url
stringlengths 24
143
| text
stringlengths 189
165k
|
|---|---|
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/8602301.stm | By Sean Coughlan
BBC News education correspondent, in Birmingham
With an election imminent, teachers are setting out the policy battle lines
A teachers' union has called on its members to "defend state education", saying there is a stark choice between public services and a free market.
A motion at the NASUWT conference in Birmingham has backed industrial action in support of public service values.
It will be seen as an attack on Conservative plans for "free schools".
Tory schools spokesman, Michael Gove, told the union that allowing more providers to run schools would widen opportunities in poorer areas.
In the run up to the calling of the general election, the NASUWT union is setting out the battle lines over schools policy.
The motion backed by delegates on Sunday says there is a "stark choice between those who are committed to the values and ethos of public services and those who cling to the wreckage of the failed free market philosophy".
This will be seen as a criticism of Conservative free school plans to allow parents and other groups to have public funds to set up schools.
Speaking ahead of the debate, the union's general secretary Chris Keates labelled the plans as being "beyond rational thought" and a "major threat to the state system".
She said the policy was designed to "dismantle state education" - and claimed that it would mean schools being set up above shops or in office blocks.
The Conservatives have argued that the policy will offer extra choice to parents, rather than diminishing what is already available.
Speaking at the conference on Saturday, Mr Gove challenged the teachers' union to set up their own school - to show how their principles would work in practice.
The conference will hear warnings from the union's leadership that a "decade of unprecedented investment" in schools must not be "eroded".
The motion on defending public services also accused "serial detractors of public services" of using public spending pressures as an excuse to "butcher public services".
The conference had already voted in support of industrial action against any attempt to change public sector pensions.
Protests against "privatisation" in schools - both the Tory's free schools plan and the government's academy programme - have also been raised at the annual conference of the National Union of Teachers in Liverpool.
Douglas Morgan from Birmingham said the NUT needed to put itself "on a war footing".
"This is about the privatisation of education at a time when the government wants to give money to big business," he said. |
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-12911581 | Dounreay nuclear plant donations for Fukushima
A Scottish nuclear site has donated equipment to Japan for use in dealing with the damaged Fukushima complex.
Radiological measurement and protection equipment from Dounreay, in Caithness, has arrived at Sellafield, in Cumbria, for distribution.
Dounreay Site Restoration Limited (DSRL) said it had gathered a van-load of respirators, hand-held radiation survey kit, masks and suits.
DSRL said it had enough of the equipment for its use.
On Wednesday, Dounreay was among locations around Scotland to record very low levels of radioactive iodine believed to be from the Fukushima nuclear plant.
The chemical was detected in grass samples but the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) said the levels detected did not pose any threat to health.
The Fukushima nuclear plant was crippled after being hit by a tsunami in the aftermath of a huge earthquake on 11 March.
Radiation leaks were recorded following subsequent explosions and fires. |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3733894.stm | By Victoria Lindrea
BBC News Online staff in Dinard, France
Iconic British actor Christopher Lee was recently the subject of a special tribute at the British Film Festival in Dinard, Brittany.
Christopher Lee: Star of cult movies
In a career that has lasted nearly 60 years, the 82-year-old actor has made more than 200 films and specialised in a long line of memorable villains, from Dracula to Scaramanga and The Lord of the Rings' Saruman.
To all intents and purposes - even by Lauren Bacall's standards - Lee is a legend, but what defines his place in the film firmament?
"Lauren Bacall was absolutely 100% right," Lee told BBC News Online at Dinard, referring to Bacall's citing of Birth co-star Nicole Kidman as a "beginner".
"It's a problem, and a huge danger. You have somebody who is between 17 and 25, and because they look good you put them into a major film with a huge budget - and you give them a major role.
"How could you possibly expect them, at that age, to have enough knowledge, experience, background, foundations - whatever you want to call it - to be able to deliver. They can't.
"That I think is what Lauren Bacall meant, she wasn't saying it personally against Nicole Kidman, who is a charming woman and a very good actress."
Christopher Lee says The Wicker Man was his 'best film'
"To be a legend, you've either got to be dead or excessively old!
Lee said actors such as Jack Nicholson, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Gene Hackman and Clint Eastwood would one day merit being described as legends.
In his own legendary career, Lee maintains that the best film he ever starred in was the Wicker Man.
The most successful films of his career, commercially at least, are Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, but he cites a little known art-house film, Jinnah, as his most important work.
"The most important film I made, in terms of its subject and the great responsibility I had as an actor was a film I did about the founder of Pakistan, called Jinnah," he said.
"It had the best reviews I've ever had in my entire career - as a film and as a performance. But ultimately it was never shown at the cinemas."
Filmed seven years ago in Pakistan, Jinnah was never released on the big screen - though it was applauded at film festivals around the world and later appeared on satellite television.
"It's a film about a Muslim who said the Muslims of India should have their own country... it's about a Muslim leader."
"It's a very, very good film but, I'm guessing, the Americans were a bit cautious," said Lee, referring to the film's non-release.
The film, which was also the subject of unspecified legal wrangles, was finally released on DVD earlier this month and according to a delighted Lee is selling extremely well, but clearly its thwarted release remains a disappointment.
"I lived for 10 years in Los Angeles, and the one element that surpasses everything else - that you are very conscious of - is fear. You can smell it.
"People are afraid of making decisions and very often they make the wrong ones.
"Trying to get finance for a really worthwhile story is excessively difficult," he explained.
"I've got seven scripts at home - they are all good stories with excellent roles, but can they get them made?
De Niro could be a true legend, said Lee
"And you're not talking about huge budgets, you're talking about budgets between $5-10m which in today's commercial world is a pinch of salt.
"If I had the money I would make them myself."
These days, more often than not, film offers for the veteran star come in the shape of sequels, remakes and spin-offs.
"Most of the scripts sadly, are spin-offs. It's the same thing that happened with the James Bond movies, suddenly everybody started to make Bond stories.
"Similarly today, what I get, are spin-offs of Lord of The Rings spin-offs or Star Wars."
"And it is not true that there is going to be another Wicker Man. At one time Universal said that they had bought the rights to remake the Wicker Man with Nicolas Cage - well, it hasn't happened and I can't see how it can.
"But I am looking at a story called May Day written by Robin Hardy, who directed Wicker Man. It's a fabulous story, a bit scary and very erotic - but in a very funny way - and I think it's absolutely fascinating. So who knows." |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/lancashire/8163466.stm | The net income of the Duchy is paid to the Queen
The value of the Queen's private estate has fallen by nearly a fifth due to the impact of the recession, accounts show.
The Duchy of Lancaster - a portfolio of land, property and assets held in trust for the Sovereign - saw a drop of £75m to £322m in the 2008-9 financial year.
But the income the Monarchy received from the Duchy, used to fund her public and private activities, increased by 5.4% from £12.6m to £13.3m.
The Duchy of Lancaster covers 18,700 hectares across England and Wales.
Lord Shuttleworth, chairman of the Duchy's council, said in the report: "We have suffered a substantial fall in the capital value of our assets during the year, principally in the commercial property and financial investment portfolios.
"Against that, we have achieved an increase in the net surplus, delivering £13.3m to the Keeper of the Privy Purse.
"In the year ahead, it will be hard to maintain, let alone grow, the income, with slow take up for empty commercial space, and a heightened risk of tenant business failure."
The Privy Purse is the name given to income from the Duchy of Lancaster which invests its funds in agricultural, residential, commercial and financial portfolios.
The commercial property sector makes up more than a third of the Duchy's investments and its value fell from £155m in 2007-8 to £118m in 2008-9.
The investments in the agricultural sector have weathered the financial downturn with the report stating there was a "minimal reduction" in their value.
During the last financial year, the total cost to the taxpayer of keeping the monarchy increased by £1.5m to £41.5m.
Established over 700 years ago, the Duchy of Lancaster is a body created under Charter, it is completely self-financing and does not rely on any taxpayers' money. |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/world/2001/review_of_2001/1703711.stm | |You are in: In Depth: Review of 2001|
Saturday, 29 December, 2001, 09:02 GMT
Macedonia: Step back from the abyss
We recognised the NLA commander immediately by the large, silver .357 magnum strapped to his black flak vest and by the fact he only had one hand. The other had been blown off while bomb making in the Kosovo war.
This was March in a still snowy Albanian village in northern Macedonia and the commander was preparing for a war in the only corner of the former Yugoslavia untouched by the past decade's ethnic conflict.
Today this commander is biding his time in his villa on the Albanian coast after war was averted by a skilful and unprecedented international diplomatic intervention to save Macedonia.
But the Macedonian time bomb was not defused altogether. The republic of two million people remains at risk of an explosion of ethnic violence if the peace deal achieved under international pressure is not implemented fully.
A statement was issued by a previously unheard of Albanian guerrilla group, the National Liberation Army.
It said: "The uniform of the Macedonian occupier will be targeted until all areas with Albanian population are liberated".
Macedonia is a tiny chunk of what was once Yugoslavia, landlocked between Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, Bulgaria and Greece. Between a quarter and a third of the population are ethnic Albanian, and they have always had a seat in government.
"This is not Kosovo," a member of the majority Slav population told me a year ago, summarising ethnic Macedonian resentment both at the Albanians taking up arms and at an international community which, it was angrily claimed, had misunderstood the situation in the republic.
But ethnic Albanians felt they were second class citizens, virtually excluded from the police and army, denied state funding for their university in Tetovo and subject to a constitution which described the country as being the "national state of the Macedonian people".
So although the NLA gunmen were always a minority within a minority, Western diplomats were taken by surprise at the level of support the guerrillas quickly achieved among an Albanian population who believed their aspirations had been too-long denied.
A world away from the mountain villages where the NLA was born, even the news reader on Macedonian state television's Albanian language program could proclaim: "They are heroes. If I was not a mother with two children I would join them too".
Once the fighting erupted around the Western city of Tetovo, it proved difficult to stop. Albanian guerrillas there denounced the NLA's own general staff as cowards for wanting to accept the first of many internationally brokered cease-fires.
The Macedonian security forces brought out helicopter gun-ships and heavy artillery, pounding rebel-held villages in defiance of international calls for restraint.
The 3,000-strong German Nato garrison stationed nearby ran for cover - there would be no immediate military intervention.
Instead there was a text-book exercise in preventative diplomacy by Nato, the EU and the US.
Over seven gruelling weeks of intensive negotiations in the picturesque setting of a villa on Lake Ohrid, American and European envoys brought the two sides progressively closer together.
Events on the battlefield threatened to derail the whole process several times.
The rebels took the village of Aracinovo, and threatened to rain down mortar bombs on the capital, Skopje, if the security forces did not stop their punishing assault.
Eventually NLA rebels were escorted out of Aracinovo by international troops.
This event and the emerging terms of the peace deal provoked an armed crowd of ethnic Macedonians to go on the rampage, attacking Western embassies, international journalists and even the Macedonian parliament.
The deal which had so enraged them allows for an extra 1,000 Albanian police officers to be recruited. But they will remain under control of the central government in Skopje and not be answerable to local leaders, as the ethnic Albanians had wanted.
Albanian will become an official language along with Macedonian and can be used in official institutions in areas where ethnic Albanians account for at least 20% of the population.
And the constitution is being changed to remove any reference to the ethnic background of Macedonians.
It will now describe all Macedonia's population as "citizens of the Republic of Macedonia".
The deal opened the way for Operation Essential Harvest, a 30-day British-led effort to collect weapons held by the NLA. The target of 3,000 weapons, including a couple of tanks, was met.
The Macedonians accused the Albanians of hiding up to 85,000 weapons. Jane's Defence Weekly says that in reality the Albanians may continue to hold up to 8,000 guns.
A respected think tank, the International Crisis Group, says that some 3,000 guns are also in the hands of ethnic Macedonian paramilitaries.
After much delay, the Macedonian Government has finally approved the constitutional changes set out in the peace deal.
But the ethnic Albanians say it is a watered down version of what was agreed. And elections due to be held in January to cement the peace deal now look like being delayed.
Among the ethnic Macedonian parties in the coalition government, the moderate Social Democrats have now pulled out of the government, leaving it in the hands of uncompromising nationalists.
Most of the NLA's leadership have put on suits and have entered the political arena. But some important commanders have joined a new group, the Albanian National Army.
It wants to unify all Albanian lands - so-called Greater Albania - something which will be resisted to the last drop of blood by the ethnic Macedonians.
The peace deal is at risk of being torn apart by two opposing forces: the Macedonian nationalists bitterly resentful that the international community forced them to give away too much, and Albanian rebels who think they can still get more.
05 Dec 01 | Europe
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites
Top Review of 2001 stories now:
Links to more Review of 2001 stories are at the foot of the page.
|E-mail this story to a friend|
Links to more Review of 2001 stories
To BBC Sport>> | To BBC Weather>> | To BBC World Service>>
© MMIII | News Sources | Privacy |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/north_east/7243433.stm | Coastguards have issued a stern health warning about the craze of jumping into open water from great heights.
It follows footage of so-called "tombstoning" in Aberdeenshire being posted on the video-sharing internet site YouTube.
Jumping into the water from cliffs and bridges is believed to have killed five people in the UK last year.
Aberdeen Coastguard watch manager Bob Forbes said people did not realise the risks of the "stupid" stunts.
Mr Forbes told BBC Scotland: "Tombstoning is incredibly stupid and dangerous. And posting it on the internet is also incredibly stupid.
"Jumping from a height, you do not know if you are going to hit rocks."
He warned: "You do not see the lifeboats picking bodies out of the water."
Mr Forbes said people also took the risk of spending their lives in a wheelchair through injury. |
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-23399350 | VisitScotland to spend £2.5m marketing Glasgow 2014
Tourism bosses are planning to spend £2.5m marketing the 2014 Commonwealth Games at home and abroad.
VisitScotland has revealed the first details of its campaign to promote Glasgow and the wider country in the run-up to the event.
The agency has already targeted thousands of potential domestic visitors, through a series of direct mailing initiatives and e-zines.
Television adverts will be shown across the UK and Ireland later this year.
VisitScotland said it planned to use the enthusiasm generated by London 2012, with marketing in the South East of England, as well as focusing on the North West of England, including Manchester, host of the 2002 Commonwealth Games.'Bangalore to Toronto'
Journalists from India, Australia, and Canada have been invited to experience Glasgow. They will tour the Games venues as well as being taken on trips outside the city.
A series of sales missions, trade workshops and media events are also scheduled to take place in India, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
Mike Cantlay, chairman of VisitScotland, said: "As Scotland's biggest ever sporting event, the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games offers a magnificent opportunity to promote Glasgow and the country's prowess as a world leading tourism destination.
"Ahead of welcoming the world in 2014, we're working hard to promote the Games as one of the must-see events next year, engaging with world leading publications as well as pursuing a marketing campaign which will see activity from Bangalore to Toronto, alongside an extensive push here at home.
"Our message is clear: enjoy a magnificent Commonwealth Games, enjoy one of the best cities in the world - now go and enjoy the rest of Scotland."
Tourism Minister Fergus Ewing added: "2014 is an exciting year for Scotland, when we will welcome the world through three major events: the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, Homecoming and the Ryder Cup.
"The Games alone will attract athletes and officials from 71 nations and territories, and through this £2.5m campaign we will be offering a warm welcome to people worldwide to join us in 2014.
"The Commonwealth Games is not just a world class sporting event - it's also an opportunity to showcase Glasgow internationally as a first-class visitor destination." |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6496441.stm | By Richard Hamilton
BBC News, Nouakchott
Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi, 68, was a minister under the former autocratic President Maaoya Sid'Ahmed Ould Taya, but has since done his best to distance himself from that era.
Mr Abdallahi now has to raise living standards in one of the world's poorest countries
In this election he stood as an independent candidate but he was widely seen to have the backing of the army.
The military council that stood down before these historic elections did not offer any of their own candidates but this is their next best option.
Many people will be surprised that Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi beat Ahmed Ould Daddah, who was widely considered to be the favourite.
Ahmed Ould Daddah was also the brother of Mokhtar Ould Daddah - Mauritania's first president and founding father of the nation.
With a name and pedigree like that, it was going to be hard to beat.
With newly-discovered oil wealth, Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi's priority should be to deliver growth and prosperity to what has been one of the poorest nations on earth.
Another will be to strive for national unity in a country whose complex population mix of Arabs and sub-Saharan Africans has caused conflict in the past. |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/welsh/8479551.stm | Wales deny any controversy over Dwayne Peel's omission
Dwayne Peel limps off during the Sale Sharks match against Cardiff Blues
Wales assistant coach Rob Howley says scrum-half Dwayne Peel's omission from their initial 35-man RBS Six Nations squad is purely down to injury.
There had been speculation head coach Warren Gatland was considering leaving out the Sale man even before his groin injury against the Blues on 16 January.
But Howley insists Peel will figure in the squad when he recovers.
"As soon as Dwayne is fit and performs he will be back in the squad," Howley confirmed to BBC Sport Wales.
"We spoke to Dwayne regarding the reason why him and [Ospreys scrum-half] Mike Phillips weren't selected. They are both injured."
It means Wales picked Blues scrum-halves Gareth Cooper and Richie Rees, plus Martin Roberts of the Scarlets.
The trio will now fight it out for the starting number nine berth for the opening Six Nations clash against England at Twickenham on 6 February.
It's best if they get their rehab right and when they are fit they will be called up
"With two weeks' preparation we need able bodies and fit bodies [and] I think that with the new scrum-half in Richard Rees in the squad, what we don't want is injured players on the sideline,'' said Howley, capped 59 times as a Wales scrum-half.
"We want to give the best opportunity to the number nines who are here to be at their best.
"It's best if they [Peel and Phillips] get their rehab right and when they are fit they will be called up.
"That was the message that was passed on to Dwayne. Obviously when he came off against the Blues we were disappointed like everyone else to see Dwayne limp off."
Wales 'focussed' on England test
But Kingsley Jones, Peel's coaching director at Sale Sharks, suggested in a Sunday newspaper that fitness was not the only issue behind the player's omission.
It is not the first time Peel has been in the limelight, with doubt surrounding his future at Sale Sharks. His contract is up at the end of the season with a suggestion he might return to Wales.
Despite being without two British and Irish Lions scrum-halves in Peel and Phillips, Howley insists it is a golden opportunity for someone else ahead of the England clash.
"I think that we have got a great squad ethic. I think the old adage 'when one door closes another one opens' [fits] and for the nine, whether it is Gareth, Martin or Richard, the next two weeks' prep is going to be really important.
"We are going to see those players under our conditions, in our environment, and to give them the best opportunity to be at their best the decision was to leave Dwayne and Mike out of the squad.
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/sport2/hi/rugby_union/welsh/2997282.stm | Former Wales fly-half Arwel Thomas has signed for French club Pau next season, having failed to land a regional contract with the Swansea-Neath team.
Thomas still harbours hopes of representative rugby
Thomas, 28, has signed a one-year contract with an option to extend for a further season.
The 23-cap stand-off still has representative ambitions and hopes that the move could rejuvenate his Wales career.
"I watched the game against Australia last weekend and Wales seem to be getting a decent pack together," said Thomas, "maybe some way down the line they'll want some flair behind." |
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-31436656 | IMF agrees $17.5bn reform programme for Ukraine
- 12 February 2015
- From the section Business
The IMF has agreed a $17.5bn (£11.5bn) loan to Ukraine as part of a new economic reform programme.
The Extended Fund Facility is designed to stabilise Ukraine's economy, restore growth and improve living standards.
On top of the IMF funding, the programme also agrees "other bilateral and multilateral funding" to a total value of about $40bn.
The World Bank will provide up to $2bn of that package and said it is "vital" that Ukraine pushes through reforms.
IMF managing director Christine Lagarde said the deal could prove a "turning point" for Ukraine.
But Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk said that the aid package included "very difficult" reforms.
Ms Lagarde said it was an ambitious programme and not without risk.
She said: "This new programme offers an important opportunity for Ukraine to move its economy forward at a critical moment in the country's history.''
It came as Russia's Vladimir Putin, Ukraine's Petro Poroshenko, and leaders of France and Germany announced that a ceasefire would begin in eastern Ukraine on 15 February,
Ms Lagarde said that the deal was "a realistic programme and its effective implementation, after consideration and approval by our executive board, can represent a turning point for Ukraine".
Mr Yatseniuk said the IMF was demanding reforms to fight corruption, overhaul the energy sector, cut state expenditure and reduce state bureaucracy.
He said he expected a total of $25bn financial support from the IMF as part of a four-year facility, including $17.5bn to stabilise the financial situation in the country.
He added that the Ukrainian economy could grow in 2016 if "Russian aggression" was halted and internal reforms were a success. |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/formula_one/2833717.stm | Ferrari have admitted that they threw away their chances of victory in the Australian Grand Prix with poor tactics - handing the advantage to McLaren and Williams.
Ferrari were made to pay for what they admitted was a tactical error
Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn said the best his team could have hoped for was second place - even without Michael Schumacher damaging his car during the race.
"It was one of those afternoons that didn't work out for us. We started on the wrong tyre and it didn't quite come together," Brawn said.
Ferrari left the decision to swith to dry tyres far too late, Brawn said - the race started on a damp track but under a clearing sky and a strong wind.
"Michael went off and went over the grass. That damaged the mountings to the barge boards, they came off and that affected the car," he added.
"I'm not sure how it would have worked out without that - we were certainly in a strong position.
"Maybe [Schumacher would have been in] second place, and from there you can put pressure on the leader."
Schumacher waited until the seventh lap to put dry tyres on his Ferrari.
By that time he had been caught by the dry-tyred Williams of Juan Pablo Montoya and was lapping much slower than the similarly-equipped McLarens.
It's encouraging - under pressure they can make mistakes
Race winner David Coulthard
McLaren put themselves at a tactical advantage by not only switching both their cars onto dry tyres within two laps of the start of the race - but also changing to a one-stop strategy.
Williams, by contrast, started the race on dry tyres, a decision that meant they had to do two stops during the race because that was the amount of fuel they had in their cars.
Coupled with two safety car periods, that put Kimi Raikkonen into position to win the race from Juan Pablo Montoya with Schumacher third.
But the Finn threw away his chances when he broke the pit lane speed limit after his fuel stop.
That put Schumacher in the lead from Montoya and David Coulthard.
But the German had to stop again for fuel and Montoya spun on the next lap, handing the win to Coulthard - and the Ferrari driver had further damaged his chances when he ran off the road while battling for the lead with Raikkonen earlier in the race.
Coulthard, who won his and McLaren's first race since Monaco last year, said Ferrari's errors were a welcome boost to the chasing pack.
All things considered we can be happy with fourth place
"It's encouraging, occasionally they are dropping the ball," the Scot said.
"Under pressure they can make mistakes, but the conditions were a little bit unusual
"There is still work to be done to be competitive against Ferrari."
Schumacher said: "The changing weather made for a chaotic race. At one point I hit the kerb, damaged the car quite badly and
lost a lot of time because of it.
"Apparently, on the lap before my last pit stop some parts started hanging off the car and that was badly affecting its
"It felt as though the car was damaged and I even thought I
might have a puncture.
"So all things considered we can be happy with fourth place
and these five points will be important later in the year." |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4553452.stm | Scores of British families are returning to Thailand and Sri Lanka to take part in memorial services for loved ones lost in the Asian tsunami.
For many it is not only about making timely tributes to their lost relatives and the thousands of others who died.
Carole worked as a teacher at the International School in Bangkok
It is also about confronting the horrors many saw when they went out to the disaster zone to search for them.
Michael Pitt lost nearly all his blood relatives when the wave devastated the Thai holiday resort of Khao Lak.
He remembers seeing the television coverage and feeling annoyed at the overwhelming focus on the British victims.
But he soon heard through another family member that his sister Carole Fairbairn and her husband Colin, both 58 and who lived in Bangkok, had been caught up in the disaster.
All he knew was that they had been enjoying some "time at the beach" with their son Tom, 25, and his girlfriend Dorothy when the wave hit.
Dorothy had survived but was badly injured in hospital and alone.
"This place Khao Lak, which I had never even heard of, now entered into my world.
The Fairbairn family had just been hiking in Laos
"I immediately formed a decision that I needed to go," says Mr Pitt, a local government consultant from Croydon, south London.
He was there within 72 hours and began the gruelling search for his missing relatives.
"The things that wake me up in the night - it's the destruction at Khao Lak. It's all the bodies in the body bags, because I spent a lot of time there looking for them."
He says the first real impact for him that something really terrible had happened was when he saw the walls covered in the pictures of the missing outside in Phuket.
"Then I saw just how horrendous it was. It was unbelievable. I mean I've seen the aftermath of bombs in Pakistan.... but this."
Mr Pitt spent his days going to the temples, searching through the bodies and visiting the hospitals around Phuket.
"You try to make links. Has someone seen them? Then all the time there's this dawning realisation that if they're not anywhere you've been - they're dead."
Michael Perry, who lost his daughter Hannah Tugwell, 36, when the wave hit her beach bungalow in Khao Lak, also remembers the emotional battle between hope and horror.
"No one had seen my daughter, so I did what any father would do I went out to Thailand."
After checking the hospitals in Phuket, it was suggested he might head to Khao Lak to search for her.
Hannah was about to go diving with her husband Matthew
"You hang on to these forlorn things of hope - perhaps she's just lying unconscious somewhere - hit on the head or something."
Like Mr Pitt, he was stunned by the intensity of the damage around Phuket and in Khao Lak.
"It was totally devastated," said Mr Perry, who is retired and from Truro.
"I am glad to say I didn't find her here - I came home empty-handed as it were - except for my son in law, Matthew, who I brought back."
Special needs teacher Hannah and her husband Matthew from Maidstone, Kent, had been planning to go diving off the nearby Simeon Islands.
"When the wave came Matthew remembers being pushed up against the roof. Their eyes met for a brief second then all he can remember was being bumped over and over - like a washing machine, " Mr Perry said.
"He never saw my daughter again."
Hannah's body was identified in February through her dental records. The family held a cremation ceremony in Phuket the following month.
After that Mr Perry thought he would never go back to Thailand but then he heard about the anniversary commemorations and the Thai government's offer of flights and two nights' accommodation.
"So now I am going back to the same place. I suppose it's a nice sort of closure.
"The way we feel about it is - it's like a school sports day. All the other parents will be there and I can just here Hannah's voice saying, 'How typical!' if we weren't to go.
Hannah married Matthew on Mount Cook in New Zealand
"I have lots of little commissions - flowers to spread in the sea and such like. It just seems like the right thing to do."
About 160 British families will be supported by Foreign Office staff and teams from the British Red Cross-sponsored tsunami support network during the trip.
They will be met at the airports and assisted with accommodation and escorted to memorial events.
Mr Pitt says the support network has been a place where he has been able to share what he went through without having to explain.
"It's a bit like joining a club being a victim of the tsunami - all sorts of people have a way into your life."
Although sometimes the victims and relatives have needed others to take control, he says, it is important they are able to set their own agenda.
He travelled out to Thailand in early December with his wife Kirin.
They went early to catch up with all the people who helped him from the International School in Bangkok, where his sister had worked, and to see how the aid effort has progressed.
But it is also about facing the loss and the death, he says.
"We're not really sure what it's going to be - it will be what it will be.
"It's a time to remember and to reflect and to do all those things - but it will be gutting as well - unimaginably so."
But some of those affected have more of an eye on the future.
Khao Lak was the centre of devastation in Thailand
Pip Richards, 55, and her partner Joe Fenn, 51, who were holidaying in Hikkaduwa in Sri Lanka when the tsunami struck, are returning for the anniversary to set up a factory to process coir, the fibre of the husk of the coco-nut which is used for making ropes.
"We went back to Sri Lanka in February and we only realised then the scale of the destruction.
"There were boats upside down in the water and whole villages obliterated," said Miss Richards.
The couple, from Helston, Cornwall, who run environmental group the Sustainable Trust, are hoping to provide jobs for about 70 victims still living in temporary accommodation, because this is how they feel they can be "most useful".
People in need of emotional support or someone to talk to can call the tsunami support line on 0845 054 7474. For more information about the support network visit http://www.tsunamisupportnetwork.org.uk |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/golf/8766111.stm | Montgomerie (right) insists he had not snubbed his predecessor Faldo (left)
Europe's Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie has insisted he will consult predecessor Sir Nick Faldo ahead of this year's match.
Faldo told newspapers that he had written to Montgomerie but had yet to receive any reply.
They did not meet up at this week's BMW International in Munich, even though they were both playing the tournament.
But Montgomerie said: "I will take the opportunity hopefully the next time we're together.
Faldo has played against the United States 11 times and is the record points-scorer in the match with 25, although Montgomerie could have overtaken him at the 2008 match, had he been included as one of Faldo's wildcard picks.
Europe's loss at Valhalla ended a run of three consecutive wins, and in the days following the match, Montgomerie said he would not necessarily have made the same choices as Faldo had he been captain.
"Certain things I would have been done the same and certain things I feel I would have liked to have changed," said the Scot.
"The line-up of the singles was very important being 9-7 down. Very important. It had to be absolutely bang-on right."
With this year's match taking place at Celtic Manor in Wales from 1-3 October, Montgomerie has already consulted Bernhard Langer, the victorious European captain in 2004.
Six-time major winner Faldo has also offered his expertise to Montgomerie, but was quoted in the Mail on Sunday as saying "I have not had a reply.
"I don't think I need say more than that. It says it all."
But Montgomerie said: "You learn from everybody and from every experience in life.
"I won't leave any stone unturned. I haven't and I won't." |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/my_club/worcester/8316462.stm | George Crook got his first start for the Warriors in Madrid
Worcester director of rugby Mike Ruddock was impressed with fly-half George Crook's debut against Olympus Madrid in the European Challenge Cup.
Warriors have been struggling to find a replacement at number 10 since the departure of Shane Drahm.
"He was picked on merit ahead of Joe Carlisle and he earned that spot," Ruddock told BBC Hereford & Worcester.
"He missed one or two early kicks, but after that he settled down and ran the back line showing a lot of composure."
Utility back Willie Walker has been filling in regularly at fly-half but Ruddock decided to give the 21-year-old academy product his chance in Spain.
Warriors' 38-5 win in Madrid has put them back in contention in their group as Connacht won in Montpellier.
He looked assured and confident and when he went off we lost that bit of continuity
Crook kicked five conversions and a penalty and Ruddock could name him on the replacements bench for the Guinness Premiership clash with Harlequins on Saturday.
The Warriors director of rugby has not been afraid to blood youngsters and he says Crook could be next to stake a place in the side.
"He looked assured and confident and when he went off we lost that bit of continuity," he said.
Crook is in his third season at Sixways and has tasted Premiership action before when coming on as a replacement to score a try against London Irish in April 2009.
He had a spell on loan with Coventry in the Championship and was watched by Ruddock on a number of occasions. |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/funny_old_game/4079623.stm | Gazza - bored of the dance
Paul Gascoigne has pulled out of a Come Dancing Christmas special, after injuring himself during training.
The former England star was due to appear in an ice-dance version of the BBC show, but seemingly did one practice triple toe-loop too many.
Gazza, 37, who will be replaced by ex-England colleague David Seaman, blamed friend Jimmy 'Five Bellies' Gardner for his back injury.
"The problem is, I've been training with Jimmy Five Bellies as well as my
professional partner and we kept arguing over who would be Torvill and who would
be Dean," he said.
"In trying to lift him, a terrible accident occurred and I fell crushed to
the ice - unlike Jane Torvill, he's 16 stone."
Jimmy 'Five Bellies' Gardner
Gazza, who quit as Boston's player-coach earlier this year, had been training every day for the competition.
He admitted: "I'm obviously gutted that I'm not going to win Strictly Ice Dancing."
Seaman, 41, joins stars including EastEnders actress Scarlet Johnson and Jessica Taylor from Liberty X.
The former Arsenal goalkeeper said: "I always seem to be stepping in to help
Gazza - this isn't the first time." |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/music/newsid_7439000/7439725.stm | The High Court case is estimated to have cost nearly £2m
Two original members of Busted have lost their £10m royalties battle.
Ki McPhail and Owen Doyle claimed they were forced to sign away their rights before being sacked from the band in October 2001.
The pair said they wrote songs with James Bourne and Matt Willis, including Year 3000 and What I Go To School For, when the group formed in 2001.
But the judge in the case, Mr Justice Morgan, dismissed their claims and criticised the evidence they gave.
He said McPhail had "convinced himself that his reconstructed version of events really happened" and Doyle "was not a reliable witness either".
In a statement after winning the case, ex-Busted members James Bourne and Matt Willis said: "This was an opportunistic attempt by Doyle and McPhail to cash in on our success.
"Their claims were a complete fabrication and we are delighted that the judge has seen through this and totally dismissed them.
Charlie Simpson (middle) joined Busted after McPhail and Doyle left
"Our position has been completely vindicated and our achievements with Busted remain untarnished."
In his ruling, the judge left open the issue of the extent to which the original four band members contributed to four hits; What I Go To School For, Psycho Girl, Year 3000 and Sleeping With The Light On.
He said who wrote the songs was irrelevant to his decision because there had never been any contract or partnership between the four.
Both Ki McPhail and Owen Doyle have had their assets frozen before more hearings to decide who will pay for the trial, which was heard over 19 days.
They are now considering an appeal.
McPhail and Doyle were in a band called The Termites with James Bourne and Matt Willis between January and October 2001.
They founded Busted together but McPhail and Doyle were kicked out shortly afterwards.
Busted had eight top 10 hits between 2002 and 2004 with new member Charlie Simpson but split up in 2005.
Charlie Simpson is now in Fightstar, with James Bourne in Son Of Dork and Matt Willis a solo artist. |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/5021044.stm | Sky launched its high-definition television service on Monday, meaning its viewers join Telewest cable customers in watching TV in a new way.
With the BBC formally beginning its own HDTV broadcasts on Saturday, four readers give their impressions of the new service.
Jeff Newton: "The picture quality is outstanding."
Having been one of the lucky few to have Sky HD installed this week, I've had five days to form my own opinions of the latest technology in TV.
There is absolutely no doubt that the picture quality is outstanding.
There has been lots of talk about whether it is important to be able to see the sweat on an actor's face. It's not.
It is, however, fantastic to see the detail and colours of nature in the latest Discovery HD programme or see one of your favourite movies in screen quality that you have never seen before.
I think possibly the best way to explain the difference between standard TV and HDTV is to remember VHS against DVD.
Could you go back to VHS from your DVD? No, and I think it's fair to say that I won't be going back to standard TV.
Austin Grant: "There will be no going back."
After the Sky engineer left on Monday, I had a quick scan through the HD channels - the picture quality is superb.
The first thing I noticed was picture clarity, detail and sharpness, the colours really stand out. And you are blown away with the feeling of depth perception.
It is amazing how quickly you get use to the HD quality, and end up not watching the normal channels as they look blurry in comparison.
Looking forward to watching the Planet Earth series starting on the BBC HD channel and also the World Cup.
You need to experience the viewing to understand what all the fuss is about. Once you do, there will be no going back.
Rob: "Standard definition is like watching TV through clingfilm."
I've watched several broadcasts in HD including the 5-day international cricket match, the England football friendly and the HD previews on BBC HD.
The most obvious differences between standard definition and HD is the detail and the vibrancy of colour. Watching standard definition is like watching TV through clingfilm.
Simple things, like looking at the grass on the football pitch, the whiskers on a man's beard; the fine detail is amazing, it's like you're there.
Rahul: "The hype is worthy."
Firstly, the hype is worthy. Some of the broadcasts I have seen have been breathtaking, especially the natural history programmes.
Star Wars Episode III on Sky HD Box Office was undoubtedly far superior to my DVD copy, though that might change with HD DVD and Blu-Ray due out soon.
To many HDTV is all about sport and the live cricket coverage speaks for itself. Absolutely amazing, I could read the wording on the players' shirts and see faces in the crowd.
Even more reason, I think, to eagerly await the BBC's coverage of the World Cup.
If I had to find fault with the HDTV revolution, then it's probably the current lack of actual HD content. But in time I believe this will change, and HDTV will become the norm.
What next? Well the engineer from Sky, who installed my system, hinted at 3D HDTV - now that would be something! |
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-29248955 | Islamic State crisis: US House approves Obama Syria plan
The US House of Representatives has approved President Barack Obama's plan to train and arm the moderate Syrian opposition taking on Islamic State.
The vote passed by a large majority in the Republican-controlled House and is expected to be adopted in the Senate.
The endorsement came after President Obama repeated that he would not be committing American combat troops to ground operations in Iraq.
The US has undertaken 174 air strikes against IS in Iraq since mid-August.
The jihadist group controls large areas of Syria and northern Iraq.
In the most recent air strikes on Tuesday and Wednesday, US forces destroyed two IS armed vehicles north-west of Irbil and several units south-west of Baghdad, according to US Central Command (Centcom).
Mr Obama's new strategy plans similar attacks in Syria and calls on a coalition of 40 countries to confront the militant group.
Analysis: Tom Esslemont, BBC News, Washington
This vote was expected to pass easily. Republicans, who control the House, generally support President Obama's strategy to defeat and degrade Islamic State.
But the more hawkish among them feel the plan falls short. They argue that the president should consider sending US combat troops to Syria and Iraq - something he has said he is not prepared to do.
Some lawmakers from both parties feel sceptical that the Syrian rebels are up to the job.
At a Senate committee hearing, they pressed Secretary of State John Kerry for assurances that the Syrian fighters would be properly vetted so that, in future, American weapons don't fall into the wrong hands.
'No safe haven'
On Wednesday, the House of Representatives approved his $500m request by 273 votes to 156 to help arm and train moderate rebels in Syria.
The provision has been added to spending legislation aimed at extending federal government operations beyond the end of September.
Earlier, Mr Obama said he would not commit "to fighting another ground war in Iraq", while visiting a military base in Florida.
Mr Obama arrived overnight in Tampa, Florida, where Centcom - responsible for the Middle East and Central Asia - is based.
After briefings with top military officials, Mr Obama told an assembly of troops that "the American forces that have been deployed to Iraq do not and will not have a combat mission".
But the US would see that IS was eventually defeated, Mr Obama said - "If you threaten America, you will find no safe haven."
"We cannot do for the Iraqis what they must do for themselves," Mr Obama said.
Mr Obama highlighted partner countries like France and the UK, which were already flying reconnaissance flights, and Saudi Arabia, which has agreed to host a US-led training programme for Syrian rebel groups fighting IS.
His comments came a day after Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen Martin Dempsey said he would recommend ground troops if the air strikes failed.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif said on Wednesday that Islamic State was a "dangerous phenomenon," but could not be defeated by air strikes.
Meanwhile, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi rejected as "out of the question" the possibility that foreign ground troops would be allowed to fight in his country.
"Not only is it not necessary," he told Associated Press, "we don't want them. We won't allow them. Full stop."
IS earlier released what analysts described as a video response to the US moves.
The slickly produced, Hollywood-style trailer for a film entitled Flames of War refers to Mr Obama's insistence that US combat troops will not be returning to fight in Iraq.
In an apparent taunt, it depicts wounded US troops, masked executioners standing over kneeling captives, and declares at the conclusion: "Fighting has just begun." |
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-39447232 | New mental health strategy unveiled by Scottish government
The Scottish government has unveiled its new strategy on mental health, committing to spend more than £300m to tackle it in the next five years.
Mental Health Minister Maureen Watt said her ambition was for mental and physical illnesses to achieve "parity of esteem" in the way they are treated.
Ms Watt told MSPs she would work hard to tackle poverty as the "biggest driver" of poor mental health.
There are 40 actions in the Scottish government's new strategy.
- Increasing mental health workforce in A&E, GP practices, police stations and prisons
- Reviewing counselling and guidance services in schools
- Reforming adults with incapacity legislation so it complies with best international standards
- Establishing a bi-annual forum of mental health experts to help guide the implementation
The strategy will also focus on prevention and early intervention and a social security system based on "dignity, fairness and respect".
Ms Watt told the Scottish Parliament: "As Scotland's first dedicated minister for mental health, I have been driven by a simple principle - that we must prevent and treat mental health problems with the same commitment and drive as we do physical health.
"This guiding ambition is at the heart of the new Mental Health Strategy, working to intervene as early as possible to prevent issues developing while ensuring anyone needs only ask once to get the help they need fast.
"This strategy has been fundamentally shaped by the feedback from organisations and service users. Their views have demonstrated passion and the need for change."
The minister also said the Scottish government had made considerable progress in improving access to specialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. An audit of rejected referrals will be commissioned.
Recent NHS figures revealed that more than 100 children who began receiving specialist mental health care in the last three months of 2016 had waited more than a year to get help.
The Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland said the government's strategy was "strong on ambition and vision" but needed more clarity on how the actions will be delivered.
Colin McKay, chief executive of the commission, said: "To ensure the strategy has a real impact on people's lives, the next step is to bring clarity as to how its actions will be delivered, and by whom.
"It is also vital to have measurable outcomes. There must be a shared and effective process of monitoring the strategy, and whether it is effective.
"We are committed to working with government, and with others, to take this forward."
The Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH) welcomed the action on young people's mental health but said the overall strategy did not go far enough.
The charity's chief executive Billy Watson said: "We are pleased to see that some of our recommendations have been accepted and areas of focus in the plan are to be welcomed.
"However, we are disappointed it lacks the ambition and investment that Scotland deserves, especially for children and young people."
The Scottish Conservatives described the new strategy as a "missed opportunity"
'Scale of ambition'
The party's mental health spokesman, Miles Briggs, said: "Like many of the organisations involved in delivering mental health services and supporting those with mental health problems, I do not believe this strategy will make the transformative change we all want to see.
"This mental health strategy simply doesn't live up to the promises the first minister has made on rights, resources and reforms."
Scottish Labour said the strategy was "nowhere near the scale of ambition we need for improving mental health outcomes in Scotland".
The party's inequalities spokeswoman Monica Lennon said: "It's disappointing that the SNP government has ignored Scottish Labour's plan for investment in school-based counselling and wraparound early intervention support in schools - because we know that half of all mental health problems begin before the age of 15." |
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-27649102 | Anti-racism rallies take place in Belfast and Derry
About 4,000 people have attended anti-racism rallies in Belfast and Londonderry following a recent spate of racist attacks in Northern Ireland.
Speakers included MLA Anna Lo, who this week said racist abuse had influenced her decision not to seek re-election.
The rallies also followed controversy over a Belfast pastor who described Islam as "heathen" and "satanic".
Pastor James McConnell received support from some NI politicians, including First Minister Peter Robinson.
Last week, Mr Robinson said he would not trust Muslims involved in violence or devotees of Sharia law, but would trust Muslims "to go to the shops" for him.
The first minister has since clarified his remarks, claimed he was misinterpreted, and apologised to Islamic leaders in Belfast.
The Belfast event, Stand Up and Rally Against Racism, began at the city hall at noon.
It was attended by about 4,000 people, according to a police spokeswoman.
The crowd chanted Anna Lo's name and cheered when they were addressed by the Hong-Kong born MLA, who is a member of the Alliance party.
Ms Lo told the rally she was "not going away" and said everyone must stand up against racism and sectarianism in Northern Ireland.
"Plenty of people have shown they want a diverse society," she told the crowd.
"They want respect for ethnic minorities. What Mr Robinson said was total disrespect and condescending of the Muslim community."
Muslim leaders were also among the gathering in Belfast.
Earlier this month, police said they were reviewing the number of patrols in Belfast following a spate of hate crime attacks on homes and property in the city.
In April, a senior police officer said said the loyalist paramilitary group, the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), had been orchestrating racist attacks in south and east Belfast.
ACC Will Kerr told the Policing Board it had contributed to an overall 70% rise in hate crime in Belfast and had "a deeply unpleasant taste of a bit of ethnic cleansing".
Saturday's anti-racism rally in Derry attracted about 100 supporters.
Among the crowd was Environment Minister Mark H Durkan and Mayor of Derry Martin Reilly.
The city centre rally was addressed by a member of the local Muslim community, Sameh Hassan. |
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-42909277 | Underley Hall staff instilled 'fear and brutality'
Five men assaulted and bullied pupils at a private boarding school in order to "instil fear and brutality", a jury has heard.
They have gone on trial at Carlisle Crown Court over claims relating to Underley Hall School in Kirkby Lonsdale, Cumbria.
Prosecutors allege 10 boys were subjected to violence and humiliation.
Former owner Derrick Cooper and four former teachers and workers deny cruelty and actual bodily harm.
The offences are said to have taken place during the 1970s and 80s.
Prosecutor Michael Hayton QC said pupils at the school often came from "challenging family backgrounds including broken homes and abusive parents".
He told the court one boy was headbutted and had his eyes gouged, another had his hand placed in a woodwork vice and was hit with a mallet, while a third was punched and kicked before being stripped and made to walk naked along a corridor.
"This case is about the deliberate mistreatment of school children and adolescents by those tasked with educating and protecting them," Mr Hayton said.
"It is the Crown's case that, in fact, each of these defendants on occasion physically assaulted and bullied pupils in order to teach them a lesson, and to instil fear and brutality."
Mr Cooper, 77, of Hillberry Green, Douglas, Isle of Man, has pleaded not guilty to six charges of actual bodily harm and two charges of cruelty to a person under 16 years.
Fred Taylor, 75, of Lower Park Royd Drive, Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire; James Robert Farish, 58, of Oakwood, Kendal; David Hadwin, 71, of Raygarth Gardens, Kirkby Lonsdale; and 66-year-old John Studley, of Maryland Close, Silverdale, Lancashire, deny actual bodily harm.
The trial, expected to last six to eight weeks, continues. |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/520654.stm | Monday, November 15, 1999 Published at 07:21 GMT
Green light for 'rent-a-granny'
The scheme is meant to help mothers in deprived areas
Mothers may soon be able to turn to a team of "community grannies" for help with their families.
A pilot project is part of the government's Sure Start programme aimed at giving children in deprived areas a better start in life.
The Sure Start programme as a whole will provide services ranging from ante-natal classes for fathers and lessons from firefighters in accident prevention to advice and support on everything from teenage pregnancy to nutrition.
'Innovative and imaginative'
The Education and Employment Secretary, David Blunkett, said the £542m programme would make a "huge difference to the lives of children and families".
He said: "It is central to our drive to eliminate child poverty and tackle social exclusion."
Public Health Minister Yvette Cooper said: "We have set tough targets for Sure Start projects to meet, but these programmes have risen to the challenge.
"They have set out innovative and imaginative plans to improve the prospects of young children and their families in their communities."
The winning schemes, all based in England although Sure Start covers the whole of the UK, were selected from a number of "trailblazer programmes".
Others which won funding were in Birmingham, Bristol, Blackpool, Derby, Leicester, Sheffield, Sunderland, Manchester, Oxford, Oldham, Hastings, Mansfield and Copeland in Cumbria. |
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-24466229 | Archaeologists exploring lost wrecks in British seas have discovered a collection of forgotten cannon off the Northumberland coast.
A team of divers are exploring 88 wrecks lost before 1840 in a bid to find the most important historic sites.
Now 19 cannon, some of which were undiscovered, have been found at the Gun Rocks wreck in the Farne Islands.
Archaeologist Graham Scott said they are now investigating the guns' origins which are thought to be from the 1700s.
The cannon were discovered with help from a group who originally searched the site in the 1960s and 70s, along with English Heritage and Wessex Archaeology.
Mr Scott, of Wessex Archaeology, said: "The rise of recreational diving in the 1960s and 70s in Britain meant that divers started to discover many wreck sites in the Farne Islands that were previously unknown.
"In the 1970s divers from the Tyneside 114 British Sub Aqua Club discovered a large number of cannon on the seabed at Gun Rocks."
During the search, the group rediscovered the 1970s cannon site and several previously unknown cannon.
Sir Walter Raleigh
Mr Scott said corroded guns on the seabed are "notoriously difficult" to identify, but initial investigations suggest the guns are eight and six pounders manufactured in Sweden between 1670 and 1710.
According to records at Bamburgh Castle, the cannon are likely to be what remains of a Dutch ship which was carrying 40 cannon when it struck the Farne Islands in 1704.
However, Mr Scott said other possible explanations were still being considered as the team did not know why the Dutch ship was in the area.
The aim of the project, which is being carried out by English Heritage on the 40th anniversary of the Protection of Wrecks Act, is to give the most important sites protected status.
Other wrecks included in the project are Sir Walter Raleigh's lost vessel The Flying Joan, thought to have sunk off the Isles of Scilly in 1617 and an early barge called a Mersey flat located in the north-west.
Wrecks predating 1840 make up just 4% of the 37,000 known and dated sites, with most post-1914.
- 18 July 2013
- 31 October 2011
- 2 May 2012
- 27 October 2012 |
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-20283966 | Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa has announced he will run for a third term in February's elections.
Tens of thousands of Mr Correa's supporters gathered at a stadium in the capital, Quito, for the announcement.
The left-wing leader, who is facing a divided and weakened opposition, is expected to win the vote.
Mr Correa has been in power since 2007 and already been re-elected once - the first time for an Ecuadorean president in more than 30 years.
"We've done a lot but there's a lot more to be done, to turn this bourgeois state into a truly popular state that would serve everyone, especially the poor," Mr Correa said as he accepted the nomination.
Wearing predominantly the green colour of Mr Correa's Alianza Pais (Country Alliance) movement, supporters at the Aucas stadium chanted: "We've got a president, we've got Rafael".
Strategic Affairs Secretary Jorge Glas has been announced as the vice-presidential candidate.
Rafael Correa, a 49-year-old economist trained in the United States, has spent billions of dollars on social projects.
Critics say the South American country's economy relies too much on oil revenues and remittances from Ecuadorean working in the US and Europe.
They also accuse Mr Correa of hypocrisy, saying that he has continued to attack press freedom in Ecuador while championing freedom of speech abroad.
His government granted political asylum to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in August, two months after he sought refuge at the Ecuadorean embassy in London.
Mr Correa rejects such criticism and says the country's conservative and powerful media has tried to undermine his social programmes. |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/arts_and_culture/8515642.stm | Francis was a champion jockey turned thriller writer
Racing figures and authors have paid tribute to thriller writer Dick Francis, who has died aged 89.
Writer Frederick Forsyth praised Francis's "immensely prolific" output of "page-turners", and said authors were still "walking in his footsteps".
Former BBC commentator Sir Peter O'Sullevan said the best-selling writer was one of the "people's champions".
As well as being a best-selling author, Francis was also champion jockey in the 1950s and the Queen Mother's jockey.
He wrote more than 40 best-selling novels during his career, selling some 60 million books worldwide.
He first published his autobiography in 1957, and his first thriller, Dead Cert, followed five years later.
The Queen Mother was reputedly one of his most enthusiastic readers, and Buckingham Palace said the Queen would be saddened to learn of his death.
'Wicked sense of humour'
Sir Peter O'Sullevan called Francis "a very good mate" and said: "I particularly enjoyed reading his novels and found him a wonderfully efficient author."
Former jockey John Francome said: "He was a lovely person who always had a sparkle in his eye and he had a wicked sense of humour.
"I remember we used to laugh out loud about the old times."
Former champion jockey Terry Biddlecombe, husband of Best Mate's trainer Henrietta Knight, said: "He was a good guy and a lovely man and always a help to anyone.
"I knew him for many, many years and I read all his books and they were excellent."
Looking back at the life of Dick Francis
Francis won numerous accolades for popular fiction in his genre, including Crime Writer's Association lifetime achievement award in 1996.
He was made a CBE in 2000 for services to literature.
Francis's most recent works, including Dead Heat and Silks, were co-authored by his son Felix.
Mr Francis said he was "devastated" at the loss of his father.
"We share in the joy that he brought to so many over such a long life," he said.
"It is an honour for me to be able to continue his remarkable legacy through the new novels."
During his racing career, Francis's most famous moment was when his horse, Devon Loch, fell when he was close to winning the 1956 Grand National.
In 2006, Francis said of the incident: "It was a terrible thing, but I look back on it now and I can say that if it hadn't happened I might never have written a book, and my books have certainly helped keep the wolf from the door."
After he retired from the saddle, Francis was the Sunday Express racing correspondent for 16 years.
He spent his final years in retirement in the Cayman Islands, and his family said he "died of old age".
A private funeral is due to be held in the Caribbean with a memorial service in London at a later stage.
The next novel co-written with Felix Francis is due to be published in the autumn.
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/entertainment/4636971.stm | Almost every first-time children's author published since the Harry Potter books first had global success has been dubbed "the next JK Rowling".
Rowling's achievement has been nothing short of a publishing phenomenon, earning the Scottish writer millions.
Many authors quickly realise the writing profession is not a guarantee of riches. But for some the dream does come true.
Here are some of the authors who were tipped to follow in the footsteps of Rowling and how they have fared.
Michelle Paver was touted as the next Rowling following the £2.8m advance she was paid for her book Wolf Brother. Having written the book more than 20 years ago, she rewrote it as a children's fantasy novel.
Although Paver was already an established author of love stories, it was her best-seller Wolf Brother that put her on the map. Hollywood has bought the rights, with Sir Ridley Scott set to direct the film version. The second book in the saga, Spirit Walker, is published in September.
Michelle Paver's Wolf Brother is being turned into a film
Reverend Graham Taylor was seen as an unlikely successor to Rowling but his Shadowmancer books, chronicling the tales of the wicked Obaidah Demurral, captured the imagination of both publishers and readers.
GP Taylor relinquished his church
Writing under the name GP Taylor, he received a £314,000 advance from a UK publisher.
Like the Harry Potter books, it has been marketed to both children and adults - with different cover designs. Film rights have been snapped up in a seven-figure deal with Universal.
His success has taken a toll on his health and he has given up his parish, although he continues to work in the ministry.
Book shop assistant Anna Dale was picked up by Bloomsbury, publishers of Harry Potter. Whispering to Witches, her first book, was transformed from her masters dissertation in children's writing.
It has been published in more than 12 countries and has been reprinted a number of times. Her second title, Dawn Undercover, is set for release in November.
Zizou Corder is the pseudonym for the writing partnership of Louisa Young and her young daughter, Isabel Adomakoh Young. Their joint pen name is taken from their pet lizard.
Louisa Young co-authored her books with her daughter
Their Lionboy trilogy netted a six-figure publishing deal. Louisa had already published four books but it was Lionboy that brought her fame.
The story tells of a boy who can speak to cats and travels the world seeking his missing parents. The second in the trilogy, Lionboy: The Chase, was published to critical acclaim. Movie rights have been snapped up by Steven Spielberg. |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/world_darts_2004/3328573.stm | Ted 'The Count' Hankey and Andy 'The Viking' Fordham - they are figures that seem to have been lifted straight from the pages of history.
Ted 'The Count' Hankey gets to grips with the world title trophy
But darts are their only weapons of choice and it seems you have not arrived on the oche until you have acquired a nickname.
Two-time finalist Hankey's tag only starts to make sense when you see him and realise he is the spitting image of a Hammer House of Horror Dracula - a younger version of snooker's Ray Reardon.
The 2000 champion suffered in 2001 when he lost in the final to John 'Boy' Walton, named after the popular 1970s TV character. A triumph of good over evil if ever there was one.
All three will be in action when the biggest names in darts reconvene at the Lakeside in 2004, as will the man with the shortest name in darts, Co Stompe.
In a world stereotyped by big-bellied beer guzzlers, the Dutchman also happens to be the thinnest player and not surprisingly goes by the names 'Pencil' or 'Matchstick' due to his thin-as-a-rake appearance.
Orange-clad fans will be hoping he is feeling sharp and lights up his first round meeting against Norway's Austrian-born Robert Wagner, a magician in his spare time who is known as 'The Meat Eater'.
If Wagner comes up against England captain Martin 'Wolfie' Adams, there can be but one winner - at least in the name steaks - sorry, stakes.
But as well as the inspired, there is the predictable.
Triple world champion and number one seed Raymond van Barneveld clearly spent more time on the practice board than the chalkboard in coming up with 'Barney'.
And Mervyn 'The King' King liked his name so much he used it twice.
Steve Beaton - The Bronze Adonis - sports his golden mullett
At least they are not just plain awful, a dubious list that must be topped by kilt-wearing 1997 champion Les Wallace, transformed into 'McDanger', while Richie Burnett is the 'Prince of Wales'.
Check out the world title honours board and you can see darts has always been a name game, the list of former champions including the likes of Phil 'The Power' Taylor, Dennis 'The Menace' Priestley and the legend that is 'The Crafty Cockney', five-time winner Eric Bristow.
They played with the likes of Rod 'Prince of Style' Harrington and, most bizarrely, Bob 'Limestone Cowboy' Anderson - a reference to his vaguely country-and-western get-up and roots.
Anderson's 1988 win shows darts is no follower of fashion, a fact confirmed by Steve Beaton - 'The Bronze Adonis'.
Beaton was anything but when he took the title in 1996 sporting the footballers' favourite 1980s haircut, the mullett, long past its sell-by date.
Whatever you think of the tags, it all adds to the fun. |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/north_west/8233778.stm | Local people say the woman usually used her bike to get into town from her home across the railway line
A woman believed to be in her eighties has died after a train hit a car on a level crossing.
The collision happened on the Cambrian Coast Railway at Penrhyndeudraeth near Porthmadog in Gwynedd.
Emergency services, including the air ambulance, were called to the scene shortly before noon.
Network Rail said the train involved was not carrying passengers, but was a test train. It was travelling towards Porthmadog.
A spokesman for British Transport Police (BTP) said: "I confirm that an elderly woman had died at the scene.
"She was the sole occupant of the Fiat Punto car which was involved in the collision."
Three crew on the train were uninjured.
The train was travelling towards Porthmadog
An eye witness said the test train had come to a stop about 100 yards beyond the crossing with the car in front.
Roads around the area were closed following the collision.
Trains on the Cambrian Coast Railway terminate at Harlech and Porthmadog, with bus transport being arranged between the two towns.
Network Rail said: "Network Rail are saddened by this tragic incident and our thoughts are with the family.
"We are working closely with police and the relevant safety bodies to investigate what caused this incident."
The local coroner and the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) have been informed. |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6900697.stm | Broadband users in 30 of the world's most developed countries are getting greatly differing speeds and prices, according to a report.
Countries with the fastest broadband use fibre optic networks
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report says 60% of its member countries' net users are on broadband.
The report said countries that had switched to fibre networks had the best speeds at the lowest prices.
In Japan net users have 100Mbps lines, 10 times higher than the OECD average.
Japan's price for broadband per megabit per second is the lowest in the OECD at $0.22 (11p), said the report. The most expensive is Turkey at $81.13 (£40.56).
In the US, the cheapest megabit per second broadband connection is $3.18 (£1.59) while in the UK it is $3.62 (£1.81).
CHEAPEST ENTRY LEVEL BROADBAND PER MONTH*
New Zealand $16.86
*Source: OECD. Figures for October 2006
Subscribers to Japan's fibre networks can also upload at the same speed they can download, which is not possible with ADSL (broadband over a telephone line) and most cable subscriptions.
Sweden, Korea and Finland also offer 100Mbps net connections, as all four countries have switched to fibre optic networks.
The OECD represents 30 of the leading democratic economies, from Australia to the US, France to Japan.
"Broadband is very quickly becoming the basic medium for sevice delivery on both fixed and wireless networks," said the report.
JupiterResearch telecoms analyst Ian Fogg said: "It's very hard to draw comparisons across 30 countries globally because there are different trends happening in each of them.
However, he said the entry price for broadband was an incredibly important criteria to compare.
"Because the market is very fragmented consumers care about cheap prices."
According to the report, broadband prices for DSL connections across the 30 countries have fallen by 19% and increased in speed by 29% in the year to October 2006. Cable prices and speeds followed a similar trend.
The least expensive monthly subscription for always-on broadband was in Sweden, where $10.79 (£5.40) per month bought a 256kbps connection. The country with the most expensive entry point for broadband access was Mexico, where it cost $52.36 (£26.18) per month for 1mbps.
Mr Fogg said: "In many of the OECD countries those people without broadband and making the transition are feeling their way and are very conscious of price. They haven't seen the need to go to broadband historically."
The entry-level price points do not take into account bundled deals, such as incorporating free broadband with a TV contract, which are becoming increasingly important to the market.
Mr Fogg said many countries had seen a jump in broadband speeds over the last few years as many ISPs utilising existing telephone lines had started to push ADSL2+.
ADSL2+ is a technology which doubles the frequency band of a typical ADSL connection over a phone line, in effect doubling the amount of data which can be sent downstream to a user.
The theoretical maximum speed of an ADSL2+ line is 24Mbps, still much slower than speeds over fibre optic networks.
"ADSL2+ hasn't happened everywhere and it's happened at different times in different countries," explained Mr Fogg.
"France was the first country in the western world to use the technology, about two or three years ago.
"BT (in the UK) has been very slow to switch across. The only option for UK customers has been to get it from competitors, notably Be, which is owned by O2, and Sky." |
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-14375711 | Brad Pitt zombie film 'brilliant' for Cornwall economy
A new film being shot in Cornwall and starring Brad Pitt will be "brilliant" for the Cornish economy, a town centre manager has said.
Scenes for zombie thriller World War Z are being filmed in Falmouth just weeks after Paramount chose the location.
About 500 local people have been recruited as extras after taking part in auditions in July.
Some of the filming will take place on board a ship which will be moored in Falmouth docks.
Richard Gates, Falmouth Town Manager, said: "The whole turnaround has only been a few weeks, it's really been that quick.
"It's brilliant for the town, brilliant for the economy, everything."
Mr Gates thinks it will add several million pounds to the local economy putting the town "on the international map".
Cornish resident Henry Davies, who will play a US Navy pilot in the film, said: "It's going to be really exciting.
"The scale of the production is enormous."
The admiralty salvage vessel, SD Salmoore, which is being used in the filming, was seen leaving Falmouth Docks surrounded by a flotilla of boats.
Falmouth Harbour Commissioners said a 20m (66ft) exclusion zone would be set up around the ship. |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/3975037.stm | What stories should Newsnight be covering? What do you think of the stories we have covered?
You can read and send us your views from this page.
Please tell us if you do not want us to publish your e-mail. The e-mails published reflect the balance of opinion received.
If you have a complaint about Newsnight or any other BBC programme or service please go to the
People seek opportunity not identity. They have identity. Britain needs to clearly define ethically, legally and culturally its own identity with a simple constitution for Egalitarian Britishness, to be accepted by all people of all cultures who choose to live, work, trade or just visit here. To attempt to blend cultural identity is to disrespect cultural identity.
While your guests discussed shared values, a publican in Norwich was trying to work out how he can persuade the magistrates to grant him a licence extension for St George's Day. They have previously granted extensions for Chinese New Year, American Independence Day and St Patrick's Day but St George's Day was considered "not special enough" last year. On appeal, an extension was granted for 23 April but not because it was St George's Day and only if it was regarded as a charity event.
Ian Campbell, West Horsley
I am concerned about my fellow men and always try to help whenever I can. Nationality and patriotism means nothing to me at all. All good people share the same good qualities: it is nothing to do with being British.
Bill Coughlan, Chelmsford
We have had 30 years or so of Britishness being questioned, criticised and overwhelmed first by all things American to the endless directives from Europe. As a nation we lack confidence in ourselves and tend to belittle many of our achievements and characteristics. We choose to report negatively instead of exalting in some of the great things about the UK. It has been politically incorrect to feel pride and "cool" to bash and question everything. We should start by feeling good about ourselves as a country and reporting more positively.
Jo Humphreys, Lymington
Predictably, the speakers on tonight's programme, on the subject of "Englishness", were all completely out of touch with reality. I meet a lot of people in my work - up to 150 per week - and virtually all of them seem perfectly clear on what Englishness is. If you want to know what it means to be English, ask some ordinary English people instead.
Graham Tinsley, Swindon
I never thought that I would actually begin to agree with a Labour politician but I do actually agree with much of Gordon Brown's comments in his Britishness debate. Sadly in Britain today we seem to have lost our sense of history as many young people of my age know little of the history of the 20th century or indeed history in general. It is important for everyone to have a comprehensive knowledge of the whole spectrum of our history. History underpins everything in our country!
Alex Naughton, Liverpool
Why did your item on Britishness have to include someone who obviously has no wish to be British? There are plenty of us from an ethnic minority who are working hard to ensure that we are and (more difficult) are accepted as British. Why not feature someone with a more reasoned contribution to make?
Sanjay Dighe, Harrow, Middx
After Newsnight tonight, I wish to respond to Mr Brown's wish for us to move on and feel British again, and say good luck to him in his quest to be the next prime minister of England but he has denied his real Scottishness. I have never felt that I am British nor will ever want to be, and await the day for Scotland to be fully independent once again.
Barbara Conboy, Edinburgh
You asked what we mean by Britishness. I am a British citizen as stated on my passport but am an English national by choice. To me Britishness is outdated and its nations should pursue their own paths.
Roy Bond, IoW
Can someone please explain why you no longer announce the international exchange rates? Please note the question is WHY? Thank you,
J G Green, Northampton
International markets segment - reply from the editor
We have recently decided to stop running markets information on the programme. Markets coverage was first introduced on Newsnight when business data was much less widespread than it is today. Given the proliferation of 24 hour news, internet and teletext coverage of markets data our thinking is that much more detailed and up-to-the minute information is available elsewhere for those who are interested. We have done this on an experimental basis and will keep an open mind on it.
Peter Barron, Newsnight Editor
No doubt you will follow up the saga of Mrs Dixon's shoulder operation being cancelled seven times. As an avid viewer of your programme I would be very interested to hear Michael Howard's (or his representative's) response to the question, "You clearly hold the current government responsible for Mrs Howard's operation being cancelled. Can you guarantee that if a Tory government is elected this year that such cancellations will never occur?"
Gerry Lynch, Chichester
I am concerned at the anti-Christian bias present in Thursday's broadcast. In particular the representative from Christian Voice was presented with a number of accusations which he tried to answer while being interrupted. Even when answers were given the accusations continued.
Derek Tripp, Charlotte USA
I was annoyed that BBC Newsnight broke off in the middle of the discussion about Christian Voice. The BBC seems to be biased against Christians, and have not listened to the thousands of Christians who complained about the broadcasting of Jerry Springer the Opera. As a non right wing Christian, I applaud what Christian Voice is doing.
Margaret MacLeod, Troon, Scotland
With eight years working in child protection I found your report 'Possessed by evil' very interesting, but my experience is that this is an issue for many fundamentalist religious groups. I have been involved in two serious child protection cases where white evangelical Christian groups have been involved. It's not simply a Black issue. It is about cultures and values, which rationalise the emotional abuse and physical chastisement of children and white cults do that too. It's a bit disappointing because you missed the real story.
Moray Grant, Cardiff
I applaud Jeremy Paxman's determination to get a straight answer from Hazel Blears on Tuesday's Newsnight. I want it put on record that I want as an individual, a tax payer, a voter and a licence fee payer for the BBC to ask the awkward questions of our politicians on my behalf. Long may it continue.
Chris Bown, London
I felt your report on 'Possessed by evil' fell short in reaching the proper target audience by not placing people like the Met adviser on the panel. Even though it was a very emotive subject when it came to the panel debate I was turned off by what seemed like the same old group of white men moralising about Africans.
Roderick Ryan, London
I was amused to see the politicians skirting the issue on who would end up paying for pensioner council tax rebates, and carefully avoiding the intergenerational issue. I hope you will have a similar debate on the Great British House Price Rip-Off, whereby the Labour Government is engineering a massive transfer of housing wealth from the younger and poorer to the older and richer. None of the major parties wants to risk offending home-owners by facing down the vested interests in the housing market.
Andrew Leech, York
I don't disagree with the Liberal idea about income tax not council tax, but why not go the whole hog and use national taxation and save the high cost of collecting the money?
G James, Merthyr Tydfil
I have just finished watching Monday night's Newsnight and again it has left me feeling that the once fine impartial reputation of the BBC and its political news coverage counts for absolutely nothing these days. I would like to point out to the makers of Newsnight the fact that you are not "asking the tough questions and holding those in power to account" as you started out doing in the 80's.
Your editor feels this is a fact that should be highlighted to all visitors to the Newsnight website; I find this ironic really as it's patently not true. I felt that the shadow minister was not allowed to speak without being constantly interrupted by Jeremy Paxman expressing his own rather irrelevant opinions rather than allowing the Conservative representative to answer the questions put to him. Perhaps if your bias against the Tory party was not so blatant, you could concentrate on asking the tough questions of the party in power rather than acting as a propaganda machine for Tony Blair and Alistair Campbell.
A clear bias shows when the content of your programme so clearly responds to an issue raised by the Conservatives in such a cynical manner.
David Marchesi, Uckfield
Re the hunting debate, there's an issue that keeps being touched on but never really explored and that is the treatment of the hunting dogs, which from what I can gather, are put down well before they grow old simply because they are no longer able to follow the hunt. I think this needs to be clarified as it somewhat undermines the "caring" persona that the hunt fraternity tries to project.
Oli Senior, Aberystwyth
I was surprised by your item tonight with Roger Scruton pursuing mice with dogs in some attempt to ridicule the ban on hunting with dogs. He seems to have completely missed the point about the campaign to end hunting with dogs. It is all about respecting the life of a living thing and, in particular, if you must take their life, doing so in a reasonably humane way. I thought his so called stand pointless, trivial and childish.
Paul Divall, Trowbridge
Your maglev train comments
I was an electrical engineering student at Imperial College in the late 1960's and was privileged to be one of Eric Laithwaite's students.
Without doubt, maglev transport has enormous potential to reduce transportation and energy costs but - unlike canals, railways and motorways in their time - it lacks the political will to succeed. After all, who wants to replace the black hole of railways or motorways with a new infrastructure needing major investment in ground-based guidance? Cheap air flights are the new mass transport system - a portacabin terminal, air traffic control arrangements, GPS and some old planes and you can shift people anywhere!
Brian Rich, Warwickshire
At last the Media wakes up to the enormous economic and environmental benefits of maglev trains. It is a proven technology, originally conceived by a Briton and has huge potential to unite, enrich and make living, working and travelling in the UK a more efficient, rapid and pleasurable experience. China is about to move ahead with this wealth-creating technology whilst we madly continue to waste billions each year on patching up a crumbling and outdated 19th Century railway infrastructure!
Janek Czekaj, Swansea
Very interested in the maglev train, and keen to see it happen asap. Regards, Paul
Paul Mullineaux, Lancaster
Maglev IS the future. It is fast, it is economically balancing for the country and it is an example to our European partners in Kyoto leadership. We were the inventors of this 21st century travel, only our British conservatism is in our way.
Steve Elliott, London
Did we really hear Tony Blair admitting in one of your clips that: "What we must realise is that all of these problems come from the modern world that we are living in?" But aren't the British Prime Minister and his American ally President Bush the people who are most responsible for creating the modern world in which we now live? A world which, as Blair points out, causes all these problems? If Britain and America are not responsible for this modern world - then who the hell is?
Trevor Batten, UK
Thank you Newsnight for showing us that there really is no future for republicanism in the U.K. Who on earth could we elect to be president. Blair? Brown? Prescott? Some washed up loser like Kinnock? Give us a break!
Enjoyed Michael Crick's piece on Freedom of Information this week. I emailed a request to Ofsted about schools with Special Measures between 2000-2002. Ofsted responded within the timescale but said that my request would exceed the £600 limit and therefore chose not to proceed - quoting the Act. Interesting! It is hard to anticipate the amount of time needed (costed at £25 per hour) when you make a request for something others should be made aware of. It will be fascinating to see how this Act works over the next year.
Dave Jobbings, Basildon.
Good, balanced reporting on E MacArthur. Never has a great sporting achievement been accompanied by such tales of misery and unhappiness.
In the last few months, logging onto the 'Teamellen' site has, however miserable I feel, allowed me to know that there was someone who felt worse. She has had one of the best deals in yachting sponsorship ever, but, has chosen to use it to express her frustrations in a less than constructive manner.
Phil Ward, Portsmouth
What's your problem with Ellen MacArthur? Last night Paxman announced her record as if somebody had just stomped on his hamster. I thought maybe it was just him, but no... you had already dug up unfunny clips and a special interview with the utterly charmless Jan Ravens making snide remarks too. Maybe you wanted to provide an alternative to the elation surrounding this amazing feat? Fair enough, and maybe it could have been done with a bit of sense and a proper viewpoint, but you showed neither and just made yourselves look pathetic. You should stick to what you're good at. That would have been a good story about Bush Snr being the Deep Throat source, but I was too busy wondering if you were going to bring on another naff impressionist.
Kjartan Poskitt, York
Jeremy Paxman's lack of enthusiasm for Ellen MacArthur's world-breaking record achievement was only surpassed by the snide comments of the woman from Dead Ringers - sorry dear, can't remember your name. Oh, why's that? Perhaps because you haven't spent 71 odd days at sea battling the elements single-handed. Why did you have to be so negative about what is a tremendous achievement for a British sportswoman? I am hugely disappointed in Newsnight. (P.S. Bet you don't put this email up on your website).
Alison Woodhead, Winchester
Excellent report by Mark Urban last week on the RAF plane crash in Iraq. He exuded real authority and demonstrated a complete grasp of the issues. He explored the likely scenarios without resorting to worthless speculation, and this made for the kind of in-depth report that Newsnight does best.
Jonathan Sloan, UK
It was great to hear you talking yesterday about The Sea Inside... I'm so happy that Spanish cinema is starting to mean more than Almodovar, and that a programme like Newsnight Review discussing a Spanish movie... Although poor Kirsty Wark couldn't say the name of the director ... It is A ME NA BAR... just for next time :-) Thanks anyway!
Mar Cabra, Preston
I never take the news from the US newspapers or TV, I get my news from you folks. Keep up the good work. I wish your news could be seen in Oregon. Thank you.
Mark Urban's analysis of the Al-Jazeera crash site was the most realistic assessment of today's reports on the subject. The crash site on the video could be one of the recent helicopter crashes. The video shows an engine, a ladder structure and a rear cargo ramp or cargo floor in a specific layout on the ground - it will be interesting to see if the layout of the real crash site is the same.
David Owen, UK
I am writing regarding the pre-Election interviews between Jeremy Paxman and the party leaders. I suggest that this time viewers be given the opportunity to submit questions, the best of which would be put to the leaders. This would enable the concerns of the electorate to be addressed to a greater extent than is the case with the current format. It would also raise the level of public interest in the interviews.
Election interviews - reply from the editor
Thanks for this suggestion. The format of our election interviews hasn't been finally decided, but this is something we will certainly bear in mind. Getting the views of our viewers into our election coverage is something we are keen to achieve.
We need more stories with Stephanie Flanders. Or just more Stephanie Flanders.
The choice of including the poignant story of the survival of Irene Nemirovsky's manuscript was a fitting close to a day when the world's thoughts were with the survivors of Auschwitz. Could you tell me the name of the music which accompanied the report? It beautifully reflected the mood of the piece and events of the entire day.
Valerie Weeks, West Drayton
Congratulations on 25 years! Whenever I am able, I watch Newsnight and have done so for some considerable time. Somewhat belatedly, I'd like to wish the team all the best for 2005. I realize how informative Newsnight has been and how demanding it must be to achieve and maintain such a high standard. For me, a must see programme.
Neil Murray, Kent
The breadth and depth of analysis continues to challenge, stimulate debate and, often, infuriate.
One carp, can we Scots stay with London for a full programme instead of being sliced off at 11:00 to listen to parish councillors' whinging about street lighting. Newsnight should be international for all!!!
Graham Laird, Glasgow
I was interested in your report on the design and use of streets, featuring on-going work in Colchester.
We hear a lot about the impact on the environment of new housing, but much less about whether the street layouts that get built are actually any good. Streets tend to last much longer than the buildings lining them, and even longer than the activities that go on inside the buildings. Yet the current town planning system in Britain turns this logic on its head.
Statutory plans produced by local councils are based around activities or 'land uses' - the most transient element - and street layouts and designs aren't really considered at all! In turn this means that the public have no legal right to be consulted, even at a broad level on the design of most development that takes place. No wonder so much development in Britain is of poor quality.
Philip Bisatt, Taunton
I enjoyed the piece from John Harris, and how I agree with him, so many of us had hoped for a different Britain. We have nobody to vote for. I'm 57.
David Johnson, Kendal
Just a quick note to say this evening's Newsnight programme was very interesting. The report on urban planning in particular was very informative. It's a shame that this programme of longer more detailed reports is broadcast on a Friday night - a time when I would normally be out. John
I have never before been moved to e-mail a TV programme, but I would very much like to say how well Kirsty Wark dealt with tonight's seemingly never-ending personal onslaught in her interview with Robert Kilroy-Silk.
Keep up the good work.
It's a shame that in an otherwise completely fascinating story, John Harris didn't get the chance to talk to the Green party. We totally oppose PFI, support public investment in public services and believe that an ethical lifestyle is about more than just eating organic food and using recycled paper. It's about a radical alternative to the three main parties from a party which got over a million votes in the UK less than a year ago.
Alex Rowe, London
Thanks for the Baghdad Blogger feature tonight - gives a fascinating context to the grim headline news and so brilliantly presented. Does he do the edit himself?
Tony Gale, Maidenhead
Fabulous Salam Pax piece on the Iraqi elections this evening. One of the reasons why Newsnight remains an excellent news programme. The production team deserve top marks!!
Rob Dunkle, London
Thank you so much for Jeremy Paxman's brilliant interview with Tessa Jowell. I've had cause to praise the BBC many times, and this is another occasion.
Will you do a programme on waste and fraud in government? Its continuation both indicates the lack of respect for taxpayers funds which is a fundamental problem of government. Additionally the savings available themselves would solve the pensions crisis in one go!
Unless I was mistaken, your lengthy report on English licensing laws made no mention of the fact that Scotland has licensing of this nature already in place, and well established at that. Was there any reason why Scotland was not featured in your report while Ireland and France were?
Andrew Clarke, Edinburgh
Having seen a balanced report on the subject beforehand, I was anticipating a similar approach in the interview. A few minutes in I was still waiting for the first question which would reflect what a large number of your audience would want to ask. Judging from the passion you showed asking your questions, it seemed clear that you were not simply representing the opinions of those who would like to see an end to faith schools but you were indeed of that opinion yourself. Does that strike you as being fair and balanced? Representing one side of the argument whilst millions of license fee payers were left with their views unrepresented? Thanks.
Fuad Ali, London
I thought the religious debate on Tuesday in response to the Tsunami was a great success. The members in the debate were fantastic representatives of their position (or stereotype). Never a dull moment in the whole of the show. More of this PLEASE!
Edward Sheffield, Manchester and Eaglescliffe
Wednesday's programme was a pleasure to watch with passionately held views on trade and the US debated by informed panellists but without the "shouty" style from either them or indeed the presenters! It's rare to hear such issues put into context and discussed in a way that didn't feel rushed or too high brow. For once all sides appeared to at least listen to each others views even if they didn't agree and the presenter kept the debate flowing rather than dominating it. Is it any coincidence that there were no politicians involved? Anyway thought it was great - thanks.
Michele Berry, London
Tuesday's programme was the best piece of TV I have seen in a long time. It was insightful and thought provoking. At last the serious issues that emanate from a disaster like this were properly addressed i.e. those of religious reaction, warning failure, reaction to international aid etc. The oxford professor who took part in the final theological discussion was so cold and lacking in human emotion and compassion.
Mark Perry, London
Congratulations Newsnight for your coverage on the Asian tsunami on Tuesday 4 January. After all the emotional overload of recent days, Newsnight provided us with insights and observations without the drama.
Ian Campbell, Birmingham
I thought the segment of January 4's programme on religious belief in the face of natural disasters was excellent. I would consider myself a sceptic, but I found myself given excellent food for thought by the two religious representatives. The sceptic's arguments, alas, were quite shallow, unfounded, and seemed designed to provoke controversy rather than reflection. I was surprised that you didn't say that he was professor at Oxford University! Overall, however, this was a welcome novelty: philosophy on television. Let's have more of it.
Tamar Wilner, Oxford
I understand that some people, like your interviewee tonight, did not wish to observe the three minute silence today and felt that it was imposed on us in an artificial way. This was not how I felt. Ever since the tsunami disaster, I, and thousands of others, have been scouring internet sites and watching every news item available in order to ease some of the shock and pain of seeing the devastation caused to people in places we know well and genuinely care about.
At midday today, I was taken aback at my own upset as people stood together in silence. It felt as though for a brief moment, we were all joined in a mutual concern for the whole of suffering humanity.
Lynn Rimmer, St Ives
I think that tonight's programme, which concentrated mainly on the tsunami tragedy, has been one of the best Newsnight's for a long time. It was well balanced with intelligent questions/discussions from Gavin Esler. Well done.
Scott Graham, Edinburgh
It was refreshing to have a studio guest in the discussion tonight who was not a believer. Let's have more guests like this to counterbalance the predominance of religious views in these types of discussions.
Barry Johnson, Manchester
Tonight's Newsnight's closing debate on theology was astonishingly inept and shallow. Major disasters and tragedies have always been part of history and all mature world views, including the mainstream religions, atheism and humanism have always recognised and accommodated this fact. Even as a humanist I would be surprised if any believer in a God (or Gods) would stop believing simply because another disaster, natural or man-made, had occurred.
John Vassallo, Ealing
In light of the tsunami tragedy, and despite almost 150,000 confirmed deaths, our prime minister chooses to remain on holiday. Time to return, or time to go?
Alistair Nicoll, Ely, England
I was shocked by the momentary lapse of Newsnight good reason during the interview with Pete Doherty. He may or may not be a complete pseudo but we won't find out unless you ask him some halfway hard questions. No tortured genius worth his salt is going to give it all up to make their mum happy anyway. Keep up the good work. Can we see Kirsty interview Busted next time?
Ben Sills, Madrid
Pete Doherty interview - reply from the editor
A number of Scottish viewers have e-mailed to voice frustration about not being able to watch the Pete Doherty interview that was broadcast after the opt-out to Newsnight Scotland.
Programme editor Peter Barron writes: It's inevitable that viewers in Scotland will sometimes be disappointed to miss an item in the last third of the programme.
This opt-out does mean that following devolution the Scottish audience can see stories relevant to Scotland on Newsnight.
If you do miss an item the whole programme - including the Pete Doherty interview - is available on this website.
I have never before emailed a show. I am a devotee of the program. The Pete Doherty interview was the most affecting interview of the year. Such a talent, so young, the interview so so well done by Kirsty.
As he said, it's not the drugs or the scene that speaks to people, but the music. People don't understand this, but it really is about music and poetry and its ability to speak to people. And the lights must not go out for this young man. But also well done Kirsty.
Why wasn't Pete's interview shown in Scotland?
Did Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant write the script for the Kirsty Wark interview with Pete Doherty? Embarrassment comedy at its finest, complete with a letter from his dear old Mum. Someone get the poor lad a publicity agent!
P Townsend, Colchester
I've just watched the interview with Pete Doherty, and I found him to be exactly as I expected: a passionate, sensitive young man with problems that have now spiralled beyond his control. His music is genius, and his voice heart-achingly beautiful.
I pray that this time next year, we will be watching an interview where this troubled icon can discuss with clarity and certainty how he overcame his addictions in 2005. I wish him all the strength in the world.
Rebecca Corbett, Wolverhampton
I saw the Pete Doherty interview last night. I never really appreciated the depth of talent he has. It was an amazing interview that portrayed one of the country's true artists trying so hard to express himself as an artist rather than one of these plastic icons created by TV audiences. I do feel that as most great artists, he will be remembered when he is gone.
Fred McCaig, Exeter
I watched the interview with Pete Doherty. It was an incredible interview handled in a sensitive way, but was still completely open and frank and highlighted the destructive nature of drugs. I share the comments made by Fitzroy Samuel on this site and hope that he gets the help he clearly needs before it is too late.
I'm 41 years old and I've seen Tuesday's programe features Pete Doherty - formerly of the Libertines. I'm very sad as I just know that at some stage in 2005 I will get the news that he's gone. He's an icon for a generation - it's like watching a horrific car crash in very slow-motion. I wish somebody could help him - he's a genius we need for the future.
Re: Cancellation of Birmingham play
Yet again we cave in to violence and threats - this is a disgrace and a complete abuse by the protesters. Free speech is our right.
T E Bird, Brimscombe
Re: Play closure
Freedom of speech is vital, but it is not the highest of human rights. Your Sikh interviewee was right - the examples of racism, sexism etc demonstrate that. All freedoms must be used responsibly otherwise they can become a form of tyranny.
Chris Chesterton, Gloucester
At my work it is considered inappropriate to be convicted of drink driving and it can be seen as a dismissible offence. I feel that if other employers took a firmer line with their staff, they would then think twice about getting drunk and disorderly.
What is the Labour Government afraid of? Why are they denying these men the right to a trial? Why does the government think we would believe them and not the alleged detainees? Thank God Blunkett's gone. What a shame another authoritarian minister has replaced him. It seems extraordinary that Labour really believe they are democratic.
Lara Handysyde, London
I am cheered by the Law Lords' pronouncement on the detention without trial of those accused of terrorism. I agree with the Law Lord who said it put him in mind of Stalinism: increasingly, that is my own feeling about this government. I have great fears for the future of democracy in this country.
Rachel Griffiths, Oxford
"Did Blunkett abuse his position?" Jeremy Paxman was absolutely right yesterday in asking this central question. I hope when the Budd report is issued, Estelle Morris will be asked back to answer this question more clearly. All this cloying talk about "integrity" masks a host of details.
J T Llewellyn, London
I was surprised at the cotton wool ride given to David Blunkett compared with that ridiculously aggresive interview with Michael Howard a few weeks ago. Your programme seems to give the opposition a far rougher ride than the government.
Simon Jackson, London
I felt Jeremy Paxman's comparison of hunting to bear baiting was ridiculous. In a democracy, minorities have rights. Our country has always been tolerant of minorities, and this prejudiced law is going to be very divisive and disruptive, and like the Poll Tax is not going to be respected by many people who are among the most law abiding people in our society. What a sorry state of affairs.
Simon Martyr, Salisbury
Why is Otis Ferry being given prime time on Newsnight? I am sick of the bias shown by the BBC on the pro-hunting side. Isn't it about time that you gave some time to the anti-hunters, who - I would like to remind you - represent the majority of the British public? I expect to see some coverage from the lawful anti-hunting people on Newsnight and stop giving so much time to these law-breaking individuals.
Mary Clarke, Seaford, E. Sussex
As a financial adviser I struggle to understand the government policy on making your own retirement provision. At the moment, you are financially penalised at retirement if you have done something for yourself.
Bearing in mind the government has taxed pension funds since they came in to office, it would be more appropriate for them to "reward" savers at retirement, by giving them extra tax free income allowances at retirement, but only if you have a pension, over and above the state scheme. Please can we have some active discussion on this proposal?
Just to compliment you on the way you closed off tonight's edition (Wednesday) with the hymn "Dear Lord and Father" - it was just so amazingly poignant and in a way that is hard to express - just so "right". Well done to whomever 's idea it was.
Trevor Cass, Westcliff-on-Sea
I have just seen your insert on tonight's Newsnight (Tuesday) about Film Downloads. If the people at the bottom of the production chain rely on the sales of legitimate DVD's, why not pay those at the top less than the ridiculous sums that they are currently being paid and distribute this further down the 'chain'.
M. Postlethwaite, Merseyside
Why couldn't the IRA provide photographs to a respected person independent of the political parties and others directly involved who could vouch they had seen them? This could satisfy Ian Paisley (unless he is determined to publicly humiliate the IRA).
Having spent some time in Northern Ireland many years ago and saw what went on, I feel it is high time for peace and it is obvious that many people want this.
Sylvia McDonald, Haunton Staffs
Regarding the EU constitution referendum, I had a pollster round today. This was the main subject of the survey. The angle adopted was both interesting and disturbing. There were some 15 questions, each aiming to ascertain under what circumstances one would vote yes.
Des Baker, Bristol
I would like to comment that as a victim of burglary and (most of the time) living alone as my partner is overseas a great deal, I could not defend myself if I wanted to. Surely the issue is more how we can protect people in their own homes and get the police out on patrol at night (two more of my neighbours have suffered burglaries within a week in my area).
Claire Rickards, Hastings
Isn't about time you covered the debate for an English Parliament? This government have now given devolution to every country other than England within the UK.
Come on guys, if you say you offer the latest news and current affairs, put your money where your mouths are and give us a fair and honest debate.
Ed Abrams, Chester
Kirsty Wark made a passing comment on MP pension arrangements. I'm sure everyone would like to know, in detail, (including me) how well they have looked after themselves, together with a comparison of what we are being offered.
Eric Abel, Hay-on-Wye
Hunting 'Satan' in Falluja hell by Paul Wood. Can say nothing other than a brilliant piece of reporting.
Rory Byrne, Dublin
Why should we all fork out for cosy pensions for public workers through tax when in the private sector the government have effectively told everyone else to work until we drop!
The argument that public workers' schemes should be retained because "the pension is part of the public sector deal" could also be used in the private sector by those who have lost their final salary scheme or where their company scheme has collapsed.
How about the public sector working harder to persuade the government to sort out the pension mess for the benefit of everyone, not just their own?
John C, Eastbourne
The carbon trading film was illustrated with about a dozen shots of Battersea Power Station, including one of a carbon trading expert wistfully staring at it as if to say "when will they ever learn?" Why? Battersea Power Station is a disused power station and has been a contributor of precisely zero CO2 emissions for at least 10 years. Everyone in London knows this, so I'm presuming you do too.
Daniel Davies, London
Newsnight is normally such a standard bearer in British journalism but tonight you really missed the mark. I can see what you were trying to do (presenting a different view of such an intractable problem) but by accepting without question the US/Israeli presumption that peace now depends on a Palestinian ceasefire first you really became a mouthpiece for them instead of investigating the issues in a balanced and incisive way, as you should.
You failed to examine in any significant way what leads to people blowing themselves up, be it the religious ideology that legitimates it, the economic conditions that feed it, the targeted assassinations, building of settlements, "security" walls and all the other things that lead to this.
The report on the diary of the suicide bomber was eye opening as was hearing from Palestinians and Israelis. How could the studio guest call this third-rate journalism?
D Stone, Luton
I have just finished watching the film by Laurence Clark about abortion and disability. It was powerful and unsettling. I don't normally watch Newsnight (on too late) but I might start watching if you can find other filmmakers so good at challenging the assumption that our "liberal" society is basically OK - particularly in issues like abortion where the political and media consensus is otherwise so one-sided.
Thomas Flynn, Oxon
It's amazing that so much airtime is being given to the non-story about Blunkett and whether or not he filled out a form - even before the inquiry has begun! Surely the debacle in Equatorial Guinea and Britain's involvement there is more deserving of coverage?
Matt Barker, Sheffield
A Newsnight feature on Michael Howard in which Jeremy Paxman joined the Tory leader on a visit to the South West triggered a large response, both positive and negative.
I cannot believe tonight's Newsnight report of American soldiers in Falluja was cut short to make way for Scottish content.
Sam Brown, Edinburgh
Newsnight Scotland can come on halfway through general Newsnight reports, we are also told about the interesting stories that are coming up in the general Newsnight program but cant watch them because Newsnight Scotland is shown instead. If you have to show it can you not show it as a different program after Newsnight finishes?
G Isbister, Edinburgh
Reply from the editor
A number of viewers in Scotland were disappointed and annoyed that Paul Wood's excellent film on Falluja was cut short in order to make way for the Scottish opt. The opting decisions are taken in tandem by the editors of the day in London and Glasgow and can throw up a number of difficulties. The opt is meant to happen within a three minute window around 11pm. In this case, Paul's film - which the London editor felt deserved to run high in the programme - overran the window by three minutes. The Glasgow editor then had to decide whether to run the film in its entirety and lose 3 minutes of airtime for Newsnight Scotland or take an early out on the film. I'm sorry that some viewers felt short-changed, but would add that the whole film is available on the Newsnight website.
Peter Barron, editor
Last time I wrote to you was to highlight my outrage at the way in which Paul Boatang was allowed to waffle on without answering any questions.
This time it is to congratulate you and your panel of interviewees on last nights programme.
The discussion with Paxman and the three persons who were introduced as "the next generation of politicians" was most interesting and frank.
What a pleasant change to the normal way in which your panellists look to score cheap points against each other.
More of the same in future please.
James Beckram, Walton on Thames
Praise be the lord! The three guests who have been on tonight are what we want - people who are prepared to agree and don't just want to push the party line. If, in future, politicians don't answer the questions can you be hard on them and cut them off.
Dean Gibbons, London
A word of thanks, Newsnight is simply TV journalism without peer. The synopses you produce for each topic are of an extremely high standard, and give real context and penetrative analysis, despite what I assume is an extremely tight deadline.
I particularly appreciate your program when it comes to contentious subject like the war in Iraq. Frankly during the invasion yours was the only coverage worth watching. I have shown Newsnight and the Economist to several international friends to show them what real journalism is.
May there never be a British Berlusconi,
Nick Brunt, Ireland
PS: Oh, and eternal thanks for that golden moment of the Howard / Paxman interview with only one question :)
Just thought I would mention that I love your daily e-mails. And they work - we are beginning to make a date with our TV again. Good job!
Andrew Nugee, London
Just wanted to say how especially good Newsnight has been this week. Jeremy was on splendid form on Tuesday night and the Chirac interview on Weds was fascinating.
It was lovely to see David Hockney on your programme tonight - an individual in a world becoming increasingly robot-like. The other chap (whose name I can't remember) seemed to miss his point We all have to eventually die of something, don't we? But let's go ahead and ban everything so that at least we all die healthy!
Rita Kitto, Geneva/Switzerland
David Hockney is right about the phoney passive smoking argument. My mother, a non-smoker all her life, had eleven children, all of whom smoked. She lived to be 100 years old!
George Skelly, Liverpool
I would like to see a report on the Ukraine elections. Here is a country the size of France on Europe's eastern border and there has been zero news coverage of elections, of which even the US State department has said it is "deeply disappointed that the campaign to date has fallen short of international standards" - I believe this deserves a Newsnight report!
J Frontwood, London
Your daily newsletter is much appreciated - receiving these insights into your editorial planning increases my feeling of "ownership" of the programme. Yet another good reason to pay the licence fee...
Nigel Blackman, London
I have wanted to ask this for ages! When the news went to 10 o'clock, we were told that there would be a seamless news service (i.e. Newsnight followed straight on). But we don't - at least not if we want to see what tomorrow's weather will be! I always miss the beginning of Newsnight. Any comment?? :)
Sheelagh Kendra, UK
Reply from the editor
I share your frustration, as we want as many viewers as possible to switch across from the 10 o'clock news. I can't promise an immediate remedy, but will raise it with the BBC's schedulers.
Peter Barron, editor
Keep up the valuable work that you do! Many of us rely on programmes like Newsnight for investigations covering international issues which are sometimes given a low profile in other media or not featured at all. Is it possible for Newsnight to be given a slightly earlier slot? More people need to now what is going on here and around the world. Thanks.
Lola Adeokun, London
Your story, "Oil gangs threaten Nigerian unity" totally ignores how oil companies affect Nigeria's environment.
Jon Davis, USA
In your report on EC contacts on 15 November, I was unable to read the text displayed because of their jazzy background displays. Can we have please not have this distraction?
Eric Jones, Wrexham
Kirsty Wark has repeatedly conducted some of the best TV interviews I have ever seen. Especially recently in live interviews on Newsnight.
Watching the debate between the "two" parties about childcare. What about the third party and their proposals on childcare? After all the Liberal Democrats are within a few points of the Tories in the polls, why assume that only the Tories' views in comparison with Labour should be heard?
Derek Deedman, Steyning
FSA Sudan 1 recall list
Many of your have e-mailed to say you've had problems finding the link to the FSA's Sudan 1 recall list.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites
I just wanted to thank you for the story on the Sudan 1 recall. My husband and I love spicy food and we had at least one product on the list in our fridge. I am extremely grateful to have this brought to our attention.
Penny Schenk, Oxford
Re your item on smoking. I thought the lady, I believe her first name was Claire, was extremely lucid in the interview.
The anti-smoking man came out with the same old guff about disproved harmful effects of passive smoking.
If, however, his example about cause and effect is right, perhaps we should also ban driving cars, because they cause many thousands of deaths and injuries each year.
Geoff Sleight, Aylesbury
Your coverage of the smoking ban being introduced/proposed in Scotland was utterly unbalanced. As an Irishman, I didn't recognise the picture painted by the correspondent. Compliance with the ban is at 98%, an overwhelming majority of people support the smoking ban.
This measure has been the bravest thing our otherwise orthodox and uninspiring govt. has managed and is to be congratulated as such. Shame on Newsnight for letting it's high standards drop
Andrew Croughan, Dublin, Ireland
Why has Alistair Campbell appeared on the show twice in four days to spin his close friend Blair? This unelected mouthpiece is hardly objective and considering the damage he did to the BBC, I for one do not find him a credible or worthwhile guest.
Jemima Craig, Essex
Please please please make the videos available in Windows Media Player and not just Real player ... like the news site have just done. Ta
Neal O'Brian, Sydney
I watched Newsnight on Monday specially for George Monbiot's film on the decline of the English apple. An article in the Guardian's "Weekend" magazine, 30.10.04, stipulated that the film would be shown on Monday. If they were right, why did you not say that it was to be rescheduled? Please let me know so that I and friends who are particularly interested in the subject do not waste our time. Thank you in anticipation. Derek Simmons, Charlton Musgrove
Reply from the editor
I'm sorry about the mix-up on George Monbiot's excellent film about the English apple. Because of our extensive coverage of the US election there was not room to run the film on the date that was originally planned. Normally we try to alert viewers to changes of plan like this, but on this occasion I'm afraid the message fell between the cracks.
Editor, Peter Barron
"...daily analysis of news and current affairs on da telly..." of course, apples, smoking, Tory pipedreams...oh and something about Falluja. With smiley Gavin! Keep up the good work.
John Joseph Langton, London
I love this programme but don't live in the UK. I'd love to see this on BBC World though. Why isn't this currently possible? Are there plans to make this possible?
I enjoyed your analysis of the US elections. It was interesting to see it from a different perspective.
H Zimmer, United States
With all the depressing news that has come from America and the Middle East recently, I would like to suggest a more optimistic and inspiring story that seems to have been largely overlooked - the European Aurora programme which ultimately aims at a manned Mars landing.
On 1 October the UK announced its continued participation in this program. I think it would be nice to have a story to make people feel good about being British for a change.
Digby Tarvin, London
Would you please re-show the interview Kirsty Wark did with Hanan Ashrawi not so long ago? I only caught the last two minutes of it and it looked very interesting. She is a potential successor to Arafat.
Paul Bird, Cambridge
Your report on money laundering in casinos shows a lack of understanding of the subject. Money laundering is the process firstly of getting cash into the banking system and subsequently transferring it either from one person's account to another's, or to the originator so as to make it appear legitimately earned.
Exchanging cash in a casino and then cashing out simply leaves the holder with unaccounted funds - the casino will not certify he won the money since he clearly didn't. The Inland Revenue and other authorities have long rejected the "I won it gambling" explanation for unusual transactions.
David Hope Robertson, Ferndown
I see Alistair Campbell is no sooner back on the scene than the spin continues. He was appearing alongside Michael Portillo being interviewed by Gavin Esler. He stated, without being challenged, that, Tony Blair had been elected by the British People, which he certainly has not. He is selected by his own party as leader but can we put this one finally to rest. He is certainly not, under our present system, elected by the people of this country. I enjoy Newsnight for its rigorous interviews. I hope you're not going soft.
Ewen Mackay, Surrey
Did the BBC really need to have that many reporters covering the US election? It seemed every programme from Newsnight to Songs of Praise had to have their presenters or reporters in the states nice work if you can get it) but yet the BBC were still relying on ABC etc for updates - at least the BBC could of had their own pollsters. All that expense for style with no substance.
Shahriar Zakaria, London
I'm worried - and very pessimistic - about the result of this US election. However, there's been some consolation. The world will not fall apart when Peter Snow is giving us the need for "these 270 crucial votes" with a simulation map and pop-up numbers.
Peter, we only know it's a real election when you're there. Thanks for this and so many others.
Philippa Sutton, Newcastle
Tonight's programme - Monday, 1 November, 2004 - was a brilliant, riveting piece of broadcasting. I can hardly imagine a better account of the us election. Another plus for public service broadcasting.
I know other people who get annoyed with your programme because of the change to Newsnight Scotland at 11pm. Since I am paying for a TV licence, I think you should show it on one of the BBC channels. Either people who want to watch the Scottish version change channel or vice versa. I don't think I should have to pay for satellite to watch!
If you prefer you can also write to us:
London W12 7RJ |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/devon/8521618.stm | Police in Goa initially said 15-year-old Scarlett had drowned
Two years after a Devon teenager was raped and killed in the Indian state of Goa, her mother is still waiting for the body to be released.
Fifteen-year-old Scarlett Keeling from Bideford was found dead on a beach in Anjuna in February 2008.
Fiona MacKeown's lawyer, Vikram Verma, said it was "outrageous" as there was no reason for the body being held.
He told BBC News there has been a communication breakdown between the Devon coroner and Indian authorities.
Advocate Verma said the coroner is waiting for clearance from magistrates in India, but this is not the normal procedure in that country, so an application would have to be made through the embassy.
"No body should be held for two years - it is outrageous," he said.
The Exeter and Greater Devon Coroner's office said it would not be appropriate to comment.
Two men have been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder and are currently on bail awaiting trial.
Samson D'Souza, 28, and Placido Carvalho, who is in his 30s, have also been charged with intent to outrage a woman's modesty, administering a drug with intent to harm and destruction of evidence.
Ms MacKeown, 45, said last October she feared her daughter's body might not be released until the end of Mr D'Souza and Mr Carvalho's trial, which could take up to a year.
Scarlett and her family were on a six-month holiday in India when she was left in the care of a 25-year-old tour guide while the rest of her family went travelling.
Fiona MacKeown may not be able to bury Scarlett until the end of the trial
When Scarlett's body was found on the beach, Indian investigators said she had drowned, but a second post-mortem examination carried out at the insistence of Ms MacKeown revealed evidence of attack injuries.
India's Central Bureau of Investigation started a fresh investigation which led to the arrest of the two men.
Mr Verma said he remains in regular contact with Ms MacKeown.
"This will be a difficult day, but she will mark it in her own way," he said.
Last February, Ms MacKeown threw flowers into the sea off the north Devon coast, after being advised not to return to Anjuna beach to mark the anniversary. |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3679042.stm | A suicide attacker detonated a car bomb in west Baghdad killing 11 people, some of whom were about to apply to join the Iraqi security forces.
The first car bomb hit a busy commercial and residential area
Hours later another blast shook the Mansour district of Baghdad.
No deaths are reported, but at least three people were hurt and two US military vehicles were destroyed.
The Iraqi capital has seen almost daily bombings in the past two weeks against US forces and their allies, but most of the victims have been civilians.
Meanwhile, fighting raged in north-east Baghdad after US forces launched a major operation against militants loyal to radical cleric Moqtada Sadr.
At least 15 people are reported to have died in the clashes in the Sadr City suburb.
In other developments:
- A US soldier died in an attack on a patrol in the northern city of Mosul.
- A US Army soldier died when a roadside bomb he was investigating in Tikrit detonated.
- Three US soldiers were injured when their Blackhawk helicopter
made emergency landing late near Nasiriya.
Witnesses in western Baghdad's Jamiyah neighbourhood said it was not immediately clear why the suicide bomber struck in their area, a commercial and residential district.
"I don't even know who they were targeting. They just bombed people eating ice cream" said one casualty who had shrapnel wounds to the face and neck.
However, later reports said a photocopying shop may have been the target, where young men had been preparing their applications before volunteering at a nearby recruitment centre.
At least 13 vehicles were wrecked by the blast and the engine of the explosives-laden car was hurled about 50 meters (150 feet).
The death toll has been steadily rising during the morning in the restive Shia slum of Sadr City.
Witnesses said US forces used attack helicopters and C130 gun ships to rake some areas with fire.
One US helicopter was reportedly hit by gunfire, but managed to return to its base, and a tank was reported hit by a roadside bomb.
Reports say that, at one point, US troops took to the rooftops in pursuit of five armed militiamen, killing two and capturing three.
"We are fighting the terrorists so we can re-establish civil-military operations and get back to the reconstruction projects that the people of Sadr City want," a US army spokesman said. |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/hampshire/7692909.stm | Redknapp led Portsmouth to an FA Cup triumph in May
Former Portsmouth Football Club manager Harry Redknapp is expected to accept the freedom of the city despite quitting the club three days earlier.
Redknapp left Fratton Park to take charge of London Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
But the 61-year-old is expected to return on Tuesday to accept the freedom of the city, after guiding Portsmouth to FA Cup success last season.
"If they would like me to be there then I will," he told BBC Radio Solent.
"I think I'm getting it for what I've done, I'd like to go."
In May Redknapp led Pompey to their first FA Cup triumph in more than 60 years with a 1-0 win over Cardiff.
He also brought Uefa Cup European football to Fratton Park.
But Redknapp joined Tottenham after the north Londoners sacked Spanish manager Juande Ramos following the club's worst ever start to a season.
"It's a big opportunity to manage a big club before I retire," said Redknapp.
But Councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson, the leader of Portsmouth City Council, admitted that the mood of Tuesday's freedom of the city event will now be different.
"He [Redknapp] will be welcome but it will have a different tone to it," he told BBC Radio Solent.
"It would have been a great celebration but the news that Harry has gone will make it a sadder occasion.
"My expectation is that he will be there. But there is a huge feeling of disappointment in the city now he has gone."
Also, Cllr Vernon-Jackson admitted that the council would "need to think again" about plans to name a new civic clock tower bell after Redknapp. |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8296923.stm | Mystery surrounds the fate of a missing Iranian scientist who is reported to have been involved in Tehran's controversial nuclear programme.
Shahram Amiri disappeared in June in Saudi Arabia while on a pilgrimage.
Iran on Wednesday accused the US of involvement in his disappearance, but did not confirm media reports that Mr Amiri was indeed a nuclear scientist.
In response, a US state department spokesman said Washington had no information about the case.
"We have found documents that prove US interference in the disappearance of the Iranian pilgrim Shahram Amiri in Saudi Arabia," Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki was quoted as saying by Iran's Fars news agency.
"We hold Saudi Arabia responsible for Shahram Amiri's situation and consider the US to be involved in his arrest," the minister added.
In Washington, state department spokesman Ian Kelly said only that "the case is not familiar to us".
There have been no public comments from Saudi Arabia.
Mr Amiri worked as a researcher at Tehran's Malek Ashtar University, according to Iran's state-run Press TV channel.
However, some reports in Iran's media say he was also an employee of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation and wanted to seek asylum abroad.
The US and its Western allies suspect Iran of secretly developing nuclear weapons - a claim denied by Tehran. |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4541818.stm | US President George W Bush has made his fifth speech on Iraq in under three weeks, and his first prime time address from the Oval Office since he launched the invasion in 2003.
President Bush acknowledged the situation in Iraq was tough
In it, commentators agree, Mr Bush struck a more humble tone that he has in previous addresses, but continued to sound confident about his decision to continue with the mission in Iraq and its eventual success.
Many pundits note, however, that it did not give any details on how that success may be achieved.
Peter Barker, writing in The Washington Post, notes that President Bush acknowledged the difficulties the US military had experienced in Iraq, with "violence and suffering" inflicted by a "brutal enemy" and reconstruction under way "more slowly that we hoped".
Barker writes: "For a president traditionally resistant to acknowledging miscues, such a concession amounts to a stark political change."
But the commentator also stresses that Mr Bush distinguishes "between honest critics who recognise what is wrong and defeatists who refuse to see that anything is right".
Despite the new tone of Mr Bush's latest speech, however, Barker says that a rocketing death toll, which rose by more than a 30 in a series of attacks following the election, will "sear deeper into the American consciousness than any Oval Office speech".
David E Sanger in The New York Times also notes that Mr Bush did not resort to his usual dismissal of critics "with a wave of the hand and an acid retort". But he also stresses that the president reiterated his insistence that the US will be victorious.
Sanger says that the use of the term "defeatists" is at the heart of his new argument - that the biggest threat to such victory is not the insurgency, but that the American public will withdraw its support for the war.
The Miami Herald quotes Republican Senator John McCain as saying that reducing casualties in Iraq was key to sustaining public support, and this would be difficult as long as corruption and militias impact on the effectiveness of the Iraqi military.
The paper notes that this latest speech was a summation of Mr Bush's previous four addresses over the last 19 days, and did not offer anything new.
This is also highlighted by The Los Angeles Times. It quotes Democrat Senator Dianne Feinstein as saying: "It was a restatement of the justification for the war, of how important it is to win, but he didn't really talk about what it's going to take to win," she says.
The site Mike's America - a blog run by a former staffer with the US Environmental Protection Agency - was however wholly positive about Mr Bush's latest speech.
"With that shining ribbon on top, President Bush wrapped up the encore to his VICTORY in Iraq speeches like a well dressed Christmas present. Explaining as best he has to date, in direct, clear and concise words what we have achieved in Iraq and what we have yet to do; while admitting where we have gone wrong. " |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6383065.stm | The UK-wide programme to screen school children for tooth decay should be scrapped because it does not improve dental health, government experts say.
Affluent children were more likely to have treatment after screening
A trial of 17,000 children found those from poor backgrounds benefit least from screening despite having much higher rates of dental disease.
The Department of Health says primary care trusts should consider investing the funds saved in other strategies.
Experts said adding fluoride to drinking water would have more impact.
Children aged six to nine years are currently screened at least three times for signs of tooth decay by dentists who go into schools.
Those found to need further treatment are sent home with a letter asking them to go to their dentist.
But research suggests follow-up is poor.
In a letter to primary care trusts (PCTs), the Department of Health said the National Screening Committee found no evidence to support continued screening.
Resources could be used more effectively to tackle oral health inequalities, the department said.
The Oral Health Unit at the National Primary Care Development Centre said screening by dentists in schools had been going on for decades.
Its study of children in the North West of England found only half of children with tooth decay in their permanent teeth made a follow-up appointment with a dentist and only 25% had appropriate treatment.
Children from affluent backgrounds were more likely to visit the dentist and receive treatment after being screened.
This was despite children from poorer backgrounds having the highest rate of tooth decay.
Study leader Dr Keith Milsom said middle-class parents were probably more likely to access health services.
"What we showed was that screening does not lead to any improvement and more importantly it does nothing to reduce inequalities between rich and poor," he said.
"This is a signal to PCTs that dental screening is dead in the water."
He said preventive strategies would be more successful.
"The holy grail would be the fluoridation of drinking water supplies, which is safe, effective and ethical.
"Only 10% of the population have access to fluoridated water," he said.
It is thought that discontinuing screening should free up 4-5% of primary dental care services.
But the National Screening Committee said even if access to dental services was improved there was likely to remain a marked social inequality in the incidence of tooth decay.
Janet Clarke, chairman of the British Dental Association's central committee for community and public health dentistry, said screening had not been the best way to tackle the poor dental health in children.
"This will give dentists the opportunity to spend more time providing dentistry to groups who have found it difficult to access care."
She added targeted water fluoridation would also be effective.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health said routine screening was not cost-effective but that PCTs could continue with the scheme if they wanted.
"The greatest improvements will come from giving parents and their children knowledge of how to prevent dental disease and obtain treatment," she said. |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4717527.stm | By Adam Easton
BBC News, Warsaw
Polish Prime Minister Marek Belka has arrived in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, for talks with his counterpart, Ibrahim Jaafari, on Polish troop levels.
Polish PM Marek Belka has been a strong supporter of the coalition
The pair are to discuss the scheduled withdrawal of 1,500 of the soldiers from Iraq early next year.
The Polish government has been a staunch supporter of the US-led coalition in Iraq.
However, the policy is now unpopular with the public and it no longer has the funds or soldiers to sustain it.
When the US invited Polish troops to command a huge multi-national force in southern Iraq two years ago, the Polish government saw it as a great opportunity to improve its armed forces and Poland's international standing.
Even though much of the public originally supported the idea of sending troops to Iraq opinions have now changed.
Many of the expected economic and political benefits have not materialised. And now the overwhelming majority of Poles want the soldiers to come home.
Most Poles are still probably more concerned about domestic issues like high unemployment and corruption than Iraq.
But the Madrid and London bombings served as an awful reminder that Polish cities could also be targets - although the government says it has no reports that suggest a heightened threat.
But it is continuing with its plans to withdraw its remaining troops after a United Nations mandate expires at the end of the year.
A small number of soldiers will stay to continue training the Iraqi military. But after five tours of duty, Poland simply has neither the money nor the available troops to continue its presence. |
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-13148083 | Fire-damaged stretch of M1 motorway to fully reopen
The fire-damaged section of the M1 will reopen fully from Thursday.
The Highways Agency announced that the normal three lanes would be open in each direction with a 50mph limit over the fire-affected viaduct.
But it warned that there could be further closures in the future so that permanent repair work can be done.
A fire, which is now being treated as arson, broke out under an elevated section of the road just north of London on Friday.
This led to full and partial closures of the section between junctions one and four.
Before the announcement it had been expected that a contraflow would have to operate on the section at the start of the Easter period.
The stretch of the motorway will be reduced to one lane in each direction from 2100 BST to 0600 BST to enable the full opening later on Thursday.
The Highways Agency said: "It should be noted that it is likely there will be a need for closures in the future to enable permanent repair work to be undertaken.
"These will, of course, be planned to minimise disruption as far as possible."
Transport Secretary Philip Hammond said: "I am pleased that work on the M1 has progressed faster than anticipated to allow the safe opening of three normal lanes in each direction by tomorrow.
"This means there will now be no need for a contraflow system.
"The Highways Agency has been working around the clock to do everything it can to reopen the M1 and this news will be welcomed by motorists planning to get away for the Easter weekend." |
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-37402183 | World's oldest fish hooks found in Japanese island cave
Archaeologists have found the world's oldest fish hooks in a cave on the Japanese island of Okinawa.
The pair, dating from about 23,000 years ago, were carved from sea snail shells and found with other ancient relics, according to a paper.
It is thought humans inhabited the island from at least 30,000 years ago, surviving despite scarce resources.
The findings suggest a wider use of advanced maritime technology in that era than previously thought.
Modern humans first moved to offshore islands some 50,000 years ago.
While fishing has been essential for early humans to spread around the planet, it is unclear how the technology evolved, with evidence limited to sites in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.
"The new evidence demonstrates a geographically wider distribution of early maritime technology that extended north to the mid-latitude areas along the western Pacific coast," according to the National Academy of Sciences.
The fish hooks predate ones found in Timor, thought to be at least 16,000 years old, and Papua New Guinea, from at least 18,000 years ago.
Also found in the cave were two partially carved fish hooks, tools, beads and food debris.
The paper's authors even suggest that those who visited the cave did so seasonally, when certain species of crab were at their "most delicious". |
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-38672837 | Netflix's gamble pays off as subscriptions soar
Hundreds of movies disappeared from Netflix over 2016, the result of the streaming service’s decision to end several key content deals with top studios and distributors.
It was a brave move - particularly given that its main rivals, such as Hulu, jumped at the chance to take on some of those titles Netflix decided it no longer wanted.
The reason for the cull? Original content.
Netflix was being bold - its aspirations were no longer to be your on-demand DVD collection, but instead the place where you discovered and consumed new and exclusive shows.
In 2016, those “Netflix Originals” - already a term you could argue has become synonymous with quality - came thick and fast.
The firm said it produced 600 hours of original programming last year - and intends to raise that to about 1,000 hours in 2017. Its budget to achieve that is $6bn (£4.9bn) - a billion more than last year.
On Wednesday we learned the company has been rewarded handsomely for putting its eggs in the original content basket. After hours trading on Wednesday saw the company’s stock rise by as much as 9% on the news it had added 7.05 million new subscribers in the last three months of 2016.
That’s far greater than the 5.2 million they had anticipated, and left them ending the year with 93.8 million subscribers in total - and an expectation of breaking the symbolic 100 million mark by the end of March.
In all, 2016 saw Netflix take in $8.83bn (£7.1bn) in revenue - with a profit of $186.7m (£151.6m).
All looking good, then - but there’s still work to do.
In a letter to shareholders, Netflix underlined, as it is obliged to do, the potential risks to its success going forward - chiefly globalisation and competition.
While international expansion has been rapid, with the majority of the new sign-ups are coming from outside of the US, it will require a lot of expenditure for Netflix to dominate with original content in the 189 other countries it serves.
It has put some of its budget into non-English language shows, such as “3%”, a Portuguese sci-fi series. Intriguingly, Netflix noted that many English viewers opted to watch the dubbed version, providing an unexpected added audience.
Still, when local TV players kick into action and give up so-called linear TV - episodes once a week, and so on - in favour of Netflix’s model there’s a chance the company’s head start could be clawed back.
The company notes that the BBC became the first “major linear network” to push into a “binge-first” strategy, and it expects American network HBO to follow suit pretty soon.
The company also took a somewhat unusual political step in its earnings, drawing attention to the ongoing debate over so-called net neutrality.
Net neutrality is the concept that all data traffic on the internet is treated equally - and that internet service providers (ISPs) cannot, for example, charge extra for data-heavy services like video streaming.
The cost could be passed on to either companies like Netflix or the consumer - but is currently not allowed. However, there are concerns the incoming Trump administration may abolish the current laws that ensure net neutrality.
Netflix said any weakening of net neutrality laws would not affect its business in any significant way, but stressed, as many advocates have done, that it would hinder competition across the board.
“Strong net neutrality is important to support innovation and smaller firms,” the company wrote.
"No one wants ISPs to decide what new and potentially disruptive services can operate over their networks, or to favour one service over another. We hope the new US administration and Congress will recognise that keeping the network neutral drives job growth and innovation.”
Finally, Netflix reiterated its reluctance to get into the business of broadcasting live sport - something the company argued was the last real incentive for someone to have a traditional cable or satellite subscription.
My hunch there is that it’s biding its time.
Right now, sports rights - even for just one market - cost astronomical amounts of cash.
But if big cable firms continue to be weakened by the likes of Netflix, their spending power will decrease. At which point the new players could see the prospect of getting a far better deal than if they were to go after it today.
What Netflix has made clear is that it’s no longer content with signing up content to show only in select markets, it’s instead focusing on deals that can be shown in every country.
How much would global rights to the Premier League be worth, I wonder? |
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-31451644 | HSBC whistleblower: There are 'more revelations'
He came across as credible, assured and clear in what he is trying to achieve.
Nothing less than a "battle against secrecy".
And now Herve Falciani has revealed that far from this week being the end of the story, there is still plenty of information that is likely to come out about HSBC.
One million new bits of data, to be precise.
He says work will start soon on analysing the information.
And that a major oil company could be next to feel the effects of a major data leak about how it operates.
Mr Falciani is the man behind the largest data leak in banking history - and after days of revelations about HSBC and tax evasion by its wealthy customers between 2005 and 2007, he now says he feels vindicated.
The BBC has seen an email obtained by Le Monde that Mr Falciani sent in 2008 to Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
It offered details of clients in what was described as a large private bank in Switzerland.
He told me that HMRC did not respond, despite a follow up phone call to the tax evasion hotline.
HMRC told Parliament on Wednesday that it had no record of the email. After last night's revelations, it said it was now looking into whether it had received it.
I asked him how it felt, seeing the email again, seven years after he sent it.
"Relieved in a sense. It's part of public awareness now."
There are now questions about why HMRC didn't respond and why it has taken so long for the information to become public.
HSBC has said it has reformed how its private bank operates and that there are now far fewer clients and much stricter controls.
Anyone involved in the allegations of tax evasion have left the bank, sources tell me.
But Mr Falciani says that HSBC should still be prosecuted for past failings.
"We have to punish, no matter how big they are," he said, saying that there could have been "hundreds" of other banks involved in helping wealthy people avoid and evade tax.
He called on European, Asian and American law enforcement agencies to work together to tackle bank corruption.
Whistleblowers should also be given more protection so they can reveal what they know.
Critics of Mr Falciani - and there are many - say he is a whistleblower who comes with a health warning.
They say he stole the HSBC data when he worked at the bank and originally hawked the information around for money.
He denies both allegations.
"It is wrong," he said. "They try to kill your reputation, like the mafia. It is already starting to be proved to be wrong.
"I never asked for payment and I will have time to prove that."
Mr Falciani says that the last seven years have been endured at some considerable personal cost.
He told me he has no real home and travels around Europe supported by a network of people who, he says, are also engaged in the battle against secrecy.
The negative effect on his life has been "tremendous - personal, professional and physical risk, and of course the reputational risk".
Whistleblowers have to be ready for a long fight. "It proves how difficult it is and how tricky you have to be," he said. "It took many more years than I expected.
"It's a huge journey." |
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-40042581 | Google's DeepMind AlphaGo artificial intelligence has defeated the world's number one Go player Ke Jie.
AlphaGo secured the victory after winning the second game in a three-part match.
DeepMind founder Demis Hassabis said Ke Jie had played "perfectly" and "pushed AlphaGo right to the limit".
Following the defeat, Ke Jie told reporters: "I'm a little bit sad, it's a bit of a regret because I think I played pretty well."
In Go, players take turns placing stones on a 19-by-19 grid, competing to take control of the most territory.
It is considered to be one of the world's most complex games, and is much more challenging for computers than chess.
AlphaGo has built up its expertise by studying older matches and playing thousands of games against itself.
The company says the eventual plan is to deploy its artificial intelligence "in areas of medicine and science".
Prof Noel Sharkey, a computer scientist at Sheffield University, said it is still a long way from creating a general intelligence.
"It is an incredible achievement and most experts thought an AI winning at Go was 20 years away so DeepMind is leading the field but this AI doesn't have general intelligence. It doesn't know that is playing a game and it can't make you a cup of tea afterwards."
Prof Nello Cristianini, from Bristol University, added: "This is machine learning in action and it proves that machines are very capable but it is not general intelligence. No-one has built that yet."
The types of intelligence exhibited by machines that are good at playing games are seen as very narrow. While they may produce algorithms that are useful in other fields, few think they are close to the all-purpose problem solving abilities of humans that can come up with good solutions to almost any problem they encounter.
Prof Cristianini added that while competition at a gaming level is fine, it should not govern how we view our relationship with intelligent machines going forward.
"We should focus on the good things that we can get out of them and be careful not to create situations in which we put ourselves in direct competition with machines."
Both experts agreed that such algorithms could be adapted to other fields, such as health care.
DeepMind has already begun working with the UK's national health service to develop apps and other tools for diagnosis. |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/4099799.stm | David Blunkett - who has resigned as home secretary - built his reputation as a plain-speaking Yorkshire man.
Here are some of the key quotes from his recent political career.
On his relationship with Kimberly Quinn
I fell in love with someone and they wouldn't go public and things started to go very badly wrong in the summer, and then the News of the World picked up the story.
"I tried for three years to make something work."
On allegations of misconduct in relation to his ex-lover
"Trust, plain-speaking and straight talking is something which matters so much to me as a politician and as a man that I have decided, of my own volition, to request an independent review of the allegations that I misused my position."
"I don't think anyone can say I have said one thing in public and done another in private."
"It would be dangerous territory if I wasn't practising what I preach which is to always accept responsibility, always accept the consequences of your actions.
Speaking on tackling the terrorism threat
"None of us believe countering terrorism is about party politics."
"I accepted by necessity we have to have prevention under a new category which is to intervene before the act is committed, rather than do so by due process after the act is committed when it's too late," he said in reference to new anti-terrorism measures.
On tackling immigration and asylum
"Our work with the French government...has been hugely successful," said Mr Blunkett.
"The number of illegal immigrants detected in Dover has dropped dramatically."
Mr Blunkett on controversial ID card plans
"Strengthening our identity is one way or reinforcing people's confidence and sense of citizenship and well-being."
When he came last in celebrity Mastermind
"I foolishly thought as this was a celebrity edition it would be more relaxed than normal."
On hearing of the death of serial killer Harold Shipman
"You wake up and you receive a phone call - Shipman's topped himself. You have just got to think for a minute: is it too early to open a bottle?" |
http://www.bbc.com/news/10520458 | Gulf oil spill reaches Texas as tar balls wash ashore
Tar balls have landed on a Texas beach, meaning oil from the Gulf of Mexico spill has hit all five US Gulf states.
Tests identified the small amount of tar found on the Bolivar Peninsula, north-east of Galveston, as coming from BP's blown-out well off Louisiana.
But officials said it was unclear if it had drifted hundreds of kilometres from the leak site or had fallen from ships taking part in the clean-up operation.
Up to 60,000 barrels of oil a day have leaked into the Gulf since 22 April.
BP has said its oil-capture systems collected or burnt off 24,980 barrels of oil on Monday, according to the Reuters news agency.
Over the past week, efforts to clean up the spill have been hampered by the first hurricane of the Atlantic season, Hurricane Alex.
Separately, BP said it could cover the costs of the clean-up and compensation claims without selling new shares, amid rumours that a Middle Eastern sovereign wealth fund was about to buy a stake.Relief wells
The commander of the US Coast Guard in the Galveston region, Capt Marcus Woodring, said about five gallons (19 litres) of tar balls from the Deepwater Horizon leak had been found on Saturday.
But he said it was impossible to confirm whether they had drifted from the site of the leak, about 550 miles (885km) away, or had dropped off one of the ships carrying collected oil to Texas to be processed.
End Quote Joe Jaworski Mayor of Galveston
We're cautiously optimistic this is an anomaly”
The joint BP-US government response team said there were doubts that the oil had drifted all the way from the spill.
"The testing found that the oil was lightly weathered, raising doubts that the oil traversed the Gulf from the spill source," a statement said.
Galveston's mayor, Joe Jaworski, said he was hopeful the analysis was correct and that the tar balls were not a sign of more oil to come.
"This is good news. The water looks good. We're cautiously optimistic this is an anomaly," he said.
Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson meanwhile promised in a statement that any of the state's coastline affected by the spill "will be cleaned up quickly and BP will be picking up the tab".
The coasts of four other US Gulf states - Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida - have so far been more seriously affected by the spill.
Tar balls and oily water were spotted on Monday near the mouth of Lake Pontchartrain, a large lake to the north of New Orleans, in Louisiana.
Rough weather since Hurricane Alex passed through the Gulf, to the south of the spill, has hampered clean-up operations for the last week.
Tests of a giant tanker refitted to scoop up oil have been inconclusive because of high seas, the ship's operators said.
The first of two relief wells being drilled to permanently cap the well is seven days ahead of schedule, but officials said on Tuesday that it was still likely to be mid-August before the operation could be completed.
In the meantime, some of the leaking oil is being piped to the surface from a cap over part of the well.
BP spokesman Mark Proegler has said the company hopes to connect "by the end of the week" a third tanker, Helix Producer, to its collection system to increase capacity to 53,000 barrels a day from the current limit of 28,000.
The Helix Producer will form part of a new collection system involving a so-called floating riser and four vessels which will be able to disconnect and reconnect quickly, reducing the time lost when collection is halted because of rough seas. The new system should be able to handle up to 80,000 barrels of oil a day.
The Deepwater Horizon rig - operated by Transocean on behalf of BP and its partners - exploded on 20 April and later sank with the loss of 11 lives, leading to the worst oil spill in US history.
US scientists estimate 35-60,000 barrels per day are leaking from the well, about one mile (1.6km) below the surface of the water. |
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-21206156 | Egypt voices: Protesters see failed revolution
Anti-government demonstrators in Egypt have clashed with police as they marked the second anniversary of the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak.
The protesters are demanding greater political and economic change, and accuse both President Mohammed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist movement to which he belongs, of betraying the promises of the revolution.
BBC Arabic's Marwa Nasser met some of them on the streets of Cairo.
Rashed Mahmoud Rashed, 30, photographer
The revolution would have been something good if we could have changed the country.
We got rid of Mubarak only to give the country to an Islamist who used to be in jail.
You can't just give the country to someone who was in prison.
Those who started the revolution are youths, but none of their demands were achieved. I'm concerned about the results of today's new revolution, because Islamists are taking over the country.
I don't feel any difference between Mubarak and Morsi.
The president doesn't care about Egyptians; he cares only about his family and clan.
Layla Adel Shehata, 17, student
We demanded "bread, freedom and social justice", and none of that has been achieved.
Everything is the same - unemployment, bad education. The poor don't even have bread anymore.
We called for human dignity. Where is that dignity when they are once again beating and killing us?
They forged the results of the elections and the constitutional referendum.
We can't allow a group of Muslim Brotherhood leaders, sent by the United Sates, to rule Egypt.
We refuse one party to rule Egypt. They have failed to change anything.
Maha Mohammed, 36, business owner
I spent the 18 days of the revolution in Tahrir Square.
This revolution is for our children. The new generation needs to see change.
Prices have increased even more, and we're back to square one.
We have toppled a gang of thieves only to bring in a new gang of thieves instead.
The ruling party is the same as [Hosni Mubarak's former ruling] National Democratic Party, but with beards.
Mohammed Farid, 31, graphic designer
I don't believe in reform. You destroy a regime to build a complete new one.
This is not a revolution, they are fooling us. Nothing has changed since 25 January 2011.
None of our demands have been met. Every day that passes we move three years back in time. Nothing has been changed.
Ask anyone who takes public transport - it's all the same. People are going crazy; they talk to themselves in the street.
The revolution has failed. Nobody can make a living anymore.
I can understand that prices of food and petrol would increase for just a few days after the revolution, but it continues to increase and it's not going to stop.
Momdouh Mohammed Hussein, 51, worker
I came from Aswan to take part in the protests today in Tahrir Square. Nothing has changed for us, the residents of Nuba.
We've been suffering for more than 30 years now and we thought things would change after the revolution.
We are not represented in the constitution, and we weren't represented in elections.
We met the president and members of the Muslim Brotherhood. They promised to give us our land back, but they haven't kept their word.
We provide security for this country in the south. We shouldn't be neglected in such way.
Mona Mohammed, 45, housewife
Until now nothing good has happened. We feel things are getting worse. Nothing has changed.
The revolution sought to improve life for poor and middle class families, but it hasn't brought them anything. The poor are getting poorer.
I have never travelled to Tahrir Square before. This is the first time I have joined any protest. I'm here for change, not for celebration.
I want to see this country move forward and the factories resume work. I want to see an end to unemployment and to thuggery. This country must change.
Ibrahim Abdul Kader, 54, accountant
There's no doubt that this country needed a revolution. But it took a different turn. We thought a solid plan would emerge after the revolution. Until now nothing has changed.
We were hopeful when Morsi took over. I thought he would put a full plan in place so that the country could progress under any future governments. We didn't see any planning or renaissance like they told us there would be.
The rate of poverty in Egypt is way too high. Some people are homeless and others can't afford their medicine. We wish we could feel some luxury.
Maher Abdul Rasoul, 28, lecturer
Two years ago, the demands of the revolution were "bread, freedom and social justice"; and two years later our demands are still the same. Nothing has changed. The poor can't find bread now. The government have exhausted them with new taxes.
The only demand that was partly achieved is freedom. We were successful in snatching some of our freedom with our own hands. The new regime didn't secure that freedom for us. We completely overcame our fears.
As for social justice, we only replaced one gang by another. There's still no minimum wage or maximum wage. The private sector is still in control and all the laws are only drafted on paper.
Farahat Mohsen, 22, painter
The only thing that changed after two years of the revolution is that our president has a beard. The regime hasn't changed.
We changed after the revolution and became united. The young people of the revolution know each other and feel for each other. We know when we will go to Tahrir Square and when we will start a sit-in.
We're not here today to just gather in the square - it's a new revolution. We will not leave this time until we witness a real change. |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/4283385.stm | Welcome to The Magazine Monitor, the home for many ever-popular features, including your letters and :
MON: Si's riddleTUES: E-cyclopediaWEDS: PunoramaTHURS: Caption compFRI: Friday Challenge (maybe)SAT: 10 things we didn't know this time last week
10 THINGS WE DIDN'T KNOW THIS TIME LAST WEEK
Snippets harvested from the week's news, chopped, sliced and diced for your weekend convenience.
1. The London borough of Westminster has an average of 20 pieces of chewing gum for every square metre of pavement.
2. Spectator editor Boris Johnson MP admits that he once drove at 160mph down the M40.
3. 20 May is proving to be a popular date for Dutch couples to get married, officials report. It's thought to be because 20 05 2005 is an easy anniversary to remember.
4. The floor that John Travolta danced on in Saturday Night Fever is still intact. The New York club where it has been since the film was made in 1977 is to be redeveloped, so the floor is being auctioned on eBay.
5. Crows and jays have the highest IQ among birds.
6. Cruz, the name of the Beckhams' new son, is not so unusual - there are 19 listed on the UK electoral roll.
7. The character Duke in the cartoon strip Doonesbury was modelled on Hunter S Thompson, who wasn't too thrilled about it. "You don't really think of making it in America as being a cartoon character," he said in an interview in the early 1980s.
8. The Rank Group, which has just shed the last vestiges of its film interests, once merged to become Rank/Castle Rock/Turner films, known in the trade as RCRT films.
9. If all the Smarties eaten in one year were laid end to end it would equal almost 63,380 miles, more than two-and-a-half times around the Earth's equator.
10. Bosses at Madame Tussauds spent £10,000 separating the models of Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, who recently separated. It was the first time the museum had two people's waxworks joined together.
If you spot anything that should be included next week, use the form below to tell us about it.
The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide.
FRIDAY CHALLENGE 25 FEBRUARY 1400GMT
Following consistent absenteeism, the Friday Challenge has been sacked and will not be appearing again in the Monitor.
CAPTION COMPETITION FRIDAY 25 FEBRUARY 1240GMT
Winning captions in this week's competition.
So what's David Beckham saying as he, Beyonce Knowles and Jennifer Lopez share a stage in the name of a certain fizzy drink?
6 .Tim York, UK
... however, and this is the really interesting bit, if in the view of the referee the attacking player is deemed to be active, then it IS offside, but on the other hand...
5 .Christian Cook, UK
So I put my mind to the problem and, like, why don't they just hunt the dogs with the foxes?
4 .Adele, England
David " And that's the theory of relativity in a nutshell."
3 .Christian Cook, UK
"Look, it was a simple misunderstanding. She said she was looking forward to the Golden Globes."
2 .Jason Mokrovich, Glasgow, Scotland
David Beckham: "Victoria, if you're home watching the television, look away now."
1 .Mark Bell, UK
Contestant number two's high voice means our Gary from Liverpool is about to make the biggest mistake of his life.
YOUR LETTERS FRIDAY 25 FEBRUARY 1100GMT
Although I find this somewhat difficult to admit, I am pretty much in agreement with Michael Howard's concern over the newspaper space being given to Peter Doherty's antics. However, I find his quote "...it was surprising that rock singer Pete Doherty should dominate the newspapers despite his alleged drug taking and recent time in jail" a bit confusing. Surely he is in the papers because, not despite, his alleged drug taking and jail-time?
RE: Formula Won?, and yesterday's letters.
To those who seek to demonstrate their mathematics prowess here:
HQ = (a + p)2 / h - where: 'HQ' is humour quotient, 'a' is arrogance, 'p' is pedantry, and 'h' is humility.
Disect that, while sucking a slice of lemon.
I can say that the amount of time "T" I spend reading the Magazine is T=f(I,n), where T is a function of I, the interesting quotient of the topics on offer, and n, the number of more important but dull things I have to do.
Re the news item: Heated lollipop for school patrol, 24 February, which reports on Powergen's efforts at helping to keep school crossing ladies warm. Er, gloves?
Re: computers in films. At least The Matrix Reloaded had a realistic hack (as an article on The Register website reports - see internet links) It's certainly more credible than Keanu Reeves being the saviour of humankind.
On the subject of the ability of Hollywood computers, I continue to be fascinated by the speed at which computers in films are able to dial up to the internet. In You've Got Mail, for instance, Meg Ryan clicks to check e-mail, there's a moment of modem sounds and she's online. I've got broadband now, but I might have stayed with dial up if my PC ever took such a short time to connect.
Dear BBC - may I have my licence fee back please?(Emin unveils 'sparrow' sculpture, 24 February)
An article in this week's Times Career supplement (see internet links) reports that "cyber-loafing workers who send personal e-mails and indulge in the occasional burst of blog-browsing or a little internet shopping are more productive than their po-faced colleagues". So all I can say is, thanks Monitor! You are increasing productivity in offices everywhere.
BY THE WAY FRIDAY 25 FEBRUARY 1030GMT
25 February is the 25th anniversary of the first transmission of Yes Minister.
YOUR LETTERS THURSDAY 24 FEBRUARY 1300GMT
The Sudan 1 issue Deadline nears in food recall, 23 February, highlights an interesting contrast. I witnessed TV interview of a member of the public "worried that it took so long to get the information". In their hand was a cigarette - a product known to contain more than one carcinogen, plus a number of other toxic chemicals. I suspect that the person, and many others, are exposed in one day to more potential risk from their habit than from eating one or more contaminated meals.
Re: Formula Won?. The notation D = f(m,b,c) means solely that D is a function of m, b and c. This is, at last, a formula which seems to read true. There is no codswallop pseudo-mathematical rubbish in there.
The Monitor's O-Level maths is clearly not sufficient for deciphering the latest formula, for the diversity of High Streets. The formula D = f(m,b,c) states that diversity (D) is a function of the variables m, b and c. The brackets and commas are certainly necessary for this, though it does mean that the formula gives no indication of how these variables combine, which is most important, how to optimise diversity, etc. Clearly it has achieved any formula of this type's primary goal of confusing people without an advanced maths education, while telling nothing at all to those with one.
(Monitor note to Taylor: Thanks. No-one need send any more e-mails pointing out Monitor's lack of mathematical education.)
I too think that computers in films need to be more realistic (Monitor Letters, Wednesday. I look forward to Terminator XP.
Re anon's comments about Independence Day, the laptop used by Jeff Goldblum was actually an Apple Powerbook.
How about Armageddon where they spin the Mir Space Station to create artificial gravity, where sound travels remarkably well on an asteroid with no atmosphere and where a single nuclear bomb is all they require to split an asteroid the size of Texas?
Everyone knows that by typing anything you fancy really really quickly will decode even the most secure of Pentagon servers.
The Monitor has been far from unbiased, I might even say prejudiced, in its harsh treatment of the contraction "natch". I for one think it is a very clever and amusing little word, and I've decided to start using it all the time to impress people and make them happy.
FORMULA WON? THURSDAY 24 FEBRUARY 1040GMT
Last month we launched Formula Won?, a regular update on unlikely formulas which make it into the news.
As we reported then, (Formula Won?, 19 January), when the formula for supposedly the most depressing day was published, our formula for the perfect formula (see box) set out what any formula would need to get into the papers.
FORMULA FOR PERFECT FORMULA
H=0(f+µ) +S (where H = the number and prominence of headlines, O = the ordinariness of human behaviour being explained, f = having a formula worked out, µ = presence of a suitably scientific-looking symbol and S = having a sponsor with an enterprising public relations office)
Chief among the requirements is the ordinariness of the behaviour being explained, the presence of a suitably scientific-looking symbol, and a sponsor with an enterprising public relations office.
So now comes the formula for calculating how diverse and lively High Streets are.
It is D = f (m,b,c), where D is High Street Diversity, m is the mix of businesses available, b is the availability of every day goods, and c is the presence of businesses selling the same goods. It has not been reported what f is.
The formula has been used to show that Deptford High Street is the most diverse in London. The funder for the research? Yellow Pages.
It succeeds on several of our criteria, but is somewhat lacking in scientific-looking symbols. The brackets don't do a bad job, but the Monitor (drawing on its O level maths) suspects that neither the brackets nor the commas are actually necessary.
Mathematically-minded Monitor readers are, as usual, invited to inspect the algebra and submit their thoughts.
BY THE WAY THURSDAY 24 FEBRUARY 0900GMT
24 February is the 24th anniversary of the announcement of the engagement of the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer.
YOUR LETTERS WEDNESDAY 12 FEBRUARY 1330GMT
Re the article on fairtrade (Fair Play to us, 22 February). As a supporter of this initiative, I recently spotted on a supermarket shelf some fairtrade strawberry jam. On closer inspection, the fairtrade actually referred to the sugar not the strawberries, which was disappointing as I was all ready to support the downtrodden market gardeners of East Sussex.
Re: Dougie Lawson thinking that Jumping Jack Flash is the movie that displays the greatest disregard for computer capability. Have you not seen Weird Science? [See Internet links for IMDB reference] I was most dismayed to discover that my BBC computer could not be used to create a real woman, regardless of how much pseudobabble I used.
Dougie Lawson is absolutely right. Not even the luminescent presence of Scarlett Johansson in In Good Company [See internet links] could distract from the fact that e-mails (even those announcing the arrival of the corporation's uber-boss) do not appear on the screen on top of all other windows with a "ping", and do not arrive on computers in the same office one by one!
I also find Hollywood's use of computers irksome. The epitome of this for me was when Jeff Goldblum's character in Independence Day [See internet links] uploaded a "computer virus" on to the alien mothership. All computer programs, including virus, are written specifically for one operating system, and to allow maximum propagation, viruses are all written to run Microsoft Windows. I realise Microsoft have a massive market share but I doubt Mr Gates has got his claws into operating systems for intergalactic super-spaceships just yet.
You sly old so-and-sos! In Parties build up poll war chests, William Haughey OBE is referred to as a "refrigerator magnate". Nicely done.
David Bailey is right for the wrong reason (Monitor Letters, Tuesday); Americans, it's true, don't use "natch" (any longer) but because it's old-hat, not because it originated in Britain. It can be heard in Hollywood films of the late 40s, and appeared in The New Yorker as early as 1953.
Brooklyn, NY, US
RE: Natch. I'm fond of "sitch" for "situation", which I first heard in Buffy.
Perhaps, judging by recent letters, the Monitor Slogan should be "The best page on the web, natch."
PUNORAMA WEDNESDAY 23 FEBRUARY 1025GMT
It's time for Punorama, our pun-writing competition.
The rules are straightforward - we choose a story which has been in the news, and invite you to create an original punning headline for it.
This week, the dancefloor featured in the classic 70s movie Saturday Night Fever, is to be sold. The floor, which has more than 300 coloured lights, played host to some of the hottest disco dancing in history, courtesy of the film's star, John Travolta.
Let's kick things off with a few of meaty Bee Gees puns. From Cannibal Gymnastics, England: Ah ah ah ah, paying for lights; from Stig in London: How deep is your pocket? and from PJ, W Yorks: Floor the one that I want - right star, wrong film.
Anyone old enough may recall how the last word in 70s humour was to pun "disco" with "this'll go". So Pete N's
Disco-ing, going, gone could, charitably, be viewed as showing vintage inspiration. The same goes for Terry, Adlam's Disco nice in my living room.
Martin Ellison, UK, and Tane Piper, Edinburgh, UK, were thinking along similar lines with these respective entries: Lights, camp-era, auction and Hot auction on the dancefloor.
Finally, the best of the rest. Footlights revenue, from Kieran Boyle, England; The ultimate platform soled, by Sarah, Canada; Valtz on Travolta's volts, by Kate, UK, and BeeGee's dancefloor for some Lino Richie by Ian Carter, England.
NATCHWATCH WEDNESDAY 23 FEBRUARY 1010GMT
An ongoing battle against UK journalists using the word "natch".
Today's citation comes from Richard Littlejohn in today's Sun: "[H]is lawyer immediately announced that he would take the case to the Court of Appeal, thus prolonging the agony and keeping the meter running, natch. "
BY THE WAY WEDNESDAY 23 FEBRUARY 0950GMT
23 February is the 40th anniversary of the death of Stan Laurel.
E-CYCLOPEDIA TUESDAY 22 FEBRUARY 1315GMT
Our weekly guide to words behind the headlines, including new words, old words, old words in new contexts, ordinary words obscuring real meanings, and matters of linguistic interest.
Blackberry Malarkey - Alastair Campbell's term for user error - see PICNIC below
blatos - Reader Suzi, Portsmouth, writes: "I keep hearing 'blatos', meaning 'blatantly', as in 'I think they're having some trouble in Iraq'. 'Well, blatos!' This word is giving me a headache."
flu-like symptoms - mystery illness suffered by celebrities and the work-shy. Reader Michael, Cheltenham writes: "If the symptoms are only like flu (rather than actually being flu), what are they really suffering from?"
massive - in footballing context, to mean nothing. Reader David, Jerusalem, writes: "Everything is massive. A game can be massive, a goal can be massive, 'massive injection of cash by Roman Abramovich', 'Every single penalty I've had to take this season has been under massive pressure,' Thorne said. I think you get the idea."
natch - annoying abbreviation for "naturally", an Americanism increasingly used by UK journalists (See Monitor letters).
PICNIC - acroynym for "problem in chair, not in computer" (see PEBKAC error, also Error 17, in last week's entries, IT support terms for user error. Reader David from Ayr, writes that PICNIC error has much the same effect, but has "the twin benefits of being easier to pronouce, and since it's a real word can be slipped into conversation with the occupant of the chair not noticing". Also known as an id10-t error.
Remembrance pornography - saturation coverage of an anniversary. Highly controversial, reportedly coined by French comedian Dieudonne M'Bala M'Bala in response to the 60th anniversary of the Holocaust
YOUR LETTERS TUESDAY 22 FEBRUARY 0950GMT
In CSI show gives 'unrealistic view', 21 February, you note that forensics in real life can't do what forensics from Hollywood can do. This doesn't surprise me any more than if you reported that the Pope is still a Catholic. I've worked with computers since 1981; I have yet to see anything from Hollywood that doesn't have computers doing things that computers can't do. Worst ever example was Whoopi Goldberg's Jumping Jack Flash (see Internet links for Internet Movie Database Reference).
I know G W B maybe tried a probably harmless little spliff a long time ago (did he inhale?) but I really think this story (Dot.life: Why democracy starts with an e, 21 February) is now taking it a little too far.
I too am annoyed by the use of the word "natch" in British newspapers (Monitor letters, Monday). The Observer did it this weekend, in its horoscope for Virgo: "Remember: in High Noon scenarios (you're Gary Cooper, natch), the trick is to shoot first."
I'm pretty sure Americans don't say "natch". It originated in Irony Central (oops, that's an Americanism) - Britain.
The Monitor is too modest. For weeks now, you've been after a slogan. And yet the Sunday Times offers you one on a plate, in a remarkably kind review. "The Monitor is gem of interactivity," it said, adding that it was "the liveliest letters page on the web". Actually on reflection, this might say more about the web than it does about the Monitor.
BY THE WAY TUESDAY 22 FEBRUARY 0930GMT
22 February is the 15th anniversary of Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage ending a 221-year-old tradition by including illegitimate and adopted children for the first time.
YOUR LETTERS MONDAY 21 FEBRUARY 1155GMT
I wonder, did Duncan Grisby How to catch a burglar with a webcam, 17 February) display notices that his premises were under survellance? Could the thief now sue him for violating his human rights, claiming that even when breaking and entering he has a right to privacy?
It was amusing to see that the burglar caught by the webcam was wearing the traditional burglar's striped rugby shirt, as commonly depicted in cartoons.
May I propose that the Monitor institutes "Natchwatch" to guard against British journalists using the US affectation "natch". It's just too cute for words. One example from this weekend's papers: "Their wormery (made from recycled plastic, natch) is built up in a series of stacking trays." (Anna Pavord in the Independent.)
If London is successful in its bid for the 2012 Olympics, beach volleyball will take place in Horse Guards Parade. (Olympic venue guide). I wonder who will be PM then - No 10 wil have a grandstand view.
As the Friday Challenge has now been AWOL for 2 weeks, I think we should guess where it has gone. Did it go looking for the Magazine's Postcard?
Perhaps we could have a Friday Challenge to come up with the reason the Friday Challenge is AWOL two weeks in a row? Perhaps it's just an auditing issue like the 30kg of Plutonium that's missing?
SI'S RIDDLE MONDAY 21 FEBRUARY 1000GMT
Every Monday, Si sets you a riddle to get your brain working.
How they roamed here and there
Tower and castle, foul and fair
Least to most pressing cases
U-boat, aircraft and car chases
Erects a memorial in their prime
Evens the odds of fighting crime
Send your solution using the form below.
The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide.
The answer to last week's riddle is that the six terms decode to:
Therefore the 9-letter word linking them is BUTTERFLY. "An extra shot of kudos for anyone who spots that encoding BUTTERFLY using the same cipher gives you MINNESOTA - hence the title," says Si.
Winner Neil Golightly goes one step further than that. "Incidentally," he writes, "Minnesota's actual state butterfly is the BLYGSPX."
Si is a contributor to the Puzzletome website.
BY THE WAY MONDAY 21 FEBRUARY 0945GMT
A regular note of anniversaries that might otherwise be overlooked.
21 February is the 80th anniversary of the first publication of the New Yorker magazine. It would also have been Sam Peckinpah's 80th birthday.
It is also the 24th anniversary of the death of Ron Grainer. His musical credits include the theme tunes for Doctor Who and The Prisoner. |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_9700000/9700727.stm | A report has called for fundamental changes to the care of elderly patients, including a ban on staff using patronising language. The BBC has learned that the government is calling for the European convention on human rights to be substantially rewritten.And also on the programme, the BBC World Service turns 80.
0615 Business news with Simon Jack, on the interim findings of the government commissioned Kay Review of UK equity markets and long-term decision-making.
0655 The government is being urged by think-tank Policy Exchange to make "wholesale" changes to the police officer pension scheme in England and Wales. Report author Edward Boyd of Policy Exchange and Derek Barnett, president of the Police Superintendents Association of England and Wales, discuss whether police pensions have become unaffordable for taxpayers.
A report by the Commission on Dignity says that the values of people wishing to work in health and care services need to be considered along with their academic qualifications. Dr Peter Carter, chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing,
gives his response to the report.
0713 The business news with Simon Jack.
0716 Students are expected to protest in Valencia, Spain against cuts to education where many schools have experienced a chronic funding shortage in recent months due to a lack of payments from the regional government. The BBC's Tom Burridge reports from the region, which has the worst debt of any region in Spain.
0720 New research from the University of Liverpool has found that the Tyrannosaurus Rex had the most powerful bite of any creature that has ever lived on earth. Dr Karl Bates, researcher in biomechanics at the University of Liverpool, explains their findings.
0724 The Health and Social Care Bill is to be debated again in the House of Lords as peers begin trying to get through a long list of amendments. Dr Charles West, chairman of Shrewsbury Liberal Democrats, outlines why he will be proposing to throw out the bill at the Lib Dems spring conference next month.
0743 A new computer goes on sale from today for £22, which manufacturers hope will be used as an open source network to inspire a new generation of computer programmers. David Braben, co-creator of the computer called the Raspberry Pi, demonstrates how the computer will work.
0747 Thought for the day with Mona Siddiqui, Professor of Islamic Studies, New College, University of Edinburgh.
The BBC has learned that the government is calling for the European convention on human rights to be substantially rewritten so that national courts have a much greater say over how it is applied. Director of Liberty, Shami Chakrabarti and Conservative MP Dominic Raab
discuss the significance of this.
according to the Commission on Improving Dignity in Care for Older People. Health correspondent Jane Dreaper reports from an orthopaedics ward in University College Hospital in London. And Sir Keith Pearson, co-chair of the Commission on Dignity in Care, outlines the main findings of the report.
0820 The World Service is 80 today. A it moves from Foreign Office to licence fee funding, director of the World Service Peter Horrocks and journalist John McCarthy, who recently wrote a report on it for the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association,
discuss the future for the service.
0826 Sports news with Garry Richardson.
0831 The conception rate for women over 40 has shown a rise of 5.2% according to latest Office of National Statistics figures, with the conception rate in this age group having more than doubled since 1990. Cari Rosen, author of The Secret Diary of a new Mum aged 43 and a quarter, and Daghni Rajasingam, consultant obstetrician from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists,
discuss what more older mothers means for society.
0837 The French are quite well known for their theme parks: Park Asterix, Eurodisney, the Futuroscope and now they are planning to base one on Napoleon. Hugh Schofield reports Montereau, about 50 miles southwest of Paris, where the park is to begin construction in 2014.
0841 Business news with Simon Jack.
0844 A group of media executives and lawyers has come up with a suggestion for a new media authority to replace the Press Complaints Commission. Hugh Tomlinson QC is involved and describes what they would like to see take its place.
0848 If you were asked to name the person who has had the most influence on theatre in this country, chances are Harley Granville Barker might not be top of your list. But the actor, critic, director, producer and playwright has been described as the father of modern British theatre.
Arts correspondent Rebecca Jones reports on a new play
which has been written about him and is about to open at the Hampstead Theatre in London.
0853 A report out today, the Commission on Dignity in Care, which aims to raise the standards of care in hospitals and care homes, says that values as well as academic qualifications should be taken into consideration when recruiting staff. Professor Helen McCutcheon, head of the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery at Kings College London, and Dr Bob Rankin, senior lecturer in mental health nursing at the University of Dundee, discuss the significance of the report.
This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so. |
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-essex-24498423 | Debden Manor treasures for auction as pair sell collection
11 October 2013 Last updated at 16:17 BST
Buyers from around the world are expected to be bid at a remarkable auction in Essex.
The entire contents of a country home owned by one of Britain's most eminent architects will be up for sale.
The interest has been sparked by works of art, collected over a lifetime, by Bobby and Virginia Chapman and the treasures are being exhibited in an auction room designed to look like their original home, Debden Manor at Stansted Mountfitchet.
The couple are selling their collection after moving to a smaller home. |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8102400.stm | The authorities announced tough new restrictions on foreign media, requiring journalists to obtain explicit permission before covering any story. Journalists have also been banned from attending or reporting on any unauthorised demonstration.
Our correspondent says they are the most sweeping restrictions he has ever encountered reporting anywhere.
The march was due to have taken place in Tehran's Vali Asr Square at the same time as a demonstration there by supporters of
Jon Leyne Reporting from Tehran
The more I see this announcement about being willing to recount ballots, the more I think it is just a political ruse to try and wrong-foot the opposition. They have offered a recount, but they have not said who is going to carry it out. Maybe the same people who did the election count to start with.
In any case, the opposition says there were so many other irregularities, that a recount alone would not satisfy them. For example, many more ballot papers were issued than counted, they say. Some people did not get enough ballot papers so they could not vote in areas loyal to the opposition. Polling stations were closed early, and so on and so forth.
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/entertainment/4994066.stm | Rock star Jack White has had to change the title of his new band, The Raconteurs, in Australia after a Queensland group already using that name refused to give it up.
The Raconteurs - or Saboteurs - are Jack White's 'side project'
How important is a band's name?
The Queensland group were offered money by the American Raconteurs' label to give up the name, but turned it down - and in Australia Jack White's band are now known as The Saboteurs.
It is not the first time such a thing has happened. British groups The Charlatans and Suede both had to add UK or London to their name when they toured in the US, as American acts also existed with those names.
Meanwhile, Pink Floyd, Guns 'n' Roses and Chilean band Quilapayun have all been caught up in legal action following group splits, with members arguing over the rights to the name.
Quilapayun, one of South America's most successful bands, went into exile in France in 1973 following a military coup, and since then the band's line-up has regularly changed.
However, since 1999 two different groups of musicians have released albums under the Quilapayun name - one made up of the original founding members, the other led Rodolfo Parada, who joined the band three years after it formed.
"Now, there is a crisis with Quilapayun," Ricardo Venegas, one of the members of the "historic" Quilapayun, told BBC World Service's The Beat programme.
"Three or four years ago, one of the members, the director, appropriated the name. We did not agree with that. The name Quilapayun belongs to many people. Look at The Beatles - the name does not belong just to Paul McCartney."
A French court is set to decide ultimately which set of musicians can use the name Quilapayun, but for now both release albums using it.
The case highlights the legal minefield surrounding band names. Music lawyer Martin Whitehead told The Beat that the experience of Quilapayun is "happening all over the world."
"It is happening more and more as bands find out about other bands over the internet," he added.
The original Quilapayun now sometimes add the prefix "historic"
"Increasingly, bands are coming across other bands with the same name. So it's becoming a problem."
Most cases are settled with the addition of a suffix denoting the country of origin, such as a "-UK", when a group releases material overseas.
"Very often, bands realise they have built up a reputation in their own country, and it's very difficult to pull that apart," Mr Whitehead explained..
"At the end of the day, a judge is probably going to say, 'when you go to America, you have to cal yourself this to distinguish yourself from the American band, and vice versa'.
"No-one ends up claiming everything - they have to compromise."
But in some cases a dispute cannot be solved this way.
Mr Whitehead added that while a band can trademark their name, this costs a lot of money and has to be done in every country a band is to perform in - and repeated regularly.
"Really, unless you're a big band that's generating millions of pounds a year, to maintain all those trademarks is going to cost too much money," he said.
Suede were among the bands changing their name on tour
And when famous bands split - such as Quilapayun - it can be tricky to decide who gets the rights to the name.
"If Quilapayun had seen a lawyer before they formed, they would probably have been told to have a formal partnership agreement, or to form a company which all the members of the band would be directors of," Mr Whitehead said.
"Then when members leave the band, they leave the partnership and the partnership would own the name.
"Otherwise, if you throw out the guitarist, the guitarist can form a new band under that name - and there's really very little to stop them." |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7421146.stm | Melting pack ice could open the link between the Pacific and Arctic Oceans
Foreign ministers from five countries with Arctic coastal waters are gathering in Greenland to discuss territorial claims to the region.
Denmark, which is hosting the two days of talks, wants fellow participants Canada, Norway, Russia and the US to abide by UN rules on such claims.
The talks are aimed at blocking a scramble for reserves of oil and gas.
Scientists believe rising temperatures could leave most of the Arctic ice-free in summer months.
This would improve drilling access and open up the Northwest Passage, a potentially lucrative trade route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans that European explorers sought for centuries.
'Rules of the game'
Under the 1982 United Nations Law of the Sea convention, the five countries may be able to extend their sovereignty beyond the usual 200-nautical mile limit (370 km) recognised in international law, if the seabed is an extension of the continental shelf.
Denmark, which administers Greenland, hopes to sign a declaration that the United Nations would rule on any disputes.
The Danish Foreign Minister, Per Stig Moeller, told the BBC that a final decision on exploration rights is not expected for another 10 or 15 years, but that some sort of agreement is needed now:
"We have claims - and the others also have claims. So what I am hoping to get out of this conference is that we agree on the rules of the game. That we do not do anything which harms the others until the United Nations has decided who is entitled to what area of the North Pole," he said.
Denmark disagrees with Canada about mineral rights in the coastal waters, while Canada and the United States are in dispute about the Northwest Passage.
A Russian expedition last year planted a Russian tricolour flag on the seabed at the North Pole, laying claim to an area of over one million square kilometres. |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6236730.stm | By Jon Silverman
Four Islamic radicals have been jailed for their part in a protest in London against the publication of Danish cartoons satirising the Prophet Muhammad.
But where does the case leave our right to freedom of speech?
The protesters gathered outside the Danish Embassy in London
Given the gravity of the offences of which they were convicted, the sentences on four men jailed for their part in protests against the publication of anti-Muslim cartoons are not excessive.
Three of the four received six years each for soliciting murder. The maximum penalty for the offence is life imprisonment.
The fourth man got four years for stirring up racial hatred. The maximum under the Public Order Act is seven years.
Three months ago, the former Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith, talked of a need "to step up our game" against those who preached and advocated extremism.
The latest sentences, coming soon after long jail terms imposed on three men convicted of spreading extremist material through a website, can be seen as a judicial reflection of that commitment.
Comparisons with another case, in which five white supremacists were convicted of conspiracy to stir up racial hatred, show that judges appear to be fairly consistent in dealing with this crime.
In the earlier case, heard at the Old Bailey in October 2005, the men got jail terms ranging from one year to five years. But they pleaded guilty and are likely to have benefited from a discount.
Nevertheless, such trials raise issues of freedom of speech and whether juries are biased against Muslim defendants.
Those who have concerns point to the acquittal in 2006 of the BNP leader, Nick Griffin, also charged with inciting racial hatred.
James Libson, head of litigation at the firm, Mishcon de Reya, said that, paradoxically, perceptions of unfairness might be addressed if there were more prosecutions of Muslim extremists.
"Given the amount of inflammatory rhetoric, there have been very few prosecutions. They have tended to be where there have been threats to kill, so juries are more likely to convict.
"If there are more prosecutions of people, such as preachers, who incite hatred and violence, I think there will be a greater variety of verdicts."
The Griffin case differed from that of the Muslim protesters in that his rhetoric was deployed in a private meeting of party activists rather than at a public gathering.
He also argued that he was attacking a religion, not a race.
Three of the Muslim protesters, Mizanur Rahman, Umran Javed and Abdul Muhid, as well as facing charges under the 1986 Public Order Act, were also charged with soliciting murder under the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act.
Mizanur Rahman was the last of the cartoon demonstrators to be tried
Reza Kazim of the Islamic Human Rights Commission sees double standards at work.
"The language used by some of the cartoon protesters may have been ethically unacceptable but where was the evidence that it was intended to incite murder? Whereas, we know that BNP rhetoric has led directly to attacks on Muslims and others."
Barrister and academic, Dr Amir Majid, said there had to be limits on freedom of speech and he was not opposed to prosecuting those who made threats to kill.
"But, in the current climate of heightened concern about terrorism, I am worried that the Attorney-General may succumb to pressure to authorise prosecutions in cases which do not warrant it. And that could provoke strong resentment."
At the demonstrations against publication of the cartoons, there was other behaviour which is likely to lead to greater use of the criminal law in future.
Flag burning and dressing as a suicide bomber is regarded by the police as highly provocative and it is likely that powers under the Terrorism Act 2006 to remove material from websites and the application of anti social behaviour orders will be used more frequently.
Reza Kazim argues that existing powers are quite strong enough and that politicians are stoking up Islamophobia.
Not for the first time, the boundary between freedom of speech and security is proving a legal and political minefield. |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/4491447.stm | MSPs have voted to introduce a ban on smoking in public places in Scotland from April next year.
Protesters unveiled a poster opposing the smoking ban
Health Minister Andy Kerr said the ban was the most important health law for a generation and he hoped it would "de-normalise" smoking.
MSPs voted by 83 votes to 15 with three abstentions to support the Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill.
The licensed trade association warned it would lead to hundreds of pubs closing and thousands of job cuts.
It means that from April 2006 it will be an offence to smoke in any pub, restaurant or club in Scotland.
Pub licensees and others who fail to enforce the law could face fines of up to £2,500.
Persistent smokers who defy a ban could be fined up to £1,000.
Mr Kerr called it "a tribute to devolution" that Scotland was going for a total ban.
"Each year environmental tobacco smoke is associated in Scotland with the deaths of over 800 people who have never smoked," he said.
Mr Kerr added: "That is why we must take this historic step, this bold step and this right step to improve the health of the people of Scotland.
"I am delighted that so many MSPs from different political perspectives have united around this, the most important piece of public health legislation in a generation."
The Scottish National Party's Shona Robison said: "For me it comes down to a very simple question and that is, on the balance of probabilities, will this measure improve public health or not improve public health?
"My assessment, having listened to all of the evidence and seen for myself the impact in Ireland, is that it will improve public health."
She continued: "For so many children in so many communities, smoking is seen as a normal activity - that all around them, people smoke."
The Conservative Party, which argued that a voluntary ban was already working, is against the crackdown.
Health spokeswoman Nanette Milne insisted: "I do fear that there will be displacement of smoke to the home with a potential increase in home consumption of alcohol, itself a public health problem.
"I feel for smokers, particularly women, being forced outside into inferior facilities when their habit is a legitimate one."
She went on: "I'm concerned for the pensioners who will miss the conviviality of their pint and cigarette at their local in the company of their pals, particularly in small villages, where there is no choice of licensed premises."
The Scottish Socialist Party threatened to oppose the bill because of its provision allowing the NHS to participate in joint ventures with the private sector to improve services.
Central Scotland MSP Carolyn Leckie argued: "Contained within this bill are some clauses that if not removed are so fundamental that the SSP and perhaps others who have policies which are pro-public finance will end up having to oppose the bill."
But she said: "I don't need research or statistics to persuade me that second-hand smoke has a detrimental effect on health."
Plans for an all-out smoking ban have sparked a heated row
An SSP amendment stating the bill's section on joint ventures potentially undermined its cross-party support was defeated by 75 votes to nine with 17 abstentions.
The licensed trade association has called for a limited ban and said, if the evidence from the Republic of Ireland is anything to go by, 150 pubs will be forced to close and more than 2,000 jobs lost.
It unveiled a giant poster of Mr McConnell with the slogan: "Why Jack-in smoking in pubs? There is a sensible alternative."
Paul Waterson, chief executive of the Scottish Licensed Trade Association (SLTA), said: "We have always been completely reasonable in our opposition to an outright smoking ban, which is unnecessary and unpopular.
"There are reasonable and enforceable alternatives which would protect the health of workers and the public alike, and which would prevent massive job losses in the licensed trade in Scotland."
The smokers' rights campaign group Forest said the ban was unreasonable and out of step with Scottish public opinion.
The measures will go back to the health committee for detailed amendments but the bill is expected to come into effect in the spring of next year. |
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-27549545 | Wreck of missing UK yacht found
23 May 2014 Last updated at 20:28 BST
The hull of the missing UK yacht Cheeki Rafiki has been found in North Atlantic ocean, the US Coast Guard has told the BBC.
A swimmer from a US Navy warship identified the name on the back of the boat, but was unable to go inside.
The yacht, with a crew of four men, was sailing to the UK from Antigua when it hit problems on 15 May.
Nick Bryant reports. |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_9745000/9745951.stm | Some of England's best known hospitals are being given help by the government to open branches abroad to raise money for the NHS.
David Stout, deputy chief executive of the NHS Confederation, believes it is a "real opportunity" for the NHS which he says "has always been very well regarded internationally".
"If we can see the [National] Health Service as something that generates income as well as generates spend I think that's absolutely right," he told the Today programme.
"I don't think this is about distorting what the NHS has to offer UK citizens... this is about how we can exploit the brand of the NHS internationally," he said.
Get in touch with Today via
or text us on 84844. |
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-28217237 | Garth Brooks' Dublin concerts all cancelled say promoters
- 8 July 2014
- From the section Northern Ireland
All five Garth Brooks' concerts planned for Dublin later this month have been cancelled.
Aiken Promotions said it was with "great regret" that it had to make the announcement and said it had "exhausted all avenues" in relation to staging the gigs at Croke Park.
Last week, Dublin City Council granted permission for only three of the five planned concerts.
The move prompted the US singer to say he would play "all or none".
Aiken Promotions said it would outline details on Wednesday on how people who had bought tickets could secure refunds.
About 400,000 fans had booked tickets for the five sold-out concerts, which were due to be staged from 25-29 July, but permission was only granted for shows on 25, 26 and 27 July.
Brooks said to chose which shows to play and which not to, would be "like asking to choose one child over another".
Residents who live near Croke Park, the GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) stadium in north Dublin, where the concerts were due to be held had threatened legal action after the initial two concerts were increased to five because of unprecedented demand.
They claimed they were not consulted before the organisers announced the shows or put the tickets on sale.
The council said that granting all five concerts, following on from three by One Direction in May, would have doubled the previous maximum number of concerts held at Croke Park per year.
The GAA had an agreement with residents that a maximum of three concerts would be held each year in the sports venue.
The council said 373 submissions had been received from residents, residents' groups and local businesses.
The promoters lodged an application for a licence to stage all five shows on 17 April despite not having secured formal permission from the council.
This is not an unusual practice in the Republic of Ireland, but the controversy over the Garth Brooks concerts has brought the issue into the spotlight.
Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Enda Kenny said the cancellation of the concerts was damaging to the country.
Speaking in the Dáil (Irish parliament), Mr Kenny said the entire episode had been very badly handled.
On Monday, Dublin City councillors backed a motion calling for the five concerts to go ahead.
Last week the council said it could not reverse the decision permitting only three.
Lord Mayor Christy Burke said three days of talks with promoter Peter Aiken, the GAA and mediator Kieran Mulvey had failed to find a solution.
The chief executive of Dublin Chamber of Commerce, Gina Quin, estimated that the lost revenue to businesses in Dublin if none of the concerts went ahead would be 50m euros (£39.7m).
She said the problem lay in the planning process when it came to applying for concerts.
"These tickets were sold in February, the planning wasn't applied for until April, the decision wasn't made on that planning process, because it needs to go through due regard to allow people to appeal and put in objections, until last Thursday to only allow three of the five concerts to go ahead and that's simply too late," she said.
Garth Brooks is one of America's most famous country stars with a career that has seen him become one of the best-selling artists of all time.
The 52-year-old has recently said that Ireland was the best place in the world for him and his favourite place to sing.
He has sold more than 125m albums with hits such as The Thunder Rolls, Friends in Low Places and Unanswered Prayers.
It has been 17 years since his last concert in Dublin. |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/international/3153041.stm | New Zealand 21-17 Australia
New Zealand completed the first Tri-Nations clean sweep for five years to reclaim the Bledisloe Cup from Australia in Auckland.
The hosts scored two tries to one and weathered a determined effort in the closing minutes from their trans-Tasman rivals at a rain-swept Eden Park to claim the Bledisloe Cup for the first time since 1997.
The encounter failed to match the entertainment of the 50-21 win by the All Blacks in Sydney in July as both sides defended gamely and took the option to kick possession away in the wet conditions.
But both sides were guilty of aimless kicks and a series of handling errors in a fiercely contested match in which the forwards dictated play.
Australia took an early lead through an Elton Flatley penalty but the home side hit back almost immediately with a try of real class.
After retaining the ball for a number of phases, hooker Keven Mealamu, standing in the backline, stepped inside his marker to send winger Doug Howlett over near the posts.
New Zealand 21
Tries: Howlett (2)
Pens: Spencer (3)
Pens: Flatley (4)
But with Australia dominating possession, and the All Black line-out again struggling, Flatley converted two penalties for Australia to lead 9-7 after 20 minutes.
After a turnover, Carlos Spencer chipped a ball in behind the Wallabies and Howlett showed his pace to outsprint Flatley and cross in the corner to give the All Blacks a 12-9 advantage.
With the All Blacks seeing more and more of the ball, Spencer added a penalty before the hosts kept the ball for 15 phases only for lock Chris Jack to knock-on over the tryline.
Spencer had a chance to stretch the lead heading into the break, but his penalty slide past the posts, his third miss in the first half.
Australia were forced into a raft of replacements, with Alistair Baxter coming on for his first Test cap replacing Glenn Panoho, and they lost Wendell Sailor at the break and Toutai Kefu shortly after the resumption.
Spencer slotted another penalty to extend the lead before Australia battled back with 10 minutes of concerted pressure.
Both Nathan Sharp and Stephen Larkham went close with the video referee declining their try appeals, and the All Blacks managed to defend their line and escaped with conceding only a penalty.
The stout resistance reaped its reward when Spencer kicked his third penalty to restore their nine-point lead with 20 minutes remaining.
Australia sought to find a way past the black defensive wall in the closing quarter, and their efforts were repeatedly repelled until flanker George Smith went over in the corner with five minutes left.
But despite their best efforts, Australia could not find a way to cross for a match-winning try in the final minutes.
New Zealand: Mils Muliaina, Doug Howlett, Tana Umaga, Aaron Mauger, Joe
Rokocoko, Carlos Spencer, Justin Marshall,
Jerry Collins, Richie McCaw, Reuben Thorne, Ali Williams, Chris Jack,
Greg Somerville, Keven Mealamu, Dave Hewett.
Replacements: Leon MacDonald, Daniel Carter, Steve Devine,
Marty Holah, Brad Thorn, Kees Meeuws, Mark Hammett.
Australia: Chris Latham, Wendell Sailor, Mat Rogers, Elton
Flatley, Lote Tuqiri, Stephen Larkham, George Gregan (captain),
Toutai Kefu, Phil Waugh, George Smith, Daniel Vickerman, David
Giffin, Glenn Panoho, Brendan Cannon, Bill Young.
Replacements: Jeremy Paul, Alastair Baxter, Nathan Sharpe, Owen
Finegan, Chris Whitaker, Matt Giteau, Matthew Burke. |
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-23319324 | Libor: Serious Fraud Office charges two more brokers
- 15 July 2013
- From the section Business
Two former brokers have been charged with conspiracy to defraud in connection with the manipulation of the inter-bank lending rate Libor.
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) said Terry Farr, 41, and James Gilmour, 48, formerly at RP Martin Holdings, were charged by City of London Police.
They will appear before Westminster Magistrates' Court at a later date.
They were arrested in December, along with former UBS and Citigroup trader Tom Hayes, who was charged in June.
In a short statement on Monday, the SFO said Mr Farr and Mr Gilmour "attended Bishopsgate police station this morning where they were each charged by City of London Police with counts of conspiracy to defraud".
The SFO opened its investigation into Libor manipulation in the wake of Barclays' £290m ($454m) fine by US and UK authorities. A string of international banks have been implicated in the affair.
The Libor rate is used to set trillions of dollars of financial contracts, including many car loans and mortgages, as well as complex financial transactions around the world. |
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-34851718 | UK's coal plants to be phased out within 10 years
- 18 November 2015
- From the section Business
The UK's remaining coal-fired power stations will be shut by 2025 with their use restricted by 2023, Energy Secretary Amber Rudd has proposed.
Ms Rudd wants more gas-fired stations to be built since relying on "polluting" coal is "perverse".
Only if gas-fuelled power can fill the void created by closing coal-powered stations would coal plants be shut, she said.
Environmentalists are concerned little is being done to promote renewables.
Announcing the consultation, Ms Rudd said: "Frankly, it cannot be satisfactory for an advanced economy like the UK to be relying on polluting, carbon-intensive 50-year-old coal-fired power stations.
"Let me be clear: this is not the future.
"We need to build a new energy infrastructure, fit for the 21st century."
Former US vice president Al Gore, an active campaigner for clean energy, described the announcement as an "excellent and inspiring precedent".
If coal power plants are able to install carbon capture and storage (CCS) before 2025, they would not be closed. CCS has long been mooted as the answer to cleaning up coal plants, but very little progress has been made in developing the technology, with just one commercial scale plant currently operating in the world.
Currently, coal provides about a quarter of the UK's electricity, but Ms Rudd said: "We are tackling a legacy of underinvestment and ageing power stations which we need to replace with alternatives that are reliable, good value for money and help to reduce emissions."
Ms Rudd also said investment in nuclear power was vital to the government's policy.
"Gas is central to our energy-secure future," she said. "So is nuclear."
She believes that plans for new nuclear power stations, including those at Wylfa in Wales, Moorside in Cumbria and Hinkley Point in Somerset, could eventually provide almost a third of the low carbon electricity the UK needs.
The speech comes amid concerns in some quarters that the UK could suffer from blackouts as a result of short supplies, brought about in large part from the closure of a number of power stations that have come to the end of their working lives.
Tony Lodge, who has published a report on the UK's energy needs for the free-market think tank Centre for Policy Studies, said Britain was on the verge of an "energy crisis" with electricity demand set to outstrip available supply in the near future.
However, National Grid and many experts have dismissed these concerns. The Grid says it has plenty of gas and enough electricity to get through the winter without any disruptions.
Analysis: John Moylan, BBC industry correspondent
Successive governments have highlighted our energy dilemma - the need to keep the lights on, while cutting greenhouse gases and ensuring energy is affordable for consumers.
Today the Energy Secretary Amber Rudd will focus on energy security and keeping prices as low as possible.
But for the world's first industrialised nation to end coal-powered generation sends a strong signal ahead of the UN Climate summit in Paris.
All the major parties had signed up to phasing out coal. The previous government's projections saw it falling to 1% by 2025.
The big question is how to ensure gas plants are built to replace it. Only one large plant is under construction today. Another, which secured a subsidy last year, is struggling to find investors.
The government was criticised earlier this year for cutting renewable energy subsidies.
Ms Rudd said that such subsidies must be carefully focused on technologies that offer the best value for money, fitting into a "consumer-led, competition-focused energy system".
It has slashed solar subsidies and will cut those for onshore wind next year.
Professor Paul Ekins, an expert on resources and environmental policy at University College London, said the government had "abandoned" the cheapest forms of low carbon power - onshore wind and solar energy.
|UK electricity mix|
|Figures for April, May and June 2015|
He said: "We need some gas fired stations, but in tandem with investment in renewables and nuclear. It is the investment in renewables that is being cut back to an enormous extent."
He said the government kept changing course on its energy policy and this was discouraging investment.
Ms Rudd's speech comes ahead of the UN summit on climate change in Paris in December, aimed at securing a new global climate change agreement.
'Like an alcoholic'
Environmental group Friends of the Earth welcomed the phasing out of coal, but criticised the new emphasis on gas.
"Switching from coal to gas is like an alcoholic switching from two bottles of whisky a day to two bottles of port," senior energy campaigner Simon Bullock said.
The GMB union's national secretary for energy Brian Strutton welcomed Ms Rudd's statement but added: "Government needs to get on with addressing the urgent need for nuclear power stations and gas-fired stations to supply reliable power.
"The investment will only happen when the framework is right, which it is not now."
Environmentalists say nuclear and gas power are not the cheapest form of energy in the long run. Not only are renewable energies cleaner, they say, but because there are no fuel costs - the sun and the wind are free - then ultimately these technologies offer better value for money.
The UK cannot rely on renewables alone yet, however, as they are variable, so improvements in energy storage technologies are needed. |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8620485.stm | Rivers in the area have risen by up to 3m (10 feet).
Up to eight hundred people have been evacuated from their homes in south- west Iceland after a volcanic eruption under a glacier, officials say.
Several earthquakes have been registered in the area and huge plumes of steam were seen rising there.
Geologists say the eruption is likely to be taking place directly under a huge ice sheet and could lead to destructive floods.
The eruption is the second in the Eyjafjallajoekull area in one month.
"There is an eruption going on in the southwestern part of Eyjafjallajoekull's top crater," Gunnar Gunnarsson from Iceland's Meteo Institute was quoted as saying by AFP news agency.
Evacuees have been directed to Red Cross care centres nearby.
Rivers in the area have risen by up to three metres (10 feet), AP reports.
Dense fog and smoke fumes have made it difficult to determine the exact location of the eruption, according to the Danish newspaper Politiken.
The last volcanic eruption at the Eyjafjallajoekull glacier was on 20 March - the first since 1821 - and it forced about 500 people in the sparsely populated area from their homes.
Iceland lies on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the highly volatile boundary between the Eurasian and North American continental plates |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4128544.stm | By Clinton Porteous
BBC News, Santiago
The Chilean government is considering limiting migration to the world-famous archaeological site of Easter Island.
The new law aims to better preserve the island's culture
The move is a bid to stop the indigenous population from being overrun by people from the mainland.
Easter Island has been part of Chile since 1888 and is best known for its giant carved stone statues.
The initiative is part of a broader proposal for a new law to administer the island. It has received a mixed response from islanders.
The detailed plan includes greater local decision-making, better transport and a new commission to try and preserve the local culture.
The new law is expected to be unveiled in a couple of months.
The plan does not discuss autonomy for the island, and some indigenous people have criticised it for not going far enough.
But there is widespread local support for a proposal to limit migration from the mainland - by introducing rules of residency.
Some 4,000 people live on Easter Island and about 1,800 of them are part of the Rapa Nui community with links to the original inhabitants.
The rest of the population is from mainland Chile, or other countries.
Easter Island is 3,700km (2,300 miles) from the coast of mainland Chile and is one of the most isolated places in the world.
Currently any Chilean can live on Easter Island, although they cannot buy land.
Many Rapa Nui people feel they are being overrun, and losing their culture, especially their language.
Erity Teave, part of a group pushing for full autonomy for the island, told the BBC that the limit on migration was the only major change in the package.
But Nicholas Haoa, who believes the island must retain economic links with Chile to survive, was more positive.
He said the Chilean government had finally listened to the people. |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/european/4849638.stm | Wing Aisea Havili scored a hat-trick as Worcester beat Northampton in the last eight of the European Challenge Cup.
Northampton: (15) 25
Tries: Tupai (2), Reihana, Fox
Worcester: (17) 34
Tries: Lombard, Havili (3), Rasmussen
Cons: Lombard, Drahm (2)
The lead changed hands eight times but the Tongan sealed the win his third try in the 77th minute.
Worcester led 17-15 at the break after tries from Thomas Lombard and Havili cancelled out efforts from Paul Tupai and Bruce Reihana for Saints.
Havili (twice) and Dale Rasmussen added second-half tries, while Tupai and Darren Fox crossed for Northampton.
The visitors converted three of their tries, two from Shane Drahm and one from Lombard, while Saints were only able to add one conversion from Reihana.
Drahm and Reihana also shared a penalty apiece.
Northampton boss Paul Grayson:
"I don't think we were very promising at any point. We showed flashes - but we have enough talent to always show flashes.
"Since the turn of the year, we have pretty much performed well every week. But we were a little bit flat today.
"Our performance got what it deserved. Worcester managed the breakdown better than us."
Worcester coach Anthony Eddy:
"We knew it was going to be a particularly hard game today - and we responded extremely well.
"It's always nice if the forwards go forward and give the backs their chances.
"He had a very good game. Our back row was exceptional, and our outside-halves played really well.
"If you had paid your money to watch that game you would walk away pretty happy."
Northampton: Reihana, Lamont, Clarke, Quinlan, Cohen, Spencer, Robinson, Smith, Thompson, Barnard, D. Browne, Gerard, Tupai, Harding, Soden.
Replacements: Rudd for Cohen (78), Budgen for Barnard (41), Fox for Harding (54), Kydd for Soden (78).
Not Used: Richmond, Lord, Howard.
Worcester: Delport, Havili, Rasmussen, Lombard, Trueman, Drahm, Powell, Windo, van Niekerk, Tuamoepeau, Murphy, Gillies, Vaili, Sanderson, Horstmann.
Replacements: McDonald for Windo (61), C. Fortey for van Niekerk (41), Blaze for Murphy (74), L. Fortey for Vaili (55).
Not Used: Tuamoheloa, Gomarsall, Whatling.
Ref: George Clancy (RU). |
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26822741 | Profile: Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko
- 7 June 2014
- From the section Europe
Ukrainian oligarch Petro Poroshenko, who won outright victory in the May 2014 presidential election, has long supported the country's pro-European movement despite being unaffiliated to any political party.
The "chocolate king", as the owner of Ukraine's largest confectionery manufacturer Roshen is known, was a key backer of the 2004 Orange Revolution and once served as foreign minister under Yulia Tymoshenko, the Orange Revolution star whom he roundly defeated at the last election.
However, the 48-year-old also served briefly as trade minister under President Viktor Yanukovych, whose downfall amid street protests in February paved the way for him to take the presidency.
Having seen off his main political rivals, he comes to power in a country wracked by civil war in the east and uncertainty over relations with Russia, which saw its political influence in Kiev crumble with the overthrow of Mr Yanukovych.
But he appears to have solid backing from Washington and Brussels, eager to see stability return to Ukraine. US President Barack Obama has praised the tycoon as a "wise selection" with an impressive record in business expertise who can handle Ukraine's formidable economic and political challenges.
Born on 26 September 1965 in the town of Bolhrad near Odessa, he was raised in the central region of Vinnytsya and studied economics in Kiev.
After building up his confectionary empire after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, he now also has interests in construction and the media, owning influential Ukrainian broadcaster Channel 5 TV.
Forbes recently estimated his net worth to be $1.3bn (£0.8bn; 1bn euros).
The father of four portrays himself as a pragmatic politician who sees Ukraine's future in Europe but hopes to mend relations with Russia, using the diplomatic skills he developed as foreign minister.
He advocates local governance reform and devolution of power to the regions, as well as economic reform and improving the investment climate.
If he or others let people down by not tackling endemic corruption, people power will hold them to account, he told Reuters news agency in an interview.
Critics would say he himself is part of the old system and questions have been asked about his decision to retain control of Channel 5 while in office, as a Time magazine article explains.
He has taken a hard line on the separatist insurgency in the east and ruled out negotiating with them.
"Talking to gangsters and killers is not our path," he said in his inaugural speech.
This image of a tough leader of integrity was reinforced by his decision to visit Crimea at the height of the crisis this year and brave hostile crowds.
Ukrainian media interpreted the groundswell of support for Mr Poroshenko at the election as a reaction to the opposition's dithering and inability to find common ground during and after the anti-government protests that toppled Mr Yanukovych.
Mr Poroshenko also won the support of opposition leader and former boxer Vitaly Klitschko as well as fellow tycoon Dmitry Firtash, who has long been on cordial terms with Russia.
But building a working relationship with Moscow is possibly his greatest or at least most pressing challenge, as the pro-Russian rebellion intensifies, threatening, in his words, to create a new Somalia.
"I think that Mr Poroshenko has a unique opportunity," Russian President Vladimir Putin has said. "He still doesn't have blood on his hands. He can still... start a direct dialogue with the citizens of the south and the east of his own country."
Despite his tough talk about defeating "terrorists", Mr Poroshenko has steered away from calls to introduce martial law in the east. Instead he says he hopes to pacify the region with an offer of amnesty and a promise of early regional elections. |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4956882.stm | Excerpts from a report by the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mohamed ElBaradei, issued to the UN Security Council on Friday 28 April.
On 27 April 2006, the Director General [Mr ElBaradei] received from Iran a letter of the same date in which it stated... the following: ...Islamic Republic of Iran is fully prepared to continue granting the Agency's [IAEA] inspection in accordance with the Comprehensive Safeguards provided that the Iran's dossier will remain, in full, in the framework of the IAEA and under its safeguards...
The Islamic Republic of Iran is prepared to resolve the remaining outstanding issues in [the Director General's] report.. of 27 February 2006...
In this regard, Iran will provide a timetable within next three weeks.
As noted in the Director General's report of 27 February 2006 ... the Agency has repeatedly requested Iran to provide additional information on certain issues related to
its enrichment programme.
Iran declined to discuss these matters at the 12-14 February 2006 meeting in Tehran... on the grounds that, in its view, they were not within the scope of the [nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty] Safeguards Agreement.
As noted in previous reports, the Agency was shown by Iran in January 2005 a copy of a handwritten one-page document reflecting an offer said to have been made to Iran in 1987
by a foreign intermediary.
In order to be able to ascertain its nature and origin, a copy of the document is needed by the Agency. However, Iran continues to decline the agency's request for a copy of the document.
In February 2006, Iran started enrichment tests at PFEP [Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant] by feeding UF6 gas into a single P-1 machine, and later into 10-machine and 20-machine cascades.
During March 2006, a 164-machine cascade was completed, and tests of the cascade using UF6 were begun.
On 13 April 2006, Iran declared to the Agency that an enrichment level of 3.6% had been achieved. On 18 April 2006, the Agency took samples at PFEP, the results of which tend to
confirm as of that date the enrichment level declared by Iran.
All the nuclear material declared by Iran to the Agency is accounted for. Apart from the small quantities previously reported to the [IAEA's] Board, the Agency has found no other undeclared nuclear material in Iran.
However, gaps remain in the Agency's knowledge with respect to the scope and content of Iran's centrifuge program.
Because of this, and other gaps in the Agency's knowledge, including the role of the military in Iran's nuclear program, the Agency is unable to make progress in its efforts to provide assurance about the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran.
After more than three years of Agency efforts to seek clarity about all aspects of Iran's nuclear program, the existing gaps in knowledge continue to be a matter of concern.
Any progress in that regard requires full transparency and active co-operation by Iran - transparency that goes beyond the measures prescribed in the Safeguards Agreement and Additional Protocol - if the Agency is to be able to understand fully the 20 years of
undeclared nuclear activities by Iran.
Iran continues to facilitate the implementation of the Safeguards Agreement and had, until February 2006, acted on a voluntary basis as if the Additional Protocol were in force.
Until February 2006, Iran had also agreed to some transparency measures requested by the Agency, including access to certain military sites.
Additional transparency measures, including access to documentation, dual use equipment and relevant individuals, are, however, still needed for the Agency to be able to verify the scope and nature of Iran's enrichment program, the purpose and use of the dual use equipment and materials purchased by the PHRC [Physics Research Centre], and the alleged studies
which could have a military nuclear dimension.
Regrettably, these transparency measures are not yet forthcoming.
With Iran's decision to cease implementing the provisions of the Additional Protocol, and to confine Agency verification to the implementation of the Safeguards Agreement, the Agency's ability to make progress in clarifying these issues, and to confirm the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities, will be further limited.
While the results of Agency safeguards activities may influence the nature and scope of the confidence building measures that the Board requests Iran to take, it is important to note that safeguards obligations and confidence building measures are different, distinct and not interchangeable.
The implementation of confidence building measures is no substitute for the full implementation at all times of safeguards obligations.
In this context, it is also important to note that the Agency's safeguards judgments and conclusions in the case of Iran, as in all other cases, are based on verifiable information available to the Agency, and are therefore, of necessity, limited to past and present nuclear activities.
The Agency cannot make a judgment about, or reach a conclusion on, future compliance or intentions. |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_4710000/newsid_4714100/4714152.stm | Actress Sienna Miller wants the Prime Minister to stop so many photographers following her around all the time.
She wants something done about them because she says they make her feel frightened at times.
What do you think of Sienna's complaints?
Should there be laws to stop photographers, or do you think they should be able to take pics of celebs whenever they like?
E-mail and let us know what you think.
Unfortunately this topic is now closed but there are Comments pages on other subjects on the main Chat index.
I don't think that it's right that celebrities get chased around 24/7. It's harrasement and it's got to stop.
Tessa, 11, St. Neots
The paparazzi shouldn't stalk and annoy celebrities but if you are famous it's got to be one of the things you just have to put up with in return for everyone knowing your name.
Kurt, 13, Horsham
I think "celebs" should just grin and bear it. If you don't want it then stay out of the spotlight!
Stewart, 14, Edinburgh
I think that Sienna and all the other celebs have a right to feel scared, especially when it results in some people having to get into their cars and quickly drive off at speed.
Hannah, 13, Ipswich
The paparazzi shouldn't be allowed to stalk celebrities. They have plenty of opportunities to take photos of celebs at press conferences and premiers. Celebs should be allowed some privacy now and again.
Emma, 15, Cambridge
Sometimes it is not just celebrities that get hurt though. It's people that have been on front page, for example if a family member has just died they follow you around. With a loss like that and the press on your shoulders, how could anyone cope?
Ashley, 13, Maybush Green
When you see the paparazzi in the street going chaotic with all their cameras and air brushes it is like a bird of prey attacking a pigeon. It draws attention to the situation, then people become interested in what's happening and join the chaos and that makes a greater chance of people getting hurt.
Chloe, 14, Darshire
I think that a celebrity IS a celebrity because they are in the papers, if Sienna wanted to be left alone, then she wouldn't really be much of a celebrity.
Hayley, 11, Chesham
I think that Tony Blair should do something about it because they are practically like stalkers. And how would you feel if you where constantly on camera and people waiting outside your house in the mornings? well I certainly wouldn't like it.
Michelle, 12, Buckinghamshire
I think it is all part of the celebs job to have their photos taken whenever wherever because, they are famous and people would want to take photos of them.
Catherine, 12, High Wycombe
Yes I fully agree with Sienna . My mum is a model and as a result I also feel the paparazzi pressure. Everywhere that you go there they are! It's like having no privacy at all. There should be laws against them as we cannot really enjoy life this way.
Linda, 14, London
I think that paparazzi is part of being a celeb and if she wants to she can stop being a celeb by making photographers not take photos. I personally think that what Sienna said was stupid and pointless.
Nora, 10, London
Paparazzi is all part of being famous you just get on with it! I collect autographs and I've met some lovely celebrities who were happy to sign and some people who refused! It is really unfair! If I met Sienna Miller I'd say to her if she didn't want to deal with the paparazzi then maybe she should go and work in an office somewhere!
Helen, 14, Leeds
I don't think that celebrities should complain, but they do need some privacy such as when with family and holidays.
Philip, 15, Northern Ireland
I think that as celebs are getting paid loads of money for their job they should accept being hounded by paparazzi, though they do deserve a bit of privacy.
Sam, 11, Hethersett
The whole point of being famous is being pictured by the paparazzi so if she wants to be famous she should get used to it.
Whitney, 11, Tunbridge Wells
I think it would be pretty cool getting your shots in magazines and newspapers but it's so annoying having people chasing around after you!
Fatima, 12, London
I think she is right. I feel the paparazzi are over the top in celebs faces all the time. I think there should be a limit to where and when the paparazzi are allowed to hassle the celebs.
Adele, 15, Seaford
I think that celebs shouldn't moan because without the pictures people wouldn't know who they are they can't just choose when they want a picture.
Ian, 10, Huyton
I think that the paparazzi should only be able to take pics of celebs at award shows and stuff, where they want to have pictures of them taken, not just anywhere like I the local street.
Paige, 13, London
Who does she think she is? She wants Tony Blair to stop what he is doing to address a minor problem which affects probably 0.0001% of the UK. She needs to grow up and fast!
Dianna, 15, Bolton
I think it's a good idea. Because maybe then if not so many pictures are taken not so many people will feel as pressured to look perfect like a celeb all the time! I mean it's ok at premieres but you wouldn't like it if people were taking pictures of you 24/7.
Annie, 15, Hartlepool
It would be great for the celebrities to give paparazzi one-time only, written permission at events to take their photo - that way, if pictures are posted in a tabloid then the celebrity can complain if they didn't express their written permission.
Sophie, 13, Peterlee
DUH! she's a celebrity paparazzi is all part and parcel of being famous! I understand she's wants a bit of privacy but am afraid that paparazzi have a job to do and getting photos of celebs may be annoying to the celeb but it's their job at the end of the day!
Sinead, 15, Scarborough
I agree, let the celebs live there lives and us live ours!
Jobhan, 13, Birmingham
I think celebs like the media one minute, for getting them publicity and hate them when they overstep the mark. Some people manage to keep themselves out of the limelight, however others only have themselves to blame.
Vicky, 15, Harrow |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7900059.stm | By Jane O'Brien
BBC News, Washington
Aidan Delgado applied for conscientious objector status in 2003
Hundreds of US armed forces personnel have applied for conscientious objector status since the attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001 - and military rights campaigners say the number is growing.
A report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) showed that 425 servicemen and women made applications for CO (conscientious objector) status between 2002 and 2006.
Of these, 224 were approved but Bill Galvin of Washington's Center on Conscience and War says the real number of applications is far higher because many are not recorded.
"Nobody knows exactly how many applications there have been because people apply at the local level and statistics are only kept on the cases that actually make it to the national level. The real number is a lot higher.
"We also know that many people are conscientious objectors and find some other way to get out. They never apply for CO status because it's not the easiest way.
"Some of them go AWOL, some can prove medical reasons or some may challenge their enlistment agreements. So when people come to us we help them explore all their options."
The centre is part of the national GI Rights Hotline which offers practical help and counselling to military personnel seeking to leave the armed forces.
"I think there's also a link between the number of people dealing with issues of conscience and the rise in the number of cases of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)," says Mr Galvin.
"There's a lot of research to suggest that when people start asking such questions it contributes to high levels of PTSD."
Aidan Delgado, 24, attained CO status and was given an honourable discharge from the army after returning from deployment in Iraq.
He joined as an army reservist on the morning of 11 September 2001, unaware that the terrorist attacks had just taken place.
"I straddled exactly the period when being in the reserves was a joke to being a deeply serious commitment and you were certain to be deployed," he says.
He is now a law student at Washington's Georgetown University but, at the time he enlisted, he was doing badly at school, felt confused about his life and thought the army would offer him some structure and discipline.
During his basic training he became a Buddhist and began to question his role in the military.
"In 2003 I began the formal process of saying I can no longer participate in this. My commander's reaction was that I was trying to escape from the deployment (in Iraq) and overnight I became a 'bad' soldier."
Some of his comrades also reacted badly and Mr Delgado says he was attacked by a member of his unit when it became known he was applying for CO status.
"To have the knowledge that members of your unit disliked you so much that they would assault you was really tough.
"I think they were hostile not because of what I was doing but because of the implicit judgement on them. It was as if I was saying 'I'm too moral to do what you do' or that I was looking down on them because they were a bad person."
It took 18 months for his application to go through, a process that involved a lot of paperwork, written essays about his beliefs and interviews with army staff culminating in a three-hour session with an investigating officer.
"He asked me if I would have fought Hitler. My first response was that I don't think you can project yourself into another historical person's shoes - it's paradoxical.
"But my other answer was that certainly I would have resisted Hitler. I might have done so in 1929 or diplomatically in 1932 and that part of my pacifism and part of being a conscientious objector is preventing the need for violence."
The report from the Government Accountability Office says the US Armed Forces recognise that service members religious, ethical or moral beliefs can change after joining the military and lead to a conscientious objection to war.
Exposure to combat or the death of a family member can trigger the change, it says.
But it also notes: "Despite the possible understatement in the number of applications for conscientious objector status, this number is small relative to the Armed Forces' total force of approximately 2.3 million service members." |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4435054.stm | An Uzbek court has found 15 men guilty of trying to overthrow the government and set up an Islamic state, in a case which drew international criticism.
The 15 defendants all pleaded guilty on the first day of the trial
The 15, who pleaded guilty at the start of the trial, were sentenced to between 14 and 20 years in jail.
The defendants were accused of leading a May uprising in the eastern town of Andijan, which Uzbek security forces ended by using massive force.
Critics have denounced the court's proceedings as a show trial.
Judge Bakhtyor Jamolov was quoted by the Russian RIA agency as saying the men - 12 from Uzbekistan and three from neighbouring Kyrgyzstan - were guilty of "terrorism, attempts to overthrow the constitutional order, aggravated murder and the seizure of hostages".
Five of the men received a 20-year sentence.
The Uzbek government says 187 people, mostly "terrorist organisers", died during the Andijan unrest.
But human rights groups say 500 or more civilians may have been killed, shot by Uzbek security forces.
The defendants stood in a large metal cage in the courtroom, looking pale and drawn, but otherwise showing little emotion, says a BBC correspondent in Tashkent, Ian MacWilliam.
Prior to passing sentence, the judge read out a six-hour long summing-up, in which he repeated many of the details of the government's version of what happened in the eastern town of Andijan last May, our correspondent says.
The Uzbek government says that Islamic radicals, trained in the neighbouring republic of Kyrgyzstan, organised a jailbreak in Andijan, seized many hostages and took over the local administration.
But witnesses, human rights groups and the United Nations say that Uzbek troops then crushed what they say was an anti-government demonstration.
The court had handed down sentences very close to those sought by the prosecution, which had asked for punishment of between 15 and 20 years in jail for each defendant.
"Under the guise of social protection, the Islamic extremists staged anti-people actions that resulted in the death of peaceful civilians, government workers and law enforcement agents," Deputy Prosecutor General Anvar Nabiyev said.
During the trial, all of the witnesses joined defendants in backing the government's account of events, with the exception of one woman.
Makhbuba Zakirova told the court that she saw soldiers shooting at people waving a white flag.
"There were people in helmets everywhere. I twice saw soldiers shooting from military vehicles. The shooting was intense," she said at the time.
The UN commission on human rights has said in a statement that there have been serious inadequacies in the conduct of the trial, including inadequate definition of the crimes the 15 men were accused of, and the fact that the defendants were not cross-examined by independent lawyers.
The fact that the defendants all confessed their guilt on the first day raised concerns that the confessions might have been obtained by torture.
A former Uzbek interior ministry employee has told the BBC that beatings or psychotropic drugs are often used to force confessions from suspects - an allegation denied by the Uzbek government. |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/6063812.stm | By Hugh O'Shaunnessy
BBC News, Brazil
Santos Dumont is seen as one of the greatest Brazilians of all time.
A range of special events is taking place in Brazil this month in celebration of one of the country's best-loved heroes - Alberto Santos Dumont.
On 23 October 1906 Alberto Santos Dumont, the 33-year-old son of a fabulously rich Brazilian coffee baron, took off from a field outside Paris in a strange contraption, the 14-bis or 14 Mark II.
It seemed to be flying backwards and had the engine at the rear.
The pilot was keenly watched by an official team of observers and many others at a moment when enthusiasts in the French capital were clearly leading the world in the development of aeronautics.
Louis Blériot, for instance, must have been dreaming of the day, two years in the future, when he would be the first man to fly across the Channel.
Sensitive but dashing, Santos Dumont was already the toast of Paris. In 1901 when he was still in his twenties he had won the Deutsch Prize with his dirigible - a balloon with a motor which could be steered rather precariously.
After many attempts over the months he had succeeded in taking off from Saint-Cloud in his balloon, flying round the recently inaugurated Eiffel Tower and landing back at Saint-Cloud in less than half an hour.
In a characteristic gesture of generosity he gave away his 129,000 francs of prize money to his mechanics and to the poor of Paris. The International Aeronautics Federation acknowledged his feat and later he was awarded France's Legion of Honour.
Small in stature and always distinguished as a smart dresser with a high collar and a Panama hat, the young Brazilian went on to invent the Demoiselle, the first plane to be produced in numbers in a factory.
Yet, after a crash in a Demoiselle, Santos Dumont gave up flying for good in 1910.
Returning to Brazil he built himself a typically quirky house in Petrópolis, the former summer capital of the emperors of Brazil.
The Demoiselle was the first factory-produced plane
A Encantada, "the Enchanted Woman" is now a museum - it went up on the side of a hill, not far from the imperial Crystal Palace.
Santos Dumont could not abide inside stairways so all the staircases are on the outside of the Encantada. There was no kitchen: Santos Dumont relied on ordering food from the grand hotel across the way.
As war broke out in Europe in 1914 he was enthusiastic about using aircraft for defence - they were better at spotting submarines than surface vessels, for instance.
But, as the war continued, the use of aircraft offensively caused him intense misery. He seemed to assume personal responsibility for those who died in aerial dogfights.
He was not helped by the onset of multiple sclerosis.
He hanged himself using two of his smart red ties in 1932 at the age of 59. On the day of his death he reflected, "I've invented the misery of the world."
For more than a century he has been one of Brazil's undisputed national heroes. The claims of Orville and Wilbur Wright to have taken to the air in the Flyer in North Carolina in 1903 are not given much credence in this country.
Brazilians say that the US flight was a mysterious affair, held virtually in secret and not observed by impartial witnesses. They add that the flight was unable to take off under its own power and was catapulted into the air.
Santos Dumont's flight attempts were keenly watched
Their case is bolstered by the photo of the Flyer which shows it had no undercarriage.
Here in Brazil Santos Dumont's champions compare the Wright brothers unfavourably with him.
The Wrights were secretive - he was open. They were keen to patent everything they could - he patented nothing. They were keen to sell their machine to the armies of their own country, Britain, Germany and France - he was appalled by dogfights and bombing.
What all sides can come together to appreciate is one of Santos Dumont's minor contributions to human happiness.
He needed both hands free to grasp the controls of his balloons and his aircraft. At the same time he had to take the question of timing seriously, so he made a practice of strapping his watch to his wrist as few people had done before.
He took the practice, so to speak, to a new plane.
He persuaded his friend the jeweller Louis Cartier to mass-produce a wrist watch.
It was good business and Santos Dumont's reputation meant that soon men and women were wearing them.
Indeed the company has maintained them in production to this day.
So when you are next held up at an airport do not curse the invention of the aeroplane.
Just look at the time on your wrist and, as you do, bless the name of Alberto Santos Dumont.
From Our Own Correspondent was broadcast on Thursday, 20 October, 2006 at 1130 BST on BBC Radio 4. Please check the programme schedules for World Service transmission times. |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport3/cwc2003/hi/newsid_2810000/newsid_2816500/2816503.stm | Namibia captain Deon Kotze looked to the future after his side succumbed to a heavy defeat to Holland in their final World Cup match.
Namibia found the task of reaching Holland's target of 314 for four too much of a tall order and eventually lost the game by 64 runs.
"Obviously we are very disappointed, but we have to be honest and say we were nowhere near out best with the ball and in the field," said Kotze.
Namibia knew that if they were to grab an elusive World Cup win, then their best chance would be against Holland.
But centuries from Dutch duo Feiko Kloppenburg and Klaas van Noortwijk soon put a major dent in any lingering hope.
"Their two guys played out
of their boots," added Kotze.
"We are disappointed we didn't go back home with a win, but I think we have learnt a hell of a lot
"Thanks very much to all who have supported us. Hopefully we've made everybody proud.
"Our aim is to try to qualify for the next tournament and to perform better than we did this year." |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/3706100.stm | The Tories have acknowledged their fourth place in the Hartlepool by-election was "very disappointing".
Labour candidate Iain Wright was 2,033 votes ahead of the Lib Dems
Labour's Iain Wright won the contest, although his party's majority was slashed from more than 14,000 to just over 2,000.
The Liberal Democrats' candidate Jody Dunn came in second with 10,719 votes.
Conservative Jeremy Middleton came in fourth on 3,044 behind the UK Independence Party's Stephen Allison on 3,193.
The result comes as the Tories prepare to hold their annual conference next week.
Mr Wright said the result was "great news for Tony Blair, a huge disappointment for Charles Kennedy and an absolute disaster for Michael Howard".
Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary David Willetts conceded it was a disappointing result.
1-Iain Wright (Labour) 12,752
2-Jody Dunn (Lib Dem) 10,719
3-Stephen Allison (UKIP) 3,193
4-Jeremy Middleton (Conservative) 3,044
5-John Bloom (Respect) 572
6-Iris Ryder (Green) 255
7-James Starkey (NF) 246
8-Paul Watson (F4J) 139
9-Christopher Herriot (Socialist Labour) 95
10-Richard Rodgers (Common Good) 91
11-Philip Berriman (Ind) 90
12-Alan 'Howling Laud' Hope (Monster Raving Looney) 80
13-Ronnie Carroll (Ind) 45
14-Edward Abrams (English Democrats) 41
"There is no point pretending otherwise. It is a blow," he said.
But he rejected suggestions that his party's fortunes would be boosted by a change of leader.
"One of the things our party has learned by now is that endless speculation about the leadership is a self-indulgence that we simply cannot afford," he
"We are simply - the Conservative Party - not going down that road."
'Disastrous for Labour'
Lib Dem party president Simon Hughes said: "The Tories have not just been overtaken, they have been left in the lay-by and overtaken by UKIP.
"It is the only time the Tories have gone from second to fourth since the Tory Party was formed."
UKIP's Roger Knapman said his party could now approach the election, predicted for next year, with "some confidence".
Mr Knapman predicted that UKIP, which favours British withdrawal from the EU and won 12 seats in the European Parliament in June, would now win seats at Westminster.
The Tories concede the result is a blow for them
"We beat the Liberal Democrats in the European elections. We beat the Conservatives tonight. We are on our way."
UKIP candidate Stephen Allison said: "For the first time we have proved that we are going to be the third party in British politics."
His colleague in the European Parliament, Robert Kilroy Silk MEP, said people had turned to UKIP because it was a party that told the truth.
"People are fed up of the old parties, both of them, they are fed up of all the name-calling, they're fed up of the sloganising, the smearing."
"They want party with a fresh face and people who tell them the truth."
He also said he was confident UKIP would win seats at Westminster in the next General Election.
But Tory co-chairman Liam Fox focused on the fact that the Labour candidate Iain Wright had seen the party's majority slashed.
"This is a disastrous result for them. They have come close to losing one of their safest seats."
Commons Leader Peter Hain branded the result "an absolute catastrophe for the Conservative Party and for Michael Howard who has simply shown he is not taking them anywhere".
It is thought to be the first time the official opposition has come fourth in a by-election since 1974.
Labour's new MP won 12,752 votes in Thursday's by-election - 2,033 ahead of Jody Dunn of the Liberal Democrats, on 10,719.
At the 2001 General Election Mr Mandelson had a 14,571 majority for Labour.
Demonstrations by direct action pressure group Fathers 4 Justice, which also contested the seat, marred the count.
Fathers-4-Justice candidate Paul Watson was arrested after purple flour was thrown at Ms Dunn as she started to make her speech on the podium.
He was later released on police bail.
Turnout was just under 46%, down about 10% from 56% at the 2001 General Election but in line with many recent by-elections. |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6642543.stm | A vegan couple have been sentenced to life in prison by a US court over the death of their malnourished baby.
The baby died six weeks after birth after being fed a diet largely made up of soy milk and organic apple juice.
Defence lawyers for Lamont Thomas and Jade Sanders said they had starved their child unintentionally by adhering to a strictly vegan diet.
But prosecutors in the US city of Atlanta said the couple had deliberately neglected their child.
"No matter how many times they want to say, 'We're vegans, we're vegetarians,' that's not the issue in this case," Prosecutor Chuck Boring is quoted by the Associated Press news agency as saying.
"The child died because he was not fed. Period," he said.
Strict vegans adhere to a diet that avoids all animal products.
'I loved my son'
Crown Shakur weighed 3.5lb (1.6kg) at the time of his death in April 2004.
The baby was born in a bathtub in the couple's house.
Defence lawyer Brandon Lewis is quoted by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper as saying the couple did not take their child to a doctor because they feared hospitals were full of germs.
Defence lawyers said the couple did not realise the baby's life was in danger until it was too late.
A jury deliberated for seven hours before delivering its verdict on 2 May.
Sentencing the couple, the judge said the murder verdict made the life sentence mandatory.
Jade Sanders told the judge: "I loved my son - and I did not starve him."
According to the AP news agency, Lamont Thomas complained that he had not known he was being tried for a felony - rather than the lesser offence of a misdemeanour.
"We had no idea involuntary manslaughter was a felony. We were told for three years this was a misdemeanour," he reportedly said.
"It takes money to prove this wasn't a felony - money we don't have." |
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-27487284 | Anthony Massot jailed over £125,000 company embezzlement
A financial controller has been jailed for 18 months after embezzling £125,000 from the computer company he worked at.
Anthony Massot, 49, bought goods for SJ Kennedy Ltd in Cambuslang, South Lanarkshire, using his own credit card.
An audit of the firm's accounts later showed he had been adding on more than he was entitled too when reimbursing himself for the expenditure.
At Glasgow Sheriff Court, Massot from Neilston, East Renfrewshire, admitted embezzling the cash.
The offences took place between March 2007 and July 2010.
Passing sentence, Sheriff Lindsay Wood said: "To begin with you were trying to assist your employers, unfortunately greed took over and you helped yourself to money."
Procurator fiscal depute Harry Findlay said SJ Kennedy was a computer supply company providing hardware and software to commercial clients.
He told the court that the firm's bank raised queries about invoicing and that led to an audit.
The prosecutor said "anomalies" were spotted during an examination of company affairs and Massot was challenged by a company director and admitted his crime.
Mr Findlay said: "The accused was using his own credit resources at times to pay company debts.
"When goods were obtained on behalf of the company, he at times used his own credit card."
The court heard Massot then reimbursed himself but "repaid too much".
Massot confessed to bosses he had embezzled around £97,000 and agreed to make repayments.
He sold assets including a caravan and jewellery totalling £71,788 which he gave to his employers.
Defence advocate Mark Moir said that although Massot was unemployed, his wife was working and they were repaying the money to liquidators of the company at £205 a month.
He said his client was "genuinely remorseful" and was making efforts to repay the money.
Mr Moir added that Massot was not the cause of the firm going into liquidation. |
https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-16904960 | Spector victim's mother settles wrongful death case
The mother of the actress Phil Spector murdered has settled a wrongful death case against the music producer, according to her lawyer.
Lana Clarkson was shot and killed at Spector's house nine years ago.
Lawyer John Taylor told the Los Angeles Times that his client, Donna Clarkson, was pleased and relieved to have settled the case.
Taylor said Spector had signed off the deal, the terms of which will remain confidential.
The 72-year-old was jailed for 15 years in 2009 after being found guilty of second-degree murder, with an additional four years for personal use of a gun.
Regarded as one of the most influential figures in pop music history, Spector worked with such artists as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and the Righteous Brothers.
A TV film about Spector, starring Al Pacino as the producer and Helen Mirren as his lawyer Linda Kenney Baden, is currently being filmed. |
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-38303222 | Srebrenica survivors on Aleppo 'No lessons learned'
Hasan Hasanovic was standing in front of his house in Srebrenica when he saw the Bosnian Serb soldiers coming in. The only way to survive was to run.
That was on 11 July 1995. Srebrenica had been declared a safe area for civilians by the United Nations two years earlier.
Bosnian Muslims from the surrounding area had sought refuge there as the Bosnian Serb army carried out a campaign of ethnic cleansing, expelling non-Serb populations.
Some 20,000 refugees had fled to Srebrenica, then under the protection of a Dutch contingent of UN peacekeepers. But Bosnian Serb forces led by commander Ratko Mladic besieged the town and, days earlier, started shelling it.
When Srebrenica fell on that summer day, Hasan was 19.
"We all thought the UN would protect us until the end of the war," he tells the BBC. "We were just waiting for the war to end, thinking that we were safe under the UN.
"I didn't have time to go back home and say goodbye. We knew that if we went to the UN base we wouldn't be protected, we knew they would hand us to the Bosnian Serbs and we would be killed."
Seeing the troops coming in, he said, thousands of refugees took to the streets in panic.
With his twin brother, father and uncle, Hasan ran to the dense forest on the edge of the town and joined a column of some 12,000 men and boys, who also thought that the only option was to leave, marching to the nearest Muslim territory.
So, on that evening, they set off towards Tuzla, 55km (34 miles) away.
It was not going to be an easy journey. Their route included hills and rivers, and various attacks broke the group up into smaller parts.
In one of them, he lost sight of all his relatives. "Every day, the walk to Tuzla was a struggle for survival. I was constantly on the edge between life and death. I was being hunted like an animal," he says.
It took him six days before he reached safety in Tuzla, with just a fraction of those who had joined the march.
Only years later Hasan learned that his father, twin brother and uncle had died in the journey.
The relatives who had been left in Srebrenica survived by seeking refuge at a UN base in Potocari, and were reunited two weeks after he arrived in Tuzla.
What Hasan escaped in Srebrenica was the worst single atrocity in Europe since World War Two. In just a few days, some 8,000 men and boys were killed.
The question of what was not done by peacekeepers to protect those killed resonates to this day.
But while the circumstances in Aleppo differ from those in Srebrenica - not least in that there is no United Nations presence in the besieged districts - there is anger among Bosnian survivors that not enough has been done by international powers to protect civilians who are once again in the firing line.
Hasan's story: 'We don't have any excuses'
Hasan has since returned to Srebrenica. From there he watches a tragedy with, he thinks, many similarities unfold in the Syrian city of Aleppo.
There is growing concern over the fate of at least 50,000 civilians, according to UN estimates, who are besieged there by government forces and are under intense bombardment.
Rebels opposed to President Bashar al-Assad have held eastern parts of Aleppo since 2012. But a major government offensive, backed by Russian air power, has squeezed them into an area of some 2.5 sq km.
And as violence there intensifies, the UN says there is reliable evidence of summary executions of 82 civilians by pro-government forces - claims Syria's government has denied.
Inside Aleppo, residents say dead bodies lie on the streets as people are frightened of going out to move them. Food is scarce, they say, and there is no medical treatment for the injured. Many have grown so desperate that they have sent final goodbye messages on social media.
"The people in Aleppo feel the same way we did," Hasan says.
"We felt like being abandoned and not belonging to this humanity," he says. "Not being treated like a human. We keep repeating 'Never again' but when it comes to action, we don't do anything to prevent those things from happening.
"It seems the world hasn't learned anything. We are living in this modern world with technology and we don't have any excuses to say 'We didn't know'."
Nedzad's story: 'Let me send a message to the world'
Nedzad Avdic and his father also joined the column of men which left Srebrenica for Tuzla. He had moved to Srebrenica with his family in 1993 after their house in a nearby town was destroyed by Bosnian Serb forces.
When the city fell in 1995, he was 17.
The attacks on the group left him alone, lost in woods. Exhausted and starving, he and some 2,000 men and boys surrendered to the Serbs.
They were later taken to a field to be executed, he recalls. He was forced to take off his clothes, then one of the soldiers tied his hands behind his back. Around him, there were piles of dead bodies.
The men were lined up five by five just before the soldiers started shooting at them. He was injured in the stomach, right arm and left foot. As the people were hit, he said, their bodies were falling on the ground. He could hear their gasping last breaths.
The shooting continued until late in the evening. Only when the soldiers left did he raise his head and notice that there was another survivor, with minor injuries. They untied one another and managed to escape.
They sought refuge in the forest again and managed to reach safety eight days after leaving Srebrenica. Most of his male relatives, including his father, were killed.
Now, Nedzad says, he recognises himself in the image of the children from Aleppo.
"They are hoping for someone to help, but their hope has been in vain," he says from Srebrenica, where he now lives.
"It's very possible that Aleppo will have the same destiny of Srebrenica. I survived genocide, so let me send a message to the world: 'Don't allow Aleppo to become a new Srebrenica'.
"I hope the world will finally do something. It's not enough to hear the words 'Never again'. It's a shame to allow this happen."
Emir's story: 'My suffering has been in vain'
Emir Suljagic was also 17 when he moved to Srebrenica in 1993 from Bratunac, a small town on the Bosnia-Serbia border where he lived with his family.
When the UN mission arrived, he secured a job as translator, working with the observers. And that was what saved his life, he says.
Only his mother and sister also survived - they had left for Tuzla in April 1993. His 70-year-old grandfather was one of the thousands killed when Srebrenica fell.
"The feeling you have is of complete powerlessness, that someone else is holding your life in their hands," says Emir, who is the author of Postcards from the Grave, a first-hand account of the massacre there.
"Aleppo is the end of the notion that the international community stands for values. My suffering has been completely in vain. Bosnia got butchered, Bosnia got raped."
"Look at Aleppo and Syria and tell me what's different. Nothing," he adds.
He fears the killings will not end in Aleppo - but may spread to the city where many Aleppo refugees have fled.
"I'm not surprised. I have no illusions. It's Aleppo today, it may very well be Idlib tomorrow.
"The lessons that we are not learning will keep coming back to haunt us." |
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-20395473/turner-prize-nominee-paul-noble-was-teenage-art-flop | Turner Prize nominee Paul Noble was teenage art flop
Turner Prize nominee Paul Noble could win one of Britain's most prestigious art prizes next month.
However, despite his recent recognition, he was deemed an art flop as a teenager.
He only managed a D grade in his art exams and his family thought he would never make a living out of his work.
Now Paul returns to Whitley Bay to look at the town that influenced his work and meets the former art teacher who inspired him.
He also lets Inside Out into the secret of whether Whitley Bay was the template for his drawings of Nobson Newtown.
BBC Inside Out is broadcast on BBC One North East and Cumbria at 19:30 GMT on Monday, 26 November and nationwide for seven days on the iPlayer thereafter.
26 Nov 2012 |
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-10684323 | Who, What, Why: Will chocolate prices rocket at Christmas?
A hedge fund manager has bought up nearly all the physical stocks of cocoa in Europe - leading to speculation that chocolate prices could rise in the run up to Christmas.
It might sound like a chocoholic's dream - enough cocoa to make five billion bars of the nation's favourite treat.
But Anthony Ward is no Willy Wonka.
And the £650m ($992m) worth of cocoa reportedly bought by his Armajaro fund could leave chocolate makers feeling a touch queasy, according to industry experts.
Cocoa prices were already soaring after a decline in production in Africa, according to the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) market report for June.
Now this deal, for pretty much the entire stock held in the 35 warehouses of the London International Financial Futures and Options Exchange (Liffe), has pushed them to their highest level since 1977.
You might wonder where a hedge fund would put 7% of the world's annual cocoa output but the ICCO's Laurent Pipitone says it is likely to be stored in Liffe's warehouses - mostly in the Netherlands and Belgium - until being sold on.
But what could Mr Ward's decision mean for sweet-toothed consumers?
According to Mr Pipitone, the organisation's senior statistican, it is highly unusual for just one buyer to snap up such a large quantity.
While most buyers are looking to secure their supply for a specified sum - insulating themselves against sudden rises in costs - another motive could be to "squeeze" the market by controlling supply, forcing prices higher.
"A company might want to take the opportunity of the shortage on the markets to try to buy all the cocoa and benefit from the high price. Maybe they will have some market power in the coming months," Mr Pipitone says.
Sixteen European cocoa firms and trade associations have already written to the exchange to complain that manipulation of trading rules - albeit perfectly legal - was becoming a problem, the ICCO has reported.
With the next African cocoa harvest not due until late September and October, there are concerns within the industry of a continued shortage of supply during September - the exchange's next trading month.
"Companies will be buying for Christmas so we might have a problem," suggests Mr Pipitone.
About a third of all cocoa available to European firms is traded on the Liffe but buying direct from suppliers in Africa incurs shipping and insurance costs and is unlikely to be much cheaper, he says.
So, could there be a lack of chocolate in Christmas stockings this year - due to the price of a selection box rocketing?
"There will certainly be some nervousness in the market because someone has cornered so much supply - that in itself can force prices up," says retail analyst Neil Saunders.
However, he says it may not necessarily be bad news for shoppers.
"One reason the consumer is in a strong position is that there's quite a lot of competition in the market and resistance to putting up prices," says Mr Saunders, of Verdict Research.
"The increase in costs could be absorbed between retailers and manufacturers."
If consumers do share the pain, it may only be a matter of a few pence - or else they may see the weight of products reduced as prices remain static, he says.
However, Mr Saunders adds that manufacturers are particularly keen to keep prices low around key seasons like Christmas, when retailers offer heavy promotional discounts.
So, those two for £10 deals on bumper tins of Christmas chocolates may yet be safe. |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_9721000/9721562.stm | A new poetry anthology is causing more of a stir than one might expect from such a book. The collection, Poetry of the Taliban, has drawn criticism over whether the Afghan militant group should be given a platform.
Felix Kuehn is one of the collators of the anthology and he defended the project, saying that the poetry gives readers "a different window" into the Taliban and their motivations, adding that after reading the verse "you do understand the Taliban better".
Colonel Richard Kemp, a former commander of British forces in Afghanistan, raised concerns when the book was announced and told the Today programme that allowing the work to be published can "do nothing other than encourage" the Taliban
He warned that we must guard against "celebrating poetry of this type" knowing the history of the group that wrote it.
Get in touch with Today via
or text us on 84844. |
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-38767941 | Restaurants and other spaces catering to the public in France have been banned from offering unlimited sugary drinks in an effort to reduce obesity.
It is now illegal to sell unlimited soft drinks at a fixed price or offer them unlimited for free.
The number of overweight or obese people in France is below the EU average but is on the rise.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends taxing sugary drinks, linking them to obesity and diabetes.
Self-service "soda fountains" have long been a feature of family restaurants and cafes in some countries like the UK, where a soft drinks tax will be introduced next year.
The new law [in French] targets soft drinks, including sports drinks containing added sugar or sweeteners.
All public eateries, from fast-food joints to school canteens, are affected.
The aim of the law is to "limit, especially among the young, the risks of obesity, overweight and diabetes" in line with WHO recommendations.
A recent Eurostat survey of adult obesity put the French at 15.3%, which is just below the EU average of 15.9%. France was slimmer than the UK (20.1%) but fatter than Italy (10.7%).
Past the age of 30, nearly 57% of French men are overweight or obese, according to a report published in October by the French medical journal Bulletin Epidemiologique Hebdomadaire.
Some 41% of women in the same age category are also overweight or obese, the study found.
Soft drink controls that fizzed or went flat
- A 10% tax introduced in Mexico - where cola is so popular it's used to cook meat - reduced consumption by 6% in the first year
- Before the all-you-can-drink ban, France already had a soft drinks tax, and vending machines are barred from schools |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/nottinghamshire/3386635.stm | A British woman has achieved the fastest time for walking unaided to the South Pole, her team has said.
Fiona Thornewill walked 700 miles in 42 days
Fiona Thornewill, 37, from Thurgarton in Nottinghamshire, took 42 days to walk 700 miles (1127km) from the edge of the Antarctic to the pole.
She had been trying only to become the first UK woman to get there unaided.
But in doing so she claims to have smashed the 44-day world record for an unsupported trek to the pole. She is now awaiting a flight home.
Speaking to the BBC via satellite phone, Ms Thornewill said reaching the pole was an emotional experience.
She said: "When I arrived at the pole I actually had tears in my eyes.
"I couldn't believe I was there... it was overpowering.
"I know that people were willing me on, so that inspired me."
She celebrated the achievement by drinking champagne in a hut at the polar base.
Mrs Thornewill's husband Mike is also in Antarctica
Another UK woman, Rosie Stancer, began a separate attempt to walk to the pole on the same day as Ms Thornewill.
The two women, who flew to Antarctica on the same plane, started on 30 November from the same spot of Hercules Inlet, but insisted their trek was not a race.
According to her website Ms Stancer, a 43-year-old cousin of the Queen from London, has covered about half of the trip so far.
Ms Thornewill, who had anticipated doing the trek in 65 days, is an experienced polar adventurer who in 2001, together with Catharine Hartley, became the first woman ever to walk to both the north and south poles.
The news of her arrival was posted on her online expedition log at 22:59 GMT on 10 January.
She has covered on average more than 16 miles a day, towing a 285lb (129kg) sledge loaded with food, fuel and equipment.
According to her website, temperatures have been about -14C in recent days but her route was against a headwind that provided a -50C chill.
She had not been contactable for the last month before she reached the pole, because she was without phone communication, but she still had tracking equipment on her, which her team could follow.
Her husband Mike, a police officer, is also heading to the South Pole with a team of novices on another route. |
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-birmingham-20576945 | Man arrested over Rowley Regis attack and house fire
A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a woman was attacked and two children were rescued from a Black Country house fire.
The woman, 31, was found injured in the front garden of the house in Haden Walk, Rowley Regis. She suffered serious burns to her head, back and face.
The children, a 12-year-old and a 13-month-old, were rescued from the blaze shortly before 01:00 GMT on Sunday.
They were not injured.
West Midlands Police said the 42-year-old man, from Dudley, was arrested on Sunday night. He is currently in hospital being treated for burns.
Det Con Andy Barnsley said "The woman has suffered 15% burns; we believe she was attacked in the garden before the offender deliberately used accelerants to start a fire in the property.
"Thankfully neither child was injured though the baby, who was asleep at the time, had to be rescued as smoke began filling the bedrooms."
He urged anyone with information to contact the force. |
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-23594255 | US senators urge Egypt to free political prisoners
Two leading US senators have urged Egypt's military-backed interim government to release all political prisoners during a visit to Cairo.
John McCain and Lindsey Graham also called for a national dialogue that included the Muslim Brotherhood of ousted President Mohammed Morsi.
Earlier, they met senior officials as part of a US diplomatic push to help end the political crisis in Egypt.
More than 250 people have been killed since Mr Morsi was deposed on 3 July.
Mr Morsi and several other prominent Brotherhood figures are currently being detained on suspicion of various offences.
Thousands of their supporters have taken to the streets to demand the reinstatement of Egypt's first democratically elected president, something the interim authorities have insisted will not happen.
The government has promised to break up mass sit-ins by Morsi supporters outside the Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque in the suburb of Nasr City, and in Nahda Square, near Cairo University in Giza, to the west.'Very critical'
The two Republican senators arrived in Cairo on Monday evening at the request of US President Barack Obama in an effort to defuse the crisis.
On Tuesday, they attended talks with interim Vice-President Mohamed ElBaradei, Prime Minister Hazem Beblawi, and the head of the armed forces, Gen Abdul Fattah al-Sisi.
The Mena state news agency reported that the general had discussed with them how to bring an end to "the state of political polarisation and stop the violence".
They also met members of the Brotherhood's political wing, the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP).
Referring to the overthrow of Mr Morsi as a "coup" - a word the Obama administration has chosen not to use - the senators warned that "inclusive democracy" was "the only viable path to stability".
"The people who are in charge were not elected. The people who were elected are in jail. The status quo is not acceptable," Senator Graham said.
"In democracy, you sit down and talk to each other. It is impossible to talk to somebody who is in jail," he added.
Senator McCain warned: "What happens in Egypt in the coming weeks is very critical and will have a decisive impact on this country, but also on the broader Middle East."
"We have urged the release of political prisoners. We have urged a national dialogue that is inclusive of all parties that renounce the use of violence. We have strongly urged a set timetable for amendment of the constitution, elections for the parliament, followed by elections for the presidency."
The senators stressed that they had no intention of taking part in any negotiations themselves.
Later, interim President Adly Mansour appeared to reject their efforts.
A spokesman, Ahmed al-Musalamani, told reporters that "foreign pressure" had "exceeded international standards". He also said the authorities would protect "the revolution".
Earlier this week, there were reports that the interim government was prepared to release leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood from custody and offer the group ministerial positions if they called an end to the sit-ins. However, a presidential adviser denied such an offer had been made. |
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18886550 | G4S worker's concern over Olympic security measures
18 July 2012 Last updated at 13:14 BST
The man, whose words have been voiced by an actor because he wants to keep his identity secret, said a guard failed to spot an x-ray image of a nail bomb.
The company insists training for every role is rigorous.
To listen to other Radio 5 live interviews, please visit the Best Bits page. |
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-15465804 | Davidson apology over MP remarks
And so Labour's Ian Davidson has apologised for his obiter dicta aimed at the SNP's Eilidh Whiteford in the Scottish affairs committee at Westminster.
Or, more precisely, he has apologised for "any offence that might have been caused". Mr Davidson, who chairs the committee, resolutely denies issuing any threats.
So what was said? Or not said? Or allegedly said?
It is suggested Mr Davidson indicated, in private session, that Ms Whiteford would be in receipt of a "doing" if she leaked committee deliberations.
There were initial efforts to clarify the issue by insisting that the comment had not been made in a sexual context.
Then it was said on Mr Davidson's behalf that there was no threat implicit or explicit in any comment made.
Unaccountably, Ms Whiteford seemed to feel that these clarifications were - how can one put it - rather less than clear. She withdrew from the committee's deliberations, seeking redress.
At Holyrood, her party leader went further. Alex Salmond said that Mr Davidson should step down from the convenership of the committee.
At the opening of the committee's session this afternoon, Mr Davidson duly issued his apology.
Critics of the SNP say that the controversy is designed to undermine the committee - whose workload includes an inquiry into "Scottish separation".
Drivel, responds the SNP. This is about dealing with the treatment of an individual by another, of a female by a male.
Critics say further that the complaint took some time to emerge.
Ms Whiteford says she raised it - privately - with the committee clerk the morning after the incident occurred.
After trundling through official channels, it has now come into the spotlight.'Smear the chair'
And there's more.....
Labour has now urged an inquiry into what they believe is a "dirty tricks" campaign mounted by the SNP.
They say there has been a "deliberate attempt to smear the chair of the committee which brings politics into disrepute".
How so? They say that Mr Davidson has made clear that he issued no threat nor intended to threaten anyone.
They say that position was endorsed at this afternoon's meeting by MPs from other parties.
Further, they emphasise the point that there was a gap between alleged incident and the complaint emerging.
If, they say, there was an insult or a threat issued at the committee, why was that not raised immediately - at the committee?
Mr Davidson, they say, merely offered an apology today in the event that anyone had inadvertently - and wrongly - taken offence.
The background, say Mr Davidson's supporters, is the decision to hold an inquiry into independence or separation, as the committee calls it.
Those same supporters say that several members of the committee - where Eilidh Whiteford is the sole Nationalist - were upset at what they believed had been premature disclosure of the committee's plans.
According to this version, several members chided her in relatively robust - but, they say, fair - terms.
Still according to this version, Mr Davidson then summed up to the effect that Dr Whiteford had had a "doing" from her colleagues - and it was time to move on.
Past tense demotic. Not future tense threatening. Labour's official verdict is that it is "never right to threaten a person - and it is never right to smear one either".
The Nationalists say Dr Whiteford stands by her complaint and will not be rejoining the committee for now. |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/oxfordshire/3233212.stm | Self-styled "comedy terrorist" Aaron Barschak has been jailed for 28 days for hurling paint over a Turner Prize-nominated artist.
Barschak said he was "collaborating" with the artist
Barschak, 37, from Golders Green, north London, claimed he was collaborating with artist Jake Chapman and denied causing criminal damage at the Modern Art Oxford gallery on 30 May.
Oxford Magistrates' Court found him guilty of causing criminal damage on 30 October.
Barschak, who notoriously gatecrashed Prince William's 21st birthday at Windsor Castle earlier this year, dressed as Osama bin Laden, was sentenced at the magistrates' court on Monday.
The subject of Barschak's latest exploit was a work by Mr Chapman and his brother, Dinos, called The
Rape of Creativity, featuring grotesque cartoon heads superimposed on a series of
etchings by the Spanish painter Goya.
District Judge Brian Loosley said Barschak had not helped himself by refusing to pay compensation,
estimated at £605, and saying he would only do a community punishment order
on his own terms.
Red bowler hat
Mr Loosley said: "It's a serious offence and I have no option other than to send you to
Barschak, who had sat outside the courtroom eating a tube of Smarties and dressed in a
shabby suit, purple tie and a bright red bowler hat with the top roughly
cut out, came into court barefoot and was immediately told to take off his
His barrister Ian Sen agreed with the judge that his client had not really
helped himself, saying himself that he should be "dealt a short, sharp,
At an earlier hearing, the court was told the paint attack happened during a private talk about Mr Chapman's work at the gallery.
In police interviews after his arrest, he said he had "incorporated" Mr Chapman into a work of art of his own, adding: "I painted him."
When asked why he had thrown the paint, he replied: "I would rather you say I painted rather than I threw the paint." |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_div_2/6371119.stm | Influential midfielder Dave Brammer hit a fine winner to upset Blackpool's hopes of reaching the play-offs.
Brammer got the only goal of the game just before the half-hour mark, latching on to an Ian Evatt clearance and volleying in from 25 yards.
Blackpool struggled to create clear chances, though Ben Burgess went close with a couple of efforts.
In a frantic finale Andy Morrell chipped goalwards, but Richard Shaw made a magnificent goal-line clearance.
Blackpool: Evans, Barker, Jackson, Evatt, Gorkss (Vernon 77), Gillett, Southern (Forbes 70), Fox, Hoolahan, Burgess, Parker (Morrell 62).
Subs Not Used: Rachubka, Joseph.
Millwall: Pidgeley, Senda, Shaw, Robinson, Craig, Ardley, Brammer, Elliott, Brighton (Zebroski 89), Byfield (Williams 90), Harris.
Subs Not Used: Day, Hackett, Phillips.
Goals: Brammer 29.
Ref: K Woolmer (Northamptonshire). |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7041353.stm | By Rebecca Morelle
Science reporter, BBC News
Genes of micro-organisms are being modified to create something new
The race to create life version 2.0 is under way.
And rumours abound that closest to the finish line in constructing a lifeform in the laboratory is US genome-entrepreneur Craig Venter's research team.
The J Craig Venter Institute scientists are aiming to craft a "minimal genome"- the smallest group of genes an organism needs to survive and function - and insert it into an empty cell.
This stripped-down genome has been established with the help of a simple bacterium, Mycoplasma genitalium, by knocking out its genes, one by one, until only the genetic material vital for survival was found.
The plan is to re-synthesise these DNA sequences from simple chemicals, stitch them together and create an artificial organism. Some believe the team may be on the cusp of doing just that.
Dr Venter could be on the cusp of creating life
Dr Venter's work on synthetic life is described by some as "top-down", meaning that he is taking an existing organism and changing it to create something new.
Drew Endy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US, says: "Venter is not creating life from scratch.
"He is constructing a genome, which is more or less a slightly modified copy of an existing genome, then putting it back into an existing cell."
Dr Endy, who is working on standard building blocks, called BioBrick parts, which can be assembled to build larger biological systems, says he sees Dr Venter's work as a "genome construction project", albeit "an incredibly significant" one.
But building life from scratch, from the "bottom-up", is a challenge that some synthetic biologists have decided to take on.
BioBrick parts are building blocks for synthetic biological systems
If you can build the biological parts, they argue, then creating something that meets the criteria for life - has a metabolism, replicates and evolves - is surely the next step.
Anthony Forster from Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Tennessee, US, says: "There has been a fair amount of talk about how you might synthesise self replication and life in a test tube, but nobody really had a detailed plan for it."
Dr Forster, along with George Church from Harvard Medical School, US, has created a "blueprint" for a synthetic cell, defining the 151 genes that they believe are needed to create life.
The team is now in the process of using the blueprint to begin to piece together its prototype cell.
But what are the reasons for creating synthetic life?
Dr Venter hopes to modify genes in his new organism so that it can mop up greenhouse gases. Other tasks such organisms might be able to do include cleaning up oil spills or producing plastics.
Giovanni Murtas, from the Enrico Fermi Centre, University of Rome Three, Italy, plans to build a new lifeform to look at the more fundamental question of the origins of life.
"We are creating these semi-synthetic minimal cells that recall the early living cells," he says.
Synthetic organisms might be able to help clear up oil spills
So far, his team has successfully built a cell system that can synthesise proteins, which is important for demonstrating that a basic metabolism can be created. Replication is the next step, he explains.
"If you want to understand more about how life was set up, then you want to recreate the principal steps for life; and you can obviously learn something new about life from using this approach," Dr Murtas tells BBC News.
Ron Weiss from Princeton University, US, who is focussing on programming biological organisms, believes the technology could also have biomedical applications.
"One thing people are trying to do is to use cells as factories to make drugs or fabricate structures," he says.
New take on life
The top-down and bottom-up teams have something in common: they are mimicking what nature does already. Some scientists, though, have gone back to the drawing broad in their quest to produce synthetic life.
Steen Rasmussen from Los Alamos National Laboratory, US, is one of them.
"We are the radical kids on the block. We have abandoned so much of what traditional biology is doing. Many biologists view us as heretics," he says.
Rather than turning to biological cell design as his starting point, Dr Rasmussen is looking to see if there might be simpler structures that he can use as the basis of his synthetic organism.
He is creating a cell in which the essential parts, such as genes and metabolic chemicals, are stuck to the surface of it rather than held inside like a traditional cell.
He says: "This means you can exchange resources and waste directly with the environment and that simplifies things enormously."
Synthetic biologists think that although life created by a top-down approach may be imminent, synthetic life built from the bottom up is a few more years away - at least five to 10.
Some are moving away from traditional cell structures
However, George Attard from Southampton University, UK, adds a word or two of caution.
"The biggest challenge is not necessarily creating life, but knowing that you have created life - doing the experiment that unambiguously tells you that you've got it," he says.
"That's because you are going to be looking at a 'soup' that contains several hundred, possibly several thousand, chemical species. How on Earth can you tell that what you have isn't just a chemical waste bottle but something that is exhibiting the signs of life?" |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3087061.stm | Friend to the stars and owner of Express Newspapers and OK! magazine, Richard Desmond has made a name for himself as a successful businessman. But where does his money come from? The Money Programme investigates.
Richard Desmond is no stranger to controversy but even this colourful press baron is likely to be embarrassed by revelations of his brushes with the New York mafia and details of a battle with the Inland Revenue over millions of pounds of disputed tax.
Donations to Labour
The revelations come just months after the row over Desmond's £100,000 donation to Labour shortly after the government decided not to refer his takeover bid for Express Newspapers to the Competition Commission in 2001.
Desmond's brushes with organised crime came in the early 1990s, almost a decade after he secured the franchise to publish the UK version of Penthouse. Having already made a mint out of magazines in the UK, he spotted a new opening to cash in on the pornography industry in the US.
Desmond's move into America put a few noses out of joint. He'd taken adverts in his magazines for phone sex lines from Ricky Martino, widely reported to be a member of the Gambino crime family, but not known by Desmond.
According to Jerry Capeci of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York: "Anyone who gets into the sex business in New York, whether it's pornography, distribution of magazines or phone sex lines, has to deal with the mob sooner or later.
"They're always out there looking to make a buck and if you are getting big enough and making enough money for them to notice you, they're going to come after you and look to get a piece of your action," adds Capeci.
The deal with Martino started to go very sour and the New Yorkers, who were losing serious amounts of money, wanted compensation.
Although Desmond refused to pay any compensation, this all changed after his managing director Philip Bailey went to New York for a business conference and was accosted by two men on his way back to the airport. The men, according to a police report based on Bailey's evidence, pistol-whipped him, cut him with a knife and used an electric cattle prod on his testicles. They also told Bailey to tell his boss - Desmond - that he was a "dead man".
Desmond, who has previously said the attack on Bailey was a fantasy, did, however, take it seriously enough at the time to encourage Bailey to report the attack to the New York Police Department. And, apparently in fear of his life, he hired a bodyguard, James Brown, to protect him. Brown had previously served time in prison during the 1980s for threatening a witness in a court case.
According to a source close to Brown, Desmond was then told he had to pay the Americans £2m or face the consequences. It is said the cash was later delivered in bags to an Italian restaurant in London's Soho, although Desmond categorically denies giving any money to the Gambino crime family at all.
Back in the UK, meanwhile, an Inland Revenue study of an agreement between Desmond and United Newspapers resulted in a huge bill for tax claimed to be due on the deal. United Newspapers, which was keen to sign a distribution deal with Desmond, signed an agreement with him that - fortuitously for Desmond - did not include a sale-or-return clause. This meant Desmond could print as many magazines as he liked and still get paid, even if United couldn't then sell them.
The agreement proved an expensive mistake for United, which was then forced to buy ten of Desmond's titles to get out of it. Desmond made £12m on that sale, which attracted the attention of the Inland Revenue and gave rise to a long-running dispute between Desmond and the UK taxman.
Desmond says his advisors believe no tax is due, but his accounts show the Revenue has been asking for as much as £8m, a sizeable sum even for a man who values his own porn TV operations at £260m.
This programme was first transmitted on Tuesday 24 September 2002. |
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-23773489 | Egypt crisis: Brotherhood condemns Mohammad Badie arrest
- 20 August 2013
- From the section Middle East
Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood has condemned the arrest of its leader Mohammad Badie over allegations of incitement to violence and murder.
A Brotherhood spokesman said the arrest was part of a plot against the 2011 revolution that ousted Hosni Mubarak.
Mr Badie was detained near the site of a Cairo protest camp cleared by police last week with heavy loss of life.
Meanwhile Egypt's former Vice President Mohamed ElBaradei is to face trial on charges of breaching national trust.
Mr ElBaradei, who is out of the country, resigned on 14 August after security forces dispersed two protest camps in Cairo set up by supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi.
In another development on Tuesday, President Barack Obama chaired a meeting of his National Security Council to review aid to Egypt, but the meeting produced no imminent changes to US policy, officials said.
Washington has already cancelled military exercises with Egypt in the wake of the recent violence and has been under pressure to make cuts to the $1.3bn (£830m) in annual military aid it gives to the country.
Egypt is under a state of emergency as the military-backed interim leaders crack down on Islamists opposed to the ousting of Mr Morsi.
Hundreds of members of the Muslim Brotherhood - the movement from which Mr Morsi comes - have been detained since Mr Morsi's overthrow on 3 July.
On Tuesday the Brotherhood urged its supporters to continue protests demanding the reinstatement of Mr Morsi.
At a news conference, Khaled Hanafi, a member of the Freedom and Justice Party - the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood - said the organisation would not be thrown off course by Mr Badie's arrest.
"He is of huge value to us and we are in pain. But the Brotherhood operates as a coalition on all levels of society and this arrest will not affect our operations and our peaceful right to protest what so ever," he said.
Mr Badie has reportedly been temporarily replaced as "general guide" by Mr Badie's second deputy, Mahmoud Ezzat.
Mr Ezzat is also subject to an arrest warrant. Mr Badie's first deputy, Khairat el-Shater, was arrested in the days following Mr Morsi's overthrow on 3 July.
Mr Badie, 70, had initially been a prominent figure at the Brotherhood's protest camps in Cairo, but went into hiding as the military-backed interim government stepped up efforts to shut down the protests.
He is facing charges of inciting violence and murder over the deaths of eight anti-Brotherhood protesters outside the movement's headquarters in Cairo in June.
Officials said he had been detained in a flat in Nasr City in north-east Cairo, near the site of one of the protest camps broken up by security forces last week.
The interior ministry released TV footage of him apparently taken shortly after his arrest.
The BBC's Kevin Connolly in Cairo says the army wants the images to show the scale of its victory over the Muslim Brotherhood, and hopes the humiliation will weaken its voice in any future political negotiations.
Mr Badie's 38-year-old son, Ammar, died in last week's violence.
Almost 900 people have been killed across the country since Wednesday.
Among them are 36 Islamist protesters who died in a prison van in Cairo on Sunday.
The UN's human rights agency OHCHR has said the deaths of the detainees are "deeply disturbing and need to be fully investigated".
The Egyptian security crackdown has brought international condemnation.
European Union foreign ministers will meet on Wednesday to decide whether to cut some of the billions of euros in aid pledged to Egypt.
On Tuesday, Interim Prime Minister Hazem Beblawi told US broadcaster ABC news that any decision by Washington to cut military aid to Egypt "will be a bad sign - it will definitely affect the military for some time".
But he said Egypt's army would survive.
"Don't forget the Egyptian people went with Russian military aid for decades so there are ways that someone can survive," he said.
Mr Beblawi also supported the actions of the security forces in trying to end the protests.
He said that everyone was unhappy about the loss of life but the government had no choice when its authority was challenged in the streets.
Egypt is officially observing three days of mourning for 25 policemen killed by suspected Islamist militants near the Rafah border with Gaza in Sinai on Monday.
It was one of the deadliest attacks on security forces in several years.
In a separate incident, another police officer was killed in the north Sinai town of el-Arish.
Sinai is home to a range of militant groups, some linked to al-Qaeda, and while state media have not connected the killings to the Brotherhood, it has added to the sense of crisis, says the BBC Jeremy Bowen.
Meanwhile, Egyptian prosecutors have added a further 15 days to Mr Morsi's detention while they investigate fresh allegations against him.
He has reportedly been accused of complicity in acts of violence against protesters outside the presidential palace last December.
His detention had already been extended by 30 days in a separate case on Thursday. |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8144165.stm | People in Prague cheer as a non-communist government is formed in 1989
Dissidents in Eastern Europe had a bitter joke about the communist approach to compromise. "What do you do when you've made someone 99% communist," it went. Answer: "Beat the other 1% out."
It was the approach adopted across the entire Eastern bloc.
Communism wanted to control not just politics but the entirety of daily life. It dictated how people should behave and think. It wanted to run industry, set university syllabuses, and decide what they could read.
Those who questioned the state could lose their jobs, and their homes. Everyday life could be made a misery by denying them the right to buy furniture or travel to another town. Their children's education could suffer.
When I was stationed in Moscow I ran up against government controls all the time.
I even had to import wood to put up shelves because the local shops refused to sell me any.
Because the state owned and ran everything, it could mess with you in a thousand different ways. But I could leave, the people who lived there would have to put up with it until they died.
In Czechoslovakia - which had suppressed the reforms of the Prague Spring in 1968 - there was a particularly chilling quality to the way that conformity was enforced.
Jan Urban paid for his defiance of the regime
Jan Urban, a leading figure in the 1989 Velvet Revolution, took me along to the secret police archives to show how it was done.
Here was a ghost world that was never meant to see the light of day - 25km of shelving filled with fading files documenting how the StB , the Czechoslovak secret police, went about harassing and intimidating the handful of souls brave enough to stand up against them.
Mr Urban paid for his defiance. His pregnant wife was interrogated and lost their child. Local authorities questioned them about child neglect. He received death threats over his tapped telephone. And once he was sent a coffin with his name on it.
All of this happened in a country where nothing could happen without the authorities say-so.
The files show how the dissidents were watched by up to a dozen secret agents at a time - with a minute-by-minute log of what trams they caught and what they were wearing.
There are snatched photographs of people they encountered in the street - all in the hope of finding something that could be used against them.
This is the first time that Jan Urban has looked at the records and at first he was amused at how many people were deployed to follow and analyse his movements.
A BBC's Newsnight report at a strike by theatre staff in Czechoslovakia in 1989
But when he remembers the microphones plastered into his bedroom and his children's room, his equanimity snaps.
"They were filth," he says, "a criminal organisation. What was the point, except intimidation."
But intimidation was the point. Dissent was the one thing that communism could not tolerate. Simply by existing - by holding different views - the dissidents were challenging the state.
They circulated poetry and plays without permission. They organised underground theatre with banned actors and actresses.
One performance of Macbeth was raided by the police, and so many of the audience were followed that the street outside resembled a secret policeman's convention.
Vaclav Havel, the dissident playwright who was to become president, argued that it was important to behave as though they were not oppressed.
The more the state tried to occupy all public space, the more it would be undermined by those who carried out normal activities outside it.
Mr Havel was an influential voice in a debate that shaped the way dissidents behaved across the whole Soviet bloc.
So was Adam Michnik, who had told Poles that a society in captivity must produce an illegal literature if it was to know the truth about itself.
Another was Andrey Sakharov, the Soviet nuclear physicist, who would not be silenced by rewards or punishment.
The common concept was that mental resistance could in time bring down even a totalitarian state.
They shaped their philosophy of resistance at secret summits held between dissident leaders in the mountains that bordered Czechoslovakia and Poland.
And the skills gained in organising themselves - even on innocuous issues - meant they had the ability and reputation to step into the vacuum when communism collapsed. It averted a struggle for power that could have become bloody and brutal.
But the unlikely inspiration for many Czech intellectuals was a psychedelic rock group who were banned by the Czech government.
We weren't political. We were just trying to be poetical
Vratislav Brabenec Plastic People of the Universe
The Plastic People of the Universe were jailed for performing at an underground rock festival in 1976.
They are still in business and I found them playing in a muddy field about an hour's drive outside Prague, and bickering with the organiser who said he did not have the money to pay them.
Vratislav Brabenec, their saxophonist then and now, looked much as John Lennon might if he were alive today: round-rimmed glasses, long greying hair, with a quirky sense of humour, and a continuing lack of respect towards authority.
"We weren't political, man," he said. "We were just trying to be poetical."
As to why they would not accept government control, he answered: "That's freedom, man, I'd die for that."
But whether they wanted to be or not, they found themselves at the heart of the political battle.
Mr Urban practically wrinkles his nose at the mention of them. He does not like their music and thinks they are dirty and drink too much.
But he adds: "The minute they got into trouble, I was on their side. Everyone has the right to express themselves. They became the symbol."
If the state had not jailed them, the Plastic People would have been just another bloody-minded band of rockers.
Instead they became the rallying cry for Charter 77 - the human rights declaration penned by the Czech dissidents which fuelled a decade-long struggle with the communist authorities.
They also taught a whole new generation about dissent. By listening to music the state wanted to ban, they learnt the habit of rebellion - and so were bred the student activists of 1989.
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/england/coventry_warwickshire/7082500.stm | The families of the four firefighters killed in a warehouse blaze have spoken of their dedication to the job.
Amanda Baylis, said her son Darren Yates-Badley "loved his job" and serving the Alcester community.
"He always gave 100% - this is a retained station and they are on call 24 hours a day," she added.
He was one of three firefighters given a guard of honour by up to 200 fire staff as their bodies were brought out of the Atherstone-on-Stour plant.
A fourth firefighter died in hospital following Friday evening's blaze.
Mr Yates-Badley's young widow Fay told how the couple had married less than a month ago.
"It was beautiful day," she said. "He was the love of my life and we were meant to be together forever.
"But I know that he will save a place for me in heaven."
She added that her husband had been "a hero".
The town of Alcester is about ten miles from Atherstone on Stour. Two of the firefighters, Ashley Stephens and Darren Yates-Badley, were based at Alcester fire station.
Ian Reid, 44, who died in hospital, and John Averis, 27, were based at nearby Stratford-upon-Avon.
Fay Yates-Badley said her husband had been a "hero"
Paul Stephens, the father of 20-year-old Ashley, is also a firefighter. He described the family's devastation.
"It's absolutely beyond anybody's worst nightmare to know that your son is in there and we've come away from the incident knowing he's still in there, " he said.
"In 26 years that I have been in the service to never have a problem and then my son after two years loses his life. It's so unreal and so heartbreaking."
Alcester mayor David Hancox said it had had an effect on the whole community but at least now the bodies had been found the "interminable wait" was over.
He said he had been with families and colleagues of the firefighters when the first body was discovered.
Mr Hancox added: "We are a close-knit community and this has touched the lives of every single one of us.
"I can't find anyone in the town who can remember anything which has affected so many people."
The families of the four men have all spoken of their love and dedication for the job.
Ashley Stephens, a retained firefighter with a three-month-old son, followed in his father's footsteps and joined Alcester Fire Station in April 2006.
His fiancee, Emma Crocker, and parents Sharon and Paul said they were numbed by events.
"He was totally dedicated to his job as a firefighter and he also enjoyed his role working for a local joinery company. Ashley was shy and gentle and loved his job in the fire service," they said.
Ian Reid's wife, Julie, said: "Ian loved the fire service, he would spend so much time at the station and would take up any training opportunity that was on offer.
"He really got on well with everyone at the station and he knew many of his colleagues from growing up in Stratford."
His 11-year-old daughter, Sophie, said she would miss him being around all the time.
"My dad would do anything for me and he would take me to football every weekend. He was a lovely person and would help me with my homework."
'Small fire service'
Tony Nutting, of the Fire Brigades Union, spoke of the state of shock which was affecting the service.
He said: "Certainly for Warwickshire it's going to have a massive effect because they're such a small, tight fire service, a lot of retained duty system people, and it will have a massive effect and it will take a lot of time to recover from."
Police investigations into how the fire started are continuing - 140 police personnel are working on the inquiry, which is still being treated as suspicious.
A special incident room has been set up at Stratford police station with up to 200 firefighters who attended the incident due to be questioned.
A total of 160 warehouse employees have already been interviewed.
Crews searching for the bodies were hampered by the perilous conditions of the warehouse.
Strong winds made it unsafe and search and rescue teams were asked to leave the building on several occasions on Tuesday. |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/2940776.stm | They are built like Sherman tanks and are designed for off road adventures, but in recent times 4x4s have become the vehicle of choice for the harassed parent navigating the school run.
by Jackie Storer
BBC News Online political staff
They are the safe, gas guzzling - but good looking - people-movers which give the impression their owner is more "sporty go-getter" than a mum or dad whose biggest challenge is steering a course through the urban jungle.
But now this status symbol is under threat from the tongue-in-cheek ire of Norman Baker, the Liberal Democrats environmentally sound spokesman.
He claims these off-roaders should be banned from the school run and trips to the supermarket because they intimidate other road users and damage the environment.
Manufacturers of 4x4s should market these vehicles more responsibly, he says.
But his campaign to get off roaders well and truly off the road has, unsurprisingly, motored up against fierce resistance from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the RAC Foundation and AA.
They claim the vehicles are "an easy target for political opportunists", that people should have the freedom to travel as they pleased and the state should not be able to dictate which vehicles drivers should choose.
But Mr Baker says he is speaking from experience, with his Lewes constituency suffering from heavy traffic and cyclists and pedestrians often forced up against the wall by four-wheel drives.
"There are only so many vehicles they can
sell to farmers and others who would legitimately use such vehicles," he told BBC Radio 4 Today programme.
"The slogans which they are using to sell their vehicles are aimed at urban
"There are real questions whether or not someone needs a two-and-a-half
tonne, 22-gallon vehicle to nip down to Tesco's or take the kids to school.
"The consequences of ever-increasing use of these vehicles means that other
road users often feel intimidated - pedestrians and cyclists certainly do - use of
fossil fuels increases dramatically, and our small urban towns, particularly
historic towns, are being overwhelmed in some cases by these vehicles.
The RAC says people should be free to choose their vehicles
"The whole point of these vehicles and the way they're marketed is to give
the impression to those who buy them that they somehow are getting more
confidence, they're getting a personality boost, they're getting an opportunity
to fight through the 'urban jungle'.
"People who use them should think 'if it's never going to leave tarmac and
always going to be used just for school runs, is it really the appropriate
But Al Clarke, spokesman for SMMT, insists: "There is a danger of victimisation here. First if was White Van Man, now it is off-road drivers. What's next? Sports car owners? Drivers of soft-tops?
"People have to choose the best way to get around in built-up areas. Until there is a situation where there is a real alternative to public transport, people have the right to drive around as they please."
Edmund King, the RAC Foundation's executive director, said: "Individuals should be free to choose a vehicle, but we would advise people to think about the appropriateness of their vehicle.
We can't dictate what people can drive
"A 4x4 is probably not the best vehicle for getting around town. It's harder to park and harder to navigate through narrow streets, but there should be no ban on such vehicles."
Paul Watters, the AA's head of roads and transport, said: "We can't dictate what people can drive. Although some see off-roaders as a fashion accessory, their use should not be restricted and they are suitable for large families.
"But people should be aware they do cost quite a bit to run."
An Institute of Advanced Motorists spokesman said: "Drivers who opt to take heavy 4x4 vehicles on the school run should appreciate that their weight and size does indeed raise road safety issues.
"While any car is potentially a lethal weapon if driven badly, 4x4 drivers need to be particularly careful when they are around vulnerable road users because of the vehicle's weight, the higher centre of gravity and handling characteristics.
"Rather than ban them, as has been suggested, 4x4 drivers might instead consider a specialist course, such as we offer." |
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-23220232 | Malala friends given scholarships to Atlantic College
- 7 July 2013
- From the section Wales
Two Pakistani teenagers shot by the Taliban while travelling with their friend Malala Yousafzai have been given scholarships at an international school in Wales.
Shazia Ramzan and her friend Kainat Riaz will take up places at Atlantic College, Vale of Glamorgan.
They were caught in crossfire last October when a gunman shot education campaigner Malala after school.
Malala was offered a scholarship but is continuing her studies elsewhere.
Shazia and Kainat were were sitting alongside Malala when she was shot last October in an assassination attack.
Malala was flown to Britain where she underwent surgery at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, which specialises in the treatment of military personnel injured in conflict.
Her friend Shazia was hit in the shoulder and hand, later undergoing surgery in Pakistan and spending nearly a month recuperating in hospital, while Kainat was hit in the upper right arm.
In January, Malala was released from hospital and and in March started going to Edgbaston High School for girls.
Atlantic College is a residential sixth form college which brings together students from around the world.
Principal John Walmsley said staff wanted to help after hearing about Malala and her two friends and because of the blog Malala had written about the importance of education for girls.
"Our mission - since our founding in 1962 by Kurt Hahn - is to make education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future," he said.
"We have students from over 90 nationalities, with 55% of our students supported by scholarships.
"We deliberately encourage diversity whether by nation, religion, culture or socio-economic background.
"Through the generosity of a donor we have been able to offer all three girls a scholarship at the college."
He added Shazia is set to start at the college in August and they look forward to Kainat joining her soon, while Malala continues her recuperation and education elsewhere.
Atlantic College's estate near Llantwit Major includes the 12th Century St Donat's castle and was once the former home of American newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst.
Willem-Alexander, the new king of the Netherlands, was once a student there.
Students at the college study towards an International Baccalaureate which is combined with a co-curricular community service activities |
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-23501613 | Oxfordshire councils' cash still tied up in Icelandic banks
- 30 July 2013
- From the section Oxford
About £7m of Oxfordshire's public money is still tied up in Icelandic banks almost five years after they collapsed.
The county's six main authorities, including Oxfordshire County Council, made a total investment of about £28m.
Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner's office is also owed £2.5m of a £5m investment made by the now defunct police authority.
Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accounting said most of the cash would be repaid by 2019.
The news comes as local authorities face continued budget pressures, including Oxfordshire County Council, which aims to make savings of £74m by 2017.
The local authority is facing an expected budget deficit of £25m and last week released plans to generate revenue in a bid to reduce the shortfall. These include new bus lane fines and renting out a council chamber for weddings.
Originally the county council invested £5m in Icelandic banks, including Landsbanki, and is still owed £2.6m.
In a statement it said: "All councils hold cash reserves earmarked for big projects such as schools and roads, and it makes sense to invest that money to get a return.
"The council has checks and balances to make sure that public money is only invested in solid financial institutions, and at the time of making the investments the Icelandic Banks were rated as sound."
When the Icelandic banks collapsed in October 2008 they took nearly £1bn of investments from over 100 authorities.
West Oxfordshire District Council was owed a total of £9m from its investments at Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander, Landsbanki and Glitnir, and is still waiting for £2.3m.
Cherwell District Council had £6.5m invested with Glitnir and is owed £700,000.
Oxford City Council had a total of £4.2m invested at Heritable and Glitnir banks and is now owed £700,000.
Vale of White Horse District Council said it was still awaiting about £500,000 of the £1m it invested in Icelandic banks, while South Oxfordshire District Council, which invested £2.5m, is also owed £500,000.
Mandy Bretherton from the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accounting said local government associations were "working very hard" with creditor bodies to retrieve the cash, which she said was now "flowing back" from the banks.
"I think these things do take time and also the legal cases have been subject to a number of appeals," she added.
Ms Bretherton said the collapsed banks, Landsbanki and Glitnir, had been "taking longer to go through the process", but investors were expected to get all of their money back.
However, she said they may have to wait until 2019 for the final 5-6% from Landsbanki.
She added it was hoped investors in UK-based banks, Heritable and Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander, would see an 85-90% return by about the middle of next year. |
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-25293333 | Mandela: Deputy President Motlanthe remembers friend
8 December 2013 Last updated at 18:32 GMT
The South African Deputy President has told the BBC he hopes someone "among us will be inspired... and follow in the footsteps" of Nelson Mandela.
Kgalema Motlanthe was a close friend of Mr Mandela while they were in prison at Robben Island.
He told the BBC's Milton Nkosi Mr Mandela "lived by very high principles... regardless of the circumstances. That's going to be a very hard act to follow." |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/kent/7790757.stm | Oliver Postgate created many much-loved children's TV programmes
A book in which fans can leave memories and tributes to Oliver Postgate, who died recently, has opened at a museum in Kent.
Mr Postgate 83, who lived in the county, created some of the best-loved children's TV series including Bagpuss, Ivor the Engine, and the Clangers.
A spokesman for the Museum of Canterbury in Stour Street said they were keen to hear from ordinary people.
Mr Postgate and Peter Firmin created their series in a pigsty near the town.
His partner, Naomi Linnell, confirmed he died at a nursing home near his home in Broadstairs in Kent on 8 December.
The museum spokesman said: "The museum is keen to hear ordinary people's memories of Oliver, and of his programmes, as a tribute to an extraordinary man who died last week aged 83.
"Displays at the museum will ensure his life and achievements will never be forgotten.
"Original characters created by Oliver and his friend Peter Firmin, including Bagpuss, the Pogles and Auntie and Uncle Clanger, plus Ivor the Engine and Noggin the Nog artwork, are among the most popular exhibits at the museum."
The museum also features a 60ft (18.2m) long cartoon charting the life and death of Thomas Becket created by Mr Postgate and Ms Linnell in the 1980s.
The original set of BBC TV series the Clangers - small, pink mouselike creatures who live under their planet's surface in caves protected by saucepan lids - was recently displayed in Canterbury.
The handmade models, which included the Soup Dragon and Baby Clanger, were exhibited at the Sidney Cooper Gallery. |
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-14974627 | Zambia election: Rupiah Banda faces Michael Sata threat
Millions of Zambians have been voting in what is expected to be one of the country's most fiercely contested elections.
There have been delays and clashes in the capital, Lusaka but observers say the vote has been relatively smooth.
President Rupiah Banda is expected to face his strongest challenge from Michael Sata.
Since the last vote in 2008, an extra one million people have registered to vote - many young and unemployed.
Polls were due to close at 18:00 local time (16:00 GMT), but the electoral commission said voting would be extended in polling stations that opened late.
Some 5.2 million people - the highest on record - are on the electoral register for these presidential, parliamentary and local elections.
High copper prices have boosted economic growth but many ordinary Zambians say they have not benefited.
Thousands of policemen have been deployed to prevent violence and the sale of axes and other potential weapons has been banned during the election period.
Mr Banda defeated Mr Sata by just 35,000 votes in the 2008 election, which sparked rioting by some opposition supporters in their urban strongholds.
A police spokeswoman said order had been restored on Tuesday afternoon following violence after reports that a man had been found with pre-marked ballot papers.
A truck delivering ballot papers was blocked from entering the densely-populated township of Kanyama and some of its materials grabbed and strewn across the street.
Election officials later denied the reports of pre-marked papers but admitted they were unsure how many ballots had been taken and whether they would be able to source more for that constituency.
Some of Mr Banda's advertising hoardings were set on fire.
Many people were also angry that polling stations opened late.
At least four people have been arrested, police say.
Fake nails and indelible ink
International election observers have also played down the reports of violence, saying incidents were isolated and short-lived.
"So far, the reports we have is that everything is going in a peaceful manner, in a calm way," Chief European Union election observer in Zambia Maria Muniz De Urquiza told the BBC.
The BBC's Mutuna Chanda in the capital, Lusaka, says the queues stretched for 2-3km in some of the polling stations he visited and overall voting across the country has been peaceful.
One woman told the BBC she was ordered to remove her false nails before she could vote as electoral officials said she would be able to take off the thumb nail which is being marked to indicate that people have cast their ballot.
But another voter, Zarino Geloo in Lusaka, posted on the social media site Facebook that she was allowed to vote with her nails: "The polling agent drew a ghastly black line of indelible ink under my beautifully done acrylic nails… urrggh ghastly but I have managed to get rid of it by putting my thumb in lime juice.
"No way is someone going to tell me to 'remove' my nails, do they know how much they cost?" she then told the BBC.
Crowds of youths chanting "We want change, we want change" greeted Mr Sata as he arrived to vote in Lusaka, Reuters news agency reports.
"If things are free and fair, we are very confident. What's most important is Zambians are very alert in this election," AFP quotes him as telling reporters after voting.
But Agnes Ngoma, 57, who has a farm near the capital, said Mr Banda's economic stewardship should be rewarded.
"I think the current government has performed very well, exceeded our expectations. There's a lot of infrastructure that's been built - roads, hospitals, schools. The economy is booming," she told AFP.
Mr Banda has campaigned on this platform - the economic growth largely spurred by Chinese investments and the government's decision to scrap a windfall tax of 25% on mining companies.
He urged Zambians to express their frustrations through the ballot box rather than on the streets. "Voting is louder than words," Reuters quotes him as saying after casting his ballot in near the town of Chipata, 600km (400 miles) east of Lusaka.
Mr Sata has promised to re-introduce the windfall mining tax and to promote policies that will bring greater benefit to poor people.
More than 60% of Zambians live on less than $2 a day.
On the eve of the vote police chief Francis Kabonde said his officers would arrest anyone carrying axes, machetes and other weapons.
The election commission spokesman Chris Akufuna said a "transparent system" was in place "where there will not be any space or chance for anyone to manipulate".
Eight other candidates are contesting the presidency.
Voters are also electing 150 members of parliament and more than 1,000 local councillors. The first results are expected late on Wednesday. |
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-22328897 | Andy Burnham calls for ban on zero hours contracts
Labour should pledge to ban "zero hours contracts" at the next election, shadow health secretary Andy Burnham has said.
Mr Burnham praised his party leader Ed Miliband's proposal to reward firms for paying low paid workers more than the minimum wage.
But he said the Labour leader should "go further" and vow to ban so-called zero hours contracts as well.
Workers on such contracts are on call to work but can be given no hours and, as a result, no pay.
Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, Mr Burnham hit back at claims Labour has no concrete policy ideas, saying "we are beginning now to set out our stall" ahead of the 2015 general election.
He is promoting his own plan to merge social care for the elderly and the infirm, often controlled by local authorities, with the NHS, which he says will save money and improve standards.
But he also said Labour had to do more to present itself as the "party of work".
The Labour leadership has faced criticism from Conservatives and even some within its own ranks for appearing to be on the side of benefit cheats and people who do not want to work.
Mr Burnham said: "The coalition have tried to take forward the benefits debate by dividing people between strivers and skivers.
"I think it's really crude and unpleasant politics. What Ed Miliband is saying is we have got to do away with that."
He said many people on benefits were in work, or did not get enough hours to work, which meant "we subsidise low pay in this country".
"A living wage could really help to address that and I would say to Ed, personally, go further and ban things like zero hours contracts.
"That is a Labour response to the debate about work and benefits."
Ed Miliband told The Guardian on Saturday he wanted to offer tax breaks to persuade companies to pay more to low paid workers.
He said Labour would create special zones where businesses would be encouraged to pay the "living wage," which, according to campaigners, is £8.55 an hour in London and £7.45 in the rest of the UK.
The UK-wide minimum wage is £6.19.
Mr Miliband suggested firms could offered tax relief on training or capital investment, or lower business rates, in return for paying the living wage.
The proposal is being considered as part of Labour's policy review.
More than 200,000 British workers are on zero hours contracts, according to the Office for National Statistics.
The retail and finance sectors make the most use of such contracts but the practice is spreading to education, the public services and the NHS.
Labour MPs and trade unions say zero hours contracts strip workers of their rights and are exploitative.
They say employers are using them to avoid agency worker regulations, which entitle agency staff to the same basic terms and conditions as permanent employees after 12 weeks.
But the CBI says the UK's flexible labour market is crucial to economic recovery and the new agency worker rules are holding back growth. |
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-15982011 | South of Scotland flood alerts after overnight rain
Overnight rain has prompted fresh flood warnings and road closures due to river levels in the Scottish Borders.
The River Tweed between Drumelzier and Dawyck in Peeblesshire was particularly high, with property owners in the area advised to take precautionary action.
River levels were also very high in the Ettrick Valley, with caravan parks at Deephope and Hopehouse at risk.
In Hawick, fire crews were forced into action at their own station after rainwater flooded an appliance room.
Heavy rains have also caused concern in the Yarrow Valley, with Yarrowford at risk from the Yarrow Water and both the East and West Broadmeadows burns.
Police advised that the Elwyn Glen Road - between Galashiels and Melrose - was badly affected by surface water, as was the B709 at Tishielaw.
The B712 around Stobo was closed due to the level of flooding.
In neighbouring Dumfries and Galloway a flood alert also remained in place.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency said that although no significant further rain was expected, river levels remained high. |
Subsets and Splits