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Mr Jones had said the burning would be a stand against terrorism

Campaigners are calling for a controversial US pastor to be banned from entering the UK to share his views on Islam with activists.

Terry Jones attracted condemnation when he threatened to burn copies of the Koran on this year’s 9/11 anniversary.

He said his presence at an English Defence League rally in February would be “positive” but he admitted he would preach against “extremist Muslims”.

Anti-extremist group Hope Not Hate is urging the home secretary to act.

The EDL said on its Facebook page that the rally in Luton, Bedfordshire, on 5 February would be “our biggest to date”. It said Mr Jones would be joining the organisation to “speak out against the evils of Islam”.

Mr Jones, pastor of the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida, which has fewer than 50 members, told BBC 5 Live he had “no intention” of burning the Koran in the UK.

He said his speech would be “on harmony, on the subject that Muslims are welcome in our country”.

He said: “We have no problem with Muslims – we have freedom of speech and religion – Muslims who want to make our country their country, obey our laws and constitution.

“We have a problem with them, which I believe you all have also, when they go on the street… and they call for the death of the UK, for the death of Israel, for the death of America. They call for Sharia law.

“They say they are going to turn Buckingham Palace into a mosque and the Queen must convert to Islam or leave the country.”

Mr Jones admitted that his knowledge of the EDL was “somewhat limited”.

“It’s only what I know through conversations with them that my office has had and then of course the different material in the internet that they have put out. I would describe them as a group who, I believe, in their words they want England to stay English.”

Anti-extremist group Hope not Hate condemned the invitation to Mr Jones and has launched a petition calling on the home secretary to ban him from entering the UK.

Its director Nick Lowles said: “Only extremists will benefit from his visit and, as we know, extremism breeds hatred and hatred breeds violence.

“It is yet another example of how the EDL exists only to sow the seeds of intimidation and division.”

A Home Office spokesman said: “We do not routinely comment on individual cases.”

Home Secretary Theresa May has the power to exclude an individual from coming to the UK if she considers that the individual’s presence here would not be conducive to the public good.

Mr Jones came to prominence in September after he announced plans for his “International Burn a Koran Day”.

His plan was internationally condemned and sparked many demonstrations around the world. He eventually called off his protest.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Amir Khan defends his WBA light-welterweight title with a unanimous points victory over Marcos Maidana in a thrilling fight in Las Vegas.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Many drug-drivers are getting away with it because police lack the devices to do roadside tests, according to a committee of MPs.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

A number of coastguard control centres, which co-ordinate and manage rescue efforts across the UK, are expected to close under spending cuts.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Hashim Thaci faces a strong challenge

Kosovo is holding its first parliamentary election since unilaterally declaring independence from Serbia almost three years ago.

The ethnic Albanian majority and small Serb minority remain largely estranged, more than a decade after a Nato-led conflict broke Belgrade’s control.

Serbia has not recognised Kosovo’s independence and most Serbs are expected to boycott the elections.

The EU says the election is important for Kosovo’s hopes of entry.

During the campaign, institutionalised corruption and the dire state of Kosovo’s economy have consistently topped lists of voter concerns.

Opinion polls have suggested that the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) of the outgoing Prime Minister, Hashim Thaci, is in the lead but is unlikely to win an outright majority.

Its former junior coalition partner, the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), is mounting a strong challenge.

Polls are due to close at 1900 (1700 GMT) on Sunday.

An early election had to be called after the LDK pulled out of Mr Thaci’s government in October in a row over its then leader, Fatmir Sejdiu, who was also Kosovo’s president.

After Mr Sejdiu stepped down as president, he was ousted from the LDK leadership by the mayor of Pristina, Isa Mustafa.

Another party, the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, has been weakened because its leader, former rebel Ramush Haradinaj, is being retried by the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague.

Among Kosovo’s most daunting challenges are an unemployment rate of 45% – even higher among young people – and one of the weakest economies in Europe.

While recognised by many Western countries, Kosovo is still not a member of the UN and its ethnic Albanian majority are under pressure to show they can build peaceful relations with the Serb minority.

A sign displayed in northern Mitrovica reads “Serbian town”

Serbs now only number around 120,000 out of Kosovo’s population of two million.

The vast majority of Serbs continue to live in enclaves guarded by Nato-led peacekeepers, and many are concentrated in the north, between the divided town of Mitrovica and the Serbian border.

Posters in Mitrovica have been calling on Serbs to boycott the election. “No to elections in the false state of Kosovo,” reads one.

The US ambassador in Kosovo, Christopher Dell, has warned that an attempt to partition the north could spark renewed ethnic violence across the region, according to a series of secret diplomatic cables released by the Wikileaks website on Thursday.

“Failure to act soon means losing northern Kosovo and will re-open the Pandora’s Box of ethnic conflict that defined the 1990s,” Mr Dell said.

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This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

HMS Astute is based at the Faslane Naval Base on the Clyde

A nuclear-powered submarine which ran aground off the Isle of Skye in October has had to return to port because of a defect, the Ministry of Defence says.

HMS Astute returned to its base in Faslane after breaking down last week on what was its first day back at sea, the Mail on Sunday reported.

The newspaper said a fault in the steam plant had been identified by experts.

“HMS Astute has been completing sea trials and has returned to have a minor defect corrected,” the MoD said.

The newspaper reported that the fault had affected the propulsion and desalination system that makes sea water drinkable.

HMS Astute ran aground on 22 October and was towed free after becoming stuck on a shingle bank for about 10 hours.

However, it was damaged during the rescue operation in a collision with a coastguard tug, the Anglian Prince, which had been sent to free it.

The £1bn submarine returned to its base at Faslane on the Clyde three days after the grounding.

Last month the naval officer in charge, Commander Andy Coles, 47, was relieved of his command.

He was replaced by Commander Iain Breckenridge.

The submarine was built by defence giant BAE Systems at Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria.

It is the first in a fleet of seven which will replace the Trafalgar-class submarine.

The vessel can carry a mix of up to 38 Spearfish heavyweight torpedoes and Tomahawk Land Attack cruise missiles.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Amanda Knox tells an appeal court her conviction for murdering Meredith Kercher was an ‘enormous mistake’.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.