Category: news

The death of an 85-year-old man has become the second to be directly linked to an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in south Wales.

He died on 11 September, the day before Bev Morgan, 49, of Rhymney, the other confirmed victim, it has emerged.

Public health offficials said there were now 22 people with Legionnaires linked to the outbreak.

A man, 70, and woman, 64, also died of Legionnaires but have been excluded from this outbreak.

More follows

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A woman described as playing a ‘pivitol role’ in running brothels in Belfast is denied bail.

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Authorities in the state of Virginia are preparing to execute a woman, the first to face the death in the US for five years.

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Disgraced ex-policeman Rolando Mendoza, 55, hijacked a bus on 23 August

Philippines President Benigno Aquino says investigators have recommended charges against at least 12 people over a bus hijacking last month in which eight Hong Kong tourists were killed.

Mr Aquino said a former national police chief, the mayor of Manila and two journalists were among those found liable in a government-backed report.

A bungled attempt to rescue hostages, who were held for hours on a bus by an armed former policeman, caused outrage in Hong Kong and mainland China, straining diplomatic ties.

The report issued to the public did not contain the recommended charges or the identities of all of those implicated.

Listed among those who should be punished for the fiasco were three national broadcasting networks.

The media have been berated for broadcasting the incident live.

The hostage-taker had TV access on the bus and was able to watch as police operations unfolded.

He was even able to see his brother being arrested, which officials say could have prompted him to open fire on his captives.

The hostage crisis “will always be remembered by the whole world by the images of the debacle of the assault,” the report said.

President Aquino said that the report had been handed to Chinese officials, and he hoped the recommendations would help repair relations.

The president is flying to the US to discuss business opportunities aimed at stimulating the Phillippine economy and said he would decide on whether to lay charges on his return.

But the BBC’s Kate McGeown in Manila says he is likely to be doing all he can to restore the image of his country.

Disgraced ex-policeman Rolando Mendoza, 55, hijacked a bus on 23 August, armed with an assault rifle, in an attempt to get back the job he lost in 2009 for extortion and threat-making.

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The singer denies the charge

The lead singer of Liverpool rock band The Zutons broke a man’s nose after his girlfriend was insulted by a group of men, a court has heard.

Dave McCabe headbutted Peter Appleby in an alcohol-fuelled row outside a city nightclub, Liverpool Crown Court heard.

The 29-year-old admits hitting Mr Appleby but has claimed he acted in self-defence and denies assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

The Zutons formed in 2001 and have released three albums.

Ben Morris, opening the case for the prosecution, said the incident happened outside the Korova bar in Hope Street in the early hours of 21 February.

Jurors were told that one of Mr Appleby’s five friends mocked Mr McCabe’s girlfriend over her fur-collared jacket, claiming she looked like she had a beard.

She reacted “angrily” and Mr McCabe approached the group while Mr Appleby was laughing,” he added.

“He never made the remark but he was laughing because he thought it was funny,” said Mr Morris.

“McCabe came over and headbutted Mr Appleby, causing him a broken nose.”

The court heard that Mr McCabe, of Vale Road, Liverpool, will tell jurors he was surrounded by Mr Appleby and his friends and believed he was about to be struck, so took the action in self-defence.

Giving evidence, Mr Appleby said the comment was not intended to be overheard and accused the woman of “over-reacting”.

He described how Mr McCabe approached the group in an “aggressive” manner before shouting abuse.

“He seemed to be directing it at me and then he lunged towards me and headbutted me,” said Mr Appleby.

He told the jury he had consumed six pints of Guinness and he was drunk, but denied doing anything to provoke the attack.

“I was stunned when he headbutted me. I looked down and all I could see was blood.”

Mr Appleby attended the Royal Liverpool Hospital for treatment.

Mr McCabe was arrested the following month.

During his police interview, he told officers he had wanted to make peace with the group and denied he attacked Mr Appleby in anger.

The case continues.

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An advertising campaign is set to revive Tetley’s animated tea folk, which were dropped after 28 years in 2002.

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Eric Daniels, the third bank boss to announce recently that he is stepping down

The chief executive of the Lloyds Banking Group, Eric Daniels, is to retire in a year’s time.

He becomes the third senior bank executive to step down in the past few weeks, following John Varley at Barclays, and Stephen Green at HSBC.

Mr Daniels oversaw Lloyds’ heavily-criticised rescue takeover of the Hbos banking group in 2008.

The deal, during the banking crisis, undermined the finances of Lloyds and prompted a government bail out.

The-then Labour government took a large minority stake – which currently stands at 41% – in Lloyds.

That cost the government £20bn.

Lloyds Banking Group returned to profit in the first half of the year, mainly because of a drop in the amount set aside to cover bad loans.

Pre-tax profits were £1.6bn, compared with a loss of £4bn in the same period a year earlier.

Before that the bank lost £13bn in the course of 2008 and 2009.

Much of that was due to the huge losses that had been built up in the Hbos bank that went undetected by Lloyds before its takeover.

Mr Daniels, 59, will continue in his post until next year when a replacement is appointed.

Lloyds chairman Sir Win Bischoff said: “The entire board and I are grateful to Eric for his leadership as chief executive since June 2003, particularly since the announcement of the acquisition of Hbos in September 2008.

“The successful integration of the two companies and the sooner-than-expected return to profitability of the enlarged Lloyds Banking Group are testament to his disciplined and vigorous leadership during a time of unprecedented financial turmoil.”

Aggrieved shareholders in Lloyds Banking Group are preparing legal action to recover up to £14bn they say they lost as a result of Lloyds’ rescue of Hbos.

They allege that the former Chancellor Alistair Darling and Lloyds directors hid vital information from shareholders in the run-up to the takeover.

In particular they claim that Lloyds and the government hid the fact that Hbos had just been given an emergency £25bn loan by the Bank of England to keep it afloat.

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Kate Moss was bridesmaid at McQueen’s civil partnership ceremony

A memorial service has been held to commemorate the life of fashion designer Alexander McQueen following his death seven months ago.

Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell and Sarah Jessica Parker paid tribute alongside friends and family at St Paul’s Cathedral in London.

Designers Stella McCartney and Pam Hogg were also at the ceremony, which was held during London Fashion Week.

McQueen, 40, hanged himself on the eve of his mother’s funeral in February.

He took a mix of cocaine, tranquilisers and sleeping pills before killing himself at his London flat, an inquest concluded.

Coroner Dr Paul Knapman, recording a suicide verdict, said: “The balance of his mind was disturbed.”

The designer left a note, scribbled onto the back of a book in his room. It said: “Look after my dogs, sorry, I love you, Lee.”

McQueen won the distinction of being named British designer of the year four times between 1996 and 2003 and was also awarded the CBE.

Naomi Campbell arrived in a black feather dress with knee-high boots

The London-born designer started his career as an apprentice in Savile Row with Anderson and Sheppard before going on to work for Gieves and Hawkes.

By 1996 he had succeeded John Galliano as the head designer at fashion label Givenchy, to the dismay of the French press.

He reportedly once scrawled “McQueen was here” inside the lining of a suit belonging to Prince Charles during his stint on the famous street for bespoke tailors.

McQueen stayed with Givenchy for five years, until the end of his contract, which he said had started to “constrain” his creativity.

He began a new venture with Gucci Group, which bought 51% of his company, and boutiques followed in London, Milan and New York, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

Kate Moss was a bridesmaid when McQueen entered into a civil partnership with documentary maker George Forsyth in a New Age ceremony on a yacht off Ibiza in 2001.

Sarah Jessica Parker wore a cream dress and black knee-length jacket

After his death, Victoria Beckham called him a “master of fashion, creative genius and an inspiration”.

Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman said: “Lee McQueen influenced a whole generation of designers. His brilliant imagination knew no bounds as he conjured up collection after collection of extraordinary designs.”

“He was a genius,” said designer Katherine Hamnett. “What a terrible, tragic waste.”

Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld said: “I found his work very interesting and never banal.

“There was always some attraction to death, his designs were sometimes dehumanised.

“Who knows, perhaps after flirting with death too often, death attracts you.”

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Until now, there has not been a global list of all the plant species known to science

The inventory of plants known to science worldwide has been cut by more than 600,000 species.

Many plants have been named more than once, so for the past two years, scientists have been developing an accurate record of the world’s plants.

The ongoing study involves UK and US researchers, who expect the final number of recorded species appearing on the Plant List to be closer to 400,000.

The list, to help plant conservation, will be published later this year.

“Without accurate names – authoritatively determined – understanding and communication about global plant life would descend into inefficient chaos,” said Stephen Hooper, director of the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew – one of the organisations involved in the project.

In partnership with the Missouri Botanical Gardens, Kew Gardens have been working on the project, which aims to provide a working list of all plants species in an effort to support plant conservation around the world.

It involves taking records from existing plant databases and producing a single, global inventory that removes duplications and errors – something that is not available at the moment.

The latest developments were outlined during the fourth Global Botanic Gardens Congress, which was held in Dublin in June.

The researchers involved in the Plant List are aware that is not without its own problems.

“It’s been a rollercoaster of a project, and the results will be far from perfect but it will be the most comprehensive list to date,” said Kew’s head of science policy and co-ordination, Eimear Nic Lughadha.

“It will include almost all scientific names at species level that have been published for plants.”

However, when the list is published, there will be no coverage of ferns, nor algae, which account for about 10,000 and 30,000 species respectively.

It is hoped that the working list will be accessible via the web in the coming months.

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A 19-year-old man has been detained for 16 weeks after admitting harassing a man with learning difficulties who later died.

David Askew, 64, collapsed outside his home in the Hattersley area of Greater Manchester in March.

Neighbours said he had been a victim of anti-social behaviour although a post-mortem examination found he died of natural causes.

Kial Cottingham admitted harassment at Tameside Magistrates’ Court.

Cottingham, of Melandra Crescent, Hattersley, was accused of harassing Mr Askew over a three-month period from 25 January 2010 up to the day of his death on Wednesday 10 March.

He was also given a restraining order preventing him from making contact with members of the Askew family.

Police were called to Mr Askew’s home – also on Melandra Crescent – following reports youths had been causing an annoyance.

When officers arrived they found him collapsed and he was taken to hospital, where he later died of heart failure.

Greater Manchester Police said Mr Askew and his family had been subjected to “prolonged anti-social behaviour and harassment” for a number of years before his death.

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Nick Clegg will use his speech to criticise Labour’s handling of the economy

Nick Clegg will try to reassure Liberal Democrats who have raised doubts about the coalition, promising it will “put the country on a better path”.

In his speech to the Lib Dem conference, the deputy prime minister is expected to say “this is the right government for right now”.

Mr Clegg will also say the party would not be taken seriously again, if it had not done a deal with the Tories.

He will also stress the parties remain distinct, despite the coalition.

There are reports that many grassroots Lib Dems are unhappy at the coalition agreement, fearing that their party is being subsumed by a Conservative cuts agenda.

In his speech, Mr Clegg will defend reaching an agreement with the Tories after no party won a parliamentary majority in May’s general election.

He is expected to say: “Some say we shouldn’t have gone into government at a time when spending had to be cut. We should have let the Conservatives take the blame. Waited on the sidelines, ready to reap the political rewards.

“Maybe that’s what people expected from a party that has been in opposition for 65 years.

“People have got used to us being outsiders, against every government that’s come along. Maybe we got used to it ourselves. But the door to the change we want was opened, for the first time in most of our lifetimes.

“Imagine if we had turned away. How could we ever again have asked the voters to take us seriously?”

Mr Clegg will also say: “The Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives are and always will be separate parties, with distinct histories and different futures.

“But for this Parliament we work together to fix the problems we face and put the country on a better path. This is the right government for right now.”

The government is to outline the details of its cuts programme, aimed at reducing the £155bn budget deficit, when it publishes its spending review on 20 October.

Most Whitehall departments have been told to plan for savings of between 25% and 40%.

On Sunday, former Lib Dem leader Charles Kennedy told the BBC there was a “legitimate argument” to be had over the speed and scope of the cuts.

This followed criticism from Labour that the plans could undermine the economic recovery and damage front line services, hitting the poor hardest.

But Mr Clegg will use his speech to repeat the promise made by the Lib Dem Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander, to target rich tax-avoiders in an effort to reduce the deficit.

He will say: “Labour left the country’s coffers empty. So the years ahead will not be easy. But you do not get to choose the moment when the opportunity to shape your country comes your way. All you get to choose is what you do when it does.”

Mr Clegg will add: “People who avoid and evade paying their taxes will no longer get away with it either.

“We all read the headlines about benefit fraud. We all agree it’s wrong when people help themselves to benefits they shouldn’t get. But when the richest people in the country dodge their tax bill that is just as bad.

“Both come down to stealing money from your neighbours. We will be tough on welfare cheats. But unlike Labour, we’ll be tough on tax cheats too.”

However, a revolt over the coalition’s schools policy could provide an embarrassing overture to the leader’s big speech.

At a fringe meeting on Sunday night, delegates criticised the plans for free schools and new academies outside local authority control, saying they were costly, unethical and divisive.

If the conference does vote against the plans it would not change government policy.

Mr Clegg will be leaving the conference after his speech, as he is due to attend a United Nations summit in New York on reducing world poverty.

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A third of the UK’s military deaths in Afghanistan since 2001 have been in Sangin

UK troops are marking the end of their mission in the Sangin area of Afghanistan’s Helmand province.

Control of the area was formally handed over from UK forces to the US Marine Corps at 0630 BST.

The UK has suffered its heaviest losses in the Sangin area. Of the 337 UK deaths in Afghanistan since 2001, a third have happened there.

Defence Secretary Liam Fox announced in July that the troops were to be replaced by US forces.

The UK military has previously insisted the move is a redeployment, now there are more US troops on the ground.

The UK mission in Sangin began in 2006.

The BBC’s Ian Pannell in Kabul said there would be a physical handover, with the union jack lowered and the US flag raised but little would change practically.

He said some members of the 40 Commando Battle Group had already left but the pull-out would be staggered over the coming weeks.

It is a “totemic” moment for the UK, he says, and Sangin is the most dangerous district in Helmand if not the whole of Afghanistan.

On a recent visit to the area, he witnessed a long battle with a number of US soldiers, Afghan soldiers and civilians sustaining injuries.

“Although progress has been made the area remains very difficult, a key battleground for insurgents and coalition forces, and the truth is the Americans will now have to try and finish the job that Britain started,” he added.

Speaking in July, Dr Fox told MPs UK forces had made “good progress” in Sangin, but the move would enable Britain to provide “more manpower and greater focus” on Helmand’s busy central belt, leaving the north and south to the US.

About 300 logistic and security troops – from the Theatre Reserve Battalion stationed in Cyprus – would be sent to Helmand to help with the redeployment, he said.

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Chris Baird has made more than 40 appearances for Northern Ireland

The home of the mother of Northern Ireland and Fulham footballer Chris Baird has been attacked in Rasharkin, County Antrim.

A petrol bomb was thrown at the front window of the house in Wallace Park at 0345 BST on Sunday. The flames were extinguished by a passer-by.

A number of people inside escaped injury. Police said a sectarian motive was one line of enquiry.

It is understood to be the second attack on the house in three weeks.

“It is quite clear they are being targeted because they are a Catholic family,” Sinn Fein’s Daithi McKay said.

“The family are not involved in anything political.

“People are shocked and very angry that they have been singled out.”

Baird, who plays for Fulham in the English Premiership, signed a new three year contract with the London club last week.

The 28-year-old arrived from Southampton in July 2007 and was a key part of the Fulham team that reached the Europa League final in May.

Baird started his career at Ballymena United before joining Southampton’s youth academy in 1998 and made his first team debut in March 2003.

He joined Fulham for £3m and was signed by then manager, the former Northern Ireland boss Lawrie Sanchez.

He has won more than 40 international caps and played in the Northern Ireland team which secured a 1-0 win in Slovenia in their Euro 2012 qualifier on 3 September.

Baird has captained Northern Ireland in the past, and was first given the role against Liechtenstein in August 2007.

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An autism charity has called on the Department of Health to identify the exact number of families currently waiting for a carer’s assessment.

Autism NI says social services are ignoring the needs of parents whose children have autism and only an audit will reveal the true extent of the problem.

The BBC has learned that official figures fall short of the number of carers who say they need help.

Earlier this month, a High Court judge found the Western Health Trust had breached its duty to carry out assessments and provide services to carers of children with autism.

The case triggered hundreds of calls to local charities and the Children’s Law Centre.

According to most of these families, they were either unaware that as carers they were entitled to an assessment, or if one had been carried out, services such as respite care were not provided.

Autism NI family support officer Paula Hanratty says the Department of Health needs to carry out an audit of how many families are waiting for assessment or for vital services.

“This is urgent – we know there are hundreds of families out there who are desperate for services, desperate for help, and they’re not getting it,” she said.

Figures obtained by the BBC suggest about a dozen families across Northern Ireland have applied to the health trusts for such a service.

Autism NI says this discrepancy highlights the urgency for an audit to be carried out.

The BBC asked the four remaining health trusts; Belfast, South Eastern, Southern and Northern, for the number of carers currently waiting on a service: the total was a startling 12.

This is despite local charities and the Children’s Law centre saying they know of hundreds of such cases across Northern Ireland.

Part of the issue, according to Eamonn McNally, mental health solicitor with the Children’s Law Centre, is that social workers are not telling families of children with autism that they are entitled to a carer’s assessment.

“In fact, a number of cases have told us that the social worker has actually said they are wasting their time submitting for help, as there is no money left to provide it,” he said.

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England are set to play in Monday’s one-day game against Pakistan despite more twists in the spot-fixing saga that has overshadowed the series.

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