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Probe over Briton’s disappearance

West Midlands police are investigating the disappearance of a British man in Pakistan, who may have been kidnapped for a ransom.

Mohammed Harris Iqbal, originally from Sparkhill, Birmingham, was seen in the southern Sindh province on 15 September.

The family of the 25-year-old have said they were contacted by kidnappers.

But police in Pakistan have said they believe he has joined an Islamic extremist group.

Mr Iqbal, originally from Sparkhill, Birmingham, was last seen leaving his rented home in the town of Nowshero Feroz.

A statement from West Midlands Police said: “We are aware of the concerns raised by the family of Mohammed Harris Iqbal and his whereabouts.

“We are working with his family and the authorities in Pakistan to support any investigation.”

The missing man’s father, Iqbal Khan, has said the family got in touch with kidnappers when they answered Mr Iqbal’s phone on 18 September.

He said his son, who is also known to his family as Ali, was allowed to speak on the phone and kidnappers later called and raised a ransom to 20 million rupees (£280,000).

Mr Khan said the calls were made to his home in Birmingham and the Pakistani police force was monitoring the case.

Police in the Mirpurkhas district have said they have registered the case of kidnapping as reported to them by Mr Khan.

Zulfiqar Maher, from the Pakistani police force, said: “We believe he has gone off with some (Islamic) group and is now getting his friends to make the calls.

“We have strong evidence to back this up, but we can’t disclose it to the media at the moment.”

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

Sweden plane threat man arrested

A plane en route to Pakistan has landed in Stockholm because of a bomb threat, Swedish authorities say.

A spokesman at Arlanda airport said the Boeing 777 plane was carrying 273 people from Toronto in Canada and was bound for Karachi.

A Stockholm police spokeswoman said Canadian police had received a tip-off that a passenger was carrying explosives.

“We are going to apprehend this person,” she said, according to AP.

The pilot was said to have requested permission to land at Arlanda and the plane was now at the end of the landing strip.

The airport said it was still open to air traffic.

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

Carling Cup fourth round draw

Holders Manchester United are drawn with Wolves in the fourth round of the Carling Cup, while giant-killers Northampton will play Ipswich.

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

Scots to fly out to Delhi Games

Team Scotland Athletes. Pic by Duncan Kirkhope

Team Scotland athletes are flying out from Glasgow Airport

Hundreds of athletes and staff will begin to fly out from Scotland to the Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

Concerns about security and unfinished facilities had raised doubts about the Scottish team’s involvement with the sporting event starting on 3 October.

But guarantees have since been given by the Delhi 2010 Organising Committee and the Commonwealth Games Federation that the problems have been solved.

The first of the athletes will fly from Glasgow Airport at about 1400 BST.

Those travelling on Saturday include competitors from archery, lawn bowls, shooting, tennis and weightlifting.

Team Scotland’s rugby players, boxers and wrestlers are due to head out on Tuesday.

Scottish team manager Vicky Strange, who is already in Delhi, told BBC Radio Scotland’s Sports Weekly: “Our accommodation for Team Scotland is actually very much ready.

Obama presses for fair Sudan vote

Sudan reaches historic crossroads

US President Barack Obama is to attend a special UN meeting to exert pressure on Sudanese officials to ensure January referendum is free and fair.

Southern Sudanese are to vote on whether they want the semi-autonomous region to become independent.

But preparations for the elections are behind schedule, with authorities not even having decided who is to vote.

Southerners insist that the referendum be held on time, and not postponed.

The referendum was part of a 2005 peace deal to end two decades of conflict between the north and oil-rich south, but observers fear delays or the lack of a credible vote could spark fresh conflict.

The BBC’s James Copnall in Khartoum says that it will take a huge act of political will, not to mention some logistic ingenuity, to hold the referendum on time – but so far, both have been lacking.

This is a UN meeting, but there is no doubt Mr Obama’s presence makes the US the driving force, our correspondent says.

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has repeatedly said the vote will be free and fair, but critics are not convinced, and some accuse him of deliberately dragging his heels.

Mr Bashir, who is wanted by the UN for war crimes, is being represented by his vice-president Ali Osman Taha, while Southern Sudan will be represented by its leader, Salva Kiir.

Earlier this month, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called the 9 January vote a “ticking time bomb”, saying that an outcome in favour of succession was “inevitable”.

She expressed concern that the north was unlikely to welcome the prospect of losing its share of oil revenues and that the south should make “some accommodations” for it, to prevent a return to conflict.

Southern Sudan, where most people are Christian or follow traditional religions, is already semi-autonomous and is run by the SPLA former rebels, who fought the Muslim-dominated, Arabic-speaking north until the 2005 deal.

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

Drone raid kills four in Pakistan

At least four militants have been killed in a suspected US drone strike in north-western Pakistan, officials said.

The missiles are said to have struck near Miranshah, the main town in the North Waziristan tribal district.

They were targeting a vehicle carrying militants, officials said.

In the last three weeks, US drone strikes have killed about 100 suspected militants in Pakistan’s tribal belt close to the Afghan border.

The US military routinely does not confirm drone operations, but analysts say it has the only force capable of deploying such aircraft in the region.

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

China apology demand turned down

Chinese fishing boat captain Zhan Qixiong as he leaves Ishigaki airport, Okinawa

Japan said it released Zhan Qixiong to promote ‘mutually beneficial’ ties with China

China has demanded an apology from Japan following the return of a fishing boat captain who was detained for two weeks in Okinawa.

Zhan Qixiong was arrested earlier this month after his trawler collided with two Japanese patrol vessels near disputed islands in the East China Sea.

The incident caused the biggest row between the two countries for years.

After his release, Beijing reiterated its claim to the islands, calling it “indisputable”.

Mr Qixiong left Okinawa on Friday evening on a specially chartered plane sent by the government of China.

Analysis

The release of the captain came amid the worst rift between Asia’s two biggest economies in years. China broke off ministerial level contacts and thousands of Chinese tourists cancelled holidays.

Japanese prosecutors took the politics into account. They said even though the captain may have deliberately rammed Japanese coastguard ships it wasn’t worth detaining him given the importance of ties between Japan and China.

Japan’s government insists the prosecutors took the decision alone. But opposition politicians have criticised it. They fear the country has been left looking weak.

After landing at Fuzhou Airport in Fujian Province, he said he was thankful to be free and repeated his claim of innocence.

“The Diaoyutai Islands are a part of China. I went there to fish. That’s legal,” said the fisherman.

“Those people grabbed me – that was illegal,” he said.

“I’m thankful to the country, the party, and all the Chinese people for the care they showed me.”

Following his release, China’s government demanded an apology and compensation from Tokyo.

“This was an action that gravely violated Chinese sovereignty and the human rights of a Chinese citizen, and the Chinese government strongly protests,” said a foreign ministry statement.

“It is unlawful and invalid for Japan to detain and investigate the boat captain and to take any legal measures against him.”

Prosecutors in Japan said their decision to release the captain was based on the deepening rift between Beijing and Tokyo.

They said they did not perceive any premeditated intent to damage the patrol boats and therefore had decided that further investigation while keeping the captain in custody would not be appropriate, considering the impact on relations with China.

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said the aim was to promote “mutually beneficial” ties with China.

“Prosecutors came to their judgment in compliance with their duty on the basis of Japanese domestic law. In any case, China and Japan are important neighbours,” said Mr Kan, who was attending the UN General Assembly in New York.

Ongoing disputesGas fields: The countries argue over gas exploration rights in the East China SeaDisputed islands: Both countries claim ownership of Senkaku/Diaoyu islandsYasukuni Shrine: Memorial to Japan’s war dead which China sees as glorifying war criminalsQ&A: China-Japan islands row Lingering fall-out from row

The release came after four Japanese were detained in China on suspicion of illegally filming in a military area.

A Japanese foreign ministry spokesman said its embassy in Beijing had received confirmation that the four were being held, but he said he did not want to speculate whether it was linked to Japan’s detention of a Chinese fishing boat captain.

Officials said the four men were employees of a Japanese construction company who were in China to bid for a project to dispose of chemical weapons from World War II.

Tensions had escalated since Japan detained the Chinese captain.

Beijing cut off ministerial-level contacts between the two countries and thousands of Chinese tourists pulled out of trips to Japan. Concerts by a Japan’s top boy band SMAP due to take place in Shanghai were cancelled by the Chinese organisers.

Earlier this week Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said that Japan bore full responsibility for the situation and demanded the immediate release of the captain.

On Thursday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged the two sides to settle the issue before it had a long-term impact on the region.

The Japanese coastguard arrested Zhan Qixiong on 8 September after his trawler collided with two of their patrol boats in an area claimed by both countries, near uninhabited islands which may have oil and gas deposits.

Japanese prosecutors had until next Wednesday to decide whether or not to charge the man.

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

New Labour leader to be announced

The five contenders have been campaigning for four months

The Labour Party will learn who their new leader will be as the party conference opens in Manchester.

The winner is expected to be announced at about 1600 BST on Saturday.

David and Ed Miliband, Ed Balls, Andy Burnham and Diane Abbott are in the running to replace Gordon Brown, who quit after Labour lost the election.

Most observers believe it is too close to call between the Miliband brothers, with second and third preference votes likely to prove decisive.

But Ed Miliband was installed as favourite by some bookmakers for the first time on Friday. Ed Balls, Andy Burnham and Diane Abbott are thought to be batting it out for third place.

“I think the priority for all of us will be to unite as a party, and move forward, and to be a credible opposition”

Ed Miliband Labour leadership candidate

An article in the Guardian suggested advisers to the two brothers had held a secret meeting to discuss what role either would play in the other’s shadow cabinet, should one of them lose to the other.

David Miliband, the former foreign secretary who has long been considered the favourite to win, told the BBC he would not quit politics if he lost the contest: “I didn’t run in South Shields in [the general election] in May in order to run away in September. My constituents are very important to me and I’m certainly not walking away from them.”

Asked what job his brother might expect in his shadow cabinet, should he win, Mr Miliband declined to answer saying that would be “tempting fate”.

Ed Miliband, on his way to the conference, told the BBC the priority was for Labour to “unite as a party and move forward and to be a credible opposition. I will do that if I am the leader.”

MPs and MEPs, party members and members of trade unions and allied organisations took part in the vote.

Each of the three components counts for a third of the overall result, but with those taking part casting second, third and fourth preference ballots, it is difficult to predict the outcome.

Meanwhile, Andy Burnham has called for a change in the rules for future leadership contests, with tighter spending limits and a switch to one member one vote instead of separate sections for MPs, trade unionists and party members.

“I don’t see why my vote as an MP is worth 600 times the vote of an ordinary party member. That’s not how we build a mass membership party,” he told The Guardian.

Harriet Harman will return to her job as the party’s deputy leader once the result is announced – she has been acting leader since Mr Brown stepped down as party leader and prime minister in May.

Four of the five candidates are former cabinet ministers – Mr Balls, a close ally of former PM Mr Brown, was schools secretary, Mr Burnham was health secretary and Ed Miliband was the energy and climate change secretary.

Left-wing backbencher Miss Abbott was a late entry to the race who got onto the ballot paper only with the support of David Miliband. But she has used her history as a critic of the Iraq war and other decisions taken by the previous Labour government to differentiate herself from the other candidates.

About three million people are expected to have voted in the contest. Ballot papers are being verified and counted by the independent Electoral Reform Services.

The day after the winner is announced nominations open for the shadow cabinet, with Labour MPs voting to decide who should have a place.

Shadow cabinet candidates have until next Wednesday to put their names into the ring, with about 50 already in the running for the 19 slots up for grabs. The other members of the shadow cabinet – party leader, deputy leader, chairman of the Parliamentary Labour and the chief whip – are voted in separately.

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

Live – Saturday football

The draw for the Carling Cup fourth round takes place before leaders Chelsea travel to Manchester City in the first of seven top-flight games on a busy Saturday in the Premier League.

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

Red Cap trial families ‘excluded’

From top left: Sergeant Simon Alexander Hamilton-Jewell; Corporal Russell Aston; Corporal Paul Graham Long; Corporal Simon Miller; Lance-Corporal Benjamin Hyde; Lance-Corporal Thomas Keys.

The six men were all based at Goojerat Barracks in Colchester, Essex

The parents of six Royal Military Police soldiers killed in Iraq say they are being “excluded” from the trial of the men accused of their murder.

The Red Caps were killed by a mob in the town of Majar al-Kabir in the south of the country in 2003.

Their relatives say they are not allowed access to the court, or any form of live video of the proceedings, only a daily email summary of events.

The trial is due to begin in Iraq on 29 September

Mike Aston, whose son Russell was one of those killed, said the parents were told two years ago they would be taken to see part of the trial process by the then-defence secretary John Hutton.

That offer was withdrawn by his successor Bob Ainsworth on safety grounds.

Mr Aston said the planned daily e-mail was not enough.

He told the BBC: “I’m a reasonable person. I would be happy with a video link. Especially as the government has said that any trip out there would be foolhardy.

“But I don’t trust the authorities – the government and the Army. It’s been like pulling teeth for seven years. They have wanted us to just go away,” he said.

Timeline

24 June 2003 – Six soldiers are killed by a mob while defending a police station in Al Majar al-Kabir, 120 miles north of Basra.

22 January 2004 – Sgt Simon Hamilton-Jewell’s brother calls for a public inquiry into the deaths of the six men. This request has so far been rejected.

31 March 2006 – An inquest into their killings finds that the men had been given antiquated radios and inadequate ammunition. However, Coroner Nicholas Gardiner ruled that their deaths could not have been avoided.

4 May 2006 – Iraqi authorities issue first of 16 warrants for the arrest of suspects.

12 February 2010 – Eight Iraqis arrested in connection to the case

August 2010 – Armed Forces Minister Nick Harvey informs the men’s families that five of the seven remaining suspects had seen their charges dropped

“We need proof that the trial has actually taken place. We don’t know what happened in that room. We just want to see justice done and find out how our sons behaved and what happened to them.”

MoD sources told the BBC that the ministry had investigated the possibility of some kind of streaming or video link from the court, however the decision to put in place any such video link was entirely up to the Iraqi judge. British authorities had no jurisdiction in this decision.

The Red Caps who died were: Sgt Simon Hamilton-Jewell, 41, from Surrey; Cpl Russell Aston, 30 from Derbyshire; Cpl Paul Long, 24, from Tyne and Wear, L/Cpl Tom Keys, 20, from North Wales; Cpl Simon Miller, 21, from Tyne and Wear and L/Cpl Ben Hyde, 23, from North Yorkshire.

They had been on a routine operation to train local police, and according to some reports had been playing football with the Iraqi police officers when a crowd of between 400 and 500 people attacked.

The six men were chased into a police station, where they were shot.

After local elders put out a request for witnesses, 16 people were initially arrested and charged.

In 2006, an inquest heard that the men had been given radios that did not work and not enough ammunition, but the coroner ruled that the deaths could not have been avoided.

The Ministry of Defence is preparing a comment on the families’ claims.

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

Warming threat to long haul birds

Swallows are among the species that make long distance migrations to northern Europe

Birds embarking on long distance migrations are more vulnerable to shifts in the climate than ones making shorter journeys, a study suggests.

Scientists say the increasingly early arrival of spring at breeding sites in Europe makes it harder for the birds to attract a mate or find food.

The researchers warn that the “increasing ecological mismatch” can lead to a decline in bird populations.

The findings appear in the journal Proceedings B of the Royal Society.

“The study was based on a very large dataset of 117 migratory bird species that migrate from Africa or southern Europe to northern Europe, covering about 50 years,” explained co-author Nicola Saino, from the University of Milan.

“By arriving late, the birds are probably missing the best period in which to breed”

Professor Nicola Saino University of Milan

The international team of researchers, from Italy, Germany, Finland and Russia, wanted to see if the spring arrival time of the birds at their breeding sites had changed over the past half century.

To achieve this, they used the birds’ average arrival days at a number of bird observatories in northern Europe.

The team then compared this information with the corresponding year’s “degree days”, which refers to the total of average daily temperatures above a threshold that will trigger natural cycles, such as plants coming into leaf or flower.

“We know that temperatures affect the progress of spring – the higher the temperatures in the first months of the year, the earlier spring arrives,” Professor Saino told BBC News.

‘Missed opportunities’

Earlier this year, researchers from the UK’s Centre for Ecology and Hydrology published a study that suggested that spring was arriving in the UK 11 days earlier than 30 years ago.

Warmer starts to the year are resulting in plants coming into leaf earlier, the study suggests

Season shifts ‘alter food chains’

Professor Saino and the team found that spring was beginning earlier, which had a consequence for the migratory birds.

“The birds that have not kept track with the changes have declined more in northern Europe.”

These were primarily species making long distance migrations from sub-Saharan areas, a diverse set including ducks, swallows and warblers.

“The most likely problem is that there is optimum time in spring for the birds to breed; and by arriving late, the birds are probably missing the best period in which to breed,” he said.

“Peaks in food abundance, such as insects, are very narrow in northern latitudes; so if you arrive too late and miss the peak, then you miss the best opportunity to raise your offspring.

He added that this “ecological mismatch” was likely to be the main reason for the decline in the birds’ populations.

The data show that the birds are reaching the breeding sites earlier, but not early enough to keep aligned with the advance of spring.

The long-term consequence could be that populations continue to decline, but Professor Saino cautioned that it was a complex issue.

“It also depends a lot on what is happening in the winter,” he suggested.

“One of the reasons why they might not be able to keep track of the changes is that they are unable to shift their winter sites northwards.

“Or they may have to shift their wintering sites southwards, which will make their journey longer.”

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

Coronation Street’s world record

Coronation Street has been officially recognised as the world’s longest running soap by Guinness World Records.

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

Live – Singapore GP practice

The five title contenders make their final preparations for qualifying ahead of Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix.

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

US ‘engages’ with Somali regions

The US hopes the new policy will help to stem the spread of radical Islam in the Horn of Africa

The US wants to strengthen its ties with Somalia’s breakaway regions Somaliland and Puntland, the Obama administration’s top diplomat for Africa has said.

The new, “aggressive” engagement could help to head off the Islamist insurgents, Johnnie Carson said.

But there were no plans to recognise the regions as independent states.

Mr Carson said his government would also continue to support the Somali government.

Protest to save MS respite care

The centres offer round-the-clock nursing care

Protesters have gathered outside the AGM of a multiple sclerosis (MS) charity to protest over the closure of respite care centres.

The residential centres in York, Surrey, Warwickshire and East Lothian face closure if they are not taken over by other organisations.

The MS Society says its reviews aims to give patients and carers “more choice and control”.

A vote of no confidence in its board has been tabled at the AGM.

The centres offer day-care and holidays for MS sufferers.

Guests can take part in group activities and outings, while carers are reassured by the presence of round-the-clock nursing.

The MS Society says 1,385 people stayed at the centres in 2008/9 – but it estimates about 30,000 people need respite care.

It says more than 20 organisations have expressed an interest in taking over the centres.

But campaigners fear closure is more likely, because the centres have equipment – such as ceiling-mounted hoists – which is highly specialised for MS patients.

Sue Tilley, who has had MS for 36 years, and is a former MS Society Trustee, said the homes were worth the money.

“It really is extremely important. For many it’s the specialised care that they get. Our homes only cater for people with MS so they’re with staff that understand exactly what their problems are, they don’t have to explain what the problems are to any of the other guests,” she said.

“They are expensive. It costs the society £2.7m a year in the subsidy, but we’ve known this for years. Respite homes are different to long-stay homes and they do cost money, but that’s what people give money to the society for.”

The MS Society has praised the professionalism and dedication of staff and volunteers at the centres.

But it says a more flexible approach is needed as the current service only helps around 4% of members. It wants to offer more personalised forms of treatment and give money to members to arrange their own holidays.

It also says because the locations of the centre, they’re hardly ever accessed by patients from Wales and Northern Ireland.

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