Category: news

Earlier this week “little ships” retraced the steps made 70 years ago

A ceremony will take place later to mark the 70th anniversary of the evacuation of troops from Dunkirk.

Some 30 to 40 veterans are expected to attend the event at the Allied Memorial on Dunkirk seafront, with 50 of the original "little ships" offshore.

A bike ride for the forces' charity Help for Heroes will also finish in the town after a 320-mile trip from Portsmouth.

Thousands of Allied troops were rescued from Dunkirk in the mass evacuation in the early stages of World War II.

Driven back

Veterans at the ceremony will be joined by crews of Navy vessels, while the 43rd French Infantry Regiment and the 110th French Infantry Regiment will parade in the town centre in the afternoon.

Earlier this week, a fleet of about 64 "little ships" commemorated the anniversary of Operation Dynamo by sailing from Ramsgate in Kent to Dunkirk.

About 338,000 troops were evacuated from Dunkirk's beaches after they had been driven back to the coast of northern France by the German army.

British, French, Canadian and Belgian soldiers were rescued between 26 May and 4 June, 1940.

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

Iran called on nuclear-armed nations to agree to a disarmament timetable

The 189-member nations of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) are struggling to reach a deal in the last hours of lengthy talks on a new text.

The proposed document includes a hotly debated proposal to ban nuclear weapons in the Middle East.

The 28-page Final Declaration is due to be brought up for consensus approval at the United Nations later.

If they do not reach agreement, the member nations may have to wait another five years to move forward.

The draft declaration calls for the United Nations secretary general to organise a meeting of Middle East states in 2012 to sign on to the creation of a zone free of nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction.

Conference president Libran Cabactulan, of the Philippines, told a plenary session that the document was "the best that can be offered".

Proposal debated

Small groups at the UN debated the proposed declaration late into the night on Thursday, as the month-long UN nuclear conference entered its final hours.

One of the sticking points involves Israel, a non-member of the NPT, which is widely believed to have nuclear weapons although it has never admitted to possessing them.

Arab states and Israel's allies have been at loggerheads over wording for the proposed nuclear-weapons-free zone.

Israel has said it backs a nuclear-weapons-free zone in principle, but only after peace agreements with all the countries in the region.

As the conference moved into the last stretch, Iran demanded that the official five nuclear-armed nations – the US, Russia, UK, France and China – agree to a timetable for negotiating a treaty to abolish their arsenals.

"The five nuclear-weapon states cannot easily and totally ignore this legitimate request. If so, then the conference will not be successful," said chief Iranian delegate Ali Asghar Soltanieh.

Under the treaty, the five official nuclear-armed nations are committed to moving towards their elimination.

Iran has faced repeated questions over its own nuclear programme, which the West believes is aimed at making weapons. Iran insists it is solely designed to meet its energy needs.

The NPT has encountered difficulty in coming up with the best method for monitoring suspect nuclear programmes in Iran and North Korea.

The four nations suspected of having nuclear weapons that are not signatories to the treaty – India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel – are not covered by any NPT agreement reached.

The NPT conference, which meets every five years, risks losing credibility if no progress is made.

The last review conference, in 2005, failed to adopt a consensus declaration.

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

Some nations are threatening to cut off persistent copyright infringers

List of Britons who infringe copyright are to be drawn up by the UK's biggest ISPs, under proposals from the regulator Ofcom.

The plan is contained in a draft code of practice it hopes will curb copyright infringement.

Names and the number of times individuals infringe will be logged.

Music firms and movie studios can request details from the list they can decide whether to start their own action against serial infringers.

The code initially only applies to big ISPs but could be extended, even to mobile networks, if infringement on smaller networks grows.

It tells ISPs under what circumstances they should inform customers that their accounts are allegedly being used to pirate copyrighted material.

Ofcom said the code should come into force in early 2011. The call for the creation of the code is contained in the Digital Economy Act.

One of the most controversial elements of that act was its granting of powers to the Secretary of State to cut people off if they ignore warnings.

However, the code says: "The Secretary of State has not indicated his intention to make use of these provisions at this time and this consultation is not concerned with this aspect of the DEA."

Initially the code will only apply to ISPs that have more than 400,000 customers. This includes BT, Talk Talk, Virgin Media, Sky, Orange, O2 and the Post Office.

An independent appeals process will also be set up for those customers who believe they have been wrongly accused of copyright infringement.

Ofcom has begun a consultation exercise on the proposals which will conclude on 30 July.

The communications watchdog said the code would go alongside other work to educate customers about copyright infringement, promotion of legal alternatives to file-sharing networks and targeted action against the most persistent offenders.

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

A man has been injured in a shooting in the Shankill Road area of Belfast, police have said.

The incident was reported to police shortly after 1300 BST on Friday.

Police are currently at the scene. At this stage, it is believed one man has been injured.

The extent of his injuries are not known. There are no further details.

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

Chief Treasury Secretary David Laws has apologised for claiming more than £40,000 in MPs’ expenses to rent rooms in homes owned by his partner.

Mr Laws said he would immediately pay back the money the Daily Telegraph said was claimed between 2006 and 2009.

Mr Laws said he had been trying to keep his relationship with his male partner "private".

Since 2006 parliamentary rules have banned MPs from "leasing accommodation from a partner".

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Toxicology tests have shown that two teenagers whose deaths were linked to mephedrone had not taken the drug.

The deaths of Louis Wainwright, 18, and Nicholas Smith, 19, in March 2010, sparked concern about the synthetic stimulant, which was then legal.

The Labour government banned the drug in April, making it a Class B drug alongside amphetamines and cannabis.

But tests have revealed there were no traces of mephedrone in their blood.

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

Former deputy prime minister John Prescott has been made a peer in the Dissolution Honours List.

Mr Prescott, 71, who stepped down as an MP at the general election, was Tony Blair’s deputy for ten years.

Former Northern Ireland first minister Ian Paisley, former Tory leader Michael Howard and Gordon Brown’s long-serving aide Sue Nye were also given peerages.

Dissolution Honours Lists are made at the end of every Parliament and allow outgoing PMs to reward colleagues.

They also allow the new prime minister to appoint working peers.

Among other notable names on the list are former Labour ministers John Reid, Des Browne, John Hutton and Quentin Davies – the former Tory MP who defected to Labour.

Other Conservatives include the former chairman of the party’s influential 1922 Committee Sir Michael Spicer and the chief executive of retail chain Next Simon Wolfson.

New Liberal Democrat peers include former MPs Richard Allan, Matthew Taylor and Phil Willis and former children’s TV presenter Floella Benjamin.

The Queen has also conferred a life peerage on former Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Ian Blair.

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

The Q4000 mobile offshore drilling unit (right) is pumping the mud

BP has resumed pumping mud into the leaking oil well in the Gulf of Mexico after briefly suspending the high-risk "top kill" procedure.

The oil giant said it was too early to say whether the latest attempt to stem the leak had been successful.

It has emerged that far more oil has poured from the well than was previously thought, which would make this the biggest spill in US history.

US President Barack Obama is to visit the affected area in Louisiana.

Mr Obama has defended his government's handling of the huge oil spill. Speaking at the White House, the president vowed to hold BP accountable for the "horrific disaster".

He unveiled a series of measures, including a continued moratorium on drilling permits for six months.

The move comes after an opinion poll said 60% of Americans were unhappy with the government's response.

Brief suspension

BP suspended its "top kill" procedure, untested at this depth, for several hours on Thursday so it could monitor progress.

It has now resumed pumping heavy mud into the ruptured well

It says it believes the procedure can work – although it may not know for days yet.

It would take 24-48 hours before BP engineers could tell whether "top kill" had worked, company officials said at about 2000 GMT on Thursday.

If the procedure succeeds, cement will be injected to seal the well.

New estimates from a panel of US scientists said at least 12,000 barrels (504,000 gallons) were leaking into the Gulf every day, far exceeding the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster.

The leak was caused by an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig on 20 April, which also killed 11 workers.

President Obama stressed that his administration, and not BP, was in charge.

But he admitted the government did not have the technology to deal with the damaged oil well nearly a mile (1.6km) below the surface, meaning that Washington must rely on BP to plug the ruptured well.

Policy shift

The president's comments came as questions were increasingly being asked about whether he had been sufficiently engaged in handling the disaster, says the BBC's Adam Brookes in Washington.

Continue reading the main storyHurricanes could damage pipelinesFrom shrimp fisher to oil-collectorMardell Blog: Turn on the theatreQ&A: Drilling restrictions

In a shake-up of the offshore oil industry, Mr Obama suspended test drilling on 33 rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, as well as halting exploratory deepwater drilling for another six months.

In addition, he cancelled the sale of some offshore leases off the coasts of Alaska and Virginia.

Correspondents say the move marks a shift in policy since March, when President Obama gave the go-ahead to widen the scope for offshore drilling in order to reduce dependency on oil imports.

Hours before Mr Obama spoke, the head of the Minerals Management Service (MMS), which oversees drilling operations, resigned.

Elizabeth Birnbaum and the MMS have come under fire from lawmakers over lax oversight of drilling operations.

The president blasted the "scandalously close relationship" between oil companies and regulators, and said officials granting exploration permits would no longer be responsible as well for ensuring safety.

Also on Thursday, Mr Obama's top spill response official – Coast Guard commander Admiral Thad Allen – approved part of an ambitious plan to build barrier islands to stop oil from coming ashore in Louisiana.

The oil leak has already soiled more than 110km (70 miles) of Louisiana's coastline, threatening fragile marshlands and putting the Louisiana fishing industry at risk.

US officials warned the coming hurricane season could be one of the worst on record.

Are you in the region affected by the oil? What is your reaction to the apparently successful attempt to stem the flow of oil and gas? You can send us your views and experiences Click here to add comments..

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Unite’s leaders rallied striking BA workers on Wednesday

Talks between British Airways and its cabin crew union Unite will resume later as the current industrial action enters its fifth and final day.

BA chief executive Willie Walsh met Unite's joint leaders Tony Woodley and Derek Simpson on Wednesday to try to reach a settlement.

The two sides are locked in a row over pay, work conditions and travel perks.

Hundreds of flights have been cancelled because of the five-day walk-out though BA says it is flying 70% of passengers.

The current round of negotiations are being held in a secret location after talks at the weekend had to be halted when protesters stormed the building.

If no deal is agreed, further five-day strikes are due to begin on Sunday, 30 May and Saturday, 5 June.

Unite has said it will call off the industrial action if the airline restores travel concessions to staff who previously went on strike.

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

Coleman appeared in Diff’rent Strokes from 1978 to 1986

Former Diff'rent Strokes star Gary Coleman is said to be in a critical condition in hospital after reportedly injuring his head.

A spokeswoman for Utah Valley Regional Medical Center said the 42-year-old was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday but revealed no further details.

According to People magazine, this is the third time Coleman has been hospitalised this year.

The actor has had a series of financial and legal problems in recent years.

Coleman played Arnold Jackson in Diff'rent Strokes from 1978 to 1986, famously coining the catchphrase "What you talking 'bout, Willis?"

The former child star suffered kidney disease in early age and has had two failed kidney transplants.

Coleman's family released a statement on Thursday saying he has been taken to the hospital with "a serious medical problem".

They said they hoped the actor "will be able to recover and return home soon".

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

About 1,600 people have been evacuated from their homes

Hundreds of Guatemalans have been forced to flee their homes, amid an eruption by one of the country's most active volcanoes.

Pacaya began spewing lava, rocks and debris on Thursday, leaving one person dead and three children missing.

At least 1,600 people have fled the eruption, some 30km (19 miles) south of the capital city.

The volcano covered parts of Guatemala City in ash, forcing the closure of the country's main international airport.

Officials said La Aurora airport would remain closed into Saturday, and flights were being diverted to other parts of the country.

Reporter killed

President Alvaro Colom declared a state of emergency in Escuintla region, Guatemala City and areas surrounding the capital.

"The emergency system has been activated and is working as planned," he told reporters.

The eruption could be seen for miles around

Officials said TV reporter Anibal Archila had been killed by falling rocks from the volcano; three children were said to be missing.

At least 1,600 people from villages near to the volcano were evacuated – with officials saying 600 had been housed in temporary shelters.

Experts said the volcano's activity decreased on Friday, but the government was still telling residents of the capital not to leave their homes unless there was an urgent need.

Pacaya has erupted intermittently for decades – the last major one was in January 2000.

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

Jonathan Trappe cut the balloons to descend (Photo Ian Hadingham)

A US adventurer has completed his attempt to cross the English Channel using dozens of helium-filled balloons.

Jonathan Trappe set off from a field near Ashford, Kent just after 0500 BST strapped to a chair and suspended by clusters of giant inflatables.

The 36-year-old daredevil became the first cluster-balloonist to cross the Channel when he landed in a French cabbage field at about 0900 BST.

He said flying over the white cliffs of Dover was "tremendously beautiful".

Mr Trappe's daring crossing was reminiscent of a journey taken by grumpy pensioner Carl Fredricksen in the recent animated film Up.

‘Wonderful fantasy’

After setting off from Kent Gliding Club in Challock, Mr Trappe sailed across the coast and over the Channel.

When he reached the French countryside he started cutting away the balloons to aid his descent.

Just after 0900 BST he avoided a power line and bounced to a halt in a cabbage field.

The trained pilot told Sky News: "It was just an exceptional, quiet, peaceful experience.

"Didn't you have this dream – grabbing on to a bunch of toy balloons and floating off? I think it's something that's shared across cultures and across borders.

"Just this wonderful fantasy of grabbing on to toy balloons and floating into open space."

World record

He added: "There are risks and we work to methodically reduce the risk so we can have a safe and fun flight.

"Because really it's only about dreams and enjoying an adventure and that's only enjoyable when it is safe."

In April he flew 109 miles across North Carolina to claim a new world record for the longest free-floating balloon flight.

A French Police spokesmen said they were surprised to see Mr Trappe but he had the correct documents and was not arrested.

The spokesman added: "He had all the correct authorisation and I believe he even gave something to the owner of the land where he came down by way of damages."

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

Cowell will receive his honour at the Bafta TV awards on 6 June

Music mogul Simon Cowell is to receive a special prize at the Bafta TV awards next month, organisers have announced.

The X Factor judge is being honoured for his "outstanding contribution… and for his development of new talent".

John Willis, chair of Bafta's TV committee, said he was "delighted" to recognise "one of the most brilliant entertainment producers of our time".

Earlier this year Cowell announced he was leaving American Idol to launch The X Factor in the US.

Previous recipients of Bafta's special award include British film-maker Paul Greengrass and BBC executive Jane Tranter.

This year's Bafta TV awards will be held at the London Palladium on 6 June and will be broadcast on BBC One.

Renowned for his acerbic putdowns and 'Mr Nasty' persona, Cowell has become one of the most powerful and influential – not to mention divisive – figures in the TV industry.

Later this year the 50-year-old will be honoured with an International Emmy award in recognition of his television work.

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

The Q4000 mobile offshore drilling unit (right) is pumping the mud

BP has resumed pumping mud into the leaking oil well in the Gulf of Mexico after briefly suspending the high-risk "top kill" procedure.

The oil giant said it was too early to say whether the latest attempt to stem the leak had been successful.

It has emerged that far more oil has poured from the well than was previously thought, which would make this the biggest spill in US history.

US President Barack Obama is to visit the affected area in Louisiana.

Mr Obama has defended his government's handling of the huge oil spill. Speaking at the White House, the president vowed to hold BP accountable for the "horrific disaster".

He unveiled a series of measures, including a continued moratorium on drilling permits for six months.

The move comes after an opinion poll said 60% of Americans were unhappy with the government's response.

Brief suspension

BP suspended its "top kill" procedure, untested at this depth, for several hours on Thursday so it could monitor progress.

It has now resumed pumping heavy mud into the ruptured well

It says it believes the procedure can work – although it may not know for days yet.

It would take 24-48 hours before BP engineers could tell whether "top kill" had worked, company officials said at about 2000 GMT on Thursday.

If the procedure succeeds, cement will be injected to seal the well.

New estimates from a panel of US scientists said at least 12,000 barrels (504,000 gallons) were leaking into the Gulf every day, far exceeding the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster.

The leak was caused by an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig on 20 April, which also killed 11 workers.

President Obama stressed that his administration, and not BP, was in charge.

But he admitted the government did not have the technology to deal with the damaged oil well nearly a mile (1.6km) below the surface, meaning that Washington must rely on BP to plug the ruptured well.

Policy shift

The president's comments came as questions were increasingly being asked about whether he had been sufficiently engaged in handling the disaster, says the BBC's Adam Brookes in Washington.

Continue reading the main storyHurricanes could damage pipelinesFrom shrimp fisher to oil-collectorMardell Blog: Turn on the theatreQ&A: Drilling restrictions

In a shake-up of the offshore oil industry, Mr Obama suspended test drilling on 33 rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, as well as halting exploratory deepwater drilling for another six months.

In addition, he cancelled the sale of some offshore leases off the coasts of Alaska and Virginia.

Correspondents say the move marks a shift in policy since March, when President Obama gave the go-ahead to widen the scope for offshore drilling in order to reduce dependency on oil imports.

Hours before Mr Obama spoke, the head of the Minerals Management Service (MMS), which oversees drilling operations, resigned.

Elizabeth Birnbaum and the MMS have come under fire from lawmakers over lax oversight of drilling operations.

The president blasted the "scandalously close relationship" between oil companies and regulators, and said officials granting exploration permits would no longer be responsible as well for ensuring safety.

Also on Thursday, Mr Obama's top spill response official – Coast Guard commander Admiral Thad Allen – approved part of an ambitious plan to build barrier islands to stop oil from coming ashore in Louisiana.

The oil leak has already soiled more than 110km (70 miles) of Louisiana's coastline, threatening fragile marshlands and putting the Louisiana fishing industry at risk.

US officials warned the coming hurricane season could be one of the worst on record.

Are you in the region affected by the oil? What is your reaction to the apparently successful attempt to stem the flow of oil and gas? You can send us your views and experiences Click here to add comments..

(Required) Name(Required) Your E-mail address(Required) Town & Country(Required) Phone number(Required) Comments

The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide.

Terms and conditions

SendClear

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

A man has been injured in a shooting in the Shankill Road area of Belfast, police have said.

The incident was reported to police shortly after 1300 BST on Friday.

Police are currently at the scene. At this stage, it is believed one man has been injured.

The extent of his injuries are not known. There are no further details.

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