Category: news

The chief executive of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (Ceop) has offered his resignation, the BBC has learned.

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At least four Arab al-Qaeda militants have been killed in a drone attack in the Pakistani region of North Waziristan, local officials say.

The officials told the BBC that a suspected US drone fired two missiles at a house owned by a local tribesman.

Unconfirmed reports suggested that some of those killed may have held German passports.

There have been 26 such strikes the area in the past month, killing several high-profile militants.

Al-Qaeda’s operations chief, is believed to have been one of those killed in recent drone strikes.

The house hit in the latest attack was located in a village 3km (1.86miles) from the main town of Mir Ali.

Officials say the Arabs had come to visit tribal leader Sher Mullah.

Locals told the BBC’s Syed Shoaib Hasan, in Karachi, that Sher Mullah had close links to Hafiz Gul Bahadur, the local Taliban chief.

The house was completely destroyed in the attack. In addition to those killed, several people were also injured.

Local tribesmen say the Arabs remain unidentified.

Over 150 people have died in drone attacks so far this year, including both militants and civilians.

Our correspondent says that the attacks have infuriated public opinion in Pakistan, which last week was further aggravated by border violations by Nato helicopters from Afghanistan.

Pakistan’s government has subsequently partially clamped down on the supply of goods and fuel from Pakistan to Nato troops based in Afghanistan.

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The Taliban in Pakistan said it was behind the attack which destroyed 27 tankers that were carrying fuel for Nato troops in Afghanistan.

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The demolition of Swansea City’s former home, the Vetch Field, has moved a step closer with the approval of £700,000 funding to redevelop the site.

Deputy Housing Minister Jocelyn Davies announced the package, saying it would kick-start regeneration in the area.

The ground has lain derelict since the Championship club moved to the Liberty Stadium four years ago.

The development aims to provide more affordable housing and green recreational space for Swansea.

The funding comes directly from the Welsh Assembly Government and still needs the backing of Swansea council.

It will be repaid with any future income the site generates so the cash can be redistributed to other projects.

Ms Davies said: “Although the demolition of the Vetch will be a sad day for some, the site has effectively been derelict since the Swans moved to their fantastic new home at the Liberty Stadium.

“The cost of demolishing the site has so far prevented the land from being used for much needed affordable housing and green space in the area so I am delighted that the funding I have announced will mark the first step in creating vital new amenities.

“Regeneration is all about making the most of what an area has to offer and working with local communities to identify and work on their priorities. The site is in a prime location to provide exactly what the community has asked for.”

Swansea council leader Chris Holley said the package marked “a big step in the right direction”.

The £700,000 comes on top of more than £3m from the Swansea Regeneration Area programme to fund projects in the city centre and the waterfront area.

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The lawyer who represented the sole surviving gunman of the 2008 Mumbai attacks is to appear in the Indian version of reality show Big Brother.

Abbas Kazmi was appointed by the state to represent Mohammed Ajmal Amir Qasab.

But he was removed from the case towards the end of the trial for “not co-operating and delaying” the trial.

Qasab was sentenced to death in May for the attacks – in which gunmen killed 165 people – after he was found guilty of mass murder.

Now in its fourth season the Indian version of the reality show – known as Bigg Boss – will see a host of participants who have courted controversy.

They come from all walks of life and usually have different claims to notoriety.

The new series will be hosted by Bollywood superstar Salman Khan, who himself has criminal cases against him. His latest movie, Dabanngg, broke all box-office records.

Previous seasons of Bigg Boss have featured Jade Goody and Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty.

Ms Goody – who died of cervical cancer in 2009 – became embroiled in a row about racism when the pair appeared in the British version of the show.

Fourteen participants are now locked in the Bigg Boss house, two hours away from Mumbai, for 85 days. One housemate will be eliminated every week.

At the time of entering the house, Mr Kazmi told Salman Khan: “The government appointed me to represent Ajmal Qasab. Before that I had handled the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case as well.”

Those attacks – blamed on the criminal underworld – killed more than 250 people, injured a further 1,000 and caused more than $10m worth of damage.

Mr Kazmi told Mr Khan that many years ago he had also acted in Hindi movies.

“I love to experiment and take up challenges. Living in the Bigg Boss house is quite a challenge, since one has to remain cut off from the outside world and adjust with strangers,” he said.

He was the second participant to enter the house and was seen welcoming and interacting with others.

Other participants include Pakistani television show host Nawazish Ali and Pakistani actress Veena Malik.

Seema Parihar, a self-confessed bandit facing murder and kidnapping charges, appeared on the show on Sunday despite legal moves preventing her from doing so.

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Two Shetland fishermen have admitted making false declarations about fish worth more than £7m, which they landed.

Victor Buschini, 50, and Hamish Slater, 51, admitted the “black fish” scam at the High Court in Edinburgh.

The two accused, both masters of the Enterprise, made illegal landings of mackerel and herring at Lerwick between 2002 and 2005.

The landings were made at Shetland Catch Ltd, which previously pled guilty to assisting skippers commit the crime.

Sentence was deferred until 10 January.

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The perjury trial of former Scottish Socialist Party leader Tommy Sheridan and his wife Gail is due to start.

The couple are accused of lying in court to help Mr Sheridan successfully sue a tabloid newspaper over stories it published about his private life.

The News of the World accused him of cheating on his wife and leading a secret life of champagne, cocaine and swinging.

He won the case in 2006 but the court heard wildly conflicting evidence.

A police investigation followed and officers charged Mr and Mrs Sheridan, both 46, with repeatedly lying in court.

They both deny the charges.

They will be tried together at the High Court in Glasgow.

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A woman and her baby are in a serious condition in hospital after she gave birth following a road crash.

A two-vehicle collision closed the A7 road near Hawick in the Scottish Borders at about 0825 BST.

Lothian and Borders Police said the pregnant woman was taken to Borders General Hospital, where her child was delivered.

The male driver of the vehicle in which she was a passenger also suffered a serious leg injury in the crash.

He was taken to Borders General Hospital after being cut free from the Honda Civic.

The car had been travelling north when it was involved in the collision with a Volkswagen Golf heading south.

The driver of the Volkswagen Golf suffered minor injuries.

The road remained closed while officers carried out an investigation at the scene and anyone who witnessed the collision has been asked to contact police immediately.

A police spokesman said: “We are still in the process of piecing together the circumstances surrounding this collision, which has resulted in some serious injuries to those involved.

“We would urge any motorists who were on the road and can assist with our enquiries to come forward.

“We are particularly keen to speak to the driver of a small red car, which was in the area at the time and may have witnessed the collision.”

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Shares in Microsoft fall 2% at the beginning of US trading, after Goldman Sachs cuts its rating of the computer giant.

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Commuters are set to face another day of severe disruption on London’s Underground network as a second 24-hour strike over job cuts continues.

All lines on the Underground have been affected by the stoppage, which began at 1830 BST on Sunday.

Members of the RMT and TSSA unions are protesting against plans to cut about 800 jobs, mainly from ticket offices.

Transport for London (TfL) is laying on extra buses and river journeys in an attempt to reduce disruption.

It has organised 100 extra buses, increased capacity for more than 10,000 extra journeys on the river and also delayed road works.

Those who own bikes have been encouraged to cycle to work.

On Monday morning there was no service on the Central, Jubilee, Victoria, Piccadilly, Metropolitan and Circle lines.

There were limited services on the Hammersmith and City, Bakerloo and District lines.

A similar walkout last month caused chaos on the Underground.

TfL pleaded with the unions to call off the strike, which it labelled “pointless”, but the unions hit back by saying the planned job cuts would threaten safety on the network.

On Sunday, RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: “We have warned repeatedly that TfL’s cuts plans are playing fast and loose with safety and will turn the Tube into a death trap.

“We remain available for talks but the current cuts to jobs and safety must be halted before we have a tragedy on our hands.”

London Underground’s managing director, Mike Brown, said the unions were “intent on disruption”.

He said: “Changing London Underground is not a choice, it is essential, and we will not be diverted from moving with the times.”

London mayor Boris Johnson attacked the strike, labelling it a “political attack” on the government.

Writing in The Daily Telegraph, he said: “We need to take account of the fact that some ticket offices are now selling fewer than 10 tickets an hour. We need to liberate staff to get out on to the platforms and concourses where they can be of most use to the travelling public.

“We have come up with a way of doing this that keeps a ticket office at every station that currently possesses one, and, remarkably, given the colossal budgetary pressures we face, we are able to do this with no compulsory redundancies.”

Two further strikes are planned for November if the dispute remains unresolved.

The RMT also banned its members from accepting overtime over the weekend in protest at the job cuts.

The strike can be followed on a BBC London Twitter feed and a live update web page.

An interactive map will be produced showing areas on the network with severe disruption.

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A former British embassy employee who was jailed last year in Iran for espionage has had his sentence commuted.

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A London stage show is temporarily halted after actor David Birrell is injured by a replica gun during the production.

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The principal of Calcutta’s elite La Martiniere school is arrested in connection with the suicide of a 13-year-old schoolboy.

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Graeme McDowell ensured Europe regained the Ryder Cup by winning the crucial last singles match at Celtic Manor.

The US Open winner prevailed 2 and 1 against Hunter Mahan and helped Europe to the 14 and a half points they needed to win back the trophy.

In a day of fluctuating fortunes, all eyes turned to the Portrush man with Europe depending on his win.

And McDowell held his nerve to fend off Mahan’s challenge and ensure the trophy returned across the Atlantic.

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Kirk Broadfoot drops out of the Scotland squad and Alan Hutton is among the injury doubts for the Euro 2012 qualifier against Czech Republic.

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