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Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber finish fastest in both of Friday’s practice sessions for the Brazilian Grand Prix.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Refugees living in camps in Port-au-Prince are being urged to leave
A tropical storm has regained hurricane strength as it powers towards Haiti, threatening earthquake survivors.
Hurricane Tomas is packing winds of 80mph (130 kph) and is expected to gain in strength as it moves north-east.
The US National Hurricane Centre says the centre of the hurricane will pass near western Haiti later on Friday.
The government has urged tens of thousands of people living in tented homes to find better shelter, but most say they have nowhere to go.
Forecasters are warning of the danger of flooding and mudslides. Health workers fear heavy rain will exacerbate Haiti’s cholera epidemic.
Aid agencies are rushing to get emergency shelters ready before Tomas, which has already killed 14 people in Saint Lucia, arrives.
According to the US National Hurricane Centre, Tomas should intensify over the next 24 hours and then lose strength by the end of the weekend.
“My sisters and brothers, leave the zones that are at risk, I beg of you”
Jean-Max Bellerive Haiti prime minister
“The most significant threat from this tropical cyclone should continue to be heavy rainfall which could produce flash flooding and life-threatening mudslides over portions of Haiti and the Dominican Republic during the next couple of days,” it said in a bulletin early on Friday.
It has been raining heavily in Haiti for hours, and forecasters warn Hurricane Tomas could destroy many of the makeshift tented homes where 1.3m people have been living since an earthquake in January.
Haiti’s leaders have been calling for mass evacuations from the tent cities.
“My sisters and brothers, leave the zones that are at risk, I beg of you,” Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive urged in a television address.
Those staying in the camps are making their shelters as strong as possible “There will be rain and wind throughout the country. Don’t be stubborn. Leave if you are in a fragile shelter.”
President Preval had earlier pleaded with people to “protect” their lives. But he acknowledged that the authorities did not “have enough places [on buses] to move everyone”.
The BBC’s Laura Trevelyan in the capital, Port-au-Prince, says few refugees have heeded the government warning, although mothers and babies have been evacuated from an exposed camp near the mountains.
“We haven’t taken precautions. We are in God’s hands,” one woman, Ave Lise Mesila, told Reuters news agency from her white tarpaulin tent.
Stefano Zannini, Medecins Sans Frontieres’ head of mission in Haiti, described the situation as “precarious”.
“It is the third big problem people here have had to deal with this year,” he told the BBC.
The NHC has warned of hurricane conditions – winds of 119km/h (74mph) or greater – for Haiti, the south-eastern Bahamas, the Caicos Islands and the Cuban province of Guantanamo.
It also issued a tropical storm warning for Jamaica and the Cuban provinces of Santiago de Cuba and Holguin.
Many earthquake survivors worried that the authorities were trying to permanently move them out.
“We are upset because they have not told us where we are going,” Domarcand Fenel, the head of a committee of camp residents, told Reuters. “People believe they want to expel us.”
Doctors have warned that torrential rain could flood sanitary installations and contaminate drinking water, worsening a cholera epidemic in the country.
On Wednesday health officials said there had been a 40% jump in the number of new cholera cases and the death toll was 442, with 105 more deaths since Saturday.
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This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Shares in Russia’s Mail.ru have surged more than 30% on their London debut, after the internet group raised $912m (£563m) in a stock market flotation.
Strong demand helped the group, an owner of a 2.38% stake in Facebook, price its shares at $27.7 each, the top of the firm’s range.
The shares are now being traded conditionally, ahead of the formal start of trade on 11 November.
The initial public offering (IPO) values Mail.ru at $5.71bn.
Mail.ru is one of the few changes for investors to hold some indirect stake Facebook, the world’s largest and still rapidly growing social networking site.
The London listing makes Mail.ru Europe’s largest listed internet business.
“Mail.ru has certainly hit a sweet spot,” said Chris Weafer, a Uralsib analyst.
During the past few years the company, formerly known as DST, invested about $1bn in many Russian and foreign internet companies.
It controls the huge Russian freemail service Mail.ru, Russian social network Odnoklassniki and instant messenger ICQ.
Among other investments, it has stakes in Zynga, the maker of the FarmVille and FrontierVille games; deals website Groupon; Russian social network VKontakte and payment processing company Qiwi.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Mick Bates, Montgomeryshire AM, is on trial for assault An assembly member who denies assaulting paramedics has told a court he has no recollection of the alleged incidents.
Montgomeryshire AM Mick Bates has started giving evidence at his trial at Cardiff Magistrates Court.
He denies three counts of common assault and public order breaches.
He said he had no memory of an alleged incident outside a city centre restaurant or another after he was taken to the Heath Hospital.
The court had previously heard how police and paramedics were called to Charleston’s Steakhouse in January.
They found Mr Bates slumped on the steps, smelling strongly of alcohol and with a bleeding head.
It was claimed he punched one paramedic in the chest and grabbed another violently by the wrist.
Later after being taken to hospital it was claimed he threatened hospital staff with a pair of scissors.
Magistrates have heard that a hospital blood test carried out on Mr Bates, 63, showed that he had in excess of three times the legal drink driving limit of alcohol in his blood.
Giving evidence for the first time in the case, Liberal Democrat AM Mr Bates, told Cardiff magistrates that after drinking four pints of bitter, one bottle of wine and two Sambucas on the evening of January 19th this year, that he “was drunk” by the time he arrived at the restaurant around one o clock in the morning.
‘A lot of tears’
The AM told District Judge Bodfan Jenkins he could not remember anything from the moment he blacked out just before falling down the stairs leading out of the restaurant, to the time he woke in his flat many hours later.
Two paramedics have alleged they were abused by Mick Bates as they tried to take him by wheelchair into an ambulance, and that one of them was punched in the chest by him during the journey to hospital.
Repeatedly, Mick Bates told his solicitor Stuart Hutton that he “could not recall” anything. He said he could not remember swearing at or striking out at paramedics, or taking a pair of scissors from the pocket of a nurse treating him at Heath Hospital, and waving them close to the nurse’s face.
Earlier, Mr Bates admitted he got into an argument with a man in the restaurant moments before he fell down the stairs. “I have always had a fantasy of buying a restaurant,” he told the court. “I made the man an offer to buy the restaurant, but he did not like my offer.”
During cross examination Mr Bates said the first he came to hear of the allegations was when the story was about to be printed in a newspaper and broadcast on television, some two weeks after the alleged incidents.
“I was absolutely devastated,” he said. “There was a lot of tears. I felt so ashamed, I had no recollection and I felt at that time even more ill.” Mick Bates said the injuries he sustained affected his Assembly work, and that he had blurred vision and headaches for weeks after.
“On reflection I was not doing very well,” he said. “I became less active. In March I even forgot my PIN number.”
Mick Bates denies all charges against him, and the case continues.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
BBC Wales’ journalists are among members of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) on strike in a row over proposed pension changes.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
The US central bank hopes that the move could boost the US economy’s recovery Germany and China have expressed concerns over US plans to pump $600bn (£373bn) into the US economy.
German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said the US would not solve its problems, but create “extra problems for the world” instead.
Some countries fear that the US Federal Reserve’s move could hurt their exports by making their currencies stronger.
China’s Central Bank head Zhou Xiaochuan urged to look into “reforming the international currency system”.
He did not elaborate how the system should be changed.
The US central bank announced on Wednesday that it would spend $600bn to buy government bonds, in the hope that the cash injection can kickstart the country’s economy.
However, this weakens the dollar, boosting US exports while making imports more expensive.
“If the domestic policy is optimal policy for the United States alone, but at the same time it is not an optimal policy for he world, it may bring a lot of negative impact to the world,” said Mr Zhou.
“It is not that the Americans have not pumped enough liquidity into the market and now to say let’s pump more into the market is not going to solve their problems”
Wolfgang Schaeuble German finance minister
“There is a spill over.”
China’s Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai said the Federal Reserve had the right to take steps without consulting other countries beforehand, but added: “They owe us some explanation.”
Germany’s finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said on German television that “with all due respect, US policy is clueless.”
“It is not that the Americans have not pumped enough liquidity into the market and now to say let’s pump more into the market is not going to solve their problems.”
He added that the German government was going to hold bilateral talks with US officials and also discuss the topic at the G20 summit in Seoul next week.
The latest move by the Fed has been dubbed QE2 as it follows the central bank’s decision to pump $1.75tn into the economy during the downturn in its first round of quantitative easing.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Mr Woolas narrowly won his Oldham East and Saddleworth seat A specially convened court is to rule on whether ex-immigration minister Phil Woolas broke the law by making false claims before the general election.
The MP won the Oldham East and Saddleworth seat by 103 votes but his defeated Liberal Democrat rival claims the vote was swayed by Labour leaflets.
Mr Woolas denies making false statements about Elwyn Watkins.
If the court rules against him, he could be fined and barred from public office and a fresh election triggered.
Judgement was reserved after the first case of its kind in 99 years was heard by two High Court judges, Mr Justice Griffith Williams and Mr Justice Nigel Teare, at Saddleworth Civic Hall in Uppermill, Oldham in September.
It was brought under Section 106 of the Representation of the People Act which makes it an offence to publish “any false statement of fact in relation to the candidate’s personal character or conduct” to prevent them being elected – unless they believed it was true and had “reasonable grounds” to do so.
‘Legitimate questions’
Legally, the onus is on Mr Watkins to prove his case if he is to win.
The specific allegation is that Mr Woolas put out leaflets suggesting Mr Watkins pandered to Muslim militants and refused to condemn death threats he said he had received from such groups.
There was also the claim his Lib Dem rival had illicitly channelled money for his campaign from a foreign donor – a rich Arab sheikh.
There was no truth in these claims and counsel for Mr Watkins accused Mr Woolas of stirring up racial tension by running a “risky” campaign designed to “galvanise the white Sun vote” because he was convinced he was going to lose his seat.
Mr Woolas defended his leaflets, saying it was legitimate to ask questions about how opponents fund their campaign and the political company they keep.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
More than 250 inmates have been moved to other jails after 3 nights of rioting at a prison near Doncaster in South Yorkshire.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
A tropical storm has regained hurricane strength as it powers towards Haiti, threatening earthquake survivors.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
At least 25 people have been killed and dozens more injured in a bomb attack on a mosque in north-west Pakistan, local officials say.
The attack took place during Friday prayers in the Darra Adam Khel area, near Pakistan’s tribal regions, an area which has seen Taliban activity.
The death toll from the attack on the Sunni mosque is likely to rise, local officials say.
Officials are investigating whether it was a suicide bombing.
The target could have been a tribal elder who had encouraged people to take a stand against the Taliban, according to one report. It is not clear whether he was among the victims.
A local official said the mosque’s roof had caved in.
“We fear there might be more casualties in the debris,” he said.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
The results of the UK Independence Party’s ballot for a new leader are set to be announced.
MEPs Nigel Farage and David Campbell-Bannerman, economist Tim Congdon and former boxer Winston McKenzie are all vying for the role.
Lord Pearson of Rannoch stood down after only nine months, saying he was not cut out for the job.
Mr Farage, who led the party from 2006 and 2009, is regarded as favourite to take the job for a second time.
The leader of the party in the European Parliament, Mr Farage was injured in a light aircraft crash on 6 May – the day of the general election.
He failed in his attempt to get elected to Westminster in the seat of the Commons Speaker John Bercow.
All 18,000 members of UKIP had a vote in the postal ballot.
The party has long campaigned for the UK to pull out of the European Union, but failed to make its hoped-for breakthrough in May’s election.
However, its share of the vote did increase by nearly 1% as it polled more than 919,000 votes.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
The US central bank hopes that the move could boost the US economy’s recovery Germany and China have expressed concerns over US plans to pump $600bn (£373bn) into the US economy.
German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said the US would not solve its problems, but create “extra problems for the world” instead.
Some countries fear that the US Federal Reserve’s move could hurt their exports by making their currencies stronger.
China’s Central Bank head Zhou Xiaochuan urged to look into “reforming the international currency system”.
He did not elaborate how the system should be changed.
The US central bank announced on Wednesday that it would spend $600bn to buy government bonds, in the hope that the cash injection can kickstart the country’s economy.
However, this weakens the dollar, boosting US exports while making imports more expensive.
“If the domestic policy is optimal policy for the United States alone, but at the same time it is not an optimal policy for he world, it may bring a lot of negative impact to the world,” said Mr Zhou.
“It is not that the Americans have not pumped enough liquidity into the market and now to say let’s pump more into the market is not going to solve their problems”
Wolfgang Schaeuble German finance minister
“There is a spill over.”
China’s Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai said the Federal Reserve had the right to take steps without consulting other countries beforehand, but added: “They owe us some explanation.”
Germany’s finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said on German television that “with all due respect, US policy is clueless.”
“It is not that the Americans have not pumped enough liquidity into the market and now to say let’s pump more into the market is not going to solve their problems.”
He added that the German government was going to hold bilateral talks with US officials and also discuss the topic at the G20 summit in Seoul next week.
The latest move by the Fed has been dubbed QE2 as it follows the central bank’s decision to pump $1.75tn into the economy during the downturn in its first round of quantitative easing.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Mr Woolas narrowly won his Oldham East and Saddleworth seat A specially convened court is to rule on whether ex-immigration minister Phil Woolas broke the law by making false claims before the general election.
The MP won the Oldham East and Saddleworth seat by 103 votes but his defeated Liberal Democrat rival claims the vote was swayed by Labour leaflets.
Mr Woolas denies making false statements about Elwyn Watkins.
If the court rules against him, he could be fined and barred from public office and a fresh election triggered.
Judgement was reserved after the first case of its kind in 99 years was heard by two High Court judges, Mr Justice Griffith Williams and Mr Justice Nigel Teare, at Saddleworth Civic Hall in Uppermill, Oldham in September.
It was brought under Section 106 of the Representation of the People Act which makes it an offence to publish “any false statement of fact in relation to the candidate’s personal character or conduct” to prevent them being elected – unless they believed it was true and had “reasonable grounds” to do so.
‘Legitimate questions’
Legally, the onus is on Mr Watkins to prove his case if he is to win.
The specific allegation is that Mr Woolas put out leaflets suggesting Mr Watkins pandered to Muslim militants and refused to condemn death threats he said he had received from such groups.
There was also the claim his Lib Dem rival had illicitly channelled money for his campaign from a foreign donor – a rich Arab sheikh.
There was no truth in these claims and counsel for Mr Watkins accused Mr Woolas of stirring up racial tension by running a “risky” campaign designed to “galvanise the white Sun vote” because he was convinced he was going to lose his seat.
Mr Woolas defended his leaflets, saying it was legitimate to ask questions about how opponents fund their campaign and the political company they keep.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
At least 25 people have been killed and dozens more injured in a bomb attack on a mosque in north-west Pakistan, local officials say.
The attack took place during Friday prayers in the Darra Adam Khel area, near Pakistan’s tribal regions, an area which has seen Taliban activity.
The death toll from the attack on the Sunni mosque is likely to rise, local officials say.
Officials are investigating whether it was a suicide bombing.
The target could have been a tribal elder who had encouraged people to take a stand against the Taliban, according to one report. It is not clear whether he was among the victims.
A local official said the mosque’s roof had caved in.
“We fear there might be more casualties in the debris,” he said.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
The Japanese-built Javelin trains run on the rail link The UK government has sold the London to Folkestone high speed rail link to a Canadian consortium for £2.1bn ($3.4bn).
The consortium will take over a 30 year lease on the track and stations.
Analysts had been expecting the rail link, known as High Speed one (HS1), to be sold for a price of between £1.5bn and £2bn.
Eurostar trains to Paris and Brussels and Southeastern’s Japanese-built Javelin trains operate on the track.
Other rail companies are also planning services to mainland Europe.
HS1 has been run by London and Continental Railway under the control of the Department for Transport.
Transport Secretary Philip Hammond said the deal with the Canadian consortium of Borealis Infrastructure and the Ontario Teachers’ Pension fund was “great news for taxpayers and rail passengers alike”.
“It is an enormous amount of money and is a big vote of confidence in UK plc and a big vote of market confidence in the future of UK high-speed rail,” he said.
Addressing concerns that a key part of UK infrastructure is now in foreign hands, Mr Hammond said the UK government continued to own it and set the relevant regulations.
HS1, which cost more than £5bn to build, became fully operational in November 2007.
The route, which runs from London St Pancras to the Channel Tunnel, has stations at Stratford, east London, and Ebbsfleet and Ashford in Kent.
It is expected that the sale will open the line to more train operators.
German rail operator DB recently did a test run for one of its high-speed ICE trains by taking them through the tunnel and on to St Pancras.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.