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Taser company man ‘kills himself’

Mr Boatman was said to have felt “ashamed” by what had happened

The director of operations of the firm which supplied the Tasers used during the stand-off with gunman Raoul Moat is understood to have killed himself.

Former police officer Peter Boatman, of the Daventry firm Pro-Tect, was found dead on Friday morning, his business partner said.

Earlier this week it emerged supplier Pro-Tect breached its licence by supplying X12 Tasers direct to police.

The Home Office confirmed the firm had had its licence revoked.

Mr Boatman’s business partner, Kevin Coles, told BBC News that Mr Boatman had been found dead.

A spokesman for Northamptonshire Police said officers were called to an address in Kingsthorpe just before 1310 BST where the body of a 57-year-old man was found.

The spokesman added: “We are not treating the death as suspicious and will be preparing a report for the coroner.

Mr Coles said he was “devastated” at the news.

He added that Mr Boatman was a “proud man” who had worked hard to protect the police and had felt “ashamed” at the recent developments.

Mr Coles said the Home Office ban and the subsequent coverage had “destroyed” his colleague.

Pro-Tect was accused of supplying a new Taser weapon to Northumbria Police during the Raoul Moat manhunt in breach of Home Office rules because the Taser had not been fully tested.

Mr Coles said Mr Boatman had only wanted to help police officers who were caught up in the hunt for Moat.

Last week Home Secretary Theresa May said Pro-Tect had only been permitted to supply the X12 Tasers to its scientific development branch testing.

Former police officer Peter Boatman's home

Police said they were called to a property in Kingsthorpe earlier

The firm also “breached rules governing the secure transport of the devices and ammunition,” the Home Office said.

The Taser, which is fired from a 12-gauge shotgun, was being tested by the Home Office before a decision was taken over whether it could be approved for use by police forces in England and Wales.

The Home Office said it was “satisfied that the company supplied X12 Tasers and XRep ammunition to Northumbria Police and to another police force contrary to its authority”.

There is no suggestion firearms officers were at fault.

Moat died after a six-hour stand-off in Rothbury, Northumberland.

He was on the run after shooting his former girlfriend Samantha Stobbart, 22, killing her new boyfriend Chris Brown, 29, and blinding Pc David Rathband, 42.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Lone trader caused US share crash

The SEC says a “large fundamental trader” caused May’s 10% shares crash with a fast-acting computer programme

May’s 700 point sudden share crash in the US was caused by a single trader’s computer program, according to the US trading watchdog the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

The so-called “flash crash” on 6 May saw the Dow Jones index fall 10% in just minutes.

The report was prepared jointly by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

It did not actually name the trader.

It said a “large fundamental trader” used an algorithm to sell 75,000 stocks worth $4.1bn (£2.6bn) extremely rapidly.

Algorithms are a mathematical process used for calculation and data processing.

The large trader’s firm is named in internal SEC documents as Waddell & Reed Financial, according to news wires.

The report said the trader initiated the program to sell shares to offset the risks of an existing share holding.

The program had previously executed a similar sale over more than five hours, but on May 6, when the markets were already under pressure due to worrying news about the European economy, the sale was carried out in just 20 minutes.

This then caused other, super-fast trading algorithms to go into a spiral of selling that led the Dow Jones index to drop by nearly 10%.

Although it recovered within minutes, authorities have since introduced “circuit breakers”, which can halt trade on certain stocks for 10 minutes if they fall by more than 5%.

The SEC and the Futures Trading Commission hinted that further measures could be on the way.

“We now must consider what other investor-focused measures are needed to ensure that our markets are fair, efficient and resilient, now and for years to come,” they said in a statement.

An earlier investigation by the SEC into the mysterious plunge in US share prices has found no single cause was to blame.

At the time, the SEC said it needed more time to investigate, but warned that new safeguards would be introduced.

Theories about the possible cause ranged from a rogue trader to terrorism.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

BMW dealing with recall ‘quickly’

The recall affects BMW’s higher-powered V8 and V12 engine cars

BMW has announced it will recall about 350,000 luxury cars worldwide because of a problem with brakes.

The German firm said the recall was due to a fault with the power-braking system but the cars were not unsafe.

The recall affects V8 and V12 engine cars in the BMW 5, 6 and 7 ranges, and Rolls-Royce – a BMW subsidiary – built between July 2001 and November 2009.

Of the total, 11,427 cars – including 905 Rolls-Royces – are in the UK, and 198,000 in the US.

Globally, 348,000 BMWs are affected, plus a further 5,800 Rolls-Royces.

“In the affected vehicles, a leak may develop in the power braking system, potentially causing a vacuum loss and consequent reduction of power braking assistance,” said the company in a statement.

However, mechanical braking is still available to slow and stop the vehicle, and there have been no reported accidents or injuries.

BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE AG ST Last Updated at 01 Oct 2010, 07:20 ET *Chart shows local time

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Any concerned BMW owners should contact the BMW customer service number on 0800 325600

A BMW spokesman told the BBC that the problem was identified via feedback from routine vehicle servicing, and that the recall is entirely voluntary.

BMW’s share price dropped 3% following the news, to below 50 euros.

However, the company’s stock remains well up for the year, having rallied from a price of 30 euros in March.

The news comes a day after the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it was investigating a potential power steering problem with the Mini – another brand owned by BMW.

It also comes a day after BMW’s chairman, Norbert Reithofer, had his contract extended by six years.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Chilean mine rescue ‘this month’

A steel capsule designed to pull the miners up through the narrow rescue shaft is ready

Chile’s mines minister says an attempt to rescue 33 trapped miners will begin in the second half of October – earlier than previously predicted.

Laurence Golborne said the drilling of a rescue shaft to bring the men to the surface was going extremely well and would be completed by 15 October.

It will then take several days before rescue capsules can be lowered to the miners, 700m (2,300ft) below ground.

The government had previously said the rescue might happen in early November.

But on Wednesday, one of the drills cut through 50m (164ft) of rock in only 24 hours, raising the hopes of the miners’ relatives and rescuers.

The men were trapped by a rock fall at the San Jose mine near Copiapo, about 725km (450 miles) north of Santiago, on 5 August.

When the rescue shaft is completed, it will be lined with metal tubes to keep the sides in place and allow a smoother journey for the 54cm (21in) wide steel rescue capsule.

One of the three capsules, designed by Chilean navy engineers, is already standing by on the surface.

A field hospital to give the men medical attention as and when they get out is also being set up.

Construction work has even started on a huge platform to accommodate up to 1,000 journalists from around the world who are expected to be at the mine to report on the rescue.

The BBC’s Gideon Long, who is at the scene, says that despite Friday’s welcome announcement, this will have been a long ordeal for the miners. It is their 57th consecutive day below ground – never before has anyone spent so long trapped in a mine.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Benefit agreement talk downplayed

Iain Duncan Smith is in negotiations with the Treasury ahead of the spending review

Government sources have denied that an agreement has been reached on introducing a single “universal credit” to replace existing benefits.

Welfare reform is key to plans to cut the deficit but has been the source of reported tension between ministers.

The issue is likely to be a major focus of debate during the Conservative Party conference which starts on Sunday.

Sources told the BBC they were “making progress” but media reports £9bn could be saved in a shake-up were premature.

Chancellor George Osborne has signalled he wants billions of further welfare cuts as part of the government’s imminent spending review – on top of £11bn outlined in June’s Budget.

As part of this shake-up, it is understood the Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith wants to replace the current system of Jobseekers Allowance, income support and employment support allowance with one universal benefit in an effort to simplify the system.

A special BBC News season examining the approaching cuts to public sector spending

The Spending Review: Making It Clear

Friends say they believe Mr Duncan Smith has won “broad agreement” that work should pay more than benefit and that he will be allowed to keep an element of expected savings in the welfare budget to ensure people are not worse off when they move off benefits.

But sources say that although ministers are “making progress”, plans are still “very much in the air”.

Speaking last month, Mr Duncan Smith said he still hoped to convince Mr Osborne to back his idea to scrap the existing complex system of benefits in favour of a single, universal payment.

This would have a set-up cost, which Labour has estimated could be as much as £7bn, but Mr Duncan Smith said it would save money in the long run, as the long-term unemployed came off benefits and started paying tax.

He has argued that billions could also be saved by eliminating fraud and error in the tax credit system, which is run by the Treasury, which he believed should be scrapped and any savings handed to his department to help pay for his proposed reforms.

Mr Duncan Smith has refused to speculate on the details and the cost involved ahead of the 20 October spending review – in which most government departments are expected to face four-year budget cuts of between 25% and 40%.

Both Mr Duncan Smith and Mr Osborne have played down press reports of disagreements over cuts to the Department of Work and Pensions budget, one of the largest in government.

Mr Osborne has said the 45% increase in welfare spending over the past 10 years cannot continue but that rewarding work would be “absolutely central” to future reforms.

Asked by MPs last month about reports that an extra £4bn could be shaved off welfare bills, Mr Duncan Smith said he did “recognise” the figure.

Labour politicians have claimed there is “chaos” at the heart of government over the issue and that the outcome of any welfare cuts is that vulnerable people will lose out.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Ryder Cup resumes after downpour

Spectators watch during the opening ceremony for the 2010 Ryder Cup

The Ryder Cup will deliver a global television audience of many millions

The Ryder Cup is ready to tee off at Newport’s Celtic Manor after years of planning and millions of pounds in investment.

A global television audience will focus on Wales for golf’s biggest event.

A host of celebrities and former US presidents are among the daily 45,000 spectators set to watch the European and USA teams battle for the trophy.

The three-day tournament alternates between Europe and America and is in Wales for the first time.

The event brings to fruition the dream of the Celtic Manor’s owner, 67-year-old Welsh-born billionaire Sir Terry Matthews.

Primaries ‘face heads shortage’

Recruitment of head teachers has become harder for primary schools

One in three primary schools in England and Wales that sought a new head last year failed to find one, research for the head teachers’ union shows.

The study, by Education Data Surveys, showed recruitment problems had worsened, with only 26% of schools failing to fill posts the year before.

The National Association of Head Teachers has long warned of shortages, especially as many heads are retiring.

The government said about 0.7% of schools were without head teachers.

The authors of the report surveyed all schools that advertised vacancies between April 2009 and May 2010.

With a response rate of about 25%, it covered nearly 1,500 posts in total.

The NAHT warned that the unfilled jobs were leaving the profession “on a knife edge”.

With 65% of primary head teacher vacancies the result of retirement already, the body said it was concerned that possible changes to heads’ pensions would “cause a mass exodus of school leaders from the profession”.

The situation in secondary schools is somewhat better, with only one in five vacancies unfilled, slightly up from 19% in 2008/9.

This year was the first year that candidates have been required to have a head teachers’ qualification before applying.

The report’s authors said this had, however, failed to improve the supply of suitable candidates, especially in primary and special schools.

“If anything, the situation is now worse than it was last year,” the report concluded.

It also noted that faith schools, particularly Roman Catholic ones, continued to face significant problems finding suitable head teachers.

The department for education said that, according to the yearly school census, in January 2010 only 0.7% of head teacher posts were unfilled.

A spokesman said: “We agree that you can’t have great schools without great leadership. That is why the Coalition Government is committed to freeing up head teachers from the bureaucracy and red tape they face, so they can get on with doing the job of leading schools to pupils with the best education.”

The government says it will set out further plans to reform the teaching workforce in a White Paper later 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.

BP up 3% on new boss’s first day

The incoming chief executive of BP, Bob Dudley, tells the BBC’s business editor, Robert Peston, about his new job

Shares in the oil giant BP closed 3% higher on Bob Dudley’s first day as its chief executive.

The price was boosted by comments made by Mr Dudley suggesting the company may restart divided payments to shareholders.

BP also named a list of Gulf of Mexico oil fields whose revenue it will use to swell its $20bn (£12.6bn) fund for victims of the oil spill.

The fields include Thunder Horse, Atlantis and Mad Dog.

Its shares rose 2.7p to close at 440.5p, their highest level since early June.

BP also said on Friday that the total bill for fighting the spill and compensating victims hit $11.2bn (£7bn) this week.

The company is planning to sell $30bn of assets.

Seymour Pierce oil analyst, Alan Sinclair, said pledging income from the oil fields in the Gulf of Mexico itself was a smart move.

He said: “It’s quite a clever thing that BP’s done… (it) should suggest to the US administration not to in any way meddle with these facilities.”

There have been concerns that the US could ban BP from future drilling after lawmakers in July voted to pass an amendment to a bill that would prevent BP from acquiring new exploration leases after the explosion at its Macondo well in April.

One of the first jobs tackled by Bob Dudley, who took over as chief executive from Tony Hayward, was to form a new unit to oversee safety across the company following the oil disaster.

The oil giant says the division will have “sweeping powers”, including the authority to intervene in operations to uphold safety standards.

BP hopes the new unit, along with a number of other organisational changes, will help rebuild trust in the company.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

‘Sorry’ Musharraf rejoins fray

Pervez Musharraf in London on 19 September 2010

Pervez Musharraf says he hopes “to bring about a new political culture” in Pakistan

Former Pakistan military ruler Pervez Musharraf is to launch his new political party on Friday.

Several of his associates have arrived in London where the All Pakistan Muslim League will be unveiled, reports say.

The former president told the BBC that the government in Pakistan was dysfunctional and the economy and the country were failing.

At such times, he said, the Pakistanis were keen for the military to fix the country’s problems.

Mr Musharraf said he was launching the party in London because he risked assassination if he returned to Pakistan.

Analysis

Despite the statements of Pervez Musharraf and his allies, the former president remains one of the most unpopular people in Pakistan.

This is not to say that he does not have some supporters – his base is primarily among the affluent and Westernised urban elite of the country. But that is a minuscule constituency that almost never votes in the general elections.

More importantly though, he has a large number of admirers in the Pakistani establishment – the military-civil bureaucracy combine which effectively runs the country. But they are always known to back a candidate with at least half a chance.

At the moment, Mr Musharraf has none – mainly because he is blamed by the masses for most of the country’s current problems.

He also remains on top of the hit list of most jihadi groups in Pakistan – precluding an immediate return. All this suggests he needs a miracle to have any hope of changing Pakistan’s political landscape.

Last month, he said he would return to Pakistan for the next national elections, scheduled for 2013.

The former president went into exile in 2008 after his allies lost elections.

Mr Musharraf, who now lives in London, announced earlier this year he would set up the All Pakistan Muslim League to address “the crises facing Pakistan”, and the party began a public recruitment campaign.

By returning to politics in Pakistan, he says he hopes to bring about a new political culture to the country.

There are legal cases pending against Mr Musharraf back home and if he does go back he will have to face them.

Mr Musharraf says the cases are politically motivated.

Last month, he told the BBC he would be standing for a seat in the 2013 parliamentary elections. From there he said he hoped to become either prime minister or president.

He seized power in 1999 when, as chief of Pakistan’s army, he ousted elected Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a coup.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Unions suspend BBC strike action

The NUJ’s Jeremy Dear: “We have achieved a great deal in terms of making the BBC move…to something we think is fairer”

A BBC strike planned for next week has been suspended, the National Union of Journalists has announced.

The NUJ said the corporation has made an improved offer in an ongoing dispute over proposed cuts to the BBC’s pension scheme.

General secretary Jeremy Dear said a “significant new offer” had been made and members would be consulted.

Two further dates on 19 and 20 October are still scheduled to take place.

Crusading commissioner

Sir Robert was an articulate and candid speaker

Sir Robert Mark, who was Metropolitan Police Commissioner from 1972 to 1977, came to be regarded as one of the great reforming administrators of his time through his strengthening of police discipline.

When he took over as commissioner in April 1972 after four years as deputy, morale in the force was low and there was evidence of considerable corruption in Scotland Yard. By firm action, he did much to restore public confidence.

At one stage he threatened to put all 3,200 officers in the CID back into uniform and start again from scratch unless they conformed to his standards. The measures he took led to 450 officers leaving the Yard as a result of or in anticipation of disciplinary moves.

Rape accused released ‘in error’

The prisoner was released from Maghaberry Prison on Wednesday

A prisoner charged with serious sexual offences has been released in “error” by the Northern Ireland Prison Service.

Devidas Paliutis, 27, appeared at Newry Magistrates Court via a video link from Maghabery Prison on Wednesday.

The Prison Service was told by the court that the holding charges had been withdrawn but did not realise he had been returned for trial to the Crown Court on other charges.

A search is underway to find him.

Devidas Paliutis is also charged with unlawful and injurious imprisonment and theft.

After his appearance via video link, the Prison Service was advised that the holding charges were withdrawn from the Magistrates Court.

However they failed to act on the notification that other charges had been substituted, for which he was returned for trial to the Crown Court, and erroneously released Mr Paliutis.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland, An Garda Siochána and Interpol have been advised and are co-ordinating efforts to have Mr Paliutis returned to custody.

Steps are being taken to safeguard the interests of the victim of the alleged crime.

Justice Minister David Ford has ordered an immediate and full inquiry into the circumstances which led to this release.

Mr Ford said he will invite the Chief Inspector of Criminal Justice to review the findings.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Pupils hurt in school bus crash

Four school pupils have been taken to hospital after a school bus overturned and landed in a field in Aberdeenshire.

The double-decker, carrying about 30 pupils from Mearns Academy, crashed near Laurencekirk at about 1600 BST.

It is thought nine pupils suffered minor injuries in the incident on the B9120 St Cyrus to Laurencekirk Road.

Aberdeenshire Council acknowledged there had been concerns expressed by parents about the use of double-deckers on this route.

A statement said: “Assessments had been carried out and arrangements agreed with the bus operator. We will clearly be reviewing these in consultation with the police and bus operator in light of this incident.”

The council also said all seats on the bus were fitted with seatbelts.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

‘Runaway van’ killer avoids jail

The van as it start to roll down the road

CCTV footage of the van as it starts to roll down the road

A delivery driver whose van knocked down and killed two people after he left the handbrake off has been given an eight-month suspended jail sentence.

Larkland May, 52, was delivering a parcel in the City of London in April 2009 when the van was nudged by a car and sent rolling down Pudding Lane.

Dave Smith, 24, and Claudia Kauert, 30, were hit by the van and died.

May, of Edmonton, north London, was found guilty of two counts of causing death by careless driving.

The 52-year-old was also disqualified from driving for three years and ordered to pay £700 in costs, at Southwark Crown Court in central London.

Passing sentence, Judge Geoffrey Rivlin QC, said: “The facts of this case are so unusual, so exceptional, so awful, to make it impossible for anyone to devise a truly just judgment.”

Prosecutor Christopher Hehir said it was “an accident waiting to happen”.

Larkland May was delivering a parcel when the accident happened

May, who delivers office stationery, had parked on the road, which has an incline of about 5%, to drop off a parcel at nearby Peninsula House.

But he failed to apply the handbrake and when the driver of another vehicle unwittingly made contact with the van, it rolled away and struck the two pedestrians.

Both were pronounced dead the same day.

Before Friday’s sentencing hearing, Mr Smith’s mother Denise expressed her grief in a short statement read to the court.

“Words are inadequate. We are devastated, we cannot come to terms with the fact David is gone.

“No-one can give us what we want, and that is David back.

“The agony is that David’s life has been taken away and he was just 24.”

The judge said: “I regard the statement of Mrs Smith as amongst the most courageous, compassionate and moving documents I have ever heard.

“It makes a truly marvellous tribute to her son.”

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Kenya ends deal on trying pirates

Somalis accused of piracy, in Mombasa court 23 September

More than 100 Somalis are awaiting trial in Kenya after being captured at sea

Kenya has ended an agreement with the European Union to host trials of suspected Somali pirates.

EU and other warships have been patrolling the sea off the East African coast in an effort to end pirate activity.

Dozens of suspected pirates have been handed over to the Kenyan authorities to face justice.

Kenya’s prisons are already overcrowded and it is argued that the country can ill afford more prisoners from Somalia.

There are 35 Somali men serving prison sentences in Kenya and more than 100 others await trial after being captured at sea.

“Without international protection.. ports like Mombasa or Dar es Salaam would be even further affected by piracy”

Amb Eric van der Linden EU Representative in KenyaPirates hijack ship off Tanzania

But BBC East Africa correspondent Will Ross says the decision to end the agreement to host the trials could not have come at a worse time, as pirate activity is rife.

Somali pirates have already carried out three attacks on merchant shipping in the Indian ocean within the past week.

A clause in the agreement with the European Union had allowed the deal to be cancelled with six months’ notice.

That is what the Kenyan government has done, after accusing the international community of failing to fulfil its side of the bargain.

Adan Keynan, chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Defence and Foreign Relations, was among those welcoming the move.

“Arresting, prosecuting and incarcerating pirates here exposes Kenya to these very serious security challenges,” Mr Keynan told the local Daily Nation newspaper. “It’s not in the interest of Kenyans to try Somali pirates here.”

The EU points out it has spent money on Kenya’s judicial system, via the United Nation’s Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

The UNODC says it has spent almost $3m (£1.89m) so far, some of which was used to build a special court to host piracy trials.

The EU’s representative in Kenya, Ambassador Eric van der Linden, released a statement in which he pointed out that the crime also damages Kenyan economic interests.

Spanish navy officials hand over suspected Somali pirate, Mombasa, 29 September

International warships have stepped up their patrols against piracy

“Without international protection of the international maritime transport routes ports like Mombasa or Dar es Salaam would be even further affected by piracy.”

But Mr van der Linden said he hoped for continued co-operation and offered to engage in “consultations to overcome Kenya’s difficulties”.

Piracy is clearly a threat to Kenya, which does not have the capacity to patrol the seas and all nations, including Kenya, must be keen to ensure there is no impunity for pirates, our correspondent says.

But the current uncertainty surrounding the trials does little to suggest the international community is building a united and determined front to tackle the piracy scourge, he says.

Apart from Kenya, the Seychelles is the only other country to have agreed to host such trials.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.