralympics in 2008 had 3,951 athletes from 146 countries - Paralympics is short for Parallel Olympics The English communities which have been chosen to host flame celebrations will send representatives to the opening event in London. Once there they will each collect part of the flame in a lantern and transport it back to their home towns to be used at their individual events. National representatives will attend the lighting ceremonies in Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff and take part of the flame from their respective capital. Flame celebrations will be staged in the following places: ENGLAND North East: Beamish. North West: Manchester, Preston, Merseyside, Cheshire. East: Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk, Hertfordshire. East Midlands: Leicester. West Midlands: Hereford, Coventry, Trentham Lake, Cannock. South East: Horsham, Aylesbury. South West: Bath, Plymouth, Weymouth & Portland. Yorkshire: Leeds, York, Sheffield, Beverley, Huddersfield. NORTHERN IRELAND Cookstown, Ballymena, Derry, Newry and Mourne, Carrickfergus.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-19145639	West Midlands Police 'absolutely confident' in riot response Police are "absolutely confident" they could deal with rioting if it happened again in the West Midlands. Shops were looted and violence erupted in Birmingham, Wolverhampton and West Bromwich over two nights a year ago. West Midlands Police said it was now better organised and equipped to deal with a repeat of such unrest. But the ex-chairman of West Midlands Police Federation, is concerned officers would still struggle with violence on the scale of last year. The force is still hunting up to 145 people suspected of having been involved in the disorder.'Numbers game' Assistant Chief Constable of the West Midlands, Gary Forsyth, said: "We've looked in detail at our command capability so we've got the right people with the right skills, in the right place, at the right time, to make the critical decisions." "We are much more effectively engaged with our communities, so we would understand with much better notice and much more in advance if anything was likely to happen." But Andy Gilbert, chairman of West Midlands Police Federation at the time of the riots, remains concerned about the force's ability to respond to such levels of unrest, because of government cuts. In February, West Midlands Police confirmed more than 2,700 jobs will be cut by 2015 as it tries to save £126m over the next four years. Asked if there could be a repeat of last year's events, Mr Gilbert said: "Yes it could. When it comes to mass public disorder, it really is a numbers game. "This government inherited probably the best police force in the world and all they are doing is slowly taking it apart." The Crown Prosecution Service has prosecuted 347 people to date in connection with the rioting in the region, resulting in 276 convictions.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-21041379	Bexhill to Hastings road: Bailiffs evict road protesters Police and bailiffs have begun evicting protesters from an anti-road building camp in East Sussex. Up to 30 activists have set up the site dubbed "the second Battle of Hastings" to halt the construction of the £93.8m Bexhill to Hastings link road. More than 30 bailiffs and security staff arrived at the camp near Crowhurst on Wednesday morning and started evicting protesters. Five people were arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass and obstruction. Campaigner Patrick Nicholson, 47, said: "Most of the protesters are secured via different forms of locks. At the scene The whole area surrounding the base camp has been sealed off. A big dome-shaped contraption that the protesters have been sleeping in for some time - their main base - has now gone signalling that the eviction is nearly over. There is still concern for one person who has dug himself into the side of a railway embankment. Removal officers are worried that if they try to get him out with shovels and spades the whole tunnel will collapse on top of him. "They are not easy to get out, and that includes people in treehouses and tunnels. "The authorities have to do what they have to do. But I think if the bailiffs leave the site, people may well move back in and secure themselves to trees." Activists built tunnels to prevent heavy machinery getting on to the site. Some fixed themselves to trees and other obstacles. One protester, who is know as Simon Sitting Bull, has locked himself into a 15ft tunnel. He told BBC South East Today: "I have high energy food, water, containers for urinals and large bin-liners for defecating in. "I don't think they will pull me out. I think they will gently ease me out, hopefully." Contractors started to clear the trees and undergrowth in December in preparation for construction work on the link road. Anti-road campaigners took their protest to the trees in Combe Haven Valley at the same time. The road will link the A259 and B2092, crossing Combe Haven Valley near a site of special scientific interest.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17420114	Tonga King George Tupou V dies in Hong Kong, aged 63 King George Tupou V of the South Pacific nation of Tonga has died at the age of 63. He died at a hospital in Hong Kong with his brother, Crown Prince Tupouto'a Lavaka, at his side. The BBC's Siobhann Tighe in Tonga says a period of mourning has begun and a state funeral is being organised. Tonga is the last Polynesian monarchy, although the king was instrumental in bringing about democratic reform. He had been king since 2006. The cause of King Tupou's death on Sunday was not immediately known. Our correspondent says the news has shocked Tongans. National radio has been playing hymns and religious music, she adds. People across the 170-island archipelago were able to vote for their first popularly-elected parliament in November 2010, ending 165 years of feudal rule. King Tupou said on the eve of the vote he was granting his executive powers to the cabinet and parliament, adding that "in future the sovereign shall act only on the advice of his prime minister". At the scene All government ministers, nobles, and civil servants are wearing black as a sign of respect even in the intense heat. Flags are flying at half mast. Most Tongans are starting to do the same, as well as putting the traditional straw mat around their waists. One hair salon is draped in purple and black, again traditional signs of respect, and other buildings will do likewise as the week goes by. The prime minister's broadcast officially announcing that the king had died was on Monday morning but some people had already heard the news the night before through social websites and relatives living abroad. People here seem to be a state of shock even though many knew that the king had been unwell. One woman told me that as soon as she heard the news when she woke up in the morning, she turned to her husband and said: "I miss the king already." News of his death quickly spread on the internet and was later confirmed in a broadcast on Tongan radio. Many Tongans paid tribute to their monarch. "I am saddened by the news, our beloved King of Tonga has passed away... our country has gone through major losses in the past couple years," Tessi Leila Tolutau was quoted as saying by the New Zealand Herald newspaper. In September 2006, King Tupou succeeded his father King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV, who died after a long illness. But deadly riots fuelled by demands for reform delayed his coronation until August 2008. The Oxford-educated monarch was a bachelor. He named his brother heir apparent. King Tupou was known for his fondness of military uniforms and for being driven around in a London taxi.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-14904065	New York: Republican Bob Turner wins 'Obama referendum' President Barack Obama has been dealt a double setback after Republican wins in two seats, including one billed as a referendum on his economic policies. In New York, Republican Bob Turner won a key election to succeed Democratic Congressman Anthony Weiner, who quit in June over a sex texting scandal. The retired media executive is the first Republican to take office in New York's ninth district since the 1920s. Meanwhile, Mark Amodei defeated Democrat Kate Marshall in Nevada. Addressing jubilant supporters after his win, Mr Turner said people had voted against the president's "irresponsible" fiscal policy. Backed by former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Mr Turner said the vote was a "referendum" on President Obama. Correspondents say losing the election will be a symbolic blow to the White House at a moment when President Obama is beginning his bid for re-election amid low approval ratings. End Quote Bob Turner Republican candidate Mr President, we are on the wrong track. We have had it with an irresponsible fiscal policy which endangers the entire economy” Anthony Weiner, who served in the House for seven terms, resigned in June after it emerged he had sent a series of images to a number of different women via Twitter.Jewish vote With 84% of votes counted, Mr Turner had won 54% of votes compared to Democratic state assemblyman David Weprin's 46%, the Associated Press reported. Mr Turner said the result sent a "loud and clear" message to Washington. "We've been told this is a referendum. Mr President, we are on the wrong track. We have had it with an irresponsible fiscal policy which endangers the entire economy," Mr Turner told supporters. The ninth district, encompassing parts of southern Brooklyn and south-central Queens, has long been a traditional Democratic stronghold. Registered Republican voters are outnumbered in the traditionally blue-collar, Catholic and Orthodox Jewish district by a margin of three to one. Everyone agrees it was an awful result for the party. But what does it mean?” A key plank of Mr Turner's campaign was aimed at the district's Jewish community, appealing to their support of Israel and painting Mr Turner as the only candidate guaranteed to stand up for the interests of the Jewish state. During the campaign, Republicans made Mr Obama the focus of at least as many attacks as David Weprin, a member of the New York state assembly and the actual Democratic candidate. In response, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee reportedly spent more than $500,000 (£320,000) on TV advertisements. Former President Bill Clinton and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo recorded phone messages for registered Democrats in an effort to win over undecided voters. Meanwhile in Nevada, Republican Mark Amodei won the election to fill a vacant seat in the House of Representatives. Mr Amodei beat Democrat Kate Marshall in the rural northern Nevada district that has never elected a Democrat. The previous post-holder, Republican Dean Heller, was appointed from the House to the Senate in May to replace Republican John Ensign, who resigned over a sex scandal.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7416043.stm	Senator Cordoba said her Farc links were only to help free hostages Colombian prosecutors have asked the Supreme Court to investigate three opposition legislators for alleged links to the leftist Farc rebels. The investigations were prompted by analysis of laptop computers seized in a cross-border raid into Ecuador, said chief prosecutor Mario Iguaran. Under suspicion is Senator Piedad Cordoba. She has helped mediate the release of six Farc-held hostages. She said her links with Farc were only to help free the hostages. Mr Iguaran said five other Colombians and four foreigners were suspected of Farc links, including an Ecuadorean politician and a Venezuelan regional legislator and a US academic. The other two Colombian legislators under investigation are Senator Gloria Ines Ramirez and Wilson Borja, a member of the lower house of the congress. The Colombian military raid into Ecuador on 1 March sparked a regional crisis as Ecuador and Venezuela moved troops to their borders with Colombia. Tensions were finally eased at a regional summit. Raul Reyes, a senior leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or Farc, was killed and laptops seized. Colombia says their contents show Venezuelan and Ecuadorian support for Farc. The new investigations come as dozens of current or former members of congress face other investigations over their alleged ties to the right-wing United Self-defence Forces of Colombia (AUC) paramilitaries in what has been dubbed the "parapolitics" scandal. Most of those being investigated are allies of President Uribe. The president remains popular, however, after overseeing aggressive military action against leftist rebels. Critics of Mr Uribe see the new investigations as an attempt by the government to deflect attention from the parapolitics scandal.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7980747.stm	Reeves presented the popular show with comedy partner Bob Mortimer (r) Surreal comedy quiz show Shooting Stars will return for a full series on BBC Two this autumn. The BBC confirmed that most of the original line-up will return with Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer hosting and Ulrika Jonsson as team captain. Matt Lucas returns as "big baby" scorekeeper George Dawes and Jack Dee joins the team as the second captain. The programme launched in 1993 and continued for five series. A one-off Christmas special was made in 2008. Bob Mortimer said the new team were looking forward to the series: "Jack is going to be a great headmaster and Ulrika is as game as ever so it should be a very pleasant evening's journey. "We have a new attitude and new rounds and this series will feature a secret weapon which will assist us in re-inventing the panel show again, just as Shooting Stars originally did" he added. The stars of the show broke the news of its return. Vic Reeves, 50 - real name Jim Moir - tipped off The Daily Express while Lucas confirmed the news via micro-blogging community Twitter. "Yes, George will be back behind the drums," he said on the site. "Vic has mentioned it and now I can," he wrote in an earlier post. Jonsson and Lucas were fixtures on the original programme, which ran from 1993 to 2002. Deadpan comedian Dee replaces author Will Self as the second team captain. Self took over from original Shooting Stars stalwart Mark Lamarr, who left the show in 1997. Speaking to the Express, Reeves said the show would be "the best ever" and that the much-loved "dove from above" round would be reinstated. The team were also "thinking of new items", he told the paper. Lucas, who went on to make Little Britain with David Walliams after Shooting Stars ended, kept the scores from behind his drumkit, while dressed in a giant babygro. The 35-year-old told his Twitter fans that George would be "a-singing his weekly song" - another quirky component of the cult BBC show.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6704669.stm	31 May 2007 BBC Europe editor Mark Mardell on the US plan to bring missile defence to Europe, and the mixture of official enthusiasm and popular concern in the countries directly concerned - Poland and the Czech Republic. The diary is published every Thursday. To see the latest edition, please click here. STAR WARS SEQUEL President Bush is heading for Prague and Warsaw and when he arrives he'll be told by some that his diplomacy has been a fiasco. This time, they are not talking about Iraq. He'll hear of the Cold War and powder kegs, of the threat of popular votes and demonstrations that mean this visit will need hard negotiations as well as diplomatic niceties. The world's most powerful head of state will have to stoop to meet with leaders of the opposition and minor members of government coalitions. For while Ronald Reagan's Evil Empire was consigned to hell years ago, the sequel to his Star Wars scheme is very much alive. The US president will have to stoop to meet minor opposition parties The Americans are keen to bring their Missile Defence System to Eastern Europe. It is a complex and ever evolving web of interlinked weapons and radar based on land, sea, air and in space. I am enough of a die-hard science fiction fan to understand the thrill produced by talk of energy beams that can melt the metal casing of an enemy missile hundreds of miles away. But I am not enough of a military expert to understand why the principle of "knock'em out before they hit you" is considered quite so revolutionary. As I remarked to one expert, "It's hardly rocket science," before he pointed out that is exactly what it is. But you can gather some of the complexity of the system when you consider that the Missile Defence Agency, which spends around £5bn a year under the guidance of the reassuringly named Lieutenant General Henry A. Obering the Third, has on its website a list of acronyms for the systems involved that runs to 327 pages. It is intended to protect the "United States, our troops abroad, our allies, and our friends" from the danger of nuclear or biological weapons being fired by states like North Korea or Iran or what the Americans call "non-state actors". There's quite a lot doubt which friends and allies will be allowed under this sheltering umbrella, and particularly how much of Europe will be included. But the main opponent of the plan is very much a traditional state actor. Ballistic defender: Lt Gen Henry A Obering III An actor, in fact, fed up with being again cast as the villain of the piece. Russia has just fired a new rocket from just outside Moscow to a target around 3,000 miles away. In case anyone hasn't got the message, defence chiefs issued a statement saying this missile, capable of being packed with 10 warheads, would break through any missile defence scheme. If anyone was left scratching their head at what the hidden message was, President Putin helpfully added that "stuffing Europe with weapons" would turn it into a "powder keg". GOVERNMENTS V PEOPLE The Polish government is not so much daunted as enthused by the Russians' ire. In fact it's mustard keen on getting not only the new missiles but even more than the Americans are willing to provide. Perhaps not surprisingly, in view of their history, the Poles are more worried about Russia than Iran, which they've made clear they don't see as much of a threat. In return for housing 10 "delivery systems" on its soil, Poland wants some old-fashioned Patriot missiles, which are rather good at dealing with incoming fire from places much near home, like, say, Russia. Some Polish politicians, including senior members of the ruling coalition, say there should be a referendum before anything like this happens. But there won't be, not least because the Polish people are nowhere near so keen on the idea as their government. Czech public opinion is not convinced In the Czech Republic there is similar enthusiasm from the government and similar demands for a referendum, this time from the social democratic opposition. With about 68% against in opinion polls, the Czech people aren't likely to get much of a say either. More problematic is the opposition of the Greens, who are part of the government coalition. At the moment it's difficult to see how the Czech Parliament would vote for the American plan. The United States wants to move and upgrade a microwave radar system from its current home on the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site on a Pacific Island to a new home about 40 miles outside Prague. Preparations are already underway at a military area, which was once a Nazi base, then a concentration camp, before becoming home to Soviet troops. Locals aren't keen on any more foreign military personnel in their neck of the woods, although many stress they are not anti-American. Several villages have held referendums. In Trokavec it was 71 against, one for. In nearby Skorice it was 164 to one. These votes have no legal power but considerable political clout. The villagers say they are worried about the effects of X-band radiation as well as Russian retaliation. The Americans reply that X-band is just a fancy name for the sort of thing used in airport security systems and the ones on the Pacific atolls have been operating near two schools with no ill effect. When the snows come to Europe, I will feel duty bound to travel to the Pacific to investigate. Villagers in Trokavec are worried about radiation and retaliation Perhaps oddly, it's not the environmental or safety factors that alarm the Czech Green Party. Their vice-chairman and foreign affairs expert, Ondrej Lisko, told me that it was the USA's failure to consult the people or involve Nato or the European Union that alarmed him. "The public diplomacy has been a complete fiasco. It's just playing with security, because in the 21st Century security has to be anchored in structures and alliances. The US should know by now that unilateralism has proved counter-productive". The leader of the Czech Social Democrats in the European Parliament, Libor Roucek, agrees. "Look at the risks and the dangers and it's clear we should do it together. There's a danger if we do this bilaterally, just the Czech Republic and the USA. We can't have two standards of protection in Europe." President Bush may not find it too difficult to give Nato a greater role, although he might not like getting the European Union involved. But there are many in Poland and the Czech Republic who don't want their countries to risk the retaliation of Russia by sticking out alone. If it was missiles they were worried about, then it's hard to see how they could have any better or bigger friend than the States. But when it comes to a war of words they seem to want to know the rest of Europe is right behind them. Please use the post form below to comment on any of the issues raised in the diary. Putting in a missile defense system in Poland and other eastern European countries is pure madness... I fear for all of us because it will be age-old adversaries who will push the buttons to destruction, not the Iraqis, not the Iranians, not the Koreans. And we will have supplied the bombs.... Shelley, Fairfax USA Each country has a right to defend itself. Russia is sending a strong message "don't mess with us" by testing and improving its new weapons. It is a normal response to a threat. How would America like it if Russia placed its nukes in Central America or Canada on a pretence that those missiles are meant to defend Russia from some African country? As far as the Poles and Czechs are concerned, those nations have always been under some foreign power: Germans, Austrians, Russians, and now Americans. It is time to be your own masters!!! Russian, San Francisco, USA As far the missile systems go, it's those countries' choices, America isn't forcing defensive missiles at these people. And for those of you that would argue this is about money, of course there is money exchange, but that doesn't mean America is making people partake in the program, unlike the military occupation Russia had in Eastern Europe and Berlin for a number of decades... Do you really think a couple of defensive missile stations in Eastern Europe are there to pose a threat to Russia, who has thousands of nuclear warheads? I 100% agree that the United States hasn't done everything right, we've had a great deck of cards and have still shown some poor hands, but guess what, we're in Iraq right now, and leaving it will just cause more deaths. Believe it or not, most US soldiers that joined the army are trying to make a positive difference in Iraq. Regardless of President Bush's reasons for going into Iraq, we are there, and it's our (America's) responsibility to help as much as we can. Brian, Austin, United States Big, big, big mistake on the US part. The end of a so-called unipolar world may be more brutal than originally anticipated. Disobeying international law and common sense will lead to nothing short of destruction. This time for good. Ivan Krivohurov, Manassas, VA, USA Russia seems to have no problem "stuffing" the Middle East with its own weapons - from AK-47s in the hands of militants to surface-to-air missiles surrounding Iranian nuclear sites. Funny how cross they get when given a dose of their own medicine. Christopher L., Edison NJ, USA More important than the system is the fact that the Russian bear is (again) waking up. Certainly shivers must be going down the Czech and Polish spines. Deep-down, they know that the western EU states will eventually sell them out for Russian natural gas and oil. Chris, San Francisco, CA USA The US government was much worried about the Soviet Installations in Cuba in the past than the ordinary americans were.Therefore the russian gov't must do everything possible to stop such a similar but more perilous installtions closed to its territories. The X[band raadar on my sailboatonly had a 1.2 KW power and a range of 16 nautical miles but there was a notice not to stand directly in the path of its rays. Those radars to be installed in the Czech republic will hav e at least one thousand times more power so I woder what the effect will be on the surrounding population As far as the effrectiveness of that system, I find it interesting that when North Korea fired a long distance missile, the "Star Wars" command did not fire an interceptor missile (it would have been a good way to prove the validity of the system). Did they really know the North Korean shot was going to be a dud or did they know their own firing would be one ? john s, brussels belgium It's obvious that some new EU states (their leaders) would do anything to provoke Russia just out of revenge for the communist past. And U.S. just using that. Russia has no option but to respond Ross, Moscow, Russia Whether we like it or not, US would continue to take aggressive steps to maximize its influence and cut down risks of any remote possibility of attack on itself or its interests. All this at the cost of any other country's expense. Correct! We are living in 21st century but Might is still very much Right. I my opinion, missiles that will be placed in Czech Rep. and Poland what can only do is to destroy europian society. I`m sure, Europe and Russia are a single whole and if Russia and Europe deside to have such system, so we can do it together using russian and european technolgies to protect our countries. All russians want to have only friendy relationships with our west and east european partners. Good luck to all us in opposition to U.S. conquerors:) Dmitry, Moscow, Russia The only thing that will result from operating the system is the world instability and not the safe Europe the people in Washington are talking about. Also the idea of democracy so enthusiastically advocated by the U.S. is going to be undermined further as it is actively encouraging the Polish and Czech governments to ignore the will of their own people... It is time for the people in Poland and Czech Republic to defend the democracy they have been waiting for so long! Anton, Russia / U.K. If Russia wanted to fire a missile at USA, it would go over the Arctic, Canada, or Alaska. Not launched for European interception. Why waste fuel to fly it over Europe? If any rogue states wanted to fire a missile, the best bet would be from North Korea, China, or Japan. For a USA system that hasn't showed a success rate of over 10% since V1 rockets started in WWII, I wouldn't be too worried about using it for a main source of missile defense. Any major attack would launch multiple missile to counter any interception anyway. The EU should review those countries memberships for allowing an offensive system onto european soil If they decide to allow it go ahead. Come on fellow euros have we not learned from two world wars on home soil ? We are been used as puppets for greedy american weapons manufactures. Yisambi, Tanzania wrote: Why can this missile defence system not be installed in Japan and Israel as they are both closer to the rogue states North korea & Iran. You cannot destroy a missile immediately after its launch. Firstly, you need time to prepare your own counter-measure. Secondly, the launched missile needs to attain a stable trajectory - otherwise how can you tell where it is heading. Do Iran and North Korea have any transcontinental ballistic missiles? If not, who is the system really designed to counter? China? nemeczek, Columbus, USA It is interesting that the USSR, oops I mean Russia, fielded the new ICBM so quickly. A single ICBM that carries enough warheads to overwhelm the planned anti missile base planned for east Europe. How can anyone honestly think that Russia is the target for these defensive missiles. I would think that that had some logic if there were hundreds of missiles being planned, but 10???? Or did Russia dismantle all their ICBM over that past few years? I believe Russians are the smartest people in the entire world when it comes to missile technology. Look at the simple RPG 29 ATGM built in 1980s can penetrate and destroy Israels latest and 21st centuary Merkava IV Tank in Hezbollah. Just think about that. Poles and Czecks should know from now onwards that there no capitalist minded nation gives but takes. USA doesnt care whether you get wiped out. These two countries should take courage and ask USA to plant these missile in Iraq which they conrol now and its near Iran or fix them in Israel. But they will say no to your suggestions because they dont want Israel to be a target of a nuclear attack which wipe it out. Charles, Toronto, Canada Any new war with Russia would not be nuclear at first. It would involve a conventional invasion of the eastern states. Over running the interceptor sites and leading to the question ¿Do I launch now¿ being asked in the US long before Western European forces have had a chance to responded and stop the Russians. At least at the moment the US does not have the option of striking without reduced repercussions. It is dangerous for Western Europe and as such I am not surprised at the amount of discontent. Please remember that President Bush is an embarrassing national joke and will always be remembered as our worst president ever. This is a political ploy to create a new crisis to distract the world from his laundry list of failures. Positioning the MDS in Poland clearly aims it at Russia, which is unnecessary. Shooting one missile that can defeat the system is simple and elegant. America needs to focus on strengthening its borders because terrorists deliver their weapons with suicide bombers, not missiles. Philip, Cleveland, Ohio, USA Poland has to rule out any possibility of Russian interference, be it political or economic.The latter(energy supplies for example)is used by Putin as common weapon. There isn't a month without bullying or hostile speeches by Mr Putin,who is quite rightly trying to rebuild the power of his nation,but the problem is he chose methods taken from the first half of the XX century. Poland(and the rest of Europe)needs to protect herself from this and, since our European 'allies' show lame approach as usual, we must bring Americans to the table. And to be honest, does anybody really believe that somebody is going to shoot someone? Having this system built or not nuclear war can happen at any time anywhere on this planet, it is all about these 'other' effects. Pawel, Warsaw, Poland If we were to consider the actual use of this missile defence system in the east of europe it is pretty much useless as a defence system against Russia and as for threats from the middle east such as Iran they dont even have the capabilities.for example if Russia was to launch an all out missile attach whether is be a stratagic missile launches or nuclear; ten base launch platforms in Poland would not be able to cope with the sheer number of launched attack missiles. Its a waste of money and it only acts as an inflamatory situation which has the potential to destablise the whole european continent.Anyway should a defence shield that is ment to protect Europe and the US mean that the rest of europe also should have a say? Dave, Dublin Ireland The case for the need for this Missle Defence base in Poland and Czech Republis, to protect against Iran and North Korea missles, is at best absurd. 1. If the threat from North Korea or Iran is that real from a Nuclear missle, go place this missle base in South Korea and Saudi Arabia, Qatar where US already has bases. Why Poland and Czech.?. This is really to antagonize the Russians!. If the US can't be honest about this, then Poland/Czech are just fools to even accept these bases. 2. Imagine if the base was installed in Poland/Czech and a nuclear missle was intercepted, trust me it won't be New Yorker's soaking debris and radiation but the Polish, Czech and other Europeans... What a con job going on here by the US. Wake up Europe.. think!!! Putin has proven many times what his intentions are if it comes to energy. If he wants to play that way, then he has to expect such threats. I'm not a supporter of US proposal, but from the political point of view this conflict can be resolved very quickly. Putin has two options: 1. Allow eastern europe to have additional energy source from mid-east, 2. Watch his enemy deploying defense system right the next door. Adam, Krakow, Poland It's obvious that the system is useless. Russia has about 2000 nuclear warheads. If I remember, there will be installed about 10 interceptors. Let's say that each interceptor can fire 2-3 missiles (i think that is just 1, but let's say more). So they can bring down in a shot about 20-30 missiles. But remember, each missile, like SS-27 can carry up to 10 warheads (decoys also) and can also change its trajectory to avoid interception. And that is if we have 100% success. Practically, the system is useless, but unfortunately the russians use it to justify their missile improve/deployment. Jesus, guys! I cannot believe my eyes while reading your reactions. This is a DEFENSIVE system. We are just trying to protect ourselves and when I hear from Russians daily about new ICBMs and their willingness to threat other sovereign nations by nuclear attacks .. well, i personally see this protection as highly needed. Some Maltian guy above said, Czechs and Poles should be expeled from EU. Well :) .. what can i say about it. Maybe we should rather expel France, Germany or Greece for not respecting many aspects of EU law rather than nations that are exercising sovereign diplomacy. Foreign affairs are still the matter of NATIONAL governments and foreign policy cooperation is based on the INTERGOVERNMENTAL ground; that means no supranational board or other nations have the legal right to interfere. This IS our internal affair. Maybe it is risky, but I'm not going to live under the Russian influence any more as my parents and grandparents did. Think about it, Maltian guy. You are the lucky country which is not situated next to the expansive nuclear country. Unfortunately we are not. Michal, Czech Republic Dear Czechs please do not repeat your mistakes. I remember the placards on May parades in 60's which said. "With Soviet Union for ever". Will it be now "With USA for Ever"? Don't forget you are Europeans first. So you should move in lock step with Europe on this one. Forget even NATO the sole purpose of which is to keep USA ingaged in European affairs and directed against Russia. As for Poland recognizing they have a historic agenda against Russia I would like to remind them that Poland in concert with Lithuania waged war on Russia in fact they even burned Moscow down. And they should also remember General Pilszucky's Polish invasion of Belarus and Ukraine then part of Soviet Union. So it goes both ways. And finally remember that for each weapon system USA could concoct over the years Russia had an answer. And you "little" Nations will be sitting ducks. Thomas, Ontario, Canada There's an old saying that goes, "If you want peace, prepare for war" and this is exactly what both the US and Russia are doing. As the US has said many times, the missile shield will not be able to prevent Russian missiles. Russia still thinks this is a threat, so they have now stated that they have successfully tested missles that could penetrate this shield. Sounds like both sides still have their deterrent, however now the Iranians will have a new obstacle to overcome. Well, I guess that is until Russia sells them some of their new missles. Then the US will have to come up with new technology and the cycle will repeat. If you want the US to stop building up it's military presence around the world, try telling countries that sell weapons, to rogue states to stop. Bryan, USA, New York This is the height of all anti-Americanism. The fundamental questions are: Does Iran and North Korea Pose a threat? Yes Does this defense mechanism pose a threat to Russia? No Russia and all other liberal hippies should get a new life and stop day dreaming about the reality of our unsafe world. It's ridiculous how people call on a referendum on secuurity issues! Maybe the recalcitrant Iranians and North Koreans do vote aswell! Josh G, New York, USA If these systems don't go in it will be of no importance to the safety of the US. The systems will just be placed in US territories and in the US itself. Placing them so close to Russia would be useless if we intented to use them against Russia because a land force could take them over so easily. They are placed their to help prevent attacks on Europe by rouge nations, that currently do not even have the ability to reach the US with a missle. The EU needs to ask itself whether a bit more security is worth the extra tension created with Russia. Tom, Mass, USA Missile Defense is by definition, bad logic and bad policy. Why would people want to spend a fortune on what they do not wish to ever use? Why lock up all of that money, all of those resources, use so much land, devote so many minds towards a dead end of our civilization? Missile Defense is a long-term investment in fear, insecurity, strife and mistrust. Missile Defense is time an resources and intention taken away from a wholehearted effort to make our world a good place. Being peaceable and forthcoming towards other nations costs little. Concessions made in negotiating trade, borders, laws, all other disputes are infinitely less painful when made during peace than burning people in the hell of war. People can be proud and hold their heads high in a world they worked to make a good place. C. Thomson, Massachusetts, U.S.A. The timing of Star Wars 2.0 is even more flawed than the reasoning behind it. The US economy and currency continues to falter, and at the same time we are running up a dangerous debt to China in order to pay for a failing war. World opinion of the US at a historical low, terrorism flourishes as the amount anti-American rhetoric grows; one would think the obvious decision would be to do some damage control at home and with the rest of the world rather than trying to force through another widely unpopular military initiative. A more effective preventative measure would be to remedy the real cause of terrorism: our failed foreign policy. Julien, Texas, USA I always love US with all my heart, because of the good things the United States has done in Africa, Asia, Europe, and South American. I think US has now gone too far with the idea that ¿they are the protectors of the world.¿ World peace does not come with military power. Building Missile Defense System in Eastern Europe will protect nobody; rather it is threat against Russian security. Russia is the only power in Europe that can stand US. Russia has veto power in the Security Council, and has the right to defense their country when threaten. Russia may have bad and hidden intention, but they have not threat any countries security. In addition, everybody knows Russia support Iran, but because of the Security Council, Russia is limited in support to Iran. Building Missile Defense System in Eastern Europe will force Russia to provide nuclear warheads missile to Iran and pretend they know nothing about it. The world need peace not war, for a single mistake will trigger World War III. Iran will be the country to trigger this war. US should be very careful with their Missile Defense System in Eastern Europe. Why? They are lot questions that need to be answered. Seth Bortey, Jonesboro, Arkansas United States I am so tired of hearing about how America is responsible for all the problems in the world. This article was actually about a missile defense system that could help save many lives. It was designed, developed and paid for by America. It may not be a great system yet but neither was the first airplane. Hey smart guys! You have to start somewhere with technology! I guess we could always take the European way by sticking our head in the sand and doing nothing. Hopefully the bad things in our life will magically go away and the pretty unicorn that we always wanted as a child will appear in its place! My comment to all of you is that wars will continue. The US did not invent them and they will continue long after we are gone. It made my stomach turn as I read these anti-american emails. To think my grandfather died fighting in Belgium in another stupid European war and now I see his sacrifice was a waste. Europe has not learned anything. If you are not prepared for war you will die period. If you don¿t want the missile system I support that whole heartedly. It will make me smile not sending more of my tax dollars going to Europe. However the one thing I am sure of is when there is another crisis in Europe or Canada these same people screaming about America now will be the same screaming for our help AGAIN. I say to hell with Belgium, Canada or any other country who makes it their national past time blaming the US for all the world's problems. I say let¿s do nothing and let them get what they ask for and when the phone rings asking for our help again lets not be at home. John, Baltimore, USA Every country that has the power is ruling over the world.It has alwazs been like that, from the ancient Greeks to the Romans, nowadays it's the US and in the nearby future it will probably be he Chinese. I am without dispute against this whole missile thing. Hopefully Europe will stand out against the US. Simon V., Munich, GERMANY It's simple. If you think America entered the war with iraq to free it from Saddam, you are Wrong! If you think it was to disarm iraq from nuclear/chemical weapons, you are Wrong! By the way, do you think the world is now a better and safer place than the world before the invasion? Have Iraqis more freedom than back then? If you think America is trying to defend itself and its allies or just trying to wake the sleeping dragon in Russia by deploying missile defence system, you're wrong yet again. As many of these wise people who have left comments before me said, its pure money! American foreign policy is simply dictated by the weapon industry. They made billions to supply Bush Junior with the weapons to "free" iraq. But they are too greedy to stop. They just need only another gazillion to feel satisfied and feed their families. Asic, Durham, US I have a few comments about this issue. I as an American Citizen have no worries concerning Russia. I do think that there should be some form of defense against the middle east. However, If you all would like to worry and waste your time worrying about the Europeans and Russians and how it will make this one feel or that one feel...then go for it. We, Americans and our cousins in Europe and Russia should be on better terms with one another. We, Americans are in a sense the Bastard children of Europe, that just so happens to be the last standing Super Power. I am happy to support our cousins in Europe and Russia...but my concern lies more with the middle east and how to get the USA out of this conundrum that our foolish President has gotten us into. Please dont hold it against the citizens that our leaders dont seem to have good common courtesy. Anthony Bush, Lexington, United States The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2846471.stm	Alcohol abuse may increase susceptibility to HIV infection, researchers have found. HIV infects the body's cells The findings could be particularly significant as there is evidence that alcohol abuse is common among people who are HIV positive. One study found that 41% of HIV-infected patients met the criteria for alcoholism. The research, which was carried out on rhesus monkeys infected with a similar virus, shows that binge drinking poses the most significant problem. Lead researcher Professor Gregory Bagby, of Louisiana State University, said there was evidence that people who abuse alcohol are more likely to engage in risky behaviours such as unprotected sex. An increased risk of becoming infected with HIV is one of many reasons why young people should moderate their alcohol consumption Thus there was reason to believe that these people are at greater risk of becoming infected with HIV. However, his research suggests that once infected with the virus, they are also more vulnerable to its effects. The researchers infected rhesus monkeys with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) after they had been given either regular doses of alcohol or a sugar solution. Approximately one week after SIV infection, there was a 64-fold increase of the SIV virus in the blood of the alcohol-treated monkeys compared to those given the sugar solution. Professor Bagby said: "This most likely means that either more cells are infected with virus at this early stage or that infected cells are producing more virus. "If more cells are infected, it means that the alcohol increased infectivity of cells or increased the number of susceptible cells." The reason why alcohol appears to increase HIV infectivity is unclear. However, the researchers believe that it might activate immune cells called CD4+T cells, which are located in the wall of the gut which are known to be very vulnerable to becoming infected with HIV. The researchers now plan to examine the long-term effects of alcohol abuse on the development of SIV-related disease. It may help to explain why some people become infected with HIV when exposed to the virus, while others do not Professor Bagby said: "Our study shows alcohol consumption may increase susceptibility to infection upon exposure to HIV. "An increased risk of becoming infected with HIV is one of many reasons why young people should moderate their alcohol consumption." Michael Carter, of the UK National Aids Manual, said the study was "very interesting" but still at a very early stage. He told BBC News Online: "It may help to explain why some people become infected with HIV when exposed to the virus, while others do not." Mark Graver, of the Terrence Higgins Trust, said: "Anything which has a significant effect on a person's immune system will increase the risk of that person contracting HIV if they are in a situation where HIV transmission is possible. "Alcohol consumption on its own can also reduce a person's ability to make informed choices around safer sex and protecting themselves from HIV infection." The research is published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4661582.stm	PC users have been urged to scan their computers before 3 February to avoid falling victim to a destructive virus. Many file types from Microsoft Office are targeted by Nyxem On that date the Nyxem virus is set to delete Word, Powerpoint, Excel and Acrobat files on infected machines. Nyxem is thought to have caught out many people by promising porn to those who open the attachments on e-mail messages carrying the virus. Anti-virus companies have stopped lots of copies, suggesting it had infected a large number of computers. The Nyxem-E Windows virus first emerged on 16 January and has been steadily racking up victims ever since. Nyxem-E is also known as the Blackmal, MyWife, Kama Sutra, Grew and CME-24 virus. Helpfully, the virus reports every fresh infection back to an associated website which displays the total via a counter. Late last week the counter was reporting millions of infections, but detective work by security firm Lurhq found that many of these reports were bogus. However, Lurhq reported that more than 300,000 machines are known to have fallen victim to Nyxem-E. SAMPLE SUBJECT LINES Fw: Funny :) Re: Sex Video Miss Lebanon 2006 School girl fantasies gone bad Like many recent viruses, Nyxem tries to spread by making people open attachments on e-mail messages that are infected with the destructive code. The subject lines and body text of the various messages Nyxem uses vary, but many falsely claim that pornographic videos and pictures are in the attachments. On infected machines the virus raids address books to find e-mail addresses to send itself to. The virus also tries to spread by searching for machines on the same local network as any computer it has compromised. Unlike many recent viruses Nyxem is set to overwrite 11 different types of file on infected machines on the third of every month. The list of files to be over-written includes the most widely used sorts of formats. Separately, the virus also tries to disable anti-virus software to stop it updating and can also disable the mouse and keyboard on infected machines. NYXEM FILE TARGETS DMP - Oracle files DOC - Word document MDB - Microsoft Access MDE - Microsoft Access/Office PDF - Adobe Acrobat PPS - PowerPoint slideshow PPT - PowerPoint PSD - Photoshop RAR - Compressed archive XLS - Excel spreadsheet ZIP - Compressed file Users were being urged to update anti-virus software and to scan their system to ensure they had not been caught out. Many anti-virus firms have also produced tools that help clean up infected systems. Jason Steer, technical consultant at mail filtering firm Ironport, said Nyxem was a throwback to the types of viruses that used to circulate in the early days of computer networks. "If you go back 10-15 years ago viruses tended to quite malicious," he said. "They were going to re-format your hard disk, delete files and so on." Pete Simpson, threat lab manager at security firm Clearswift, said: "It's a bit puzzling because script kiddies have largely left the scene. "It shows a certain intelligence in its design but what's the motive?" he asked, "Pure vandalism does not ring true these days." Both Mr Steer and Mr Simpson feared that home users would be hardest hit by Nyxem on 3 February. Most businesses, they said, now have regularly updated anti-virus systems in place and disinfect e-mail traffic before it reaches users' desktops. By contrast many home users did not regularly patch Windows, update anti-virus or perform full system scans to ensure their machine stays clean. Users were also encouraged to make regular back-ups of any files they want to preserve.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/us_open_2003/3114349.stm	Agassi goes into the US Open very much the veteran of the field, but still in with a great chance of lifting the trophy. World ranking: 1 US Open best: Winner (1994, 1999) 2000: 2nd round The 33-year-old started the year in sensational form, winning the Australian Open and going unbeaten until early March. He has collected four titles this year and returned to the top of the world rankings, but there have been signs that Agassi may just be falling short at the highest level. Going out of the French Open in the last eight for the second successive year was a disappointment, and losing in the fourth round at Wimbledon more so. He has failed to reach a final since winning in Houston in April and, while his form has been solid of late, Agassi will need to raise his game for the US Open. But few players in the history of the game have been as adept on hardcourts as the Las Vegan and his motivation for another Grand Slam title has never been greater. With nemesis Pete Sampras finally out of the way, Agassi may fancy his chances of a third title at Flushing Meadows.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_9712000/9712477.stm	William Boyd has been awarded the honour, or the burden, of writing the next James Bond novel. The Ian Fleming Estate chose him to follow on from Sebastian Faulks and Jeffrey Deaver in adding to the Bond collection. He tells the Today programme's Evan Davis about how it is a "dream come true" to be asked to take up the challenge adding that he has had an "obsession" with Ian Fleming. While he would not be drawn on the details of the new novel, he said that it would be set in 1969 and would lean more towards "old fashioned spying" rather than gadgets and surveillance. Get in touch with Today via or text us on 84844.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20583801	Rogue trader Kweku Adoboli 'was not pressured' by bank Rogue trader Kweku Adoboli was not put under too much pressure to deliver profits, his former manager at UBS has told the BBC. Adoboli was jailed last month for the biggest fraud in British history. His defence had argued in court that bosses turned a blind eye to traders who breached their risk limits, as long as they delivered profits. But Mr Adoboli's former supervisor at the bank UBS said he did not agree that they were pressured from the top. "I think you have personal levels of stress that you put upon yourself," John Hughes said in an interview with the BBC. "One of the things that people should look for in the characters that they hire to a trading floor is that they can cope with different types of situations." Mr Hughes likened trading to a game of nerves, testing whether a trader could hold his ground against other market participants. "It's psychological warfare," he said. Mr Hughes was dismissed from his job at the Swiss investment bank UBS after Adoboli, 32, of Whitechapel, east London, was accused of illegally gambling away £1.4bn of the bank's money.'Coincidental' Adoboli's defence had argued in court that the mantra from UBS management was "revenues, revenues, revenues". Mr Hughes has now set up a gambling website, which takes bets on football matches. It's a far cry from his original ambition of becoming a teacher, something which he says his aunt talked him out of. "She said go and earn some money first, your family's never had any," he said. He rejected accusations made by critics who see his new betting website as a sign that what traders at investment banks do is merely a glorified form of gambling. "It's totally coincidental that I've worked in investment banking and am now helping to run a gambling business," he said, adding that people who made those accusations "don't know what investment bankers do on a day-to-day basis". During the trial, the defence portrayed Mr Hughes, who was in his mid-twenties when he worked at UBS, as someone who abandoned Adoboli as the jailed former trader's illegal trading scheme unravelled, letting him take the fall on his own. Mr Hughes said the past year had been very stressful but wouldn't talk about the case in any detail. "I feel that I would get too passionate and I think I'd get quite emotional and might say something that I would later regret," he says of the Adoboli trial now. "It's an incredibly unfortunate set of events that a man goes to work and ends up in prison," he said. "I think it's incredibly sad not just for him but for everyone that he worked with and for the firm that he worked for." To hear the full interview that was broadcast on World Business Report on BBC World Service, download the podcast.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-18363214	Fleetwood Mac stars remember Bob Welch Stevie Nicks and Mick Fleetwood from Fleetwood Mac have paid tribute to Bob Welch, the band's former guitarist and singer, following his death in the US. Nicks remembered him as "an amazing guitar player", while Fleetwood said he had been "a huge part of our history". Welch's wife found him dead on Thursday at their home in Nashville, Tennessee. A police spokesman said the 66-year-old had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound and that a suicide note had been found at the house. Welch was part of Fleetwood Mac in their early years from 1971 to 1974 and worked on such albums as Future Games and Bare Trees. He left before Fleetwood Mac released their 1977 album Rumours and prior to Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham joining the line-up. He went on to form hard rock group Paris and in 1977, Welch released his first solo album French Kiss. The record went platinum, spawning the hits Sentimental Lady and Ebony Eyes. Welch fell out with his former bandmates after suing the group in 1994 for unpaid royalties, which led to his exclusion from the group's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 1998. His death follows that of Bob Weston, another former Fleetwood Mac guitarist, who died in January at the age of 64. "I'm so very sorry for his family and for the family of Fleetwood Mac," said Nicks in a statement. "He was an amazing guitar player - he was funny, sweet - and he was smart." "He was a very, very profoundly intelligent human being and always in good humour," Mick Fleetwood told the Reuters news agency. "Mostly his legacy would be his songwriting abilities that he brought to Fleetwood Mac, which will survive all of us."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-18783972	Expert's warning over Glenfield Hospital's loss of ECMO unit About 50 babies and children will die over five years if specialist life support treatment moves from Leicester to Birmingham, an expert has warned. Paediatric ECMO treatment, used to oxygenate the blood of patients, is to move from Glenfield Hospital. International ECMO expert Kenneth Palmer has written to Health Secretary Andrew Lansley warning 20 years of experience will be thrown away. Mr Lansley is currently considering advice on the impact of the decision. ECMO has been used on children and adults at Glenfield Hospital for 20 years. The hospital has the UK's largest ECMO unit. The children's ECMO treatment is due to move as part of national reorganisation of child heart surgery. The hospital's children's heart surgery unit is also set to move.Leading centre Mr Palmer, director of the ECMO unit at Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm, Sweden, said: "Leicester has one of the highest survival rates [for patients who need ECMO] in the world. "They could never have the same survival rate in another unit if you move it like this. What is ECMO treatment? - ECMO stands for Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation - The treatment mimics the natural function of the heart and lungs, delivering oxygen into the blood - It allows the organs to rest while they heal naturally "You have to destroy it and then you have to rebuild it. There is no way you can just move treatment like this. "I don't think you should destroy something that has been built up for 20 years just overnight like this." He said Leicester and Stockholm were world-leading ECMO centres and both had survival rates about 10% to 20% higher than the normal rate in other parts of the world. He estimated 10 extra children will die each year if the survival rate drops. The letter to Andrew Lansley states: "You will take over 20 years of experience from one of the world's absolute best ECMO units and throw it away ... and probably it will take at least five years to have some kind of quality and probably 20 years to come back to top quality if it's ever possible."'Considering advice' The Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts (JCPCT), which made the decision to stop child heart surgery at Glenfield, said it wants to improve services by creating fewer but larger surgical centres. Teresa Moss, director of the National Specialised Commissioning Team, said: "A panel of independent experts, led by Sir Ian Kennedy, assessed each centre's ability to meet the proposed national quality standards both now and in the future. "The panel ranked Birmingham Children's Hospital third out of the 11 centres. Leicester was ranked ninth. "We are well aware of the expertise at Glenfield Hospital and it is important that this expertise is retained in the Midlands through joint planning by Glenfield Hospital and Birmingham Children's Hospital." A statement from the Department of Health said: "A final decision on the future configuration of children's congenital heart services was made by the Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts on 4 July. "The Advisory Group for National Specialised Services (AGNSS) has provided advice on the impact of this decision for the nationally commissioned paediatric ECMO service at Glenfield Hospital, Leicester. The Health Secretary is currently considering the advice of AGNSS."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3662230.stm	The editor of a prominent Indonesian magazine has been sentenced to jail after a high-profile libel case. Mr Harymurti remains free pending an appeal Tempo magazine editor Bambang Harymurti was found guilty of libelling a prominent businessman, Tomy Winata. The case has caused concern because the charges were brought under Indonesia's criminal code, not its press law. Correspondents say the sentence will be seen as a setback for media freedom in Indonesia, and as further evidence of the country's erratic legal system. The offending article, written in March 2003, alleged that Mr Winata was behind a mysterious fire that destroyed a Jakarta textile market. It implied that the tycoon stood to gain from a contract to rebuild the market. "We find the defendant guilty of disseminating libellous news and sentence him to one year in jail," Judge Suripto told Mr Harymurti on Thursday. Two other reporters from the magazine - deputy editor Iskandar Ali and Ahmad Taufik - were acquitted on the same charges. The court ruled that "the responsibility lies in the hands of the chief editor". The packed courtroom booed when the verdict was read out. Mr Harymurti - who is free pending an appeal - said it was a sad day for Indonesia's press. "The judges had a golden opportunity to write a new chapter in Indonesian history, but they did not take it," he said. "Chief editors will be scared to do their jobs now." The case against the three men has been widely criticised as an attack on Indonesia's press. Tempo, which is highly regarded in Indonesia for its hard-hitting investigative journalism, insisted that it had gone through all proper procedures to balance the story, including running Mr Winata's point of view. Thursday's verdict comes as tensions are already high ahead of the final round of Indonesia's presidential elections on Monday. Former general Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is leading incumbent Megawati Sukarnoputri in the opinion polls.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7470460.stm	The working group said the future of long wave would need consideration Plans to move all UK radio stations to digital radio and close medium wave frequencies have been put forward in a report by a government working group. The Digital Radio Working Group said no date should be set yet for the switch, but it believes the transfer could be completed by the year 2020. The interim report said listeners should be given at least two years' notice before the change begins. Some 90% of UK homes have digital TV, but radio's future has been in doubt. Barry Cox, the group's chairman, said the government would have to set out conditions to be met before the change. BBC Media Correspondent Torin Douglas said some digital stations have closed and the biggest commercial radio group has questioned the viability of the platform, which broadcasts to digital radios through an aerial, rather than satellite TV or the internet. Long wave future Every home will be switched to digital television by the year 2012. In the interim report, the Digital Radio Working Group said all national, regional and large local stations should switch to DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting) in the medium term, while small local and community stations would continue to broadcast on FM. Coverage levels across the UK would have to increase and so would the robustness of the DAB signal. Furthermore, car manufacturers would have to be persuaded to install digital radios as standard. The group's report said once the proposed change had taken place, medium wave frequencies could then be used for other purposes. The working group, which represents all sides of the industry, also said further consideration would be needed over the future of long wave. BBC Radio 4 listeners once marched on Broadcasting House to oppose changes to its Long Wave service.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8173328.stm	The head of Russia's Orthodox Church wields considerable political weight The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, has told worshippers in Ukraine their breakaway Church must reunite with Moscow. After leading prayers at the Monastery of the Caves in Kiev, he appealed to them to "return to the father's house". The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kiev Patriarchate broke away from the Moscow Patriarchate in the early 1990s. Thousands marched through the Ukrainian capital on Tuesday to protest against the patriarch's visit. Demonstrators carried placards denouncing what they see as Russian interference in their country, and in support of the Kiev Patriarchate. The protest coincided with a service at the Pechersk Lavra marking the 1,021st anniversary of the conversion to Christianity of Kievan Rus, the ancient state that gave rise to modern-day Ukraine and Russia. During the ceremony, Patriarch Kirill called on the Kiev Patriarchate to reunite with the Moscow Patriarchate, which considers it schismatic. "Not all our brothers of the same faith share this holiday today," he said. "Some find themselves outside the Church's saving fence, outside its precious unity." "The aspiration to brotherly unity has not melted among Orthodox Ukrainian people. I saw it myself today when I was looking at you all," he added. The Kiev Patriarchate broke away from the Moscow Patriarchate in 1991, when Ukraine gained its independence. It has sought the status of a legitimate, independent national Church, not answering to Moscow, from the most prominent figure in the Orthodox world, Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople. But he has provided no clear response. Some Ukrainians have denounced what they see as Russian interference Its efforts are also strongly backed by Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, who believes a recognised independent church is a key part of strengthening Ukraine's national identity. However, BBC Russian affairs analyst Steven Eke says the Russian Orthodox Church wields considerable political weight, and plays a role in the Kremlin's policies aimed at strengthening the Russian state and its influence abroad. This is what makes Patriarch Kirill's visit to Ukraine so divisive, our correspondent says. Nationalist groups, many Ukrainian-speakers and the congregations of the Kiev Patriarchate see him less as a religious pastor, and more as a political activist seeking to boost the Kremlin's influence in their land, he adds.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/find_out/guides/uk/criminals_and_the_law/newsid_2207000/2207842.stm	The police officers who are finding out about the crime will question the arrested person. This can go on for up to 72 hours. After this the police have three options. Charging a person means formally accusing them of a crime. To do this the police must think that there is evidence to link them to the offence. - Let the person go - Ask a magistrate for 24 hours more questioning time - Charge the person
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/8253579.stm	Watson poses with her US Open trophy after her impressive performance Heather Watson became the first Briton to claim the US Open girls' singles title when she beat Yana Buchina in straight sets at Flushing Meadows. The 17-year-old from Guernsey overcame her Russian doubles partner 6-4 6-1 to win her first junior Grand Slam crown. Watson, who is based in Florida, found herself 3-1 down in the first set before winning four games on the trot. The British number one, the 11th seed, then broke at the start of the second set as she eased to an impressive win. Unseeded Buchina, a 17-year-old from Moscow, had reached the final by beating Britain's former junior Wimbledon champion Laura Robson in the last four. But Watson, who emulates Andy Murray's US Open junior triumph in 2004, proved just too powerful. "It feels great," she said. "It's such a great achievement, I'm really pleased and it's great for British tennis." Buchina started the match strongly, breaking Watson's serve in the third game and then moving into a 3-1 lead. But Watson, who knocked out second seed and Wimbledon champion Noppawan Lertcheewakarn in the quarter-finals and then ninth seed Daria Gavrilova in the semis, went on to win the next four games. Serving for the set, the Briton was broken back but made amends immediately to take it 6-4. Watson, a quarter-finalist in this year's Australian Open juniors, held the opening game of the second set and broke again to go 2-0 up. Buchina broke back to 2-1 in the next game, but Watson went on to establish complete control, seizing victory with a big forehand to the Russian's backhand, which Buchina could only net. Watson now plans to step up her career with a view to climbing up the ranks in the women's game. "I'll definitely be playing more women's tournaments than juniors," she said. "But I still want to be able to play the junior Grand Slams next year because I really enjoy playing them but I'm going to start trying to climb the women's ladder now. "This has given me a lot of confidence and I hope I can take this and use it in my next couple of tournaments."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17836624	UK economy in double-dip recession The UK economy has returned to recession, after shrinking by 0.2% in the first three months of 2012. A sharp fall in construction output was behind the surprise contraction, the Office for National Statistics said. A recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of contraction. The economy shrank by 0.3% in the fourth quarter of 2011. BBC economics editor Stephanie Flanders says it "adds to the picture that the economy is bumping along the bottom". She said economic output was slightly smaller now than it was in the autumn of 2010. Wednesday's figure is an early estimate and is subject to at least two further revisions in the coming months. It is compiled using 40% of the data gathered for later revisions. The UK economy was last in recession in 2009.Continue reading the main story 'Catastrophic' Prime Minister David Cameron said the figures were "very, very disappointing". "I don't seek to excuse them, I don't seek to try to explain them away," he said at Prime Minister's Questions. "There is no complacency at all in this government in dealing with what is a very tough situation, which frankly has just got tougher." He said it was "painstaking, difficult" work, but the government would stick with its plans and do "everything we can" to generate growth. Labour leader Ed Miliband said the figures were "catastrophic" and asked Mr Cameron what his excuse was. "This is a recession made by him and the chancellor in Downing Street. It is his catastrophic economic policy that has landed us back in recession," Mr Miliband said.Construction questions The ONS said output of the production industries decreased by 0.4%, construction decreased by 3%. Output of the services sector, which includes retail, increased by 0.1%, after falling a month earlier. These figures are slightly worse than many expected, but the fact that the UK is now technically back in recession should not detract from the underlying reality, which is very much as predicted. The UK economy has been bumping along the bottom for more than a year and is still struggling to gain momentum. Many have questioned the dire numbers for the construction sector, which accounts for less than 7% of the economy, but has done much to pull the GDP figure into negative territory. The sharp fall in output from the production sector is also at odds with recent business surveys (though manufacturing has not fallen as the sector overall). However, this preliminary figure is consistent with the message coming from official and private data - that the UK was once again relying heavily on services and consumption by households. That suggests the recovery will continue to be weak, though whether we will see further quarters of negative growth is very much an open question. It added that a fall in government spending had contributed to the particularly large fall in the construction sector. "The huge cuts to public spending - 25% in public sector housing and 24% in public non-housing and with a further 10% cuts to both anticipated for 2013 - have left a hole too big for other sectors to fill," said Judy Lowe, deputy chairman of industry body CITB-ConstructionSkills, said. Some have questioned the validity of the ONS's figures, particularly on the construction industry, which has been particularly volatile in recent quarters. But Joe Grice, chief economic adviser to the ONS, said the construction data was based on a survey of 8,000 companies and had been carefully checked and double checked. The latest figures supported the view that the economy had been "flattish" in the past few quarters, he added. Over the last year and a half, the economy has fluctuated between quarters of growth and contraction. Bank of England governor Sir Mervyn King has previously warned that the economy will continue to "zig zag" this year. He had forecast growth in the first quarter but then a contraction in the second quarter, when the extra bank holiday for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee is expected to reduce output.'At odds' "It is clearly not good news, the missing link in the economy has been confidence," said Graeme Leach, chief economist at the Institute of Directors told BBC News. "These are relatively small falls, so we shouldn't be too alarmist. "[But] regardless of the figures, it is the message that comes out to business - to be cautious - exactly when we want them to be a little more aggressive in terms of recruitment and investment." However, some pointed to other recent business surveys, which painted a more positive picture of the economy. "These figures are at odds with the experiences of many UK businesses, which continue to operate with guarded optimism," said David Kern, chief economist at the British Chambers of Commerce. He added that he expected the preliminary estimate to be revised upwards when more information became available. The estimate for construction output is based on published data for the first two months of the quarter, and an estimation for the third month. But the ONS pointed out that, while there was "a tendency for upward revisions" to construction, March would need to be "exceptionally strong" in the construction sector to produce growth in the quarter. The first estimate of GDP for the last three months of 2011 showed a contraction of 0.2%, which was later revised to a contraction of 0.3%.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19810376	Asian Development Bank cuts growth forecast for Asia The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has cut its growth forecast for Asia for this year and next, as economic problems in Europe and the US hurt developing countries. The lender projects that Asia, excluding Japan, will expand by 6.1% this year, down from a July estimate of 6.6%. It also forecast inflation would be 4.2% rather than 4.4%. The ADB said countries in Asia must reduce their dependency on exports. It singled out slowing growth in China and India, two of the biggest economies in the region, as the main driver of the revision. India's growth is expected to slow to 5.6% this year before bouncing back to 6.7% in 2013. ADB had previously forecast growth rates of at least 7% for India in 2012 and 2013, but said it had to revise them down due to problems in the agricultural and industrial sectors, as well as weak demand from overseas. The bank also says that China's growth rate will fall back from the "robust" 9.3% seen in 2011, dropping to 7.7% this year and 8.1% next - still extraordinary rates by international standards. "Deceleration in the region's two giants, the People's Republic of China and India, and in other major exporting economies is tempering earlier optimism," the ADB said. "The ongoing sovereign debt crisis in the euro area and the looming fiscal cliff in the US pose major risks to the outlook." Data out this week supported the ADB's gloomy outlook. Manufacturing in China showed a contraction for the second month in a row, Japanese industrial companies have become more pessimistic on their prospects and South Korean exports have fallen.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-13962407	Listening to the radio makes you happier that watching TV or surfing the internet Listening to the radio makes you happier, more so than going on the internet or watching TV. More than a 1,000 people were asked to rate their mood. Most recorded a 100 percent boost in happiness when listening to radio. Mark Barber from the Radio Advertising Bureau defended himself on BBC Radio 5 live against accusations that his research is self-serving. "We were trying to capture people's emotional state at different times of day, at different days of the week," Barber told Victoria Derbyshire. "Listeners use radio very much in terms of generating happiness and energy for themselves." You can hear other BBC Radio 5 live highlights by visiting the Best Bits section on the website. Victoria Derbyshire broadcasts Monday - Friday 1000 - 1200 on BBC Radio 5 live.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-17203345	First TransPennine Express and London Midland announce extra seats Thousands of extra seats are to be introduced on trains into several major UK cities next year. Operators First TransPennine Express and London Midland will each get 40 extra carriages, in an attempt to cut crowding and stimulate economies. Some 12,000 seats will be added to trains into Leeds, Sheffield, London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Glasgow and Edinburgh. London Midland is also raising its maximum speeds from 100 mph to 110 mph.Passenger concerns The move is part of wider plans by the government to introduce 2,700 new carriages on to the UK's rail network by 2019. Transport Minister Theresa Villiers said: "This is great news for passengers who will get faster, longer trains and more seats. "Increasing capacity on some of the busiest routes in the country is a key part of the major programme of rail capacity expansion we have promised to deliver. "It is a vital way of responding to passenger concerns about crowding and providing an important stimulus to economic growth." The new carriages, which will be introduced in December 2013, will be used to lengthen existing trains. London Midland expects to be able to fit more services into its timetable after increasing the maximum speed of its fleet in December this year.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-21469950	A turbulent year for Ulster Unionists It has been a troubled year for the Ulster Unionist Party - a change of leader, a series of public disputes and a number of high-profile resignations. Here is a timeline of recent events. Strangford MLA David McNarry quits the UUP assembly team after he is removed by party leader Tom Elliott from his role as deputy chair of the education committee. This followed an interview he gave to a Belfast newspaper in which he revealed that his party was having talks with the DUP. Tom Elliott steps down from the leadership of the party after just 18 months. His pledge not to attend gay pride parades or Gaelic football matches pushed liberal unionists like former Irish rugby international Trevor Ringland out of the party. An angry scene at an election count, at which Mr Elliott branded flag-waving Sinn Fein supporters as "scum", came over badly on live TV. There was also the problem of how to deal with the ever more dominant DUP. Mr Elliott authorised secret talks with his party's rivals, but then fell out with Mr McNarry, claiming he had revealed too much of the negotiations to the newspapers. Meanwhile Mr McNarry's troubles deepen as he is suspended for nine months from the Ulster Unionist Party. Mike Nesbitt is elected to lead this party and, within days, announces a reshuffle of his assembly team. The Ulster Unionist party expels Mr McNarry. He claimed the decision against him was "personal" and that he will continue as an independent MLA. Former Fermanagh South Tyrone MP Ken Maginnis loses the party whip at Westminster following his comments on BBC NI's Nolan programme that homosexuality is "unnatural and deviant". Lord Maginnis announces that he is leaving the UUP. He was an MP for 18 years from 1983 to 2001. He strongly backed David Trimble's decision to sign the Good Friday Agreement. In more recent years Lord Maginnis played a role in securing the victories of first Tom Elliott then Mike Nesbitt as Ulster Unionist leaders. John McCallister loses his position as the party's deputy leader after he says he fears Ulster unionists are "sleepwalking into unionist unity". Lagan Valley MLA Basil McCrea is disciplined for publicly criticising his party's stance over flying the union flag at Belfast City Hall. January 2013 : Mr McCrea votes against his party colleagues at Stormont for the first time. Former Ulster Unionist MLA David McClarty says there is an onus on "moderate unionists" to consider forming a new party. February 2013 The UUP disciplinary group gives Basil McCrea a formal warning. Mr McCrea and John McCallister resign from the Ulster Unionist party.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-21548413	Damien Hirst skull gets Comic Relief red nose Damien Hirst has created and signed 50 limited edition prints featuring his diamond-encrusted skull wearing a red nose, to raise funds for Comic Relief. The portrait-sized prints will go on sale for £2,500 with all proceeds going to Comic Relief. "I thought it would be funny," Hirst told BBC Radio 4's Front Row. "You can't take yourself seriously." He added: "Anything done well is art - and when you get great comedy, that's art as well." "I thought years ago about trying to do an exhibition of art that made you laugh," he told Radio 4's John Wilson. "There are some really great funny artworks, though I don't make many of them." "I had an idea once, a long time ago, to do a huge sculpture that was going to be a human poo - seven foot tall and forty foot long. "I was going to make it the most perfect human poo you could make, in bronze - and then put it outside somewhere. And I was going to call it Untitled (No. 2). "I made a model - I just never made it," he said, adding that he may still revive the idea. "I think it's a great piece of art," he added. "It forces people to look at things that maybe they are not that keen on looking at, but it's healthy and it means you're well - and it's a beautiful object." Hirst, who has collaborated with Comic Relief on two previous occasions, called the charity - which supports impoverished communities in the UK and Africa - "epic and far-reaching". One of the lithographic prints - entitled For The Love of Comic Relief - will go on display at London's Tate Modern gallery this weekend. The name is a play on Hirst's original diamond skull artwork, which bears the name For the Love of God. The £50m platinum cast of a 35-year-old 18th Century European man covered in 8,601 jewels went on display in the Tate Modern's Turbine Hall in 2012, as part of the London 2012 Festival. The diamond-encrusted artwork is typically kept in a high-security vault when not on display, though the artist told Wilson he had been discussing the possibility of exhibiting it in both Qatar and Oslo. "If it's a nice venue and we can get the insurance sorted out, I like it to be out rather than in a vault," he said. Red Nose Day takes place on Friday 15 March. John Wilson's full interview with Damien Hirst can be heard on BBC Radio 4's Front Row on Friday 22 February, at 19:15hrs.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-14989860	Energy switching: Why the customer inertia? Customers are constantly being urged to switch utility providers. But what are the psychological barriers that stop them? We're more likely to get divorced than move bank accounts. Four-fifths of people cannot be bothered to look for cheaper gas or electric bills despite the urging of numerous consumer gurus to switch. In short we'd rather pay hundreds of pounds a year extra on phone, broadband and utility bills rather than have to enter the mind-numbing world of the price comparison websites. The inertia of the British public has been highlighted after Energy Secretary Chris Huhne chastised people for not seeking out the cheapest gas and electricity deals. "They do not bother," he said in an interview with the Times. "They spend less time shopping around for a bill that's on average more than £1,000 a year than they would shop around for a £25 toaster." He denies accusing the public of "laziness" but many consumer experts say that the public are apathetic about getting a bad deal. End Quote Prof James Devlin Perhaps the last thing people want to do at nine o'clock at night is save money on their utility bill” Energy regulator Ofgem found in a survey this year that four out of five consumers are failing to shop around for gas and electricity, costing themselves an extra £100 a year. So why are people so reluctant to save money on bills when they delight in bargains at the supermarket or online? For some it's a lot of hassle thinking about what, for most people, is a fairly dull subject. There is also the possibility that the public is suspicious of firms who try to lure them away from their current provider. In July, a committee of MPs said that energy firms were using "Del Boy" tactics to get consumers to switch provider. Consumer experts also say that many consumers wrongly fear that by moving, their service may be interrupted. In most cases - broadband apart - this worry is false. Energy is the most glaring case because the product - gas in the pipes and electricity in the wires - is identical whichever provider you opt for. The only difference is the cost and the call centre you have to deal with. Tom Lyon, energy expert at price comparison site uSwitch.com, says it takes no more than 15 minutes to change energy provider. "It's not a particularly sexy or fun thing to do. But if you've never switched before you could save £300 to £400 a year." Misleading doorstep selling when the energy market was first liberalised may be partly to blame for people not trusting the firms involved, he says. Then there's the question of price. How do you know that as soon as you move the new firm won't raise prices? There's another reason why people don't switch, says Moneysavingexpert.com founder Martin Lewis. People want instant gratification but the savings from switching may take time to register. For that reason people should stop talking about monthly bills and focus on the annual amount, he says. By Tim Harford of BBC Radio 4's More Or Less, and author of Adapt: Why Success Always Starts With Failure' On the side of the personal finance gurus is the "endowment effect" and "choice aversion" - both of which are psychological tendencies that might make us irrationally unwilling to switch. The endowment affect is a tendency to prefer the devil we know. Choice aversion was measured by the psychologists Sheena Iyengar and Mark Lepper in the famous "jam experiment" - people were offered a free sample of jam in a supermarket. When the jam display contained six types of jam, about 30% of people went on to buy some. But when the jam display contained 24 types of jam, only about 3% went on to buy some. There's some fascinating research by Chris Wilson and Catherine Waddams Price which studied people switching electricity suppliers, focusing specifically on those who were looking for a cheaper deal, and finding that they did a pretty lousy job. Most people picked up less than half the available gains and a quarter of people managed to make themselves worse off by switching. So maybe we're right to be suspicious of confusing pricing schemes and better off saving ourselves the hassle and sticking with what we have. Some might argue that the consumer websites have an interest in people moving around. Which? and uSwitch receive a fee from some providers when customers switch, although Which says any commission is ploughed back into its charitable arm. Moneysavingexpert links only to price comparison sites, from which it receives a fee when people click through. There may be deeper reasons why more people aren't switching. Behavioural economists have noted that people can be turned off by having too much choice. And that we form attachments to what we've got even if it's not the best deal on the table. Prof James Devlin, deputy dean of Nottingham University Business School, says that there are different types of consumer. "Some are happy to chase every deal and get a kick out of finding them. Others don't want to read all the smallprint." Many of us are inclined to stick to doing something unless there's a good reason to change. To behavioural economists it's called "status quo bias". For some this smacks of laziness but there may also be "quasi-rational" processes at work, Prof Devlin says. An attractive promotional offer for a savings account or ISA may see interest rates fall after a few months. In any case, the difference between 2.5% and 3% may only deliver a small extra return. So the value someone attaches to the time it takes might, in their judgement, not be worth it, even if to an outsider they're paying £50 too much on their gas, Prof Devlin says. Prof Mariana Mazzucato, an evolutionary economist at the Open University, says the consumer experts misread human nature. She believes they've fallen for the myth that people act rationally at all times and have the benefit of "perfect information". In reality we are happy to stick to what we've got as long as it's OK, she says. "Our behaviour is more about routines and rules of thumb. And inertia sets in due to both the costs of acquiring new information and the costs of switching." While energy is fairly transparent, there's a good reason why people don't switch mobile phone provider more regularly, says Lewis. "It's probably more complicated than anything else. The interrelationship of data, minutes and texting, when and where you are making the call, means it's immensely complicated to work out the best deals." Neither do people have the same usage every month. And some people are so keen to get the latest technology like the iPhone that they are willing to lock in on high-tariff long-term contracts that are "terrible value". Switching is often, but not always, the best approach. For those who feel safe with the brand they're with, it may be scary to jump into the arms of an unknown firm. In such cases, they should haggle rather than switch, says Lewis. Banking is the most entrenched of our consumer habits. A Which? survey found that 62% of members have been with their bank for over 20 years. It's a complete anomaly, says James Daley, Which? money editor. A lot of people tell researchers that they're unhappy with their bank. But when asked if they're going to switch they change their tune and insist they would rather stay where they are, he says. Whereas people are getting better at switching their utility provider they see their mortgage and salary as too important to jeopardise, he says. Banks now offer up to £200 for customers to transfer their accounts so frustrated are they by the stasis. "Even that is not encouraging people to switch," Daley says. The only way to reassure customers would be to give them a portable account number, in the same way that mobile phone customers can keep the same number, he argues. But there's a clear divide in how you see the world of personal finance. For the behavioural economists, people will always value relationships and free time over theoretical savings. "Many people do make a rational choice how to use their very limited free time," says Prof Devlin. "Perhaps the last thing they want to do at nine o'clock at night once the kids are in bed is to try and save a small amount off their utility bill." But uSwitch's Lyon disagrees. "Unless I was talking to Wayne Rooney I'd say he's wrong. It takes so little time and the potential rewards are substantial."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-20679454	Wildlife crime profound threat to nations, says report The global illegal trade in wildlife is worth $19bn (£12bn) a year and is threatening the stability of some governments according to new research. Carried out for conservation group WWF, a report highlights a "new wave" of organised wildlife crime by armed groups operating across borders. It says funds from trafficking are being used to finance civil conflicts. The study comes as Malaysian officials captured about 20 tonnes of ivory in one of the biggest seizures ever made. End Quote Will Travers Born Free Foundation The bloody ivory trade has reached new heights of destruction and depravity in 2012” According to Jim Leape, WWF International director general, the report underlines the fact that wildlife crime has escalated drastically over the past decade and now posed a greater threat than ever.Armed by ivory "This is about much more than wildlife," he told a news conference. "This crisis is threatening the very stability of governments. It has become a profound threat to national security." Rebel militia groups in Africa are cashing in on demand for elephants, tigers and rhinos to fund civil conflicts, said John Scanlon, secretary general of Cites, the organisation that governs the trade in endangered species. "We saw earlier this year with rebel groups coming from Chad and Sudan going into northern Cameroon slaughtering 450 elephants, taking the ivory for the purpose of selling it in order to buy arms for local conflicts" he said. He added that there had been similar issues in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This view was echoed by Christian Glass, spokesman for the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. "The new wave of organised wildlife trade crime with heavily armed groups of poachers acting cross-borders is jeopardising conservation successes we've had in the past," he said. The report suggests that the illicit sale of animals and plants is the world's fourth largest illegal trade after narcotics, counterfeiting of products and currency and the trafficking of people. It says that two factors were spurring the growth of the trade. The first was the absence of credible law enforcement and other deterrents that reduced the risk to organised criminal groups. The second was increased accessibility of illegal products via the internet.Positive steps Just before the report was released, customs officials in Malaysia announced that they had made a huge seizure of ivory. According to reports by Traffic, the shipment was en route to China from Togo and comprised some 1,500 pieces of tusks. Sold for parts - Hundreds of rhinos are killed every year for their horns, which are falsely believed to cure a wide variety of ailments, including cancer. - Between 2008 and 2011, gangs of poachers were said to be responsible for killing more than 800 rhinos, according to monitoring group Traffic. - In South Africa, home to the biggest wild population, a record 455 had been slaughtered by October 2012. In 2007, 13 were killed. - The black market value of rhino horns has soared to at least $65,000 (£40,000) per kg in 2012. In 2011, it was $35,000 (£22,000). They were discovered in wooden crates that were deliberately designed to look like stacks of sawn timber. Early estimates suggested the shipment was more than 20 tonnes in total. If this is confirmed it would be one of the biggest seizures in history. According to Will Travers, chief executive of Born Free Foundation, up to 30,000 elephants a year were being killed to fuel demand driven largely by China. "No part of Africa is now safe," he said. "Across the continent, for the first time, the number of carcasses recorded as a result of poaching exceeds the number reportedly dying from natural causes." "The bloody ivory trade has reached new heights of destruction and depravity in 2012." Capturing that many tusks at one time is a rare piece of good news for those involved in the fight against trafficking. Greater international co-operation is needed according to the WWF report as is the better use of intelligence and investigative techniques. But there also has to be a tougher response from the authorities in the countries most affected, said John Scanlon. "We need to deploy the police and in a number of cases we need to deploy the military" he said, adding that the army was now being used to fight the illegal trade in species in five African countries. The report was based on consultations and interviews with representatives from more than 110 governments and international organisations.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11703567	'Holocaust grave' discovered in Romania A mass grave containing the bodies of about 100 Jews killed during the Holocaust has been discovered in Romania, researchers say. The burial pit was found in a forest about 350km (220 miles) north-east of the capital, Bucharest. It is thought to contain the remains of men, women and children shot in 1941 by troops of the pro-Nazi Romanian regime. Up to 380,000 Jews are believed to have been killed in Romanian-controlled territory during WWII. The mass grave was found near the village of Popricani, near the city of Iasi, following testimonies from local inhabitants, who witnessed the killings. "So far we exhumed 16 bodies but this is just the beginning because the mass grave is very deep and we only dug up superficially", Adrian Cioflanca, a Romanian historian involved in the dig, said. It is only the second Holocaust-era mass grave discovered in Romania since 1945.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4152806.stm	The 121 victims of the Cyprus air disaster may have been dead before the plane smashed into a mountainside in Greece, officials have said. Aviation experts and investigators are trying to unravel the sequence of events leading up to the crash. All but 11 of the victims were Cypriot. Some 17 children are believed to have be among those who died. Three days of mourning have been declared for the island's worst accident in decades. Relatives of victims, who included 10 Greeks, have been arriving in Athens to identify the dead. Flight 522 had been heading for Athens en-route to Prague when it lost contact with air traffic controllers, sparking a security alert before it crashed on Sunday afternoon. The pilot of the Boeing 737, 50-year-old German Marten Hans Jurgen, was among the dead. Experts looking into the cause of the crash believe a technical failure led either to a loss of cabin pressure or oxygen supply. Greek Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos said: "It seems the deceased, in most cases, although not all, expired before the crash." Coroner Philippos Koutsaftis told AFP news agency that the main hypothesis for cause of death was asphyxiation. However, a defence ministry source quoted by Reuters said it appeared that the bodies had been frozen solid. Greek police have arrested a man who claimed his cousin sent him a text message from the aircraft minutes before it crashed saying that everyone was frozen. Relatives have vented fury on Helios Airways, accusing the company of allowing an unsafe aircraft to take to the skies - a charge the Cypriot carrier denies. It has also denied a number of reports that it has grounded its entire fleet following the incident. Company chairman Andreas Drakou said the crash was a terrible tragedy and apologised for the delay in announcing the names on the passenger list. Both flight recorders have been recovered from the crash site but one of them is in a "very bad state", chief investigator Akrivos Tsolakis said. 'Out of control' Crews of two Greek F16 fighter jets which were scrambled after contact with the airliner was lost, reported seeing the co-pilot slumped in the cabin. They later saw two unidentified people trying to take control of the plane and could see oxygen masks hanging down in the cabin. At least 17 children were believed to be among the dead One theory is that sudden depressurisation in the cockpit overcame the pilots before they could take on oxygen and bring the aircraft to a lower, safer altitude. "It was out of control," Greek air traffic controller Manolis Antoniadis was quoted by AFP as saying. "There had to have been a fast and brutal problem to cause the death of the pilots in the cockpit." He said the plane seemed to have got into difficulties 10 minutes after take-off. In Greece, a special reception centre has been prepared for victims' relatives in the town of Marathon, not far from the crash site. Orthodox priests and counsellors will be on hand to try to comfort the families. Helios insists its plane was airworthy but Greek television has reported that the airline's fleet has had a history of technical faults. On one recent flight from Warsaw to Larnaca, it said, passengers were taken off the plane suffering from respiratory problems. "All our aircraft are checked very, very thoroughly according to international standards," said Vicky Xitas, Helios' commercial manager. GREECE AIR DISASTER 1. 0900 [0700GMT]: Helios Airways Flight ZU522 leaves Larnaca bound for Prague via Athens 2. 0920 approx: Plane reaches cruising altitude of 35,000ft 3. 0937: Plane enters Greek airspace 4. 1007: Air traffic control unable to contact aircraft 5. 1030: Greek ATC issues "Renegade alert" 6. 1055: F16 fighter aircraft scramble 7. 1120: F16s intercept aircraft; pilots observed slumped over controls 8. 1205: Aircraft crashes near Grammatiko, 40km north of Athens As an ex-aviator I must say what happened is a terrible event. People on board must have experienced low levels of oxygen first that would cause them to go unconscious even before the freezing cold. My deepest sympathy goes out to those who lost their loved ones in yesterday's tragedy. Gurhan Kartal, Ankara, Turkey I am a Cypriot citizen and since the terrible crash happened, the island of Venus is in a deep sympathy for those people who died and their families. Many people are still in a big shock. We (me and my boyfriend) knew 4 people on a plane: two couples around the age of 24-28. Two of them were the crew members, airhostesses. All I wish for them is to rest in peace. Christiana Vasiliou, Nicosia Cyprus Both my parents are from Cyprus, and I have many good friends living there too. This has truly hit me very hard as I feel, as small island, we are all like one family. My deepest sympathies to the people who lost their lives and their families. May God rest all of their souls. Cleo Neophytou, Cambridge, UK As a Turkish Cypriot, I would like to offer my deep and sincere condolences to the families and friends of those who tragically lost their lives in this terrible accident as well as to the entire Greek Cypriot population. This awful event has touched us all. My sister lived in Cyprus for 4 years. Whilst visiting her I developed a love for the Cypriot people and their beautiful island. The loss of this plane with so many children on is a true tragedy. I have recently become a father for the first time and I only now understand how truly precious children are. Ian Hepworth, Pickering, Yorkshire, England My family live in Cyprus and my sister knows some of the people on that flight. With me being half Cypriot this terrible news has had a big impact on me. I would like to express my deepest sympathies to the people who lost their lives and their families god rest all of their souls. Lambros Papantoniou, Grays, UK I do not live near the crash scene, but two weeks ago - August 2nd - I survived the Air France flight 538 crash in Toronto. More and more I realise how truly lucky I am. My deepest sympathy goes out to the people who lost family and loved ones in this Greek air disaster. Dennis Lewis, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates In 1987 a (Monarch Airlines) 737 I was on (bound for Chania in Crete) lost cabin pressure/underwent sudden and total decompression somewhere over (mountainous) north Greece, and (to cut a longer story short) after a terrifying 'rapid descent' of about 30,000ft made an emergency landing at Athens airport. We passengers didn't know what was going on at the time - I for one thought we had all had our chips. This news made me wonder whether the 737 in question was the same one I was on all those years ago (surely they don't keep them in service that long?), or whether 737s have a particular problem with the mechanics of pressurisation. It also made me realise that my fears (and others) on that 737 bound for Crete were well-founded. Eileen Hunt, Abingdon, Oxfordshire