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The supermarket giant Tesco has become the first general retailer to start a used car buying website.
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A Mexican human rights group says more than 5,000 people have been reported missing since the war on drugs began.
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Average tuition fees from next year will be much higher than the government expected, a senior academic says.
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Police have asked the public to help identify these suspects Police investigating people involved in unrest in central London on 26 March have released images of 18 suspects.
Police have already charged 149 people over violence which broke out during and after a peaceful anti-spending cuts protest organised by the TUC.
A group attacked police, broke windows and daubed banks and shops with paint.
Detective Chief Superintendent Matthew Horne said: “We are working tirelessly to identify those responsible for the appalling acts of criminal behaviour.”
A total of 201 arrests were made, most of them after a campaign group staged a sit-in at a luxury store on Piccadilly.
Scotland Yard said the violence “could not have been more markedly different” from the TUC event, in which between 250,000 and 500,000 people took part.
The images were taken from a number of sources, including CCTV Police have launched an investigation, Operation Brontide, and have now begun releasing images from various sources, including CCTV cameras.
Det Ch Supt Horne, who is leading the investigation, said: “The vast majority of people, who came to London that day, did so peacefully, but a significant minority didn’t – they came to cause violence and damage. There is an extensive operation to identify these people.
“With the help of the public they will be called to account for their actions on that day. I would urge anyone who recognises these individuals to contact my team.”
He urged anyone with information to contact the Operation Brontide team on 020 8246 9386 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
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The head of the UN mission said the violence would not drive it out of Afghanistan President Barack Obama has described as “outrageous” the killings in Afghanistan triggered by the burning of a Koran in the US last month.
Mr Obama said the desecration of any holy text was “an act of extreme intolerance and bigotry”, but it did not justify killing innocent people.
An attack on a UN base on Friday in the city of Mazar-e Sharif killed 14 people, seven of them UN staff.
A top UN official has blamed the pastor who burnt the Koran for the violence.
At least 10 people were killed and many more were injured in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar on Saturday in a second day of protests.
During a service at the Dove World Outreach Center in Florida on 20 March, Pastor Wayne Sapp soaked a Koran in kerosene, staged a “trial” during which the Islamic holy book was found guilty of “crimes against humanity”, and then set it alight.
The incident took place under the supervision of Pastor Terry Jones, who last year drew condemnation over his aborted plan to burn copies of the Koran on the anniversary of the 11 September 2001 attacks on the US.
Pastor Terry Jones (L) said and Wayne Sapp (R) did not feel responsible for the attack on the UN In a statement published on Saturday evening, Mr Obama extended his condolences to the families of those killed by the protesters in Afghanistan.
“The desecration of any holy text, including the Koran, is an act of extreme intolerance and bigotry,” he said. “However, to attack and kill innocent people in response is outrageous, and an affront to human decency and dignity.
“No religion tolerates the slaughter and beheading of innocent people, and there is no justification for such a dishonourable and deplorable act.”
The president said it was the time to “draw upon the common humanity that we share, and that was so exemplified by the UN workers who lost their lives trying to help the people of Afghanistan”.
“We should be blaming the person who produced the news – the one who burned the Koran”
Staffan de Mistura Head, UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan
Earlier, the head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (Unama), Staffan de Mistura, said during a visit to Mazar-e Sharif that the only person who could be blamed for the violence was the American pastor.
“I don’t think we should be blaming any Afghan. We should be blaming the person who produced the news – the one who burned the Koran. Freedom of speech does not mean freedom from offending culture, religion, traditions.”
He also insisted that Friday’s attack “should not deter the UN presence, activities in this country in this delicate and particularly crucial period”.
The UN would, however, temporarily redeploy 11 staff members from Mazar-e Sharif to Kabul while their office was rebuilt, he said.
“This is not an evacuation,” he added. “We will be ready to go back as soon as we can establish an office that is secure enough.”
The authorities in both Kandahar and Mazar-e Sharif have blamed the Taliban for the violence. However, the Taliban has rejected the accusation.
The BBC’s Paul Wood says the authorities in Kandahar have blamed the Taliban for the protests
Pastor Jones has said that the Dove World Outreach Center’s congregation does not “feel responsible” for the attack.
“The radical element of Islam takes [the burning of the Koran] as an excuse to promote their violent activities,” he told the AFP news agency.
Witnesses said the protest in Mazar-e Sharif, which began outside the central Blue Mosque after Friday prayers, began peacefully but suddenly turned violent.
The crowds moved to outside the UN compound, where a small group broke away.
Several demonstrators were killed by guards at the compound, who were then overpowered by the mob.
Munir Ahmad Farhad, a spokesman for the governor of Balkh province, said the group seized weapons from the guards and stormed the building. Four Nepalese guards, a Norwegian, a Romanian and a Swede died.
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Sharmila Kamaleswaran has asked for the privacy of her other children to be respected The mother of a five-year-old girl who was shot in the chest in a south London shop has said she feels “empty inside”.
Thusha Kamaleswaran, who was wounded along with another bystander in Stockwell on 29 March, remains in a serious but stable condition.
Thusha’s mother Sharmila said she could not eat or sleep properly until her daughter opened her eyes.
Anthony McCalla, 19, has been remanded in custody charged with attempting to murder Thusha and Roshan Selvakumar.
Mr Selvakumar, 35, was shot in the face. Like Thusha he is Sri Lankan although the two are not related.
They were wounded as two youths cowered in the store after being chased by three other youths on bicycles.
Mrs Kamaleswaran, who was in the shop at the time of the shootings, said: “This incident has caused much shock for me and my family.
“As any mother, I have deep love for all my children and what has happened to my daughter Thusha has left me feeling empty inside.
“My daughter Thusha is such a sweet, quiet and helpful child, always smiling and laughing. I cannot wait to hear her voice again and hold her.
“I ask for any person who knows about those responsible for this to come forward and speak to the police. I do not wish this to happen to another family.”
She also thanked the hospital staff involved in the care of Thusha and the media for highlighting the story, but asked that the privacy of her family be respected.
Mrs Kamaleswaran’s 12-year-old son and three-year-old daughter were also with her when Thusha was shot. None of the rest of the family was injured.
On Saturday, Mr McCalla was remanded by Camberwell magistrates to appear at the Old Bailey on 10 June.
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Smoke rises from the centre of Abidjan Heavy fighting is taking place in Ivory Coast’s main city, Abidjan, for a third day as rival forces battle for power.
Fighters loyal to internationally-recognised president Alassane Ouattara battled for control of the presidential palace and barracks still loyal to incumbent Laurent Gbagbo.
Mr Gbagbo’s whereabouts are unknown.
In the country’s west, at least 800 people are reported to have been killed earlier this week in Duekoue as a result of inter-communal violence.
The battle for Abidjan remains fierce, with heavy fighting reported on Saturday around the Agban military base in the centre of the city.
But the situation inside the city is unclear, with some reports that soldiers defending the base were fighting amongst themselves.
State television station RTI, appears to be back under the control of Gbagbo supporters after being briefly seized by their rivals.
One soldier, accompanied by a dozen members of Mr Gbagbo’s Defence and Security Forces (FDS), read a statement on the channel calling for the mobilisation of troops to protect state institutions.
“The FDS, wishing to reaffirm their determination, to ensure their sovereign duty to protect people, property and institutions of the Republic of Ivory Coast” calls for “all the staff of the armed forces” to join five units located in Abidjan.
Residents of Abidjan say they are too afraid to leave their homes as the fighting continues. Many report running out of food, with all shops closed and widespread looting.
The BBC’s Valerie Bony in Abidjan says: “In all districts of Abidjan there is sporadic gunfire. There is a lot of looting going in the city, for example on Boulevard Valery Giscard d’Estaing, where shops and houses have been looted by youths who are taking advantage of the situation.”
She also says young, pro-Gbagbo supporters in several districts of Abdidjan have been armed by pro-Gbagbo supporters, according to witnesses.
Mr Ouattara was internationally recognised as president after winning a run-off vote in November, but Mr Gbagbo also claimed victory and refused to leave office.
Duekoue ‘massacre’
Tens of thousands of women, men and children have fled fighting in Duekoue since Monday Staff of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), who visited the western city of Duekoue, said the scale and brutality of the killings were shocking.
The city was captured by fighters supporting Mr Ouattara this week and has seen fierce fighting.
Aid agencies have warned repeatedly that civilians were being subjected to major violence.
The ICRC said delegates and volunteers from the Ivorian Red Cross had visited the city on Thursday and Friday to gather evidence of the killings, which are believed to have taken place on Tuesday.
Tens of thousands of women, men and children had fled fighting in Duekoue since Monday, they said.
It is not clear whether Mr Ouattara’s forces were involved in the killings.
The United Nations human rights office says it has received reports of major human rights violations committed by both sides in the conflict.
West Africa’s second biggest economy has been brought to its knees by the conflict, which has sent global cocoa prices spiralling upwards. Ivory Coast is the world’s largest cocoa producer.
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Bradley Cooper stars as Eddie Morra, a writer on a drug-fuelled odyssey, in Limitless “One pill. Anything is possible.” That’s the message advertising Limitless, a film showing in cinemas this week.
Starring Bradley Cooper and Robert de Niro, the film tells the story of a writer who takes an experimental drug that allows him to use 100% of his mind.
Success, fame and a much-improved hairdo follow. The designer pharmaceutical turns him from being disorganised and unmotivated into someone laser-focused and more confident than any man alive.
But is there any truth in the scenario? Can a little pill impart limitless brain power?
Drugs like the one portrayed in the film do exist and they have been found to boost concentration and improve memory, hence the use of the term “smart drugs” to describe them.
Modafinil has been branded a smart drug because of its growing use among UK students to cope with the fatigue of exams.
Although it was originally designed to treat narcolepsy – extreme drowsiness and sleep disorders – its ability to increase levels of wakefulness and alertness has given it popularity among a number of groups.
It has been used by the military to keep soldiers awake in times of combat and its use is thought to be on the rise among shift workers, such as nurses, doctors and pilots. Modafinil is also said to be popular among jet-lagged academics.
Research by Barbara Sahakian, professor of clinical neuropsychology at Cambridge University, found that 17% of students in some US universities admitted using the stimulant Ritalin (methylphenidate) – a drug designed to treat hyperactive children – to maximise their learning power.
“If you’re not a genius before, you won’t be afterwards”
Prof John Harris University of Manchester
A survey of 1,400 adults carried out by Nature found that one in five said they had taken Ritalin, Provigil (modafinil) or beta-blockers to stimulate focus, concentration or memory – not for any medical condition.
Professor Sahakian explained what the benefits of the drugs are on healthy people: “Studies have found that enhancers like modafinil brought improvements in complex planning and problem-solving tasks, namely the executive functions in the front part of the brain.”
“Modafinil has also been shown to improve memory functions and Ritalin has been shown to specifically improve working memory.”
But scientists still do not know exactly how the drug acts in the brain to boost cognition.
So it is no real surprise that the use of smart drugs is on the increase. It is an attractive proposition – becoming as alert and efficient as we have the potential to be, when we need to be.
Even if they improve memory function by just 10%, which has been suggested, it could be the difference between passing and failing an exam, between a good grade and a better one.
The use of “smart drugs” is on the rise among students, particularly around exam time. “Students will feel pressure over whether to keep up with their peers if they are using these drugs,” says Prof Sahakian.
But do these little pills do anything more than caffeine?
Professor John Harris, director of the Institute for Science, Ethics and Innovation at the University of Manchester, says they give people an edge.
“They have a similar effect to hard work and coffee. Physical exercise also has the same effect. They are all, to an extent, cognitive enhancers.”
Taking Modafinil may help people do tiring jobs but it will not turn anyone into Albert Einstein overnight.
“If you’re not a genius before, you won’t be afterwards. They don’t make you brainier,” says Prof Harris.
“Universities need policies on the use of these drugs, guidance on what is acceptable and what is not”
Prof Barbara Sahakian Cambridge University
Yet it is still not clear how safe these cognitive enhancers are.
The long-term implications of taking smart drugs have not been studied, principally because no-one is sure who is using them as “neuroenhancers”.
They are only available via the internet for this purpose and so it is difficult to know how many users exist.
The charity DrugScope warns of the risks of buying pills this way.
“You can never be fully aware of what you are buying, you can’t know what’s in them or what adverse reactions they might cause or how they fit with other drugs you might be taking,” says a DrugScope spokesman.
And then there is the issue of how addictive they might be.
Although Modafinil is not thought to be addictive, DrugScope has concerns that regular use of any drug can lead to dependency.
The charity advises anyone taking anything known as a smart drug to consult their GP first.
What Prof Sahakian would like to see is a formal policy on smart drugs.
“The government should consider the harms of cognitive enhancers and address them,” she said. “Universities need policies on the use of these drugs, guidance on what is acceptable and what is not.”
Until then, people will keep taking them to pass their exams and to stop getting tired, because they can.
The ethics of taking smart drugs have often been debated.
Those in favour of making cognitive enhancers available for non-medical use say they are no different to exercise and learning in the way they shape our brains.
If they are a quick fix which helps us function better in our daily lives, then what is the issue?
Others say there is no such thing as a safe drug.
There are potential side effects and the risks for a young person taking them over a long period is unknown.
Internet pharmacies are also a very risky and unregulated source.
Limitless brain power may be attractive but, as the film shows, there are always risks and complications.
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The veteran actor tells Kirsty Young on Desert Island Discs his son Charlie is dealing with “profound problems and addictions”
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Kate Carroll, the wife of murdered policeman Stephen Carroll who was killed in 2009 in County Armagh, gives her reaction to the death of a 25-year-old policeman in a car bomb attack in Omagh.
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The booby-trap bomb exploded in a residential area The police officer killed after a bomb exploded under his car in Omagh, County Tyrone, was Constable Ronan Kerr.
The device exploded under the vehicle outside his home in Highfield Close, just before 1600 BST on Saturday.
Neighbours rushed to help him and tried to put out the flames from the explosion. He died at the scene.
The 25-year-old was recently qualified and is the second policeman to be killed since the PSNI was formed out of the RUC in 2001.
Since 2007, dissident republicans have planted dozens of booby-trap bombs under the private cars of police officers.
The bombs have failed to detonate, but two policemen lost their legs in attacks in May 2008 and January 2010.
On Saturday morning about 2,000 people, who were taking part in the Omagh half marathon, passed the nearby entrance to the estate just hours before the blast.
Politicians and party leaders from across Northern Ireland and the Republic have condemned the attack. As of yet there has been no claim of responsibility for his murder.
Northern Ireland’s First Minister, Peter Robinson, said he shared the outrage of the country.
Dissident republicans are trying to de-stabilise Northern Ireland at a time when it has rarely been more stable.
Power-sharing is working. The Stormont Assembly has just completed it first full four-year term for 30 years.
Relations between Britain and Ireland have never been better. This summer, the Queen will make an historic first visit to Dublin, demonstrating how relations on these islands have normalised.
Violent republican groups like the Real IRA and Oglaigh na hEireann are fighting against normality.
“It was a young man who was bravely entering the police service, recognising that he was putting his life on the line.
“I have absolutely no doubt the overwhelming number of people in NI want to move on. It’s only a few Neanderthal who want to go back.
“They will not drag us back to the past.”
Prime Minister, David Cameron, said the officer had dedicated himself to serving the entire community of Northern Ireland.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and his friends. This is a terrible tragedy for all who knew him and served with him, and for a town that had already suffered so much,” he said.
“Those who carried out this wicked and cowardly crime will never succeed in dragging Northern Ireland back to a dark and bloody past. Their actions are rejected by the overwhelming majority of people right from all parts of the community.
“I know that the Chief Constable of the PSNI will not rest until the perpetrators have been brought to justice.
Secretary of State, Owen Paterson, said it had been “an evil act, carried out by enemies of the whole community”.
“First and foremost my heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends and colleagues of the young PSNI officer who was murdered.
“The people in all parts of Ireland and beyond want peace and those who carried out this atrocity are in the grip of an obscene delusion if they think that by murder they can defy their will”.
Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary, Shaun Woodward, described it as “an evil and cowardly attack”.
“These crimes are targeted on those who protect the community,” he said.
“We all deeply mourn the brave young man whose life was taken by this savage crime.
“We all have a duty to stop those behind it from succeeding.”
Sinn Fein president, Gerry Adams, said his party was determined that those responsible would not set back the progress of the peace and political process.
Ulster Unionist leader Tom Elliott said those behind the murder had one aim – to take Northern Ireland back to the dark days of the past.
“The deliberate targeting of a new recruit to the police by these criminals is utterly reprehensible,” he said.
SDLP leader Margaret Ritchie said the policeman’s killers were enemies of Ireland.
“This has not only stunned the people of Omagh, it has stunned the entire country,” she said.
“This is not what the people want. They cannot be allowed to continue their campaign.”
Prayers are being said at vigil masses throughout Omagh on Saturday night for the policeman.
In March 2009, a police officer was shot dead as he answered a distress call in Craigavon, County Armagh.
Dissident republican group, the Continuity IRA, claimed responsibility for the attack. Constable Stephen Carroll, 48, was married and from Banbridge.
He was murdered two days after the Real IRA shot dead two soldiers outside Massereene Barracks in Antrim.
The Continuity IRA is one of a number of dissident republican paramilitary groups opposed to the peace process. They have carried out bomb and gun attacks on civilians and the security forces.
There is believed to be cross-over and co-operation between the Continuity IRA and the larger Real IRA, which bombed Omagh in 1998.
The car bomb killed 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins, and injured hundreds more.
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President Assad has said the protests are part of a foreign plot Syrian security forces have arrested dozens of people, hours after clashes at pro-democracy protests in several cities left at least seven people dead, activists say.
Most arrests came in the southern city of Deraa and the Damascus suburb of Duma, scene of the worst violence.
The government said its forces were not responsible for the deaths, blaming them on “armed groups”.
Coverage of the protests is difficult to gauge because of media restrictions.
Some reports said as many as 15 people had died in Friday’s clashes.
An eyewitness told the Associated Press news agency that there was tension in Duma, with security forces patrolling the streets and checking documents.
Other residents said bodies of some of the dead had been withheld, amid fears that funerals would spark further violence.
A joint statement by eight human rights groups, quoted by AFP news agency, said 46 people were arrested.
President Bashar al-Assad said earlier this week that demonstrations were part of a foreign “plot”, but he has agreed to examine unpopular emergency laws in place since 1963.
Activists and rights groups estimate that between 60 and 130 people have died in clashes in the past two weeks.
Government officials say the death toll is closer to 30.
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Louise King said the cuts would have a devastating impact A group of women are using Mother’s Day to take their campaign against cuts to Sure Start Children’s Centres to Downing Street.
Five mothers and their toddlers from local campaigns across England will take a 50,000-name petition against cuts and closures of the centres.
Daycare Trust research suggests up to 86% of centres are facing budget cuts and that up to 250 may close in 2011.
But ministers say there is enough money in the system to retain the centres.
They want to refocus the centres to help more disadvantaged families with health visitors picking up some of their early intervention work.
Sure Start Children’s Centres are being cut in some places because the grant which funds them was cut by 11% in the emergency budget, and again in the comprehensive spending review by almost the same percentage.
Then the government removed the protection from the Sure Start budget. This has left them vulnerable as councils sought to make up losses to their central government grants overall.
“ We wanted to highlight the devastating impact that these cuts are having”
Louise King Children’s centre campaigners
As local authorities have set out their plans to reduce budgets local campaigns have sprung up from parents anxious about losing the services and help they offer to them and their children.
Campaigns represented on Sunday include mothers from Lambeth, Hampshire, Manchester, Camden, Stoke, Hammersmith and Fulham, Kirklees and Derby.
They intend to sing nursery rhymes and do some face painting after handing their petition in to Number 10.
Organiser of the Mother’s Day event Louise King said: “On the day the nation’s thoughts turn to mothers and the job they do, we wanted to highlight the devastating impact that these cuts are having on mums and kids everywhere.
“Sure Start Children’s Centres are a great leveller in our society. Kids from all walks of life mix and learn together.
“Parents can further their education and gain vital support. Take them away or force them to make cutbacks, and we’ll see the next generation really suffer.”
Shadow children’s minister Sharon Hodgson, who will be joining the mothers in Downing Street on Sunday, called for the government to reinstate the ringfence to the Sure Start budget.
She said she knew of some centres that were seeing their budgets reduced from £450,000 to £19,000 a year but still being called Children’s Centres.
“This is not enough to fund a children’s centre, it would only fund a caretaker and bottle of bleach,” she added.
A Department for Education spokesman said: “We have ensured there is enough money in the system to maintain a network of Sure Start Children’s Centres, and provided new investment for health visitors.
“Local authorities have a legal duty to provide sufficient children’s centre provision for the families in their areas and must consult local communities properly before closing or changing children’s centres.
“Good local authorities are restructuring with care and making sensible changes – for example through ‘clustering’ of centres – so they can continue to provide much needed services for families but in a more efficient way.”
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Witnesses said a man leapt out of a car, pushed Chloe over and stabbed her A man has been charged with the attempted murder of a 14-year-old girl who was stabbed outside her school.
Chloe West suffered serious wounds to her upper body and face near the gates of Ridgewood High School in Wollaston in the West Midlands on Friday.
She was released from Birmingham Children’s Hospital on Saturday.
Samuel Tomlinson, 18, from Sedgley, West Midlands, is due to appear before Dudley magistrates on Monday. He is also accused of wounding another pupil.
Witnesses said a man drove up to Chloe at about 0840 BST and leapt out of the car before pushing her to the floor and stabbing her.
Chloe’s parents Nigel and Rosemary said bystanders who came to their daughter’s aid had stopped her from suffering worse injuries in the “horrific attack”.
They said: “We would like to thank all students, parents and teachers who helped Chloe at the scene.
“Without their help, Chloe would have received even more injuries.
“We’d also like to thank the emergency services who responded so quickly and gave Chloe the very best of care, both at the scene and at the hospital.”
Mr and Mrs West said the surgeons had done a “remarkable job” of closing their daughter’s wounds and were confident of a good recovery.
They added: “However, whilst the physical scars may fade, the memories of the day’s events will remain forever.”
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Passengers on board the Southwest Airlines flight described what happened
The US carrier Southwest Airlines has grounded for inspection about 80 of its planes after a hole opened up in mid-air in the roof of one of its aircraft.
Investigators have ruled out terrorism, but so far have not been able to establish the cause of the rupture.
The hole caused a sudden drop in cabin pressure, and Flight 812 from Phoenix to Sacramento was forced to make a steep descent and emergency landing.
One flight attendant was slightly injured during the incident on Friday.
Witnesses said a couple of people aboard the Boeing 737-300 nearly passed out while scrambling for oxygen masks.
There were 118 passengers and crew on board the 15-year-old plane.
An FBI spokesman said terrorism was not suspected and “it appears to be a mechanical issue”.
Passenger Brenda Reese said the plane had just left Phoenix when she heard a “gunshot-like sound”.
“It’s at the top of the plane, right up above where you store your luggage,” she told the Associated Press by telephone from the plane.
“The panel’s not completely off. It’s like ripped down… When you look up through the panel, you can see the sky.”
Passengers said they were happy to be alive She said the plane had “dropped pretty quick”.
Another woman on board said: “They had just taken drink orders when I heard a huge sound and oxygen masks came down.
“There was a hole in the fuselage about three feet long. You could see the insulation and the wiring. You could see a tear the length of one of the ceiling panels.”
Aviation officials said the pilot made controlled descent, dropping 8,000m (25000ft) from 11,000m in about five minutes.
The National Transportation Safety Board said an “in-flight fuselage rupture” led to the sudden descent and drop in cabin pressure.
“We do not know the cause of the decompression,” Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said.
The same thing happened to another Southwest jet in 2009. Then, metal fatigue was the cause.
in 1988, cracks caused a hole to open in an Aloha Airlines plane over Hawaii. In that incident, a flight attendant died.
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