Category: news

A Royal Marine has been killed in an explosion in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence says.

The member of 40 Commando Royal Marines was killed while on a foot patrol in Sangin, Helmand Province, this morning.

The death take the total number of British service personnel killed in Afghanistan to 285.

Next of kin have been informed and asked for a period of grace before further details were released, an MoD spokesperson said.

Spokesman for Task Force Helmand, Lieutenant Colonel James Carr-Smith, said: "He was part of a foot patrol in an operation which was being conducted in support of the Afghan National Army when he was struck by an explosion.

"He died in the course of his duty, seeking to provide reassurance and security to the local nationals in Sangin. He will be sorely missed and his sacrifice will not be forgotten."

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A teenager has been arrested in connection with the death of a schoolboy in East Kilbride.

The body of 16-year-old Jack Frew was discovered in woodland in the Mossneuk area of the town on Thursday.

Strathclyde Police said a 17-year-old male was in police custody in connection with the case.

A report is being sent to the procurator fiscal and the teenager is expected to appear at Hamilton Sheriff Court on Monday.

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

Indirect peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians have begun, the Palestinian chief negotiator has said.

Saeb Erekat spoke after a meeting between US Middle East envoy George Mitchell and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Mr Mitchell will now shuttle between the two sides, with hopes that direct talks can start within four months.

The start of talks in March was halted after a row over the building of new Israeli homes in East Jerusalem.

Palestinians broke off direct peace talks after Israel launched a military offensive on Gaza in late 2008.

"The proximity talks have started," Mr Erekat said in the West Bank city of Ramallah, with Mr Mitchell standing beside him.

Mr Mitchell will shuttle between the Israeli and Palestinian leaders to try to narrow their differences.

He has already held several meetings with Mr Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the past week.

Mr Netanyahu said on Sunday that he hoped the indirect talks would quickly move to direct negotiations.

"Peace cannot be brought about from a distance, or with a remote control," he said.

The talks went ahead a day after receiving the backing of leaders of the Palestine Liberation Organisation.

The PLO’s Executive Committee decided to back the talks after a three-hour meeting in the West Bank.

Palestinians pulled out of talks in March after Israeli municipal authorities approved plans for new homes in the East Jerusalem settlement of Ramat Shlomo.

The announcement was made during a visit to Israel by US Vice-President Joe Biden and caused great strain in Israeli-US relations.

The Palestinian Authority’s formal position is that it will not enter direct talks unless Israel completely halts building in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

In November, Israel announced a 10-month suspension of new building in the West Bank, under intense US pressure.

But it considers areas within the Jerusalem municipality as its territory and thus not subject to the restrictions.

Israel has occupied the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since 1967. It insists Jerusalem will remain its undivided capital, although Palestinians want to establish their capital in the east of the city.

Nearly half a million Jews live in more than 100 settlements in the West Bank, among a Palestinian population of about 2.5 million.

The settlements are illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this.

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

Five genetic clues to why some women have a family history of breast cancer have been identified by UK researchers.

It brings to 18 the number of common genetic variations linked to a small increased risk of breast cancer.

The Cambridge University-led research, published in Nature Genetics, could see targeted screening and treatment of women more likely to get breast cancer.

It is thought about one in 20 of all breast cancers are down to inherited faults in known genes.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK with more than 45,500 new cases diagnosed each year.

The precise reasons why a woman develops the disease are still unknown.

However, inherited, environmental and lifestyle factors are all thought to play a role.

In the largest project of its kind, the researchers scanned the entire genetic code of around 4,000 British patients with a family history of breast cancer.

They then studied the DNA of another 24,000 women, with and without breast cancer.

The researchers found five "spots" on the human genome linked to a family history of breast cancer. Another 13 have already been located.

Scientists also know about two high risk genes which are more likely to be defective in someone with breast cancer, known as BRCA1 and BRCA2.

Genetic profiling

Dr Douglas Easton of the University of Cambridge, is lead author of the study.

He told the BBC: "We know for sure that these gene variations are associated with risk.

"It is not the whole picture but it will contribute ultimately to genetic profiling of risk.

"It also contributes to our understanding of why the disease develops and will lead to a better understanding of the biology of the disease."

Women with a strong family history of breast cancer are already given early screening for signs of tumours.

They are also entitled to genetic tests if they have a close relative with breast cancer.

The 18 genetic changes linked to breast cancer are not currently tested for. They are thought to account for around 8% of inherited cases of breast cancer.

Dr Caroline Hacker, policy manager at Breakthrough Breast Cancer, said: "This could lead to new genetic tests which may help identify women who have an increased risk of breast cancer due to inherited faults in genes.

"Hereditary breast cancer is rare and only around one in 20 of all breast cancers are due to inherited faults in breast cancer genes.

"Although there isn’t anything we can do about the genes we inherit, we do know that you can reduce your risk of breast cancer by maintaining a healthy weight, limiting alcohol consumption and exercising regularly."

Dr Helen George, head of science information at Cancer Research UK, said: "This research takes us a step closer to developing a powerful genetic test for the disease.

"Such a test could help doctors identify women who have an increased breast cancer risk so that they can make informed decisions about how to take steps to reduce their chance of developing the disease."

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Voters in Germany’s most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), are voting in a regional election that could change national politics.

A defeat for Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives and their liberal allies would end the coalition’s majority in the upper house of parliament.

The campaign has been overshadowed by the government’s decision to contribute to a huge rescue package for Greece.

Meanwhile many cities in NRW are on the brink of bankruptcy.

Angela Merkel is not standing in this regional election, but she has campaigned here until the last minute.

It is the first political test for her centre-right coalition since it came to power six months ago.

North Rhine-Westphalia matters: home to 18 million people, it is Germany’s industrial heartland and a weathervane for national politics.

The regional coalition between Chancellor Merkel’s conservatives and the pro-business Liberal-Democrats, which mirrors the one at the federal level, is struggling.

With the economic crisis dominating the campaign, Mrs Merkel tried to delay a decision on the hugely unpopular rescue package for Greece until after the poll, but failed.

Meanwhile, local councils are sinking into debt. Kindergarten fees have gone up, libraries and swimming-pools are closing. In Wuppertal, even the theatre is under threat.

Scandals about party financing may also prompt voters to punish the centre-right in NRW and revive the fortunes of the Social-Democrats, the Greens and the former communist Left Party.

A new coalition here would also spell the end for Chancellor Merkel’s majority in the upper house of parliament, the Bundesrat, jeopardising long-promised tax cuts and health system reforms.

Europe’s biggest economy could enter a phase of political uncertainty it can ill afford.

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

EU finance ministers are set to meet in Brussels to discuss establishing a new "stabilisation mechanism" to prevent the Greek debt crisis from spreading.

The mechanism, which is being compared to a European-style IMF, would be available to the 16 member states in the eurozone.

Some leaders want details agreed before markets open on Monday, to prevent investor fears over the euro spreading.

But other countries, including the UK, oppose such large-scale support.

On Friday, the leaders of the 16 countries that use the single currency approved an 110bn euro ($145bn; £95bn) loan package to Greece, which is backed by the EU and IMF.

They also agreed to take whatever steps were needed to protect the euro, and to accelerate budget cuts and ensure deficits were addressed.

Correspondents say they are looking to agree on funding of about 70bn euros that could be made available immediately to countries in trouble.

While bail-outs are banned under EU rules, the commission reportedly plans to extend an existing clause in the Lisbon Treaty originally designed to allow it to provide aid to member states experiencing serious difficulties that was used to help Hungary and Latvia.

‘Watertight defence’

But the Commission is also seeking approval for a much more ambitious mechanism that could be used to fund hundreds of billions of dollars of loans.

The BBC’s Jonny Dymond in Brussels says officials at the European Commission have laboured throughout the weekend to rush through these plans.

Under the proposals, the Commission would borrow money for the stabilisation mechanism directly on the markets to gurantee troubled country’s debts.

Officials hope the loan guarantees would prevent the crisis in Greece spreading to other eurozone countries with high deficits or debts as well as low economic growth, most notably Portugal, Spain and Ireland.

"Between now and Sunday night we will have a watertight line of defence," Eurogroup Chairman Jean-Claude Juncker said on Saturday.

"We have to make it clear that all eurozone countries are ready to defend each and every eurozone country, because they want to defend the eurozone as a whole," he added.

Our correspondent says political acceptance from EU nations is critical.

The UK may be happy with the 70bn euro emergency package, it is not prepared to be part of any EU-style IMF guaranteeing loans.

What went wrong in Greece?

Greece’s economic reforms that led to it abandoning the drachma as its currency in favour of the euro in 2002 made it easier for the country to borrow money.

Greece went on a debt-funded spending spree, including high-profile projects such as the 2004 Athens Olympics, which went well over budget.

It was hit by the downturn, which meant it had to spend more on benefits and received less in taxes. There were also doubts about the accuracy of its economic statistics.

Greece’s economic problems meant lenders started charging higher interest rates to lend it money and widespread tax evasion also hit the government’s coffers.

There have been demonstrations against the government’s austerity measures to deal with its 300bn euro (£267bn) debt, such as cuts to public sector pay.

Now the government is having to access a 110bn euro (£95bn; $146.2bn) bail-out package from the European Union and International Monetary Fund.

Greece’s problems have made investors nervous, which has made it more expensive for other European countries such as Portugal to borrow money.

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Deciding the contribution of each country to the stabilisation mechanism could also be a stumbling block.

Fears that a debt default by Greece could paralyse the world’s financial system – just as the collapse of Lehman Brothers did two years ago – caused European, US and Asian stock markets to plunge in the past week.

On Friday, bankers urged the European Central Bank to become the "buyer of last resort" of eurozone government bonds to steady markets.

The president of the European Central Bank, Jean-Claude Trichet, said it had not yet discussed the move but was willing to respond to unfolding events.

The Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy have cancelled foreign trips because of the severity of the crisis.

In an interview with Russian media on Saturday, US President Barack Obama said: "I am very concerned about what’s happening in Europe. But I think it is an issue that the Europeans recognise is very serious."

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

Brown rats are among the most invasive mammals in Europe, according to a wide-ranging assessment.

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

Polls are due to open in the Philippines after three months of intense campaigning.

Voters will elect a new president as well as more than 17,000 other national and local positions.

Benigno Aquino, the son of the popular former President Cory Aquino, has been leading the polls but former president Joseph Estrada is also in the running.

One of the main concerns is whether the country’s new automated voting machines will be up to such a complex task.

The third presidential candidate considered to have a serious chance is Manny Villar, one of the richest men in the Philippines.

Senators, lawmakers and local officials are being elected at the same time as the president.

All of them have been campaigning hard in recent weeks, but the issue that has also been dominating the headlines is the automated voting machines that will be used for the first time in this election.

Several glitches have already been found and critics are concerned that the results might not be accurate.

Philippine elections are often plagued by violence, and dozens of people have been killed in recent months in the run-up to the polls.

The security forces are out on the streets in large numbers to try to prevent more bloodshed, but there are fears of what might happen if something goes wrong with the machines.

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Senior Conservatives and Liberal Democrats are to hold more talks about the possibility of their parties forming a new government.

Conservative and Lib Dem negotiators will meet at 1100 BST – after leaders David Cameron and Nick Clegg met on Saturday for private 70-minute talks.

There will also be a meeting of Conservative MPs at 1800 BST on Monday, the BBC understands.

The Tories won the most election votes and MPs but are short of a majority.

Gordon Brown remains prime minister and has offered the Lib Dems talks if no deal is reached with the Conservatives.

A Lib Dem spokesman said Mr Clegg and Mr Brown spoke by telephone on Saturday night at the prime minister’s request, describing the conversation as "amicable".

Meanwhile, David Cameron has told Tory supporters that the negotiations will "inevitably involve compromise".

In an e-mail message to supporters, the Conservative leader said he would not be "rushed into any agreement" but may be able to give "ground" in some areas.

The Tory leader said he would stand firm on his pledges not "to give more powers to Brussels, be weak on immigration or put the country’s defences at risk".

But he added that, in the "national interest", the Conservative Party may be able to give ground in areas such as the Lib Dem manifesto plan to reduce taxes on the lowest paid and hoped for a "similarly constructive approach from the Liberal Democrats".

There was no direct reference to the Lib Dem desire for a referendum on voting reform, although on Friday Mr Cameron offered an "all party committee of inquiry on political and electoral reform".

The talks between Mr Cameron and Mr Clegg at Admiralty House in Westminster, on Saturday night, were described by both sides as "constructive and amicable" and followed an earlier brief conversation at the VE day commemoration event in London.

BBC political editor Nick Robinson said: "They will have been working out whether there is any room there on which they can meet which would allow them to both satisfy their supporters and have some sort of stable coalition or arrangement."

Voting referendum offer

Our correspondent added that some "very senior Liberal Democrats" were urging their party leader to "talk to Gordon Brown".

Earlier, Mr Clegg discussed the Tory power-sharing offer with his party, the leadership of which has "endorsed in full" his decision to talk to the Tories first.

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

Meanwhile, Labour frontbencher Peter Hain said it was "clear" that the Lib Dem leader and Mr Brown had "a lot in common" on the need for electoral reform – Labour has offered a referendum on changing the voting system.

But Labour backbencher John Mann called for Mr Brown to step down as Labour leader before the party conference in September – arguing his position "rules out the credibility of a Lib/Lab pact".

Similarly, Labour MP and former sports minister Kate Hoey told BBC Radio 5 live she could not see how Mr Brown could "continue as prime minister in any kind of coalition" because "he wasn’t elected originally" and had now "lost over 100 MPs".

Scotland’s First Minister, SNP leader Alex Salmond, 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 just 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. The Conservatives got 36.1% of votes (up 3.8%), Labour 29.1% (down 6.2%) and the Lib Dems 23% (up 1%).

Meanwhile, a YouGov poll for the Sunday Times suggests more than two-thirds of people want Mr Brown to leave Downing Street immediately.

The poll of more than 1,400 voters found people think he should have admitted defeat on Friday, rather than hanging on in case the Conservatives cannot come to a deal with the Liberal Democrats.

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A Chinese man has been arrested after allegedly stabbing to death eight people, including three family members, China’s official news agency said.

Police said that Zhou Yezhong killed his mother, wife, daughter, four neighbours and a migrant worker in eastern China’s Jiangxi province.

He was arrested on Saturday evening, less than two hours after the attacks took place, Xinhua news agency said.

China has been on alert after a number of recent knife attacks on children.

Correspondents say the attacks are unsettling in a country where such violent incidents are rare.

Some analysts have suggested that an increase in psychiatric illnesses brought about by rapid social change is behind the attacks.

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

Indirect peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians have begun, the Palestinian chief negotiator has said.

Saeb Erekat spoke after a meeting between US Middle East envoy George Mitchell and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Mr Mitchell will now shuttle between the two sides, with hopes that direct talks can start within four months.

The start of talks in March was halted after a row over the building of new Israeli homes in East Jerusalem.

Palestinians broke off direct peace talks after Israel launched a military offensive on Gaza in late 2008.

"The proximity talks have started," Mr Erekat said in the West Bank city of Ramallah, with Mr Mitchell standing beside him.

Mr Mitchell will shuttle between the Israeli and Palestinian leaders to try to narrow their differences.

He has already held several meetings with Mr Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the past week.

Mr Netanyahu said on Sunday that he hoped the indirect talks would quickly move to direct negotiations.

"Peace cannot be brought about from a distance, or with a remote control," he said.

The talks went ahead a day after receiving the backing of leaders of the Palestine Liberation Organisation.

The PLO’s Executive Committee decided to back the talks after a three-hour meeting in the West Bank.

Palestinians pulled out of talks in March after Israeli municipal authorities approved plans for new homes in the East Jerusalem settlement of Ramat Shlomo.

The announcement was made during a visit to Israel by US Vice-President Joe Biden and caused great strain in Israeli-US relations.

The Palestinian Authority’s formal position is that it will not enter direct talks unless Israel completely halts building in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

In November, Israel announced a 10-month suspension of new building in the West Bank, under intense US pressure.

But it considers areas within the Jerusalem municipality as its territory and thus not subject to the restrictions.

Israel has occupied the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since 1967. It insists Jerusalem will remain its undivided capital, although Palestinians want to establish their capital in the east of the city.

Nearly half a million Jews live in more than 100 settlements in the West Bank, among a Palestinian population of about 2.5 million.

The settlements are illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this.

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

Troops from four Nato countries have marched for the first time in Russia’s annual parade to mark victory in WWII.

Soldiers from Britain, France, Poland and the US marched alongside Russian troops through Moscow’s Red Square.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel was among some two dozen world leaders attending the 65th anniversary.

Along with 10,000 Russian troops, the parade also included tanks, ballistic missiles and a fly-past of 127 aircraft.

It was the largest display of Russia’s military hardware since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the BBC’s Richard Galpin in Moscow reports.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said in a speech that the lessons of World War II "urge us to show solidarity".

"Peace is still fragile and it is our duty to remember that wars do not start in an instant… it is only together that we shall be able to counter modern threats."

Cancelled visits

The presence of foreign troops in Red Square – once the heart of the Soviet Union – was a highly symbolic gesture, our correspondent says, demonstrating how far the rivalry of the Cold War has been pushed aside.

France was represented at the parade by the Normandie-Niemen squadron; the US by a detachment from the 2nd Battalion, 18th Regiment; and Poland by 75 service personnel representing the Polish army, air force and navy, the AFP reports.

Britain was represented by 76 soldiers from the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, wearing bright red tunics and tall bearskin caps.

One member told the BBC they were excited to be taking part as it was important that former allied forces that defeated the Nazis during WWII should be together on the 65th anniversary of the ending of the war.

However, there was no senior British figure among the world leaders that gathered to watch the parade.

A reliable source confirmed to the BBC that the Russian government rejected an offer for Prince Charles to attend, although it is not clear why, our correspondent reports.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Italian President Silvio Berlusconi cancelled their visits in order to attend to the crisis surrounding the euro currency.

Western allies mark Victory in Europe Day every year on 8 May, but Russia celebrates the event a day later as it was 9 May in Moscow when the Nazi surrender came into force.

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British air passengers could be facing further disruption from a volcanic ash cloud that has continued to affect European flight schedules.

Many flights to Spain, France and Portugal were grounded on Saturday, and some Scottish island flights were hit.

The Met Office said weather patterns were expected to change, possibly bringing the ash cloud back into parts of UK airspace on Sunday and next week.

The ash closed 16 Spanish airports on Saturday, including hub Barcelona.

A no-fly zone also affected Stornoway on Lewis and Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides, as well as some Loganair services to Orkney and Shetland.

The disruption could continue into next week if northerly winds bring ash over western Scotland and Ireland.

Disruption warnings

On Saturday evening Ryanair said it expected airspace over Italy’s Milan Bergamo airport and Porto, in Portugal, to be closed or restricted on Sunday morning, and listed a number of flights it may cancel.

Earlier Ryanair had cancelled Saturday’s flights to and from destinations including Spain, Portugal and France.

At London Stansted Airport, 22 Ryanair flights to the Canary Islands, mainland Spain and Portugal were cancelled, along with three EasyJet flights.

Flights from Gatwick to Portugal, Alicante and Madrid were cancelled and at Heathrow some flights to La Coruna in northern Spain were also grounded.

Ryanair also cancelled some services from East Midlands, Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds and Liverpool airports and warned airspace over southern France could also be restricted.

It urged passengers to check details of their flights before travelling to the airport.

Most flights between Europe and North America are being diverted because of the ash cloud’s location, officials at European air traffic agency Eurocontrol said.

Volcanic activity

On Saturday the Met Office said the ash was still to the west of the UK.

"As a result Nats (National Air Traffic Service) continues to advise aircraft about airspace restrictions affecting transatlantic flights, allowing them to cross the Atlantic safely.

"The ash cloud has drifted across parts of southwest Europe, leading to disruption.

"Later in the weekend weather patterns are set to change and may bring the ash cloud back into parts of UK airspace toward the end of the weekend and into next week."

The volcano has become more active in recent days and flights are being re-routed north and south of the 1,200 mile (2,000km) long cloud.

On Saturday passengers at Heathrow Airport were told to expect delays of between 10 to 15 minutes to allow time to fly around the ash cloud.

But a spokesman for the airport said that disruption to European services was minimal, with only a small number of flights going to La Coruna affected.

Recent images have shown activity in the Eyjafjallajokull volcano intensifying.

Experts at the Met Office said it was sending ash up to heights of 30,000 ft (9,100m).

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The new House of Commons will signal a "clean break" with the old system of MPs’ expenses, the head of a parliamentary watchdog has promised.

Sir Ian Kennedy, chairman of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA), said there would be "fundamental change".

He told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show the newly-created body would "come down like a ton of bricks" on any abuses.

The Commons will see an influx of new MPs after a record 149 stood down.

Members will be bound by a new system of claiming expenses overseen by the IPSA.

‘Clear set of rules’

Under the new system, MPs will not be allowed to buy taxpayer-funded second homes or claim for gardening and cleaning.

Maximum annual accommodation and office claims will be reduced, as will travel allowances.

Sir Ian said MPs’ allowances would be overseen very differently and he hoped the reforms would "begin to restore some confidence in democratic institutions".

He added: "We’ve got a clear set of rules, we’ve got very detailed guidance, all transparent – you, the electorate, everybody else will know what’s going on, it’ll be online."

Sir Ian added that there would be "significant safeguards" with regards to MPs employing their partners as parliamentary staff.

MPs will be able to employ one relative under the new system.

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A search is being carried out for a man missing after a boat capsized in the sea near Larne.

Shortly before 1600 BST on Saturday a man aged in his 30s swam ashore after a boat capsized.

It is believed a second man on board the boat has not yet been accounted for. The first man has been taken to hospital suffering from hypothermia.

Police, the Coastguard and RNLI are searching the sea and shoreline for the man.

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