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Indian police beat cricket fans

An Indian policeman uses a bamboo stick to beat back cricket fans outside Bangalore's Chinnaswamy stadium on 24 February 2011The fans are angry at the shortage of tickets
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Fans queuing outside the Chinnaswamy stadium in the Indian city of Bangalore to buy tickets for the cricket World Cup have clashed with the police.

Television pictures showed policemen hitting dozens of fans on their legs and backs.

Many of the fans had been waiting since Wednesday night. Reports said they were angered by the shortage of tickets available for purchase at the venue.

Bangalore is to host Saturday’s World Cup showdown between India and England.

According to reports, barely 8,000 tickets are up for sale at the stadium which can accommodate 40,000 people.

The BBC’s Sanjoy Majumder in Delhi says that ticket sales have been a huge problem for the organisers – only a few thousand tickets are available for the general public because the bulk of them have been given away to sponsors and commercial partners.

The match was originally scheduled to be held in Calcutta’s Eden Gardens but was later moved to Bangalore after the International Cricket Council (ICC) said it was with unhappy with the preparations.

The ICC has now written to the Indian organisers of the World Cup complaining about mishandling of ticket sales and distribution.

On Monday, an official website selling tickets for the final crashed after millions of people tried to log on. Many others who had bought tickets online up to six months ago are still to receive them.

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

Woman and two children found dead

The bodies of a woman and two children have been found in a house in Leicestershire.

Police were called to a house on Garendon Road in Shepshed at about 2200 GMT on Wednesday after concerns were raised by relatives.

The circumstances of the deaths are being investigated but detectives said they were not looking for anyone in connection with the deaths.

Formal identifications and post-mortem examinations will take place later.

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

Remand call over honeymoon death

Shrien Dewani arriving in court on 24 FebruaryMr Dewani was admitted to hospital on Sunday

A man accused of ordering the murder of his wife on their honeymoon in South Africa should be remanded in custody for his own safety, a court has heard.

South African authorities told Belmarsh magistrates that Shrien Dewani, 31, of Bristol, should have his bail revoked after he tried to kill himself.

His wife Anni, 28, was found shot dead in Cape Town in November after being kidnapped.

The court heard he had taken a cocktail of 46 pills.

He was taken to Bristol Royal Infirmary by ambulance on Sunday evening after being found collapsed in his bedroom by his sister.

He had taken tablets including diazepam, which was prescribed to counter anxiety and help him sleep.

Ben Watson, for the South African authorities, said Mr Dewani had taken a “massive drug overdose” after telling his family he wanted to take his own life.

He said the South African government feared as a result that Mr Dewani might fail to attend court proceedings and that detaining him in custody was “necessary” for his safety.

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

Cameron in Libya response apology

David CameronDavid Cameron said he was “extremely sorry” for the delay in evacuating Britons from Libya

Prime Minister David Cameron has said he is “extremely sorry” for the government’s handling of the evacuation of British nationals from Libya.

He said it had not been an easy situation and ministers needed to “learn the lessons”.

It follows criticism of the government’s response to the crisis.

A plane chartered by oil companies for employees, with 78 passengers, has arrived at Gatwick and a government-chartered flight has also left Libya.

The prime minister said: “Of course I am extremely sorry. They have had a difficult time. The conditions at the airport have been extremely poor.”

A flight chartered by oil companies arrived at Gatwick at about 0715 GMT.

The airport said the plane carried 78 passengers. Earlier reports suggested more people had been on board.

A government-chartered flight, which left Tripoli at 0745 GMT, is now on its way back to the UK with a stop-over in Malta.

It is expected to land in the UK in the early evening.

Man recently returned from Libya

British nationals have started to arrive home from protest-hit Libya

A RAF Hercules C130 aircraft is also expected to return to the UK later with dozens of passengers. A second military plane is on standby in Malta if needed.

The Foreign Office said “a number of additional planes” could be sent to Libya throughout the day.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed that Royal Navy frigate HMS Cumberland is now at the entrance to the harbour in Benghazi.

It will help with the evacuation process if needed.

A meeting of Cobra, the government’s emergency planning committee, is being chaired by Foreign Secretary William Hague.

Helena Sheehan, 66, one of the passengers who landed at Gatwick earlier, said she had just experienced “some of the worst hours of her life”.

“Libya is descending into hell,” she said.

“The airport is like nothing I’ve ever seen in my whole life. It’s absolute chaos. There’s just thousands and thousands of people trying to get out.”

The British Red Cross has deployed a team of volunteers to Gatwick airport to provide support to Britons being evacuated.

FOREIGN OFFICE HELPLINEUK nationals in Libya wishing to get on the charter flight are advised to call the following numbers:Gaddafi ‘ordered Lockerbie bomb’ Governments plan Libya evacuation Woman’s ‘traumatic’ Libyan escape Student sit-in over Gaddafi cash

BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner said an SAS contingent has been put on standby for emergency deployment to parts of Libya, backed up by paratroopers of the Special Forces Support Group.

Our correspondent said: “With the situation for some British nationals in Libya fast deteriorating, it’s part of a range of options being considered by the government to rescue those stranded in the North African country.

“Exact numbers and the locations of any staging areas are being kept secret but it’s a scenario that British Special Forces have trained hard for – landing in the midst of a dangerous and chaotic situation then securing the safe passage out of stranded Britons, all hopefully without a shot being fired.”

Several other countries, including France, Russia and the Netherlands have already evacuated some of their citizens.

UK nationals wishing to register an interest in flights out of Libya should call the following numbers: 020 7008 0000 from the UK or 021 3403644/45 from Libya.

The Foreign Office is advising against all but essential travel to Libya.

Around 3,500 Britons had been living in Libya before the crisis but most of those are thought to have left in recent days.

A woman is emotional as her husband arrives on a flight from Tripoli that was chartered by oil companiesPassengers landing at Gatwick expressed relief to have left Libya

However, there is particular concern for some British oil workers thought to be stranded in isolated desert camps.

They are struggling to make contact because the phone networks have been disrupted and their supplies of food and water from Libyan cities are running out.

“Some we know have been subjected to attacks and looting. They are in a perilous and frightening situation,” said Mr Hague.

After a week of upheaval in Libya, protesters backed by defecting army units are thought to have almost the entire eastern half of Libya under their control.

The country’s beleaguered leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, who has been in power for 42 years, has vowed to fight to his “last drop of blood” rather than leave the country.

Earlier, Mr Hague told the BBC the “odds were stacking up” against Col Gaddafi, adding: “We have a government, or the remnant of a government, here which is prepared to use force and violence against its own people.”

He said the Libyan leadership will be “held to account” for crimes against its people.

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

UK rescue plane arrives in Libya

Foreign Secretary, William Hague

William Hague: “We’ve also deployed staff to Libya’s border with Tunisia”

The Foreign Office has chartered three planes to bring Britons home from Libya, but the first has been delayed because of a “minor technical fault”.

The delay will fuel criticism of the speed of the government’s response to the violent uprising in the North African country.

The Royal Navy frigate HMS Cumberland is to arrive off Libyan waters later.

About 300 Britons remain in the Tripoli area, and 170 British oil workers are stranded in desert camps.

Foreign Secretary William Hague said the government would send “as many planes as necessary” to bring Britons home.

He said the oil workers were in a “perilous and frightening” situation and Britain was working with other countries to ensure their safety.

One worker told the BBC they were being “ignored” by the government. He said all the vehicles had been looted and local people were heavily armed, and the camp only had about a day’s food left.

Other countries, including France, Russia and the Netherlands have already evacuated some of their citizens.

BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner said it was “mind boggling” how slow Britain had been to react to the Libyan crisis which started a week ago.

“The French have been sending planes, the Germans, the Turks, other countries have been getting their people out and the British haven’t even got their plane off the ground,” he said.

One UK plane, chartered by oil company BP, has arrived in Libya. It left at 1415 GMT with some Foreign Office officials on board. Boarding priority on the return journey is expected to be given to BP’s employees.

The first Foreign Office-flight, operated by Astraeus Airlines, was due to take off from Gatwick at 1230 GMT, but was still waiting to take-off in the late afternoon. It can take 180 passengers.

FOREIGN OFFICE HELPLINEUK nationals in Libya wishing to get on the charter flight are advised to call the following numbers020 7008 0000 from the UK or 021 3403644/45.Governments plan Libya evacuation Woman’s ‘traumatic’ Libyan escape Student sit-in over Gaddafi cash

The second flight is due to take off later on Wednesday and a third will leave on Thursday morning if needed.

Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt said: “Sometimes planes develop faults through nobody else’s fault or error. We will hopefully get those planes out as quickly as possible.”

Mr Hague said sending in military planes without permission would risk the safety of all those involved but it had not been ruled out.

The foreign secretary said the Foreign Office had deployed several rapid response teams to the country, and there were 50 people in the London office taking calls from Britons.

Foreign Office staff are at Tripoli airport and they have been registering Britons for the flights, as well as handing out food and water. More than 100 Britons have signed up for seats on the first flight.

Staff have also been deployed to Libya’s border with Tunisia to help Britons who have made their way there.

UK nationals wishing to register an interest in the first flight should call the following numbers: 020 7008 0000 from the UK or 021 3403644/45.

Although most of the 3,500 Britons who were living in Libya before the crisis are thought to have already left, some are having difficulty getting out after commercial operators cancelled scheduled flights.

British Airways and British Midland International have cancelled flights in and out of Tripoli for the past two days. BA will not operate its daily service on Thursday and BMI said it will make a decision on this later.

Speaking in Qatar, Prime Minister David Cameron said diplomats were “working round the clock” to help British nationals out of what was a “very dangerous situation”.

“My government is taking every step it can to reach British nationals to make sure they can come out and come home,” he said. “That has to be our first priority.”

Most of the Britons in the isolated desert camps work for oil companies. They are struggling to make contact because the phone networks have been disrupted and their supplies from Libyan cities are running out.

“Some we know have been subjected to attacks and looting,” said Mr Hague. “They are in a perilous and frightening situation.”

Stranded oil worker Jim Coyle told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We are living every day in fear of our lives. We are living a nightmare here.”

He said the workers had contacted British officials to warn them about the situation but nothing had happened.

“We have asked the British government to come here for days now and they are just totally ignoring us,” he said.

“They don’t reply to e-mails, they have cut off the phones to Tripoli. Basically we have been left without any protection whatsoever.”

Chris Murphy and his wife arrived back in the UK on Wednesday afternoon. He said they had “fought their way” through crowds to get on the flight at Tripoli airport but when the plane took off, there were about 100 empty seats.

Dutch soldier serving food to passengers aboard a Dutch military plane after being evacuated from Tripoli airport on TuesdayDutch nationals were evacuated on a military plane on Tuesday

A British woman said she and a Portuguese friend were helped out of the country by Portuguese embassy staff on Tuesday.

“There was nothing at all happening with the British Embassy. We felt very isolated and very out there on our own,” the unidentified woman told BBC Radio 4’s The World At One.

Shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander accused the UK government of being “slow off the mark”.

“There are hundreds of Britons stranded in Libya at the moment in a daunting, fast-moving and highly dangerous situation,” he said.

After a week of upheaval in Libya, protesters backed by defecting army units are thought to have almost the entire eastern half of Libya under their control.

The country’s beleaguered leader Col Muammar Gaddafi, who has been in power for 42 years, has said enemies of Libya would be executed and vowed to fight to his “last drop of blood” rather than leave the country.

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

BMA concerns over confidentiality

Patient recordsThe BMA is concerned that new legislation will not safeguard patient confidentiality
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Flaws in the government’s Health and Social Care Bill could threaten the confidentiality of patient records, doctors’ leaders have warned.

The British Medical Association says there are “serious concerns” about clauses in the bill on information sharing in a reshaped NHS.

The BMA says it fails to guarantee patients’ identities are kept secret.

But the government says the bill makes no changes to any of the existing legal safeguards on confidentiality.

The BMA, which fears that patients might withhold important information because of confidentiality issues, has written to Minister of State Simon Burns.

The letter says the bill gives very broad powers to a number of bodies, including the Secretary of State, the Commissioning Board and the NHS Information Centre “to obtain and disclose confidential patient information for any number of unspecified health purposes”.

“As currently drafted, there is very little in the Bill relating to confidentiality and information governance controls, which are so fundamental to medical practice and the trust-based relationship between doctors and patients,” it says.

“By failing to put in place proper safeguards, the government is potentially removing the control doctors and, most importantly, patients have over their confidential data”

Dr Vivienne Nathanson Head of Science & Ethics, BMA

“In the course of consultation and treatment, patients will often disclose highly sensitive information to their doctors, information that can be vital to ensuring the optimal provision of appropriate care and treatment.”

Dr Vivienne Nathanson, head of science and ethics at the BMA, accused the government of placing its desire for access to information over the need to respect patient confidentiality.

“There is very little reference to rules on patient confidentiality that would ensure patients are asked before their information is shared, or guarantee that the patient’s identity will not be revealed.

“Fears that their data may be shared with others may result in patients withholding important information; this may not only affect their own health but has implications to the wider health service.

“By failing to put in place proper safeguards, the government is potentially removing the control doctors and, most importantly, patients have over their confidential data. This conflicts with government promises that patients will be given greater control over their medical records.”

The BMA is proposing a number of amendments to the bill and their concerns are echoed by the Patients Association.

Chief executive Katherine Murphy said that very often patients had a very good relationship with their doctor and would disclose very sensitive information.

“Our concern is that patients won’t know if that information was going to be shared and that may have a detrimental affect on the doctor/patient relationship.”

A Department of Health spokesman said the government’s modernisation plans would allow patients to see where unacceptable NHS services were being provided and should drive up the quality of care.

“However, there is no question of the Health and Social Care Bill undermining the confidentiality of patients and their clinicians. The bill does not change any of the existing legal safeguards, which are set out in the Data Protection Act and the common law of confidence.

“We are happy to work with the BMA to understand their concerns.”

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