Category: news

The failure of the UN climate process and questioning of the science mean a new approach is needed, a report says.

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Memorial services are taking place later to mark the 25th anniversary of the fire at Bradford City’s Valley Parade stadium in which 56 people died.

Hundreds of people are set to gather in the city’s Centenary Square at 1100 BST for a service involving the Archbishop of York and the Bishop of Bradford.

Civic leaders from Bradford and Lincoln – the club’s opponents on 11 May 1985 – will be among those at the service.

City Hall flags will fly at half mast and a one-minute silence will be held.

A short service is also planned at Bradford City’s Valley Parade ground at 1500 BST.

Bradford Cathedral is then due to host a service for the victims’ relatives and friends at 1930 BST.

Burns victims

During the day of remembrance, a new stone street marker commemorating the tragedy will be installed at the junction of Manningham Lane and Hamm Strasse, a street named after Bradford’s twin city in Germany.

It will be unveiled by the Lord Mayor of Bradford, John Godward, and Thomas Hunsteger-Petermann, the Lord Mayor of Hamm.

In 1985, the then Lord Mayor of Hamm, Sabine Zech, was at the match while on a civic visit.

The stone will have a granite plaque bearing the date of the fire and the crests of the two cities and Bradford City football club.

The fire also left more than 200 people injured, many with serious burns.

As a result, the University of Bradford set up its Plastic Surgery and Burns Research Unit in the wake of the tragedy.

On Tuesday, the university is to launch the UK’s largest academic research centre in skin sciences, bringing together in one unit expertise spanning pharmacology, biology, chemistry, biochemistry, physics, and medicine.

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The UK’s property market is benefiting from its normal spring pick up, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors says.

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A 79-year-old man has been charged with the murder of his wife in Kent, police have said.

Alan Thomas, of Deanwood Drive, Gillingham, is accused of killing his wife Winifred, 77, whose body was found in Gillingham on Sunday.

Mr Thomas is due to appear at Medway Magistrates’ Court later.

Police were called to an address in Deanwood Drive at 1030 BST on Sunday, and said shortly afterwards that they were treating the death as suspicious.

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The brother of a murdered Dorset woman has visited Italy where a teenager’s disappearance may be key to the case.

Heather Barnett, 48, had been mutilated and had hair strands placed in her hand when she was found dead by her children at their home in Bournemouth in 2002.

Police think the case is linked to the 1993 disappearance of Elisa Claps, who is also thought to have been murdered.

Ms Barnett’s brother, Ben, met Miss Clapp’s family who spoke of their hopes police were close to solving the cases.

Cut hair

Remains found bricked into a church roof in Potenza, where Miss Claps lived, are thought by her family to be that of the missing 16-year-old.

It is understood she had been stabbed in the chest more than once and then suffocated, BBC South Home Affairs Correspondent Damon Embling said.

Strands of someone else’s cut hair had been placed in Ms Barnett’s hands, and it is this which produced possible links to the case of Miss Claps.

Women have come forward both in Bournemouth and in Potenza, saying they have had their hair cut in suspicious circumstances.

Dorset Police have been to Italy many times to investigate a possible link with the unsolved murder of Ms Barnett who was found at the family home in Capstone Road, Charminster.

Her brother told BBC News while he was in Potenza: "I just wanted to express my sadness that they should be in this situation.

‘Long 17 years’

"It was quite upsetting to meet Elisa’s mother, she’s still deeply, deeply upset as you would expect.

"The people of Potenza… that I’ve spoken to are very much behind what we’re doing in the UK to try and find the killer of Elisa Claps and the killer of my sister.

"Whether it’s one of the same person I don’t know."

Miss Claps’s brother, Gildo, said through an interpreter: "For 17 years we’ve been frightened to find out the truth, they were horrible, very long 17 years.

"We’ve known for years about the link between Potenza and Bournemouth and the person that killed Elisa might be the same person who killed Heather, so for me it’s very important to meet Ben."

Italian police believe one of the last people to see Miss Claps alive was Danilo Restivo, who lived in the same town in Italy.

Mr Restivo who now lives in Charminster, Bournemouth, has also been questioned by Dorset Police over Heather Barnett’s murder.

He has denied knowing anything about either case.

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US President Barack Obama has revived a civilian nuclear energy pact with Moscow, which was shelved in the wake of Russia’s 2008 conflict with Georgia.

Mr Obama resubmitted the pact to Congress, saying US-Russian co-operation over Iran justified the move.

The planned agreement would allow the transfer of technology and equipment, including reactors.

Mr Obama has vowed to "reset" relations with Moscow, which became strained under his predecessor George W Bush.

As well as co-operating on Iran, Russia and the US have also this year agreed to replace the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty governing nuclear arsenals.

Washington summit

In his letter to Congress, Mr Obama said: "The level and scope of US-Russia co-operation on Iran are sufficient to justify resubmitting the proposed agreement to the Congress.

"I have determined that performance of the proposed agreement will promote, and will not constitute an unreasonable risk to, the common defence and security."

The pact had been signed in 2007 by Mr Bush and Vladimir Putin, who was Russian president at the time.

But the conflict in Georgia meant the deal was never put to a Senate vote.

Russia and the US have taken a number of steps on nuclear issues this year.

Last month they agreed a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, reducing each country’s deployed nuclear arsenal to 1,550 weapons.

Also last month the nations agreed to dispose of tonnes of surplus weapons-grade plutonium under a deal signed at a nuclear summit in Washington.

The war between Georgia and Russia was sparked by fighting in Georgia’s breakaway region of South Ossetia in August 2008.

Hundreds of people are thought to have died in the five-day-long conflict and thousands were displaced.

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Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai has arrived in the US for four days of talks aimed at repairing rocky relations between Kabul and Washington.

US envoy to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry said he believed the visit would leave the two nations "well aligned".

While the Afghan leader is expected to focus on civilians being killed by foreign troops, US officials are likely to tackle Mr Karzai on corruption.

He is scheduled to meet President Barack Obama on Wednesday.

‘Candid relationship’

Relations between Kabul and Washington nose-dived last year after Mr Karzai won an election widely condemned for corruption.

But the BBC’s state department correspondent Kim Ghattas says the US has rolled out the red carpet for Mr Karzai’s visit.

Mr Eikenberry said every relationship experienced "ups and downs" and insisted Mr Obama had full confidence in Mr Karzai.

"What measures true partnership is the ability, when the stakes are as high as they are for Afghanistan and the US, to be able to work our way through difficulties," he said.

Gen Stanley McChrystal, the top US commander in Afghanistan, insisted he had a good relationship with Mr Karzai.

"I think it’s important that I have an effective, candid, responsible relationship. And I’ve been real happy with it thus far," he told reporters.

As well as holding three hours of talks with Mr Obama, the Afghan leader is also scheduled to meet Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defence Secretary Robert Gates.

The trip comes at a crucial time for Afghanistan.

Nato is preparing for an assault in southern Kandahar province, and Afghan officials are set for a forthcoming meeting of tribal leaders who will discuss how to promote peace.

The US hopes to start pulling out troops from July 2011, but the country has seen a marked increase in violence over the past year.

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6 Music, threatened with closure by the BBC, wins two prizes at the Sony Radio Academy Awards in London.

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NI parties are setting out their positions on a Westminster coalition as formal talks between Labour and the Lib Dems are due to begin.

The DUP said it was not ideologically opposed to a Lib-Lab agreement but would vote in the interests of NI.

The SDLP said it would prefer an agreement between Labour and the Liberal Democrats.

Gordon Brown, who is to step down as Labour leader, said talks with the Lib Dems were in the "national interest".

Role

BBC Northern Ireland political editor Mark Devenport explained the potential role for Northern Ireland MPs in a coalition.

"If Labour did a deal with the Liberal Democrats, they would have a parliamentary strength of 315," he said.

"That is 11 short of the formal margin for a Commons majority of 326 but the absence of the five Sinn Fein MPs lowers the effective margin to 324.

"If all the 13 remaining Northern Ireland politicians decided to back a Labour and Liberal Democrat government, that would take a Labour and Liberal Democrat government to 328, enough for a very small majority."

DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds said that his party was not ideologically opposed to a deal between Labour and the Liberal Democrats.

"We would only be prepared to look at things on a case by case basis," he said.

"We have always said that we would only do so on the basis of Northern Ireland’s interests being protected in terms of the block grant, the economy and so forth."

Alasdair McDonnell of the SDLP said his party would prefer a Lib-Lab deal "because of the horrific memories of the Conservatives under Thatcher".

He added that his party believed David Cameron was planning "slash and burn" cuts.

Block grant

Meanwhile, Stormont party leaders have discussed reaching a common position on the NI block grant as their MPs votes could be vital in forming a new government.

A meeting took place on Monday, attended by the Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams, the SDLP leader Margaret Ritchie and David Ford of Alliance.

Both unionist leaders sent their apologies.

It is understood the matter is likely to be discussed at a meeting of the Stormont executive on Thursday.

During First Minister’s Questions in the Assembly on Monday, the new Alliance MP for East Belfast, Naomi Long, again suggested that the 13 MPs intending to take their seats should seek common ground on defending Northern Ireland’s interests.

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Gordon Brown has said he is stepping down as Labour Party leader.

Mr Brown, prime minister since 2007, said he wanted a successor to be in place by the time of the party’s conference in September.

Mr Brown announced his intention to quit in a statement in Downing St in which he also said his party was to start formal talks with the Lib Dems.

The Conservatives won the most seats and most votes in the election and have been in talks with the Lib Dems.

But Mr Brown’s statement will be seen as a move to smooth the way to a deal between Labour and the Liberal Democrats to form a government.

Voters’ judgement

Mr Brown said Britain had a "parliamentary and not presidential system" and said there was a "progressive majority" of voters.

He said if the national interest could be best served by a coalition between the Lib Dems and Labour – he said he would "discharge that duty to form that government".

But he added that no party had won an overall majority in the UK general election and, as Labour leader, he had to accept that as a judgement on him.

"I therefore intend to ask the Labour Party to set in train the processes needed for its own leadership election.

"I would hope that it would be completed in time for the new leader to be in post by the time of the Labour Party conference.

"I will play no part in that contest, I will back no individual candidate."

Formal process

Lib Dem leader Mr Clegg had requested formal negotiations with Labour and it was "sensible and in the national interest" to respond positively to the request, Mr Brown said.

He said the Cabinet would meet soon and a "formal policy negotiation process" would be established.

It emerged earlier that the Lib Dem negotiating team, who have held days of talks with the Conservatives, had also met senior Labour figures in private.

The BBC’s political editor Nick Robinson said one of the stumbling blocks to any Lib Dem-Labour deal had been Mr Brown himself.

John Mann, the first Labour MP to call for him to go after the election result, said Mr Brown had made a "wise and brave" decision.

The Tories secured 306 of the 649 constituencies contested on 6 May. It leaves the party short of the 326 MPs needed for an outright majority, with the Thirsk and Malton seat – where the election was postponed after the death of a candidate – still to vote.

Labour finished with 258 MPs, down 91, the Lib Dems 57, down five, and other parties 28.

If Labour and the Lib Dems joined forces, they would still not have an overall majority.

With the support of the Northern Irish SDLP, one Alliance MP, and nationalists from Scotland and Wales they would reach 328, rising to 338 if the DUP, the independent unionist and the new Green MP joined them.

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Head teachers at hundreds of schools in England are staging a boycott of the national schools tests for 11-year-olds.

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A union has won its High Court bid to halt government cost-cutting measures which threatened to reduce the level of redundancy pay for civil servants.

Lawyers for the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) argued changes made to the Civil Service Compensation Scheme without agreement were unlawful.

Mr Justice Sales ruled the union’s application for judicial review should succeed and the changes be quashed.

It follows a series of strikes across the UK, including one on Budget Day.

Tens of thousands of workers took part in the industrial action, which hit job centres and benefit offices, courts, ports, driving tests and Whitehall departments.

‘Gone too far’

The union claimed the changes – which came into play on 1 April and removed or reduced payments based upon age and length of service – threatened to "rob" existing staff of up to a third of their redundancy entitlements – worth tens of thousands of pounds.

PCS general secretary

After the ruling in London, PCS solicitor Richard Arthur said: "If the government wants to alter rights which have been agreed for civil servants then it has to get the agreement of the unions.

"That is what the law says, and that is what the judge has ruled today."

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said the ruling was a "huge tribute" to union members who had faced some "disgraceful criticism from their employer and ministers" but "refused to sit back and watch their terms and conditions ripped up in front of their eyes".

"We have always accepted that changes are necessary but all we ever asked is that they were fair and protected those who have given loyal service.

"We will now be knocking on the door of the next government to remind ministers they are legally obliged to reach an agreement with us. If they do not meet their obligations, the union will have to consider further industrial and legal action," he said.

‘Legitimate expectation’

At a recent hearing at the High Court, Nigel Giffin QC, appearing for the PCS, said the union’s position was that changes had gone "too far in terms of their impact on existing staff".

Mr Giffin told Mr Justice Sales it was important not to lose sight of the fact the compensation scheme was "a significant part of the overall terms and conditions of employment of a civil servant".

He said the compensation scheme had been introduced by Parliament – under the 1972 Superannuation Act – to give statutory protection to civil servants who had already provided loyal service.

The legislation had given rise to a "legitimate expectation" that relevant terms of the scheme would not be altered without the consent of staff and their trade unions.

The changes introduced in April brought some transitional protection for those in post, but was limited in scope and duration and had not had union consent, he said.

The government had defended the legality of the amendments and pointed out it had reached agreement with other trade unions over the changes.

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A Zimbabwean court has acquitted a leading politician, Roy Bennett, on charges of plotting to overthrow President Robert Mugabe.

Mr Bennett is a senior member of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC party.

The judge ruled that the prosecution failed to prove that its alleged link of Mr Bennett to a convicted arms dealer was genuine.

The case had threatened to split the country’s unity government of long-term rivals Mr Mugabe and Mr Tsvangirai.

Mr Bennett was already free on bail.

‘Good triumphs’

Speaking outside the court in Harare, he told the BBC he was happy to be acquitted and now had the time and strength to move on.

"Good has triumphed over evil," he said.

The white farmer is a leading member of Mr Tsvangirai’s MDC (Movement for Democratic Change).

He was to have taken a position as deputy minister for agriculture in the government when he was arrested in February 2009.

"Having carefully considered the facts, I come to the conclusion that the state has failed to prove a prima facie case," said Judge Chinembiri Bhunu.

"The accused is accordingly found not guilty."

He said that the prosecutors’ key evidence – an alleged confession from arms dealer Peter Hitschmann – was inadmissible.

In earlier testimony to the court, Mr Hitschmann had said evidence he gave allegedly showing links to Mr Bennett had been extracted under torture.

Judge Bhunu also said prosecutors had not proved that e-mails allegedly linking Mr Bennett to Mr Hitschmann were genuine.

Mr Bennett’s supporters, including the prime minister, had said the charges were politically motivated and aimed at undermining the coalition government.

A spokesman for the MDC has said the party will push for Mr Bennett to take up his ministerial position immediately.

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Boss Carlo Ancelotti intends to establish Chelsea as the leading force in English football after winning the Premier League title in his first season at the club.

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Senior Conservatives and Liberal Democrats are due to resume talks on forming a government.

On Sunday negotiating teams spent six hours in "very positive and productive" talks and the party leaders had a 45-minute face-to-face discussion.

The Tories said they and the Lib Dems were "discussing specific proposals" and both sides said economic stability would be key to any agreement.

It emerged Mr Clegg had also met Gordon Brown to discuss a potential deal.

Mr Brown has offered the Lib Dems talks if no agreement is reached with the Conservatives.

The prime minister and Mr Clegg met at the Foreign Office, after Mr Brown arrived back at Downing Street on Sunday afternoon from his home in Scotland.

A Downing Street spokesman told the BBC it had been an "amicable discussion".

Mr Cameron was aware of the meeting.

The Conservative negotiating team consists of Shadow foreign secretary William Hague, shadow chancellor George Osborne, policy chief Oliver Letwin and chief of staff Ed Llewellyn.

Their Lib Dem counterparts are MPs Chris Huhne – Lib Dem home affairs spokesman – Andrew Stunell, David Laws and chief of staff Danny Alexander.

They will resume talks on Monday, and Conservative MPs are due to meet later in the day.

The Tories won the most votes and MPs in Thursday’s election, but are short of a majority and are seeking support from the Lib Dems to form a government.

Gordon Brown remains prime minister, and government business continues, with Chancellor Alistair Darling attending a meeting of finance ministers in Brussels.

BBC political editor Nick Robinson said of the Tory-Lib Dem negotiations: "They are not merely going through the motions. There are real and substantial talks."

He said it was "make your mind up time for Nick Clegg and the Lib Dems", adding that they "have to do it pretty soon".

On Sunday, emerging from the Cabinet Office after a day of talks, Mr Hague said: "The issues that we have covered have included political reform, economic issues and reduction of the deficit, banking reform, civil liberties, environmental issues."

He added that both sides "agreed that a central part of any agreement that we make will be economic stability and the reduction of the budget deficit".

Minutes later, Mr Alexander also made a brief statement, describing the talks as wide-ranging and "good", and also emphasising that deficit reduction was important.

Speaking on Sunday before the talks Nick Clegg said: "I’m very keen the Liberal Democrats should play a constructive role at a time of great economic uncertainty to provide a good government that this country deserves.

"Throughout that we will continue to be guided by the big changes we want."

The Lib Dem leader has said the Conservatives, as the biggest party, have the right to seek to form a government first.

They have met the Tory team three times, assisted by civil servants as agreed in the arrangements for a hung parliament.

Mr Cameron and Mr Clegg first met for face-to-face talks over a possible coalition on Saturday and discussed it again by phone a day later.

Former Lib Dem leader Lord Ashdown said it was important that the party talked to the Conservatives at the same time as "listening to Labour".

"The central proposition is: what combination serves the nation’s interests in providing stable, long-term stability in order to tackle the crisis?" he said.

Also on Sunday Mr Brown met Business Secretary Peter Mandelson, advisor Alastair Campbell, energy secretary Ed Miliband and deputy leader Harriet Harman in Downing Street.

And in an e-mail to Labour activists the prime minister thanked them for their work throughout the election."The past few days have seen us enter a political landscape not considered possible a few short weeks ago – with the outcome of the election leading to no single party able to form a majority government," he wrote.

"My duty as prime minister has been to seek to resolve this situation."

Several Labour backbenchers have called for Mr Brown to step down.

BBC political correspondent Iain Watson said: "Privately the assessment of senior labour sources is that the Liberal Democrats are most likely to reach a deal with the Conservatives which falls short of a formal coalition and which would allow David Cameron to govern without a majority.

"However they are encouraged that some very senior Liberal Democrats are highly sceptical about reaching any accommodation with the Conservatives and feel the space has opened up for the possibility of an alternative deal with Labour."

Scotland’s First Minister, SNP leader Alex Salmond, has called on the Lib Dems to join a "progressive alliance" involving Labour, the SNP and Plaid Cymru.

The Tories secured 306 of the 649 constituencies contested on 6 May. It leaves the party short of the 326 MPs needed for an outright majority.

The Thirsk and Malton seat – where the election was postponed after the death of a candidate – is still to vote.

Labour finished with 258 MPs, down 91, the Lib Dems 57, down five, and other parties 28.

If Labour and the Lib Dems joined forces, they would still not be the largest grouping. With the support of the Northern Irish SDLP, one Alliance MP, and nationalists from Scotland and Wales they would reach 330, rising to 338 if the DUP, the independent unionist and the new Green MP joined them.

What’s your reaction to a possible coalition? Send us your comments.

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