Gen McChrystal has since been engaged to lecture at Yale University
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The Pentagon has cleared of wrongdoing a US general sacked after a magazine reported he and his staff had spoken disrespectfully about top US officials.
A Pentagon report found insufficient evidence Gen Stanley McChrystal, until June the top US general in Afghanistan, had violated US military policy.
It said events narrated in the magazine had not occurred as written. Rolling Stone said it stood by its article.
Gen McChrystal was replaced as head of US and Nato forces in Afghanistan.
US President Barack Obama replaced him with Gen David Petraeus, saying Gen McChrystal had failed to “meet the standard that should be set by a commanding general” and that the article “undermines the civilian control of the military that’s at the core of our democratic system”.
Gen McChrystal later resigned from the Army.
In a document released on Monday, the Pentagon inspector general’s office said it had reviewed the magazine’s piece, entitled The Runaway General, in which Gen McChrystal or his staff are reported to have made derogatory remarks about Mr Obama, Vice-President Joe Biden, diplomat Richard Holbrooke, Ambassador Karl Eikenberry and others.
Investigators interviewed witnesses who would have been in a position to corroborate the events narrated and reviewed e-mails and travel documents.
“The evidence was insufficient to substantiate a violation of applicable Department of Defense standards with respect to any of the incidents on which we focused,” wrote Michael Child, acting deputy inspector general for administrative investigators.
“Not all of the events at issue occurred as reported in the article.”
‘No violation’
He wrote that in some instances, investigators found no witnesses who acknowledged making or hearing the reported remarks, and in others, they found the context of the incident different from that reported in the article.
The report reviewed episodes in which Gen McChrystal reportedly gave the “middle finger” to another officer, asked “who’s that” about Mr Biden and said Mr Obama looked “uncomfortable and intimidated” during a meeting with military leaders.
It also looked at the article’s claim that Gen McChrystal’s staff had been drunk and unruly at a bar, that a staff member had made an anti-gay comment at a dinner with French officials and other episodes.
Mr Child wrote that Gen McChrystal’s alleged middle finger gesture toward another officer would not have violated any standard of behaviour because it would have occurred “in a conversation between professional colleagues with a long-standing professional and personal relationship”.
Mr Child said the article’s author, Michael Hastings, and Rolling Stone executive editor Eric Bates had declined to be interviewed by the inspector general’s office.
Rolling Stone published a statement saying it stood behind its story, which it called “accurate in every detail”.
“We also note that Gen Stanley McChrystal’s own response to the story was to issue an apology, saying that what was reflected in the article fell ‘far short’ of his personal standard,” the magazine said.
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Derby hold on for a goalless draw at QPR, as the Championship leaders remain a win away from automatic promotion to the Premier League.
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Vince Cable on how his party has “stopped” Tories’ making “offensive” policies in Scotland
Business Secretary Vince Cable has said the Liberal Democrats are “restraining” the Conservatives in government.
In a BBC interview, the Lib Dem MP claimed his party had stopped their coalition partners pursuing many Thatcherite policies, which he said had caused “revulsion” in the 1980s.
Mr Cable was in Scotland to address the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce.
Labour and the SNP attacked Mr Cable for leaving out the sections of his speech attacking the Tories.
His comments had been released to the media ahead of his speech but were not delivered.
Mr Cable, one of the most senior Lib Dems in the coalition government, earlier told BBC Scotland: “We’re making a very significant difference politically, by restraining what a Tory government would have done on its own.
“For example, lifting large numbers of low earners out of tax, reversing Mrs Thatcher’s measure of de-linking pensions from earnings.
“These are big achievements, that we’ve been able to do at a UK level, and I think people in Scotland will recognise that we’re actually greatly improving the results of the government, as a result of our being part of it.”
However, Mr Cable’s speech in Edinburgh did not include his reference to the “negative side of Thatcherism, such as the Poll Tax, mass unemployment and the claims that there was no such thing as society”, which had been pre-released to the media and on Twitter.
“All that Vince Cable has succeeded in doing is portray the Tories as the nasty party, and destroy what remained of Lib Dem credibility in Scotland by continuing to prop them up in government at Westminster”
Michael Russell SNP
Scottish Labour Leader Iain Gray said: “Clearly Nick Clegg tried to stop Vince Cable making this speech because it is an astonishing attack on his coalition partners.
“He is clearly uncomfortable with the government of which he is a senior member, as are former Lib Dem voters who feel increasingly let down.”
The Scottish National Party’s Michael Russell said: “This is a complete shambles by the Lib Dems.
“All that Vince Cable has succeeded in doing is portray the Tories as the nasty party, and destroy what remained of Lib Dem credibility in Scotland by continuing to prop them up in government at Westminster.”
A Scottish Conservatives source said of Mr Cable’s comments: “They are clearly desperate for attention and getting more desperate for votes.”
Speaking after the Edinburgh event, Mr Cable was asked to give his view on comments by Scottish Lib Dem leader Tavish Scott on the BBC’s Politics Show.
Mr Scott said he was not “particularly comfortable” with his party’s links with the Tories at Westminster.
Mr Cable indicated he did not believe the party’s role in the coalition would have a damaging impact on its chances at the Scottish election.
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Pietro Ferrero ran the company with his brother, Giovanni
Italian chocolate tycoon Pietro Ferrero has died in an accident in South Africa, a spokesman for his company has said.
Details of the accident have not yet been made clear.
Mr Ferrero was joint chief executive of the Ferrero group, which owns Nutella and Kinder.
The Italian newspaper Corriere della Serra reported that Mr Ferrero, 48, who was married with three children, had been in South Africa for work.
It quoted a spokesman for the Ferrero group as saying: “We currently have fragmented news; the exact events are not known.”
Mr Ferrero ran the confectionery group with his brother, Giovanni.
Their 85-year-old father Michele – who is Italy’s richest man – turned the company into a global giant of the confectionery industry.
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Shawn Tyson is due in court later
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A 16-year-old boy charged with the murders of two British holidaymakers in Florida has been named by detectives.
Shawn Tyson is due in court later charged with murdering James Kouzaris, 24, from Northampton, and James Cooper, 25, of Warwick.
The friends were found shot dead 50ft from each other in a street in the city of Sarasota early on Saturday.
Sarasota police said there was no known link between the suspect and the victims.
Detectives have said the two men, who met at Sheffield University, were found dead in the Newtown area of northern Sarasota, a deprived part of the city.
Local officers said it was “very unusual” to find tourists in the area, several miles from recognised tourist zones.
The two friends had been staying on the island city of Longboat Key, about 12 miles from where they were found.
James Cooper and James Kouzaris were found by police in a residential area of the city of Sarasota
Sarasota police said they were not carrying drugs but would not confirm whether they had any money or weapons.
Police captain Paul Sutton said Shawn Tyson was known to officers and had “at least one previous arrest”.
Friends and family have paid tribute to the victims, describing them as role models who lived life to the full.
Mr Kouzaris’ sister, Emily, posted a tribute to him on Facebook that read: “My brother was a legend and he will be missed and loved by many, many people.”
His cousin Lynn Hucker wrote: “To a beautiful cousin who I will never forget. Always happy and full of life.”
Ed Ferrari, Research Fellow from the University of Sheffield’s Department of Town and Regional Planning, said Mr Kouzaris was committed to his studies and “his positive outlook and humour were infectious”.
The tutor said: “He was just the sort of student any lecturer would hope to have in their class.”
Mayor of Sarasota, Kelly Kirschner: “It’s a gut-check for us as a community”
Mr Kouzaris, who was known as Jam, spent several months travelling in South America before his death, visiting Ecuador, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Bolivia.
He was on a three-week holiday in Florida staying with Mr Cooper and his family.
Mr Cooper worked as a tennis coach for inspire2coach, a company based at the University of Warwick and was due to become head coach when he returned from his holiday. He also played tennis for Warwickshire as a child.
James Roe, his friend and former coach, said Mr Cooper’s claim to fame was that he had played Andy Murray in a junior tournament.
“He was an only child and the apple of his mum and dad’s eye.
“He was a model student and a cracking tennis player,” the coach added.
Mr Cooper was also a Coventry City season ticket holder, he said.
Dr Jon Burchell, Senior Lecturer from the University of Sheffield’s Management School, said Mr Cooper was hard-working and “popular among his peers”.
The tutor said: “He had a good sense of humour and a range of plans for what he wanted to do after graduation.”
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Craig Whyte’s camp say certain members of Rangers’ board want to delay a decision on his takeover until the end of the season.
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Thousands of migrant workers and their families, as well as Libyans, are fleeing Misrata
New funding will be provided by the UK to help civilians in strife-torn Libya, the international development secretary has said.
Andrew Mitchell told the BBC some of the money would go towards bringing out migrant workers trapped by fighting in the city of Misrata.
The minister is attending a UN meeting in New York to discuss the humanitarian situation in Libya.
Aid workers and Misrata residents have said the situation there is “dire”.
They have reported shortages of food, power, water and medicine, as forces loyal to Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi intensify their shelling of the city.
The BBC’s Barbara Plett, reporting from the United Nations, said some of the most desperate civilians were thousands of migrant workers from the Middle East, Africa and South Asia.
Mr Mitchell said Britain would help fund their evacuation in ships chartered by the International Organization for Migration.
He told the BBC Britain would continue to do everything it could to press for unfettered access to people in need, and would try to ensure the international community lined up behind UN efforts to help Libyan civilians trapped by the fighting.
The rebel-held western town of Misrata has been under attack from Col Gaddafi’s forces for over five weeks.
On Sunday, six civilians were reported to have died and more have been injured in a barrage of rocket fire. Pro-government fighters are also said to have shelled Ajdabiya in the east.
Also on Sunday, the UK’s Department for International Development said approximately 300 civilians had been killed and a further 1,000 injured in Misrata since late February.
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Mr Brown was arrested at the luxury hotel on 6 April
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A UK tourist who died in Dubai police custody hit his head on a wall while resisting officers but this did not cause his death, local officials say.
Lee Brown, 39, was arrested at a hotel after being accused of trying to throw a female housekeeper off a balcony.
The Londoner died on 12 April. It has been claimed officers assaulted him.
Dubai’s attorney general says a forensic report shows Mr Brown only had “minor” injuries and that post-mortem tests show he choked on his own vomit.
Meanwhile, prosecutors in the Gulf emirate have met Mr Brown’s family, from Dagenham, east London, and released his body and personal possessions to them.
The UK Foreign Office and human rights campaigners have demanded a full investigation into the death in a cell at Bur Dubai police station.
In a statement, Dubai Attorney General Issam Al Humaidan said his office took seriously any allegations of abuse, adding that investigations into the death were still ongoing.
“All injuries are considered minor and are not known to cause death”
Issam Al Humaidan Dubai attorney general
Mr Humaidan said police had described how Mr Brown was in a “hysterical temper” after he was held for allegedly assaulting and verbally abusing the staff member at the luxury Burj Al Arab Hotel on 6 April.
He said the maintenance firm owner kept beating a metal mesh barrier in the police car as he was driven away after his arrest.
Mr Humaidan said that as police officers escorted Mr Brown to a building for questioning he was “extremely violent and caused damage to public property. He banged his head against the wall and suffered a nose injury before he fell face down”.
He added: “Forensic analysis found irregular bruising on the left side of the forehead, as well as bruising on the nose and on the inner arm.
“The nature of the injuries mentioned in the report indicates blunt force trauma and friction burns caused by solid bodies or objects – some with coarse surfaces – which may have been caused by frequent falls to the ground….
“All injuries are considered minor and are not known to cause death.”
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Richard Scott takes a close-up look at the repair work being done to a damaged bridge, which has kept the M1 closed for several days.
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The BBC’s Nicholas Witchell takes a look at the Middleton family tree.
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Can a baby predict the environment it will be born into?
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A mother’s diet during pregnancy can alter the DNA of her child and increase the risk of obesity, according to researchers.
The study, to be published in the journal Diabetes, showed eating a lot of carbohydrate changed bits of DNA.
It then showed children with these changes were fatter.
The British Heart Foundation said the results showed the need for better nutritional and lifestyle support for women.
It is thought that a developing baby tries to predict the environment it will be born into, taking cues from its mother and adjusting its DNA.
“What is surprising is that it explains a quarter of the difference in the fatness of children”
Professor Keith Godfrey University of Southampton
Studies in animals have shown that changes in diet can alter the function of genes – known as epigenetic change.
It is a growing field trying to understand how the environment interacts with genes.
In this study, the researchers took samples from the umbilical cord and looked for “epigenetic markers”.
They showed that mothers with diets rich in carbohydrates, such as sugars, had children with these markers.
They then showed a strong link between those same markers and a child’s obesity at ages six and nine.
Professor Keith Godfrey, who is from the University of Southampton and led the international study, told the BBC: “What is surprising is that it explains a quarter of the difference in the fatness of children six to nine years later.”
The report says the effect was “considerably greater” than that of birth weight and did not depend on how thin or fat the mother was.
The changes were noticed in the RXRA gene. This makes a receptor for vitamin A, which is involved in the way cells process fat.
Professor Godfrey said: “It is both a fascinating and potentially important piece of research.
“All women who become pregnant get advice about diet, but it is not always high up the agenda of health professionals.
“The research suggests women should follow the advice as it may have a long term influence on the baby’s health after it is born.”
Professor Mark Hanson, of the British Heart Foundation, said: “This study provides compelling evidence that epigenetic changes, at least in part, explain the link between a poor start to life and later disease risk.
“It strengthens the case for all women of reproductive age having greater access to nutritional, education and lifestyle support to improve the health of the next generation, and to reduce the risk of the conditions such as diabetes and heart disease, which often follow obesity.”
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By Laura Kuenssberg
Getting politicians from different parties to campaign together on an issue is a rare event
So what are we to make of the odd couple political outings on Monday morning?
Is it that weird to see those normally trying to stab each other in the back burying the hatchet instead?
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg thinks such cross-party love-ins – with former bitter rivals swapping pleasantries for the cameras – will have little impact on the 5 May referendum.
He told me the country won’t decide whether or not to change the Westminster voting system on the basis of who shares a platform with whom.
He may well say that – but with Labour leader Ed Miliband still refusing to share a platform with him, he was not given a chance to test out the theory at the Yes campaign event.
The rival “Yes” and “No” campaigns – who put together Monday’s competing media events – clearly believe there is some merit in getting politicians from different parties to appear alongside each other.
That it will make the public – who have so far showed few signs of caring about this referendum – sit up and take notice.
But what was the point, beyond getting better known faces to stand in front of the campaign logos that still remain a mystery to much of the public?
THE REFERENDUM CHOICE
At the moment MPs are elected by the first-past-the-post system, where the candidate getting the most votes in a constituency is elected.
On 5 May all registered UK voters will be able to vote Yes or No on whether to change the way MPs are elected to the Alternative Vote system.
Under the Alternative Vote system, voters rank candidates in their constituency in order of preference.
Anyone getting more than 50% of first-preference votes is elected.
If no-one gets 50% of votes, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and their backers’ second choices allocated to those remaining.
This process continues until one candidate has at least 50% of all votes in that round.
Political foes unite in AV battle In depth: Vote change referendum
The novelty factor of Tony Blair’s former enforcer, John Reid, sharing a platform with the prime minister ensured more media coverage than might would otherwise have been the case, as they argued in favour of keeping the current voting system.
A no-nonsense Reid appeared hardly to believe he was there himself, and seemed to revel in the novelty of the occasion.
And the presence of Vince Cable, alongside Mr Miliband, at the Yes event allowed hacks to throw in a few pointed questions about the coalition and Mr Cable’s row with Mr Cameron last week over immigration.
(The Yes event also had a “surprise” guest – although why Alan Johnson – a well-known advocate of the alternative vote – counts as a “surprise” remains a mystery).
It is not surprising that Labour politicians are involved in both campaigns.
The party is more or less split from top to bottom, even though they promised a vote on changing the way MPs are chosen in their general election manifesto.
And the “no” campaign have been determined to include Labour voices in their campaign, although it is backed vigorously by the Conservatives and Conservative donors’ money.
They do not want the campaign to preserve the current way of voting to be seen only as a Conservative project.
And it is not surprising that Liberal Democrats and other Labour politicians have appeared together at “yes” events – after all, the alternative vote system would increase the chances of politicians having to work together in coalitions.
But there is another reason too, plainly articulated by John Reid, that when fundamental change is on the horizon the public expects politicians to work together.
It happens all the time when MPs from different parties band together to fight for their local areas, whether for new roads, or to save a hospital.
But in national politics it is a very rare event.
The last significant example, perhaps, was when rival campaigns battled it out over whether Britain should join the euro in the early years of the last decade.
Whatever your view, whichever campaign you favour – even if like many millions of voters you have hardly given it a second thought so far – the question on the ballot paper in less than three weeks time could change the way we choose our MPs forever.
Perhaps that is the lesson from Monday’s curious double acts – that when it really matters, the traditional tribal loyalties can take second place.
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