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An American car enthusiast has paid £2.6m to buy James Bond’s most famous car – and then vowed to take it for a spin around the streets of London.
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The man was alleged to have done surveillance at a station A man has been arrested over a plot to bomb subway stations in the US capital.
Farooque Ahmed, 34, of Ashburn, Virginia was conspiring with people he believed were from al-Qaeda, the Department of Justice said.
Mr Ahmed was taken into custody on Wednesday morning. If convicted he faces up to 50 years in prison.
The suspect allegedly conducted surveillance of a metro station in Arlington, on the outskirts of Washington, DC, on four occasions.
Mr Ahmed’s arrest is the latest in a line of investigations of US citizens or residents for involvement in alleged domestic terror plots. Last year there were arrests over plans for attacks in Texas, Colorado and Illinois.
More recently Faisal Shahzad was convicted of attempting to bomb Times Square in New York.
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“It’s chilling that a man from Ashburn is accused of casing rail stations with the goal of killing as many Metro riders as possible through simultaneous bomb attacks,” said US attorney Neil MacBride.
“Today’s arrest highlights the terrorism threat that exists in northern Virginia and our ability to find those seeking to harm US citizens and neutralise them before they can act.”
Three counts
Officials said the public were never in danger during the investigation and that they had been aware of Mr Ahmed since the beginning.
Mr Ahmed, who was born in Pakistan, has been indicted on three counts.
These are attempting to provide material support to a designated terrorist organisation, collecting information to assist in planning a terrorist attack on a transit facility, and attempting to provide material support to help carry out multiple bombings.
The indictment against Mr Ahmed said that on 18 April he drove to a hotel in Dulles, Virginia, to meet someone who he believed was a terrorist courier who had details of locations for future meetings.
Officials said that on 15 May, at a nearby hotel in Herndon, Virginia, Mr Ahmed agreed to carry out surveillance on a hotel in Washington and a metro station in Arlington, Virginia, to determine security and the busiest times.
Mr Ahmed, according to the indictment, later provided a USB stick with video of the station to a person he believed was from al-Qaeda. On 28 September, Mr Ahmed allegedly handed over another USB drive with more images of stations.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Tuition fees were abolished in Scotland in 2000 The body representing Scotland’s university principals has said students may have to pay towards the cost of their degrees after they graduate.
Universities Scotland said higher education should be “free at the point of entry and throughout their study”.
But graduates earning reasonable salaries should be asked to pay.
The principals are worried that Scottish universities are beginning to fall behind the standards of their counterparts in England.
A recent review of university funding in England, conducted by former BP boss Lord Browne, recommended that the cap on tuition fees, currently set at £3,290, could be removed altogether.
Graduates in England currently start paying their loans when they earn £15,000.
Scottish students studying in Scotland do not have to pay tuition fees.
Alastair Sim, director of Universities Scotland, will tell an education conference in Edinburgh that they should not pay until they have graduated.
He will say: “A contribution sought from graduates must be set at a level that does not discourage participation and students from all backgrounds must be able to study any course at any institution.
“Academic potential, and not the ability to pay, must be the determining factor.”
Universities Scotland is also calling for the establishment of an expert group to model and cost a “workable” graduate contribution immediately after the publication of the Green Paper on university funding later this year.
Earlier this month, Sir Andrew Cubie – who chaired a landmark inquiry into student funding a decade ago – said Scotland’s system of university funding was unsustainable without some contribution from graduates.
In Scotland, tuition fees were abolished in 2000, two years after their introduction by the Blair government.
A one-off graduate endowment fee of just over £2,000 was scrapped by Scottish ministers in 2008.
In his speech in Edinburgh, Mr Sim will also warn against short-term budget cuts.
He will argue: “If we see major cuts in university funding in this year’s budget bill, there will be effects which damage Scotland economically and socially.
“Many of these cuts are not quickly reversible and there is no credible way in which income from other sources can fill the gap next year.”
He will also say that cuts in line with the government’s independent budget review would mean fewer Scots being able to access university education, a reduced choice of courses and “substantial” job losses.
Scotland would also lose leading researchers to competitors and lose its reputation as a popular destination for international students.
Education Secretary Michael Russell, another speaker at the conference, said earlier this month that “there will have to be major changes” but has ruled out upfront tuition fees.
The Scottish government said it was “committed to protecting the reputation and quality of our universities”.
A spokeswoman said: “However we now know that as a result of the UK Government’s decisions, Scotland’s resources will be cut by £1.3bn next year.
“We will work to build consensus for a budget bill that protects frontline services, sustains economic recovery and builds a low carbon economy.”
The Scottish Labour Party said Universities Scotland’s position was “a further hammer blow to the SNP’s unsustainable approach”.
Labour’s further and higher education spokeswoman, Claire Baker, said: “Students and principals realise that we can’t go on as we are and something needs to be done sooner rather than later.
“People want urgent action from this government on this issue and it has been severely lacking.”
Her party has called for an independent review to resolve the “crisis”.
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The film made Paul Rusesabagina a major figure in Rwanda and internationally The Rwandan authorities have accused the man on whom the film “Hotel Rwanda” is based of funding subversion.
Paul Rusesabagina became a well-known figure after the film depicted his efforts to save hundreds of Tutsis at his hotel during the genocide of 2004.
Now Rwanda’s top prosecutor has accused him of sending money to two former commanders of an extremist rebel group.
Mr Rusesabagina has denied the accusations and says there is a smear campaign against him.
“It is the latest step in a campaign against me by the Rwandan government ”
Paul Rusesabagina
Rwanda’s prosecutor general, Martin Ngoga, said Mr Rusesabagina had helped to finance what he described as terrorist activities in Rwanda by funding commanders of the FDLR, or Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda.
He accused Mr Rusesabagina, who now lives in exile, of acting together with the opposition leader, Victoire Ingabire.
Ms Ingabire was arrested last week and accused of working with a terrorist group – a charge which she denies.
Correspondents say in recent years Mr Rusesabagina has spoken out against the government of President Paul Kagame, which has faced criticism from several quarters that it targets its political opponents.
In a BBC interview, Mr Rusesabagina accused the government of launching a smear campaign against him.
“It is the latest step in a campaign against me by the Rwandan government that has included public insults from the president himself, lies and physical harassment,” he said.
“I’m not a man of violence… But anyone who opposes Kagame is treated with this kind of harassment.”
No formal charges have yet been filed against Mr Rusesabagina.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
David Lees was driven at by a car travelling at more than 60mph The mother of a young man who died after being deliberately run over in Greater Manchester has called on his killers to search their conscience.
David Lees, 23, was knocked down on Middleton Road in Prestwich, after a disturbance at a petrol station forecourt on 27 October 2006.
Nobody has ever been charged with his murder.
Mr Lees’ mother Anne, of Blackley, said: “How would he feel if this happened to his son or brother?”
Mr Lees had been out with friends when they became involved in the disturbance with a group of Asian men, police said.
He was hit by a silver Vauxhall Vectra, registration number T313 NCR. It sped up to between 60 and 70mph before it drove directly towards him as he stood in the middle of the road.
The car was then driven to the gates of Heaton Park where the driver met people in other cars before heading to south Manchester.
‘Always on mind’
Mrs Lees, 51, said: “Whoever killed my David has had this on their conscience for four years now – I’m sure it will be weighing them down.
“He may be getting on with his life and might have even started a family of his own, but I’m convinced David will be always on their mind.
Anne Lees described her feelings for the driver of the car
“I want to tell David’s killer that you might think you’ve got away with it – but one day there will be a knock on your door.”
Det Supt Sam Haworth said: “Four years have now passed since David’s death and his family remain in limbo, unable to put this sorry episode behind them.
He said police were “determined as ever” to resolve the case and said he believed the answers lay with members of the community.
He added: “In four years allegiances can change and people can reassess their friendships and associations.
“The truth will come out and I am confident the driver will one day face up to what he has done.”
Police have offered a £50,000 reward to anyone who helps convict Mr Lees’ killer.
In August 2007, Arfan Javed, 30, of Longsight, was jailed for two-and-a-half years after admitting perverting the course of justice in relation to fabricating the sale of the Vauxhall Astra.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
President Barack Obama hopes to reach The Daily Show’s young, liberal viewers, analysts say Barack Obama is to appear with Jon Stewart on his satirical Daily Show, a first for a sitting president.
The appearance comes six days before mid-term elections that could see the Democrats lose their grip on Congress.
After weeks on the campaign trail, Mr Obama has spent the past two days in the White House, speaking by phone to activists and giving radio interviews.
Campaigning on discontent with the economy, polls suggest Republicans are poised to take control of the House.
Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Jon Stewart takes aim nightly at politicians of both parties, but presenter Jon Stewart leans to the left and much of the show’s content targets apparent hypocrisy and bigotry among Republicans.
The show’s audience also tends to be young, and the president may be hoping to build enthusiasm among his base ahead of the vote, analysts say.
“You’ve got a constituency of younger voters that watch that show, and it’s a good place to go and reach them,” White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters on Tuesday.
“The president hasn’t been shy about going to the places where people are getting their information and trying to make his case.”
The president has been on the show four times previously – during the 2008 presidential campaign and during his earlier tenure in the US Senate.
Also this weekend, Stewart and another Comedy Central presenter, Stephen Colbert, are to hold a rally on the US National Mall in Washington, expected to attract legions of young liberal voters.
Wrestling victory
Meanwhile, campaigning continued at a furious pitch across the country.
In Colorado, Democratic Senator Michael Bennett, who is fighting hard to win election to the seat to which he was appointed in 2008, latched on to a video in which his Republican opponent said he did not believe in the official separation of church and state.
“While we have a Constitution that is very strong in the sense that we are not going to have a religion that’s sanctioned by the government, it doesn’t mean that we need to have a separation between government and religion,” Colorado Republican Senate candidate Ken Buck told a party gathering in a video from 2009 that has just surfaced.
Mr Bennett’s campaign hoped to use it to portray the Republican as an extreme conservative.
Connecticut Republican Senate candidate Linda McMahon, a political novice who grew wealthy as a top executive at a professional wrestling league, won a minor victory.
A federal judge in the state ruled that her supporters may wear professional wrestling paraphernalia to the polls on Tuesday without violating rules prohibiting electioneering at voting stations.
And in California, Republican Senate candidate Carly Fiorina was released from hospital, a day after she was admitted for treatment of an infection associated with recent breast cancer surgery.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Tensions remain high in the so-called “frozen conflict” The ex-Soviet republics of Azerbaijan and Armenia have agreed to swap prisoners captured during fighting in the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The deal was agreed at a meeting hosted by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in the city of Astrakhan.
Mr Medvedev said the discussions had also made progress towards a framework for peace in Nagorno-Karabakh.
The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan erupted almost 20 years ago.
Skirmishes have continued intermittently since a ceasefire in 1994.
Mr Medvedev said the prisoner swap tackled one of the “small but vital” issues surrounding the dispute.
“Russia will continue its efforts. I believe a result is reachable. It inspires a somewhat moderate optimism, but the bulk of work is still ahead,” said Mr Medvedev.
The number of prisoners is reportedly small, perhaps fewer than 10 on each side, but “it is not the quantity that matters, it is important that people agreed to that,” according to a Kremlin spokesman quoted by the AFP news agency.
Fighting broke out in the late 1980s as the Soviet Union headed towards collapse, with ethnic Armenians taking control of Nagorno-Karabakh and a land corridor linking it to Armenia.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Some of Germany’s leading diplomats were deeply implicated in the Holocaust according to an official report which examines the Foreign Ministry’s role in the Nazi era.
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The internet contributes £100bn to the UK economy, the study says The internet is worth £100bn a year to the UK economy, a study has concluded.
The research, which was commissioned by Google, found that the internet accounts for 7.2% of the UK’s gross domestic product (GDP).
If the internet was an economic sector it would be the UK’s fifth largest, said the report from the Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
This would make the sector larger than the construction, transport and utilities industries.
Central pillar
Some 60% of the £100bn a year figure is made up from internet consumption – the amount that users spend on online shopping and on the cost of their connections and devices to access the web.
The rest comes from investment in the UK’s internet infrastructure, government IT spending and net exports.
The report, The Connected Kingdom: How the internet is transforming the UK, says that the internet’s contribution to GDP is set to grow by about 10% annually, reaching 10% of GDP by 2015.
The UK, according to the report, is the world’s leading nation for e-commerce. For every £1 spent online to import goods, £2.80 is exported.
“This is the opposite of the trend seen in the offline economy, which exports 90p for every £1 imported,” the report says.
Source: BCG report
Internet companies play a vital role in employment with an estimated 250,000 staff, the report finds.
Small businesses that actively use the internet report sales growth more than four times greater than that of less active companies.
The report also attempts to compare the UK to other countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Under its scoring system, the UK ranks sixth, above Germany, the US and France. The highest ranked country is Denmark.
“The internet is pervasive in the UK economy today, more so than in most advanced countries,” said Paul Zwillenberg, partner with BCG.
“Several industries – including media, travel, insurance and fashion – are being transformed by it.”
Matt Brittin, managing director of Google UK, said: “The internet is a central pillar of the UK’s economy.
“The sector has come of age, and with great prospects for further growth the UK internet economy will be vital to the UK’s future prosperity,” he added.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Students say the protest will go ahead The Business Secretary Vince Cable has pulled out of a planned visit to Oxford University where students were planning a protest.
He was due to take part in a seminar organised by Brasenose College.
Students from Oxford and Oxford Brookes universities had planned to demonstrate against the government’s higher education policies.
A spokesman for Mr Cable said the decision was taken after advice from the police.
He said: “Vince Cable has postponed a visit to the University of Oxford tomorrow where he was due to speak to students in his capacity as an MP about his life in politics.
“This followed advice from Thames Valley Police about threats of a protest and his concern about the level of disruption this could cause to the people of Oxford plus the possible cost of policing.”
The government is preparing to announce its plans for the future funding of England’s universities following the Browne Review which called for a lifting of the cap on university tuition fees.
The organisers of the protest say it will go ahead as planned.
The group – called the Oxford Education Campaign – is made up of students and academics from both of the city’s universities.
A spokesman said: “It is absolutely laughable that he should abandon his commitments due to a peaceful protest.
“A government minister should have the courage to face the electorate – even those who disagree with him.”
The demonstration was being promoted via the group’s Facebook page.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
The government wants to reduce the amount of queueing required of passengers The transport secretary has signalled his willingness to change the regulations on security checks at British airports.
Philip Hammond was responding to senior figures in the airline industry who had backed the BA chairman’s attack on measures imposed by the US.
Martin Broughton said many of the checks were “completely redundant”.
Mr Hammond said he would be allowing airlines to look at ways of “easing the passenger experience”.
He said: “What we are now going to do is give the airport operators both an incentive through the economic mechanism and the permission, through changing the regulations, to look at the way they do these security procedures and do them differently if they believe that that can reduce the queueing and ease the passenger experience.”
But he said he could not order the US to relax restrictions on passengers travelling to the states.
Mr Hammond said: “I have to defend the right of every country to define the security requirements that it places on flights entering its airspace.
“We all have a right to defend ourselves, the US probably more than any other state has reason to be fearful of terrorist attack and I wouldn’t want to suggest that it’s our place to tell the US what measures it imposes on flights going into US airspace,” he added.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Supporters of the two candidates have clashed in the capital, Conakry Guinea has scheduled its long-delayed presidential run-off vote for 7 November, according to a presidential decree read out on state TV.
The vote was initially due to be held in July, but street violence and political infighting have forced it to be postponed three times.
An inconclusive result in June elections forced the run-off.
Guineans has been subjected to 52 years of authoritarian rule since it gained independence from France.
Last weekend, the two rival presidential candidates – Alpha Conde and Cellou Dalein Diallo – appealed for calm following two days of violence in the capital, Conakry.
The pair had earlier accused each other’s supporters of inciting violence.
The military seized power in 2008 after the death of long-time strongman leader Lansana Conte; but army rule led to more political upheaval and the soldiers eventually agreed to transfer power back to civilians.
The run-off was scheduled for this weekend, but election chief Gen Toumany Sangare said it had been cancelled due to logistical problems.
The UN and US had both urged Guinea to set a new date as soon as possible to avoid instability.
Mr Diallo is seen as the favourite to win the run-off. He took 44% of the votes in the first round – and claims he was denied overall victory by fraud.
Guinea is the world’s largest exporter of the aluminium ore bauxite. It also has important deposits of iron ore, but it remains one of the poorest countries in West Africa.
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The man’s identity has not been revealed A woman has been charged with murder after a man wearing women’s clothes was apparently pushed under a Tube train.
British Transport Police were called to King’s Cross Station in central London on Monday evening to reports a man was under a Piccadilly Line train.
Nina Kanagasingham, 34, of Chichele Road, Cricklewood, north London, will appear at City of Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.
The victim’s name is yet to be released.
The Piccadilly line was temporarily closed and the station was evacuated to allow police to recover the man’s body.
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Malcolm Allison helped Manchester City to several trophies Hundreds of Manchester City fans paid their respects to Malcolm Allison when the former manager’s funeral cortege passed by the club’s home stadium.
Mr Allison, known as Big Mal, died on 14 October, aged 83.
His cortege passed the City of Manchester Stadium on its way to a service at the Southern Cemetery.
Around 300 people had gathered to pay their respects and a round of applause from the assembled crowd greeted the arrival of the cars.
A sky-blue Manchester City scarf was draped over Allison’s coffin and next to it was an ice bucket containing a bottle of Moet et Chandon champagne.
Stephen O’Neill, 51, from Gatley, near Stockport, said: “Big Mal was a Manchester City legend.
“He was an innovative coach who brought us great success.
“Some of the coaching techniques you see in football today, Malcolm Allison was doing all those years ago.”
‘Sorely missed’
City season ticket holder Shirley Hull, 74, from Macclesfield, said: “He was a big man on the pitch and off.
“As well as bringing us success he is also part of the reason Manchester City is such a close-knit, family club.”
Manchester City said Mr Allison was “flamboyant, brilliant and larger than life” Mr Allison had a long career as a player, coach and manager but was best known for helping City win a host of silverware in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Working alongside manager Joe Mercer, he helped City win the league title in 1968, the FA Cup in 1969, and the League Cup and European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1970.
Allison went on to manage Crystal Palace on two separate occasions and returned to City in 1979 for a brief but unsuccessful spell.
He also managed Bath, Plymouth Argyle, Galatasaray, Sporting Lisbon, Toronto City, Middlesbrough and Bristol Rovers.
As a player, Allison made more than 250 appearances for West Ham United, before losing a lung to tuberculosis in 1958.
In a statement issued after his death, Manchester City paid tribute to him.
It said: “Flamboyant, brilliant and larger than life, Malcolm will be sorely missed by everyone at the club and beyond.”
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill is bringing the bill to parliament MSPs will be asked to pass emergency legislation after a major legal ruling that police can no longer question suspects without access to a lawyer.
The UK Supreme Court upheld an appeal by teenager Peter Cadder, whose assault conviction was based on evidence gained before he spoke to his solicitor.
Judges ruled this violated human rights and the SNP is bringing measures to Holyrood to resolve the issue.
Thousands of cases could be open to appeal under the ruling.
But the Lib Dems have raised concerns about the government’s approach.
Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill wants to raise the period of detention without charge from six to 12 hours, with the possibility to increase that to 24 hours.
This would allow lawyers enough time to be present at interviews, but Liberal Democrat Justice Spokesman Robert Brown is aiming to amend the emergency legislation to prevent the period being extended to a day.
Mr Brown also expressed concern that the Scottish Parliament’s justice committee would not be given proper time to examine the proposals.
The Criminal Procedure (Detention, Legal Assistance and Appeals) (Scotland) Bill will bring in several other measures, including putting into statute, the right of access to a lawyer for anyone who is detained.
And there will also be a special duty placed on the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission, which investigates possible miscarriages of justice, so it considers the status of any cases on the basis of whether they have been “finally determined”.
The three scrutiny stages which every Scottish Parliament bill needs to pass through will be cut from several months to one afternoon, as MSPs vote on the legislation on Wednesday evening.
Mr Brown said his party had “reluctantly agreed” to the Scottish government’s course of action, but added: “We will be pursuing amendments to tighten up the procedures.
He said: “Whilst the law needs to be changed to accommodate the judgement, I have concerns about the proposal to extend the period of detention from six hours to 24 hours effectively at the discretion of the police.”
The Criminal Procedure (Detention, Legal Assistance and Appeals) (Scotland) Bill will be considered and voted on by MSPs in one afternoon.
At Holyrood, MSPs will debate a motion to treat the legislation as an emergency bill between 1405 and 1410.
The first stage debate of the bill on its “general principles” will then begin and last for just over an hour.
The second stage of the bill – which would normally take the form of several weeks of evidence by a Holyrood committee, which would also consider amendments – will be held between 1620 and 1710.
The third and final stage debate of the bill, which can consider final amendments to the legislation, will then run to 1800, when MSPs will vote on it.
If passed, Royal Assent is expected to be given to the bill as soon as Friday, at which point it will become law.
The judges said up to 76,000 cases were ongoing or awaiting trial, although not all would be affected by their decision.
However, the Crown Office said this was the total number of ongoing cases in the Scottish criminal courts and estimated the number of possible appeals at closer to 3,500.
Among them could be Luke Mitchell, who was just 14 when he was questioned without a lawyer by police investigating the murder of his girlfriend, Jodi Jones.
That aspect of his case is already being investigated by the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission.
The Supreme Court said it would not be appropriate to allow “closed cases” to be reopened.
The decision will, however, affect cases which have not yet gone to trial, where the trial is still in progress or where an appeal has been brought in time and is not yet concluded.
Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said the ruling had created a situation “to which we must respond”.
The Lord Advocate Elish Angiolini said the ruling had “significant implications” for Scots law.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.