Category: news

One of Australia’s favourite actors, Bill Hunter, has died of cancer, aged 71, in Melbourne.

He was known for his roles in classic Australian films like Muriel’s Wedding, The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert and Strictly Ballroom.

He played an Australian officer in the World War I film Gallipoli.

His career spanned more than 50 years, and he has been called Australia’s favourite “ocker”, because he often played an archetypal Australian bloke.

International audiences might not necessarily know the name, but many would instantly recognise the gnarled face of Bill Hunter, one of Australia’s most loved character actors.

He seemed to have a part in virtually every major Australian movie of the past 40 years – and was such a familiar presence that films without him seemed somehow incomplete.

He played the father of the bride in Muriel’s Wedding, an Outback mechanic in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, the dancing judge in Strictly Ballroom and even the voice of the dentist in the animated film, Finding Nemo.

Perhaps his most memorable role was as an Australian commanding officer in the World War I movie, Gallipoli, when he agonised over the decision to order young Australian soldiers out of their trenches and to their near-certain death.

Often he played gruff, down-to-earth Aussie blokes – towards the end of his career, he became almost typecast in that kind of role.

But it won him the love and affection of audiences here, and he’s been called Australia’s favourite ocker.

He appeared in more than 60 films in a career that spanned 50 years, and he first took up acting when illness forced him out of Australia’s Olympic swimming team.

For some, it’s hard to imagine the Australian film industry without him.

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

Repairs to potholes on England’s roads could cost up to £13bn, the Labour Party claims.

Two harsh winters have caused potholes to increase, and most councils replying to a survey by the party said they had a repair backlog which they could not afford to clear.

Labour said most were reducing maintenance because of spending cuts.

Ministers dispute the findings and blame Labour for the repair backlog.

Of the 152 local authorities with highway maintenance responsibilities in England, 111 responded to the survey between March and May 2011.

Ninety-two percent of those which replied (102 authorities) reported having a backlog of road repairs which they did not currently have the budget to carry out.

Sixty-three authorities with a backlog were able to give an estimate of the repair bill, saying it came to £5.36bn.

“That would translate into £13.4bn across the country if roads in other areas were in a similar state of disrepair,” shadow roads minister John Woodcock claimed.

Seventeen local authorities reported individual backlogs of £100m or more, with three county councils having backlogs in excess of £400m – North Yorkshire, Kent and Devon.

Eighty councils who responded said they were cutting road maintenance budgets in real terms, with some reducing inspections or only filling holes of more than a certain depth.

Mr Woodcock said: “Potholes frustrate road users more than anything and it’s clear that the Tory-led government has no serious long-term plan to get our roads back into shape.”

He added: “Instead of continually patching up knackered road surfaces with a bucket of tar we need a proper strategic plan for local roads which could save taxpayers’ money a fortune in the long term.”

In response, Transport Secretary Philip Hammond said that over the next four years the government will be providing more cash for road maintenance than Labour did in the previous four years.

His department said 90% of the backlog had been built up by Labour and disputed the £13bn price tag as being based on too small a sample to be reliable.

The government announced in the Budget in March that English councils will receive “exceptional payments” totalling £200m to deal with pothole repairs following the harsh winters.

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

Police in Mexico say they have seized a “narco-tank”, a pickup truck fitted with steel armour that is thought to have been used by a drugs gang.

The home-made armoured vehicle was found in the western state of Jalisco.

It had metal reinforcements fitted to its front, and a metal cabin covering the rear platform, presumably to protect passengers from gunfire.

The security forces often complain that the drug gangs they battle are better armed and equipped than they are.

The vehicle was found abandoned in a rural area of Jalisco, where criminal gangs have been fighting with the security forces and each other.

Jalisco was the stronghold of the late drug baron Ignacio “Nacho” Coronel, a top member of the Sinaloa cartel.

Since he was killed by the security forces in July 2011, Jalisco has seen a violent battle for control of the area between members of the Sinaloa cartel and their rivals from the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion.

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

Spain is poised to begin voting in regional elections as thousands of young protesters remain camped out in squares across the country.

Demonstrators are angry at the government’s economic policies and Spain’s high youth unemployment rate.

Their numbers have swelled despite a ban on political protests ahead of elections.

The governing Socialists are expected to suffer major losses in voting for city councils and regional governments.

Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero’s government is struggling to overcome recession and create jobs.

In the capital Madrid, about 30,000 people have occupied the central Puerta del Sol square.

Similar protests, popularly known as M-15, have sprung up in many other cities including Barcelona, Valencia, Seville and Bilbao.

“I’m happy that they’re finally protesting. It was about time,” said Maria, an elderly woman visiting her grandson in the Puerta del Sol.

Protest organisers have urged those taking part not to confront the police, and have tried to discourage the distribution of alcohol.

“It’s a revolution, not a drinking party,” read one sign.

Brooms donated by supporters are being used to keep the square clean, witnesses say.

The BBC’s Sarah Rainsford in Madrid says there is also a creche, a kitchen area and even a vegetable patch.

One protester, Alejandro, said: “I hope this changes our situation. We have a right to regular jobs, a future and a decent salary, to more opportunities in life, the chance to get a house, to pay for that house without being enslaved, but especially a better quality of life.”

The protesters are urging people not to vote for either of Spain’s two main parties – the governing Socialists or the centre-right opposition.

Analysts say that despite the strength of the protests, they are unlikely to affect the outcome of Sunday’s elections, other than to worsen the Socialists’ defeat.

The Socialists are predicted to lose control of strongholds such as Barcelona, Seville and the Castilla-La Mancha region.

Spanish law forbids political rallies on the day before elections to allow for a “day of reflection”.

But as the ban came into effect, the crowds stayed put and police did not try to disperse them.

Organisers say the protests may continue after the elections.

The demonstrations began six days ago in Madrid as a spontaneous sit-in by young people frustrated at 45% youth unemployment.

Spain’s overall jobless rate soared to 21% in the first quarter of this year, the highest in the industrialised world.

Dubbed “los indignados” [the indignant], the protesters are demanding jobs, better living standards, a fairer system of democracy and changes to the government’s austerity plans.

Prime Minister Zapatero had urged protesters to respect the day of reflection but also said he was sensitive to their concerns and praised their “peaceful manner”.

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

A 39-year-old man has died following a fire in East Lothian.

The emergency services were called to the blaze in Longstone Avenue, East Linton, at about 0700 BST. The man died at the scene.

It took crews from Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service almost three hours to extinguish the fire.

A spokesman for Lothian and Borders Police said an investigation was under way to establish the cause of the blaze.

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

Iceland’s most active volcano, Grimsvotn, has started erupting, scientists say.

The volcano, which lies under the Vatnajokull glacier in south-east Iceland, last erupted in 2004.

In 2010, plumes of ash from Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano caused weeks of air travel chaos across Europe.

Officials say the latest eruption is unlikely to cause similar problems, although a flight ban has been imposed around the area.

Volcanic eruptions are common in Iceland, which lies along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge that divides the Eurasian and North American continental plates.

Icelandic Meteorological Office geologist Hjorleifur Sveinbjornsson told Reuters that Grimsvotn had thrown a plume of white smoke about 15km (nine miles) into the air.

“It can be a big eruption, but it is unlikely to be like last year,” he added.

Iceland’s Isavia airport authority said a flight ban of 120 nautical miles had been imposed around the area.

“We close the area until we know better how the ash is going to work,” she spokeswoman Hjordis Gudmundsdottir.

Domestic airline Icelandair said no traffic had been affected.

“We do not expect the Grimsvotn eruption to affect air traffic to and from the country in any way,” said communications director Gudjon Arngrimsson.

Last year’s outpouring of ash from Eyjafjallajokull led to the largest closure of European airspace since World War II.

About 10 million travellers were affected and some questioned whether the shutdown was an over-reaction.

However, a scientific study published last month said the safety concerns had been well founded.

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen and the University of Iceland said ash particles from the early part of the Eyjafjallajokull eruption were especially abrasive, posing a possible threat to aircraft.

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

It is exactly 30 years since Peter Sutcliffe was jailed for murdering 13 women and attempting to murder seven others, ending a five-year reign of terror in northern England. What was it like to cover one of the most famous trials of the 20th century?

Freelance reporter David St George, 70, has been working out of the press rooms at the famous Old Bailey since 1969, covering countless cases from the mundane to the truly shocking.

By the time Sutcliffe, a softly-spoken HGV driver, stepped into Court One for the start of his two-week trial in May 1981, his notoriety was already secured.

He had spread fear among women in Leeds, Bradford and Manchester throughout the late 1970s and early 80s, when he was known as both the Yorkshire Ripper and Wearside Jack.

The former grave digger typically hit his victims over the head with a hammer, then stabbed or slashed them with a knife or sharpened screwdriver.

For Mr St George, who was covering the trial for the Daily Telegraph and Daily Mirror when their own reporters were not in court, it was unforgettable.

“Obviously it attracted vast, vast crowds, the gallery was packed, the seats in court were packed, and the press benches were packed,” he said.

“Seats that were normally allocated to relatives of victims went to reporters.”

He said a good number of people who packed the public gallery had camped overnight to guarantee they could watch the spectacle.

Most national newspapers had sent two or three staff each, and including international reporters there were about 30 or 40 journalists in court at any one time, he added.

“It was very moving because of the number of bodies involved,” he said.

“Sutcliffe himself was a sorrowful figure in many ways, not very well built and towered over by four prison guards.

“His wife turned up quite a lot of times to lend what support she could, but it all stemmed on the medical and mental problems he may or may not have had.

“He really showed no emotion, no smiling, no laughing… and he had this funny softly-spoken voice.

“He was the most unlikely killer you’ve ever seen, he didn’t fit the bill, but you never can tell.”

Sutcliffe pleaded not guilty to 13 counts of murder, but guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

The basis of this defence was that he had heard “voices from God” telling him to go on a mission to rid the streets of prostitutes.

Mr St George said there was a “certain inevitability” about the verdict because of the number of victims involved.

Much of the evidence went uncontested, he said, which meant there were relatively few witnesses heard.

“It was over pretty quickly for a trial of that magnitude. They had to agree 13 victims had been murdered by someone; he was the only candidate,” he said.

Sutcliffe was found guilty of murder on all counts and sentenced to 20 life sentences with a recommendation he serve a minimum of 30 years before he be considered for parole.

The judge said he was beyond redemption and hoped he would never leave prison.

With 30 years now served, the 65-year-old killer would have been eligible to apply for parole had the terms of his sentence not been changed last year.

The High Court ruled he must serve a “whole life” tariff which means he will die in jail, along with a small but exclusive club of three dozen or so inmates.

Mr St George, who has an office underneath the Old Bailey, has long and vivid memories of the famous oak-panelled court where he came face to face with the Ripper.

He has seen some of the most notorious figures in British criminal history pass through its doors, including the Krays and Dennis Nilsen, who killed at least 15 men and boys.

“Famous bums have sat on those hard wooden seats,” he said.

“Nobody gets over excited or overwhelmed in Court Number One; it’s staid and sensible. It’s high drama without the shouting and swearing.”

Describing the Sutcliffe case as “premier league”, he said: “You got a sense at the time that this was something historic.

“Thirteen ladies is a lot of ladies. There’s not been a case like it before or since.”

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

Two from five teams are facing relegation from the Premier League as the season reaches its climax on Sunday.

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Britain has said it is formally backing Christine Lagarde for the job of new head of the International Monetary Fund.

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

George Groves inflicts the first defeat of James DeGale’s career to win the British super-middleweight title on points after a sensational fight in London.

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