Category: news

The Dongsha Atoll, located in the South China Sea, has begun to recover after years of suffering, but now a new threat looms.

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

Former Liberian warlord Prince Johnson defends his decision to run in presidential elections, saying military leaders have become leaders in other countries.

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

Alexis Bowater, who has been stalked in the past and is now the chief executive of The Network For Surviving Stalking, talks about new guidance on online stalking.

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

Swiss Cottage is a local landmark

A fire has severely damaged a 19th Century house in a park in Swansea.

The blaze at Swiss Cottage in Singleton Park started shortly after midnight, but no-one was injured.

Three fire crews from the city were called to the scene at the property, which was built in 1826, and left at 0440 BST.

A joint investigation between South Wales Police and Mid and West Wales Fire Service is expected to start this morning.

Swiss Cottage was designed by architect P.F. Robinson, who designed Sketty Hall as well as a number of other lodges in the park.

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

Zhan Qixiong has been in Japanese custody since 8 September

Japan is to release a Chinese fishing boat captain whose arrest two weeks ago led to the worst row with Beijing in years, Japanese media report.

The Japanese authorities had accused Zhan Qixiong of deliberately ramming two patrol vessels near disputed islands in the East China Sea.

China had been demanding his immediate and unconditional release.

The move came after four Japanese men 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.

At a news conference, prosecutors in Naha, Okinawa, said Mr Zhan was “just a fishing boat captain” and had no criminal record in Japan.

They did not perceive any premeditated intent to damage the patrol boats, said Toru Suzuki, the office’s vice prosecutor, the Associated Press reported.

“We have decided that further investigation while keeping the captain in custody would not be appropriate, considering the impact on the people of our country as well as the Japan-China relations in the future,” he said.

It was unclear when he would be released.

Tensions had escalated since Japan detained the Chinese captain.

China issued a series of diplomatic protests, cancelled official visits and cultural events, and said that the row could seriously harm relations.

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.

Korean firm KNOC says it has taken control of 64% of Dana Petroleum, despite opposition to its bid from Dana’s management.

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

Preview followed by live coverage of Saturday’s game between Manchester City and Chelsea 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.

Council tax bands in England have not been revalued for 17 years

There will be no revaluation of council tax bands in England during this Parliament, the government has pledged.

It means there will be no rise in local taxes for householders based solely on the increased value of their homes.

Every property in England is in one of eight council tax bands, depending on value, and these were last set in 1993.

The government said Labour had been “actively planning” to carry out a revaluation but Labour said its election manifesto had promised not to.

A revaluation is long overdue, but would prove highly unpopular with householders who find themselves in a higher band and therefore paying more in council tax, said the BBC’s Greg Wood.

A revaluation in Wales in 2005 placed about a third of all homes there in a higher band.

The government says that a rise from Band D – the bench mark for council tax – to Band E would cost an extra £320-a-year.

Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles said: “We have cancelled Labour’s plans for a council tax revaluation which would have hiked up taxes on people’s homes.

“Hefty council tax bills are a constant financial worry for many people. Today we are setting their minds at ease, and protecting the interests of the less well-off in particular who were the hardest-hit from Labour’s council tax revaluation in Wales.”

But a Labour spokesman said: “The Labour Party made an unequivocal commitment that there would be no council tax revaluation in this parliament.

“This is a cynical and misleading manipulation of facts based on what was ultimately a routine updating of the Valuation Office Agency’s records.”

The Taxpayers’ Alliance, which campaigns for lower taxes, said families would be relieved there was to be no revaluation.

“Council tax has doubled in the last 10 years whilst many services have been scaled back, executive pay has spiralled out of control and charges have increased; it’s time council tax was cut,” spokesman Emma Boon said.

What band a house falls into is determined by inspectors from the government’s Valuation Office Agency (VOA).

There has been criticism in the past from some quarters over what data about people’s homes is collected and kept by the VOA.

Mr Pickles said the government was moving to address this issue, and that an independent data audit of the VOA would protect privacy and civil liberties as part of dismantling the “database state”.

The Scottish Parliament has no plans to revalue homes in the foreseeable future.

In Northern Ireland, which has a different system of local taxes, property values were re-assessed in 2005.

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

Mr Clegg is to call for a “radical overhaul” of the UN

The UK must restore its reputation in the world, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg is expected to tell the UN general assembly in New York later.

He will say that tolerance and fairness are in Britain’s “national DNA”.

But he will add the UK has learned “the hard way” that democracy “cannot be created by diktat”, in comments likely to seen as a reference to the Iraq war.

He will also say the UN needs a “radical overhaul” to tackle the international challenges it faces.

Mr Clegg will tell the UN: “Britain will stand as a beacon of democracy, freedom and law.

“Many of the values that must be at the heart of a new global settlement are in our national DNA – tolerance, fairness, democracy, equality before the law.

“But our approach will also be hard-headed and realistic. In recent years, we have learned – sometimes the hard way – that democracy cannot be created by diktat. Freedom cannot be commanded into existence.

“The new coalition government, now five months old, will restore Britain’s international reputation by pursuing a hard-headed foreign policy based on liberal values.”

Although Mr Clegg may not refer to Iraq directly in his UN speech, earlier this year he described the 2003 invasion of Iraq as “illegal”.

He made the statement in the House of Commons and was later forced to clarify that it was a personal opinion.

Mr Clegg will say taking action on international challenges requires multilateral co-operation, but a “radical overhaul” of the UN is needed to achieve those ends.

He will call for the expansion of the UN Security Council with permanent seats for Brazil, India, Germany and Japan, as well as representation for Africa.

Mr Clegg will say the financial crisis, along with the collapse of the climate change talks in Copenhagen and the stalling of the Doha trade round, has put in question the effectiveness of multilateral approaches.

“Too many nations and international institutions have been too reticent about promoting enlightened, human values,” he will say.

“We need to inject new life into our institutions, and new confidence into the expression of our ideals. Reform is essential.”

Mr Clegg will also call for strong political leadership on Afghanistan and the Middle East peace process, and for the UN to improve its response to what he will describe as the “outrageous abuse of democracy” in Burma.

On Thursday, Mr Clegg travelled to Washington for talks at the White House with US Vice-President Joe Biden.

They were said to have discussed Afghanistan, UK and US domestic policies, and the floods in Afghanistan.

A spokesman for Mr Clegg said the meeting, which lasted more than two hours, was “warm and productive”.

The talks had been due to finish much earlier, so much so that Mr Clegg missed a scheduled appointment with Senator John Kerry, chairman of the US Senate’s foreign relations committee.

Speaking before the meeting, Mr Clegg said the two nations had a “terrifically important relationship”.

“It ebbs and flows over time but it is hugely important and it is built to last.”

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

Teresa Lewis is scheduled to die by lethal injection in Jarratt, Virginia

The US state of Virginia is preparing for the execution of Teresa Lewis, who is set to become the first woman to be put to death in the US for five years and in Virginia since 1912.

Lewis admitted to conspiring to murder her husband and stepson.

The 41-year-old, who has learning difficulties, used sex and cash to persuade hitmen to kill her family.

Despite appeals from the European Union, Lewis is scheduled to die by lethal injection at 2100 (0100 GMT).

On 30 October 2002, Lewis left the door to her family home unlocked for gunmen Matthew Shallenberger and Rodney Fuller.

Lewis’s husband, Julian Lewis, 51, and stepson, Charles Lewis, 25, were later found dead from shotgun blasts in Danville, Virginia.

Lawyers for Lewis filed a petition for executive clemency on 25 August 2010, but the US Supreme Court refused to intervene. Two of three women in the nine-judge court voted to halt the execution.

Lewis, who has an IQ of 72, has caught the media’s attention because of her gender, claims that she does not possess the intelligence to have planned the killings, and new defence evidence allegedly proving one of the gunmen manipulated her.

Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell said medical and psychological reports provided no compelling reason to grant clemency to Lewis, noting she had admitted her role in the killings.

“After numerous evaluations, no medical professional has concluded that Teresa Lewis meets the medical or statutory definition of mentally retarded,” Mr McDonnell said after he rejected the clemency plea.

Lewis was motivated to hire the gunmen by the desire to inherit her husband’s assets and her stepson’s life insurance. She paid for the weapons and ammunition used in the murders.

Mr Shallenberger and Mr Fuller have both been sentenced to life in prison.

The lethal injection is due to be administered at Greensville Correctional Center in Jarratt, Virginia.

Virginia carries out the second highest number of executions of any state in the US.

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

Sgt Maj Ley accepted an “incredibly high” level of personal risk

A teenager who seized a Taliban leader and a man who neutralised 42 bombs in 72 hours are among scores of UK service personnel to be honoured for gallantry.

A total of 131 members of the armed forces are to be awarded medals in the latest Operational Awards List.

Most medals, to be presented by senior royals at a later date, will go to soldiers from 11 Light Brigade – the UK’s lead formation in Afghanistan.

Defence Secretary Liam Fox said the awards reflected incredible bravery.

‘Sheer determination’

Among those honoured are Rifleman Reece Terry, of the 4th Battalion The Rifles, who will receive the Queen’s Gallantry Medal for Bravery.

The 19-year-old, from Taunton in Somerset, led a night raid in southern Afghanistan in October to capture a Taliban leader who had killed many British soldiers.

In an area concentrated with bombs, he led a 100-strength force over seven irrigation ditches, through two belts of disused compounds and across fields.

He was armed with only a metal detector and night vision goggles.

Sgt Maj Karl Ley, of the Royal Logistics Corps, is to be presented with the George Medal for “awesome bravery” in tackling bombs.

The 29-year-old cleared 139 bombs during his six-month tour of Helmand province – twice as many as any other bomb disposal expert and more than anyone else in history.

His medal citation praised his “sheer determination, guile and awesome bravery”.

Rifleman Terry’s courage and stamina went “beyond the call of duty”

Others to be awarded medals include a soldier who threw back an enemy grenade to save his colleagues, a woman who trained female police officers in Afghanistan, and an injured helicopter pilot who rescued six casualties while under fire.

Dr Fox said: “Each of these awards highlights the extraordinary courage and incredible bravery that is displayed by our service personnel.

“Our armed forces are the best in the world and those recognised today should feel extremely proud of their actions.”

The awards, nine of which are posthumous, are for actions during the period 1 October 2009 to 31 March this year.

The 4th Mechanized Brigade took over from 11 Light Brigade in April as the UK’s lead formation in Helmand province.

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

The future of 27 schools in the area are up for consultation

Plans to close or merge nearly 30 primary schools have been unveiled by South Lanarkshire Council.

The local authority said the future of 27 schools across the area were under consideration.

If agreed, the council said the move could generate up to £40m and save at least £4m a year.

The authority’s executive committee has also agreed to review plans for nine new schools, which are currently at the design stage.

The news comes as South Lanarkshire considers plans to make £90m of savings to its budget over the next three years.

Council leader, Eddie McAvoy, said: “We have had to make difficult decisions when considering how best to take forward our commitment to ensuring that every pupil in South Lanarkshire will be taught in modernised accommodation fit for the 21st century.

“Parents, teachers and head teachers are aware of the huge financial challenges facing the council and we firmly believe that these proposals will mean that we stick to our commitment to ensure that all pupils are taught in modern bright and inspiring buildings.

“Parents, staff and pupils, as well as the wider community, will have ample opportunity to comment fully on each of these proposals through the statutory consultation process and I would urge all concerned to make their views known through the in-depth consultation process ahead.”

A six-month consultation has already begun on the future of 12 primary schools in the district.

New school

The are; Newfield, Stonehouse, Crawfordjohn, Abington, Crawford, Leadhills, Coulter, Tinto, Lamington, Libberton, Auldhouse, East Kilbride and Greenhills, East Kilbride.

The council said they would also consult on a catchment review in the Cambuslang and Rutherglen areas.

Further consultations are due to take place from March 2011 on St Mark’s and St Peter’s in Hamilton, Bent, Blackwood, Carstairs, Carstairs Junction, Hunter, Long Calderwood, Sandford, Wester Overton, Murray, Heathery Knowe, South Park, St Louise and Our Lady of Lourdes.

The authority said it also wanted to build a new school for pupils of Canberra Primary, East Milton, and about half of those from South Park on the existing Canberra Primary School site.

Meanwhile, Moray Council has stepped back from is plan to consult on seven schools, many of which were consulted on in 2007-08.

It has said the schools would remain as they are until after the next council elections.

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

The conditions of facilities in the athletes’ village has been criticised

The Scottish Commonwealth Games team will confirm later whether their athletes are to fly out as planned to Delhi.

The first group, who had been due there this week, were told not to travel because of concerns about hygiene and security at the athletes’ village.

The sporting showpiece will begin on 3 October and run for two weeks.

A Scotland team delegation will inspect the athletes’ facilities and decide whether they are fit to be used.

Scottish representative Jon Doig had said he was heartened by the progress of the Indian authorities.

Sports Minister Shona Robison also told parliament on Thursday that she was confident that further inspections would lead to the go-ahead for athletes to fly to the event.

Wales has announced its athletes will travel to the games as planned, while English athletes who have arrived will not stay in the athletes village, but in a holding camp.

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

Lucy Proctor on the 13-mile run

Can men and women ever compete fairly in a sport like running? Yes, but it requires a little bit of maths know-how.