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Blackburn appoint former Arsenal and Denmark international midfielder John Jensen as the new assistant manager to boss Steve Kean.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Despite the bus bomb damage, some top-deck passengers survived The mother of a man blown up on a bus in London on 7 July 2005 has described the terrorist attack as “preventable”.
Marie Fatayi-Williams told the 7/7 inquest her son Anthony’s death was “totally unnecessary”, suggesting authorities could have foreseen it.
She also criticised police delays in telling her of his death and said her pain was “too deep for tears”.
Her son, from Hendon, north London, was one of 13 killed when Hasib Hussain blew himself up in Tavistock Square.
Mrs Fatayi-Williams said: “Anthony’s life was cut short in a needless, totally unnecessary and preventable attack on London.
“His family continues to miss him sorely, even after these five years. We, his parents, continue to wonder if his death could have been prevented, or even the attacks foreseen by the relevant authorities.”
The inquest into the deaths of 52 people has previously heard evidence from passengers on Tube trains which were targeted by three other suicide bombers.
Mr Fatayi-Williams, 26, was educated in Nigeria, France and the UK before joining multinational engineering firm Amec as an oil executive.
On the day of the attacks, his journey to Old Street in central London was disrupted by the chaos caused by the earlier bombings.
“His death has left a yawning vacuum in our lives”
Marie Fatayi-WilliamsMother’s plea for missing son
Witnesses have told how he helped other commuters and pointed confused travellers in the right direction before boarding the number 30 bus.
His mother said he was fit and would have walked had he known bombs had gone off on the Tube.
On 11 July – four days after the attack – his family held a press conference appealing for information about their son because they had heard nothing about him, the inquest heard.
It was only the next day that police confirmed his death.
Mrs Fatayi-Williams said: “Up until this time, the relevant authorities had not confirmed to the family that they had Anthony’s body for over five days.”
At the time she condemned the attackers, saying “I need to know what happened to Anthony… how many mothers’ hearts shall be maimed?”
The co-ordinated attacks hit the transport system as the morning rush hour drew to a close, killing 52 people and injuring more than 770.
Hussain, 18, detonated his bomb an hour after the three other attacks The first three were on Underground trains just outside Liverpool Street and Edgware Road stations, and on one travelling between King’s Cross and Russell Square.
Earlier, Mrs Fatayi-Williams told the inquest: “Anthony always said to me, ‘Mummy, do not worry about anything, just watch and see how well I will take care of you’.
“I in turn looked forward to caring for Anthony’s children, my grandchildren. But alas his death has left a yawning vacuum in our lives and a sustained pain too strong for words and too deep for tears.”
The inquest at the High Court also heard tributes to other victims of the bus bomb – including “devoted” husband and father-of-two Giles Hart, 55, from Hornchurch in Essex.
In a statement read out, the inquest heard he was born in Sudan to English parents and moved to the UK aged five, going on to work for the Civil Service and British Telecom.
The active campaigner on several causes married a Polish woman, and was posthumously granted the Knights Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland, for his services to democracy.
Meanwhile City worker Jamie Gordon, 30, from Enfield, north London, was described as “simply the best son in the world”.
The court was told he did not take his usual route to work on 7 July because he had stayed with a colleague following a party the night before.
His mother, Pairose Bond, said he was “charming and tolerant” with a big personality who shared her love of music.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Trainee teachers could face literacy and numeracy tests as part of their training A government commissioned report into teaching standards in Scotland has recommended trainees undergo basic literacy and numeracy tests.
The report, by former chief inspector of education Graham Donaldson, is due to be published on Thursday.
However, the BBC understands it suggests prospective teachers should face reading and writing tests as part of their training.
It comes amid concern that incompetent staff are entering the profession.
In February last year the Scottish government asked Mr Donaldson to undertake a review of teacher education in Scotland.
The report is being presented to Scotland’s education secretary Michael Russell.
The call to introduce competency tests for teachers is one of a series of recommendations.
Other proposals include giving would-be teachers more practical experience in schools, as well as increasing the range of training courses to attract a range of people to the profession.
Lindsay Paterson, professor of educational policy at the University of Edinburgh, said that as things stood, teacher training courses were “simply not intellectually challenging enough”.
“A lot more has to be done during the university phase to develop their numeracy and literacy to much higher levels”
Prof Lindsay Paterson Professor of educational policy, University of Edinburgh
He said: “We know from research evidence that the numeracy of trainee primary school teachers leaves a great deal to be desired.
“This has to be addressed rather urgently.”
Professor Paterson said it was vital that screening was put in place to ensure trainee teachers had competent levels of literacy and numeracy.
“At the moment that is not being done adequately or systematically. A lot is left to chance almost and is left to the education that these students themselves got at school,” he said.
“That’s not satisfactory and a lot more has to be done during the university phase to develop their numeracy and literacy to much higher levels.”
He added: “We have to have a great debate about exactly what numeracy and literacy are, what levels are required and so on, and of course, they have to be interpreted in a broad way that’s not just about grammar, not just about doing sums.
“It’s a much deeper understanding by teachers of how language works and how numbers work.”
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The crash traumatised Poland Russia has blamed the Smolensk air crash which killed the Polish president and nearly 100 other people in April on Polish pilot error.
Air crash investigators revealed their findings in Moscow after handing their final report into the disaster to their Polish colleagues.
Polish officials criticised a draft version last month, describing it as negligent and riddled with errors.
Russia’s handling of the disaster had previously been widely commended.
President Lech Kaczynski and 95 others, spanning the country’s military and political elite, were killed when their airliner came down in heavy fog near the western Russian city of Smolensk.
They had been on their way to a memorial ceremony for Poles massacred by Stalin’s secret police at Katyn during World War II.
Last month, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk described a draft of the Russian report as “unacceptable”, saying some of its conclusions were unfounded.
Without revealing details, he said it did not comply fully with the Chicago Convention which regulates international air travel.
“This negligence and mistakes, or lack of positive reaction to what Poland has been asking for, all these things allow us to say that some of the report’s conclusions are without foundation,” he added.
In another development, Lech Kaczynski’s twin brother, former Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, has said he doubts that the body entombed in a Polish cathedral last year is that of his brother.
“When I saw the body that was brought back in a coffin to Poland, that person did not look like my brother,” he told reporters last month.
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Leonora Rustamova wrote Stop! Don’t Read This! which featured on a self-publishing website An English teacher who was sacked after she wrote a racy novel about her pupils believed she was “innovative”, an employment tribunal has heard.
Leonora Rustamova, 40, was sacked from Calder High School in West Yorkshire in 2009 after the novel appeared on a self-publishing website.
The story – Stop! Don’t Read This! – named several teachers and featured year 11 pupils.
Miss Rustamova is claiming unfair dismissal in Leeds.
The novel, which was later removed from the website, described teenage fantasies, violence and a criminal drug den.
One pupil is also referred to as fantasising and flirting with the former teacher.
Jean Bradbury, vice chair of governors at Calder High School, told the hearing the school governors were concerned about Mrs Rustamova’s safeguarding responsibilities.
She said: “Far from feeling she had done something wrong, the majority of her evidence was how she was an excellent teacher at the forefront of her profession and she was innovative and that didn’t marry with the concerns we had.”
She added that the story had brought the school into disrepute, because it was “available in the public arena” and the school had been named.
Miss Rustamova, who was dubbed Miss Rusty by her pupils, taught for more than 11 years before she lost her job in May 2009.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
England manager Martin Johnson calls up Charlie Hodgson, Louis Deacon and Joe Simpson into his 33-man elite squad for the Six Nations.
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A 22-year-old appears in court in Londonderry charged with causing an explosion outside Strand Road police station in the city in August 2010.
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Freeman was described as a “ruthless fraudster” A man has admitted carrying out a “Ponzi” fraud in which more than 350 victims were defrauded out of £15m.
Southwark Crown Court heard Terence Freeman, 62, set up the scheme to secure himself a luxurious lifestyle.
Freeman admitted fraudulent trading and was told there was not a “remote possibility” he would not be jailed.
A Ponzi scheme works by offering investors speedy high returns – but the money used to do this is not from actual profit but from other investors.
The system is ultimately destined to collapse when too many existing members withdraw funds or when people stop joining.
Judge Geoffrey Rivlin QC said: “People were putting good money into this business and they were being conned.”
One couple invested £1.4m – their entire life savings – into the scheme.
“He was there to live the lifestyle funded on the back of his victims’ money”
Det Supt Bob Wishart
The couple were told that the investment had doubled in value, only to learn later that just £14,000 was left.
Freeman had recently been released from prison after being convicted of being a company director while disqualified when he put his plan into action.
He was previously called Terence Sparks, but on release from jail he changed his surname to Freeman.
He set up the company GFX Capital Markets, claiming he would make money for investors on foreign currency exchanges.
Freeman invested heavily in dollars, only to be hit heavily by the collapse of finance company Lehman Brothers during the 2008 banking meltdown.
A City of London spokesman explained that many Ponzi fraudsters do invest a portion of funds they gather to appear to be a legitimate financial trader.
But he said that, without expertise in the markets, such sums were usually lost.
Freeman came to the attention of the authorities when he rang the police, claiming his investors were threatening him.
Officers looked into Freeman’s financial background and he was arrested for the fraud.
Speaking after the hearing, Det Supt Bob Wishart, of City of London Police, said: “He is your archetypal ruthless fraudster.
“He was there to live the lifestyle funded on the back of his victims’ money.”
Freeman admitted five other offences.
Three counts relating to money laundering, to which he pleaded not guilty, were left on file.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
DJ Basshunter came fourth in last year’s Celebrity Big Brother Dance music star Basshunter has denied two alleged sex assault charges against fans during a gig in a Fife nightclub.
Jonas Erik Altberg, 26, appeared at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court over allegations he attacked the pair at Kitty’s nightclub in the Fife town.
Altberg, from Sweden, who turned up at court with his manager, will now stand trial in May.
The Celebrity Big Brother star was released on bail. He refused to comment to reporters as he left the court.
He is alleged to have grabbed one girl by the hair and pushed her head towards his private parts.
A second charge alleges that he grabbed another girl, pushed her towards his groin, then bent her over.
He is further accused of pulling up the girl’s dress inside the nightclub.
Mr Altberg, known professionally as Basshunter, scored a UK number one single with Now You’re Gone in 2007, as well as hitting top spot with Boten Anna.
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Former Prime Minister Tony Blair will give evidence to the Iraq Inquiry for a second time on 21 January.
He is one of a number of key figures, including former Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, asked to appear before the Chilcot committee again.
Last year Mr Blair defended his decision to take the country to war, saying he had no regrets about it and that Saddam Hussein was a “monster”.
The inquiry said it wanted “more detail” in some key areas.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
As much as 9in (23cm) of snow has blanketed states in the south-eastern US Freezing rain and sleet have caused power outages, icy roads and school cancellations in the south-eastern US, following a snow storm that struck in the region at the weekend.
As much as 9in (23cm) of snow has blanketed states from Louisiana to North Carolina.
At least three people have died in weather-related car crashes in the area over the past few days.
The winter mix is expected to turn to ice by Tuesday, forecasters said.
“Since it’s going to be pretty cold over the next few days, we could see whatever accumulates sticking around for a few days,” National Weather Service meteorologist Daniel Lamb told the Associated Press news agency.
Governors in the states of Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee declared emergencies, while schools in the south called off classes on Monday because of the storm.
Officials in Georgia were forced to move the inauguration of Republican Governor Nathan Deal from the steps of the state Capitol to inside the state’s House chambers, after the weekend storm left the city of Atlanta covered by about 4in (10cm) of snow.
A heavy coating of ice on power lines and trees has prompted officials to warn regions affected by the storm about further power outages.
The storm system was centred on South Carolina, with heavy snow stretching into North Carolina on Monday afternoon, while a mix of sleet, snow and freezing rain extended from Alabama to northern Georgia.
The storm system began moving across the south on Sunday, covering bridges and roads.
The wintry weather is expected to head north toward the state of Ohio by Tuesday, forecasters said.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Haitians will observe a minute’s silence at the time the quake struck Haitians are preparing to mark the anniversary of the earthquake that devastated their country and left some 250,000 of their fellow citizens dead.
Church services are due to be held around the nation, including at the ruined cathedral in Port-au-Prince.
There will also be a minute’s silence at 4.53pm (2153 GMT) – the exact moment when the 7.0 magnitude quake hit.
One year on, some 800,000 people are still living in temporary shelters.
As well as facing the huge task of rebuilding, which has barely begun, Haiti has had to cope with an ongoing cholera outbreak that has so far killed more than 3,500 people, according to government figures.
Political instability has also increased, following November’s disputed presidential election.
Commemorations have already been taking place in Haiti.
On Tuesday, President Rene Preval and other officials joined relatives of victims to lay wreaths at a mass grave on the outskirts of the capital.
Religious leaders also held prayers at the University of Notre Dame.
“Let the heart of the people never cease to beat for charity and liberty,” one priest said in his address.
Bill Clinton spoke to the BBC in Port-au-Prince
Banks, schools and government offices were set to be closed on Wednesday for the day of national mourning.
Among those due to attend the service at the cathedral is former US President Bill Clinton, who on Tuesday told the BBC of his frustration at the slow pace of reconstruction in Haiti, a year after the earthquake that killed more than 250,000 people.
“No-one is more frustrated than I am that we haven’t done more,” Mr Clinton said during his visit to Port-au-Prince, in his capacity as UN envoy to Haiti.
But he said he was confident that the speed of reconstruction would pick up.
Several major aid agencies have questioned the effectiveness of the overall response to the earthquake. Medical charity MSF has pointed to a lack of co-ordination, Oxfam said donor countries had too often pursued their own aid priorities, while Merlin said the large number of NGOs has undermined Haiti’s own health service.
International donors last March pledged $2.01bn (£1.28bn) for the country’s long-term recovery but by the end of December, the amount disbursed totalled $1.28bn – or 63.6%.
One of the key problems is the continued political uncertainty. November’s election was widely denounced as flawed, with reports of fraud and intimidation at polling stations.
Violent protests broke out when the provisional results were announced in December.
The second round was due to take place on 16 January, but has been postponed until next month as there is still no agreement on which candidates will be taking part.
Provisional results put the former First Lady Mirlande Manigat in first place and the government party candidate Jude Celestin in second, just ahead of the pop star, Michel Martelly.
But Mr Martelly insists he won more votes than Mr Celestin and should be in the run-off.
A mission from the Organisation of American States, which was brought in to evaluate the result, is reported to have found in Mr Martelly’s favour, but this has not been confirmed.
Outgoing President Rene Preval said on Monday that he had not yet seen the report and has indicated he will only discuss it once the commemorations are concluded.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
An inquiry into the Colin McRae helicopter crash which killed four people hears the aircraft flew towards a policeman.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
It is feared the inquiry into Rafik Hariri’s death in 2005 will spark fresh violence Hezbollah and its allies have threatened to quit the Lebanese cabinet unless their demands over a UN tribunal probing the murder of ex-premier Rafik Hariri are met.
The move would automatically bring down the government, ministers have warned.
Tension has been high in Lebanon, amid indications that Hezbollah members could be indicted by the UN tribunal.
On Tuesday, officials said that efforts by Syria and Saudi Arabia to reach a political compromise had failed.
There are widespread fears of clashes between the country’s Shia and Sunni communities.
Ministers allied to Hezbollah told local media that Prime Minister Saad Hariri – the son of the slain former premier – had rejected the group’s demands on Tuesday for an urgent cabinet session following the failure of the Saudi-Syrian diplomatic push.
“If the cabinet fails to meet, it means there is no government and as such 11 ministers will tender their resignations this afternoon,” Health Minister Mohamad Jawad Khalifeh, whose Amal party is allied with Hezbollah, told AFP news agency on Wednesday.
Hezbollah, a powerful Shia political and militant movement, has dismissed the UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) as a “US-Israeli plot”.
It has angrily rejected any suggestion of involvement in the February 2005 Hariri assassination, and wants the government to suspend its share of funding for the tribunal and withdraw all co-operation.
The latest turmoil came as Saad Hariri – the Western-backed son of the slain ex-premier – was set to meet US President Barack Obama in Washington to discuss the crisis.
Mr Hariri, whose fragile coalition government has been sharing power with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah, has so far resisted calls to reject the tribunal, saying justice must be served.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has warned of dire consequences if the court goes ahead and indicts some of his followers.
There are fears of renewed clashes between the country’s Shia and Sunni communities.
In 2008, sectarian clashes killed 81 people and nearly plunged Lebanon into another civil war.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
The by-election is the first since the general election Campaigning in the Oldham East and Saddleworth by-election is into its final day, with parties seeking support ahead of Thursday’s vote.
Candidates will be canvassing across the constituency, which Labour’s Phil Woolas won at the general election.
David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg have all visited the Greater Manchester seat in recent days.
The by-election was prompted after Mr Woolas was barred from Parliament for making false statements about a rival.
At the general election Mr Woolas got 31.9% of votes and Lib Dem Elwyn Watkins 31.6%, with Conservative Kashif Ali on 26.4%. The BNP got 5.7% of votes, UKIP 3.9% and the Christian Party 0.5%.
Turnout in the contest was 61.2%, below the overall UK figure of 65.1%.
The by-election is the first to be held since the last election, making it the first significant test of the coalition government’s popularity.
The contest was triggered after a court found that former Mr Woolas, the former immigration minister, had made false statements about Mr Watkins in last year’s campaign and invalidated the poll outcome.
It also barred Mr Woolas from standing for public office for three years.
Mr Clegg has said Oldham and Saddleworth’s voters face a “simple choice” between his Liberal Democrats and Labour.
But Mr Miliband has urged people to “send a message” to the government over its spending cuts.
Meanwhile, Mr Cameron has rejected claims that the poll amounts to a referendum on the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition.
The full list of candidates (in alphabetical order) is:
Debbie Abrahams (Labour)Derek Adams (British National Party)Kashif Ali (Conservative)Peter Allen (Green Party)David Bishop (Bus-Pass Elvis Party)The Flying Brick (Monster Raving Loony Party)Loz Kaye (Pirate Party of the United Kingdom)Stephen Morris (English Democrats)Paul Nuttall MEP (UK Independence Party)Elwyn Watkins (Liberal Democrats)
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.