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US congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, shot in the head in January, has been declared fit enough to attend her husband’s space shuttle launch on Friday.
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Rebel fighters in Misrata say they hope to wrest back the city centre from pro-Gaddafi forces Loud explosions have rocked the Libyan capital Tripoli, briefly putting three TV stations off the air, as Nato jets overflew the city.
Reports said Libyan Television, Jamahiriya and Shababiya were off air for about half an hour following the blasts shortly after midnight.
The explosions were among the strongest to have hit Tripoli so far, correspondents in the city said.
Nato is targeting Col Muammar Gaddafi’s forces as he tries to quell a revolt.
On Sunday, forces loyal to the Libyan leader bombarded areas of the western city of Misrata, despite the regime saying it had halted attacks to allow local tribes to negotiate with rebels.
At least six people were reported killed in the latest bombardment, which reportedly hit the city centre and three residential districts.
A captured pro-Gaddafi soldier told AFP news agency that loyalist forces were losing the battle for Misrata.
“Many soldiers want to surrender but they are afraid of being executed [by rebels],” said Lili Mohammed, a Mauritanian hired to fight the insurgents.
On Sunday, Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim said the army was pausing to allow local tribes to settle the battle “peacefully and not militarily”.
But Col Omar Bani, military spokesman for the rebels’ Transitional National Council (TNC), said Col Gaddafi was “playing a really dirty game” in an attempt to divide his opponents.
“It is a trick, they didn’t go,” he Bani said in the eastern city of Benghazi. “They have stayed a bit out of Tripoli Street but they are preparing themselves to attack again.”
British Journalist James Hider, who is in Misrata for The Times newspaper, told the BBC that although pro-Gaddafi forces encircled Misrata, their forces inside the city were themselves surrounded by rebel fighters.
He said their supplies were cut off and Nato air strikes were starving the main force outside the city of supplies from elsewhere.
Mr Hider said rebels hoped they would be able to regain control of the city centre soon but didn’t think they would be able to defeat all the government forces until Nato strikes destroyed their biggest weaponry.
Human rights groups say more than 1,000 people have been killed in Misrata and many more wounded. Ships have been ferrying the wounded to hospitals in Benghazi.
The revolt against Col Gaddafi began in February, inspired by uprisings elsewhere in the Arab world.
Rebel leaders received a financial boost on Sunday when Kuwait announced it was giving 50m dinars (£110m, $180m) to the Transitional National Council.
Nato is carrying out air strikes against Libyan state forces under a UN mandate to protect civilians.
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Australia and New Zealand remember their war dead on Anzac Day, with Australian PM Julia Gillard attending a ceremony in South Korea.
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You’re The One That I Want was a UK number one in May 1978 Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta duet You’re The One That I Want, from 1978 film Grease, is the best-selling movie track in the UK, research shows.
The figures, compiled for BBC Radio 2, show that Love Is All Around, covered by Wet Wet Wet is second in the chart of songs recorded especially for films.
The track was recorded for Four Weddings and a Funeral.
Stevie Wonder’s I Just Called To Say I Love You, from the film The Woman in Red, was third.
In fourth place was Bryan Adams’ Everything I Do (I Do It For You) from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.
Adams’ ballad was top of the UK charts for 16 weeks in 1991 – one week than longer than the stint enjoyed by Wet Wet Wet’s cover of The Troggs song Love Is All Around in 1994.
Another Grease song, Summer Nights, was fifth in the chart, compiled by the Official Charts Company.
The top 30 biggest sale songs from the films will be counted down by Tony Blackburn on Radio 2 from 1600 BST 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.
Most adults surveyed said children should be taught by qualified teachers Schools in England are increasingly using unqualified support staff to teach lessons on a regular basis, a teachers’ union says.
The NASUWT union argues that using staff without qualified teacher status in the wrong circumstances is an abuse.
General secretary Chris Keates suggested the government was encouraging the practice to save money.
The government is to allow its flagship free schools to use unqualified teachers to give them more flexibility.
But these schools, set up by parent and community groups, will not be allowed to proceed unless they have sound plans for quality teaching, ministers have said.
The union, which is meeting for its annual conference in Glasgow, gave examples of a teaching assistant who taught a class for three years despite not being qualified.
It also cited the example of another teaching assistant delivering lessons full-time.
Teaching assistants are widely used in schools to help teachers in the classroom.
Those with the higher level teaching assistant’s qualification are allowed take lessons but they are not permitted to teach new material, which should always be done by a qualified teacher.
Ms Keates said the government’s move to scrap the national negotiating body for school support staff had given schools a licence to misuse and abuse support staff.
She added: “Support staff are valuable members of the education team and do an excellent job, but they are not trained and paid to be teachers.”
“Schools are flouting the law and statutory guidance, and compromising standards.”
She also warned parents to expect it to happen more frequently as Education Secretary Michael Gove’s policy to increase the number of academies and free schools progressed.
The comments come as research published at the National Union of Teachers conference in Harrogate suggests two-thirds of adults in Britain believe free schools will undermine the quality of children’s education.
Four-fifths of the 2,000 adults surveyed by the company ComRes for the NUT said they would not want their child going to a free school that did not employ professional teachers.
And some 86% said they thought any school receiving state funds should employ qualified teachers.
General secretary of the NUT Christine Blower said: “This survey clearly shows that the majority of people want children to be taught by a qualified teacher.
“They see no advantage to doing anything other than this and are perfectly aware that if unqualified teachers become the norm in free schools it will simply be to cut costs.”
On free schools, Mr Gove has said he wants “the dynamism that characterises the best independent schools to drive up standards in the state sector”.
“In this spirit we will not be setting overly prescriptive requirements in relation to qualifications – instead we will expect business cases to demonstrate how governing bodies intend to guarantee the highest quality of teaching and leadership in their schools,” he said in response to a question in the House of Commons last November.
“Ensuring each free school’s unique educational vision is translated into the classroom will require brilliant people with a diverse range of experience,” he said.
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Isobel was taken to hospital where she died A university academic has been arrested after a 15-year-old girl died within hours of being taken ill at a party.
Isobel Reilly became unwell at a house in Barlby Road, north Kensington, west London, in the early hours of Saturday.
Her death is being treated as “unexplained”, but police are examining whether she died after taking drugs.
A man, understood to be Brian Dodgeon, a research fellow at the University of London Institute of Education, was arrested.
Police said a 60-year-old man was held on suspicion of possession of drugs and child abandonment. He was bailed until a date in June.
A 14-year-old girl and two boys, also 14, were also taken to hospital as a precaution. They remain in hospital under observation.
Asked whether drugs were involved in Isobel’s death, a Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “This is a line of inquiry. We await the results of the post-mortem examination.”
Police were alerted by London Ambulance Service at about 0410 BST on Saturday.
Isobel, of Acton, west London, was taken to hospital but died later that morning.
Det Sgt Neil Philpott, of the Metropolitan Police, appealed for fellow party goers to come forward with information.
He said: “We believe the victim was taken ill during a party at the address in Barlby Road.
“We are yet to make contact with all those who attended and would ask anyone who was present at any point during the evening to make contact with officers.”
In a statement, Isobel’s family said: “Isobel’s family and friends are devastated and heartbroken by her untimely death. We hope that if anything positive comes from this dreadful event, it is that others will make the right decisions to be safe and well in the future.
“We would very much appreciate time to grieve for our beloved Issy in private. If anyone has any information concerning Issy’s death could they please contact the police.”
Tony Ryan, head teacher of Isobel’s school, Chiswick Community School, said: “Isobel was an extremely popular girl at our school and counted many of her fellow pupils as friends.
“Her tragically early death is devastating news to everyone associated with the school and all our thoughts are with her family at this time.”
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Can super-injunctions ever stop information spreading online? After an injunction was made banning the release of the name of a Premier League footballer and details of his personal life, rumours and names appeared on the web within hours. But it is not the first time that court orders promising privacy have been broken on the internet.
In the papers recently, a lot has been made of so-called “super-injunctions”, where even the fact that an injunction has been granted, or the name of the person applying for it, must be kept secret.
Injunctions have allowed entertainers, sport stars, actors and many more to protect what they see as their right to privacy from the press.
And this has left many in traditional media, from The Guardian and The Daily Mail to The Sun, furious about what they can, and what they cannot, report.
But on the internet, especially on social media, rumours about who the proceedings could be about circle and grow without any fear of legal reprisal.
Just the simple use of a search engine often brings back hundreds of results, each reporting (though unconfirmed) they know who the person is and naming the identity of those guarded by law.
Hear more in a Chatham House debate on democracy, privacy and the internet on The World Tonight at 2200 BST on Easter Monday on BBC Radio 4
“For most of recorded history, people have had surprisingly little privacy,” says Nigel Inkster, former director for operations and intelligence at the British Secret Intelligence Service.
“What we had may have reached its apogee during the last wave of pre-internet urbanisation. And I certainly don’t think secrecy is dead because of the internet.”
The paradoxical ideas of free speech and a right to privacy as outlined in the Human Rights Act have been extensively reported. But the difference between secrecy and privacy is a small, but important, one.
Privacy is the idea that certain things should rightfully be kept from others. With secrecy, it is implied that the information, often easily discovered, is deliberately held from public view.
Take That’s Howard Donald failed to stop a super-injunction being lifted And this issue of secrecy in comparison to freedom of speech is one that gets much more complicated when looking at the web. It seems the right to privacy remains, at least to a certain extent, but the right to secrecy is being challenged.
There are numerous examples of the web community fighting against those seeking privacy. Many, ironically, using anonymity to conceal their own identity to avoid detection.
This can be shown not only with super-injunctions but with the leaking of documents, as shown during the Wikileaks scandal.
“It’s harder than ever for the powerful to control what people read, see and hear,” says writer and campaigner Heather Brooke, who was involved with the Wikileaks releases at the Guardian.
“Technology gives people the ability to band together and challenge authority in ways that were previously impossible.
“Access to the internet does not confer the power of wisdom”
Sir David Omand Former security and intelligence co-ordinator at the Cabinet Office
“The powerful have long spied upon citizens – surveillance – as a means of control, but now citizens are turning their collected eyes back upon the powerful – so Sousveillance.”
But this is not universally agreed as a good thing. What was once village tittle-tattle is now recorded online forever.
In the case of discussing the super-injunction, each person on a blog naming names could be in contempt of court.
The conversations had online will be recorded in perpetuity and this information – at least potentially – could be used against you.
“Information about you is power over you, as every blackmailer, taxman, or village gossip knows,” says Guy Herbert, general secretary of NO 2 ID, the campaign against the database state.
“Information can be found, transmitted, matched and re-matched faster than we can grasp. That is changing the distribution of power, yes, but also its nature and quantity.
The news of someone’s death travels fast on social networks – whether it’s true or not “Privacy and confidentiality aren’t well understood and aren’t well protected – either in law or moral status – because in the past they haven’t needed to be.
“Personal intuitions about sharing personal information – even our intuitions about what is personal – are formed by our sense of the limits of personal acquaintance.”
Critics of this “absolute information” say that without secrets, there can be no effective government, no effective innovation or entrepreneurship or any private life at all.
In this horizon of a world where everything is digital, countless reports comparing the world to a dystopian world described in George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty Four.
“We risk the continued erosion of trust in society if we abandon the importance of a duty of confidence, whether to the family, our employer or the State,” says Sir David Omand, a former security and intelligence co-ordinator at the Cabinet Office.
But beyond a duty of confidence, much has been made of the numerous cases where web reports prove to be false.
Social networks can whip up a storm in a matter of minutes, sometimes without the story having even a hint of truth. For example, users of Twitter have announced the deaths of countless celebrities who were still very much alive.
“Access to the internet does not confer the power of wisdom,” says Sir David.
“What happens in the next five years will define the future of democracy for the next century and beyond”
Heather Brooke Writer and campaigner
“It is filled with misinformation, and downright wrong information. The two largest consumers of broadband are internet porn and online games.
“The blogosphere reveals a world of old media stories, conspiracy theories, celebrity froth and personal emotional rants.
“The problem is too much information.”
If used correctly, the web is believed to be a great leveller. If it is not, then many see it as a tool used for oppression.
“We have the tools for a new type of democracy but the same technology can be used for a new type of totalitarianism,” says Brooke.
“Two sides are battling to determine the world’s future. On one side, the freedom fundamentalists and democracy campaigners; on the other governments, authoritarians and the military.
“What happens in the next five years will define the future of democracy for the next century and beyond. This is nothing less than a revolution and all revolutions create fear and uncertainty as one age makes way for another.”
And what happens to those seeking protection from injunctions in the near future is equally as uncertain – in this era of “promiscuous connectivity”, as Nigel Inkster perhaps fittingly calls it, secrets appear to be all the harder to keep.
Hear more on The World Tonight on Easter Monday on BBC Radio 4.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Sophie Taylor died in the shooting incident along with her boyfriend The funeral of a teenage girl killed in a double shooting tragedy is due to be held.
It is believed trainee gamekeeper Calum Murray, 18, was cleaning a shotgun when it went off and killed Sophie Taylor, 16, and then turned the gun on himself.
The deaths happened at a cottage near Tomintoul on 12 April.
A celebration of Sophie’s life is being held at the Lecht Ski Centre at 1300 BST. She will then be buried at Tomintoul Cemetery.
She was described as a “precious” daughter in the death notice.
Mr Murray’s funeral was held at Leochel-Cushnie Church on Saturday.
A statement released by his family said: “Calum was extremely popular and his death in such tragic circumstances has left a gap in our lives. It is impossible to describe the sense of loss we are feeling.
“There is an immense sadness to have lost him so prematurely but we are thankful for the wonderful memories that he has left us and those will be cherished forever.”
Police have said they are not looking for anyone else over the deaths.
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Labour is seeking to refresh its campaign in the Holyrood elections with an all-out attack on the SNP and independence.
The SNP will insist it is the party with the best to offer on the economy.
The Conservatives will argue that Labour has “blown it” and that only a sizeable Tory presence at Holyrood can contain the SNP.
The Lib Dems said they would stick to positive messages such as the campaign to keep Scotland’s eight police forces.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
The Alitalia plane was on a flight from Paris to Rome A man has been overpowered by cabin crew on an Alitalia flight from Paris to Rome, after he drew out a small knife and demanded the plane divert to the Libyan capital, Tripoli.
A female flight attendant was slightly injured as the man was subdued.
The suspect, from Kazakhstan, was handed over to police and arrested after flight AZ329 landed at Rome’s Fiumicino airport at 2005 GMT.
He was “clearly agitated”, according to a statement from Alitalia.
There were 131 people on board.
The man was overpowered by four crew and passengers, and given a sedative by a doctor who was travelling on the flight.
Italian police named the man as Valery Tolmachev, aged 48. He is reportedly a member of the Kazakh delegation at Unesco in Paris.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Some Yemeni army units have defected to the protest camp in the capital, Sanaa Thousands of anti-government protesters are standing their ground in the capital of Yemen, despite a deal that would see the president step down.
Protesters occupying a permanent camp in Sanaa say they don’t trust President Ali Abdullah Saleh to keep his promise to leave office.
Mr Saleh agreed on Saturday to hand over power to his deputy within 30 days in exchange for immunity from prosecution.
Protesters say he must go immediately.
There were fresh demonstrations in Sanaa and in other parts of the country on Sunday.
Witnesses say the protesters in Sanaa are ringed by army units that defected to join and protect them. Uniformed soldiers were seen chanting alongside the demonstrators and flashing victory signs.
At least 130 people have died during two months of protests inspired by uprisings elsewhere in the Arab world.
Despite the protesters concerns, a coalition of seven opposition parties has generally accepted the deal, brokered by the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC).
Protesters say the established opposition parties do not represent them.
“President Saleh has in the past agreed to initiatives and he went back on his word,” said Khaled al-Ansi, a youth leader helping to organise the street protests.
“We have no reason to believe that he would not do this again.”
Under the proposal, established opposition parties would first join President Saleh in a unity government.
President Ali Abdullah Saleh in power since 1978Population 24.3m; land area 536,869 sq kmThe population has a median age of 17.9, and a literacy rate of 61%Youth unemployment is 15%Gross national income per head was $1,060 (£655) in 2009 (World Bank)Profile: President Saleh
The president would then submit his resignation, but to to a parliament that would be dominated by his own party, the ruling General People’s Congress.
What happens if they reject his resignation is unclear. If approved, he would transfer power to his vice-president.
Opposition parties’ spokesman Mohammed al-Sabri said the coalition would not discuss a unity government until after Mr Saleh stepped down.
“How could we form a government that gets sworn in by a president who has lost his legitimacy?” he said.
Mr Saleh has described the protests against him as an attempted “coup”.
He told the BBC that al-Qaeda had infiltrated the opposition and the West would pay a price for ignoring what was happening. Protesters deny any links to al-Qaeda.
“You call on me from the US and Europe to hand over power,” Mr Saleh said.
“Who shall I hand it over to? Those who are trying to make a coup? No. We will do it through ballot boxes and referendums. We’ll invite international observers to monitor.”
He said continuing protests could escalate the crisis.
Mr Saleh has promised not to renew his presidency in 2013 or hand over to his son. However, he has made – and broken – similar pledges in the past.
The US has urged all parties to “swiftly” implement a peaceful transfer of power.
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England’s Luke Donald narrowly misses the chance to become world number one after losing a sudden-death play-off to Brandt Snedeker at The Heritage.
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Mark Selby sets two records in leading Stephen Hendry 12-5, John Higgins leads Rory McLeod 10-5 and Stuart Bingham builds a 9-7 advantage over Ding Junhui in round two at the World Championship.
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Actor Michael Sheen on day two of The Passion in his home town of Port Talbot Hollywood actor Michael Sheen will perform a “crucifixion” scene in Port Talbot as the grand finale to his 72-hour performance of The Passion.
Sheen has returned home to Port Talbot to star as a Christ-like character in the marathon theatre production.
On Saturday he ate a “last supper” of beer and sandwiches at a social club in the south Wales town, where rock band the Manic Street Preachers performed.
Sunday’s crucifixion scene will be performed on a roundabout.
As well as co-directing The Passion, Sheen is also starring in the production, which has a core cast of 15 professionals from Port Talbot.
More than 1,000 local residents are also taking part in the National Theatre Wales production, which is being performed at venues across the town.
“It’s exceeded everybody’s expectations – it’s caught the mood of the moment”
John McGrath National Theatre Wales
The play began at 0530 BST on Good Friday with a seafront scene inspired by John the Baptist’s baptism of Jesus, which was watched by hundreds who had heard about it by word of mouth.
By the time the first main part of the play was performed on Aberavon Beach at 1500 BST, organisers estimate up to 6,000 people had gathered to watch.
On Saturday, there were sequences in Llewellyn Street, the Castle Street underpass, Aberafan Shopping Centre, the Seaside Social and Labour Club in Sandfields and nearby Abbeyville Court.
John McGrath, artistic director of National Theatre Wales, said he was delighted with the response to the play.
“It’s absolutely fantastic – the whole town understood it and got the bug. And they’ve rushed out again after finding their home town all over the nation’s front pages – it’s a real sense of celebration.
National Theatre Wales says it is delighted with the response from the people of Port Talbot “It’s exceeded everybody’s expectations – it’s caught the mood of the moment and has even been on the news in Australia.
“It’s created a real sense of pride among people in this town.”
On Easter Sunday, the production will return to Aberavon Beach as part of the finale.
A trial will be performed on Civic Square at 1400 BST, before a procession from Station Road at 1700 BST. The final scene, “the cross”, will be performed at Aberavon seafront at 2000 BST.
Passion plays developed to tell the story of the trial suffering and death of Christ.
Sheen, known for his screen portrayals of figures such as Tony Blair, David Frost and Brian Clough, has said he was inspired by the community spirit of the passion plays he watched at nearby Margam Park as a youngster.
Written by Welsh poet and novelist Owen Sheers, the Easter production is the last and largest of a series of National Theatre Wales “moving productions” in its first year.
Mr McGrath said: “We’ve followed the sequence of events quite faithfully in making a new story based on the Passion, making it work theatrically and as a community event”.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
The town of Zonkwa in Kaduna state witnessed some of the worst violence A Nigerian human rights group says more than 500 people died after presidential elections earlier this month.
The Civil Rights Congress said the violence happened mostly in the northern state of Kaduna and that the number of victims could be even higher.
Rioting broke out when it emerged that Goodluck Jonathan, a southern Christian – had defeated a Muslim candidate from the mostly Islamic north.
Tens of thousands of people have fled their homes to escape the violence.
Mr Jonathan’s presidential rival Muhammadu Buhari has denied instigating the “sad, unfortunate and totally unwarranted” events.
The Civil Rights Congress said the worst hit area was the town of Zonkwa in rural Kaduna where more than 300 people died.
“The updated figure is about 516,” said Shehu Sani, head of the congress.
Correspondents say Nigeria is braced for possible further unrest over governorship elections on Tuesday in most of Nigeria’s 36 states.
Muslim opposition supporters staged riots on Monday when the results of the election became clear. Churches were set alight and Muslims were then targeted in revenge attacks.
In the northern city of Kano on Sunday, many Christians celebrated Easter in police and military barracks where they had taken shelter from the riots.
Eyo Anthony said he and his family fled when rioters set fire to shops in their neighbourhood.
“Although it has been calm in the past two days I don’t intend to go back to my house… until after the governors’ elections,” he said.
“I know how I managed to escape with my family and I don’t want to relive the same experience.”
Many in the north felt the next president should have been from their region because a Muslim president died last year before he could finish his term.
However, some analysts say the violence has more to do with poverty and economic marginalisation in the north than religion.
The north and south also have cultural, ethnic and linguistic differences.
Mr Jonathan was appointed to the presidency last year upon the death of incumbent Umaru Yar’Adua, a northern Muslim whom he had served as vice-president.
He has described the violence following the election as “horrific” and “shocking”.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
