Milly Dowler disappeared as she walked home from a railway station after school in March 2002
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A man accused of murdering Surrey schoolgirl Milly Dowler is due to go on trial at the Old Bailey.
Levi Bellfield, 42, formerly of West Drayton, west London, denies murder and also kidnapping the 13-year-old in Walton-on-Thames on 21 March 2002.
Her remains were found six months later in woods in Yateley Heath, Hampshire.
Ex-nightclub doorman Mr Bellfield has also denied attempting to kidnap schoolgirl Rachel Cowles the day before Milly went missing.
The 11-year-old was approached by a man in a red car in Shepperton, Surrey, on 20 March that year.
Amanda Dowler, who was known as Milly, disappeared as she walked home from a railway station after school.
She had just called her father to say she was on her way home.
Her remains were eventually found about 25 miles (40km) from where she was last seen.
The teenager was identified by dental records.
The trial is expected to last two months.
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The Rugby Football Union’s prospective new elite performance director will not oversee England coach Martin Johnson after the job description was changed.
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A survey suggests half of England’s schools face budget cuts and many are planning to cut posts.
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Officials in Manitoba declare an emergency as flooding threatens the Canadian province’s second largest city of Brandon.
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Mr Laws helped negotiate the Tory-Lib Dem coalition government deal
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Lib Dem MP David Laws has been found guilty of breaching parliamentary rules over more than just his claims for rent, the BBC has been told.
The standards and privileges committee – due to report on Thursday – will say Mr Laws broke “around six” rules.
But it will stress he did not intend to benefit himself or his partner.
He quit as Chief Secretary to the Treasury last year when it emerged he had claimed about £40,000 to pay rent to his partner – which is banned.
The committee has been considering the findings of a long investigation.
Mr Laws has previously indicated he would be keen on a return to government.
Prime Minister David Cameron has also signalled he would like to see him back quickly.
The language used by the committee in reprimanding Mr Laws, when it publishes its report, and the level of sanction imposed could decide whether Mr Laws can return to the government in future.
“Mr Laws has always maintained that his decisions were driven by his desire for privacy, rather than to benefit in any way from the expenses system”
Liberal Democrat statement
Mr Laws resigned after just 17 days as a cabinet minister, following reports he had claimed about £40,000 to pay rent to his partner, the lobbyist James Lundie. Such payments have been against parliamentary rules since 2006.
Mr Laws apologised, saying the claims had been part of an effort to conceal his homosexuality rather than make financial gain, and promised to pay back the money.
The BBC’s deputy political editor James Landale said he understood a long investigation by the parliamentary standards commissioner had discovered other breaches relating to phone bills and building work.
But the Parliamentary commissioner for standards has made clear in his report that there is no evidence the MP made his expenses claims with the intention of benefiting himself or his partner, the BBC understands.
The commissioner will conclude Mr Laws acted to protect his privacy, it is further understood.
The Liberal Democrats are refusing to comment until the report is officially published.
In a statement the party said: “Mr Laws has always maintained that his decisions were driven by his desire for privacy, rather than to benefit in any way from the expenses system.
“Mr Laws has also always maintained that his actions led to a lower cost for the taxpayer than would otherwise be the case.”
The standards and privileges committee, which decides on sanctions for MPs found guilty of breaches, discussed the commissioner’s findings earlier on Tuesday behind closed doors.
A source said: “This is considered a serious matter.”
After his resignation, Mr Laws won praise from his Conservative colleagues for his role in coalition negotiations and his approach to tackling the budget deficit in the short time he worked alongside Chancellor George Osborne.
He was replaced as chief secretary by Danny Alexander, one of five Lib Dem MPs in the cabinet.
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Anish Kapoor has dedicated his vast Leviathan installation to Ai
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Sculptor Anish Kapoor has condemned China’s “barbaric” detention of artist Ai Weiwei and has called on galleries to close for a day in protest.
Ai – an outspoken critic of China’s human rights record – has not been heard from since he was arrested in Beijing at the start of April.
Kapoor has dedicated his monumental Leviathan art installation in Paris, unveiled on Tuesday, to Ai.
Artists must speak with “a communal voice”, he told BBC Radio 4’s Today.
China says it is investigating Ai, 53 – who was detained at Beijing airport while passing through security checks for a flight to Hong Kong – for as yet unspecified economic crimes.
His sister, Gao Ge, told BBC News she had not heard anything from her brother and had been given no information as to where he was being detained or whether he had been charged with any offence.
“It’s a month now that the poor man has been held without a voice, but not only that, his family doesn’t know where he is,” said Kapoor.
“This is not a situation that is acceptable in any circumstances.
Kapoor, left, has called on the art world to support Ai Weiwei
“It does bear witness to the barbarity of governments if they’re that paranoid that they have to put away artists. It’s a ridiculous situation.”
The Turner Prize-winning artist said that, while some European foreign ministers had voiced concerns, more must be done.
He has called on the art world to unite, adding: “Perhaps museums and galleries across the world should be closed for one day.”
Kapoor has described his epic new installation, which has been unveiled in the cavernous nave of the Grand Palais in Paris for the Monumenta 2011 exhibition, as a “single object, a single form, a single colour”.
Meanwhile, two major exhibitions of Ai’s work will open in London this week.
Somerset House will display his Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads in its courtyard from Thursday until 26 June.
The outdoor installation comprises 12 monumental bronze animal heads, which are recreations of traditional Chinese zodiac sculptures.
From Friday, the Lisson Gallery is also exhibiting some of Ai’s key works created over the past six years.
Lisson Gallery director Greg Hilty has hailed Ai as “one of the leading cultural figures of his generation” who “consistently displays great courage in placing himself at risk to affect social change through his art”.
“He serves as an example for legitimate social criticism and free expression both in China and internationally,” he added.
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The government currently sets a quota for English university places that can be offered each year
Universities in England may be permitted to make extra places available for wealthy British students, under government proposals.
They would be charged as much as those from outside the European Union.
Ministers say the proposal would free up publicly subsidised university places for poorer students.
Under the current system, the government sets a quota for the number of places English universities are allowed to offer each year.
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The gates are now in a secret location
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The ornate iron gates of a children’s home which inspired John Lennon’s psychedelic Beatles anthem Strawberry Fields Forever have been removed.
The Salvation Army, which owns the former home, is putting the red Victorian gates into storage.
It means Beatles fans who pass the Woolton site on bus tours will now be met with 10ft (3m) high replicas.
The charity said fans would still get an “authentic experience”, but one tour guide said they were “aghast”.
Replicas of the 100-year-old wrought iron gates have been made by metal work specialist Jim Bennett, from Aigburth, and gifted to The Salvation Army.
The originals are being taken to a secret location for storage, but could eventually be auctioned off.
The long-term future of the site, which closed in 2005, is yet to be determined but the charity hopes to develop a centre for children with learning disabilities.
“Although care has been taken to ensure the original gates to the site have remained in good condition, inevitably time has taken its toll,” said Maj Ray Irving, director of social services for The Salvation Army.
“This means that the original gates can be kept safe from further deterioration and with the replica gates in place, allow for an authentic experience for the many thousands of people who come on a ‘musical pilgrimage’ to Strawberry Field.”
Lennon wrote Strawberry Fields Forever, which was released in 1967, from his memories of playing in the area as a child.
The site remains a popular stop on tours of the city’s Beatles landmarks and Paul Beesley, chair of the Association of Liverpool Tour Guides, said he was worried about the effect of the gates’ removal.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen to them – that’s really worrying and I know the fans are not going to be happy”
Paul Beesley Liverpool tour guide
He said: “Last night I was bringing a group here and I decided to tell them they would have been the very final group who would see the gates and they were absolutely aghast.”
Mr Beesley said he would like to see the gates placed in a museum, but that uncertainty over their future was not helpful.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen to them – that’s really worrying and I know the fans are not going to be happy.”
The original Strawberry Field, which housed a large number of children who had been taken into care, was demolished in the early 1970s and replaced with a smaller building.
It closed in May 2005 and has since been used by community groups and various Salvation Army projects.
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Carwyn Jones says there will be no ‘triumphalism or tribalism’ from his party.
Labour will go it alone to form a government in the Welsh assembly, Carwyn Jones has confirmed.
The Welsh Labour leader said talks with other parties in Cardiff would continue over the coming weeks and months.
Labour fell one seat short of the outright majority it wanted at last week’s assembly election.
Mr Jones said Labour had clearly won with 30 of the 60 seats, but there would be no “triumphalism or tribalism” from his party.
Labour had been in coalition with Plaid Cymru for the four years of the previous assembly, and has been talking to other parties this week and over the weekend.
“It was patently clear that the will of the people of Wales was that the next Welsh government should be Labour-led”
Carwyn Jones Welsh Labour leader
Flanked by his Labour AMs, Mr Jones read a statement to the media in the Senedd following a meeting of the party’s assembly group.
He said: “As a result of these discussions I will seek to form a government later this week consisting solely of Labour ministers.
“However in doing this I want to make something absolutely clear. We will do this without any triumphalism and with no trace of any political tribalism.”
He said Labour would not pretend it held all the answers. The recent election showed all four main political parties produced manifestos “that were full of new ideas and fresh perspectives”.
Mr Jones said the cross-party Yes campaign for the referendum on the assembly’s law-making powers in March showed an “innovative approach to modern politics”.
Analysis
Labour dearly wanted an outright majority, but the assembly’s electoral system makes majorities very elusive.
After failing to win a majority in the assembly in 2007, it took Labour three weeks to form a minority government and another two months to seal a coalition deal with Plaid.
Having failed to win a majority last week, Labour has waited less than a week to say it will form a minority government.
Meanwhile, talks with opposition parties will continue in a spirit of humility. Carwyn Jones heaped praise on the “fresh perspectives” in his opponents’ manifestos on Tuesday.
He struck a very different tone from his predecessor Rhodri Morgan who four years ago summed up potential coalition partners Plaid and the Liberal Democrats as a choice between the “unpalatable and the inedible”.
Things have moved a lot quicker this time around than in 2007. It means a stable government could be in place much sooner.
“We worked well together to deliver a new assembly,” he said.
Discussions with other parties about what role they will take will continue, but he said that the opposition parties needed time to consider what the electorate had said to them.
“It was patently clear that the will of the people of Wales was that the next Welsh government should be Labour-led,” he said of last week’s election result, when Labour increased its tally of seats by four.
The first plenary session of the whole assembly is expected to take place on Wednesday when AMs will choose a presiding officer.
Plaid AM Lord Elis-Thomas has done the job since the assembly was established in 1999, but it is understood Labour will nominate Newport West AM Rosemary Butler for the role. The Conservatives, the second biggest party, want the post filled by one of their members.
The Tories’ interim leader in the assembly, Paul Davies, said Conservative AMs Angela Burns and William Graham had expressed an interest.
“The firm view of the Conservative group is that the presiding officer should come from the Conservative benches,” he said.
“The stability in government that Carwyn Jones seeks will only be possible if parties work together”
Kirsty Williams AM Leader, Welsh Liberal Democrats
Plaid leader Ieuan Wyn Jones – who served as deputy first minister in the previous coalition government – said that as the largest party, Labour had a “moral obligation” to form an administration.
“We have made it clear that should Labour talk to us, then we are prepared to listen,” he said.
“In the short term Plaid Cymru will play its part in ensuring that the Welsh people have an honest opposition.
“We will hold the government to account and the electorate can be sure that we will always seek to ensure the best deal for the people of Wales.”
Welsh Lib Dem leader Kirsty Williams said: “The stability in government that Carwyn Jones seeks will only be possible if parties work together, put aside their differences and seek to find consensus, and that means give and take from all parties.
“The priority of the Welsh Liberal Democrats now will be to work to advance the policies that we have fought this election on.
“It is clear that Wales is suffering from a weak economy and serious failings in our schools and NHS. Where Labour proposes serious answers to these problems, they will have our support.”
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