Category: news

Aafia Siddiqui, the female Pakistani scientist convicted of attempting to kill US military personnel, has been sentenced to 86 years in prison.

Siddiqui was being interrogated by US officials in Afghanistan when she grabbed a rifle and opened fire, shouting “death to Americans”.

US prosecutors called her an al-Qaeda sympathiser and sought life imprisonment.

Her conviction in February sparked protests in Pakistan.

Siddiqui had studied in the US before marrying a relative of accused 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.

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Fernando Lugo has made few public appearances since being diagnosed with cancer

Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo did not father a child with a woman who is suing him in a paternity case, DNA results have shown.

Mr Lugo’s lawyers said the child’s mother, Hortensia Moran, now had “less and less credibility”.

The paternity case came after Mr Lugo, a former Catholic bishop, shocked Paraguay last year when he acknowledged another child as his son.

Mr Lugo, 59, was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer last month.

He has spent much of the past month being treated in Brazil.

Ms Moran said her son, Juan Pablo, was conceived while she was working for one of the left-wing parties that supported Mr Lugo’s candidacy for president in 2008.

While Ms Moran said she would consult her lawyers before announcing her next move, Mr Lugo’s representatives said they wanted the paternity case thrown out of court.

A third paternity claim against the president was withdrawn earlier this year.

Mr Lugo served as a Roman Catholic bishop of the diocese of San Pedro, one of Paraguay’s poorest areas, until stepping down in December 2006, saying he felt powerless to help the country’s poor.

Two years later, he ended 61 years of conservative rule in Paraguay when he took office.

But analysts say his political position has weakened since officials announced on 6 August that he had non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Earlier this week, he sacked several senior military figures in a move many thought was aimed at staving off a coup.

Officials later rejected suggestions that they feared a military takeover.

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Ronnie O’Sullivan makes Jimmy White pay for an error-strewn performance to reach the last 16 of the World Open with a 3-1 victory at the SECC in Glasgow.

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Sanjoy Majumder looks at the frantic preparations taking place in Delhi

Senior Indian ministers have held a crisis meeting aimed at tackling concerns surrounding the Commonwealth Games, due to start in two weeks.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called the meeting after several participating nations expressed alarm at the state of athletes’ accommodation in Delhi.

New Zealand, Scotland and Canada have all delayed their arrival at the Games.

But most other nations – including England and Wales – have committed to the event, which starts on 3 October.

Indian officials have repeatedly insisted the Games are on track, despite pictures of the athletes’ village obtained by the BBC showing flooding, leaking toilets, dirty bathrooms, incomplete apartments and animal paw prints on beds.

Urban development minister Jaipal Reddy told the BBC that the media had exaggerated the problems, and that preparations were running smoothly.

“There are no doubt some grievances in regard to the standards of maintenance of toilets in the Commonwealth Games village – other than this, there are no other problems at all,” he said.

The chief executive of the Games, Mike Hooper, also gave an upbeat assessment, saying there had been improvements every day in the state of the facilities.

And some countries appeared to soften their stance late on Thursday, with Scotland saying it was “increasingly optimistic” that it would take part, and Wales saying its concerns had been addressed and its athletes would travel to India as planned.

In pictures: paw prints and leaking toilets Send us your pictures of the village

England’s hockey team said they would be arriving on Friday, but would initially stay in a hotel rather than the official Games accommodation.

“There’s just a bit of cleaning needs to be done and I think in a few days we’ll be in the village as well,” said men’s team captain Barry Middleton.

Mr Singh summoned Mr Reddy and sports minister MS Gill to his residence after scathing criticism, particularly from Canadian officials who described the “indifference” of Indian officials as “incomprehensible”.

The Indian ministers are expected to make a statement later.

Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) president Michael Fennell also arrived in Delhi to try to ensure the event goes ahead smoothly.

Preparations for the Games have been beset by difficulties – including particularly heavy monsoon rains and an outbreak of dengue fever in the area.

Security issues were also raised after suspected militants shot and wounded two foreign visitors in the capital last Sunday.

Australia’s world discus champion Dani Samuels and English world triple jump champion Phillips Idowu have both pulled out of the Games, saying they were concerned for their safety.

Ticket sales have been low, and the cost of hosting the largest sporting event in the country’s history has soared, making it the most expensive Commonwealth Games so far.

Estimates on the cost range from $3bn (£1.9bn) to more than $10bn, as organisers attempt to complete work which began in 2008.

What’s Gone Wrong

Athletes’ village – Indian media reports only 18 of 34 towers are completedYamuna River – flooded in worst monsoon rain for 30 years, leaving pools attracting mosquitoesNehru Stadium – part of false ceiling collapsed in weightlifting areaBridge leading to the Nehru Stadium – collapsed on TuesdayJama Masjid Mosque – Two tourists injured in shooting near mosque, Indian Mujahideen threatens more attacksShivaji Stadium – no longer to be used as a venue because it was not going to be ready in timeYamuna Sports Complex – roof damaged by heavy rain in July

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A handyman who planted child pornography on his boss’s computer in a bid to get promoted has been jailed.

Neil Weiner, 40, hatched the plot to get caretaker Eddie Thompson sacked from Swanlea Secondary School in Whitechapel, east London, in 2006.

He sent police a CD containing 177 indecent images of children claiming they were from Mr Thompson’s laptop.

Weiner was jailed for 12 years for perverting the course of justice and possessing indecent images of children.

The man launched the plot hoping to get Mr Thompson sacked so that he could be promoted, the court heard.

Judge David Paget told him: “What you did to a decent and honest man was in my view wicked.

“It is difficult to imagine a more cunning, deceitful or warped course of conduct than yours in this case, or a more malicious one.”

Hundreds more pictures were found on Mr Thompson’s computer and the caretaker was arrested in October 2006.

He told police he had been set up by colleagues who did not like him but it was eight months before police decided no further action would be taken.

Mr Thompson and his wife became afraid to leave the house, when he received threats and they were spat at in public, after details of the allegations were leaked by Weiner to a local newspaper.

Even when he returned to the school where he had worked since 1993, Mr Thompson said he was shunned by nearly all the staff, making his life “almost unbearable”.

“My life and good name was nearly destroyed by a villain who tried to destroy my reputation in a monstrous manner,” said the Mr Thompson in a victim impact statement read to the court.

Weiner was arrested in 2007 after a mobile phone used to make an initial anonymous call to police about Mr Thompson was traced to him.

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In a move likely to be copied elsewhere, Suffolk’s county council agrees a plan that will see it outsource almost all its services.

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A factory employing 225 staff making steering parts for cars is earmarked to close, its owners say.

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The US state of Virginia prepares 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.

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A coroner releases footage of the last moments of a barrister shot by police marksmen after a siege at his west London flat.

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Gangs: Harm in communities unrecognised by some police, says HMIC

Cutting efforts to fight anti-social behaviour would be “a very significant mistake” for police, a watchdog says.

The Chief Inspector of Constabulary Sir Denis O’Connor said some forces in England and Wales already responded too slowly to calls from vulnerable people.

And he warned that if spending cuts led police to neglect the problem it could tip some areas into a “spiral of economic and social decline”.

Police chiefs say they are deeply aware of the impact of anti-social behaviour.

The chief inspector’s warning comes in a wide-ranging review of how well forces tackle anti-social behaviour, backed up by a survey of more than 5,600 people.

He said officers often did not take anti-social behaviour seriously because they did not regard it as real crime.

He said he wanted “feet on the street” and warned chief constables to think carefully about coming cuts.

“Confronted by spending cuts, some police chiefs and community safety partnership members may be tempted to reduce the amount of work they do in relation to ASB and to concentrate instead upon volume crime,” said Sir Denis.

“All the evidence we have available indicates that this would be a very significant mistake.”

Nine out of 10 people questioned in the survey told Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) that the police were responsible for dealing with anti-social behaviour.

More than a third of those who had experienced problems had changed their routines, such as staying in at night and avoiding public places.

Three out of 10 people said they had experienced intimidation after standing up to bullies – rising to more than four out of 10 where the victim was disabled.

But, Sir Denis’s report said that only 13 of the forces in England and Wales had systems in place to identify quickly the calls that had come from victims most in need of support.

His report said that although all 43 forces said that anti-social behaviour was a priority, the police response was extremely patchy because officers treated the incidents differently to recordable crimes.

“Problems that are not considered criminal were then discounted as ‘not real police work’.

Sir Denis said: “The public do not distinguish between anti-social behaviour and crime. For them, it’s just a sliding scale of grief.

“Make no mistake, it requires feet on the streets.”

The HMIC said that police should focus on reducing “harm” caused to communities rather than simply trying to increase the number of crimes they were solving on paper. Sir Denis said this call to focus on harm was supported by fresh academic research by Cardiff University.

It suggests that more police resources devoted to anti-social behaviour would mean communities would be more mobilised to reclaim their streets.

The HMIC report develops previous criticisms made by Sir Denis who has repeatedly called on forces to rethink how they do their job. Earlier in the summer, he said that only 11% of officers were available at any one time to respond to calls.

His intervention comes as chief constables negotiate with the Home Office over cuts.

Earlier this year, Home Secretary Theresa May said in a speech that she wanted a rethink of how she wants to see anti-social behaviour tackled, saying that there was “no magic Whitehall lever” that could be pulled.

Speaking for the Association of Chief Police Officers, Assistant Chief Constable Simon Edens said they were “acutely aware” of the devastating impact anti-social behaviour.

“What this report highlights is that where there is police action, victim satisfaction in the police response to anti-social behaviour is high,” he said.

“Modern policing has to meet a hugely complex range of challenges. Anti-social behaviour is not a matter for the police to tackle alone, and the service supports the government’s approach to encouraging greater personal and community involvement in neighbourhoods.”

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The widow of an exiled Pakistani politician murdered outside his north London home makes an appeal for information to help find his killers.

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The UN Gerneral Assembly opens in New York Live

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The economy was hit by a fall in consumer spending

The Irish economy shrank in the second quarter from the previous three months, surprising analysts who had been expecting growth.

Gross domestic product (GDP) fell 1.2%, the Central Statistics Office said. It also revised down its measure of growth in the first quarter to 2.2% from 2.7%.

Gross national product (GNP), seen by some as a more accurate barometer of the economy, fell by 0.3%.

The government has been seeking to reassure investors about the economy.

Most economists had predicted a 0.5% rise in GDP.

“It’s well below [the consensus forecast] and a disappointing figure clearly,” said Dan McLaughlin, Bank of Ireland’s chief economist.

“One could take some comfort from the fact that domestic demand is beginning to show some signs of life,” he added.

“Probably people will now have to reassess their outlook for this year overall.”

The Central Statistics Office said the economy had been hit by a fall in consumer spending – down 1.7% compared with the same period last year.

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What is a harvest moon, and why is this year’s special?

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Flood warnings are issued regularly in north Ayrshire

A number of towns in north Ayrshire have been hit by flooding following torrential rain in the area.

Fire fighters and police officers were called to Kilbirnie, Glengarnock, Fairlie and Largs on Wednesday evening.

Mark Asbury, who lives in a flat on Main Road in Glengarnock, said it was the worst case of flooding he had seen.

The area is susceptible to floods and in 2008 a major clean-up operation took place in Kilbirnie when the River Garnock burst its banks.

The river runs for more than 20 miles from its source in Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park to its confluence with the River Irvine at Irvine Harbour.

Along the way it passes through the towns of Kilbirnie, Glengarnock, Dalry and Kilwinning to its confluence with the River Irvine at Irvine Harbour.

Mr Asbury said: “It is flooded to the front of my house – it is unbelievable. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

North Ayrshire Council was put on standby and Strathclyde Fire and Rescue, along with Strathclyde Police, have been helping local residents.

The Met Office had warned of torrential downpours on Wednesday evening with the threat of localised flooding in the Glasgow area and in the west of the country.

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