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Drivers on the London Underground threaten fresh disruption on the Tube in a dispute over Boxing Day pay.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
De Niro won a Golden Globe for Raging Bull in 1980 Oscar-winning actor Robert De Niro is to receive the Cecil B DeMille Award for lifetime achievement at the Golden Globes next year.
The Taxi Driver and Raging Bull star, 67, will collect the prize at the 2011 awards, to be held on 16 January.
Making the announcement, actor Kevin Spacey described De Niro as being “universally acknowledged as one of the greatest actors of all time”.
Previous recipients include Al Pacino, Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg.
Spacey hailed De Niro – who has made more than 70 films – for creating “some of cinema’s most unforgettable moments”.
“He has set the bar for every actor,” the American Beauty star continued, saying the Godfather actor was “unafraid to transform himself, both inside and out.”
De Niro is also being honoured for his contributions as a director, as a producer through his Tribeca Productions, and as a co-founder of the Tribeca Film Festival in New York.
Chosen by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the Cecil B DeMille Award is given annually to the “talented individuals who have made an incredible impact on the world of entertainment”.
The Los Angeles ceremony, to be broadcast live across the US, will be hosted by comedian Ricky Gervais.
The Office and Extras creator made his debut as presenter earlier this year.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
CPS South Wales says it has “moved on” since the inspection The performance of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) South Wales is poor and has declined since 2007, an inspection has concluded.
The report said cases needed to be prepared to a better standard in both crown and magistrates courts.
However, inspectors said they were encouraged by the new management’s “determination to get to grips with the challenges that have been highlighted”.
CPS South Wales said it had “moved on” since the inspection.
The report said relationships with some key criminal justice partners needed to improve but action was being taken to address the issue.
Crown court casework and preparation of magistrates court cases for trials were identified as areas that needed improving.
There were also “significant budgetary challenges”, and CPS South Wales needed to “review its structures and aspects of staff deployment including the way it deploys its crown advocates”.
“While the overall rating of poor is disappointing… I am heartened that the report acknowledges the changes that have already been put in place to improve the efficiency of CPS South Wales”
Jim Brisbane Interim chief crown prosecutor, CPS South Wales
Aspects of the service rated as poor included pre-charge advice and decisions; decision-making, preparation and progression in magistrates court cases; custody time limits and disclosure of unused material.
A significant proportion of cases were prepared late, the report found.
Some improvements were noted, such as the service provided in cases involving rape and violence against women, and the quality of contact with victims generally.
The overall assessment of the service was downgraded from fair in 2007 to poor in 2010.
HM chief inspector Michael Fuller said: “Whilst it is disappointing to note that South Wales overall performance has declined since 2007, I am encouraged by the recent changes made and the new management team’s determination to get to grips with the challenges that have been highlighted in our report.
“Despite the overall rating of poor, the area has had a measure of success in some aspects of work, such as improving the service provided in cases involving rape and violence against women and the quality of its contact with victims generally.
“The area must focus on improving both its crown court casework and preparation of magistrates courts cases for trial, and we have made a number of recommendations to address the quality, as well as the timeliness, of preparing cases for court.
“Budgetary control and efficiency remain a key challenge for the area into the next financial year and beyond. We have made recommendations to address this issue and which, if implemented, will lead to savings.”
Interim chief crown prosecutor for south Wales, Jim Brisbane, said he recognised the importance of continually improving the service to the communities it served.
“We have moved on since the inspection and, although the report does not make easy reading in parts, we acknowledge the findings of the inspectors and accept the recommendations they make,” he said.
“While the overall rating of poor is disappointing, particularly for our hard-working staff, I am heartened that the report acknowledges the changes that have already been put in place to improve the efficiency of CPS South Wales.
“I am also pleased that elements of our work, for example in the fields of rape, violence against women and community confidence, are rated as good.”
Since the inspection, CPS South Wales has reviewed its management and operational structures and brought in a new “performance monitoring system”.
It has also started collaborative work, particularly with police, to “increase efficiency” and improve the way organisations in the criminal justice system work together.
Improvement plans have been worked out to address the main areas of concern highlighted.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
BA’s cabin crew staff have held a number of strikes throughout this year There has been a setback in attempts to end the bitter dispute between British airways and their cabin crew over staffing levels on flights.
Leaders of Unite union’s Bassa branch – which represents most crew – have said they will not endorse a new peace deal, describing it as “a step too far”.
The deal was reached in talks between the joint head of Unite, Tony Woodley and the BA chief Willy Walsh.
BA says the deal on offer is “fair and reasonable”.
It has been called the best that can be achieved by negotiation.
But the Bassa branch leaders say they cannot recommend it to members.
Among the stumbling blocks, they say, are a demand the union gives up all outstanding legal claims arising from the dispute, and an acknowledgement that BA has the right to withdraw travel concessions from staff in future.
Bassa says BA might even withdraw the deal totally as it had been insisting on a favourable recommendation from the union leadership.
The airline’s cabin crew workers have staged 22 days of strike action since March, costing the airline £150m.
When the dispute began in November last year, it centred on changes to staffing levels, pay and working conditions.
However, Unite has since said that the core issues are the removal of the travel concessions and the implementation of disciplinary sanctions against its members since March.
BA reported earlier this month that its passenger numbers in September were 1.3% higher than a year earlier.
However, its total traffic for the year to date is still down on a year ago, following the strike action and April’s volcanic ash cloud which grounded flights across Europe.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Mr Obama’s popularity in some parts of the Muslim world has slumped since his 2009 Cairo speech US President Barack Obama is set to deliver what is being billed as a major speech addressed to the Islamic world, as he winds up a visit to Indonesia.
He will hold up Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, as an example of a developing country embracing democracy, an aide said.
Analysts say it will be his biggest attempt to engage the Islamic world since a speech in Cairo last year.
Mr Obama then continues his Asia tour in South Korea for the G20 summit.
The speech is due to take place at the University of Indonesia, to an audience of 6,000 people. Before the speech, he is scheduled to visit Jakarta’s Istiqlal mosque, the largest in South-East Asia.
He is expected to touch on the four years he spent in the country as a child and emphasise the importance of Indonesia’s example as a growing economy and a majority-Muslim nation that is largely tolerant of other religions.
Presidential aide Ben Rhodes also said the president wanted to revisit some of the themes he raised in his June 2009 speech in Cairo: the conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and between Israel and the Palestinians.
In a reminder of the difficulties he faces, Israel decided to build more apartments for Jewish settlers in disputed East Jerusalem.
“This kind of activity is never helpful when it comes to peace negotiations,” he said.
Obama: “Indonesia is where many of the challenges and opportunities of the 21st Century come together”
Peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians resumed in September after a break of almost two years but were suspended after a few weeks when a freeze on the building of Jewish settlements expired.
When Mr Obama delivered his Cairo speech he was riding a wave of goodwill, says the BBC’s Middle East analyst Roger Hardy. But since then, the mood has changed. Recent polls show that in key parts of the Muslim world his credibility has slumped.
Speaking earlier in his Indonesia visit, Mr Obama said the US must do “a lot more work” to improve ties with the Muslim world.
In a wide-ranging news conference with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Mr Obama said he had worked hard to repair ties with Muslim communities.
“I think that our efforts have been earnest and sustained. We don’t expect that we are going to completely eliminate some of the misunderstandings and mistrust that have developed over a long period of time, but we do think that we’re on the right path.”
Mr Obama paid tribute to Indonesia as a majority Muslim nation that had “figured out how to create a genuine democracy” with a hugely diverse population.
He said the US would expand co-operation on economic issues, security and climate change with Indonesia.
Mr Obama also expressed affection for a country he lived in as a boy.
“It’s wonderful to be here although I have to tell you that when you visit a place that you spent time in as a child, as the president it’s a little disorientating.”
The short trip affords the president little leisure time and the White House announced he will leave almost two hours early on Wednesday, so his flight can outrun the volcanic ash cloud thrown up by the recent deadly eruption of Mount Merapi.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
India’s ruling Congress party announces a new chief minister of western Maharashtra state, a day after his predecessor resigned over his alleged role in a scam.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Mr Cameron has been joined by four cabinet ministers and 43 business leaders on the trip David Cameron is expected to promote the benefits of democracy in a keynote speech to Chinese students in Beijing.
He is expected to say that political freedom and the rule of law provide the best path to stability and prosperity.
He will acknowledge British society is “not perfect” and insist that he is not trying to place the UK in a position of “moral superiority” over China.
The prime minister is on a two-day trade mission but has been urged to address China’s record on human rights.
He has said he will not “lecture and hector” China over political freedoms and human rights. His aides have said the speech is intended in a spirit of frank dialogue, rather than criticism.
But he will say better governance is promoted by institutions such as Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons and an official opposition, by forcing leaders to listen to criticism and adapt their policies in response.
The existence of a judiciary able to strike down unlawful official actions “make our government better and our country stronger”, he will say.
And those who hold different views from the government are able to take part in public debate through a free media.
“We believe that the better informed the British public is about the issues affecting our society… the easier it is, ultimately, for the British government to come to sensible decisions and to develop robust policies that command the confidence of our people, ” he will say.
Mr Cameron is expected to acknowledge that leading a country of 1.3 billion people raises difficulties of a different order from those of a nation of 60 million.
Speaking to students at Beida University he will add: “I make these observations not because I believe that we have some moral superiority.
“Our own society is not perfect. There is still injustice which we must work hard to tackle. We are far from immune from poverty and the ills that afflict every nation on earth.”
“It is a reminder of how limited is the power of our government to even express deep concern let alone do anything about China’s continued policy of repression and opposition to democracy”
But he will say: “In arguing for a strong relationship between our countries, I want a relationship in which we can be open with each other, in which we can have a constructive dialogue of give and take in a spirit of tolerance and mutual respect.
“The rise in economic freedom in China in recent years has been hugely beneficial to China and to the world.
“I hope that in time this will lead to a greater political opening… because I am convinced that the best guarantor of prosperity and stability is for economic and political progress to go in step together.”
On Tuesday, Mr Cameron raised the issue of human rights during talks with the Chinese Prime Minister, Wen Jiabao, but did not refer directly to jailed dissident and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Liu Xiabo.
But BBC political editor Nick Robinson said Mr Cameron was expected to talk specifically about this later in the visit, which aims to promote trade.
The Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, who says he was recently put under house arrest by the Chinese authorities, said Mr Cameron must make a public statement about China’s human rights record.
He suggested that by avoiding the matter, the prime minister he was putting trade ahead of human rights
Mr Cameron, who is joined by four cabinet ministers and 43 business leaders, called the trip a “vitally important trade mission”.
Engine maker Rolls-Royce has won a $1.2bn (£750m) contract – the biggest of the visit so far – which is to supply a Chinese airline with Trent 700 engines for 16 Airbus A330 aircraft, along with long-term servicing.
On Wednesday, Mr Cameron will visit the Great Wall of China and meet President Hu Jintao before flying on to the G20 summit in South Korea.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
By Caroline Wyatt
An injured soldier learns how to balance after losing his legs A look at work inside the new critical care ward at the £545m Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, where injured troops evacuated from Afghanistan are being treated.
At the hospital, 23-year old Pte Andrew Garthwaite is greeted warmly by a man he doesn’t remember.
It is the trauma surgeon who operated him in the crucial hours immediately after he was badly wounded in Helmand some six months ago, when a Taliban rocket-propelled grenade took off Andrew’s right arm and killed one of his comrades.
Wing Cdr William van Niekerk was working at the field hospital at Camp Bastion when Andrew was brought in, and remembers him well.
Now, the surgeon is back in the UK working at the new Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, which treats all the military casualties evacuated from Helmand. He is pleased with how well the young soldier’s wounds are healing.
Andrew, who is serving with the Queen’s Royal Lancers, is now undergoing rehabilitation at Headley Court in Surrey, but comes back to the hospital regularly for his injuries to be reviewed. He is hoping to be able to receive a “bionic arm”, so he can continue his career in the Army.
“It’s called Target Nerve Reinnervation, and what happens is they’re going to pull the nerves from the stump around and into my chest area – and the nerves are going to talk to the muscles within the pec and when I think about doing stuff, my pec will move and operate the arm by using different muscles of my body, so with my thinking, the arm will move,” he explains.
That stage is still some way off, but in the meantime, Andrew has nothing but praise for both the medics and his own regiment since he was wounded.
“I’ve been treated like you would at a five-star hotel,” he says. “I just cannot believe how much the Army has done for me, and my family and girlfriend and friends. They have been so good with my treatment, and the prosthetics side of life.
Medics settle a transferred patient “Hopefully, I’ll return to work, but I might have to change the sort of job I do because obviously holding the weapon is going to be quite hard – but with this new arm I might be able to. You never know.”
In a ward nearby, the civilian and military medics are preparing to receive a new military patient, who is being brought in on the latest medical evacuation flight from Helmand.
The team here have conference calls several times a day with their colleagues in Afghanistan, to ensure that both sides are prepared for the day ahead and know all they can about the patients about to be moved.
Those working on the military-managed ward and in critical care say that much has been learned over the past years in terms of ensuring seamless care from the point of injury to discharging military patients for rehabilitation at Headley Court.
Gp Capt Ian Sargeant is a consultant orthopaedic surgeon from the RAF who has worked at Selly Oak, and now the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, for several years.
He says that the high standard of care on the front-line is key to patient survival for the hundreds of military patients from Iraq and Afghanistan who often have complex injuries from bombs.
“There are many guys who would not be alive were it not for that care in Helmand,” he says. “Here, we’re looking at teamwork between many different surgical specialities. We have microbiologists who are meticulous about treating infections, and our nurse specialists manage these extraordinary wounds.
“When you see someone badly injured who’s just 18 years old, it can affect you – we just have to give them the best care that we can.”
Leading Naval Nurse Su Jeffreys
“We’ve also learned the importance of trying to integrate treatment of the injured limb with rehabilitation. So it wouldn’t necessarily be that the limb is fixed or put in plaster to immobilise it. Instead, we do our best to get these limbs moving, while balancing the need to treat one wound against the other.”
The NHS hospital treats 520,000 patients each year, military and civilian. According to figures from the MoD Defence Analytical Services and Advice (DASA) website, the medical staff here have treated 218 very seriously injured and 222 seriously injured service personnel from Afghanistan between 2006 and October 2010.
Of those military patients, 105 were given surgical amputations as a result of injuries sustained in Afghanistan. Figures from the British Limbless Ex-Servicemen’s Association, suggest that of those patients, 12 are triple amputees, while 48 have lost both legs – often arriving at the hospital with a level of injuries which few would have been expected to survive only a few years ago.
The new military-managed ward at Queen Elizabeth Hospital where most are treated is a designated trauma and orthopaedics ward, where military patients are now cared for in single rooms or four-bed rooms, just as other NHS patients are in the new hospital.
However, it also has a common room and a quiet room where wounded military patients can be with their families or talk to welfare staff. A new physiotherapy area for military patients is also nearby.
For most, the initial period will be spent in the new critical care ward, Europe’s biggest on a single site. Each bed bristles with hi-tech equipment, and the entire space is a lighter, more modern environment than the old Selly Oak equivalent.
The staff here care for military and civilian patients alike, with beds screened off by curtains, and ward sister Lisa Kennedy, one of the civilian staff, says there are no tensions between the needs of each, nor between the medical staff themselves, although there can be differences in recovery rates.
“The good thing that a military patient has going for them is their age,” she says.
“They’re usually young, fit healthy men who are used to running miles and miles, so they’re used to repairing themselves better. Though it is a bit of a double-edged sword. They get better quicker, but they can also get sicker more quickly. But the recovery rates within the unit are very good.”
Her military colleague, Leading Naval Nurse Su Jeffreys, agrees. “We all do the same job here, and we all do the same work side by side. The military and civilian patients don’t get different care, but their injuries and their recovery time can be different.”
She has also worked at the field hospital in Camp Bastion for several months. “When I came back from Afghanistan, I said that Birmingham was like Bastion but without the weather.
“The patients are in Bastion for a much shorter time. They come in, they’re stabilised, and then they’re sent back here, but it is a continuation of the same care.”
Su admits that even for nursing staff used to dealing with trauma injuries, it can be difficult to witness the kind of wounds suffered by Britain’s young service personnel.
“When you see someone badly injured who’s just 18 years old, it can affect you. But I’d expect it to affect anyone, seeing someone who is injured, sometimes in pain, sometimes frightened and awake. We just have to give them the best care that we can.”
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
The law limits toys with meals containing more than 600 calories or excessive fat, salt and sugar San Francisco has passed a law barring fast-food restaurants from giving away toys with children’s meals that do not meet nutritional guidelines.
San Francisco is the first major US city to approve a measure of this kind.
The law, which takes effect in December 2011, says children’s meals including toys must have less than 600 calories and 640mg of sodium, and derive less than 35% of their calories from fat.
The ordinance was passed in a 8-3 vote by the city’s Board of Supervisors.
The board passed the measure with enough votes to survive a proposed veto by Mayor Gavin Newsom.
The law will also put a cap on saturated fats and trans-fats and require fruit or vegetables to accompany each meal.
“What our kids are eating is making them sick, and a lot of it is fast food,” said Supervisor Eric Mar, adding that the board’s goal was to “work with the restaurants and the fast-food industry to create healthier choices”.
The law is being seen by public health officials and activists as one step in a larger fight to make a connection between food marketing and a growing childhood obesity rate in the US.
A similar measure was passed six months ago in California’s Santa Clara County, where roughly a dozen restaurants were affected.
Fast-food giant McDonald’s, which opposed the San Francisco measure, has said its children’s meals meet government nutritional standards, which limit each meal to 600 calories.
“McDonald’s remains committed to responsible marketing practices, including advertising and promotional campaigns for our youngest customers,” McDonald’s senior vice president for marketing, Neil Golden, told the Associated Press news agency.
In 2006, fast-food restaurants spent $161m (£100m) on advertising aimed at under-12s and an estimated $360m on toys distributed with their meals, according to a 2008 Federal Trade Commission report.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
The president cut short a trip to Nigeria’s business hub Lagos to meet union leaders Nigerian unions have said they will go ahead with a threatened nationwide strike for a rise in the minimum wage.
But union leaders said they would meet later on Wednesday to decide whether to strike for three days as initially planned or call off the action early.
The possibility of a halt came after President Goodluck Jonathan met union leaders in emergency talks.
The unions want the monthly minimum wage more than doubled to $120 (£75) because prices have risen steeply.
Inflation has been running at double-digit rates in recent years, driven by increases in food and transportation costs.
The minimum wage has not risen for a decade.
Mr Jonathan cut short a visit to Nigeria’s main commercial city Lagos to meet with representatives from the country’s two main unions, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).
The leader of the NLC at the talks said the two unions’ national executives would meet on Wednesday afternoon to decide whether or not to continue with the strike.
“We have heard the message of Mr President,” NLC acting president Promise Adewusi told reporters after the talks with Mr Jonathan.
“We are going to go back to our organ [executive council]. The only thing we can say to you is that the strike is on until it is called off by the organ,” he said.
Ahead of the talks, Mr Jonathan’s office issued a statement saying it was committed to “realistic wages” for all workers.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
The poignancy of letters written to the families of organ donors runs through their texts “‘Thank you’ is an expression which is used quite often and sometimes just in passing. This is not that kind of ‘Thank you’.
“It is a different ‘Thank you’, one that defies English, or for that matter, any language on Earth.
“But how does one say thank you to someone who because of you and your loved one’s generosity I am alive today and continue living?
“This is not simply a gift of an organ; it is a gift of life. I don’t know how one can truly express one’s feelings in words for giving someone a life.
“I can however but try.”
These are the words written by a transplant patient to thank the relatives of the donor who gave them a liver.
“I was only told that you were a 31-year-old woman – it seemed like such a terrible age to die, and at times, unfair that I had survived and you hadn’t””
Diana Sanders Transplant recipient
Their letter is one of many gathered together for a new book published by the Royal College of Physicians with the support of NHS Blood and Transplant and the Department of Health.
Professor Andrew Burroughs, a consultant physician and hepatologist at the Royal Free Hospital in London, and Linda Selves, senior liver co-ordinator at the same hospital, had the idea for the book three years ago.
Prof Burroughs said: “I wanted to promote organ donation and recognise the contribution of donors to saving lives.
“I thought a book of letters from very grateful patients would be a powerful way of publicly thanking and remembering donors and their families.”
The book contains 50 letters and is dedicated to all of the families who have said “yes” to donation, and to their family member who is so greatly missed.
Diana Sanders, a woman now in her 40s, received a life-saving heart and lung transplant eight years ago.
As a baby she was born with a congenital heart condition that the doctors at the time were unable to treat. By her late 30s Diana’s heart began to fail and she was put on the transplant waiting list.
Diana’s letter to her donor and their family says: “When you died in 2002, my new life began.
“I want you and your family to know that I will never stop thinking of you, and never stop being grateful for giving me your heart and lungs.
“When I came round from the operation, you were my first thought. Who were you? How did you die?
“I was only told that you were a 31-year-old woman – it seemed like such a terrible age to die, and at times, unfair that I had survived and you hadn’t.
“I hope you never knew anything about the brain haemorrhage that killed you. I hope you were happy and fulfilled, and that your short life was a good one.
“Did you have children, brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles? What did you enjoy? What made you laugh?
“It takes a huge degree of courage for the recipient and their family to actually take the step to say ‘thank you’ in some form but the effect it has on the donor’s family is immeasurable in so many ways”
Cathy The mother of a girl, Emma, who donated her organs
“I only know that at some stage in your life you made a decision to be an organ donor. Maybe you didn’t give it much thought, just saw it as something good to do.
“To begin with, my new heart and lungs didn’t feel like mine. I mourned the loss of my own heart and lungs, as though they had died, too.
“Someone told me that they were a gift from you to me, and that helped me to accept them. I hardly think about it now; my body just feels normal and I’ve got used to being well and alive.
“My new life is amazing. I haven’t run a marathon or sailed round the world, but being able to go for long walks is, for me, remarkable.
“Being able to do everyday, ordinary things is a miracle – sharing a joke with my husband, going to the cinema, looking after my mother as she gets older. Looking after other people for a change.
“Just life, really. My life, in exchange for yours.
“Thank you.”
Cathy is the mother of a teenage girl, Emma, who died unexpectedly. Emma had carried a donor card asking for her organs to be used after her death.
Emma’s liver has helped Simon, a teacher and artist, to lead a healthy and happy life over the last nine years.
Cathy has received regular updates from Simon and his family, which she says has been a great comfort.
“The fact Simon continues to do so well gives our family great pride in Emma’s wishes to be a donor.
“It takes a huge degree of courage for the recipient and their family to actually take the step to say ‘thank you’ in some form but the effect it has on the donor’s family is immeasurable in so many ways.”
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
David Chancellor said Africa is an inspirational place to take photos
A picture of a teenager from Alabama on her first hunting trip to South Africa has won this year’s Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize
The £12,000 award was presented to photographer David Chancellor for his portrait, entitled Huntress with Buck.
Chancellor inherited his interest in photography from his father, who took amateur photos.
The third annual ceremony took place at The National Portrait Gallery in London.
Chancellor spent two days with the 14-year-old and her family.
“I’ve always been interested in Africa. It’s impossible not to be inspired by the place,” he said.
“Once you are bitten by the continent you never recover. And for an artist or photographer, the light is indescribable.”
Sandy Nairne, director of the National Portrait Gallery, said: “David Chancellor’s Huntress with Buck is a powerful and beautiful portrait; a worthy winner amidst a strong international submission.”
Panayiotis Lamprou came second for his Portrait of my British Wife from the series Human Presence.
The artwork was not originally intended for public display and shows his wife sitting with no knickers on.
“I never showed it to anyone. Only she knew about it,” he said.
“When she saw it she said, that even if it wasn’t a nude, the photograph has the same power to express.”
In third place was Jeffrey Stockbridge for Tic Tac and Tootsie (twin sisters Carroll and Shelly McKean) from the series Nowhere but Here.
Fourth prize went to Abbie Trayler-Smith for Untitled 2 from the series Childhood Obesity.
The judges shortlisted 60 portraits from nearly 6,000 submissions.
The exhibition of the photos will run at the National Portrait Gallery from 11 November until 20 February 2011.
Last year Paul Floyd Blake’s image of a teenage swimmer aiming for glory at the 2012 Paralympics was named last year’s winner.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
The winners of the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2010
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Singapore Airlines will change engines on three of its A380s Singapore Airlines has announced that it will change the engines on three of its A380 planes.
Rolls-Royce engine will be replaced with new versions of the same model.
Last week the engine on a Qantas A380 exploded in mid-air, forcing an emergency landing in Singapore.
The airline said the move was “precautionary, as advised by Rolls-Royce,” but said that oil stains found in its engines were “different to what Qantas had found”.
Planes currently in Sydney, Melbourne and London are affected.
Singapore Airlines said the engines on the A380s would remain the Rolls-Royce Trent 900, with a minor variation – the same type involved in the Qantas incident.
“We apologise to our customers for flight disruptions that may result and we seek their understanding,” a statement from the airline said. It is not clear how long the planes will be grounded.
Australian carrier Qantas earlier found “slight anomalies” on three Airbus A380 engines as it checked its fleet of six A380s.
Chief executive Alan Joyce said on Monday that there “was oil where oil shouldn’t be on the engines” of two of the super-jumbos.
He said this was unusual given that they were only two years old.
In an unrelated incident last Friday, a Qantas Boeing 747 – also equipped with Rolls-Royce engines – was forced to return to Singapore with an engine problem after taking off.
Mr Joyce said it was “not a safety issue” and that there were no plans to ground the airline’s fleet of 747s.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Mr Clegg said the reforms will remove artificial disincentives to work Simplifying the benefits system will help 300,000 families into work, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has said.
Government proposals to consolidate existing benefits into a single out-of-work and in-work payment will be unveiled in a white paper on Thursday.
Writing in the Guardian, Mr Clegg said the universal credit plan would remove “artificial disincentives” to work.
Labour has indicated it will support reforms to simplify benefits while opposing “reckless” cuts to welfare.
The party failed in an attempt to force ministers to rethink changes to housing benefit – which critics say will force thousands of people out of their homes – after losing a Commons vote on Tuesday.
This was despite concerns being expressed by a number of Lib Dem MPs about plans for a weekly cap on payments and a 10% cut in benefit to those on jobseeker’s allowance for more than a year.
Details of the universal credit plan – a flagship initiative of the Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith – will be unveiled on Thursday.
Ministers say it will make work pay by ensuring people keep more of their income when getting a job and having benefits withdrawn more gradually than at the moment.
Mr Duncan Smith won a battle with the Treasury over funding the upfront costs of the reform – which are estimated to run into the billions – but critics have said the changes will not have any effect until the end of this Parliament at the earliest.
Writing in the Guardian, Mr Clegg – who will stand in for David Cameron at prime minister’s questions on Wednesday – said the plan “should reduce the number of workless households by 300,000 within three years of implementation”.
“Our reforms will effectively remove the artificial disincentives created by existing rules about the number of hours people have to work,” he wrote.
“It must be worth working even for a few hours a week.”
Shadow work and pensions secretary Douglas Alexander said Labour would work with the government on welfare reform where it agreed with their approach.
“We’re interested in the proposal for a universal credit and I’ve said, in principle, of course I support a simpler benefits system and making it easier for people to make the transition from benefits and into work,” he told the BBC on Tuesday.
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