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Bomb ‘attempt to murder officers’

Annadale Avenue

Police said a bomb in south Belfast had the potential to kill police officers and members of the public.

Army technical officers were called to Annadale Embankment at about 0130 BST on Tuesday and the police helicopter was also launched.

Officers were lured towards the device by a phone call claiming a woman was in distress in the area.

Superintendent Chris Noble said it was a “clear attempt to murder officers”.

The device was attached to a stile at the top of a path leading to the Lagan River.

Police said a significant number of officers responded to a call apparently from a woman in distress in a wood

Police said the bomb was small but could have killed. Supt Noble described those responsible as “callous”.

Analysis

Despite the public outcry that followed the murder of Constable Ronan Kerr, dissident republicans continue to target police officers.

Senior police sources say there is no evidence that the widespread cross-community condemnation of the murder has had any impact on those groups.

A police officer in Northern Ireland is warned he or she is being targeted every two weeks.

Police fear dissidents will attempt to increase their activity in the weeks leading up to the elections and the visit by the Queen to the Republic next month.

The area remains cordoned off whilst the police carry out searches for any additional devices.

No homes were evacuated in the overnight security alert. The road closure from Mornington Place to Wellington Square remains in place.

Police are expected to release more details later on Tuesday.

Two weeks ago, Catholic police officer, Ronan Kerr, 25, was killed when a bomb exploded under his car in Omagh.

Dissidents republicans have been blamed for his murder.

Despite widespread condemnation of Mr Kerr’s murder, the police have said they fear dissident republicans may have already identified their next target, and will continue their efforts to kill more officers.

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

Powell suspended by London Wasps

Andy PowellAndy Powell is the second Welsh player to be suspended by his club in 24 hours
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Wales rugby international Andy Powell has been suspended by his club London Wasps following an incident in a pub on Monday night.

Metropolitan Police said officers were called after reports of an altercation, but no arrests had been made.

London Wasps said Powell and ex-England prop Tim Payne had been suspended pending an internal investigation.

Powell, 29, is the second Welsh player to have been suspended by his club in the last 24 hours.

On Monday, French team Toulon imposed a week-long ban on Gavin Henson for breaching club rules.

Powell, from Brecon in Powys, was banned from driving for 15 months last year after admitting driving a golf buggy while unfit through drink.

He has made 21 appearances for London Wasps this season after joining the club from Cardiff Blues.

London Wasps said Powell and Payne – who joined from Cardiff in 2003 – had been suspended with immediate effect pending an internal investigation.

The club would not confirm the reason for the investigation and said no further comment would be made until the investigation was concluded.

Metropolitan Police said in a statement: “Officers were called at 2230 on Monday, 18 April to reports of an altercation at the Walkabout public house, Shepherd’s Bush Green, London.

“The incident’s being investigated by officers from the violent crime unit based at Hammersmith and Fulham.”

Police said there had been no arrests and inquiries were continuing.

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

EU to investigate net-neutrality

An image of a headset in front of a monitor displaying Skype softwareInternet providers argue traffic management is required to keep services like Skype running well
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The European Union is to investigate whether internet service providers (ISPs) are providing fair access to online services.

It may lead to new rules banning ISPs from restricting access to data-heavy services during peak periods.

ISPs argue that traffic management is key to maintaining a quality service.

However, the EU’s annnouncement falls short of the demands of net-neutrality campaigners, who want all traffic to be treated equally.

The investigation will cover both mobile and fixed providers and will be published by the end of the year.

Announcing the action, the EU’s commissioner for the digital agenda, Neelie Kroes, said: “I am absolutely determined that everyone in the EU should have the chance to enjoy the benefits of an open and lawful internet, without hidden restrictions or slower speeds than they have been promised.

“The Commission has asked the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (Berec) to undertake a rigorous fact-finding exercise on issues crucial to ensuring an open and neutral internet.”

She added that the investigation will also ask businesses and consumers to highlight shortcomings, and if the findings indicate “outstanding problems” they will assess further measures.

In her statement, Ms Kroes referred to a claim that an unnamed UK provider was reportedly making “Skype calls technically impossible in afternoons and evenings without warning the users.”

She also pointed to reports that some internet providers were slowing video-streaming services provided by a competitor.

“A consumer’s experience is not affected if an e-mail reaches him a few seconds after it has been sent”

Neelie Kroes European Union

“Mark my words,” she said. “If measures to enhance competition are not enough to bring internet providers to offer real consumer choice, I’m ready to prohibit the blocking of lawful services or applications.”

However, Ms Kroes said it was “widely accepted” that some services needed to be slowed down to allow others to work.

“A consumer’s experience is not affected if an e-mail reaches him a few seconds after it has been sent, whereas a similar delay to a voice communication would cause it to be significantly degraded, if not rendered entirely useless.”

She argued that consumer pressure and media scrutiny would mean providers blocking or charging extra for bandwidth-heavy services would soon lose custom.

Tuesday’s announcement has left some campaigners for “net-neutrality” – the concept that access to all services on the internet should be treated equally – disappointed.

They had hoped for a firmer decision from the commission, and worry that without stricter measures ISPs may begin charging companies for unrestricted access to consumers.

This would, they argue, create a “two-tiered” internet, with big businesses offering faster access to consumers while smaller businesses suffer.

Advocates of net-neutrality insist a fair internet is vital to foster competition and innovation, and that policies to prevent such practices should be put in place sooner rather than later.

“The internet after all is about openness, choice and participation,” said Monique Goyens, director general of the European Consumers’ Organisation.

Sir Tim Berners-Lee

Web inventor Sir Tim Berners-Lee believes legislation may be needed to protect net neutrality

“If ISPs misuse their control of internet traffic, then these essential qualities are lost.

“This race of technological advances is high-speed and, to remain fair, requires a referee. The EU needs take on this role while giving national regulatory authorities the means to do the same.”

Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the web, told the BBC that governments must act if the industry can not self-regulate.

He has been asked by the UK government to negotiate an agreement on an open internet between service providers and content firms like the BBC and Skype.

“If it fails, the government has to be absolutely ready to legislate,” he said.

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

Schools facing pensions walk-out

ClassroomTeachers question whether they will have the energy to carry on teaching beyond the age of 65
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A teachers’ union is to vote on whether to hold a strike ballot in a campaign against pension changes.

The Association of Teachers and Lecturers, which has never held a national strike before, is to vote on Tuesday on calls for a walk-out.

The union’s leader, Mary Bousted, has warned changes mean teachers face cuts to their pensions and bigger premiums.

A spokesman for the Department for Education said that any changes would be “affordable, sustainable and fair”.

The ATL union, meeting for its annual conference in Liverpool, will hear calls for industrial action to be taken against proposed changes to public sector pensions.

Any strike action, likely to be a one-day strike held next term, would be designed to “encourage the government to negotiate more flexibly”.

Mary BoustedATL leader, Mary Bousted, says pension changes will be damaging for teachers

The ATL is seen as a moderate teachers’ organisation – so a call for strike action would suggest strong feelings among teachers over threatened reductions in their pension benefits.

Union delegates will be invited to condemn the proposed changes to the teachers’ pension scheme.

The strike ballot motion says the changes will include raising the retirement age to 68 and the replacement of the final salary scheme with a career average scheme, which would mean a lower pension for many teachers.

The union says that the proposed public sector pension changes would see teachers on average losing 25% of the value of their pension.

Mary Bousted, the ATL’s general secretary, has previously questioned whether teachers required to work another three years would still feel that they had the energy to control a class of teenagers or young children.

If the strike ballot motion is accepted by the conference, the executive committee will meet later on Tuesday to make a decision about any strike action.

A spokesman for the Department for Education said that changes to public sector pensions reflected the changing demographics.

“Lord Hutton has made it clear that change is needed. People are living longer – in the early 1970s life expectancy of a 60 year old was around 18 years, now it is around 28 years.

“This has meant that the value of public service pensions has increased, with most of these costs falling to employers and taxpayers.

“The government has accepted Lord Hutton’s recommendations as a basis for consultation with public sector workers and will set out proposals in the autumn that are affordable, sustainable, and fair to both the public sector workforce and taxpayers.”

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

‘Kidnap suspects’ killed in Gaza

Vittorio Arrigoni in Gaza - 18 March 2010Vittorio Arrigoni was abducted and killed on 14 April
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Shooting has erupted in Gaza where Hamas security forces a trying to arrest suspects in the killing of Italian citizen Vittorio Arrigoni.

The firing began as Hamas police approached a house in the Nuseirat area where two suspects are believed to be staying, eyewitnesses said.

One person has been arrested and two others are surrounded, reports say.

Arrigoni, 36, was abducted last Thursday by Salafist extremists, who reportedly then hanged him.

Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that governs Gaza, condemned the killing of the pro-Palestinian activist in Gaza City as an attack on “the humanity… of the Palestinian people”.

Two arrests were made earlier.

Hamas sealed off parts of the Gaza Strip before Tuesday’s arrest operation.

Reporters for AFP news agency who tried to approach the scene were held back by Hamas policemen as gunfire was heard coming from the direction of the house being raided.

A Beirut-based satellite TV channel sympathetic to Hamas, Al-Quds, reported in a news flash that one suspect in the killing of Arrigoni had been arrested and two others were being besieged.

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

Get back… blow in fight to save Ringo house

Ringo Starr's old house on Madryn StreetCampaigners believe 9 Madryn Street has cultural significance
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Plans to demolish Beatle Ringo Starr’s birthplace have been approved by Liverpool City Council despite opposition from a government minister.

Number 9 Madryn Street, where the drummer lived until he was four, is among 200 homes which would be cleared under regeneration plans.

Housing Minister Grant Shapps had asked for alternative plans to be considered to renovate the homes.

The communities secretary still needs to approve the plans before demolition.

Eric Pickles is considering a request by campaigners for a full environmental assessment before the area is razed.

Mr Shapps and campaigners have said that the house is considered by many to be a “culturally important building”.

The childhood homes of John Lennon – Mendips, in Menlove Avenue – and Sir Paul McCartney – in Forthlin Road – are preserved as tourist attractions supported by the National Trust.

George Harrison’s Arnold Grove childhood home remains a private house.

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

Entertainer in privacy order win

The Royal Courts of JusticeCourt of Appeal: Upheld privacy of applicant

A married man working in entertainment has won an injunction preventing a newspaper revealing he admitted an affair with his well-known colleague.

Judges at the Court of Appeal said the man had a right to privacy because of how the story could affect his family.

They said someone can be protected from prurient news stories if publication could damage the privacy of children.

The judgement overturns a High Court ruling that would have allowed the News of the World to publish the story.

The father-of-two, referred to in the judgement as ETK, sought the injunction against the Sunday newspaper after journalists learnt that he had begun an affair in November 2009 with his colleague, referred to as X.

The pair would be both known to a “sector of the public”, said the judgement.

ETK’s wife had become suspicious and confronted him. He admitted the affair – and then promised to end it for the sake of their teenage children.

However, Lord Justice Ward said the couple’s attempts at reconciliation led to problems at work for the former lovers.

He said: “The appellant told [the employers] that he would prefer in an ideal world not to have to see her at all and that one or other should leave but both accepted that their working commitments did not then make that possible,” said the judge.

“In December 2010 their employers informed X that her services would no longer be required, explaining publicly that it was a convenient moment to make this change.

“She was, understandably, upset and angry and may even have threatened to take proceedings against the employer.”

At the initial High Court hearing, Mr Justice Collins backed the newspaper’s right to publish the story because it had wanted to reveal the real cause for X leaving her employment.

“ The playground is a cruel place where the bullies feed on personal discomfort and embarrassment”

Lord Justice Ward

But overturning that decision, Lord Justice Ward, supported by Lord Justices Laws and Moore-Blick, said the newspaper’s right to publish did not outweigh the right of ETK’s children to privacy.

“The purpose of the injunction is both to preserve the stability of the family while the appellant and his wife pursue a reconciliation and to save the children the ordeal of playground ridicule when that would inevitably follow publicity,” said Lord Justice Ward.

“They are bound to be harmed by immediate publicity, both because it would undermine the family as a whole and because the playground is a cruel place where the bullies feed on personal discomfort and embarrassment.

“The benefits to be achieved by publication in the interests of free speech are wholly outweighed by the harm that would be done through the interference with the rights to privacy of all those affected, especially where the rights of the children are in play.

“The reasons for her leaving may interest some members of the public but the matters are not of public interest. Publication may satisfy public prurience but that is not a sufficient justification for interfering with the private rights of those involved.”

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

RBS chief’s £7.7m package agreed

Protesters at RBS in Gogarburn (Pic: John Easton)Protesters demonstrated at the RBS headquarters in Gogarburn
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The £7.7m pay package awarded to Royal Bank of Scotland’s chief Stephen Hester has been approved by the UK government.

UK Financial Investments (UKFI), which manages the taxpayer’s 83% stake in RBS, gave its support despite a widespread backlash over the deal.

The deal was rubber-stamped at the group’s annual meeting in Edinburgh.

RBS, which made a loss of more than £1bn last year, insisted it had to pay staff “fairly” to retain talented and motivated workers.

It emerged last month that Mr Hester was awarded an additional £4.5m potential shares windfall on top of his £2m annual bonus and £1.2m salary for 2010, which was not originally revealed under the Project Merlin agreement with the government to rein in pay.

RBS also admitted it paid 323 core staff – those deemed to be in risk-sensitive roles – £375m last year despite remaining in the red by £1.1bn in 2010.

RBS chairman Sir Philip Hampton told the AGM it had tried to strike a balance between paying to motivate people and showing restraint.

“We need talented and motivated people and we need to be able to pay them fairly,” he said.

“It is important to remember we have to motivate all staff and that only a tiny minority were responsible for the problems RBS encountered, all of whom have now left.”

“Sir Philip Hampton is taking on the critics on executive pay. And with his chief executive, Stephen Hester, trousering £7.7m for last year’s loss-making work (OK, to be fair, some is sewn into a trouser pocket he’s not allowed to unpick for a while), there’s quite a lot of criticism kicking around.”

Douglas Fraser BBC Scotland business editorDouglas Fraser’s blog

But there were heated scenes during the AGM, which was attended by about 350, when shareholders challenged the board.

Comments made by Ken Cram, a private shareholder, who accused board members of having an “inflated idea of their own importance”, were met by a loud round of applause.

He told Mr Hampton: “You’re not irreplaceable, you’re paid too much. Can you and Stephen Hester answer how you can justify your bonus when frankly customer service is going down the toilet?”

UKFI backed all resolutions at the bank’s AGM, which included the re-election of the entire board.

Meanwhile, the RBS chairman warned that plans to force banks to separate retail from investment activities would put up costs for customers.

Sir Philip was responding to last week’s interim report of the Independent Commission on Banking.

He told the AGM the reforms would also impact on shareholders, including the UK government.

Protesters demonstrated outside the AGM on Tuesday.

Representatives from some of Canada’s First Nations were demanding RBS stop financing the controversial tar sands industry in Alberta, Canada.

Protesters said new research, published by a coalition of UK and North American NGOs, showed that since being bailed out with public money in 2008, RBS had raised £5.6bn in corporate financing to companies involved in Alberta’s tar sands extraction and pipeline development.

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

Obama: Deficit deal can be found

US President Barack ObamaMr Obama said failure to tackle the budget deficit could cause “serious damage” to the US economy
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US President Barack Obama has said he believes Democrats and Republicans can come together to reach a deal on the federal budget deficit.

“Both sides have come together before. I believe we could do it again,” he said in a town hall speech in Virginia.

But Mr Obama warned a failure to tackle the deficit could cause “serious damage” to the US economy.

The speech kicked off a three-day campaign on spending cuts, as Congress prepares to debate fiscal policy.

The president touted his recently outlined deficit reduction plan in an appearance at Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale in Virginia, while attacking a Republican proposal he said could harm the poor and elderly.

Mr Obama is travelling across the US this week with a message that the government must reduce its staggering debt.

“There’s a way to solve this deficit problem in an intelligent way that is fair and share sacrifice so that we can share opportunity all across America”

US President Barack Obama

The president’s plan aims to reduce the deficit by $4tn (£2.45tn) in the next decade by trimming domestic spending, including defence, and raising taxes on wealthy Americans.

The town hall meeting comes as Congress grapples with the passage of a budget for fiscal year 2012, which begins 1 October.

Lawmakers must also raise the federal debt ceiling so the government can continue meeting its obligations.

The deficit is forecast to reach $1.5tn (£921bn) this year and both Democrats and Republicans have said cutting it is a priority.

The ballooning US deficit is set to be a top issue in the 2012 election campaign, and the president’s speech on Monday came as his re-election bid is now in full swing.

“There’s a way to solve this deficit problem in an intelligent way that is fair and share sacrifice so that we can share opportunity all across America,” Mr Obama said.

He added: “We can’t just tell the wealthiest among us, `You don’t have to do a thing. You just sit there and relax and everybody else, we’re going to solve this problem.'”

Republicans have offered their own proposal that would go further than Mr Obama’s, slashing $6.2tn from government spending over the next decade, based on big reductions in healthcare, social programmes for the poor and elderly and in education spending.

“Exploiting people’s emotions of fear, envy and anxiety is not hope, it’s not change, it’s partisanship. We don’t need partisanship. We don’t need demagoguery. We need solutions,” Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, chairman of the House budget committee, said after Mr Obama outlined his proposal last week.

The president said on Monday he disagrees with the burden the Republican plan places on the shoulders of the poor and middle class.

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

Egypt protest deaths ‘over 800’

A wounded man in Tahrir Square in Cairo, 2 FebruaryMore than 6,400 people were injured, the fact-finding panel says

At least 846 people were killed during the popular uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak, an Egyptian government fact-finding panel says.

It accuses the security forces of “excessive” use of force during the mass protests which began on 25 January, the AP news agency reports.

Mr Mubarak stepped down on 11 February after almost 30 years in power.

Separately, former Vice President Omar Suleiman is to be questioned about the crackdown, the prosecutor general said.

The long-time intelligence chief was summoned as a witness over “information held by the intelligence services on the events of the 25 January revolution,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement quoted by French news agency AFP.

He was questioned about “the killing of protesters during peaceful protests and over the wealth of the former president and his family,” it added.

Hosni Mubarak, 82, named Mr Suleiman as his first ever deputy on 29 January, in a failed attempt to placate the protesters.

Mr Mubarak is under detention in a hospital in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh awaiting questioning on corruption charges and alleged violence against protesters.

His two sons are among a growing number of ministers and officials from his ruling circle who are also facing investigation.

The nationwide protests also left more than 6,400 people injured, said the panel’s report.

The mission – consisting of a panel of judges – said security forces fired live ammunition, placed snipers on rooftops and used vehicles to run over protesters.

The revised toll of 846 civilians dead is more than twice the previous official figure of 365.

Twenty-six policemen were also killed in the 18 days of unrest, the report said.

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

Fidel at Cuba congress with Raul

Fidel and Raul Castro

Fidel Castro, left, looked frail as he appeared alongside his brother, Raul

Former Cuban President Fidel Castro has made an unannounced appearance at a Communist Party Congress alongside his brother, current President Raul Castro.

The two men received an emotional standing ovation from delegates in the Cuban capital, Havana.

It is the first time the two have appeared publicly together since Fidel, 84, handed over the presidency to Raul five years ago.

Congress also elected Raul, 79, to take over from Fidel as first secretary.

Communist Party stalwart Jose Ramon Machado Ventura, 80, was elected second secretary.

The BBC’s Michael Voss in Havana says Fidel’s appearance is a sign of his support for the economic changes his brother has been pushing through.

But it could also be the revolutionary leader’s final farewell to the political stage, he adds.

Earlier, the congress decided to allow Cubans to buy and sell their homes for the first time since the communist revolution in 1959.

For the past 50 years, Cubans have only been allowed to pass on homes to their children, or to swap them through a complicated and often corrupt system.

Correspondents at the closing stages of the congress said many delegates were in tears as Fidel was helped to his place on stage and stood for the national anthem.

The former president appeared unsteady on his feet as he clutched an aide’s arm, and at times slumped into his chair.

The congress was the first held by the ruling party in 14 years and was aimed at breathing new life into the communist system.

Raul Castro also told delegates that top political positions should be limited to two five-year terms, and promised “systematic rejuvenation” of the government.

He said the party leadership was in need of renewal and should subject itself to severe self-criticism.

Analysts say the proposal is unprecedented under Cuban communism.

The party’s new central committee – appointed on Monday – has also been trimmed down from 19 to 15 and includes three new members.

President Castro has spoken of the need to bring through younger leaders to take over once the ageing generation which led the revolution has gone.

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

Ronan Kerr murder suspects freed

Ronan KerrConstable Kerr was killed by a bomb under his car outside his Omagh home
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Two men arrested in connection with the murder of Constable Ronan Kerr have been released “unconditionally”.

Constable Kerr was killed by a bomb under his car outside his Omagh home on Saturday 2 April.

Brian Carron, 26, from the Dungannon area, was arrested in Renton, West Dunbartonshire, four days later.

Sean McKiernan, 40, of Omagh, was arrested on 7 April. Both were released on Tuesday. A 33-year-old remains in custody.

Mr Kerr’s funeral witnessed unprecedented scenes – with police officers and members of the Gaelic Athletic Association uniting in his memory, as well as politicians from across all the main Northern Ireland parties.

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