Category: news

The British grandmother praying for clemency

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Former England captain Michael Vaughan urges Andrew Strauss to take legal action against Pakistan cricket chief Ijaz Butt over his match-fixing claims.

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The Canadian privacy commissioner is happy that Facebook changes made as a result of her investigations are satisfactory.

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Russia made its ambitions clear by planting a flag beneath the North Pole

An international meeting has begun in Moscow in an attempt to stop the Arctic becoming the next battleground over mineral wealth.

One quarter of the world’s resources of oil and gas are believed to lie beneath the Arctic Sea.

Russia, Norway, Canada, Denmark and the United States have already laid claim to territory in the region.

Delegates will discuss cooperation but are also likely to push their claims to the Arctic’s riches.

The region’s resources are rapidly becoming accessible due to the dramatic shrinking of the polar ice cap.

The race for the Arctic centres on an underwater mountain range known as the Lomonosov Ridge.

In 2001, Moscow submitted a territorial claim to the United Nations which was rejected because of lack of evidence.

Three years ago, a Russian expedition planted a titanium flag on the ocean floor beneath the North Pole in a symbolic gesture of Moscow’s ambitions.

Russia’s Natural Resources Minister Yuri Trutnev says, however, that there are no immediate plans to develop the territory.

“Lomonosov is about working for the future,” he said.

Canada and Denmark are also planning to submit separate files to the UN.

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The Scottish government wants a minimum price for alcohol

The Scottish government’s plans for minimum drink pricing are set to be defeated at Holyrood, despite a last-minute offer to save the measure.

Holyrood’s health committee is expected to back a Tory amendment to strike from the Alcohol Bill plans for a minimum price per unit of alcohol of 45p.

The SNP has offered to insert a sunset clause in the legislation, which would review the policy after six years.

But the move has not gained enough opposition support.

Ministers say minimum pricing is needed to help tackle Scotland’s drinking culture.

But rival politicians said the blanket policy would hit responsible drinkers, and have pulled together to oppose the minority government’s plan.

Nationalist MSP, Dr Ian McKee, said a levy of 45p would mean 1,200 fewer hospital admissions, a £5.5m fall in health care costs, 50 fewer deaths and nearly 23,000 fewer days absent from work in the first year.

He added: “Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon’s offer of a sunset clause gives parliament the opportunity to see the benefits minimum pricing will bring to Scotland’s communities and to review it properly after a set time.

“There are no grounds for rejecting that opportunity.”

But the Tories’ Mary Scanlon, added: “There is simply no political support for the SNP’s blanket minimum pricing.

“These plans would penalise responsible drinkers, harm the Scotch whisky industry, cost jobs and is probably illegal.”

Rock-bottom prices

Ross Finnie, the Lib Dem health spokesman, said all parties must work together to tackle Scotland’s alcohol problems.

But he warned: “We remain unconvinced by the government’s proposals for minimum pricing.

“It impacts heavily on the low paid, has a marginal effect on hazardous drinkers and gives a windfall to retailers.”

Labour health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie, added: “According to the Scottish government’s own study, a minimum price of 45p per unit will deliver more than £140m of extra revenue per year for retailers – but it won’t create a single extra penny for more police or the NHS.”

If agreed, the minimum pricing policy would see a two-litre bottle of Tesco brand cider go from £1.32 to £3.80, while Asda whisky would rise from £9.20 to £12.60.

Ms Sturgeon has maintained that costs would only rise for high-strength products sold at rock-bottom prices.

The cross-party health committee is set to amend the Alcohol Bill, which is in the second of its three parliamentary stages.

The Tory amendment is to be backed by Labour and Lib Dem MSPs.

Ministers will have a further attempt to re-insert minimum pricing in the bill at its final stage.

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Royal Mail workers are told they will be offered at least 10% of shares in the business if it is privatised.

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The armed forces minister says there is no need for “panic mode” regarding the future of an order for two aircraft carriers.

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Sunderland footballer Titus Bramble is arrested after a woman was raped in a Newcastle hotel.

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The bodies of Bola Ejifunmilayo and daughter Fiyin were found the day after the fire

A Northamptonshire woman has been charged with killing a mother and child who were found dead in a Milton Keynes flat after a fire.

Bola Ejifunmilayo, 29, and her three-year-old daughter Fiyin died in the multiple-occupancy house in Fishermead Boulevard on 5 September.

Their bodies were found a day later.

Barbara Zhanje, 48, of Rockingham Road, Corby, is due before Milton Keynes magistrates to face two charges of manslaughter.

The family said in a statement Mrs Ejifunmilayo was “affectionate with a joyful spirit” and Fiyin had been looking forward to starting school next week.

“Bola had a pure mind and was a loving mother,” the statement said.

“She had many friends within Milton Keynes, especially Fishermead, and was always willing to help others.”

Her family described her as a devoted Christian who attended the Redeemed Christian Church of God and was part of its choir.

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The number of workers will also be increased to ensure conditions are improved

More Australian athletes may withdraw from the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, Australia’s sports minister has said.

Mark Arbib said the head of Australia’s Commonwealth Games Association had told him he expected a number to follow world discus champion Dani Samuels.

Samuels withdrew on Tuesday, citing security and health concerns.

Her decision came after the head of the Commonwealth Games federation fiercely criticised India over the facilities it was providing for athletes in Delhi.

Michael Fennell, president of the Commonwealth Games Federation, said advance teams had been shocked by what they had seen at the athletes’ village, where toilets were filthy and flats unfinished.

A spokesman for the local organising committee said foreign officials might have “different standards of hygiene”, but also promised that conditions would be improved before the Games opened on 3 October.

In a separate development on Tuesday, a pedestrian bridge connected to the main Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium stadium collapsed, injuring 27 workers, five of them seriously.

Raj Kumar Chauhan, Delhi’s minister for development, said the accident occurred when workers were trying to pour concrete into a clip at the base of the bridge, and the clip was loosened.

Mr Arbib said the chief executive of the Australian Commonwealth Games Association (ACGA), Perry Crosswhite, believed the problems with the athletes’ accommodation could be fixed before its team began arriving.

“His view is that while there is still work to be done in the Australian quarter, he believes that can be completed before the Australian athletes arrive,” Mr Arbib told Sky TV.

But the sports minister said Mr Crosswhite “thought there could be a number more” who might join Daniels in pulling out of the Games.

Mr Arbib said all Australians travelling to Delhi should take extreme care and heed the Australian government’s travel advisories.

The foreign ministry says it has received reports of possible terrorist threats. Two tourists were wounded in a shooting in the capital on Sunday.

Mr Arbib added that “strict rules” would be put in place on the Australian team’s movements.

“They’ll be able to travel between venues and obviously in the village. But they are obviously concerned about travel in public areas.”

The head of England’s Commonwealth Games team, Craig Hunter, meanwhile demanded guarantees of safety for competitors, and warned that “time is beginning to run out” for the organisers.

Sanjoy Majumder explains the problems with the athletes’ village

“It’s hard to cancel an event of this magnitude but we are close to the wire, and teams may start to take things into their own hands.”

“Athletes will start getting on planes soon and decisions will have to be made. We need new levels of reassurance.”

A decision about England’s participation will be made in the next 48 hours.

Mr Hunter’s comments came a day after England’s world triple jump champion, Phillips Idowu, said he was too concerned about safety to take part.

The head of New Zealand’s Commonwealth Games team, Dave Currie, warned that if the arrivals of the athletes had to be pushed back, it could ultimately result in the competition being cancelled.

Following the advance teams’ assessments, the Indian government convened a high-level meeting to review the situation.

It resolved to set up a “command and control centre” – comprising government and security officials, along with representatives of the Delhi organising committee and the developers of the athletes’ village – that would co-ordinate all activities relating to the Games, officials said.

The number of workers will also be increased to ensure conditions are improved.

The secretary-general of the organising committee, Lalit Bhanot, earlier said the authorities understood the concerns shown by some member countries and the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF).

But he suggested that the complaints could be due to “cultural differences”.

“Everyone has different standards about cleanliness. The Westerners have different standards, we have different standards,” he said.

Mr Bhanot said the situation was “under control” and that he was “sure and confident” that cleaning in the residential areas would be complete by the time teams start arriving.

He said he had visited many athletes’ villages over the years and had never known one of such high quality.

“This is a world-class village, probably one of the best ever,” he said.

Officials from the Ministry of Sports promised last year that the village would be ready in March 2010. Built alongside the Yamuna River in the east of Delhi, it consists of a series of blocks of flats to house about 7,000 athletes and their families, a 2,300-seat cafeteria, and practice areas.

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Nine Iranians have been killed and 20 wounded in a bomb attack on a military parade in the north-western Kurdish town of Mahabad, local media report.

Many of the dead and injured were women and children watching the parade, reports said.

A provincial governor blamed Kurdish separatists for the attack, Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency said.

There have been reports of Kurdish political activists being arrested, tried and executed in recent months.

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Three coaches were targeted during the attack

Notts County fans have said they were ambushed by “brick-throwing yobs” after the team’s Carling Cup defeat by Wolverhampton on Tuesday night.

Three supporters’ coaches were damaged, one severely, as they were driven out of a coach park near Wolves’ Molineux ground.

One female passenger, a pensioner, was treated in hospital after being hit on the head with a brick.

The match was a stewards-only fixture with no police presence.

Supporter Richard Dearnley described the atmosphere after the game – which Wolves won 4-2 – as “intimidating”, but stressed there had been no trouble between rival fans outside the ground.

He said: “There were dozens of youngish Wolves fans – teenagers that came round specifically just to goad the Notts supporters – but we just ignored them and carried on walking back to the coach park.

“Once back at the coach park we got on the coaches and the next thing we knew one coach had a brick through the window.”

He added: “There was worse to come when we actually left the coach park because when the coach in front of us pulled out, immediately after it turned out into the road, some youths ran out and bricked it.

About £6,000 of damage was caused to the coaches

“So they put the windows through in that coach as well. We were following right behind and seconds later a brick smashed one of our windows, then two seconds later the next window was smashed as well.”

Iris Smith, chair of Notts County Supporters’ Club, was also on one of the coaches. She described the attack as “absolutely dreadful” and said youths had been hiding in trees and bushes.

She also claimed that police had failed to provide protection to the away supporters.

However, West Midlands Police said it had pre-arranged a stewards-only fixture with both clubs.

Nigel Bullimore, operations manager at coach firm Premiere Travel, praised the driver of the most severely-damaged vehicle.

He said: “He must have been petrified last night. Full credit to him him – he still managed to get this coach back empty.

“We did have to send another vehicle out late last night to take those passengers because that coach was not roadworthy.”

He added: “We’re talking about damage in the region of £6,000. But it’s not just the glass, we may have to cancel trips in the next couple of days because these coaches are now off the road.”

In a statement, Wolverhampton Wanderers FC said they had been made aware of a serious incident at Horseley Fields near the city centre.

The club’s chief executive Jez Moxey said: “Words can’t adequately describe our anger and frustration at the reports of such irresponsible and stupid behaviour of someone or some people last night.

“It is totally and utterly unacceptable and if the perpetrators can be identified, and they turn out to be Wolves supporters, they will never be allowed inside Molineux again.

“I feel terrible for those Notts County fans who were exposed to this – having supported their team in such admirable style, they should have been able to return home without some moron or morons throwing objects at their coaches. It’s despicable.”

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Mr Cable says British companies are being “destroyed” by corporate short-termism

Vince Cable is to launch an outspoken attack on City greed and self-interest later as he seeks to soothe Lib Dem concerns about the coalition.

The business secretary will tell his party’s conference that “murky” corporate practices threaten UK firms and “capitalism kills competition”.

He will announce a consultation into issues such as executive pay and the role of directors in takeover battles.

Employers group the CBI said Mr Cable’s remarks were “odd” and “emotional”.

They come amid renewed warnings from senior Lib Dem figures, including Mr Cable, about clamping down on excessive bank bonuses.