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Police in the Netherlands have taken the unusual step of using the servers commanding millions of hijacked PCs to warn victims.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel says he has not given up hope of winning the world title despite his failure in the Korean Grand Prix.
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Rupert Wingfield Hayes describes the scene in Umm al-Fahm
Israeli police have clashed with Arab protesters in the northern town of Umm al-Fahm, where Israeli right-wing activists staged a protest march.
Police fired tear gas and stun grenades to try to disperse the protesters.
The Jewish activists are followers of a far-right movement, Kach, which believes Arabs should be expelled from Israel and the West Bank.
Dozens of people were wounded when clashes erupted during a similar march last year.
Tensions were running high in Umm al-Fahm after the Supreme Court authorised the march by the right-wing Israeli group through the mainly Israeli Arab town.
The activists say they want Israeli authorities to outlaw the Islamic Movement, whose leader Sheikh Raed Salah comes from the town.
“The Islamic Movement is part of the international Islamic jihad,” Michael Ben Ari, a right-wing lawmaker who took part in the protest, was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.
He accused the movement of having ties to Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
Some 20 to 30 Jewish demonstrators travelled from Jerusalem to Umm al-Fahm under heavy police protection.
They arrived in armoured buses, but were only allowed off briefly by police, and the march was largely symbolic, says the BBC’s Rupert Wingfield-Hayes from the site of the clashes.
Riot police, some on horseback, charged about 200 Arab demonstrators who threw stones at them before retreating.
The running street battles went on for more than an hour, but the situation has since quietened down, our correspondent says.
Several people were arrested, though no serious injuries have been reported.
The activists want to protest against the fact that the second largest Arab town in Israel is home to the leader of the fairly hardline Islamic Movement, but the local population considers the protest by the anti-Palestinian group extremely provocative, adds our correspondent.
The town is considered a stronghold of Israeli-Arab sentiment, and is also where 13 Israeli-Arab protesters were killed during riots as the last Palestinian uprising, or intifada, broke out in 2000.
The anger on the streets of Umm al-Fahm is symptomatic of a growing sense of alienation among Israeli Arabs.
Earlier this month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lent his support for a bill that would require all new citizens to swear allegiance to Israel as a “Jewish and democratic state”.
Israeli Arabs, who make up 20% of the population, have called the bill racist and said it aims to delegitimise their presence.
Israel’s 1.3 million Arabs are descended from families who remained in Israel after the war that followed the state’s creation in 1948.
They are full Israeli citizens, but face widely documented discrimination.
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Nathalie Lo weighed what her mother assumed was a healthy 7lbs 5oz A baby whose death along with three others caused the suspension of heart surgery at a hospital died from natural causes, an inquest has ruled.
Nathalie Lo was 23 days old when she died after having surgery at Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital last December.
Children’s heart operations were suspended at the unit in March after three other babies subsequently died.
The inquest in Oxford heard that Nathalie died despite her treatment and not because of it.
All four babies had been treated by the same surgeon, Caner Salih, the inquest was told.
In July, a report by the South Central Strategic Health Authority said Mr Salih, who has since left the hospital, was not to blame for the deaths.
A government review published earlier this month recommended that no more paediatric cardiac surgery should be carried out at the hospital, concluding it was the least likely out of 11 centres in England to meet new quality standards.
Nathalie was born on 29 November and weighed 7lbs 5oz.
Later that day, doctors discovered she had a condition which meant her heart was not able to pump enough oxygenated blood to her lungs – known as pulmonary atresia with Ebstein’s anomaly.
Doctors advised her parents that she would need surgery.
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Moses Wetangula told reporters that he was sure he would return to cabinet Kenya’s foreign minister has stepped aside amid a growing scandal involving the alleged misuse of his ministry’s funds for several land deals abroad.
Moses Wetangula, who maintains his innocence, made his announcement as MPs were set to vote on his suspension.
A parliamentary report recommended his removal until claims over deals for new embassies were fully investigated.
Mr Wetangula is a key cabinet figure and helped to form the coalition in 2008 that ended the post-poll violence.
The scandal is the latest in a series of high-level corruption allegations involving government officials.
Mr Wetangula told reporters in the capital, Nairobi, that he felt he was being hounded from office.
“I have made a personal decision to step aside as minister of foreign affairs to give room and pleasure to those who have been haunting and tormenting me, and to give room for the investigation,” he said.
“I can assure you I will be back to the cabinet once the investigations are completed because I know I am innocent.”
According to a parliamentary committee report, Kenya lost $14m (£8.8m) during a land deal in Japan.
The foreign ministry is alleged to have refused an offer of land from the Japanese government in central Tokyo for a new embassy, opting instead for a building further away, against the advice of an estate agency.
Money was also allegedly lost on embassy deals in Egypt, Nigeria, Pakistan and Belgium.
Mr Wetangula, who will remain on half salary until the investigation is completed, is the latest high-profile figure to step aside because of corruption allegations.
Last week, Kenya’s Higher Education Minister William Ruto was suspended, after a court ruled he must stand trial over corruption allegations.
Speaking at a separate function on Wednesday, President Mwai Kibaki reiterated that his government would not shield corrupt officials.
Donors have long criticised Kenya for failing to tackle corruption.
But correspondents say the passing of a new constitution in August has made it easier for the authorities to fight it.
The new law stipulates that anyone facing criminal charges should stand down from public office.
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The Toy Retailers’ Association has come up with a list of 12 toys they expect will be the most popular this Christmas
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Sheikh Saqr took over Ras al-Khaimah in a bloodless coup in the late 1940s The ruler of the UAE emirate of Ras al-Khaimah has died, official reports say.
Sheikh Saqr bin Muhammad al-Qasimi, who was in his early 90s, died at dawn following several months in hospital.
The official news agency, Wam, says he will be succeeded by his son, Crown Prince Sheikh Saud, who has effectively ruled the emirate since 2003.
Analysts say the succession should go smoothly, but there are fears of a power struggle between Sheikh Saud and his elder half-brother, Sheikh Khalid.
Sheikh Khalid was the crown prince of Ras al-Khaimah until 2003, when he was sidelined in favour of the US-educated Sheikh Saud.
Sheikh Khalid is reported to have launched a campaign to regain the position, but observers say he is unlikely to win power.
The UAE federal authorities have moved quickly to forestall any challenges to the succession.
The Federal Supreme Council, made up of the rulers of each of the UAE’s seven emirates, announced its “full support” for Sheikh Saud as Ras al-Khaimah’s new leader in a statement carried by Wam.
Sheikh Saqr had ruled Ras al-Khaimah, the northernmost emirate, since the late 1940s, making him one of the world’s longest reigning monarchs.
A week of official mourning has been declared.
The tiny but strategic Ras al-Khaimah emirate is located on the Strait of Hormuz, close to the Iranian coastline.
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England manager Martin Johnson says Jonny Wilkinson does not need shoulder surgery but is still a doubt for the first Test against New Zealand.
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Mr Gorbachev also said democracy in Russia was experiencing problems
The former leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, has warned Nato that victory in Afghanistan is impossible.
Mr Gorbachev said that the US had no alternative but to withdraw its forces if it wanted to avoid another Vietnam.
As Soviet leader, he pulled his troops out of Afghanistan more than 20 years ago after a 10-year war.
He praised President Barack Obama for his decision to begin withdrawing troops next year, but said the US would struggle to get out of the situation.
“Victory is impossible in Afghanistan. Obama is right to pull the troops out. No matter how difficult it will be,” Mr Gorbachev said in an interview with the BBC’s Moscow correspondent Steve Rosenberg.
He said before the Soviet Union withdrew from Afghanistan, an agreement had been reached with Iran, India, Pakistan and the US.
“We had hoped America would abide by the agreement that we reached that Afghanistan should be a neutral, democratic country, that would have good relations with its neighbours and with both the US and the USSR.
“The Americans always said they supported this, but at the same time they were training militants – the same ones who today are terrorising Afghanistan and more and more of Pakistan,” Mr Gorbachev said.
Because of this, it would be more difficult for the US to get out of the situation.
“But what’s the alternative – another Vietnam? Sending in half-a-million troops? That wouldn’t work.”
The best that Nato could hope to achieve, he said, was to help the country get back on its feet and rebuild itself after the war.
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The Portuguese Prime Minister has threatened to quit if the budget is not passed The minority government of Portugal has failed to gain opposition support for its proposed austerity budget.
It is unclear whether the right-wing opposition will actually block the budget or merely abstain from voting.
A failure to pass the budget could plunge the country back into the debt crisis it had seemingly escaped since the summer.
Prime Minister Jose Socrates threatened to quit if the budget fails, while the finance minister ruled out more talks.
The opposition Social Democrats oppose tax rises planned by the governing Socialists, preferring spending cuts.
“The negotiations ended and there is no agreement,” said an opposition spokesman.
Finance minister Fernando Teixeira dos Santos said a failure to pass the budget could lead to a “very worrying” scenario. “It will push the country into a very deep financial crisis,” he said.
A vote on the budget is due in parliament on 3 November.
The government successfully issued 1.23bn euros (£1.1bn, $1.7bn) of bonds earlier on Wednesday, before the failure of the budget talks became apparent.
The total amount of bonds issued was at the top of the indicated range, as was the pricing of the debt.
However, following the breakdown of negotiations, the market value of Portuguese government bonds dropped.
The difference in yield between Portugal’s 10-year bond and its German counterpart – a measure of how markets view their relative riskiness – increased to 3.38% per annum from 3.15% before the news broke.
This is still well below the all-time peak of 4.65% recorded at the height of the eurozone debt crisis in September, suggesting that markets are still confident the budget will ultimately pass.
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New words from celebrities, politics, and TV enter the latest edition of Collins English Dictionary.
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Iain Duncan Smith has reportedly met up with London mayor Boris Johnson The government may have to amend its plans for a cap on housing benefit payouts, the BBC has learned.
The proposed cap could force people out of cities where rent is higher, some MPs and charities have argued.
But Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said people living in areas that many working families could not afford should not expect to be subsidised.
A Whitehall source said the Work and Pensions Secretary, Iain Duncan Smith, was listening to MPs’ concerns.
The coalition’s plans include capping housing benefit at around £400-a-week for a four-bedroom home, and cutting the benefit for anyone on jobseeker’s allowance for more than a year by 10%.
The source told the BBC that Mr Duncan Smith was listening to Conservative MPs, especially those in and around London, who had raised issues, and had already met the capital’s mayor Boris Johnson.
‘Draconian’
BBC political correspondent Vicki Young said the source added that amendments might need to be made as the proposals pass through Parliament.
Liberal Democrat deputy leader Simon Hughes has held talks with his party leader, Mr Clegg, over the plans.
Mr Hughes has described them as “draconian” and vowed to try and block them in Parliament.
In the Commons, Mr Clegg denied that large cities would be “cleansed” of poor people following cuts to housing benefits.
He said the suggestion, made by Labour’s Chris Bryant, was “deeply offensive to people who have witnessed ethnic cleansing”.
Other critics of the plans to cap benefits say they would penalise the long-term unemployed genuinely seeking work.
The changes were announced in the government’s Spending Review earlier this month.
It also said spending on new social housing would be cut in by 50% – but hoped to make up the shortfall by allowing housing associations to charge close to the full market rate for rent.
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Talks aimed at averting a strike by London firefighters on Bonfire Night will be held on Wednesday, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has said.
The FBU has announced plans for a 47-hour walk out starting on 5 November in a row over contracts.
London’s fire authority chairman Brian Coleman has asked the FBU to call the strike off, saying it would be the “busiest time” for the brigade.
Prime Minister David Cameron described the strike plans as “irresponsible”.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Gordon Brown signed the Lisbon Treaty as then-UK prime minister in December 2007 A new Euro-row is escalating over a Franco-German plan to rewrite part of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty.
EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding said talk of treaty change was “irresponsible”. The change would tighten the EU rules on national debt.
France’s Europe Minister Pierre Lellouche hit back at the Luxembourg politician on Wednesday, calling her language “unacceptable”.
Recently Ms Reding also criticised French deportations of Roma (Gypsies).
German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she will urge other European leaders to accept the need for treaty change at an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday.
She told the German parliament’s lower house, the Bundestag, that unsustainable debts posed the biggest threat to the eurozone.
The treaty change would bring in sanctions for countries overshooting the maximum debt level allowed under the EU’s Stability and Growth Pact (SGP) – 60% of gross domestic product.
The idea is to have an automatic mechanism enshrined in the Lisbon Treaty that would prevent any repetition of this year’s Greek debt crisis.
The sanctions would be tightened progressively, if a country failed to address its debt problems within months.
The Franco-German agreement reached in the French resort of Deauville on 18 October says that a serious violation of the EU monetary rules would trigger “suspension of the voting rights of the member state concerned”.
Greece’s budget woes undermined confidence in the euro, threatening the economic stability of other eurozone countries languishing with debt problems.
The EU created an emergency 440bn-euro (£386bn; $612bn) fund called the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) to protect any EU member states vulnerable to Greek-style liquidity problems.
But the EFSF only runs until 2013, so France and Germany are arguing for a permanent shield to protect the eurozone.
Besides Ms Reding, some other EU politicians have reacted sceptically, or at least cautiously, to the treaty change idea.
The UK’s Europe Minister David Lidington, quoted by Reuters news agency, said a permanent crisis resolution mechanism for the eurozone was desirable.
But the UK would study the detail of a treaty change proposal “very carefully”, he said.
The UK negotiated an annex to the Lisbon Treaty – Protocol 15 – exempting it from budget rules that apply to countries that are either in, or planning to join, the eurozone. Denmark has a similar opt-out.
The EU spent eight tortuous years negotiating the Lisbon Treaty. It faced numerous hurdles, including two referendums in the Republic of Ireland.
A treaty change would require parliamentary approval in all 27 member states.
Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn warned “there is a risk that we will be plunged back into months and years of navel-gazing”.
And his Belgian counterpart Steven Vanackere said “nobody around the table wants to open up the treaty and change it fundamentally”.
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The LSE is renowned for social science The London School of Economics has rejected claims that it is considering going private.
Student leaders at the institution have reacted with alarm to the news that a briefing paper prepared for the LSE’s governing body looked at the issue of privatisation.
The LSE says it has not developed any plans to alter the way it is funded.
Universities in England are facing a major upheaval following the announcement of 40% sector cuts.
They are examining their options as they wait to hear the government’s detailed plans for the funding of the sector following the Browne Review on student fees.
Ministers have made it clear they want students to pay more towards their education, once they have graduated, but recently ruled out allowing universities to raise fees without limits.
Now universities are waiting to see where a cap on fees will be set.
Under the cuts to teaching grants for universities, the state would only pay directly for teaching in science, engineering, technology, maths and possibly some languages.
Details are due to be set out in December.
Becoming a private institution would mean a university could charge above fee limits set by the government – currently a maximum of £3,290 a year in England.
The change would also mean universities did not have to follow guidelines on widening access to higher education and the provision of bursaries for poorer students.
The London School of Economics said the issue of privatisation had been mentioned in a briefing paper for the governing body but had not been put up for a decision by the school – nor was it likely to be.
A spokeswoman said: “LSE is a university which relies, in part, on public funding and we have not developed any plans to alter that arrangement.
“At a time when government support for higher education is being sharply reduced it is sensible to survey the financial landscape in its entirety to understand the position of the sector as a whole.
“I have so far seen no arguments which convince me that the School and its students would be better off as a result of ‘going private”
Howard Davies Director. LSE
“But it would be entirely wrong to isolate any part of that survey and portray what is background information as a preferred course of action. We want the whole LSE community to take part in a collective discussion about future spending decisions – none of those decisions have been taken.”
The director of the LSE Howard Davies said: “I have so far seen no arguments which convince me that the School and its students would be better off as a result of ‘going private'”.
Charlotte Gerada, general secretary of the LSE Students’ Union, said:”The founders of the LSE were committed to social justice and critical in the formation of the modern welfare state.
“It comes as a shock that the LSE would even consider going down the path of making LSE a for-profit institution with no obligation to follow Hefce [funding council] regulations to cap fees, increase widening participation, or provide bursaries.”
Mike Cushman of the lecturers’ union, the University and College Union (UCU), said the group was committed to seeing the LSE remain as part of the UK national higher education system.
“Privatisation runs totally counter to LSE’s role as the leading social science university; it would have to follow the agendas of corporate funders,” he said.
“We believe that developing access for all potential students regardless of background is essential: LSE must not become a finishing school for the wealthy specialising in delivering bright, but uncritical, graduates to the finance industry.”
Recently, Cambridge University also dismissed as speculation reports that it was considering going private .
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