Category: news

world news,online new,us news,uk news

Jet crew had ‘problems landing’

Tornado jet genericThe crewmen ejected from their Tornado GR4 jet
Related Stories

The Ministry of Defence has begun an investigation after a Tornado crew was forced to eject from their aircraft during landing at RAF Lossiemouth.

The RAF confirmed the two crewmen ejected safely during the incident, shortly after 1700 GMT on Thursday.

The two crew were taken to hospital but are thought to have escaped serious injury.

On 27 January two crew members from RAF Lossiemouth ejected from another Tornado before it crashed into the sea.

That crew was forced to crash north west of Gairloch after the plane caught fire at 6,000ft (1,800m).

The men involved in the latest incident were taken to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: “An incident has occurred involving an aircraft at Lossiemouth.

“The good news is that the crew ejected safely.

“They are in hospital where they are undergoing routine medical checks.”

RAF Lossiemouth, on the Moray Firth coast, is home to three squadrons of Tornado GR4s.

The Tornado GR4 is a two-seat attack aircraft, capable of delivering a variety of weapons and reaching a maximum altitude of 50,000ft (15,240m).

In July 2009 a pilot and navigator were killed when their Tornado crashed into a hillside in Argyll.

That aircraft was a RAF Leuchars-based Tornado F3 on a routine flight.

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

Councils win school building case

Temporary school building in SandwellSome of the schemes affected involved schools using temporary classrooms
Related Stories

The government has been defeated in the High Court over its decision to scrap England’s school building programme.

Six councils claimed Education Secretary Michael Gove’s decision to scrap Buildings Schools for the Future projects in six local authority areas was unfair and unlawful.

Mr Gove will now look have to look again at his decisions in these six areas.

Under the scheme, every school was to be rebuilt or revamped at a £55bn cost.

Mr Gove had said the scheme was inefficient and beset by overspends.

The axing of the scheme in July last year meant that at least 700 school rebuilds in England would not be going ahead.

This sparked an outcry among teachers, councillors and pupils alike, many of whom had worked hard on developing the projects.

The councils – Waltham Forest, Luton Borough Council, Nottingham City Council, Sandwell, Kent County Council and Newham – sought a judicial review on the grounds that the stopping of projects in their areas was arbitrary and legally flawed.

They asked Mr Justice Holman to order Mr Gove to reconsider individual schemes, properly taking account of their merits.

Lawyers for the councils argued the education secretary failed to consult properly, and that he did not give adequate reasons before stopping projects.

They also claimed he breached legitimate expectations that the multi-million pound schemes would be funded.

But lawyers for Mr Gove argued his decisions were not made lightly and were not open to legal challenge.

In written statements put before the court, his lawyers said the coalition had inherited “the largest budget deficit in peacetime history”, and spending cuts had had to be made “quickly and significantly”.

A set of general principles was applied to decide which projects were to be scrapped, but Mr Gove did not consider it “practicable or appropriate” for him to arbitrate between the claims of a large number of different authorities, or an even larger number of individual schools.

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

West Ham 2012 stadium bid chosen

An artist's impression of the Olympic Stadium under West HamWest Ham plan to retain the athletics track at the stadium in Stratford
Related Stories

An official announcement is due later on the future inhabitant of the 2012 Olympic Stadium site in east London.

At 1100 GMT Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) executives will confirm whether they have selected West Ham United or Tottenham Hotspur as the preferred tenant in Stratford after the Games.

The decision must then be ratified by the OPLC board, two government departments and the mayor of London.

On Wednesday BBC London revealed the executives would recommend West Ham.

OPLC boardBaroness Ford, chairmanRanjit Singh BaxiNick BitelAman DalviKeith EdelmanDavid EdmondsDavid GregsonRobert JohnPhilip LewisLord MawsonLiz McMahonJules PipeTessa SandersonSir Robin WalesAndrew Altman, chief executiveJonathan Dutton, finance directorBoard profiles

Spurs’ plan has been widely criticised because it would involve knocking down the stadium and building a new one.

The club intends to pay for an expansion of the athletics facility in Crystal Palace, rather than keeping a legacy for the sport in Stratford.

West Ham’s plan, by contrast, promises to keep athletics in east London and leave the running track untouched.

This is something which Tottenham said was not conducive to a good footballing atmosphere.

The Hammers’ bid came under fire because it was not self-funded, relying instead on loaned public money arranged by Newham Council.

Lord Sugar, former chairman of Spurs, said the plan was “totally flawed” and predicted the stadium would become “a white elephant”.

“It will be a disaster for the taxpayer and we’ll end up having a mothballed Olympic village,” he said.

And Tim Leiweke, president of Tottenham’s bid partners – the entertainment firm AEG – predicted the stadium would “go broke in 10 years” if an athletics track was retained.

However London 2012 chief Lord Coe has called for the track to be maintained.

London 2012 – Begin your journey here

London view

Sport, news and more 2012 informationBBC London 2012

He said it was vital to keep promises made to the International Olympic Committee when London was bidding for the event.

And David Lammy, Labour’s MP for Tottenham, said West Ham’s proposal was “for all London”, while Spurs’ bid was “for just one club”.

A recent BBC London poll suggested 81% of Londoners were against the proposals to rip up the athletics track.

The announcement will be made in the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in Westminster, central London.

It would be a major upset if the board, Mayor Boris Johnson and the government did not endorse the recommendation of OPLC executives, BBC London’s Olympics correspondent, Adrian Warner, said.

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

Wreckage of plane being removed

Wreckage of aircraftThe aircraft had two crew and 10 passengers on board
Related Stories

Investigations are under way into the crash that killed six people at Cork Airport on Thursday morning.

The wreckage of the Manx2 plane remains at Cork on Friday morning as air accident investigators try to find out precisely what went wrong.

Two flight recorders have already been removed from the scene.

The plane, which was travelling from Belfast, came down in thick fog and burst into flames. Six people died and six were injured.

Air accident investigator with the Irish Department of Transport, Paddy Judge, said they hoped to reconstruct the events surrounding the plane crash by accessing information from the aircraft’s black box.

The flight was scheduled to depart Belfast at 0750 GMT and eventually left at 0812 GMT. It was due to land in Cork at 0910 GMT.

The plane first attempted to land from a southerly direction on Cork’s main runway, known as Runway 17. This was aborted due to low visibility.

It then tried to land on the opposite, northerly, approach to the main runway – known as Runway 35. The Aviation Authority says it is believed wind was not a problem, but the pilot was still unhappy with visibility.

The plane went into a holding position for 20 minutes, before making a third attempt to land on the southerly approach to the main runway.

At 0940 GMT, the plane was 10 miles out from the airport. At 0950 GMT, the plane hit the ground at what is called the ‘western threshold’ of the runway. Eye witnesses reported hearing a loud bang.

It is understood the plane flipped over on landing and caught fire.

The names of three people killed in the accident were released on Friday

Brendan McAleese, a cousin of Irish president, Mary McAleese’s husband, was killed in the crash.

Pat Cullinan, originally from Omagh, County Tyrone, and a partner in accountancy firm KPMG in Belfast. A third victim, Captain Michael Evans, was a deputy harbour commissioner in Belfast.

Captain Michael EvansCaptain Michael Evans was the deputy harbour commissioner in Belfast

Irish, British and Spanish passport-holders were on board the aircraft which was flying between the two cities as part of a scheduled daily service. All their families have been informed.

The identity of the three other passengers killed is likely to be released by Irish police on Friday.

The six injured are being treated at Cork University Hospital.

Dr Gerry McCarthy, head of emergency medicine at Cork University Hospital, said two people are in intensive care with chest, abdomenal and spinal injuries.

Two people remain in a serious condition, while the other two are described as doing “well”.

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

Malaysia charges Somali ‘pirates’

Malaysian police escort a suspected Somali pirate on 31 Jan 2011The seven men were captured by the Malaysian navy

Malaysian prosecutors have filed charges against seven Somali men and boys accused of being pirates.

They were captured by the Malaysian navy last month as they tried to hijack a chemical tanker in the Gulf of Aden.

All seven are accused of using firearms against the Malaysian armed forces – a charge which carries the death sentence.

But prosecutors said three 15-year-old suspects would not face execution because they were too young.

The seven men are accused of trying to hijack the MT Bunga Laurel, a chemical tanker, on 20 January.

Malaysian troops stormed the ship and rescued the 23-strong crew.

The vessel was operated by a Malaysian company but was owned by a Japanese firm, had a Filipino crew and its cargo was bound for Singapore.

The Gulf of Aden, between Yemen and Somalia, is one of the world’s busiest shipping routes and has become a hotspot for pirate attacks.

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

South Sudan fighting ‘kills 100’

Southern army officials at ceasefire ceremony in JanuaryGeorge Athor did not attend the January signing ceremony

More than 100 people are now said to have died in fighting in south Sudan after rebels attacked the army, officials say.

Earlier reports said this week’s fighting had killed 16 people.

Some 39 of those killed were civilians, a south Sudan army spokesman said.

The clashes between fighters loyal to George Athor and south Sudan’s army come as the region prepare for independence from the north following last month’s referendum.

Some 99% of people voted to secede from the north, according to official results announced this week.

Mr Athor took up arms last year, alleging fraud in state elections, but signed a ceasefire last month just before the historic vote.

Twenty members of Southern Sudan’s security forces were killed, along with 30 rebels, taking the new death toll to 105, southern army spokesman Philip Aguer said.

During the clashes, two army trucks were blown up by land mines near the town of Fangak in Jonglei state, he said.

He said Mr Athor’s men attacked on Wednesday afternoon and clashes continued on Thursday.

Jonglei is the south’s most populous state.

When Mr Athor took up arms last April, the south accused him of being used by the north to stir up trouble and derail the referendum – charges denied at the time by northern officials.

Map

He agreed to the ceasefire deal with the SPLA days before the referendum vote began – although he did not attend the signing ceremony in person.

Mr Athor has blamed the SPLA for attacking his forces, but said that he was open to new talks.

“If the other side is willing, we can continue talks but if they are not willing, then I would say this is the end of the peace agreement between us and them,” he told the Reuters news agency via satellite phone on Thursday.

The BBC’s Peter Martell in the southern capital, Juba, says the fighting is another sign of the challenges the south faces in bringing its people together and improving security.

The week-long referendum vote itself passed off peacefully, but tension remains high in parts of the oil-rich area which straddles the north and south. Fifty-four people were killed over the weekend in fighting in Southern Sudan’s Upper Nile state.

Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir has promised to accept the outcome of the referendum.

On Wednesday, Sudan’s UN ambassador hinted that the International Criminal Court arrest warrant for Mr Bashir should be withdrawn as a “reward” for him accepting the south’s independence.

Mr Bashir is accused of links to war crimes in a separate conflict in the western region of Darfur.

Southern Sudan is to become the world’s newest independent state on 9 July.

Sudan: A country divided
Geography Ethnic groups Infant mortality Water & sanitation Education Food insecurity Oil fields

Show regions

Satellite image showing geography of Sudan, source: Nasa

The great divide across Sudan is visible even from space, as this Nasa satellite image shows. The northern states are a blanket of desert, broken only by the fertile Nile corridor. Southern Sudan is covered by green swathes of grassland, swamps and tropical forest.

Map showing Ethnicity of Sudan, source:

Sudan’s arid northern regions are home mainly to Arabic-speaking Muslims. But in Southern Sudan there is no dominant culture. The Dinkas and the Nuers are the largest of more than 200 ethnic groups, each with its own traditional beliefs and languages.

Map showing infant Mortality in Sudan, source: Sudan household health survey 2006

The health inequalities in Sudan are illustrated by infant mortality rates. In Southern Sudan, one in 10 children die before their first birthday. Whereas in the more developed northern states, such as Gezira and White Nile, half of those children would be expected to survive.

Map showing percentage of households using improved water and sanitation in Sudan, source: Sudan household health survey 2006

The gulf in water resources between north and south is stark. In Khartoum, River Nile, and Gezira states, two-thirds of people have access to piped drinking water and pit latrines. In the south, boreholes and unprotected wells are the main drinking sources. More than 80% of southerners have no toilet facilities whatsoever.

Map showing percentage of who complete primary school education in Sudan, source: Sudan household health survey 2006

Throughout Sudan, access to primary school education is strongly linked to household earnings. In the poorest parts of the south, less than 1% of children finish primary school. Whereas in the wealthier north, up to 50% of children complete primary level education.

Map showing percentage of households with poor food consumption in Sudan, source: Sudan household health survey 2006

Conflict and poverty are the main causes of food insecurity in Sudan. The residents of war-affected Darfur and Southern Sudan are still greatly dependent on food aid. Far more than in northern states, which tend to be wealthier, more urbanised and less reliant on agriculture.

Map showing position of oilfileds in Sudan, source: Drilling info international

Sudan exports billions of dollars of oil per year. Southern states produce more than 80% of it, but receive only 50% of the revenue, exacerbating tensions with the north. The oil-rich border region of Abyei is to hold a separate vote on whether to join the north or the south.

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

Two dead UK soldiers named by MoD

Pte Lewis Hendry (left) and Pte Conrad Lewis (right)Pte Lewis Hendry (left) and Pte Conrad Lewis (right) were both on patrol when they were shot

Two British soldiers shot dead on patrol in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday have been named by the Ministry of Defence.

Pte Lewis Hendry, of 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment, and Pte Conrad Lewis, of 4th Battalion The Parachute Regiment, died in small arms fire.

They had been patrolling an area in the north of Nad-e Ali district in Helmand.

The number of British military deaths on operations in Afghanistan since 2001 stands at 354.

Pte Hendry, from Norwich, died at the scene after suffering serious gunshot wounds, said the MoD.

He was three days off his 21st birthday.

His family said in a statement: “Lewis lived life to the full – and more. Words can’t describe how much he will be missed.

“He was not only a soldier, a son, brother and grandson, but a friend to all.”

Regimental Sgt Maj Richard Hames, of the 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment described Pte Hendry as “the paratrooper”, saying he was professional, motivated, with bags of confidence and a core of steel.

“He was a soldier who could be relied upon to get the job done, however big the call was,” he added.

Maj Richard Todd, officer commanding A Company, said Pte Hendry had been selected to be a patrols platoon soldier for his “bravery, selflessness, intense professionalism and a deep love of soldiering and his fellow soldiers”.

Pte Lewis, from Bournemouth, was four months into his tour of Afghanistan when his patrol came under fire. The 22-year-old died from a serious gunshot wound, the MoD said.

His family said in a statement: “It is a cliche to say that everyone loved him, but they did, from people of his own generation to adults of all generations.

“If you met Conrad you were touched by him and he made you feel good about life.”

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

Ministers halt some forest sales

WoodsPlans to sell-off state-owned forests have provoked a backlash
Related Stories

The government has put on hold plans to sell off some English forests – but the main scheme could still go ahead.

Proposals to offload 258,000 hectares run by the Forestry Commission have attracted cross-party criticism and a public outcry.

The planned sale of 15% of state-owned forests will be put on hold, ministers said, as they “re-examine the criteria” for disposing of them.

Labour said it was a “panic measure” and would not silence the protests.

The government is allowed to sell off 15% of England’s woodlands in each four year public spending period – and that is what the announcement relates to.

Ministers say the 15% sale – which will raise an estimated £100m – will still go ahead over the next four years but they wanted to ensure “the necessary protection for all public benefits of the public forest estate are in place”.

It has no impact has on impact on the ongoing consultation on the remaining 85% of the public forest estate, the Department of the Environment stressed.

In a written statement to Parliament, Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman said the “revised timetable” for the partial sale would give time to consider public concerns about the stewardship of the land concerned and ensure proper safeguards were in place.

“In light of the government commitment to increase protection for access and public benefit in our woodlands, the criteria for these sales will be reviewed so that protections are significantly strengthened following the inadequate measures that were applied to sales under the previous administration,” she said.

“Pending this review, no individual woodland site will be put on the market.”

The BBC’s environment correspondent Jeremy Cooke said: “This small-scale sell-off has been going on for many years.

“What the government is saying is that they will not go ahead and sell off this season’s 15% of Forestry Commission land until they have brought in legal safeguards to make sure that any land sold is fully protected both for biodiversity and public access.”

“This is a panic measure by a government which has been spooked by the huge public outcry,”

Mary Creagh Shadow environment secretary

He said the government appeared to be sending out a “political message” that they are serious that legal protections will apply even after sale or lease of Forestry Commission land in the larger privatisation programme, if it goes ahead.

Ministers say they want to “move away” from the state owning and managing large areas of woodland and encourage a “mixed model” of ownership in which a range of groups will have responsibility for forests on a leasehold basis.

But plans announced last month to give the private sector, community and charitable groups greater involvement has caused a fierce backlash, with critics saying it could threaten public access and results in forests being used for unsuitable purposes.

Labour, which have accused ministers of “environmental vandalism”, welcomed Friday’s move but urged ministers to go further and rethink its entire approach to the future of English woodlands.

“This is a panic measure by a government which has been spooked by the huge public outcry,” Shadow Environment Secretary Mary Creagh said. “This partial U-turn will not be enough to silence the protests.”

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

Nepal PM appoints three ministers

Nepali PM Jhalanath Khanal Jhalanath Khanal has to deal with tricky issues in his inbox

Nepal’s Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal has appointed his first ministers since being elected a week ago.

Mr Khanal named three colleagues who have still to be given portfolios.

Bharat Mohan Adhikari, Bishnu Poudyal and Gangalal Tuladhar are all members of Mr Khanal’s CPN-UML party. Mr Tuladhar will be government spokesman.

The cabinet formation has been delayed as the PM has failed to finalise a power-sharing deal with the Maoists, with whose support he won the election.

He was elected by legislators after more than seven months of stalemate and 17 attempts.

The three ministers were sworn in on Thursday.

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

Father brandishes knife at PSNI

A father brandished a knife at police responding to a 999 call made by his nine-year-old daughter who claimed he was trying to kill her mother.

Prosecutors told Belfast High Court that officers had to draw their guns when he emerged from the family home in County Antrim early last Sunday.

The 33-year-old accused, who cannot be named to protect the identity of his four children, faces several charges.

His application for bail was adjourned until a suitable address can be given.

The court heard that the father of four allegedly attacked his wife in front of his children and threatened to stab the first policeman through the door.

He is charged with possession of an offensive weapon with intent, assault occasioning actual bodily harm against his wife, criminal damage to her phone, threats to kill and resisting arrest.

Crown counsel Philip Henry said police were alerted by the accused’s daughter in a 999 call made at around 0230 GMT on Sunday.

“She stated her father was trying to kill her mother and had a knife,” he said.

As officers drove to the scene the accused’s wife phoned to claim he had just tried to stab her and still had the weapon, the court heard.

When they arrived outside the house they allegedly spotted the man walking down the hallway towards them.

“They could see a bright 8-inch long object in his hand as he approached the door,” Mr Henry said.

“Police shouted at him on several occasions ‘Do you have a knife?’ and ‘What is in your hand?’

“He made no reply, but they could see him smiling and waving his empty hand.”

Minutes later he stepped out with a kitchen knife in his other hand, forcing officers to draw their weapons, it was claimed.

Although the accused dropped the knife, he refused to step away and had to be struck and handcuffed, according to the prosecution.

His wife claimed he had grabbed her by the throat and banged her head against a wall in front of their children.

He then allegedly put the knife to her throat and threatened to kill her.

“The accused also threatened if she called the police he would stab the first police officer who came through the door.”

Declan Quinn, defending, claimed there was a pattern of his client taking drink and “shouting his mouth off”.

The barrister said both the accused and his wife had been drinking when a row broke out.

His application for bail was adjourned until a suitable address could be provided.

The judge, Lord Justice Coghlin, said: “Whether his wife drinks is completely irrelevant so far as the children are concerned. They are the ones suffering here.”

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

UK urges ‘clarity’ on Egypt power

Nick CleggClegg: The government can understand “the intense frustration.”

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has said he wants to see an “orderly transition” of power in Egypt.

Talking to Nicky Campbell on BBC Radio 5 live, Mr Clegg said the process should lead to a more democratic and open future for the country.

He said he could understand the “intense frustration” of people who had hoped for more from last night’s presidential address

But the UK government would not be giving a “running commentary”, he said.

Meanwhile Foreign Offfice Minister Lord Howell has told fellow peers that the Egyptian army faces “grim options.”

During a debate Lord Howell said one “obvious” option would be for the army to mount a military coup.

Another was that they could simply hope to control the crowds.

But a third option was for the military to be drawn into a clash “if massive numbers of people” tried to attack key institutions.

The minister went on to praise the reporting of events in the country, saying “very brave people” had covered the protests, but no-one could predict what was going to happen.

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

Murderer Bamber loses appeal bid

Jeremy Bamber arriving at courtJeremy Bamber received a life sentence for five murders in Essex
Related Stories

The case of Essex killer Jeremy Bamber will not be referred to the Court of Appeal, the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) has said.

Bamber now has several weeks to respond to the CCRC’s provisional ruling before a final decision is made.

He was jailed for shooting his adopted parents, his sister and her six-year-old twin sons at their farmhouse in Tolleshunt D’Arcy, Essex in 1985.

Bamber, now 50, was given a whole life sentence for the killings.

He has always protested his innocence and claims his sister Sheila Caffell, who suffered from schizophrenia, shot her family before turning the gun on herself.

A spokesman for the family said they were “very relieved” by the CCRC decision.

A spokesman for Essex Police said: “Essex Police has co-operated throughout with the CCRC in this matter and has no further comment to make at this time.”

The CCRC said it had sent Bamber’s legal team an 89-page document “setting out in detail the commission’s analysis of the case and the reasons for the provisional decision”.

“As is usual with commission cases reaching this stage, Mr Bamber and his team have been invited to respond to the commission’s case analysis and the reasons for its provisional decision,” a spokesman said.

“Given the lengthy and highly complex nature of the case, we have given Mr Bamber and his team three months in which to respond to our provisional decision (usually the period for a case of this type is 40 working days).

“The commission will then consider whatever representations it receives from Mr Bamber and his team before making a final decision on whether or nor to refer the case for a fresh appeal hearing.”

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