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Prince greets fans before wedding

Spectators camping outside Westminster Abbey on 27 AprilSpectators have already begun to camp outside Westminster Abbey

Final preparations are taking place ahead of the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton in London on Friday.

It comes after the couple attended a rehearsal at Westminster Abbey with the bride’s parents and Prince Harry.

William is due to spend the evening with the Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall and Harry while Miss Middleton and her family will gather at a hotel.

Meanwhile, St James’s Palace has confirmed the Syrian ambassador to London is due to attend the wedding.

The Queen is hosting an event for British and foreign royals on Thursday night.

The drinks reception and dinner is taking place at the Mandarin Oriental hotel, near Hyde Park, in central London.

Among those thought to be attending are the Duke of York and his daughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, the Princess Royal and Zara Phillips with her fiance, England rugby player Mike Tindall.

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall are expected to attend the reception before returning to Clarence House for their private dinner.

Some 50 foreign heads of state are among the 1,900 invited guests attending the wedding.

VisitBritain has predicted an extra 600,000 people will be in the capital on Friday, with some royal enthusiasts already beginning to pitch tents outside the abbey.

It is anticipated the events will be watched by up to two billion people worldwide on television. Thousands of media representatives have descended on London and makeshift studios have sprung up outside Buckingham Palace and along the wedding route.

At 1100 BST, a souvenir wedding programme will be available for downloading from the official Royal Wedding website. The booklet will be also be sold for £2 a copy along the processional route on the day of the wedding, with proceeds going to the Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry.

On Friday, a carriage procession will pass along The Mall, Horse Guards Road, Horse Guards Parade, through Horse Guards Arch, along Whitehall, along the south side of Parliament Square and into Broad Sanctuary.

Up to 1,000 members of the military took part in a full-scale walk-through procession along the wedding route in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Later, the rehearsal saw the wedding party arrive at Westminster Abbey at 1930 BST in three silver-coloured people carriers with blacked-out windows.

Timetable (BST) on 29 April1015 – The groom and Prince Harry arrive at Westminster Abbey1051 – The bride, and her father, leave the Goring Hotel for the abbey1100 – The marriage service begins1230 – The bride’s carriage procession arrives at Buckingham Palace1325 – The Queen and the bride and groom appear on the balcony1330 – Fly past by the Royal Air Force and Battle of Britain Memorial FlightRoyal Wedding timings

The convoy, accompanied by police and security officials, drove into Dean’s Yard out of the sight of spectators but William and his fiancee, along with Harry, were captured leaving the vehicles by some TV crews.

Miss Middleton’s parents, Michael and Carole, had earlier left their Berkshire home for the drive to London, where they will be staying at the Goring hotel in Belgravia for the next three nights.

The abbey closed its doors to the public on Tuesday so that preparations could get under way.

Large containers of green cuttings have been arriving from the royal estates of Sandringham and Windsor and gardeners have set up an “avenue of trees” inside the abbey.

Six field maples and two hornbeams are to flank the route to the altar as part of Kate Middleton’s floral plans.

The Met Office says there is a 70% chance of rain on Friday, with heavier showers more likely later in the day. The forecasters expect temperatures will reach a high of 18C (64F).

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UK forecast for 28/04/2011

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US couple plead guilty to kidnap

breaking news

A California couple have pleaded guilty to charges of kidnapping and raping a girl when she was 11 and holding her captive for 18 years.

Phillip Garrido, who had two children with his victim Jaycee Dugard, and his wife Nancy earlier pleaded not guilty.

Mr Garrido could be sentenced to 430 years in prison while Mrs Garrido faces 36 years in prison.

Ms Dugard was kidnapped from near her home in South Lake Tahoe in 1991 as she walked to a school bus stop.

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

Office boosts Microsoft profits

Microsoft badgesMicrosoft said consumers had been buying its Office applications at a “tremendous rate”
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Technology giant Microsoft has reported a sharp jump in quarterly profits, thanks to strong sales of its Office applications and despite a drop in sales of its Windows operating system.

Net income for the three months to the end of March was $5.23bn (£3.14bn), a rise of 31% on the $4bn the firm made a year ago. Revenue rose 13% to $16.43bn.

The company said it achieved the “strong results despite a mixed PC environment”.

Revenue from Windows 7 fell by 4%.

The drop reflected a dip in the wider market for PCs.

Despite beating analysts’ expectations on overall revenue, shares in Microsoft in after-hours trading fell slightly, reflecting concerns about the company’s core Windows sales.

“The concern is PC markets are being disrupted,” said Colin Gillis at BGC Financial.

“But it’s also overblown when you factor in that Windows 7 is the fastest-selling operating system in history.”

Revenue in all other areas of the business picked up on a year earlier.

Revenue at the firm’s Entertainment and Devices division grew by 60%, fuelled by sales of Xbox consoles and Kinect controllers.

“Consumers are purchasing Office 2010, Xbox and Kinect at tremendous rates, and businesses of all sizes are purchasing Microsoft platforms and applications,” said chief financial officer Peter Klein.

The company also said it was seeing strong take-up of its cloud-computing services, which allow data to be stored on remote servers, at major US corporations.

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Two bodies found in crashed plane

Emergency servicesEmergency services are searching the lake at Langford, near Maldon

Two people are feared to have died after a light aircraft crashed into a lake in Essex.

Emergency services were called by a member of the public to Ulting Lake, Langford near Maldon, shortly before 1300 BST on Thursday.

The two-seat aircraft appeared to have nose-dived into the lake and its tail was about 10ft (3m) under water.

Police said it appeared the pilot and passenger had not survived. Officers are trying to confirm who was on board.

Boats from the Essex Police marine unit and Essex County Fire and Rescue Service are searching the private fishing lake.

The Air Accident Investigation Branch has been notified and will be attending.

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

Venezuelan inmates take hostages

Map of VenezuelaInmates at Rodeo II in Guatire are demanding a medical team examine them
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Inmates at a jail in Venezuela have taken the prison director and 21 other officials hostage in an effort to draw attention to an alleged tuberculosis outbreak.

The prisoners at El Rodeo II prison in Guatire in Miranda state are demanding a medical team be sent into the jail to deal with the alleged outbreak.

The government denies there is a tuberculosis outbreak.

Officials say they will not negotiate until the inmates release the hostages.

Stand-off

Deputy Interior Minister Edwin Rojas said holding the officials hostage was “not the most adequate way [for the inmates] to proceed to make their grievances known”.

The prisoners took the officials hostage at midday (1630 GMT) on Wednesday.

They said they took action after an inmate, who they said had tuberculosis, was returned to the prison after a hospital visit.

But Mr Rojas insists the inmate had been diagnosed with pneumonia and was not suffering from tuberculosis.

He told the 1,200 inmates at El Rodeo II that “the government was fighting for the prisoners”.

“We believe in peaceful dialogue, in peaceful coexistence and the respect of human rights, not only of the prisoners but also of those who work in the prison system,” he said.

He said a medical team was on stand-by and would be sent into the prison as soon as the inmates released the hostages.

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

Two convicted over Moscow murders

Russian lawyer Stanislav Markelov speaking in Moscow (February 2005)Stanislav Markelov angered nationalists with his work defending Chechens
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Two Russian nationalists have been convicted over the killings of human rights lawyer Stanislav Markelov and reporter Anastasia Baburova in 2009.

A Moscow jury found Nikita Tikhonov guilty of the murders and his companion Yevgenia Khasis of complicity.

Prosecutors said Tikhonov was the gunman while Khasis followed the victims as they left a news conference and walked to a Moscow metro station.

Mr Markelov and Ms Baburova worked on the opposition Novaya Gazeta newspaper.

Novaya Gazeta specialises in human rights issues.

Mr Markelov was a prominent lawyer whose work had angered nationalists. Among other things, he had defended Chechens who were victims of alleged human rights abuses.

When Tikhonov and Khasis were arrested in November 2009, Russian police sources linked them to an outlawed far-right group, Russian National Unity.

However, the group denied any involvement in the murders and said the two had never been members.

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

India to pick European fighters

Indian air force's Sukhoi jetsIndia accounts for 9% of global arms imports, according to one study
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India has shortlisted two European fighters and ruled out two US rivals for a key $11bn military contract.

The Indian defence ministry picked the pan-European Eurofighter and France-based Dessault’s Rafale ahead of jets made by Boeing and Lockheed Martin.

The US ambassador in India said the US was “deeply disappointed” by the news.

President Barack Obama had personally lobbied on behalf of the US defence contractors, as had European leaders on behalf of the European jets.

“It is confirmed Eurofighter and Rafale have been selected and the remaining four are off,” said the Indian defence ministry.

The other two companies to miss out were Sweden’s Saab and the Russian makers of the MiG 35.

The ambassador, Timothy Roemer, said: “We are reviewing the documents received from the government of India and are respectful of the procurement process.”

He added that the US “looked forward to continuing to grow and develop our defence partnership with India”.

However, some commentators suggested there could be some political fallout from the decision.

“The Americans will be very unhappy and people who have been backing the contract will say India has not sufficiently taken into account the political relationship with the US,” said former Indian foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal.

“That is a political setback for relations.”

Mr Roemer announced separately that he was resigning from his post for “personal, professional and family considerations”.

A report published last month said that India had overtaken China to become the world’s largest importer of arms.

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute said India accounted for 9% of all weapons imports between 2006 and 2010.

With a $32.5bn (£19.5bn) defence budget, India imports more than 70% of its arms.

The $11bn deal for 126 fighter jets is part of plan to spend $50bn over the next five years on modernising its armed forces.

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

Campus radicals ‘serious problem’

GraduatesUniversity leaders say there is no evidence to back the claims
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Campus extremism is a serious problem that threatens UK security, a group of MPs and peers has said.

There are “grave concerns” students are being radicalised in British universities, according to a report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Homeland Security.

The problem should be tackled “with utmost urgency”, the group says.

Universities say there is no evidence to support the claims.

The report – the group’s first – also says some academics are not co-operating with the security services because they “do not want to spy on their students”.

It says: “The problem of universities as places of radicalisation requires urgent and sustained attention by the new government.

“It has been an obvious and neglected problem for too long and must be tackled as a matter of utmost urgency.”

The report says some universities have struggled “to establish the correct balance between academic freedoms and university authorities’ responsibilities as part of ensuring UK homeland security”.

It adds: “It was also noted that there was a reluctance to co-operate with the police on the part of some universities that did not want to be seen to be ‘spying’ on their students.”

Concerns about the possibility of young people being drawn in to extremist Islamic groups while at British universities have been heightened by some terrorists attacks.

Last year the Prime Minister David Cameron said Britain needed to do more to “de-radicalise” its universities.

Umar Farouk AbdulmutallabFormer London student Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab is accused of attempting to blow up a plane flying to the United States

Taimour Abdulwahab al-Abdaly, who blew himself up in Sweden last December, had been a student at university in Luton.

And Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab – the alleged “underwear bomber” – is accused of attempting to blow up a plane flying to the United States on Christmas Day in 2009.

He was a former student of University College London (UCL) and closely involved with its Islamic Society.

However, an inquiry by UCL found no evidence that the Nigerian had been radicalised while at university.

Universities UK, which represents university leaders, says they take their responsibilities regarding public safety “very seriously”.

Chief executive, Nicola Dandridge, said: “There is no evidence to suggest that universities are ‘hotbeds of Islamic extremism’.

“The experts, including police and counter-terrorism experts, state quite firmly that there is not a major problem with radicalisation or extremism in higher education at present.

“The issue is that the people most likely to be vulnerable to radicalisation or extremism are young people, many of whom will either be students or former students. Over 40% of young people in the UK will enter higher education.”

Earlier this year, Universities UK released a report saying there was good liaison with the police and security services and two thirds of universities had engaged with a government programme aimed at stopping students supporting terrorism.

The report said universities needed to “remain vigilant” to campus extremism while protecting freedom of speech and included updated guidance for universities.

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Syria ambassador off wedding list

The Queen and Dr Sami Khiyami in 2005Dr Khiyami’s invitation sparked a row

The Syrian ambassador’s invitation to Friday’s royal wedding has been withdrawn after officials said it was “inappropriate” for him to attend.

The decision to invite Dr Sami Khiyami had been criticised, amid condemnation of a violent crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in the country.

Dr Khiyami had been summoned to the Foreign Office over the situation.

The Foreign Office said his presence would be “unacceptable” and that Buckingham Palace “shared that view”.

More than 400 people are reported to have been killed in the past month as the Syrian authorities have cracked down on anti-government protests across the country.

The UK has called for an end to the “repression” and for greater political freedoms to be granted.

Amid a growing row over Dr Khiyami’s invitation, the Foreign Office said representatives of countries with which the UK has “normal diplomatic relations” had been invited to the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.

“Buckingham Palace shares the view of the Foreign Office that it is not considered appropriate for the Syrian Ambassador to attend the wedding”

Foreign Office statementSyria officials ‘quit over violence’Straw surprise at wedding ‘snub’UK issues fresh warning to Syria

But in a statement, it added: “An invitation does not mean endorsement or approval of the behaviour of any government, simply that we have normal diplomatic relations with that country.”

“In the light of this week’s attacks against civilians by the Syrian security forces, which we have condemned, the foreign secretary has decided that the presence of the Syrian ambassador at the royal wedding would be unacceptable and that he should not attend.

“Buckingham Palace shares the view of the Foreign Office that it is not considered appropriate for the Syrian ambassador to attend the wedding.”

BBC political correspondent Vicki Young said the Foreign Office had concluded that it would be too embarrassing for Dr Khiyami’s to be present at the ceremony in Westminster Abbey.

She said the Foreign Office had advised royal officials on the matter and they had agreed with the decision.

A number of Labour MPs, including former foreign secretary Jack Straw and defence minister Kevan Jones, expressed concerns about the invitation and it has been contrasted with the decision not to invite former Labour prime ministers Gordon Brown and Tony Blair.

Mr Jones warned of “the horrific spectre of killing on the streets of Syria while the Syrian ambassador is in Westminster Abbey for the royal wedding.”

Asked about the issue before it was confirmed that the invitation had been rescinded, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said who attended the Royal wedding was a matter for the Royal Family, not the government.

But he added: “I think the events in Syria are clearly the subject of huge concern, people are going to be very, very distressed and appalled by the heavy handed military tactics which the Syrian regime are now deploying on their own people.”

Some 200 members of Syria’s ruling Baath party are reported to have resigned over the violent crackdown against pro-democracy demonstrations in cities across the country.

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

Cameron NHS comments ‘misleading’

Ex-Labour MP Dr Howard StoateDr Stoate said there were “inherent problems” with the proposed NHS shake-up
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An ex-Labour MP who David Cameron claimed supported his health reforms has accused the prime minister of using the NHS as a “political football”.

Dr Howard Stoate said his views about GPs powers were “taken out of context”.

He was at the centre of a political row on Wednesday after Mr Cameron told Labour MP Angela Eagle “to calm down dear” at Prime Minister’s Questions.

He made the comment after Ms Eagle sought to correct remarks he made about Dr Stoate in the Commons.

The clash came after Mr Cameron used comments by Dr Stoate, a practising GP, to defend his controverisal plans to introduce GP commissioning in the NHS in England – plans opposed by doctors and nurses’ groups.

Dr Stoate, who stepped down at last year’s general election, had previously written that discussions with his colleagues revealed “overwhelming enthusiasm for the chance to help shape services for the patients they see daily”.

But Mr Cameron’s suggestion that Dr Stoate had been beaten during the election angered some on the Labour benches, including Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury Angela Eagle.

Amid shouts of “he stood down”, Mr Cameron paraphrased the famous car insurance advert starring film director Michael Winner, telling her: “Calm down dear, calm down, calm down.”

Labour accused Mr Cameron of sexism and showing a “patronising and outdated attitude to women”.

“The prime minister should stop using the health service as a political football and allow GPs to get on with the job of improving health services”

Dr Howard Stoate Former Labour MP

Writing in the Guardian, Dr Stoate said the PM’s remark to Ms Eagle had been “condescending”. But he said he was more concerned that the impression the PM gave about his views on the proposed shake-up of the NHS was “entirely misleading”.

He said his previous comments had referred merely to GPs in his local area of south London – not nationally – and that they had had a “head start” over others as they had gained experience of commissioning health services over the past four years.

The government’s proposed NHS changes – which ministers are currently consulting on as part of a “listening exercise” with medical professionals – had many “inherent problems”, he said.

“The prime minister should stop using the health service as a political football and allow GPs to get on with the job of improving health services,” he wrote.

“Indeed, the current focus on GPs is a continuation of the progress made under the Labour government’s programme of GP commissioning.”

Critics have said there is little evidence that handing lead responsibility for commissioning to GP consortia will work, that there is too much financial risk involved and the plans should be piloted and not introduced in one go.

Dr Stoate said he continued to believe GPs were “best placed” to break down institutional barriers in the NHS and ensure the highest standards of patient care.

“GPs are increasingly becoming involved in discussing budgets, local healthcare needs, service planning and delivery – resulting in dramatic improvements in services as antiquated ways of working are modernised,” he added.

Mr Cameron sought to make light of the “calm down dear” comment – which No 10 has said was a “humorous remark” and should not be “over-analysed” – during a campaign visit to Wales on Thursday.

“I don’t know what it is about some people on the left. It seems that when they put the socialism in, they take the sense of humour out,” he told Conservative activists.

Ministers have said they are prepared to make major changes to the NHS legislation following the extended consultation, but stressed the NHS cannot be allowed to stand still in the face of rising costs pressure and higher patients’ expectations.

David Cameron has accused Labour of “scaring” people about the impact of the proposed changes and said GP fund-holding practices in “90% of the country” want to see the changes succeed.

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Businessman fined over demolition

Former Mines Rescue Centre in WrexhamThe centre shut during the 1980s before being handed to the fire service
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A Wrexham businessman has been fined £2,000 and ordered to pay £1,700 costs for partially bulldozing an historic mines rescue centre without permission.

Motor dealer Neville Dickens pleaded guilty to the unauthorised demolition of the listed building on Maesgwyn Road.

Two men he employed to carry out the work were also fined.

But the magistrates’ court court was told Dickens, of Gresford, accepted full responsibility for what happened.

The centre was built in 1913 to train miners in how to rescue their colleagues in underground emergencies.

Magistrates were told that hours after labourers Alan Newcombe and Ray Haynes began work on the site on 18 August last year the Welsh heritage organisation Cadw gave it Grade II listed status.

“He did not think in a million years that it would be granted listed status”

David Manley Representing Neville Dickens

Aled Rowlands, prosecuting for Wrexham council, said the two men were told to stop work by a council official.

They returned two days later to try to make the building structurally safe but that resulted in part of the roof collapsing.

In mitigation David Manley said Dickens thought he was acting within his rights because he had not been told of Cadw’s decision to list the centre on the day workmen moved in.

“He assumed these things would be decided by the local authority and as it had already given two planning permissions for it to be knocked down,” he said.

“He did not think in a million years that it would be granted listed status.”

The court was told that Dickens had now started work on a project to restore the centre and had engaged a leading architect.

Newcombe, also from Gresford, was fined £300 with £200 costs and Haynes from Pentrebychan was ordered to pay a £150 fine plus £100 costs.

After the hearing Lawrence Isted of Wrexham council said: “The council takes seriously its responsibilities to protect listed buildings and had no choice but to seek a prosecution in this case given the blatant act of demolition involved.

“This is a reminder to anyone intending to undertake any works of demolition or alteration to seek advice and the necessary consents before doing so.”

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

Boom and bust flags eco-collapse

Richard BlackBy Richard Black

Largemouth bassThe name “largemouth bass” appears to suit the fish
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An experiment in a US lake suggests that ecosystem collapses could be predicted, given the right monitoring.

Researchers changed the structure of the food web in Peter Lake, in Wisconsin, by adding predatory fish.

Within three years, the fish had taken over, producing a decline in tiny water plants and an explosion in water fleas.

Writing in the journal Science, the researchers say the change was preceded by signals that could be used to predict similar collapses elsewhere.

In particular, rapid swings in the density of plants and fleas indicated the food web was unstable and about to change.

The idea that such early warning signals ought to exist is not new – but the researchers say this is the first time it has been demonstrated experimentally.

“For a long time, ecologists thought these changes couldn’t be predicted,” said research leader Stephen Carpenter from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, US.

“But we’ve now shown that they can be foreseen. The early warning is clear; it is a strong signal.”

The Peter Lake food web contained four key components. Insects such as fleas ate tiny water-borne plants, small fish such as golden shiners ate the fleas, and much bigger largemouth bass ate the little fish.

“We are surrounded by problems caused by ecological regime shifts”

Jonathan Cole Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies

Beginning in 2008, the researchers began to add more bass, and more than a thousand hatched the following year.

Sensing the threat from these predators, the golden shiners began to spend more time in the shallows or sheltering under floating logs.

Larger fleas moved in, eating the floating plants (phytoplankton).

But the changes were anything but smooth, with wildly varying numbers of fleas and phytoplankton seen at different times.

Eventually, by late 2010, the ecosystem appeared to have finalised its transition from one stable state to another.

This second state, dominated by fleas and largemouth bass, is similar to the situation that had existed for years in neighbouring Lake Paul.

This lake showed no major changes during the three years, indicating that the changes seen in Peter really were caused by the addition of bass.

Many natural systems appear capable of existing in more than one stable state.

study lakeLakes Peter and Paul in Wisconsin have a 50-year history of use for ecological research

Until 20 years ago, the Grand Banks off Canada’s east coast were dominated by cod – so many as to prevent the growth of other species.

Overfishing caused the cod population to collapse.

Other species have since taken their prime position, some of which predate on juvenile cod – perhaps meaning that the prized fish will never return to their former dominance.

The new research suggests it might be possible to detect signals of such a coming crash before it happened.

“Early warning signs help you prepare for, and hopefully prevent, the worst case scenario,” said Jonathan Cole from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies near New York, another of the scientists involved.

“We are surrounded by problems caused by ecological regime shifts – water supply shortages, fishery declines, unproductive rangeland – and our study shows that there is promise in identifying these changes before they reach their tipping point.”

The principle may have been proved, but the application would still appear to be some way away.

Monitoring any ecosystem with the intensity used at Peter Lake will be expensive, although the ever growing fleet of Earth observation satellites could help in some cases.

Even more problematic is knowing which early warning signs apply in which ecosystem.

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