Category: news

Anti-Gaddafi forces celebrate while the Libya exodus continues

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Police are investigating two separate suspicious deaths in Edinburgh.

In the first incident, a 45-year-old man died after a fire at a first-floor flat in Pilton Drive North just before 0230 GMT.

A woman from a neighbouring flat was taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation.

Lothian and Borders Police are also investigating the death of another man, whose body was found at a flat in Salamander Street, Leith, at 0330 GMT.

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England tie an extraordinary World Cup group match against India in Bangalore thanks to Andrew Strauss’ brilliant 158.

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Colonel Gaddafi’s sons have spoken out in defence of their father’s leadership and denied there have been attacks on protesters.

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Ireland narrowly beat Scotland at Murrayfield to record their second victory of the Six Nations.

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Rangers owner Sir David Murray is backing First Minister Alex Salmond for a second term in office.

The long-time Unionist said Mr Salmond was the “best choice” for Scotland in the current difficult climate.

He said he still supported the Union but felt the SNP had demonstrated it could lead a competent government.

Speaking ahead of the general election last May, Sir David had said a Conservative victory would be in the long-term interests of the country.

In 2007 Sir David accused Alex Salmond of “intimidating” Scotland’s business community and said independence would lead to greater taxes.

He had also warned that it could lead to anti-Scottish sentiment among business chiefs in the City of London.

On Sunday the former Rangers chairman said he remained in favour of the Union but was giving his support to Alex Salmond.

“Over the years I have been asked on numerous occasions my views on Scottish politics,” he said.

“I now intend to make my present views clear, but have no intention to make any further political statement or to become involved in party politics.

“As people know, although I have never been party political, my views have always been in favour of the continuation of the Union.

“They still are. However, the SNP under Alex Salmond has demonstrated that they can run a competent government and Alex Salmond makes a fine first minister.

“I think Alex deserves a second term in office, and he is the best choice for Scotland during these difficult times.”

The former Rangers chairman is founder of Murray International Holdings, one of Scotland’s largest firms.

Mr Salmond said: “I am delighted to receive a personal endorsement from one of Scotland’s most respected business leaders.

“It is all the more significant because David Murray is not a party political person or independence supporter – he is backing a track record of achievement and delivery over these last four years.

“Like David, people all over Scotland will be judging this election on who has the best team and the best programme to take Scotland forward, and I hope that they come to the same positive conclusion.”

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Can a 74-year-old microphone last spoken into by King George VI still be used to broadcast live to the nation? Paddy O’Connell, presenter of Radio 4’s Broadcasting House, thought it might be worth a try.

There’s a small display case by the stairs in BBC Television Centre. People working there and visitors on tours of the building walk past it every day.

Each week, thousands of people may glimpse behind the glass something that has helped make history on the airwaves. Two weeks ago, a cluster of microphones appeared there.

For years, the grand ceremonial microphones used by monarchs to address their subjects have lived in silence down in the basement, but to mark the success of the film The King’s Speech, the wood and brass boxes were given an outing.

When I joined the hundreds walking past the display case, I was very much taken by the microphone on which King George VI gave his coronation speech on BBC Radio in 1937. I said to my colleagues: “Can we take it out of there and plug it in?”

The man to consider my request was Rory O’Connell – the collections manager of BBC Heritage.

In his subterranean storeroom, Rory showed me a bust of Kate Adie and allowed me to clatter on the keys of Alistair Cooke’s portable typewriter, a “Quiet Deluxe”.

Then he opened a filing cabinet, revealing his full collection of what looked like small wooden models of The Cenotaph.

Inside the imposing boxes are fairly standard microphones, so why the fancy carpentry? Rory explained the camouflage.

“The tradition of having a dedicated microphone for royal broadcasts seems to have started in a quite informal way, when the BBC engineer thought the King shouldn’t have to look at something as crude as an ordinary BBC microphone, so draped a piece of regal blue cloth over it to disguise it. And down the years the disguises became more and more elaborate.”

I wasn’t the first person to go into the bowels of the BBC to see these mics.

The makers of the film The King’s Speech visited Rory to pick his brains and carefully study the microphones so as to make the props that appear in the movie as accurate as possible.

So to the important question. Could I take a microphone not used since King George VI sat behind it in 1937, and broadcast live with it on BBC Radio 4?

“Er. I don’t see why not?” was Rory’s reply. “Don’t drop it.”

The technical wizards who operate the Radio 4 studio – apart from being hugely excited about getting their hands some kit from the 1930s, an “A-type” – seemed fairly confident that the microphone would still work.

What was state-of-the-art before the war isn’t all that different to the microphone I, Eddie Mair and John Humphrys use today.

With 30 minutes to go to the programme, a buzz could be heard from the King’s mic.

I was told to expect something fuzzy, but if the connections held out, listeners would be able to hear our guest.

To use the mic we’d invited along one of those who took speech therapy classes from Lionel Logue, whose methods helped King George VI to overcome his stammer and speak to his subjects.

Nicholas Mosley was the son of the British fascist leader Oswald Mosley. Just as he rejected his father’s politics, he shared none of his proven abilities at oratory.

“I started to stammer as a young boy, the typical age, and Lionel Logue taught me to speak in a sing-song style.”

As I listened to him explain his story into the 74-year-old mic, it was clear as a bell.

With his words I had the answer to my question. Can a famous microphone work after seven decades in a drawer? Yes it can, just listen.

So how did the audience at home judge its performance? On Twitter, Vivs wrote that listening to Nicholas Mosley was a highlight of her morning, and Paul Infield called it “excellent.”

I could hear no annoying fuzz or interference at all as the interview went along, just as we’d hoped.

But something dawned on me though, as I listened on. If there is a faint hum coming from its system of magnetic coil and cables, is that an echo of history, or is it all in the mind?

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Campaigners against more law-making powers for the assembly have criticised a Catholic message supporting a Yes vote.

Catholic leaders in Wales say they would welcome strengthening the “democratic legitimacy” of the assembly.

But No campaigners True Wales called it an “inappropriate” endorsement of the Yes argument.

The Yes campaign welcomed the sentiments of the message.

It was circulated to be read at the end of masses on Sunday.

It said that having a Welsh assembly was in line with the Catholic principle of subsidiarity, meaning that that decisions should be taken as closely as possible to the citizen.

Voters go to the polls on Thursday in the referendum on whether the assembly should have direct law-making powers over devolved policy fields.

“We, as the current leaders of the Welsh Catholic Dioceses, are not now recommending how to vote in the referendum,” read the message.

“However, we broadly support the principle of improving the functioning of the assembly and point out that this would be in line with the principle of subsidiarity found in Catholic social teaching.

“We would welcome measures to improve the assembly’s decision-making process.

“We would also welcome a strengthening of the democratic legitimacy of the national assembly and any measures to increase the accountability of the politicians elected to the assembly.”

The statement was signed by Bishop of Wrexham, the Right Reverend Edwin Regan, Bishop of Menevia, the Right Reverend Tom Burns and Monsignor Robert Reardon, diocesan administrator for the Archdiocese of Cardiff.

In response, Rachel Banner of True Wales, the main group campaigning for a No vote, told BBC Wales: “I think it’s inappropriate they are endorsing the Yes campaign.

“I think that the churches are expressing too much of a view.

“If the current devolution settlement we had respected subsidiarity then there would be something in that. But I don’t think we’ve got proper devolution at the moment and I think the bishops are out of line with the churchgoing public.

“The sort of devolution we are heading towards is more about Whitehall down the bay than subsidiarity.”

Monsignor Reardon defended the Catholic statement: “We would never tell people how to vote but we are pointing out that devolution is compatible with the church’s social teaching.

“We are just urging people to vote because that is the responsibility of a good citizen.”

A spokesman for the Yes for Wales campaign applauded the Catholic bishops for urging people to vote in Thursday’s referendum.

“We agree that bringing decision making closer to people is a good principle that should shape how people vote.

“Churches, charities, community groups, and other representative bodies like the Muslim Council for Wales, all advocate a Yes vote, but equally importantly they are asking people to think about the issues and turn out to vote.

“We are pleased the Catholic church is also encouraging people to take social responsibility and be part of that same big decision.”

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A candlelit vigil is being held at York Minster later to mark the 37th birthday of missing chef Claudia Lawrence.

The service will be led by the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, and the Dean of York, the Very Reverend Keith Jones.

The York University chef was last seen in the city on 18 March, 2009. Police have since scaled back their suspected murder investigation.

Her father Peter Lawrence said he still believed his daughter was alive.

The service will start with an informal procession from the Mansion House, in St Helen’s Square, at 1430 GMT before entering the Minster at 1445 GMT.

Mr Lawrence, of Slingsby, North Yorkshire, is a member of the Minster congregation.

He said: “I think somewhere along the way, if anything had happened to Claudia, I would have felt it inside, and in fact the Archbishop expresses the same thing.

“Whenever he sees me he says, ‘she’s alive man, I can feel it’.”

Miss Lawrence was born in Malton, North Yorkshire, and lived in the Heworth area of York.

Despite a high-profile investigation, one of the largest carried out by North Yorkshire Police, no trace of her has been found.

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Two people have been reported killed in clashes between security forces and protesters in the Gulf state of Oman.

Hundreds of people had gathered for a second day of protests calling for political reforms, in the industrial city of Sohar.

At least five people were wounded when police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at the protesters, reports say.

Until now, Oman had mostly been spared the unrest which has affected other Arab states in recent months.

Demonstrations are also taking place in the southern town of Salalah, according to Reuters news agency.

There was a small protest last week in the capital Muscat last week, with around 300 people calling for greater democracy and jobs.

On Saturday the ruler, Sultan Qaboos bin Said, changed six ministers in his cabinet in what he termed “the public’s interest” and announced that social benefits for students would be boosted.

The oldest independent state in the Arab world, Oman has been ruled by Sultan Qaboos since he seized power from his father Sultan Said bin Taimur in 1970.

There is an elected Consultative Assembly but not all Omani adults are eligible to vote in elections for the Assembly and it is purely advisory, with no legislative powers.

The oil-rich country is a popular tourist destination and a long-standing ally of the US and Britain.

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A Royal Navy sailor who was part of an anti-piracy task force has been killed in a road accident in Dubai.

The Ministry of Defence said the accident happened in the early hours of Sunday 27 February.

The sailor’s next of kin have been informed. He had been on leave when he was hit by a car.

The sailor was serving with HMS Cornwall which has been deployed to the Gulf as part of an international anti-piracy taskforce.

Earlier this month, the frigate helped to free the Yemeni crew of a shipping vessel which had been captured by Somali pirates.

According to reports, the accident is believed to have involved more than one car.

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Six people have been killed in an attack on a residence of the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

An “unidentified group of armed men” attacked the residence of President Joseph Kabila in the capital, Kinshasa, a government spokesman said, describing the raid as an attempted coup.

Mr Kabila’s guards killed six of the men, the spokesman said.

Joseph Kabila took power in 2001 after his father, President Laurent Kabila, was assassinated.

He was later elected in his own right.

In 1998, DR Congo was plunged into a war in which more than five million people died – the deadliest conflict since World War II.

The conflict formally came to an end through a peace deal in 2003, but the east of the country is still plagued by army and militia violence.

“We have witnessed a coup attempt,” said Information Minister Lambert Mende, according to Reuters news agency.

“A group of heavily armed people attacked the presidential palace. They were stopped at the first roadblock.”

President Kabila was not in the building at the time of the attack at 1330 local time (1230GMT), Mr Mende said.

In addition to the six men killed, several others were detained, he added.

On 15 January, parliament backed a proposal by Mr Kabila to reduce presidential elections from two rounds to one.

The change means the winner can claim victory with less than 50% of the vote.

Presidential and parliamentary elections are scheduled to take place in November 2011.

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An independent doctor is to review the treatment of US soul legend Etta James, after her son raised fears over the care given by her live-in doctor.

The attorney for James’s son Donto told the judge Dr Elaine James had carried out a procedure to insert feeding tubes that should only be done in hospital.

Mr James has alleged his mother could be in “very serious danger”.

James, 72, known for her hit At Last, has dementia and is being treated for leukaemia and associated problems.

Dr James, who is not related to the family, told the Associated Press new agency she welcomed the independent review.

“He can have 10 examiners, he can have 20 physicians to come in that house to perform the duties I do,” she said.

“I have a list of 23 medical sub-specialties that I have had to treat her for. She is not an easy patient.”

In January the singer’s husband, Artis Mills, was given permission by the judge to use some of her savings to pay for her health care.

Mr Mills claimed she had become too sick to manage her own money.

Mr Mills has also challenged a claim by Donto James that his mother gave him power of attorney.

The singer has been out of the public eye since January last year when she was admitted to hospital after suffering from various ailments, including a blood infection.

She became ill while in a clinic for treatment to an addiction to painkillers and other medicines.

James is the winner of four Grammy awards and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.

In the 2008 film Cadillac Records, she was portrayed by the singer Beyonce Knowles.

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Scott Parker inspires West Ham to a win over Liverpool at Upton Park that lifts the east London side off the bottom of the Premier League table.

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At least four Britons are now understood to have been killed in the New Zealand earthquake, the Foreign Office has said.

Two more British people are injured and one remains missing, a spokesman added.

One of those killed was previously named as Gregory Tobin, a 25-year-old chef, from Tadcaster, North Yorkshire.

Tuesday’s magnitude 6.3 earthquake in Christchurch killed at least 147 people and about 50 are still missing. A UK rescue team is still working there.

A helpline on 020 7008 8765 has been set up for concerned friends and relatives in the UK.

British nationals in New Zealand are advised to call 049 242 898 for advice and assistance. The Foreign Office website has more information about the consular assistance being provided.

Victims of the quake that devastated the centre of Christchurch have been honoured at church services across New Zealand on Sunday.

The country’s Prime Minister John Key said there was still a glimmer of hope survivors could be found.

But no-one has been found alive since Wednesday, and rescuers working for a fifth day are only finding bodies.

The British High Commission had earlier said two UK victims had “got on a certain bus, which was crushed by falling masonry”.

Mr Tobin had been on a round-the-world trip and had been working at a restaurant in Christchurch.

One of the tributes to him on Facebook read: “Such a nice guy and at such a young age.”

Jo Morley, 44, whose brother Phil Coppeard from Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk was reported as missing, told the BBC on Saturday the family still had hope he would be found alive.

She said: “Of course you still hope, as anybody would do. That’s what we have to think.”

Chartered accountant Mr Coppeard, 41, emigrated to the country in November with his wife Suzanne Craig and was doing a masters in economics at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch.

He was travelling into the city centre on a bus when the earthquake struck.

British High Commission spokesman Chris Harrington said the two injured Britons were a man and a woman, both aged over 50. Their injuries were serious, but not life threatening.

The man is still in hospital but the woman, who lives in Christchurch, has been discharged.

A British team of experts in identifying disaster victims is due to arrive in the city tomorrow.

Meanwhile, tributes have been paid to Irishman Owen McKenna, originally from Emyvale in County Monaghan, who died in the quake when his car was crushed by falling debris.

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